Getting her on her side.
Close-up.
When I removed ‘Sandpiper’s’ centreplate I had previously
extracted the retaining bolt. This allowed me to pull the plate out to the box
without having to wriggle it past the obstruction. Today, I had to reinstall the
centreplate, but with the bolt in place! That meant that I did not have enough open
slot at the top of the box for the curved part of the centreplate to pass between.
The only option was to cut away a small amount of the covering board at the
forward end of the box. Having done that, the plate went in without a hitch.
Centreplate inserted.
Hauling her onto her trailer by winding the winch.
The newly galvanised centreplate is now housed within the
box, but I shall have to make a small section of covering board to replace the
piece I chiselled away. This should not be a big deal. I shall also have to
exchange an old bolt and nut at the front of the box at the very top, because it
is not sufficiently strong to take the loading. This particular nut and bolt
keep the upper part of the box together, and it can be used as a support for
the curved part of the centreplate, should the need arise.
Making ‘Sandpiper’ ready for the water is taking longer than
I anticipated, but there’s no hurry. I’d rather do a good job to eliminate possible
anxiety on my part when I first launch her. If I can be sure all things are as
they should be, I shall not be worried about launching the boat. Firstly, she
must not leak, and secondly, all moving parts must function perfectly.
Well, we
shall see in due time.
No comments:
Post a Comment