arsweb
New Member
After several hours of glorious sailing in challenging conditions yesterday, when I went to push/pull my '71 Alcort onto shore (I have a basic wooden ramp with rubber rollers) she was HEAVY - too heavy for me to handle alone which I normally have no problem getting her out by myself. At first I thought maybe I was getting sick and was physically weak and didn't realize it until that moment, not so. Turns out the screw holding fast the lower plate of the old style rudder assembly was gone and a steady stream of water was pouring out of the hole. It drained continuously for a solid couple of hours and was still dripping when the sun went down. I stuck a smaller diameter metal rod into the hole, and it feels like the wooden block is firmly attached (well something hard stopped me advancing the rod about a half inch inward anyway).
Would some silicone to fill the hole and a stainless steel screw be an appropriate repair step to make her sail-able and water tight (at least at that screw point) again? And does anyone know the size of the screw I should use? This boat was gifted to me at the start of summer after being in storage under a deck for a couple of decades and this is the first I've had to look into fixing anything besides rigging ropes.
I plan to put in an inspection port to install a hike strap attachment, but as we are so near the end of the season here I was hoping to wait until next Spring. Although now knowing the water was in the hull, I may do that come fall, store the boat indoors, and leave it open to get the hull good and dry over the winter.
Would some silicone to fill the hole and a stainless steel screw be an appropriate repair step to make her sail-able and water tight (at least at that screw point) again? And does anyone know the size of the screw I should use? This boat was gifted to me at the start of summer after being in storage under a deck for a couple of decades and this is the first I've had to look into fixing anything besides rigging ropes.
I plan to put in an inspection port to install a hike strap attachment, but as we are so near the end of the season here I was hoping to wait until next Spring. Although now knowing the water was in the hull, I may do that come fall, store the boat indoors, and leave it open to get the hull good and dry over the winter.
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