On the Water

Yesterday, all I needed to do was paint the registration number on the hull, post the tax sticker, and bolt the license to the trailer.  For whatever reason, I was feeling rushed.  I made nice templates for the numbers (I didn't like those I could purchase).   I took my time getting them positioned. 

Then, painting became a chore.  I should have left off for another day, but wanted to get it done.  I ended up with runny ...and then torn paint.  ...should've left off.

It was good enough for floating, so I made a late start for Wabasis Lake a few miles to the east.  No wind to speak of, but I wasn't there primarily to sail.  I wanted to get my boat wet.  ...to practice trailering, mast setting, and launching from a ramp.

...and to make sure the hull didn't leak.

I was a week and a day past my purchase, so I was eager to confirm the hull's integrity.  My Tanzer 14 is a breeze to launch, even when new at it.  All went well.


I paddled away from the launch ramp, and hoisted the sail.  Not much happened due to the lack of wind.  ...but I was able to study that lack of wind and its subtle effects on my dinghy.

What more, I was afloat!  A few fishing boats were quietly engaged nearby, and a single jet ski was giving tube rides to some kids across the lake.  The evening was lovely, and worth taking in.  I was afloat.



After an hour of < 1 knot progress, I decided to paddle back.  I still needed to practice landing, trailer recovery, and post-sailing gear stowage.  Everything turned out fine.  I'll certainly return when the winds are brisker.

Putting It Back Together

I began my Saturday morning by taking comprehensive measurements of Tanzer 14's aluminum centerboard.  I wanted to do this before re-mounting it so I would have its dimensions on-hand without having to remove it again.

Although there is plenty of online information regarding the slightly larger, Tanzer 16, very little is available for on my dinghy's model.  I plan to post this information at a later date.

After completing my notes, I moved onto shaping the previous day's resin work.  It was nicely workable, and flattened out easily.

Once I was satisfied with the flange, I began laying out new bolt holes for the trunk's replacement cap.  The original layout was a bit haphazard, and had chipped the edges of its mounting flange in a few places.  I wanted to obtain a good, solid connection.

After the layout was determined, I drilled the new holes in the new ipê cap, and then transferred these to the trunk's flange.

Since the joint between the two halves of the trunk cap were not entirely flush, I planed and sanded their edges smooth before pulling them off for a final finish coat.

I re-coated the new ipê cap and the old teak thwarts since both had soaked up the tung oil nicely from the previous day.  Setting them aside to dry gave me enough time to re-install the centerboard.

I made new inner mounting seals since the old ones were badly cracked.  A 1-3/4" hole saw cut nice replacements to a close match.

The centerboard's inner bushing was in very good shape, fitting nicely against both the centerboard and its bearing bolt.  I took extra care when positioning the fin since I was working alone.  I didn't want to risk damaging the trunk by letting it slip and fall.

It took a few trips into the cockpit, and below the hull to get it in place.  Like most things, when I do this again, it will be both easier and quicker.

With the centerboard in place, there was nothing keeping me from installing the cap.  The original had its aft half sealed in place with caulk.  Since I happened to have some appropriate caulk on hand, I did the same.

I also added 26 stainless washers to keep the nuts from digging into the fiberglass flange and wood thwarts. ...couldn't keep myself from adding these.

Once the main sheet's swivel block, and builder's plate were installed, I only needed to attach the centerboard's rubber stop to complete the job.  I replaced its bolt since it was badly bent.

I'm very pleased with the results.  Fortunately, I had the double advantages of having most of the materials I used on hand (appropriate wood, fiberglass resin, and caulk), and the special tools I needed (table saw, dado blade set, jigsaw, routers, drill press, drill, caulking gun, PPE, etc.).

I would have bought the tung oil even without replacing the cap.  Otherwise, I only had to purchase the (added) stainless washers, the rubber stop's stainless bolt replacement, and the rubber gasket material for the mounting bolt's seal. ...all of which cost less than $10.

The only thing now keeping me from the water is adding the state registration number and sticker to the hull.  I'm nearly there!

Trunk Repair, Wood Oil, and Centerboard

Thursday evening's jib work did not proceed according to plan.  I was able to start a few machine stitches, but had to continue with hand sewing.  Since I was sewing a full panel at the jib's clew, progress was slow.  I stopped after completing the vertical zig-zag stitches, and decided to get fresh needles for my machine on Friday.

While I was out the next morning, I picked up some tung oil and fresh fiberglass resin.  I was not sure whether my old resin would still be usable.  As it turned out, it worked fine, but I had to destroy its can to pour it.  The cap was sealed solid.

Once I returned home, I coated the new ipê trunk cap with the tung oil.  I later oiled the teak thwarts, too.  However, I didn't sand the thwarts since I expect to replace them within the year.


