February 2005

View from the front

View from the back

First laminations for centerboard

Cutting lead bricks

Lead centerboard insert

Shaping the centerboard

Lift out load retainers added to forward compartment

Started planking the deck. Centerboard laminations begun.

True to form, I've also been working on the house. This winter's project: the dining room.

I didn't want the hassle of casting a lead slug for the centerboard, so I decided to cut one of the lead bricks into slabs. An ordinary hacksaw is useless for this task. I built a sliding table for the bandsaw which proved effective, provided I kept the blade lubricated with paste wax. Now I'm going to have to remove the lead build-up from the blade guides, but that's a small price to pay.