August 1st, 2000 - Keel update
I picked up the lead keel from I.M. Broomfield in Providence RI. They did a great job filling my wooden mold. It weighs in at 375 lbs. which is 35 lbs lighter than Bolger's listing on the plans. I picked up 35 lbs. of lead bars which I will stuff in the open slots fore and aft of the keel. This puts the lead down deep where it is most effective and gives some purpose to the open wells ( I knew I would find a reason eventually for those!) total cost for the keel was $300 plus the additional lead bars came to $318. This is a bargain in my estimation. I could have poured in the yard and annoyed the heck out of my neighbors and family, but this was too easy. The wooden mold as built worked well, It is very charred on top, but the area that was covered with sodium silicate held up well. There was very little leakage between the layers of ply.
I.M. Broomfield installed two galvanized lifting eyes in to the keel. I am almost considering trying to install it upside down from the top to let gravity help. It will become tricky to roll over, but with the right combination of winches and rollers it might be doable!
I have been double siding the bottom to come up with a total of 1/2" thickness, but the weather has slowed this to a screeching halt. 2 weeks of solid rain and things are pretty damp. The tarp over the boat worked OK, but I am going to add a layer of plastic under the tarp to further enhance its effectiveness. I have discovered that I do not have enough ply on hand to do the keel sheathing with 1/4" material. I will have to purchase yet another sheet of the stuff.
If it rains again tomorrow, I will move on to making the keel batten and the rudder stuff.