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| Ralph with the boat. He has a Lightning that has received the same TLC. |
The first thing you notice is the paint job. The hull is a bright, canary yellow. The deck gleams in white--the non-skid areas are painted yellow. The cockpit is white, the seating area is a nice grey. Ralph used a roller and brush to apply the Interlux Brightside paint. The whole job looks as good (maybe better) than my spray work. The Interlux folks say this in their literature, but it never worked for me.
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| Check out the traveler. |
In addition to the paint, Ralph put on a brand new rub rail. He has rigged a topping lift for the boom, and created a much beefier and more user-friendly mast step. The boat has an Elvstrom bailer. Someone substituted a tracked traveler for the main sheet. Ralph says he doesn't use it much. The sails are in good shape; the main has slugs. He has rebuilt the rudder head.
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Top L: beefier mast step. Top R: factory pedestal--2:1 purchase on center
board control. Halyard cleats under pedestal--an idea worth copying.
Bottom L: Bailer. Bottom R: Main traveler.
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In addition to all this, Ralph's wife runs a commercial sewing operation, and she made a full cover for the boat. As you might guess, the trailer is first rate too. What a treat to see his boat and steal some ideas. The boat won't measure for class events, but it is fun to sail and races competitively in Portsmouth handicapped events.
If I didn't already own a boat, I would buy this one--a steal at four thou. See Ralph's add on Craig's List--Portland.
Today's Cliche: Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
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