Recent Blogs Posts

I ordered this centerboard from ruddercraft in Idaho about 3 months back but I haven't gotten around to removing the old one and installing the new one until now:



As the picture shows, the old centerboard has swollen and is not repairable. Was a poor design choice to use carbon steel underwater IMO.

I got the old centerboard off at the lake Perris Lunch ramp by removing the 1/2" SS centboard pin beforehand, wrapping webbing ...

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Summer has been getting out of hand. Finally, I realized that if i didn't get Arcturus launched before the end of the month, it was going to be out for the whole year. So in it went.

A funny thing happens when you start telling people that you need to take time off to work on your boat, and sail away for a few weeks. Everyone has a project that just has to be done first! I've barely left the office all summer. I'm going to remember this ploy next time that business is slow... Lately, ...

Recently, I installed a grease fitting for the lower rudder bearing. A quick little project that is at least whole and complete, in contrast to the many not-quite finished things going on around here.

The rudder shaft rides on two bronze bearing/bushings. One in the deck plate at the top and one at the bottom of the rudder tube. There is a zerk to grease the top one, but the grease doesn't seem to work its way to the bottom. There is already some wear and a bit of a "clunk" ...

(Continued from Part 1):

The original black engine panel frame was in pretty good shape. The panel-back has a slight rim around the mounting flange which leaves a shallow void behind the screw holes. I think this is why it often cracks beneath the screws. I filled this void with epoxy around all the screw holes. The black plastic itself is pretty flimsy and the panel was deformed somewhat form having the old gauges clamped against it, but it cleaned up nicely with black spray paint. ...

Here’s my posting of my recent Universal engine panel upgrade. The real nuts-and-bolts of engine panel and wiring upgrades has already been posted, thankfully, by C. Williams and T. Metzger (see CW-1, TM-1).

My write-up assumes you’ve already done Modifications A, B, and C posted in the second link. Still, having done those upgrades, a single, undetermined short disabled my entire panel (by repeatedly tripping the 30A supply fuse) during my first start-up this season. The rat’s-nest ...