David Lester

I expected to be now concentrating on my Agamemnon, but it seems the ship modelling gods had something else in store for me. I have been asked by someone to build a Mayflower for them.
 
This is not a model that I would have chosen for myself, as I'm not particularly interested in 17th century vessels. My favourites are late 18th century. Nevertheless I'm happy enough to build it for someone else. Keeps me off the streets.
 
There are several Mayflowers available, but I settled on the Model Shipways version, as I tend to like their kits generally and Chuck Passaro designed this one, so it seemed to me to be the best option.
 
I don't tend to complain too much about cast metal parts. Usually I find they can be made to be acceptable with a little filing, paint etc. But I don't think I've ever seen anything as bad as these cast metal crow's nests that came with the kit. In the instructions, it shows wooden components which appear to be quite acceptable and which I assume is how the kit originally shipped. However, I was surprised by what I found which look like something my grandmother would have baked tarts in. These just won't do.
 

Not only do they look horrendous, but I don't know how I would be able to use them. It's difficult to see in the picture, but there is almost no lip or overhang on the upper rim, yet it's necessary to mount deadeyes and futtock shrouds. I just don't see how I could do that. Also, much of this ship has a natural finish, so painting these things to blend in would be almost impossible.
 
So rather than starting at the beginning, I decided to get this problem behind me first and I set out to design and build something that I could live with.
Here is what I have come up with:
 





I simplified them slightly. The plans show 16 brackets of about 1/32" wide. I was having quite a bit of trouble with that, so I reduced the number to 12 and made them 1/16" and I found that worked better for me and still looks ok.
 
The crow's nests on the replica Mayflower II have closed sides, and I believe it was the idea for this model too. However, I'm going to leave them open. I experimented with closing them in and wasn't happy with the look. Also, all of the other kit versions of the Mayflower have open sides, as do many other ships of this period.
 
There isn't a lot of glue surface on the upper ring and there's going to be a bit of tension on it, so I added four pieces of brass rod that run through to the bottom, which should give it a bit more structural integrity. You can see one of them in the picture above, but I don't think they will show up when all the bits and pieces are in place.
 
So, now I can relax, knowing that I have that little problem solved and go back to the beginning.
 
David
 
 

I would simply make that name in Microsoft Word. I do them this way all the time. Your situation is ideal for it, because there's a frame around the area with the lettering. You should be able to find a font that's very close to what you want. You can even give the name a slight curve if you want to follow the curve of the stern.
 
I would either create a one-celled table or use a text box and set the background colour to black. Make the cell or box quite a bit larger than you need. That way you have lots of room and margin for error when you cut it out. Centre the white lettering in the cell or box. It will take a bit of trial and error to get just the right font style and size etc. Once you've got the lettering right, print it, cut it out large enough to cover the whole stern area, glue it on and add the white frame. It should look pretty good.
 
There may be better ways of doing it than this one, but at least this one works for me. I have never had good luck with other methods such as dry transfer lettering etc.
David

I would simply make that name in Microsoft Word. I do them this way all the time. Your situation is ideal for it, because there's a frame around the area with the lettering. You should be able to find a font that's very close to what you want. You can even give the name a slight curve if you want to follow the curve of the stern.
 
I would either create a one-celled table or use a text box and set the background colour to black. Make the cell or box quite a bit larger than you need. That way you have lots of room and margin for error when you cut it out. Centre the white lettering in the cell or box. It will take a bit of trial and error to get just the right font style and size etc. Once you've got the lettering right, print it, cut it out large enough to cover the whole stern area, glue it on and add the white frame. It should look pretty good.
 
There may be better ways of doing it than this one, but at least this one works for me. I have never had good luck with other methods such as dry transfer lettering etc.
David

Nothing wrong with the kitparts but decided to go scratch with boxwood for a more united colourscheme. 

I expected to be now concentrating on my Agamemnon, but it seems the ship modelling gods had something else in store for me. I have been asked by someone to build a Mayflower for them.
 
