white lead. Go over all
the other seams with white lead, and allow the whole to dry. Give the
bottom a good coat of either copper or arsenic paint, and paint the
above water body. After these coats have dried, go over the hull
carefully with sandpaper, and remove all inequalities. Give the bottom
and upper body another coat, laying it smoothly so as to give that fine
gloss so pleasing to the eye and so essential to the racing boat. Take
up the flooring and give the inside of your boat a couple of good coats
of paint, devoting particular attention to the centreboard trunk where
it joins the keelson. Examine the deck, particularly the joint with the
coaming. Where there are any knee openings, if the deck is painted, calk
them with cotton, if varnished, fill them with putty.

[Illustration: STEPPING MAST WITH SHEARS.]

If the deck is a varnished one, remove all the remains of last year's
varnish with sandpaper, and give the deck several coats of marine
varnish. The deck should be varnished at least once a month during the
season to keep it in good condition. At this time it would be well to
bring your sail out and lay it on the ground in the sun so as to allow
it to bleach, and give the centreboard a good scraping and varnishing or
painting, as the case may be. The boat is now ready to be put in the
water. Bring out the mast and spars, scrape with glass and sandpaper,
and varnish them. Now step the mast. If the boat is a small one it may
be lifted in by hand, but if it is a large one a pair of shears must be
rigged. (See sketch.) The shears consist of two poles, about half the
length of the mast (better if longer), two extremities of which are
lashed together, and the others planted firmly in the ground, the whole
being supported at an angle of about 45 deg. by a guy-rope. At the junction
of the two poles lash one of the blocks of the throat-halyards, allowing
the other to swing free. Attaching the mast or any other very heavy
weight to this block it may be lifted in with ease. Put the gaff and
boom in place, and lace the sail on. It will be quite a time before the
sail will stretch to its fullest extent, and it will be necessary to
stretch it along the gaff and boom after every outing for some time to
come or it will not set properly.

A few words here about the care of the sail may not be out of place.
Never roll a sail up when wet. Nothing will rot and mildew it more
quickly. If you are compelled to put the boat up f