The list is getting smaller

It was a beautiful day on Sat but unfortunately it was another another busy weekend on the tools as I put the Whitlock Cobra steering back together with new bearings and tie rod ends. Nice not to have the slop in the rudder accompanied by the loud clunk! I also have a new Jefa tiller lever being manufactured and a Jefa Linear Autopliot Drive on order that connects directly to the new lever. My current drive is a wheel mounted S1 Wheelpilot drive. The Jefa unit is also much stronger so there should be not repeat of the stripped gearbox I experienced in a gale north of the Whitsundays last year. I will be confident the steering will be right for another 10 years.

Spoke with my sailmaker on Friday and the sails should be ready by mid Nov. I still have a fair chunk of work to do by way of installing the Solent Stay, a 6m trysail track on the mast and T-Track sheeting points on the cabin top for the #3 and Storm Jib before I can test these two sails. There is a bit of fabrication required to make sure the Solent stay is anchored to a strong point on the hull; in my case the forward bulkhead.

 Rogue Wave's cabin sole ready for a makeover!

 

The other job I have on (I like to mult-task!) is refurbishment of the cabin sole (floor). I have pulled up all the sole and will be installing a product I saw at the Sydney Boatshow. To face the sole with teak and holly is cost prohibitive so I needed to look at other options. Rogue Waves sole was replaced by her previous owner, however the laminate used was a light beech coloured woodgrain effect so it looks out of place. It is also slippery when wet! So the product I am using is from Lonseal and its a Mahogany and Holly non-slip vinyl and I think you will agree, it looks fantastic. It will certainly brighten up the interior. While the sole is out it provides an opportuinty to dry and air the bilge, replace some rotted wooden sole supports, and design a system to lock the sole in place using 1/4 turn fasteners. Busy times.