A-376 Afloat

[Hull376]

After about a year on the hard, 376 is back sailing again. Whoopie!

[ebb]

Outstanding!

Gorgeous!

What was that name again?

[Hull376]

OK, looked through some pictures of the last year and I'm posting this sequence to give ebb and others a shot in the arm as to what their boats are going to look like when they finish with them. Actually, theirs will look a lot better than this! This first pic is "as is" after haulout in Pensacola and delilvery to Houston.

[Hull376]

Next pic is after sanding and painting the topsides.

[Hull376]

Stantion bases, winches and running light castings off to the chrome shop.

[Hull376]

Getting there! Removed the bottom paint and a little gel coat, reinstalled new wood and hardware, and got the TX registration numbers on. Inside, everything repainted, rewired, new sole, mast step support installed, and new portlights. UGH!!

[Hull376]

About ready to relaunch (see first photo in thread). Solar panel installed on stern rail, bottom coated with vinylester and paint. Heck, this looks like one of those reality TV series ----- a makeover show starring an Ariel! What will the friends and family say???

[Tony G]

Wow, Kent!
There isn't a bad shot in the whole bunch. Sweet, fine looking boat. I envy you. I hope, I mean I really hope 113 looks as nice as 376 when we're done here.
These hulls might look even better out of the water than in it! Congratulations to you are in order when just recently on this very board we heard of one of these beauties going to the scrap heap.

[Hull376]

We're talking bare bones stock Ariel restoration here. No bulkhead rot anywhere, so decided to try the stainless plate strong back support fix as outlined in Bill's manual. Worked like a charm. The door replacement was vinyl covered board from Home Depot-- the old one was warping into a strange shape.

[Hull376]

Someone wanted a picture of my sea swing in action. I forgot who. Had my camera at Clear Lake today and snapped a few shots. I store the propane bottles in a cut off plastic pipe with end caps.

[Hull376]

Nice snug fit. Thank you Home Depot.

[Hull376]

Coffee is on.

[Hull376]

Don't make fun of the curtains. My daughter picked em out. I didn't have the heart to tell her "NO."

[Hull376]

After 18 months, these cheap $10 3" computer fans from Radio Shack still work. I leave them on all the time (except in this photo). This one pushes out into the cockpit. One under the front cowl vent draws air in. They keep the air moving through so I don't show up to a stuffy, smelly boat. Heck of a lot cheaper than those $100+ jobs that WM sells. Can seal off the cockpit vent---- in foul weather. Lots of water could come in here in a big blow if you're pooped. This hole is where the old mechanical knot meter was located.

[Hull376]

Will finish off with two outside shots. Back to front----------

[Hull376]

And front to back. Hey Tony, I know you love pictures, but don't look at those curtains too long or you'll go blind. Say Ebb, you been researching what you're going to paste on your portlights? Haven't heard anything on this subject. Maybe we need to start a "bilious, hilarious, awful" curtain thread! :D

[Hull376]

OOOPs. Forgot to put this pic of the V berth in. Look really close and you can see the "Suck-In" cheapo fan doing its thing!

[Tony G]

Kent,

Not only is it a beautiful boat, but it's not being pelted by freezing rain and snow.

I'm envious. Tony :(

[ebb]

Kent, keep the photos coming!
What kind of boat is that?
Does it have an enclosed head?
Sauna?


ebb will no doubt go on and on and on
and on
about his deadlight situation - which is
different, mind you, than mounting wood.


Aough oh... (here he goes)
I don't think the original installation can
be made water resistent without filling
the space between liner and sides, like
what is shown in the Gallery photos.
Will seriously consider using BoatLife's
hybrid sillythane for the outside frame.

[want to get in the pit with ebb on this,
let's start or find an old subject thread...]

I am thinking about getting the outside
frame on first like a week ahead and then
putting the lights together from the inside.
Will research the butyl option as the lexan
has to float between inner and outer
frames to get a true seal.

