“Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.” Thus spoke the Lord.

The reverse is also true. With no rudder,ships, which though they be so great, are totally helpless.

I must get a new rudder for the Scaffie.

I have assurances from the makers  the esteemed Honnor Marine, http://www.honnormarine.co.uk/index.htm that they can send me a drawing of the rudder and the pintle mountings.

The original rudder was made from heavily varnished plywood some 24 mm wide. I toy with the the idea of getting a slab of Okinawan hardwood and cutting out a rudder shape but I fear it would be very heavy and prone to splitting. I therefor go on a search for  big slab of 24 mm plywood.

I go to the wonderful Make Manu.

They sell everything and have a very pleasing Monkey logo.

I mime 24 mm plywood and am immediately directed to racks and racks of the stuff.

What a great store!

I wish I had brought the Truckette but alas, as the original purpose of the sortie was not to buy huge slab of plywood but something much less substantial, I have only the Fitu.

The slab does not fit in the Fitu.

No room at the inn

No problem. I wander back into the huge hardware emporium and mime “baby rope”  with very satisfying outcome.

Very good baby rope

Plywood, little does it know what trials and adventures await it.

So,  I now await news from Honor Marine with baited breath. Once I have a template I can starting cutting. Luckily the slab is large so I can probably mess it up the first time.

The slab lives in the front room because I do not want it to get wet.