The rudder coppered and extended

While I wait for the parts for the head I have started coppering the rudder. It still has to be fitted, but it gives an impression already. Prutsertje asked whether the copper is for decoration or was really on the ship: the ship was certainly coppered, so not just for show.

Pintles in their holes

The next day I glued the pintles into their holes. For that I had to cut holes in the copper the size of the pins. Gluing onto the copper is no success and would also leave too little room to push the pins into the holes later. The top two pins go straight onto the wood, so those are simple.

A small triangle added

What I found odd was that the bottom edge of the rudder sloped upwards. Because of that I could not finish the coppering with a whole plate either. According to the drawing supplied that slope was correct. In The Anatomy of the Ship, however, the rudder runs straight on, in line with the keel. Personally I thought that looked better. So I extended the rudder slightly with a small triangle, sawn from wood of the same thickness as the rudder. After that a whole copper plate did fit and the bottom edge runs level with the keel. Better, as far as I am concerned.

On Monday I was home early, so the rudder could be hung as well. It can also come off again, so I can fit the gudgeons later without the rudder being fixed in place.