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Mine ended up just behind the coaming and I used underhanging pinand post option.It cost as much as the pilot and was  very awkward to install on this boat.If I was doing it again I think alittle forward of the coaming would be easier and cheaper.It has plenty of throw for the slightly forward position and it would be handier to operate.Good luck.

I am still using varnish on the rails and left the teak bare in high traffic areas.It is more grippy and easy to look after.A sharp scraper with a carbon steel  iron is the best thing for removing old finishes then sand with  80 grit.You keep the scraper sharp with a file.Teak is hard on edge tools so they need frequent sharpening.The carbide scrapers are not as sharp as steel.Oil is probably best but I persist with varnish,which is funny as I could care less about shiny in general, ;it's more about a sense of order.

Resorcinal is fantastic stuff,but hard to find in Canada.It needs good fits and lots of pressure but I hear that even oak can be successfully,long term glued with it.

If you don't have a valve then you definetly can't close it.You can deal with minor failure,and maybe catostropic failure of a part.You can do maintaince and even remove a hose to get more room to work on something or to clear the drain of an obstruction like a beer bottle cap which I have had to do more than once,unfortunately.That single thing is enough reason to valve the cockpit.I t is sound practice.

As I believe Francis Hershoff  remarked,I generally sit down when I go inside.Having ports at eye level beats headroom hands down for me.

Yeah I am thinking of a new topic heading,as there are many titles out there ,but some are gems.For the "online challenged"such as myself,it's cool to come to one place and find what I need.Anyway ,it;s tossed out there if someone wants to run with it.I will throw out a title here for machos and scaredy cats alike,the Storm Tactics Handbook by Lynn and Larry Pardy,usefull to anyone that might run into some real wind at some point.This book has given me some needed focus in dealing with higher wind and sea's,and definetly more confidence,which comes of having a plan and practicing it.

Hey thanks,that is great.I think all the Canadian boats are missing this ,in my mind critical item.I want to put a shoe on when I haul the boat,so the how of it is on my mind.Do you know if the bronze shoe is mechanically fastened to the boat?Thanks again and smooth sailing to you.

You might have it already.There is an old book by John Letcher,called,Self Steering(for small craft),I think,even tho I have it.Anyway ,it has more information than you would ever want on the theory and construction.The Bristol channel Cutters have a design for a self steering gear,that can be home fabricated,and at least the trim tab can be addapted to this boat.It is one of the types covered in Lechers book.The book also covers sheet to tiller steering which he says was fine for 30,000 miles.

That is slick.

John Lee has posted a Folkboat profile in the for sale postings.These have an old style rudder that can't hang up with the full weight of the boat borne by the rudder.What can happen ,in passing over something hard,the rudder is out there all by it's ownsome and can sustain a terrible blow it is not designed for .The shoe is a huge impovement and I wonder if J.R. was'nt a bit annoyed with Taylors for leaving off that valuable bit of kit...........Anyway,the old fashioned rudder shape dosen't seem to harm the sailing performance of the folkboat,so why use a shape that can hang up,especially when the reason for hanging it there is strength and simplicity.Incidentally I have lost a rudder,but it was more comic than tragic ,when I sailed on to the beach infront of the local watering hole,much to everyones amusement,however I don't think this led to my current obsession with rudder strength,but rum drinking is an entirely different story.

Looking at many older designs,the rudder was always afew inches less deep than the keel and rounded up at the back,with a shoe to support the bottom.You had to work really hard at damaging that configeration.While I think this rudder design is probably more hydro dynamic,it seems to be quite vulnerable as at least two of these boats have had the rudder ripped off.That should'nt happen .When I have time mine is getting a heavy duty shoe on the bottom,and maybe reshaping the bottom so that it dosen't sustain the kind of loadind that would damage the boat or peel the rudder.Boats go aground,and that rudder is about the only thing that worries me on an otherwise confidence inspiring boat.

Hey,thanks Stefan,that is very helpful.Now would anyone care to venture an opinion as to what colours to try to move the white towards off white.I would say that it is ever so slightly cream and maybe rose,though if past efforts are anything to go on I am way out there.Thanks Bill