: I would like to hear about yr sailboat (that I assume you built) sometime.
: Sometimes commercial skegs are made from sheet aluminum. The open top skeg
: box may be a lot easy for maintenance (you can get stones or debris stuck
: in it) and the control line would be over the deck, otherwise you either
: have to put a hole thru the deck for it or take off yr skirt to adjust it.
: I have only read abt it but I gather that in wind, depending how yr boat
: handles, you may get better tracking with only skeg partially extended so
: being able to 'fine tune' as you go might be important.

: Jim

I had a picture in my files but I lost it. When I get my scanner up I will try it. Scanners and I don't get along.

I built it in 1965 from plans. It was 15' and I put a cubby cabin on it that was detachable. The outside was fiberglassed. I painted the inside with a Sears two part epoxy paint that never set up. I had to scrape it out and used ordinary boat paint. I laminated the wood mast with contact cement that really held up well untill I sold the boat 10 years later and got a cat. Making the retractable center board out of plate steel was a mistake. I thought it would help stablize the boat with weight but it didn't. My family didn't like the boat tipping when we sailed. Ha. I had to lower and raise the center plate with a hand wench and cable. I chalked the shape of the centerplate on the steel plate at a scrap yard and had them cut it with a torch. When I started to file the plate to shape I found the torch had hardened the edges and filing was almost impossible but I didn't have a good way to take the temper out, but I had access to dozens of used files where I worked and I slowly shaped it.

I have to think about the retractable skeg for the yak some. My back deck is pretty high and I could keep the skeg slot short of the underdeck and open. I could also open up the upper side of the skeg slot to help get to any obstruction that might get in. Thand
ks for that reminder. I just hate to cut a hole into my upper deck and get into my stern area design.

John