Had a couple of weeks away from the boat doing other things. We also have been limited on what we can do due to the cold temperatures in the UK, consistently below the magic 5c.
We did manage to get most the dry fitting done for the cockpit seats and the bunks, but not able to fix them in place.
But fortunately there has been some jobs we could start in the garage – the stability fins and the rudder. We have an outline template for the rudder from the kit supply and the drawings give key outline dimensions for the fins.
We decided not to use the plywood rudder template as part of the laminated layers, just in case we ever need to make another rudder in the future. But we managed to get the 4 layers needed out of a single 9mm by 2440mm x 1220mm sheet of marine plywood. Laminated overnight, great. With the glue, and fibreglassing needed this should come up to the dimensions for fitting to the rudder mountings.
We could check this as my stainless steel parts have arrived! Very shiny and solid.
The layers for the stability fins were cut out from off cuts from the kit frames. Three layers of 9mm, to the dimensions on the drawings.
Shaping was interesting, as in reality there is very little guidance available. The drawings show a general “airfoil” shape through the middle of the rudder and fins, but that’s it. Fortunately the Trekka blogs as some photos and description of what they have done.
Again this is one of those occasions where it’s easy to get held up, wanting detailed info before taking the next step. But I have learnt, it’s just not available, so you have got to press on, and do what looks right, in light of the info you can find.
So an electric planer was used to cut the rudder and fins to what We believed to be the profiles loosely described in the Trekka blog. This isn’t science, it’s art! Then sanded them down so they were smooth and nicely curved. My goal was simply to try to ensure the profiles were balanced across the centre line of each part, by sight and feel!
I think they look pretty good. The rudder feels solid, and heavy. Suitable for guiding me across oceans! Ready for glassing and finishing.
Pete's Class 5.80 Build Blog 