‘Ladybird’s’ Rudder

Here it is

At the end of last season I removed ‘Ladybird’s’ rudder and brought it home for stripping the old varnish and applying coats of epoxy. The first coat of epoxy went well, but the weather turned cold which meant that follow-up coats were never done.


This spring I have been waiting for a dry warm day to apply the next coat, but so far it hasn’t happened. The forecasters have repeatedly said the temperature would rise to 15 degrees Celsius, but it has never reached more than 12 degrees. In desperation I spoke to my wife about my predicament, and to my surprise she suggested that I should use the kitchen. I then confessed that I had built the mast and boom of my Paradox sailboat in the kitchen when she was away on holiday. I also told her that I had assembled and glued the side panels for the boat in the lounge!


Within twenty minutes of my wife’s suggestion, the job was done. Therefore dear boatbuilding husband or boat maintenance yachtsman, pluck up courage and communicate with your wife or your partner - she may even offer to help.

P.S. For the best result with the epoxy I use, a minimum of 15 degrees Celsius is required.