To do that, the lex has to be prebent.
Not a biggy. Just has to be done. Good
winter project!!!

[frank durant]

hi Kent I was just admiring the fine job you have done on 376. The picture of it on the hard just after the paint job reminds me of 2 things. 1 - Albergs fine underbodies make them look as good out of the water as in it ! 2 - it made me think of an article I read in cruising world by Bernedette Bernon on that "majic moment" when after all your work you can finally "peel back the tape" step back..and look at the finished product you"ve created. How as you peel it back ...the boat comes to life. I am sure you were very proud when you "peeled the tape" on 376 !! Job WELL DONE ! #50

[Hull376]

I went with about 10 other sailing vessels to Smith Point this past weekend. Only 15 miles by water from Houston's Clear lake, but a hundred miles by land. It was a different world. Nothin but oystermen, shrimpers, and birds. One of the boats caught this pic of us just underway

[tha3rdman]

I just noticed in Post #12 there seems to be a "cove" on the right where your counter top follows up under the port cockpit seat. This confused me, because my back splash is straigh accross, from under the c'way from what I imagine is the well in the cockpit floor, to the port hull side.

Edit: Also your boom seems high, is it on a track or on a fixed mount? I was thinking about ditching the down-haul track. (does it make sense to have a down haul and a winch on the hallard?)

[Hull376]

My family has owned this boat forever, but I think at one point in time my dad or one of his buddies might have decided they wanted to have more storage around the galley area, and so there is this cut that then extends the counter top to a shelf which extends into the port cockpit hatch area. FYI, to better air condition the boat in this Texas heat, I made a cover to fill in the hole. I still use the shelf, but access it through the port cockpit hatch.

And yes, my boom is on a track on the mast....... this boat came that way.

[joe]

Don't make fun of the curtains. My daughter picked em out. I didn't have the heart to tell her "NO."

Your daughter has impeccable taste!!
Joe Haney
S/V Sirocco

[Hull376]

Took 376 out this week for a look at the bottom (in the water for two years, ugh!). Y'all better keep a zinc on your rudder shoes (see post in technical). The yard crew kept asking how old the boat was. They said that the glass on the bottom was in far better shape than many newer boats they work on. Previous bottom was Interlux ACT ablative, had about 10 barnacles, after pressure washing, no paint left! Put Micron CSC on this time--- see how that works.

[Hull376]

A couple more pics.

[Hull376]

Almost back in the drink. I wonder what happens if a stray radio signal is received by the remote controlled haul out beast? I wouldn't want to be around to see it. I didn't want to ask the guy operating it (yellow wireless control around his neck) what happens if his batteries go dead.

[Hull376]

Good Friday on Galveston Bay. A passing sailboat snapped a couple of pics then sent them to me. On the way in to Kemah, the Nissan 4 stroke 6hp banger died. So rather than panic, I pulled out the jib and sailed to my dock. Remember these are sailboats! And Chalupa (Ariel docked at Seabrook) came past me just at the right time--- to watch me continue to sail my way in. The Nissan just needed the carb cleaned. The fuel had evaporated out of it over the past two months and ---- well, you know the rest.

[Hull376]

ebb, I assume you still never get tired of looking at more pictures.

[frank durant]

GREAT shots !! Pretty boat ;-)

[Hull376]

Grabbed two Andersen 12 ST Full Stainless Winches from Defender at discount. Installed them today. They look great on an Ariel! Also put on handrail covers I made using Don Casey's directions in one of last year's Sail magazine articles. Wasn't hard to do.

PS, we're still waiting for some cold weather in Houston. The banana trees are still growing in my backyard. They are the first to go if the temp goes below 32 degrees!

[Bill]

we're still waiting for some cold weather in Houston. The banana trees are still growing in my backyard. They are the first to go if the temp goes below 32 degrees!

