As far as modifications go, both of them involve the steering. The design of the tiller always seemed a little odd to me. It has no lock on being pulled out of the tiller. It is really not a big deal under normal sailing but it could be pulled out in situations when things get awkward. To remedy the problem I made a pin out of cocobolo (because it was on the shelf) and drilled a hole where it could be inserted as a stop.
The other steering modification was to the pintles. Pintles are the pin part of the hinge on the rudder. The pintle is inserted into the dungeons. Anyway, as these pins had broken in they had become a bit looser. Nothing but gravity and friction keeps these pins down. During last year's 200 there was some wave action that would push the rudder up and occasionally I would have to pound on the top of the rudder to get it back seated all the way down. After a couple of days my hand was getting sore. To fix the problem I drilled a hole in the pintle and put a ring through the hole with a washer on top for good measure.
Other items to tend to were general wooden boat things. In other words, refinishing and cleaning. I didn't take any before pictures because it was embarrassingly nasty and should have never gotten that bad. Good news is things really cleaned up nice. The rub rails did need refinishing and they came out looking nice.
When I get back, the boat is going into the shop (with the AC) for a complete overhaul and get her back to new condition. Working outside is a drag. She is too good of a boat to be neglected.
Pintles and dungeons. Sounds like a game the nerdy kids play. There is now a hole through the exposed area of the pin with a ring through it.
Installed.
Rub rail sanded and ready for finish.
Finish applied.