This is not a model that I would have chosen for myself, as I'm not particularly interested in 17th century vessels. My favourites are late 18th century. Nevertheless I'm happy enough to build it for someone else. Keeps me off the streets.
 
There are several Mayflowers available, but I settled on the Model Shipways version, as I tend to like their kits generally and Chuck Passaro designed this one, so it seemed to me to be the best option.
 
I don't tend to complain too much about cast metal parts. Usually I find they can be made to be acceptable with a little filing, paint etc. But I don't think I've ever seen anything as bad as these cast metal crow's nests that came with the kit. In the instructions, it shows wooden components which appear to be quite acceptable and which I assume is how the kit originally shipped. However, I was surprised by what I found which look like something my grandmother would have baked tarts in. These just won't do.
 

Not only do they look horrendous, but I don't know how I would be able to use them. It's difficult to see in the picture, but there is almost no lip or overhang on the upper rim, yet it's necessary to mount deadeyes and futtock shrouds. I just don't see how I could do that. Also, much of this ship has a natural finish, so painting these things to blend in would be almost impossible.
 
So rather than starting at the beginning, I decided to get this problem behind me first and I set out to design and build something that I could live with.
Here is what I have come up with:
 





I simplified them slightly. The plans show 16 brackets of about 1/32" wide. I was having quite a bit of trouble with that, so I reduced the number to 12 and made them 1/16" and I found that worked better for me and still looks ok.
 
The crow's nests on the replica Mayflower II have closed sides, and I believe it was the idea for this model too. However, I'm going to leave them open. I experimented with closing them in and wasn't happy with the look. Also, all of the other kit versions of the Mayflower have open sides, as do many other ships of this period.
 
There isn't a lot of glue surface on the upper ring and there's going to be a bit of tension on it, so I added four pieces of brass rod that run through to the bottom, which should give it a bit more structural integrity. You can see one of them in the picture above, but I don't think they will show up when all the bits and pieces are in place.
 
So, now I can relax, knowing that I have that little problem solved and go back to the beginning.
 
David
 
 

I expected to be now concentrating on my Agamemnon, but it seems the ship modelling gods had something else in store for me. I have been asked by someone to build a Mayflower for them.
 
This is not a model that I would have chosen for myself, as I'm not particularly interested in 17th century vessels. My favourites are late 18th century. Nevertheless I'm happy enough to build it for someone else. Keeps me off the streets.
 
There are several Mayflowers available, but I settled on the Model Shipways version, as I tend to like their kits generally and Chuck Passaro designed this one, so it seemed to me to be the best option.
 
I don't tend to complain too much about cast metal parts. Usually I find they can be made to be acceptable with a little filing, paint etc. But I don't think I've ever seen anything as bad as these cast metal crow's nests that came with the kit. In the instructions, it shows wooden components which appear to be quite acceptable and which I assume is how the kit originally shipped. However, I was surprised by what I found which look like something my grandmother would have baked tarts in. These just won't do.
 

Not only do they look horrendous, but I don't know how I would be able to use them. It's difficult to see in the picture, but there is almost no lip or overhang on the upper rim, yet it's necessary to mount deadeyes and futtock shrouds. I just don't see how I could do that. Also, much of this ship has a natural finish, so painting these things to blend in would be almost impossible.
 
So rather than starting at the beginning, I decided to get this problem behind me first and I set out to design and build something that I could live with.
Here is what I have come up with:
 





I simplified them slightly. The plans show 16 brackets of about 1/32" wide. I was having quite a bit of trouble with that, so I reduced the number to 12 and made them 1/16" and I found that worked better for me and still looks ok.
 
The crow's nests on the replica Mayflower II have closed sides, and I believe it was the idea for this model too. However, I'm going to leave them open. I experimented with closing them in and wasn't happy with the look. Also, all of the other kit versions of the Mayflower have open sides, as do many other ships of this period.
 
