A quick question please. I'm in the process of replacing some halyards and sheets on my BRe.

Does anyone know the recommended rope diameters for the following, mine are worn and difficult to measure.

Main Halyard (Bermuda fully battened)
Jib Halyard
Jib Sheets

Thanks
Roger

Agreed, it has been a wee bit damp and breezy for boating or varnishing in West Wales. I am hopeful that ananticyclone might be developing through this week???

Gareth Rowlands
GRP BR20 Halen Y Mor

I've managed to apply pressure to the glued-up wooden block to which the depth transducer is fixed and it seems to be holding well.  I used a combination of wedges underneath (thanks for the tip Simon) and a toy sword arrangement through the top of the centreboard slot, held down by two clamps (photo).

In the end I used Sikaflex 291i.  Despite experiences posted here, according to PBO it is not the strongest marine adhesive sealant on the market by any means.  However, as my transducer doesn't have a flip-up mechanism for when I hit the rocks with it, I'm hoping that the sealant will partially fail instead.  Whatever adhesive the yard used back in 2010, it was still quite sticky when I removed the wooden block the other day.  They seem to have applied less pressure post application, as the places where it was applied still stood proud in squiggly lines.

So your panel is permanently fixed at the front end?  I can see why you would need to release it and I thought that there was some way of doing this without removing the wooden blocks.  On my boat, the port side retaining block can be pivoted to one side, releasing that side of the panel and thus allowing its complete removal.  Perhaps this is a later modification.

Richard,

Congratulations on your purchase.

The aft edge of the white GRP panel that you mention makes the seat for an optional second rowing position, as used in sail & oar raids - see the first photo, attached.  I think this was taken during the Loch Ness Challenge, which is supposed to be a sailing race except when there isn't any wind.  That's probably the year when we rowed most of the length of the loch and 2/3 of the way back again - about 30 miles.

When solo, I prefer rowing from the front rather than from the standard midships position further back.  The white panel also allows for extra and uninterrupted stowage space at bench height under the foredeck and protects the house battery, if fitted on the cockpit sole, from the rain and prying eyes.  With the addition of extra panels aft, as in the second photo, it makes the base of a large bed for dinghy cruising.

As you seem to have already discovered, a one-piece panel attached at the front is a bit of a faff, particularly if you want to access things stowed underneath.  I’ve made my panel more useful by replacing it with a plywood version with a hinged central portion (photo 3) that allows much easier access.  I keep a Fortress anchor under there, ready for speedy deployment. 

I’m fairly sure that the wooden blocks that you mention are glued to the GRP with tenacious Sikaflex or similar.  As the blocks are fairly small and out of the way, far under the front of the foredeck, why do you want to remove them?