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Roger Derby
 
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I'd suggest that the lead will be useful, mainly, for keeping the
daggerboard from floating up. On a small boat, the crew's weight is so much
larger that any moment supplied by the lead will be hard to see (unless you
want the boat to be able to sail away without you like my Sunfish did).

I think you're right about the fiberglass skin being more than adequate for
any lost strength. The material in the middle of a beam is there mainly to
keep the edges apart, and the lead won't compress. You might want to
calculate the areas for various schemes. One slightly larger hole will have
as much area/volume as two smaller holes and it will be easier to key the
edges to hold the lead.

Roger

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"John Smith" wrote in message
news
I would like to drill a couple holes in my mahogany daggerboard (on a 13'
boat) and fill them with lead.
Although I am sure the boat can handle it, I am not so sure about the
daggerboard. I am thinking of sanding an 1/8" of an inch off it all
around
(or maybe routing it, that should be more precise and faster...) and
wrapping it with fiberglass; a couple inches further up than the lead. It
seems to me that a few pounds of lead at the end of the daggerboard ought
to
add significant stability to a small boat.
I figure the fiberglass will add more strength than the holes take away.
I am not particularly knowledgeable about these things, so it is entirely
possible I am overlooking something that will make this a stupid project.
(I have lost 8 pounds this year, and plan to lose some more; so I am not
concerned about the effect of a few pounds of lead on the boat.)