SF Bay Area too, has been enjoying 70 degree weather the past few weeks. A bit warmer than usual for this time of the year. Makes for really delightful winter racing, but not much wind. ;)

[Hull376]

The yard marred my 8 year old topside job when 376 was hauled for a bottom job. Ouch!!! I painted it with Interthane Plus back in 2003 and found I had a quart of the paint unopened in the garage. You can't "touch up" two part poly paint very well, so I had to figure out how to get on a top coat without costing me a pile to have the yard fix what they inflicted. We don't have any more do it yourself yards that I'm aware of. Interthane Plus was replaced by "Perfection" two part poly several years ago. Its like awlgrip but can be rolled on and then tipped with a good brush. This may sound foolish, but here's what I did:

1. Removed all the old vinyl letters, boat name, etc. This was the hardest part of this job. I had to use a hair dryer on the boat name to get that sucker off.
2. Tied the main halyard to another spare halyard and and ran the line two docks down and tied it off to a strong cleat.
3. Loosened the dock lines and then winched in the halyard. It didn't take much force to do it.
4. 376 heeled over on her side and the top of the waterline was now 10 inches out of the water. A little closer at the bow and stern. Adjust the dock lines to keep the boat off the dock.

I didn't need to sand or repair the topside. Just wiped down with de-waxer. The old topcoat was in fairly good shape, but had lost much of its gloss about a year ago (seven years on a deep color topside is still pretty good in my opinion.) I rolled on the "repair" coat in 4 foot segments then quickly tipped off with the brush before starting the next segment. When you've done this before, as I have, you know the secret is speed. No hesitations. Go, go, go. I had to adjust the dock lines to do the bow and stern segments. It took only 15-20 minutes to roll and tip the paint. After 5 hours of watching paint dry, I eased off the halyard and the starboard topside was done. Three days later I repeated this on the port side after flipping the boat around in the dock.

Would I recommend you try this? Not really, unless you are as crazy as me. But seriously, I did think this through and proceeded because I have used two part poly before, knew I'm a careful painter, and I took precautions so I wouldn't end up with anything getting dumped into the water by accident. I didn't need to sand (I didn't want anything going into the water.) I also "rehearsed" the process to make sure I could reach everything and that the boat was immobilized on a floating dock. The results are below.

[ebb]

Must be a beauiful piece of work!
So glossy she has disappeared in her own reflection.
Maybe an angle shot would help?
Would like to see.:cool:

[Hull376]

Ha Ha. I edited post and lost the photos!!!! You crack me up ebb!

[mbd]

Kent, did you mask anything? Or are you so good you just painted within the lines? Must have been a long stretch out to the bow and stern. Looks great!

[frank durant]

kent...long time-no updates ;-) R U out there?????

[Hull376]

Yes, Frank. I'm still here. Most recently was talking about insulating the hull because its so hot in the summer down here. Cold where you are, but since folks up North are on the hard and not living on the boat in the winter, insulation may not be much of an issue! I'm finishing the insulation project and will take some pictures and post them pretty soon. As always, I consulted with ebb on the options. His best tip was using this water curing adhesive called 564, which has no smell to speak of, and seems to hold tenaciously to anything you apply it to. Way better to use inside the boat than contact cement. Thanks for just thinking of me!!!! How nice!!

[frank durant]

Too hot is not normally a problem for us :eek: Glad you're still "puttin away". Have fun

[Hull376]

Below is a shot of my existing rudder from 15 years ago. At last haul out it was looking sad. Pointy ends of third and second plank were twisting away from the plane of the rudder. The trailing edge had been sanded down to 1/2” and was starting to crack along the grain. Time to replace it. I don’t know what condition the shaft is in. My dad ran aground in western Lake Erie in the early 70’s. He landed on a chunk of limestone in big waves near Put In Bay. The current rudder was fabricated near Cleveland, and is a 3 plank version of the inboard rudder with the plug. It has lasted 50 years or so. I’m making a straight shaft version for my outboard Ariel. There are other versions of mahogany rudders on the “rudder” thread. This one is a little different in the way the third plank is connected to the second using angled drifts. I took lots of pictures of the steps I used— our forum members always want more Pics. Did most of the work in the sun outside in January— finished just before the Texas freeze / power outage.

