Stern Extension

[luigisante]

The stern extension is beautiful. Congrats. I am copying the mods to the rudder case that your yard made. I like the look with the bottom lip cut off. Makes it look a lot sleeker. Spring just broke out here and I am planning on having coffee on in the cockpit this saturday to start planning out the spring work schedule. I am hell bent on getting my boat in the water this year some time. It will probably take the better part of the spring and summer.

Lou G.

[JoeWalling]

Hi lou

Couple more pictures of the reworked rudder case. Hope you can see the beefed up top lip. You can also see today's rain. Spring arrived here also this week but has left again for a couple of days. Also picture of the extension with antifoul line on. I shall spend then next two days modifying the tiller. This should be quite interesting. I need to lengthen by only 18 inches, even though the boat is much longer. I've said in posts elsewhere that I'm undecided on the final ruddering system so I'm not going to spend a fortune on a new tiller until I have. So, for this season, I'm cutting about 12 inches off the old tiller and inserting and securing a hollow aluminium 1 inch tube into the two newly cut faces. Its just a bit of clothes rail which I bought from the local DIY store. The pictures will show it better. I'm then going to cut and wrap a piece of plastic tubing over the aluminium to give it width and finally I will lash this plastic tube with rope for decoration. Well, that's the plan anyway...

Joe

[JoeWalling]

This picture shows the first step in the tiller extension - no going back now. You can see I've fitted a nut and a bolt through the clothes rail flange. Th flange is secured to the tiller with three 2 inch stainless screws and the clothese rail itself is buried about an inch and a half into the tiller. One reversal was that after 30 odd years Tony's glue gave up the ghost and I had the different wood laminates springing apart all over the place as soon as I cut through the tiller - much regluing needed. Ah well, better now than when at sea.

Lou - I hope you're enjoying cocktails on your boat - winter has returned here.

Joe

[luigisante]

Hi Joe:

I had the same delamination problem with my tiller when I tried to do some work on it. Epoxied the seams that gave way but wonder about the ones that haven't yet. It's on my list.

I have to say that your extension is one of the most successful modifications I have ever seen done to a Telstar. My hat is off to the designer. In particular, I really like the slope on the top-deck of the extension. I looks like it is actually sloped a bit more than Lapwing, but I think you got it perfectly right.

I wanted to ask about the plastic sheet your yard used on the rudder case. I want to cover the interrior of the forepeak and along the lower hull interior of the main cabin with some waterproof/cleanable/nonporous surface. The only thing I can think of is Formica. I am concerned about the backing and its ability to withstand the marine environment (anybody know about laminates?). It is also a bitch to use. Was wondering if that plastic sheet comes in a thickness I could use and if if would be appropriate for use in living quarters (i.e. - it wont off-gas and kill me). You have a brand name?

Curious to see what your going to do with the tiller extension. With the lengthened tiller, are you going to loose any rudder deflection? Are you bringing the extension all the way into the cockpit and inside the taffrails?

It's 70 degrees here today (thats 21 C for the rest of the world). I'm getting eager to get back in swing but have been busy at work.

Lou G.

[JoeWalling]

If you look at some of the earliest pictures, you'll see from the positioning of the three strapped on timber supports that we just followed Tony's original transom lines and angles, both with the hull and the superstructure, so the design really worked itself out. We tweaked the bottom support upwards very slightly to ensure that the transom would be clear of the water (we think it will break water about 4 inches in from the end). Jonathan then did a first class job on the glass work. One of the best angles you can't actually see and I did not notice it until I antifouled her. That's the taper of the underside - it looks like a torpedo and as though it had been designed like that - it a way, it was - as I say we just continued what was already there. Anyway Jonathan and I are most appreciative of your kind comments. By the way, he has offered to come over and do some of yours - having done it once, it takes less time second and third time around!

The bendy plastic material would be ideal for lining out the forepeak and what a great idea. Mine is really ugly with exposed glass matting everywhere but I'm going to live with that for this season. Unfortunately it is anonymous. It is discarded packaging material that Jonathan just happened across. I don't think it is orderable but I'll ask him tomorrow.

More and more of the tiller is delaminating as I butcher it. I going to have to reinforce it with screws and/ or nuts and bolts. The new tiller will just intrude into the cockpit, so that it clears the taff rails on full deflection. I mainly use a telescopic, asymetric tiller extension (made by Spinlock). This is a super bit of kit but I don't know how it will work in practice yet - I.e., whether it will snag the taff rails. If it does I can shorten it or maybe even reposition or reshape the taff rails.

Joe

[JoeWalling]

The (nearly) finished tiller. I'm varnishing the rope binding as well as the rest of it. It looks Ok and is solid so will do me for the season, I hope. I've bolted it to the rudder stock and with the telescopic tiller extension it does not snag the taff rails and feels fine, so fingers crossed.

Joe

[JoeWalling]

Last post for a week - off skiing. here is the tiller mounted and with a view of the asymetric clearing the taff rails. Happy Easter all

Joe

[Pat Ross]

A friend sent me this link to a Condor 40 sailing in high winds. I was struck by how long the cockpit/stern is compared to the standard 26 and 8M and I am thinking you can really see the benefit of this is this clip, the longer aft section. I suspect the extension boats will move well like in this clip. Of course a 26' boat is not going to compete with a 40 but I would think they will be similar in handing, with the extension. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LnUehYmcR0

Pat

[JoeWalling]

Hi Pat

I haven't posted anything this week as it has just been boring sanding and painting and although I now have an almost new looking boat, it never shows much difference in photos, so I have not taken any. I will take some when the boat is finished and this is any time soon. Today the mast went back up and I'm now just bolting eveything back on, after the paint job. I can't speak highly enough of the stuff I've been using. Even though I've used nearly 2 boxes of 7 inch sanding disks (50 per box) and my hands bear testimony to the fact that most of this sanding was done by hand, the boat is 30 odd years old and needs a 'forgiving' paint. Well, what I'm using is called deck coating. Its made by Hempel (was called Blakes until recently). It is absolutely opaque and flexible but goes on easily with a roller. You don't even need undercoat so it says on the tin. However, I did a good prep job, I think, and I did put on an undercoat. Two coats of this deck coating and it looks great,IMHO.

The Utube footage is great - thanks a lot. Have you measured your Telstar or has anyone? From the end of the tiller to the tip of the pulpit is 32ft 6 inches on mine but the extension is only 1 metre. I guess the angle of the rudderstock is slightly different as well but I still can't see how HUSH was originally only 26 feet. I also have a bowsprit which adds 2 feet 4 inches, so we're nearly at 34 feet altogether. It certainly looks big out of the water.

Joe

[JoeWalling]

The sharp-eyed amongst you will note that I either can't count or can't use a tape measure or both. I'll try again tomorrow!

Joe