Side Bench Improvements

We’ve had a few days of decently warm weather lately so I’ve been able to make some progress on the epoxy work. I’ve added oak ledgers to the thwarts to carry some side benches, overdrilled and filled the fitting holes with thickened epoxy, faired out the area for the mast partner, and added a doubler to the centerboard case to carry a pair of cleats for the downhaul and snotter lines.

The ledger on the forward face of the sternsheets had to be split in half to clear the flange on the inspection hatch. I’ve temporarily screwed it on with deck screws while the epoxy cures, but I’ll later remove them and fill the holes. I tried to give everything a smooth shape so hopefully it won’t be too hard on the back if I rest against them.

Looking forward, this one is fastened so it is flush on the bottom with the thwart. I’ve placed them so a 3/4″ board will make a flush sleeping platform.

Here’s the plywood doubler that will take the downhaul and snotter cleats. I’ve also smoothed out the area for the mast partner with a skim coat of thickened epoxy.

Here’s the updated todo list:

  • Rebed all the fittings
  • Install the mast partner
  • Make side benches
  • Paint everything
  • The keel is getting a little chewed up from the trailer rollers
  • Build a flat bed on the trailer so the keel is supported better
  • Repack the trailer bearings
  • Possibly lower the spring weight on the trailer.

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