Documenting a Couple Construction Details

Choosing not to follow the Weekender plans and construction videos exactly results in consequences that require figuring things out some other way. I have used the Back Yard Yacht Builders and Messing About forums for many solutions. Touring Barry Pyeatt's Spirit Wind while he was alive helped a bunch, too. Which is where I learned about Racelite products.

The plans show how to install the chain plates after the rub rails have been attached. I preferred to mount them first. In so doing, I discovered a few things I had to deal with.

Situation	Solution
Top bolt covered by rail may need to be removed for some reason	Hole drilled to allow later access
Need for epoxy-embedded fabric beneath the chain plates	Put strips of fiberglass on the hull underneath the chain plates

Situation	Solution
No toe rail on the deck makes for dangerous footing.	The plans call for a toe rail.
The toe rail in the plans traps water on the deck.	I chose to drill scuppers because it is the most expedient option I could find.

Here is a Weekender without a toe rail.

If I were constructing Kingsfold as a boat building "show piece," I might have done a toe rail like the one on this boat.

Significant Progress!

The hull is in place, permanently. Seal up all the remaining screw holes and panel gaps and she would float, right now. Yay! That (not the floating part) is scheduled to happen next week when we permanently attach the rub rails and important pieces on the insides of the hull. Then we proceed to completing the cockpit and hatches, flipping it over for building and attaching the fin keel, …

And in parallel to the construction work, we continue to keep our eyes on the goal—successfully completing the full Race to Alaska in as short a time as we possibly can.

Safely sailing an under-20-foot boat to Ketchikan is a big deal. Ed and I are realizing how much more we need to do beyond getting Kingsfold in the water. We need to be comfortable in conditions like these in Johnston Strait and Dixon Entrance.

To develop the necessary skills we will need to put more time into training. That means we will only go for Stage 1—Port Townsend to Victoria—in the 2018 R2AK. But come 2019, get ready to track Team Kingsfold all the way.