Cathead

Wish I could help. Those are some fantastic images. I grew up a few hours from there, but had never heard of this before. The figures leaping off the ship in the final photo are rather dramatic, if unlikely!

Glenn, what a useful response, thank you! The Corel image doesn't mean much; there's a lot about this kit that relies more on imagination than any real prototype practice, so I don't tend to follow their approach as "correct" in any given way, so just because they show that sail fully permanently rigged doesn't mean it was so. I had not considered that such a large sail could/would be taken down entirely, but it does help explain why so many such ships are shown without it even though it would be very useful when sailing downwind. I'm intrigued by the idea that it was only rigged with a block at each end of the yard; as you say, that could be modeled without the fuss of a furled sail but still acknowledging the existence and possibility of the sail. I will consider this, and thank you again!

Glenn, I'm happy to found this interesting and lovely build. You have some excellent detail work there, and the prototype is beautiful.

A couple quick updates from this weekend's work, then another major decision to make. First, I've added the upper sail on the mainmast. I'm afraid I don't know what it's properly called. Second, I took a stab at adding footropes to the larger fore yard (not sure of the terminology here, either). The basic challenge here is how to make these look like they're hanging down properly when in fact there's hardly any weight on them at all. I came up with a basic jig to hold the ropes in place while I tied everything off, then applied PV glue to harden the ropes in place. Here's how it looks, completed, but with the jig left in place on one side for illustration. I think it came out ok. And now for the big decision. The kit design calls for two square sails on the foremast; a very large course hanging from the yard shown above, and a smaller topsail above that. That course was actually the first sail I made for this model, it's been sitting quietly on a shelf for quite a while awaiting its turn. But at this stage of the model, I'm wondering if I should use it or eliminate it. Here's the thought process. If I include it, that large course really blocks quite a bit of the rest of the model when viewed at many angles. It also seems a bit unrealistic given the other sails I have set; would anyone ever have a large course like that set when all the other sails are set? It doesn't make sense from a sailing point of view, at least in my limited knowledge. I test-fit it to show Mrs. Cathead, and she agreed that the model looked better without it, more balanced and easier to see the rest of the detail. Then, if I decide to eliminate the full course, the question becomes whether I rig up a furled course on that lower yard, or leave the whole thing off altogether. Here's where research comes in; while going back through lots of imagery, both photography of recent vessels and paintings/drawings, the vast majority of images show similar vessels with no lower course at all (not set, not furled), just the upper foretopsail. See, for example, this USCG image of USRC Massachussets (USCG images are public domain): Of course, to my eyes the wind direction, sails, and pennants/flags in that painting appear to be mutually impossible, so who knows how accurate it is. But there are lots of images like it online showing no lower fore sail. And here's another USGC image, this one an actual photo of a revenue cutter: Again, no square sail below the foretopsail, not even furled. On the other hand, the drawing of USRC Louisiana I've consulted a lot clearly shows a lower course. For comparison, here's the original kit image with the big forecourse set: But I'm leaning toward leaving it off entirely, as I can find abundant imagery showing such vessels without such a sail at all, this is very much a free-lanced ship anyway, and frankly I think it looks better without it. I can't pretend I haven't considered that this would also simplify the remaining rigging, but that's not a primary reason. It just really seems that the model will look more balanced without it, more like the many images I can find of similar topsail schooners with only a foretopsail set along with the fore-and-aft sails. Any thoughts?

Fantastic work, sir. You've taken a good kit and really made something special out of it. Can you post a few shots of the completed vessel with the lights on?

Love it!

Lovely work, Joe. I've been having fun this evening reading up on this class of ships thanks to your build.

I'll just slip quietly into the back, as unlike many other readers I know nothing helpful, just that this looks like a beautiful and interesting design and I'd like to learn from the build.

That canopy looks fantastic; what a great approach! And the chimneys now really fit into the rest of the model. I'm going to miss this build, but it's got me itching to start my next one.

This was my second-ever ship build; I built it more-or-less out of the box and learned a lot; it still sits on a shelf in my office. I agree that a kit like this can be a really good learning experience and a nice platform for experimentation and improvement. I didn't change the hull much, but did add better rigging after some study. Good luck with your project, I'll be interested to see what you do with it.

