Well for the last 2 years at least I have been saying next year but I think this time it might be true. I am hoping for around the middle of next year.

It is copper David.

Just in case any of you had thought I'd fallen asleep.

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?88318-Redwing-update&p=3135362#post3135362

I like the idea of copper, I'll look into it further and see what is available locally.

Gary Pick wrote:

David Tyler wrote:

Gary Pick wrote:Bit the bullet yesterday and drilled a pilot hole through the skeg and hull for the prop shaft. I didn't do to badly with it and got close to the right alignment. I will be able to correct the error when I bore it out for the sterntube. The two big projects for this year are fitting the ballast/keel and getting the  prop and shaft fitted.

When I put in Tystie's sterntube, I too got a pilot hole that was close - but no cigar. Then I bored a hole for the sterntube that was sufficiently oversize that the tube (of GRP) would go in straight, supported it in the right position, blocked up the bottom end of the hole, around the tube, with epoxy filler and poured liquid epoxy in around the tube from the top end. Worked fine.

That sounds just like my plan David, though I was thinking of using some stainless steel tube. Did you buy the GRP tube or make it yourself?

I bought the GRP tube, with the cutless bearing already installed, from a major sterngear supplier in England. I forget the name and brand. I could envisage taking a piece of copper tube and rolling it up in glass and epoxy (as I have made sea tubes for water inlets and outlets), but stainless steel might suffer from crevice corrosion in this application, and might not bond in very well.