Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Saturday 2 June 2012

I wish I had come across this lot when we were stripping 'Stacey'. Wouldn't they have made life easier?






 Although the blog is about Arwen, 'Stacey' occasionally slides in.  She is gorgeous but a little minx. She can be sweet natured one moment and an evil so and so the next.

Take recent events. We discovered a stress fracture and when we gently poked it - a piece fractured. We've cleaned off all the paint and the piece seems OK. However, what caused the stress fracture? Moreover, how do we reattach it? It will need welding but this is an aluminium headset; and of course there is the issue of the paint. We don't want a respray but won't heat from a mig weld blister the paint and powder coating?


sorry about the blur - the nikon doesn't seem to like close ups
You can see where it has broken off so how do we fix it?

In the meantime, another problem is emerging. the front brake functions perfectly with the wheel off. Put the wheel on and pull the brake handle and the brake applies. Let go of the handle and it doesn't return. You have to push it away......now why is that?



We are discussing whether to keep the original speedo or put in a new one. We are leaning to keeping the faded original but repainting the worn off numbers.



We still have to work out which wires go where on the headlight rear as well, but the end is in sight....well it will be when we have solved the brake issue and the fracture stress.  Any tips or advice, as always, very welcomed.

In the meantime the troublesome gap seems to now be this big and I think that is the best we will get it





If you have any thoughts or suggestions we would love to hear from you 

Steve

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