Not until now have I been able to fully explore the
underside of the boat. Today, conditions for doing it were ideal. I slid ‘Sandpiper’
off her trailer onto the lawn; then I levered her onto her side. In this
position I had direct access to the under parts.
When I bought her I noted that she would require remedial
treatment to an area directly forward of the centreplate slot and along the
sides of the slot. She had been roughly repaired with uneven applications of
plastic padding and epoxy, but a small part of the woven roving had become
exposed. I prepared the surface for an application of epoxy and epoxy putty. However,
I made a mistake by not adding enough hardener to the epoxy, and I fear I shall
have to apply a fresh coating tomorrow.
Before turning the boat on her side I tested the outboard
bracket with the engine attached, and I was relieved that the system worked well.
The rudder has room for turning the boat to port without coming into contact
with the propeller; in fact, it can never clash with the rudder, because the
stock first engages with the outboard bracket’s support pad preventing any
further movement of the rudder towards the propeller.
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