Returning to the centerboard's trunk, I used foil tape backing below it's flange so I could fill the existing bolt holes while repairing its frayed fiberglass edges.  This seemed to work well.

While the resin was curing, I took a good look at the anodized aluminum centerboard.  It was in decent condition for having lasted 48 years.  Some of its anodized finish had worn away, but most was still intact.

I used some aluminum/mag polish to see how well it would clean up.  After polishing off a good amount of the heavier corrosion, I decided it was good enough to get me on the water.  I can always work on it more when the lakes are iced over.

At this point, I called it a day outside so I could continue working on the jib sail repairs.  My new machine needles were quickly broken or bent as I tried some sample stitches.  What a bother!  I decided to call it quits for the day on this as well.

Tires, Trunk, and Jib

Most of yesterday was spent working on my Tanzer 14.  Since I bought the boat to sail it, rather than to work on it, my main goal is to get it on the water.  ...as soon as I can.

However, the vessel and its trailer required some attention before doing that.  The trailer's tires were badly cracked at their sidewalls to the point of exposing the inner reinforcement.  I think I was lucky to make it home on them without a blowout.

I ordered new tires online, and decided to freshen the rim paint while waiting for them to arrive.  Fortunately, I already had rust restoring primer and gloss black paint on hand, as well as two fresh valve stems.

The rims were ready by the time the tires arrived yesterday.  20 minutes later they were mounted and ready for the trailer.

The trailer was otherwise road ready.  The last owner had recently replaced its wheel bearings and wiring.  Both were in excellent condition.  Once I attach the license plate, I'll be ready to travel.

The tire delivery provided a welcome break from the work at hand.  The centerboard had been stuck in its trunk when I bought the boat.  I was working on correcting a related issue discovered after my purchase.

I didn't happen to notice the centerboard's condition when surveying the boat during our transaction.  At the time, I thought the trailer might have been impeding its movement.  Once home, I noticed the trailer was not in the way.  However, I was not particularly bothered about it.  The aluminum centerboard and its fiberglass trunk had no wood components which could easily deteriorate.  I figured it was simply some debris between these components.   ...and I was right.

...about that.

To dislodge the centerboard, I decided to remove the centerboard trunk's teak cap.  It needed refinishing anyway, and this would provide me access to both sides.  The slotted front half was cracked afore the slot (since I'm talking about a boat), so I planned on gluing it after removal.

Once the wood cap had been removed, the centerboard was easily dislodged.  I removed it for further inspection and possibly maintenance.

Unfortunately, the solid, aft half was harboring carpenter ants and some larva.  They had made a cozy nest between the cap and centerboard once their wood frass had sealed the centerboard to its trunk.  They were quite upset.

They had also bored a cavity along the underside of the teak.  I could have baked the board to kill any remaining eggs, but didn't want to keep the damaged cap.  I had already committed myself to refinishing the teak, but this time could now be scheduled toward milling a replacement cap.

I had been holding onto some ipê (Handroanthus) leftovers from a deck project years ago, and thought it might work nicely.  The only concern I could find related to its marine use was its density.  The size of the centerboard cap was not going to add significant mass as far as I was concerned.  Ipê it would be.

Milling the wood took a good part of the day, taking a break to get my trailer off its blocks and onto its tires. As light was beginning to fade, I began to clean up my driveway.  Wood working makes quite a mess, and ipê tends to make it worse.  I was happy to finish the new cap in a single day.  It looked great!

With my new tires, I was able to tip the trailer again.  The boat had accumulated rain water while the rims were being painted.  I now have a tarp for it, but wanted to wash out the flotation tanks before finishing my outdoor projects for the day.  Styrofoam beads continued to wash out, reminding me to eventually look into this.

With some light left in the sky, I decided to remove some caulking from the centerboard trunk.  The aft cap section had been sealed with caulk, and I wanted to remove it before attaching the new cap.  While working on this, I noticed the cap's mounting flange was not in the best condition.  I would be drilling new holes to mount the cap, and wanted to have a positive substrate.  This led to some surform planing and rasp work to prepare the flange for filling and leveling.

After taking a dinner break, I began sewing a new panel onto the jib sail.  What a day!

Bought a Boat

I bought a sailing dinghy last Sunday.  ...drove 20 minutes north, looked it over, and made my decision.

Its my first sailboat.

I picked it up at a lakeside home near Pierson, Michigan.  Whitefish Lake had been its first and only home.  The owner's father purchased it new in 1972.

I got to meet him, too.

The boat is now my problem, my challenge, my opportunity.  After spending part of a week with it, I feel the need to share some of this experience.