Go Sail a Canoe!

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With the outrigger finished, Robyn and Dennis set about constructing the plywood parts that make up the 1/4 " X 8 " X 21 " rudders and their 1/4" X 6" X 9" boxes (which use 1/4" X 4" X 9" internal spacers), the 1/2" X 14" X 16" bow skegs, and the 1/2"-thick cut-to-fit mast step and partner. Our photos should serve as a guide when you cut your own pieces.

RUDDER CONFUSION

To make the rudder boxes, Dennis first glued the side panels to the spacers and locked everything together- including a 3" brass butt hinge--with No. 10-32 X 1-1/4" bolts. Then, after sealing the wood with marine paint (or a waterproof sealer), he secured the rudders within their channels with 1/4 " X 1- 1/4 " bolts. (A 1/4 " X 6 " tension spring strung between the upper :hinge bolts, and a fastener on each rudder, allows those guides to pivot from their full downward position without snapping, should the pontoons run aground.) Finally, Dennis and Robyn attached a 112" X 32" E.M.T. tiller to the side of each rudder box, near the top, with two 1/4 " X 1- 1/2 "bolts.

Their next task was to fasten the rudder assemblies and the bow skegs to the four 6" PVC pipe caps they'd purchased along with the pontoon sewer line. This was fairly easy, since it involved little more than locking the free halves of the hinges-through thin plywood spacer plates-to the center of one pair of caps, with No. 10-32 X 1-1/4" bolts ... mounting the painted skegs to 1/8" X 2" X 5" aluminum angle brackets with 1/4" X I" fasteners ... and then, in turn, bolting those hangers to the remaining pipe caps as before. (To prevent leaks from developing at the joints, it'd be a good idea to smear the mating surfaces with silicone sealant.)

Now, with both fore and aft assemblies ready, MOTHER's freshwater salts filled the pontoon cavities with foam "packing peanuts", smeared the inside of the pipe caps with petroleum jelly, and pressed the tips in place, locking them at the top with short sheet metal screws. Once that was done, they flattened the ends of a 10-foot length of 112" conduit, repeated that performance on each of the free tiller ends, and mounted the makeshift tie rod with 1/4" X I " bolts.

JIGGING THROUGH THE RIGGING

The I " X 10' E. M. T. mast proved to be a cinch to erect. After first drilling a 1-1/4" hole through the 1/2 " X 13-1/2 " X 14 "mast partner-centered 10 inches behind the forward edge-Dennis and Robyn clamped the board temporarily in place at the top of the cradle frame, and set the 1/2" X 13-1/2" X 32" step into its niche below. A 1- 1/4" pipeto-hose barb threaded into a 1-1/4" floor flange was then positioned on the step, and the mast was slipped through the partner and into the center of the fitting. Once the pole was straight, the crew marked drilling holes for the floor flange and both plywood platforms, removed the mast, made the bores, and fastened the parts in place ... the partner received four No. 6 X 3/4" panhead sheet metal screws, the step needed ten of the same, and the flange took two 1/4 " X 1" bolts.

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