Welcome aboard. Lake sailing can be fun and your boat will be a great way to start
learning to sail. I reckon I would put all of my effort into making the boat sailable. Inside can wait because you probably will be only doing
day sailing for a while/
Get that swing
keel unstuck. If you can't then you might not be able to sail it.
Get the
mast up. It's not hard to do. Get the sails on and make sure that the
rigging is sound. If you can't find a rudder, you can build one. They are usually fibreglass, but you can make one from
marine ply a good sander and lots of
epoxy resin. There should be a couple of pins at the back that the rudder slides onto. You will need to buy or make a couple of fittings to attach to the rudder. Swing keel boats can also have swing rudders so that you can get close to shore.
Check your
trailer and make sure it's roadworthy.
Once the keel, rudder and sails are all operational, you can go sailing. Start on small lakes with good boat ramps. Read up about how to sail. The old
MacGregor site had some good beginners info. Don't forget that you might need an
outboard motor to get you where you want to go when the
wind won't. Don't forget your
safety gear and you might need a licence to sail.
The best way to learn is to go sailing with others. They'll show you the ropes. The
internet and youtube might help.
Once you've got it all figured out, you might want to start working on the inside. To give you and your guests some creature comforts. You really only need this if you want to overnight. For
day sailing, you can get by with an
icebox and a small camp
stove. Just make sure if you're sailing for a day that you've got your
toilet needs sorted out. Some guests might not appreciate the lack of facilities.
Try to get the boat as reliable as possible and try to build your sailing skills. Get some
weather forecasting apps and in the early stages, don't go out sailing if it's going to blow more than 15 knots. Take easy and you'll have the time of your life/