Spring work on ORION has officially begun!
Toward the tail end of autumn, my RudderCraft rudder started developing a bend in it after some heavy weather sailing. Like I did last year, I suspended the rudder between two sawhorses, put some cement blocks where the bend seemed most severe, and put a space heater underneath the rudder to make it warm. Once the board heated up and became more flexible, I let the cement blocks bend the blade the other way roughly the same amount the blade was already bent. I kept the heat for a few hours before shutting it off, and after doing this three times over three days, the blade is now perfectly straight again.
A straight-edge reveals a half-inch bend at each end.
A cement block bends the blade the other way.
Looking good!
The next big job was getting the centerboard out so I can put a barrier coat on ORION’s bottom and inside the centerboard slot, and to do that, I had to put the boat on jack stands and get the trailer out. Putting jack stands aft underneath the boat, I used a car jack to lift the bow up, inching the trailer forward as far as I could before letting the boat back down on the trailer and repositioning the jack. As the trailer moved farther forward, I had to use a car jack stand underneath the very back of the trailer so the weight of the boat being let back down wouldn’t flip the front of the trailer up. I eventually moved the trailer out far enough so I could put two more jack stands and blocks underneath the bow to provide maximum support. I have done this many times before, but it’s always just a little scary!
Using the same technique outlined in the Centerboard Removal project page, I carefully lowered the centerboard out of its slot, although I had to reach under and jiggle the board a bit to get unstuck from the very front. I also had to put a little shim near the front of the cradle so I could fully lower the floor jack and slide it out of the way; I removed it easily afterward. I had to use raise the boat up on the jackstands about six more inches to get the board out from underneath ORION. Once I cut the cable (I actually use Amsteel), I wheeled the board out and took a closer look at it.
Centerboard coming down.
Down with the front resting on the shim.
Down and out with the shim removed.
The board isn’t in bad shape at all - it’s actually pretty good. I need to fix a few spots on the leading edge that got beat up from me smacking it on some underwater rocks in years past, and it obviously needs new bottom paint. But my Centerboard Refurbishment from 2008 has held up incredibly well. Hopefully, the small fixes won’t be a big deal, and in the meantime, I can work on the big job of stripping the bottom paint. More on that project to come soon.