Lee Board Set Up

[Nick Dennis]

Last year at the Assembly I purchased a set of hinged lee boards which are more contemporary to my 1900 Peterborough Cedar Rib that the ones I had. I am just starting to fettle and fit them. I know the position on the canoe where they and the thwart should be as this is the cE of the sail.
My question is "How tight to the side of the canoe should they be?" I have about 4" projection on either side. I will secure with the leather covered blocks set beneath the outwards with one being fixed and the other with lateral adjustment so that I can slide on and off. I could saw 2" off each of the upper hinged section which would then give a 2" projection from each outwale which will look better than 4".

Here are some photos showing what I have and where I'm currently at in terms of head scratching.

Thanks,

Nick

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Generally speaking, the closer they are to the keel line the more efficient they will be, though it is not super critical. As is though, cosmetically they look kind of like somebody mixed them up and stuck them on the wrong boat.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

I'll photograph one of my sets for you, if you turn the block upside down (or right side up, more accurately) you will find it will fit. Leather covers the cut out, which wedges under the rail. Then you need to cut a slot for the bolt that fixes it through the cross bar so it is adjustable side to side. It is recessed, and a wing nut secures the block once you've got it snug under the rail. You have hinges correct, such that if you run shallow they will kick up.

 

[Nick Dennis]

Hi Andre,

Thanks for that. I had eventually worked it all out, cut 4" pff the thwart to bring the boards closer to the hull and had block fixed under the outwale and cut a slot for the other so that I can slide it in and out to fit them snugly. As suggested I turned them over so I had a leather clad flat profile agains the same profile on the underside of the outwale. I cut some spacer blocks to take up the slack.

Regards,

Nick