Centerboard Trunk Pivot Holes, Blocking

Yesterday, along with my friend and neighbor, Dave Hardy, we drilled the holes for the centerboard pivot in the centerboard trunk and keel sides.  The parts came with the holes pre-drilled to 1/2".  The idea is to fill the holes with thickened epoxy, then drill 3/8" holes for the pivot rod in the middle of the epoxy fill.  That way, the wood is sealed and impervious to water penetration (the centerboard pivot is below the waterline).  It was Dave's very good idea to drill a 1/4" hole in all the parts first, then put the drill bit back  in the holes while we clamped all four parts together.  Then, after removing the drill bit, we drilled the holes in all four parts at the same time.  That way I can be sure all the holes will align properly when I assemble the centerboard and keel.  (You'll see how that comes together later.)

The next step is to glue on the blocking that goes between the two sides on one side of the trunk.  The blocking is needed to keep the two sides of the trunk wide enough apart for the centerboard to slide into.  For no particular reason, I started with the port-side half.  The port side is the left side of the boat facing forward.  A red running light is always on the port side and a green light on the starboard (right) side.  Simple mnemonic: "Is there any red port left?"

Gluing Blocking to Port-side Half of Centerboard Trunk

After that cures, I'll glue on the other side, using a 3/8" rod to make sure the two pivot holes are properly aligned.  You can see one of the pivot holes in the lower right corner.  It looks white because the epoxy is thickened with colloidal silica powder.