Not on the critical path...

I also took some time today to knock out some work on my rudder.  The blank has been sitting raw as it was glued for awhile now.  I'll never close up my rudder box until after I get the rudder into its final shape, preferably not until after it has been finished with fiberglass (the same holds true for the daggerboard an its case, but I'm a little farther along with it).

I wailed away with a 50 grit belt on my sander to get all the staves even.  Again, I've ended up a little fatter than I need but better to have more than not enough.  More sawdust will be made.

While I was at it, I spent a little time sanding down my Black Walnut.  I'm really looking for just the right grain patterns to complement the parts I plant to use it for.  I'm pleased with the wood so far.  I had to cut off a bit from the end of one board which had split, so I took the two pieces and laminated them together to create a larger, chunkier hunk of walnut.  Stay tuned to see what they become...