I was able finish this today. Very mild day for this time of year.
I cut the ring at the tabs and fastened it using
this method.
I ordered handles from Brian for the red 18 I restored in September. Ordered more for this one.
For the 18, I applied just spar varnish. For this set, I applied a semi-transparent stain - mahogany colour, then spar varnish.
See the difference.
All put together, and compared to the red OT. A little bit taller, but, not much.