In our instructions, we have you
put on a brass bracket to the bottom of the keel, which holds
the bottom of the rudder shaft. The best way to do this is to
drill out the hull for the mounting screws, with a drill big
enough so as to leave only enough material that the screw
threads barely grab the hull. You do not want to stress the gel
coat or fiberglass and crack it where as it could cause the hull
to leak. When you have lined everything up and you are certain
that it is in the correct position, coat the screw with 5 minute
epoxy, this will seal the holes and secure the bracket in place.
First sand the entire hull with
320 wet dry paper. Be sure it is well sanded so that it
removes all the parting wax from the surface. Then wash with
soapy water. Let dry and then prime the hull with
Krylon
primer. Be sure to let dry overnight. Sand hull with
600 wet dry paper, and rinse with plain water. Again, let
it dry overnight. Now you are ready to put the final coat of
paint on it.
Krylon makes a special paint called Fusion that gives an excellent finish
and look to your boat.
First sand the surface with 150 or 220
sandpaper and be sure to remove all dust. Either stain with
desired color or leave natural wood. We use
Minwax stains,
the liquid type and not the gel type. After the stain
dries, apply a
thin coat of spar varnish or clear polyurethane. Spar
varnish will give the wood a light amber cast, polyurethane will
not. Sand surface lightly between coats. The more coats
applied,
the deeper the look. 3 or 4 coats will give you a beautiful
finish.
This is how we recommend drilling a hole
through wood or plywood without tearing or damaging the surface.
First drill a small pilot hole through the piece. Then,
use your finish size bit and drill only half way through.
Turn the piece over and finish drilling all the way.
There are several ways to do this.
The US12 kit comes with a cotter pin that you glue in.
However, you can also use a screw eye. You can also
fill the end of the spreader tube with epoxy then drill through
the tube.
The class rules state that the sail
numbers location and size shall conform to the ISAF-RFD rules.
The exception is the class insignia. The US12 insignia is
a 2 1/2" high by 3 3/4" wide United States flag above a 3/4"
high number 12. The sail number should be a minimum of 4"
high and is assigned by the class secretary.
You will not be disqualified from an event because the flag
isn't the exact size. So you can take a little artistic
freedom and create a nice looking flag. On my boat, the
flag starts 10" from the top of the sail, and the sail numbers
start 15" from the top of the sail. First,
create a template with the number on it and tape it on a flat surface.
Next, put the sail over the template and trace
the outline of it using a permanent magic marker. When you fill inside
the outline, be careful because the marker
can go through some materials, and smear on the back.
We don't like Mylar stickers or peel off numbers, because
they can distort the shape off the sail.
And remember, the higher number is the starboard side..