Now that I’m about finished, I can say this turned out to be a fun project and I don’t have great woodworking skills. But it could have been a nightmare if I didn’t make some decisions to follow a path of least resistance. The key area of “resistance” is the drilling of long straight holes! When it came down to it and after doing some practice drilling and getting input from the Wooden Boat Forum, where members build a lot of rudders using drifts instead of bolts, I decided not to attempt to drill holes longer than 10” and specifically, did not want to try to drill from opposite directions and hope that the hole would meet in the middle. A previous poster did this on a two plank rudder and mentioned it was like getting the English Channel Chunnel Tunnel to meet up when drilling from England and France. Nope, not for me. I don’t have the skills or confidence to try it after seeing how long holes start to wander on both the X and Y axis. And mahogany is too expensive to make a mistake.

But my current rudder has drifts (essentially long honkin’ 3/8” diameter nails) holding trailing plank 3 to middle plank 2, and it hasn’t come apart after 50 years. Ebb doesn’t like the idea of “cheese holes” for bolt end nuts and he says its the residual “carpenter” in him, but path of least resistance says to use them for nuts attaching threaded rod to the shaft. Otherwise longer holes means better skills than I have. Other factor is you don’t have cut outs for nuts in the rudder trailing edge. If you have the equipment and the skills, go for it (longer holes).

[Hull376]

6’x 1” diameter silicon bronze (655 Everdur) Bar Stock for rudder shaft (Online Metals)
3’ 3/8” Silicon Bronze rod (for drifts)
6’ 3/8” Silicon Bronze rod, threaded 16 (most vendors sell rod in 3’ lengths)
13’ Honduras Mahogany board (hand picked by me at Mason Lumber, Houston). It was 7” wide and 5/4 thick (1 1/4”) They ripped it to 6”, and planed to 1”. Yikes! Cost me $90! But its the wood you want to use! Interesting trip to this lumber yard. Stock certified plantation grown.
6 silicon bronze washers and nuts for 3/8” threaded rod
A rudder pattern (mine sketched on cardboard during last haul out)
Non structural white wood glue (better known as Elmers glue)
Epoxy
A piece of 1” X 1/8” thick black steel to make a jig to make mahogany dowels.
Blue Loctite
Blue painter’s tape
Scrap pine boards to make a router table and fences to route the cove for rudder shaft

[Hull376]

Project table with integrated clamp to hold rudder in vertical position to drill those long holes
Jig saw
3 24” board clamps
Dowl It hole jig (bought on EBay for $25)
2 wooden wide jaw clamps.
3/8” X 12” drill bit. This bit used for bolt holes. Don’t use speed bits
23/64” X 12” drill bit. This bit used for drift holes.
25/64” short bit. This is optional, used to make Mahogany dowels for trailing edge of rudder to plug drill holes.
9/16” box wrench which fits nuts for 3/8” rod
3/4” hole saw
A wood file
Belt sander
Variable speed drill
A good machine shop
Hammer, saw
1” diameter round nose bit (sometimes called a box bit) to route the cove for the rudder shaft
3 humans (to flatten the 3 boards when glueing and clamping them)
Grinder or Dremel with cut off wheel
Chisel
Tape measure
Safety glasses, hearing protection

Cut and glue the planks together

Use the white glue (will dissolve in water, not part of rudder structure). Flip the center board over so its grain is opposite to the first and third boards. Wooden boaters say it limits warping.

The three humans should stand on the joints, middle and both ends to flatten the planks as the clamps are tightened. Wait 24 hours. Then cut it out with the jig saw.

[Hull376]

Cut out and doweling jig mounted. Hey, the software is flipping my images upside down!