There isn't a lot of glue surface on the upper ring and there's going to be a bit of tension on it, so I added four pieces of brass rod that run through to the bottom, which should give it a bit more structural integrity. You can see one of them in the picture above, but I don't think they will show up when all the bits and pieces are in place.
 
So, now I can relax, knowing that I have that little problem solved and go back to the beginning.
 
David
 
 

I expected to be now concentrating on my Agamemnon, but it seems the ship modelling gods had something else in store for me. I have been asked by someone to build a Mayflower for them.
 
This is not a model that I would have chosen for myself, as I'm not particularly interested in 17th century vessels. My favourites are late 18th century. Nevertheless I'm happy enough to build it for someone else. Keeps me off the streets.
 
There are several Mayflowers available, but I settled on the Model Shipways version, as I tend to like their kits generally and Chuck Passaro designed this one, so it seemed to me to be the best option.
 
I don't tend to complain too much about cast metal parts. Usually I find they can be made to be acceptable with a little filing, paint etc. But I don't think I've ever seen anything as bad as these cast metal crow's nests that came with the kit. In the instructions, it shows wooden components which appear to be quite acceptable and which I assume is how the kit originally shipped. However, I was surprised by what I found which look like something my grandmother would have baked tarts in. These just won't do.
 

Not only do they look horrendous, but I don't know how I would be able to use them. It's difficult to see in the picture, but there is almost no lip or overhang on the upper rim, yet it's necessary to mount deadeyes and futtock shrouds. I just don't see how I could do that. Also, much of this ship has a natural finish, so painting these things to blend in would be almost impossible.
 
So rather than starting at the beginning, I decided to get this problem behind me first and I set out to design and build something that I could live with.
Here is what I have come up with:
 





I simplified them slightly. The plans show 16 brackets of about 1/32" wide. I was having quite a bit of trouble with that, so I reduced the number to 12 and made them 1/16" and I found that worked better for me and still looks ok.
 
The crow's nests on the replica Mayflower II have closed sides, and I believe it was the idea for this model too. However, I'm going to leave them open. I experimented with closing them in and wasn't happy with the look. Also, all of the other kit versions of the Mayflower have open sides, as do many other ships of this period.
 
There isn't a lot of glue surface on the upper ring and there's going to be a bit of tension on it, so I added four pieces of brass rod that run through to the bottom, which should give it a bit more structural integrity. You can see one of them in the picture above, but I don't think they will show up when all the bits and pieces are in place.
 
So, now I can relax, knowing that I have that little problem solved and go back to the beginning.
 
David
 
 

I expected to be now concentrating on my Agamemnon, but it seems the ship modelling gods had something else in store for me. I have been asked by someone to build a Mayflower for them.
 
This is not a model that I would have chosen for myself, as I'm not particularly interested in 17th century vessels. My favourites are late 18th century. Nevertheless I'm happy enough to build it for someone else. Keeps me off the streets.
 
There are several Mayflowers available, but I settled on the Model Shipways version, as I tend to like their kits generally and Chuck Passaro designed this one, so it seemed to me to be the best option.
 
I don't tend to complain too much about cast metal parts. Usually I find they can be made to be acceptable with a little filing, paint etc. But I don't think I've ever seen anything as bad as these cast metal crow's nests that came with the kit. In the instructions, it shows wooden components which appear to be quite acceptable and which I assume is how the kit originally shipped. However, I was surprised by what I found which look like something my grandmother would have baked tarts in. These just won't do.
 

Not only do they look horrendous, but I don't know how I would be able to use them. It's difficult to see in the picture, but there is almost no lip or overhang on the upper rim, yet it's necessary to mount deadeyes and futtock shrouds. I just don't see how I could do that. Also, much of this ship has a natural finish, so painting these things to blend in would be almost impossible.
 
