Rudder cheeks and boomkin installed!

Finally, I was able to get the rudder cheeks and boomkin installed. It seemed like a long time to get this task completed. Now I just need to pull a few chain plates and see how they look. Then that will complete the standing rigging system for now. I plan on changing out all the standing rigging cables in a few years. I will inspect them all just in case..

I did replace the boomkin tangs, stays (cables) and turn buckles as you will see below.

The easy bolts first.

My best view!

Too long in this position and the ice tea wants to come back up!

Just a nice picture with palm trees in the background.

Gratuitous wiener dog pictures for Nancy! Miss Mae enjoying the sun.

And when she gets too warm.

The old versus the newboomkin tangs. FYI these old tangs were known for breaking and bringing down a mast or two. It was a no brainer to replace them. They would break at the top hole in the picture. There is very little metal there for how much tension the get.

The old ones didn't leak. Do you think I need a bottom paint job!

New tang and stay installed. I had the rope tied to it in case I dropped it while installing it.

And the cheeks installed and the boomkin installed with the back stay attached. (The back stay is the "cable" coming from the middle top of the picture to the end of the boomkin...it holds up the mast.)

See the rope hanging off the end and going into the water? Yeah, well, that is for the diver so he knows where to look for my craftsman 3/8" ratchet and socket that decided to jump out of my hands! Did I tie a rope to that...nooo, I won't drop it. I'll be "careful".  (Curtis this is all your fault...this is what we were talking about this weekend!)

By the way the diver that cleans my hull will fetch my dropped items for free...if he can find them! Maybe he can pick up my $12 stainless bolt and rubber sanding block from a few months ago too. They say global warming is causing the ocean level to rise....it is actually me just dropping stuff that is raising the ocean level. Sorry Mr. Gore!

 

I know the wiener dog floats......don't ask.