Daria and Mike, What a lovely project this is! I'm fascinated by the Russian kit, as a former Russian Language major in college. It looks quite interesting and well-crafted, and I would probably have fun trying to translate the instructions. And I can't say enough about how lovely it is to see a daughter-father project like this. Daria, you're doing excellent work so far and I hope you won't mind a random American following along to learn from what you're doing. Looking at the bow in that photo, did you feel that the kit provided enough internal support for the planking? There don't seem to be any filler blocks. Are the planks well-spiled enough to fit smoothly without any further support or aid?

I agree, stowed makes the most sense for your presentation.

I'm interested to follow your progress, as this is on my someday list.

Both jibs are made and (mostly) rigged. I ran out of rigging line at this stage; there's more on order from Syren, which should arrive any day now. I'm starting to get a little terrified of the rat's nest of loose rigging lines, none of which I want to fully tighten and glue until everything else is rigged. By the way, for anyone reading this who's interested, I also wrote up a summary of the method used to make the paper sails for this model. Once I get my new rigging line, I'll finish the jibs and start installing the two square foresails. That's going to be some tight work.

Personally I agree with Mike; it's not the level of weathering per se, it's that they don't look like the original metal was ever black. It's a bit distracting since overall the goal of weathering is to make the model more realistic, and in this case the eye wonders, "hey, why does that look like an unpainted white metal casting?". I think you could darken them a bit and still get the rusty, beaten-up effect you're going for. But that being said, it's your model of course and you shouldn't construe such opinions as a reflection on the work. It's lovely and you've a right to finish it how you like. After all, you'll be looking at it a lot more than the rest of us!

Welcome, Scott, from another misplaced Yankee! I grew up along Lake Ontario but am now thoroughly landlocked in rural Missouri. How do you like the Shenandoah Valley? One upon a time I worked for Shenandoah National Park doing backcountry survey work; even found two historic plane crashes that had been forgotten and left undocumented. Like you, I miss being around open water and enjoy this hobby as a way to maintain that connection. Hope you enjoy your modelling work; this community is a great place to learn and share.

Captain, reviewing the manual, there's a 3x3 mm strip and then some 1.5x1.5 mm strips. Of those, you need to use the 3x3 for the keel while reserving the 1.5s for the rails. Do you have another thin walnut strip that doesn't match either of those dimensions? The 3x3 is just a tiny bit wider than the internal keel, which is something like 2.5 mm. There's a tiny bump in width after you glue the two together. You can sand this down if desired; I found that it made no visual difference when laying the planking over it. It would be nice if the company could get their dimensions the same.

Captain, as far as I can recall, I've used only the kit-supplied wood. You can check back in the early portion of the build log to be sure. Good luck on this one. I have to say, I think it's a difficult kit for a starter, because the instructions are weak and the materials are not ideal. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you start a build log so others can follow along and watch/help.

Strange; I can see the image. Wefalck, those look quite nice, but I have a question: why are there twice as many holes as reef points?

Wefalck, thanks for your insights! Nice to hear from someone with more experience in this regard. Regarding reef points, I forgot to say this: I had tried to simulate what you decribe, but found that I was simply unable to tie a knot tightly enough on both sides of the sail to look right. There was always enough slack so that one side or the other shifted outward slightly, ruining the effect. This may well be simply a failure of skill; if it could be done right it'd be great. This particular model is in 1:64; I used bond paper because it's what I had on hand. I model on a tight budget and find great value in reusing materials already available to me. As I'm just an amateur, this sometimes is more important to me than perfection. For my model, the paper is close enough on inspection for all but the most knowledgeable, and here in the American Midwest, there is virtually no one knowledgeable enough to know the difference. Kiwibob, I have not tried rice paper, as noted above I used what I had on hand. I appreciate the suggestion, though, as now other people can try it and see if they prefer it.

That's a fantastic idea, Erik. I'd never thought of that before. Well done.