So rather than starting at the beginning, I decided to get this problem behind me first and I set out to design and build something that I could live with.
Here is what I have come up with:
 





I simplified them slightly. The plans show 16 brackets of about 1/32" wide. I was having quite a bit of trouble with that, so I reduced the number to 12 and made them 1/16" and I found that worked better for me and still looks ok.
 
The crow's nests on the replica Mayflower II have closed sides, and I believe it was the idea for this model too. However, I'm going to leave them open. I experimented with closing them in and wasn't happy with the look. Also, all of the other kit versions of the Mayflower have open sides, as do many other ships of this period.
 
There isn't a lot of glue surface on the upper ring and there's going to be a bit of tension on it, so I added four pieces of brass rod that run through to the bottom, which should give it a bit more structural integrity. You can see one of them in the picture above, but I don't think they will show up when all the bits and pieces are in place.
 
So, now I can relax, knowing that I have that little problem solved and go back to the beginning.
 
David
 
 

The bow decoration is now finished.  I would not care to do it again.  It's very fiddly and easily damaged.  The hair bracket decoration and the bow main rails - one of each - broke where the grain of the wood is at roughly right angles to a vertical part of the decoration.  Perhaps making these parts with metal would be better than the boxwood.  The results are below.

 

 
 

Thanks for the advice, I managed to do the hard part without breaking it. The worst was to get rid of all CA glue. I decided to deviate from the instructions and add the top rail before removing the frames to get a more solid structure. 



Its hard work but I do think this piece will really add to the finish of the model. 

Thanks guys. A friend of mine called one of my models "a great achievement." I told him that finding places for them is the great achievement! Displaying them is no small problem. We have the Bluenose, and only the Bluenose out for public enjoyment in our living room. The rest are confined to shelves in my hibernaculum.
 
I have been working away at farming them out. My grandson has my Rattlesnake, my daughter and son-in-law have a Bluenose, my son and daughter-in-law have my Charles Morgan and Speedy is going to my son-in-law's office. Also I donated my Armed Virginia Sloop to a silent auction fundraiser, but I still have a number of them to contend with.
 
The Agamemnon has been weighing heavily on my mind. However I think I have a solution. Just this week, my daughter moved her law practice into a new office space and she has announced that she would like to have the Constitution there. It has always been her favourite of my collection and she says she now has a perfect place for it. It's similar in size to the Agamemnon, so it looks like a spot is about to open up for it.
 
It's a never ending battle, but one I'm prepared to accept because I get so much enjoyment from building them.
Thanks again,
David




 
 

Good Morning All,
Speedy is finished. The last of the braces wrapped up the rigging, then it was just a matter of adding the anchors, rope coils, boat and swivel guns. A bit of touch up with paint was the last thing to do. Now I just have to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office.
 
This model was a pleasure from beginning to end. The only swearing was directed at myself and not at the kit, which is how I know it's a great kit.
 
Thanks again for checking in, "likes" etc. Very much appreciated.
 
David

 

So I started on my coppering. I took a piece of regular 20# copier paper and printed a grid in Excel. Each plate will measure .145” x .500”. The grid is 50 x 20 resulting in 1000 plates per page.

 
The paper was then copper leafed on the opposite side then sliced to width using a scalpel and straight edge. There are plenty of You Tube videos on leafing to learn how. This was my first time and it is really not that hard. 
 
2 pages produced the 2000 plates you see in the box below. 

Here are a few up close along with one of the strips prior to cutting to the .500” lengths. 

Finally I started gluing a few on to see how it would look. You need to be careful not to get glue (I am just using regular wood glue) all over the leaf because it can be tricky to get off as the leaf is only about .002” thick. 

It is only about ..005 to 006” thick so it is not terribly out of scale. I am not putting any nail marks in the plates as the model scale is 1:96 so you really would not see them in the real world at normal viewing distance. 
 