[Hull376]

I started out using math to determine locations of bolt and drift locations then gave it up and went with what looked right after moving strips of tape around. Bolts (6) straight and parallel into the shaft, drifts (6) on angles to lock them in place (wooden boat forum describes how to properly orient and install drifts.) A drift must be installed close to the “pointy” ends of planks 2 and 3 so they don’t warp away from the plane of the rudder over the years. Need bolts at top and bottom of shaft, but need to leave space for the keeper strap cut out between lower bolts but they also can’t intersect with any of the drifts. At first pass I had a bolt where the strap cut out would go.

[Hull376]

Used a 23/64” X 12” drill for the drifts on the trailing edge of the rudder. I tried an 11/32” bit, but mahogany is so dense that in testing, I couldn’t get the drifts to go in all the way (I used steel bar for practice on a strip of mahogany.) Drifts were recessed about 1 to 1 1/2”. The jig had be shimmed to get the correct angle on some of the holes. Before installing the drifts, wooden boaters recommend using a grinder or chisel to roughen up the bar stock. Supposedly this allows the wood to grip the drift as the wood swells in water. Others say its an unneeded step. All say to install drifts on angles to each other to lock them into place. One photo shows the angles that the drifts create if you extend them until they intersect. The third plank is locked and can’t be pulled off.

[Hull376]

Don’t hammer too hard or you’ll mushroom the end. Use a spare piece of 3/8” bar to countersink.

[Hull376]

Since I recessed the drifts on the trailing edge, I needed to fill the holes. Stole this idea on YouTube to make mahogany dowels. Attach the 1/8” X 1” steel plate (in a bin at Home Depot) to a piece of pine. Drill a 25/64” (slightly larger than 3/8) hole through steel and pine, then use a Dremel or grinder cut off wheel to gouge across the diameter of the hole. Cut slightly larger than 3/8” X 3/8” square stock along the grain of scrap mahogany 4” to 8”. Sharpen one end of the blank to fit into the 25/64” hole, and also carve the other end if it won’t fit in your drill chuck. One end in chuck, other end in the jig, start the drill and push the square blank into the jig. Sawdust will fly, and the drill will shake and wobble a bit, but out the other end of the jig will appear a perfect mahogany dowel. Really cool.

I used a Q tip to swab the holes with epoxy then pounded in dowel plugs. The plugs were tight and not much epoxy remained in the holes.

The epoxy makes it look like I cut my finger off. The blood came out of the West System Hardener Can that color! A chemical reaction to something. It worked fine for dowels but I wouldn’t use it structurally.

[Hull376]

Dowels in, bloody epoxy, cut and sanded

[Hull376]

I made a drawing of the shaft for the machine shop. Houston doesn’t have many mom and pop machine shops anymore They all cater to the oil and gas industry and have very expensive equipment and most don’t want to deal with small walk in projects. But I found one with “the new guy” who was willing to do it for a reasonable price. The computer controlled equipment was overkill, but was fun to watch. Note that I changed the depth of the blind holes for the bolts from 5/8” to 3/4” when Ebb recommended some more threads in the shaft. Machining included two key slots, six blind threaded holes and a machined boss at the bottom of the shaft for the rudder shoe bearing. The extra key slot is in case I need to replace the tiller head. They can be on either side of the fitting depending on the brand. I’m currently using a replacement Edson tiller head, which has the key slot on the opposite side from the original. The forum has found a variety of lengths for the rudder shaft so make sure you have a plan if you can’t measure yours. Mine is a little bit longer than it probably needs to be, we’re talking 1/2” here, but I can shorten it if needed.

[Hull376]

I had no idea how to route the 1” cove which mates up with the 1” diameter shaft. A neighbor told me to make a table out of pine boards by taking two boards and nailing them together at a 90 degree angle, Then use two of these clamped to each side of the rudder, with fences nailed so the router cuts the cove in the middle. Easier to see a photo than describe it. I was off a little on one of the fences, so a couple of inches of the cove were not exactly centered. Didn’t matter.

