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There are other threads on this topic, but as I have recently completed this process here it is:

1) There may be slop in the rudderstock to rudder connection, especially if it is original.  We replaced the rudderstock.  It is 1" diameter bronze.  Built a new rudder in the process, but you might not have to.  Steering was better, but we still had slop.
2) Slop between the tiller straps and head: can be fixed by upsizing the through-bolt.
3) Slop between the tiller head and rudder stock: likely requires a new key, as the keyway is worn, McMaster-Carr sells "oversized" key stock, just slightly larger than spec, worked a charm, cut it yourself with a hacksaw: Oversized 18-8 Stainless Steel Machine Key Stock, 1/4" x 1/4", 12" Long costs $4.50
4) If the tiller head does not clamp down around the rudderstock tightly, you may get wiggle which I imagine will soon wear your keyway further.  Use bronze shim-stock to cut a rectangular shim and wrap it around the rudderstock (leaving a gap for the key).  McMaster also sells this, I bought the smallest bit i could: Shim Stock Sheet, 510 Bronze, 6" Wide x 25" Long, 0.0160" Thick, cost me $26.  I now have 6"x23" of it left, seems like enough to shim the tiller heads of 12 more ariels/commanders.  Happy to snip some off with a scissors and mail it to you.

i doubt you need a new bronze tiller-head fitting, the old ones are lovely, bronze is soft and might have stretched a bit after 50 years

A lot of work but its worth it

-a

Curious what the dimensions of a "deck-sweeper" working jib might be.
our working jib (LP 90%) has the following dimensions

luff    303" or 25' 3"
leach 282" or 23' 6"
foot   107" or 8'11"

would this qualify?  It's very beat up, and Im thinking about a new or lightly used sail for the 18-25 kt range that we seem to have every afternoon in the bay.  trying to decide if these dimensions are delivering the best performance (routed to inboard jib tracks along the cabin)

Thanks for any advice!

-adam

Hi Folks
We've just re-tuned the rig on C-281, sailing around the Golden Gate Bridge area, based on the advice above.  Thanks!!

We set the forestay tension at 700 lbs, since we don't have an adjustable backstay and won't be loosening it after use
We set the uppers/capstays at 500lbs and the forward lowers at 340lbs (per Bill's chart above)
Rear lowers are 180lbs about the lowest our Loos PT-2 reads

It seems that I have a fair bit of slack in the leeward shrouds on a beat (probably about 15kts), so wondering if we should increase the shroud tension?
Thought I would check if other folks have thoughts and settings that have worked well for them?

Cheers,
-Adam

[Almost "done"]

Almost "done"
Sailcover

Coming

Going

Using guidance from the forum (Thanks Bill, Ed, Rico!), we installed jib tracks for better sheeting angles with our smaller headsails. Butyl sealant. Burly G10 backing plates on the inside.

Another big project. We worked with Spaulding Center for Wooden boats, they were great! We had them haul the boat and and do the bottom job. They let us work there to do our own topsides since it was low season around the Holidays. We wound up using Awlgip in Sky Blue, with the roll and tip method.

Overall a much more joyful project than deck repair haha.  Running the bootstripe lines was particularly fun.

We hauled out in Sausalito at Spaulding Marine.  Our poor old rudder was looking pretty worn out. Spaulding machined a a new bronze shaft for us, and we shaped and built a new rudder out of marine-tek plywood using pretty close to the original design.

There was a small but nagging leak that was leading to some water in the bilge. The cause actually turned out to be a nearly failed cockpit drain hose. As this is under the waterline, full failure could have been catastrophic! It also meant that in order to replace it, I had to dive under the boat and stick a plug in the drain thru-hull hole. Getting the tubing over the fiberglass involved 30 minutes of struggling in a tight space with astroglide.

[Coaming Repair with Epoxy]

Coaming Repair with Epoxy
West System Epoxy with 404 additive is your friend. I think the cockpit coamings take a fair bit of stress and abuse. Teak oil helps

[Gooseneck Repair]

Gooseneck Repair
A strong Jibe caused the old gooseneck fitting to give way, but co-owner Cleveland fabricated a new one and attached it.

[Deck Repair]

Deck Repair

We thought it would be nice to clean up the deck, take some old hardware off and clean up the deteriorated deck non-skid and gelcoat.  We thought it might take a few weekends.  Did I mention this was my first sailboat project? haha.

Maybe 100 hours of labour?
1) Fittings and degraded gelcoat removed/sanded off. We tried to keep her sailable for as much of the time as possible, so we left some crucial hardware on until the last minute!







Step 2, fill holes, low spots and fair.





Then paint the trim and non-grip surfaces with Awlgrip primer and topcoat (Snow White with matte-additive), using the roll and tip method. The candystriper rollers and wooster ultrapro soft brushes were the best we found (thank you internets)







Then mask off and paint the nonskid areas with Kiwigrip. This actually went to fast that I scarcely have photos of the process. Super easy! The best part is the kiwigrip is so thick and irregular that it hides a multitude of fairing sins.

281 was in pretty good shape when we got her.  Some folks have clearly loved her over the years.  Upgrades included a fairly new full-batten main on track cars, a traveler, and soft vang.  The bilges were painted and she was quite dry.  She came with a Tohatsu 6hp in fair condition and 4 headsails of varying quality, as well as a mystery spinnaker.

Hi All,
After a year and a half of lurking and learning from this forum, I finally have some time to post some pics from our group's work on C-281.  We still haven't formally rechristened her yet, so we'll keep it at 281 for now, but she's a great boat, and getting more fun all the time.  I'll try to keep this chronological.  This was a first-time boat repair project for me, and I'm hooked.  **Thank you for all your work making this forum an amazing resource**  Hope you enjoy and send your ideas my way!

-Adam