Tom

Thank you, thank you - you are all too kind. I feel like a real amateur compared to most of you, so it's really nice to read your remarks.
Thanks again,
 
David

Thank you, thank you - you are all too kind. I feel like a real amateur compared to most of you, so it's really nice to read your remarks.
Thanks again,
 
David

Good Morning All,
Speedy is finished. The last of the braces wrapped up the rigging, then it was just a matter of adding the anchors, rope coils, boat and swivel guns. A bit of touch up with paint was the last thing to do. Now I just have to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office.
 
This model was a pleasure from beginning to end. The only swearing was directed at myself and not at the kit, which is how I know it's a great kit.
 
Thanks again for checking in, "likes" etc. Very much appreciated.
 
David

 

Thanks guys. A friend of mine called one of my models "a great achievement." I told him that finding places for them is the great achievement! Displaying them is no small problem. We have the Bluenose, and only the Bluenose out for public enjoyment in our living room. The rest are confined to shelves in my hibernaculum.
 
I have been working away at farming them out. My grandson has my Rattlesnake, my daughter and son-in-law have a Bluenose, my son and daughter-in-law have my Charles Morgan and Speedy is going to my son-in-law's office. Also I donated my Armed Virginia Sloop to a silent auction fundraiser, but I still have a number of them to contend with.
 
The Agamemnon has been weighing heavily on my mind. However I think I have a solution. Just this week, my daughter moved her law practice into a new office space and she has announced that she would like to have the Constitution there. It has always been her favourite of my collection and she says she now has a perfect place for it. It's similar in size to the Agamemnon, so it looks like a spot is about to open up for it.
 
It's a never ending battle, but one I'm prepared to accept because I get so much enjoyment from building them.
Thanks again,
David




 
 

Good Morning All,
Speedy is finished. The last of the braces wrapped up the rigging, then it was just a matter of adding the anchors, rope coils, boat and swivel guns. A bit of touch up with paint was the last thing to do. Now I just have to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office.
 
This model was a pleasure from beginning to end. The only swearing was directed at myself and not at the kit, which is how I know it's a great kit.
 
Thanks again for checking in, "likes" etc. Very much appreciated.
 
David

 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Thanks guys. A friend of mine called one of my models "a great achievement." I told him that finding places for them is the great achievement! Displaying them is no small problem. We have the Bluenose, and only the Bluenose out for public enjoyment in our living room. The rest are confined to shelves in my hibernaculum.
 
I have been working away at farming them out. My grandson has my Rattlesnake, my daughter and son-in-law have a Bluenose, my son and daughter-in-law have my Charles Morgan and Speedy is going to my son-in-law's office. Also I donated my Armed Virginia Sloop to a silent auction fundraiser, but I still have a number of them to contend with.
 
The Agamemnon has been weighing heavily on my mind. However I think I have a solution. Just this week, my daughter moved her law practice into a new office space and she has announced that she would like to have the Constitution there. It has always been her favourite of my collection and she says she now has a perfect place for it. It's similar in size to the Agamemnon, so it looks like a spot is about to open up for it.
 
It's a never ending battle, but one I'm prepared to accept because I get so much enjoyment from building them.
Thanks again,
David




 
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

Good Morning,
Just a brief update this morning. I've attached all the yards -
 
Lower yards - jeers and trusses


For the trusses, I used these small cast bullseyes from Bluejacket. I'm a big fan of them and I like to keep a supply of them on hand. They come in several different sizes, but I really like the smallest ones - 1/16" inch - because they're easy to use and never look over scale.

They blacken easily and just need a small amount of cleanup. (Of course when all is said and done, you can't even see them on the trusses, but at least I know they're there.)
 
Parrels and ties on the topsail yards -
 

 
Ties on the topgallant yards -

There isn't really too much to explain about my methods. I just added each according to the plans. It was all pretty straightforward and free of problems.
 
I've started working on the boom and gaff. The completion of this build is actually within sight; then I will turn my attention to Agamemnon in earnest.
 
Thanks again for likes, comments etc. Very much appreciated. 
 
David
 
 
 
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David