[Hull376]

This step concerned me the most. Used the 3/8” X 12” drill bit. If one hole was off a little, it would prevent sliding the rudder all the way into the rudder shaft, or it would get stuck and be difficult to remove. Six holes, lots of chances for a slight miss-drill. But I carefully measured the hole centers per the shaft plans. Then I measured them again. Need to include the dimension to the bottom of the shaft when marking off the dimensions on the rudder (position of the rudder from bottom of the shaft). Only drill a few inches, remove the bit from the hole, clear the cuttings, then go a few more inches. No speed bits! I used some WD 40 on the bit to keep it spinning cleanly in the doweling jig as it got hot. Drilling for the drifts doesn’t have to be as exact, and is quicker. And drifts hammer in fast if you use the right undersized drill bit.

After drilling, I inserted the shaft with the threaded rod screwed in place and it fit.

[Hull376]

Used a 3/4” hole saw, then used jig saw to square off the front side for the washer and nut. I’m not proud about how they look (uneven, not very shippy unlike the rest of the rudder.) But they will work fine. A 9/16 box wrench fit the nuts in the peeps. I will fill them in with epoxy or other material. Some holes were almost spot on in alignment while others were deviated, but OK. These were 9 1/2” long holes. (Two of the drifts were 10”)

Originally, I thought it would be cool to be able to take this design apart if I bashed up a plank like my father did years ago. This is not really practical. Damage from a grounding will wreck more than just a board, the drift construction won’t work for disassembly, and the swelled mahogany is going to grip the threaded rod. And the bolt rod will be bent. The boat would have to be on the hard for a long time to dry out enough to slide boards off the bolt rods. And to top it off, it isn’t likely I’ll have to pull it apart for any reason.

I did put a few drops of blue Loctite on the rods before screwing them into the shaft holes so they wouldn’t back out while I was attaching and detaching the rudder from the shaft by installing and then removing the nuts. I still need to cut the slot for the keeper strap. Otherwise, I’m pretty much done. I have a new rudder shoe (silicon bronze made by Frank Pomeranz in 2004) and will put it on when I replace the rudder at next haul out. This design doesn’t need sealants, 3M adhesives, or resorcinol to hold it together. Authentic Honduras Mahogany is almost indestructible in salt water as long as you keep up with the bottom jobs (teredo navalis anyone?) It may last longer than the rest of the boat, and it will certainly outlast me! Fun fact: teredo worms are actually a type of clam that uses its miniature shells to chew its way into wood.

[ebb]

Congratulations on reinventing the wh.... Original rudder. Only better!
The original has only 3 thru the two main planks -- you've doubled
that. And you couldn't guarantee a rudder more likely to never come
apart, ever again. How you managed to drill them straight and 90 is
beyond my comprehension and.. ability -- amazing. A family Ariel gets
a traditional rudder. Couldn't be better. And flawless to boot.

Your mahogany looks like Sepele to me. An African variety that's
twice as hard as Honduras. Or could it be a plantation variety?? Not
knocking, it to me doesn't look dark enough, the crowds of thin dashed
lines I'm used to seeing. Spelle has a great reputation as a true
mahogany.

And just to say: Don't forget the copper electrical tape that Pearson
used (halfway up the stock to hold the rudder straight.. So that when
you run aground and lift the rudder out of its shoe, it will drop back
'down again into the hole. (I say 'tape' because I think it is a three-
fold pure copper strip that will take bending without hardening.

Once looked down the rudder tube to the rudder shoe, Noticed the
tube was a little OFF CENTER, crooked. Cussed Pearson and forgot
about it Recently installed a two piece gudgeon that is meant to
release the rudder by removing one half of the gudgeon. The fitting
is held on by three bolts (and six nuts). So I had to disassemble the
tillerhead as if to remove the rudder. So, lifted it out of the shoe and
discover the rudder removes from ONE SIDE ONLY.

