OK, another update and a couple of questions.
We had our first sail in the boat yesterday, but unfortunately it was cut short as the rudder kept swinging up and made steering heavy and a bit random. I tried tightening the rudder hinge bolt but it did not help at all. Also, after an hour in choppy conditions and about three hours moored I dragged her out onto the trailer and removed the bilge drain, I was surprised at the amount of water in the bilge, but I have no experience to know if it was normal or not. I suspect entry was through the cb trunk line holes, but we did get water in the boat and maybe the deck access ports are not water tight.
I searched the forum for "rudder up haul" and found this post...
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5484#p30774It looks neat but just wanted to know if anyone has a similar mod on stock rudder? I only plan to rig a downhaul to stop the rudder swinging up whilst under sail.
As for the water in the bilge, I really do not want to careen and repair the cb haul line channels, I plan to keep the boat on a trailer but I also want to be able to sail for a few hours without sinking! so I am looking for a guide on what is an acceptable amount of water to find in the bilge for an afternoons sailing. I know that is hugely subjective, but I have no baseline reference!. My guess is that there was at least a liter or two.
Next is the jib travelers tracks are a little loose , I can tighten the screws for the tracks I think, but easing the jib sheets one handed was a little hard as I had to give the sheet several jerks to get it clear of the cleats and I suspect that may be why the tracks are loose. The travelers are stock so any advice on "jib traveler use made simple" would be welcomed.
Aside from the above, sailing the boat for the first time was a blast and it was made possible in no small part from this forum. So a huge thank you to everyone that has offered assistance and advice over the past months as I worked to get "Sea Dragon" sea-worthy!