Frankie, I am definitely not an expert here, so appreciate your input. I certainly could add the second shroud back in for the mainmast; the question then becomes whether to use ratlines there, too, or not. As for the topmast shrouds, it depends on how I do them. If I run them through a collar and down to the deck along the mast, I'd rig them with blocks to a ring on the deck so they could be tensioned. If I stop them at the mast, you're right that I'll need something up there. Have to give that a bit more thought. One problem I've had in trying to research this, is that most images I can find are of larger craft than mine, so they naturally have 2-3 shrouds per mast, but I have more trouble finding a little schooner like this one. Here's one image from the USCG website that shows the Massachussetts, a reasonably comparable vessel (though still larger); she has two shrouds per mast, with ratlines on both, and it appears that the topmast shrouds pass through spreaders and then down to meet at a point on the channel just aft of the deadeyes; I can't tell quite tell what happens there, though. Thoughts on that setup?

Allan, Check the first post; I used bond paper, which is a high-quality durable paper originally used for government bonds and now commonly used for archival papers or theses. It's expected to be a long-lasting paper because of its intended uses. It also has a nice rough texture that really simulates cloth well at small scales (as compared to printer or photo paper, which is too smooth and shiny). You raise a good point, depending on the intended life of the model. I don't imagine that any of my models will outlast me or have any interest beyond my lifespan (I'll be shocked if they're still of interest to anyone in even 20-30 years), so I'm not real worried. But I could definitely see how a more professionally-minded modeller might have concerns about the long-term durability. I suspect that coloring the paper with pastels doesn't hurt, as it's just a surface treatment. I don't know whether any kind of fixative spray would affect the lifespan one way or another. Finally, I don't know for sure what the glue will do; I know most modellers swear by basic wood glue as a very stable and long-lasting fixative, and assumed that it would behave the same way with paper, but can't say for sure. Thanks to everyone for checking in; please let me know if you try it because I'd love to hear about other people's experiences (better yet, post here so we can collect more experiences and advice).

Part III: Adding reef points Reef points add a lot of visual interest to sails, and they're easy to add in the paper-sail method. The reef bands were glued on in Part I. Where to place the reef points is something of an uncertain topic; I found references for a variety of options, including one point on each seam, one point within each panel, and two points within each panel. I chose to use the first approach. Because the paper layers were extra thick here, due to the seam and reef bands, I used a small drill bit to open up a hole rather than trying to drive a needle through. For the reef points, I cut a series of rigging rope a bit longer than I needed. I wanted my reef points 2 scale feet long, so I cut the rope 5' long to allow for trimming, then used a deadeye/block threader to run each line through the sail. The threader creates a strong crimp in the line, so I tried to center each line in the threader before pulling it back through; the crimp then becomes a natural reference point holding the line in place where it passes through the sail. When all the lines for a given band were threaded, I clamped a piece of wood across the sail 2 scale feet below the reef band as a reference marker. You can get the length right here in two ways: either trim each line to the right length relative to the crimp, or don't worry about the crimp and pull each one back through the sail until only 2' are left on the side you're working on. I then used a fine brush to gently apply a bit of glue to a line, then pressed it into place on the sail with its tip against the wood. You only have to hold the line in place for maybe 10-15 seconds for the glue to take hold, before moving on to the next one. I like to get glue from the tip to about 2/3 to the sail, not all the way to the sail. This means the line naturally bows out a bit where it comes out of the sail, giving it some 3D texture. Don't overdo the glue or you'll get weird stains on the paper. Also, don't worry about trying to get each line perfectly straight; they're going to want to curve this way and that, and buckle a bit, and that's exactly what you want because that really makes them look like loose lines dangling down. You want just enough glue to hold them relatively flat so they look like gravity is working. If you glue them too flat or perfect, they'll look glued on and artificial. Once one side is done, it looks something like the image above. Then you just turn the sail over, clamp the wood at 2' again, trim the remaining lines to length, and glue them in the same way. If there is more than one reef band, do the upper one first, since you're overall working on the lower side. Above, you see the same process being repeated for a lower line of reef points. And here are the two completed lines of reef points. They have a nice randomness that looks like loosely dangling lines. Note that, once again, I slightly messed up this demonstration by not cutting the upper line of reef points quite evenly (they're too short on the left). It figures that my demonstration sail would be the sloppiest of any I've made so far, but I hope the idea comes across. And, as above, this sort of things fades away when the sail is placed in the full context of a rigged model. I'm quite happy with this method. I've now made all six of the sails for my topsail schooner this way and feel that they have a strong visual interest and a realistic (if not perfectly accurate) appearance. Moreover, the method uses cheap material that's easy to work with, and requires no special skills other than some patience and care when handling glued paper. It's easy to test on random scraps first before trying a full sail, and it's easy to customize. For example, you could skip the panels and just use a full sheet of paper, or skip the boltropes, and still use the rest of the approach to have a nice sail that holds it shape and can even be shaped to hold a curve. I hope others find some or all of this interesting and useful as a different way to produce interesting sails for nautical models. Thanks for reading.

