Centerboard Horrors

After we had gotten the hull off the trailer, we started work on lowering the centerboard. It is a 70 lb piece of steel that is pivoted towards the bow. Mounted inside of the cockpit was a pulley system that didn't seem to be working properly. We removed that and restrung it with new rope and wire. To our amazement, the centerboard had blistered along the leading edge from rust and was frozen in place. We finally got her to drop after trying to use several patient methods of removing the rust. It ended up being a case where brute force made more sense and out came the 2x4 and a 5 lb. sledge. She finally dropped, and we spent another 2 hours rotating the boat to get her out. As you can see from the images, between the blistered paint and rust, she was in pretty poor shape.

More pain and pleasure - Boat Images

Here are some more images of the boat as the progression as of late has been great. The first thing we needed to do was get the hull off from the trailer so that we could lower and remove the centerboard. While it was off the trailer, I took some time to remove some of the wood screws holding down the decking out and replace them as they had stripped out. This closed up the gap in the seam on the port side between the deck and the hull.

More boat images

Here are some more images of the progress on the boat. Ethan and I tied the french whipping on the handle this evening and continued to add more layers of finish to the rudder.

The dead and the damned

Original 1938 blue prints of Comet

So here's where things have begun to get fun. I found the original blueprints online of the Comet and must begin scaling them up to create the template for the new rudder I must build. Thought it was cool how simple and effective the lines were in this drawing.

The Comet - the beginning

I think I am going to try to take the time to chronicle the ongoing restoration project I have begun to work on with this new fangled technology. So on top of adding new personal drawings up on here, I will be interjecting my doodles with images of the progress of this project. It's going to be a slow project, as the Comet needs some work. If you are interest in learning about the history of this lovely little sailboat, please refer to http://www.cometclass.com/ .

The beginning stage has been the acquisition of the boat from it's prior owner. The hull is in beautiful shape but apparently, last year, he sank the nose in the wake of a motorboat and sprung a small leak around the center board. When I get the boat to my house, I will take more detailed shots of the specific areas of interest.

I can't wait to get started on this.

Construction time again

A quick sketch to use a place holder on my website. Got to love little doodles like this