fastfriend wrote:
Brian, beautiful workmanship...I am assuming that the plexiglass rendition was the final version, and that the hinge in that picture set, was an earlier design that you used before you cut and welded the base of the bar to the angle you needed to slide the plexiglass plate into the daggerboard well? Were the nice plastic caps you have on your t-bar from the seitech dolly you cut up, or can they be had elsewhere??? Was that heavy plexiglass hard to locate, or is it available in a big box store?...I used wood for my inner end engagement lip mostly because it was cheap, easy to work with as a prototype, simple to carpet, and was a natural extension of the plywood square I was using to build the end box . In the end I was pleased that the wood covered with liquid electrical tape to rubberize it allowed me to so easily swap the pole between my boats, and it is kind of sacrificial...by that I mean that I feel comfortable that it would just pop out or break away, before it would damage the deck lip on the 16 or 17, should the pole ever bind in some odd way if I was being thrown around by waves.
You have some really neat features on your pole...WAY nicer than my two buddy's 2x4's...lol... they are just learning the ropes, but even their first edition, low tech renditions of this concept are allowing them to sail with a lot more confidence. I am pleased to be on the pole bandwagon with a person with your vision and craftsmanship skills.
Fastfriend, Actually, no, the metal hinge is my final version. The clear plastic insert you see in some of the pictures broke the first time I went to use the pole (like a dummy I let go of the pole the first time I went to clip on the support line and "Snap!" it was done). The metal hinge isn't going to break and it allows for flexibility with the pole angle. I don't have any pictures, but I coated the hinge in "Plasti Dip" to reduce the possibility of scratches on the dagger boards. The rubber end caps came from Seitech. I think they were $1 a piece.
Fair winds