As you and I know there is no bearing in the entrance to the bustle
where the rudder tube lives. The rudder stock merely enters the hole.
Good reason, because when you lift the rudder up you have to aim
it port or starboard to drop it by the rudder shoe. It dawned on me
that the slight off center cant to the tube is to facilitate the drop. The
shaft on my rudder won't go starboard, it only drops to port, easily,
as it obviously is meant to.
Thus, you may want to make it easy to remove and replace the
machine screw in an embedded piece to of threaded s.bronze.
Seriously I don't think they make a sex bolt in s.bronze. Could try
a piece of tapped G-10 embedded in the hull. Don't know, but G-10
would epoxy in better.

Will you celebrate with a bit of ceremony? I admit to buying two
bottles of Proseco (yet to find a sour one at reasonable prices) put
one in an old heavy sock to do the honors, and in the cockpit, open
the other for strait toasts -- or 1/2n1/2 with fresh oj for mimosas.
Your marvelous rudder deserves the moment.

[Hull376]

Thanks, ebb. Should be Honduras- the mill tag says so, but——-Anyway, copper it is for the keeper strap since I haven’t found source for silicon bronze.

[Hull376]

Ebb raises interesting questions about mahogany species, related species usually from Africa, not the New World, and “marketing names”. Below shows descriptions from The Wood Database https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/mahogany-mixups-the-lowdown/ where they do a good job of clearing up popular mahogany confusion.

[Hull376]

OK! If you’ve read the descriptions from above, let’s look at a piece of my rudder board. And do some comparisons.

[Hull376]

African Mahogany: My sample has clearly marked growth rings in the end grain. African mahogany lacks them. This rules out African Mahogany as my sample. My sample also has the ray ripples the same as those shown in the photo for Honduras species. African doesn’t have these.

Sapele: This species is farther away from Honduras mahogany, is usually darker and more dense. It’s end-grain exhibits what look like lighter growth ring bands, but they are consistently distributed throughout, unlike Honduras where they only define growth rings. My sample has clearly defined growth rings. Also my sample has no cedar like smell when working with it. In fact, it has almost no smell.

I was not aware of the range of the color of Honduras mahogany depending on age and where it’s grown. Color my world with New World true mahoganies.

What do Y’all say is my rudder wood sample made of? If it’s not Honduras, I’m suing Mason Lumber under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act!

[ebb]

I always trust the first word that pops up and it was Sepele. But Kent you
certainly have proven it's mahogany in your rudder. You're amazing!!! My
wood ID is pure BS. However, I have worked with Honduras for as long
as I've had the Ariel. I trip over two long 2bys on my garage-shop floor. The
1.125x14.25 milled plank against the wall matches the pieces in the bone pile
-- they're all medium brown, not dark, with an indistinct reddish hue.
Whether the wood is flat or edge sawn it has distinct ribbons in its surface.
Some of the surface is plain, but most is crowded with very thin broken and
darker hairlines.
When I beheld the pics of your rudder, It did not register as Honduras. No
expert in wood identification. Selling mahogany as H. is 'what people do'.
In the yard you often could tell (in the old days) a stack of Honduras because
of the wide planks furniture makers craved. When you oil or varnish the
stuff it turned into the mahogany we recognize immediately - no whatz wood
is that.. I'm certainly wrong about it being Sepele. And you have scientifically
found it to be what Mason Bros says it is. Lumber folks know what they are
talking about. Any furniture makers where you are, or wood turners? Wood
boat builders? Anyway you have given your rudder an awesome backbone, it's
never going to warp, that's fer shure!
If you will pursue this further, and it turns out that it is an African mahogany,
The varieties found in the US are highly regarded and water tolerant. Often
harder than H. and less expensive. Could be an even more perfect mahogany
for your recreation of the marvelous hold over from the days of wooden ships
the Pearson rudder stands for. Ebb's asked before: What's a bronze and
mahogany rudder doing on a plastic sailboat??