At the Boat Works

It was getting to be time for The Fuzz to leave the coast.  After all, there were plenty of projects waiting for him back in the woods.

Checking the weather predictions, The Fuzz saw one day of good weather, and then rain ahead.

So he strapped his pack back on the bike and headed inland.

The Fuzz was fortunate to be able to break up the trip again with an overnight stop with family at Durham.

But this time there was a lot going on in the Boatyard.

When he got there, he found work in progress on Cinderella.

A friend had driven down from Michigan to help install the centerboard in her.

This would be a major undertaking since the boat would need to be removed from the trailer to do it.

And as Cinderella is considerably larger than your average sailboard, this was not a simple matter.

But the first job involved installing the rudder.

This also needed to be done from below.

But the boat could not be safely raised high enough, so a little extra space was created.

If you look closely, you will notice how the rudder is setting in a small hole.

This worked out fine.

Here's a look at the bottom end of the shaft.

The metal piece needed to be 

precisely lined up and fitted to the keel.  Here you can see it clamped into place before drilling for mounting

 holes.

And mounted.

Later these bolts will be replaced with something more saltwater friendly.

One more pix with the rest of the rudder attached.

This part can swing up, which is a handy feature in North Carolina's shallow waters.

Next time, The Fuzz will address the rest of the project;

Somehow getting 2½ tons of boat off of a trailer-

without leaving the boat shed!