Monthly Archives: June 2014

Making a New Rudder for Passport 40 Sail Boat

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Captain

The rudder on a sailboat is a very important yet often neglected part of the boat. Over 30 years of service and the effects of corrosion (galvanic and electrolytic) caused crevice pitting in the shaft of my friend’s rudder on … Continue reading →

Posted in Rudders, Spirit | Leave a comment

DIY White Gel Coat Fibreglass Panel

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Captain

Resin and mirrors are the simple way to make a high gloss white fibreglass panel. The trick is to clean and wax the glass mirror surface and remove all dust. Then simply paint an even coat of catalysed white polyester … Continue reading →

Posted in Hull Maintenance, Maintenance Tips | Leave a comment

Rudder Quadrant Modification for Autopilot

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Captain

  To accommodate the new installation of the autopilot linear drive, brackets must be added to the rudder quadrant to accept the linear drive pin and rudder reference ball joint. The general layout of the parts were drawn on my … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment Installation, Rigging Repair and Maintenance, Second Star | Leave a comment

DIY Carbon Fibre Autopilot Mounting Bracket

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Captain

A new Raymarine autopilot is being installed on Second Star, using a Type II linear drive to drive the rudder quadrant below the decks. A strong mounting bracket was needed to bolt to a strong bulkhead to sustain the 1,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment Installation, General Maintenance, Second Star | Tagged , , | Leave a comment