Part II: Adding boltropes My understanding is that boltropes are hard to get right in scale. The ropes themselves are pretty small at most common model scales, and the stitches that hold them on would be essentially invisible, certainly at this project's 1:64 scale. However, leaving them off removes clear visual interest and makes it difficult to attach lines to the sails properly. One approach in the paper-sail method would be to bury a fine line within the folded-over edging; this is the method I used on my longboat. Glue one side of the edging down, then spread glue on the rest, stretch a thin line along the seam, and fold the edging over. You now have a boltrope that's hidden from sight, but strengthens the sail and can be carefully looped at each corner to provide the proper attachment point (and it's easy to form cringles anywhere just by tugging it out slightly from the stitching). However, for my current project, I wanted to include the visual interest of stitched boltropes even if they were out of scale. I know my model isn't perfectly accurate, and I'd rather it be a visually interesting representation of a real ship. So here's how I added them. First, I punched holes for the stitching all the way around the sail, having measured and marked straight lines of evenly-spaced points. Then I laid out my boltrope and stitched it into place with a running stitch (I used basic white sewing thread). This can be done two ways: either with a needle (as shown above) or with a deadeye/block threader like this one from Model Expo (which I love) [edit as of 2022: these are no longer sold by Model Expo but here's an example of an equivalent product from Joann Fabrics]. The former is a lot faster, but the needle's eye tends to make wider holes. The threader takes long, but leaves smaller holes that aren't as visible. The sail in this demonstration used a needle throughout, as I wanted to try it. Another benefit of pastel coloring occurs here: a bit of pastel rubs off on all the lines, inherently coloring them to match the sail. I stitched the boltrope on loosely all the way around, making extra stitches at each corner to create a proper loop. There will be two loose ends of the boltrope meeting at the first/final corner; we'll deal with that soon. Just leave a few inches extra when you start. Once the loose stitching is done, I used a fine tweezer to work along the stitch, pulling out all the slack. The boltrope sits naturally on one side of the sail; technically this is accurate, but rather out of scale. The true-scale boltrope would look like it was right along the sail's edge even if slightly to one side. However, once you get all the stitching really tight, you can actually use your fingers to massage the boltrope up almost to the edge of the sail, where it looks about as right as you can get. Once each corner's loop and stitching is tight and as I want it, I applied a small drop of CA glue to the stitching binding the loop in place, ensuring that it's not going anywhere. Now for the final corner. When the boltrope is stretched tight in all directions, cut it short at both ends and weave each end back into the stitching, overlapping itself a little. Then you can nip it off carefully near the corner, allowing for one final loop, and pull the stitching tight to hold it in place. Another small application of CA glue holds this in place. This is actually a very sloppy final corner; the worse one I've done so far. I cut the upward-running rope too short, so that my joint falls down the side of the sail. I meant it to fit right in under the loop, where the extra stitching hides it. Still, it's barely noticeable from more than a few inches away. This approach gives you out-of-scale, but functional and very interesting, boltropes. Personally I think they look really nice in the context of the model overall (see any of the overview photos). They demonstrate to any viewer how this part of the ship would work, and they give the sail extra texture. Again, I like that this approach demonstrates the reality of the sail rather than perfectly simulating it. Your approach, and priorities, may vary. In the next post, I'll attach reef points and show the completed sail.