As I drilled every hole I dipped the screw head in clear silicone to help seal it. I also found that it was a good idea to do a small countersink in the finish to prevent it from cracking and breaking away as you screwed into the wood.
I made sure that there was a generous amount of silicone added to the pintles and drain plugs in the back as I installed them!
I also decided to make a plug for the bowsprit hole while I was at it out of some spare okume.
Finally I made the mast hold down brackets and also a block that is needed to mount the spin halyard cam cleat to the deck.
While I was at it I also finished the pin that holds the sheave in place on the top portion of the mast!
Interestingly enough after I had all the hardware installed I found out that a friend of mine had a Harken dinghy furler that he would give me so I could have forgone some of the Jib hardware!
Lastly I had not fit the mast extension to the mast since I had added a coat of laminating epoxy to the portion of the upper mast that goes in the sleeve in order to seal it. I found out that the epoxy was thick enough that it would not slide into the fiberglass sleeve anymore. Good news is that after a bit of sanding it all worked out! I put some rub on poly on this portion to water proof it.
Time to spend more $'s! Need to order the standing and running rigging!
