The rod is attached to the oak with 1/4" bronze bolts countersunk into the oak and peened over flush with the rod. The little cut out at the bottom of the rod will accept a bronze strap which will be attached to the deadwood later on. Backing the rod in order to peen it over was quite a task, since there was no real good way to hold/clamp the rudder and back the rod at the same time. This is the best we could do. . .
2 of us held the rudder while the 3rd hammered away at the bronze until it was flush. Ready for installation. . .
Remember all that fussy drilling a few weeks back? Well this is where it pays off. Below is pictured the flange, containing a 1 1/2" pipe which slides all the way through the keel, into that hole we drilled. The pipe accepts the rudder, which is sticking out a few inches in this photo (the tiller will be attached at the top) and points the rod directly towards the bottom of the keel. By the way, I can't take credit for this beautiful bronze work. It was done by a local metal worker named Bill Lowe.
Sure enough. . . right where we want it. It helped that the aft piece of deadwood had not yet been installed so we could custom fit it not just to the boat and the lead, but also to the aft face where the rudder lies. The bronze strap near the bottom lies in a chiseled out section of the deadwood so everything is nice and smooth.
She's a boat now! Note the chain hoist had to be hooked up again in order to lift the boat up to install the rudder.
In other news, I made the spreaders, which are short pieces that stick out of the mast about 20' or so in the air. Their purpose will become clear later if you aren't familiar with the rigging of a sailboat.
I do get to take credit for the metalwork on these guys. This is a perfect example of why the apprenticeshop is such a great place to learn. It takes more skills than woodworking (although that is the big one) to build a boat, and at the shop, you get to try them all. I've never done any metalworking and frankly never thought I would. But after seeing how easy it is and how few tools you need to do a lot of things (shaping and drilling will take you a long way), I start imagining how to incorporate metal into everyday woodworking projects. Bronze is beautiful stuff.
Speaking of bronze, the collection is pretty much complete.
Finally, the twins are back in the water! She got a little upgrade this winter. The sternpost now has a ring which will act as a traveler, so we don't have to move the sheet back and forth every time we tack. Again, if you aren't familiar with sailing rigging, this will make more sense later once we get everything put together. Since the mermaid will be done in plenty of time for launch on June 18, I'll have some time to do rigging work on the twins.
Happy Spring!
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