Brand $New$ Rudder, But Will it FIT??? (Calico Skies Sailing, Ep 171)

This episode opens with Bill cleaning the rudder stuffing box with a wire brush in an attempt to remove years of corrosion in preparation for new packing material. Next, Bill switches gears back to our new arch project and continues to remove items from the stern of the boat to prepare for the new system to be built. He is working on dismantling the wind generator which having been up for five years and 25,000 miles is very stuck. With the help of Big D the three inch diameter, 13 foot high pole is lowered and removed and the blades are carefully removed from the generator.

Next Bill works on a project that has been going on in the background continuously since the refit of Calico Skies began – That is the remediation of the blisters on her hull. Bill and his friend Big D first cut the fiberglass to shape for all blisters requiring only one layer of glass and similar in shape. Next the epoxy is mixed and the glass is laid on the blisters.

Later, the process is repeated for deeper and irregularly shaped blisters, some requiring specialized templates. After the glass is laid it is left to set for a couple of days.

Bill returns after some time to scuff away the ‘blush’ resulting from the curing of the fiberglass in preparation for sanding. He also checks on progress with the arch which is with the welder and beginning to be bent.

After some more days of sanding and a triumph for Grace when she successfully flags down the water truck Bill and Grace leave Mexico and head for the US. A quick trip to NY to empty an old storage unit follow, plus a visit with family and later friends before the duo finally arrives back to AZ to pick up the new rudder for Calico. It was shipped to a Patron’s commercial address, an aviation engine repair shop. We are treated to a quick tour before taking our new rudder back to Mexico.

Back at the boat yard the most important first step begins: Dry Fitting the new rudder. It does not immediately seem to fit so Bill sands the new rudder bushing to help with the fit. Next a team works on angling the rudder shaft perfectly so that it can slide up into the shaft. The new shaft must fit in precisely because the old rudder bushing was worn but now there is no give. After a struggle the boys successfully dry fit it and the episode ends with a foreshadowing of future steps to be performed to permanently mount the rudder including the drilling of thru-bolt holes and painting of both the hull, keel and rudder.

0:00 Intro
0:11 Cleaning up the Rudder Stuffing Box
2:19 Removing the Wind Generator in preparation of the arch build
5:12 Repairing the Blisters with Fiberglass
9:12 Removing the Blush before Sanding the Fiberglass
10:00 Heading to the Metal Shop to Check on the State Arch
11:08 Life in Mexico…Chasing the Water Guy
12:32 Back to the BoatYard to Sand the Blisters
13:11Back in the USA to Close Down a Storage Unit & Pickup the New Rudder
15:50 Dry Fitting the New Rudder..Will it Fit the Boat?!

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