cdrusn89

So here is the raffee sail (suitably shortened) and yard arm ready for punching the holes. I use a .5mm hole punch (made for putting holes in leather) to reduce the amount of "flashing" around the hole). And then mounting and, hopefully furling. For the mizzen sail I started with the template I made of the main and used the mizzen boom and gaff to figure out where it needed to be reduced to fit the mizzen spars. Cut the template as marked and here is the template for the mizzen sail.

While working on the Raffees sail (aka top sail) I noticed a discrepancy between the top sail yard dimensions between what is shown on the sail plan and what it shown on the layout drawing. The sail plan shows a yard that is 4 7/8" from the mast centerline to the end of the yard. The arrangement drawing says that dimension is 4.5". Here is the template I made for the sail based on the sail plan (which only shows half of the sail). So i have to trim about .5" off the bottom of the sail to keep the ends inboard of the end of the yard arm. While the raffee sail was drying after cutting it out and applying the reinforcing parts I looked at the mizzen sail. The discrepancy was even more extreme for the mizzen sail. The mizzen boom, per the arrangement drawing is 7.5" from the mast center to the end. Measured on the sail plan the boom is only 6 1/8" long. I checked the mizzen boom on the hull and the sheet blocks match up so that is not going to a problem but the mizzen sail is going to have to be considerably longer at the foot than is shown on the plan to have the mizzen sail come close to utilizing the more or less entire boom as is do on the fore and main.

Main sail and mast completed to the same "degree" as the Fore. You can see my "mast support 2.0" here (the 1.0 version is in the background). I have learned that a 2X4 is not all that stable, especially when the sides are not sharp (as they generally aren't as purchased from Home Depot, etc.). Here is better shot of the main alone. I am going to work on the Top Sail (called Raffees on the sail plan) next as I anticipate the Mizzen sail to be a rinse and repeat of the Main/Fore.

Main sail is completed , attached to the spars and mounted on the "Furling jig". The sharp eyed will notice that one of the mast hoops has become detached from the sail. Not that hard to do (IMHO) but given it will be in the "middle of the pile" of mast hoops it is probably no big deal. I will have to use a smaller dowel for the Mizzen as that mast is 5/16" instead of 3/8" like the main and fore. Now to the "fun" getting the sail furled without doing further damage. After it is furled I will remove it (carefully), use some rubber bands to keep it "together" and transfer it to the real main mast, add the boom rest and mast coat and then start the throat and peak halyards and topping lifts just like on the fore mast.

I have adopted that technique for the main and mizzen masts.

I believe I have the lower Fore Mast about as complete as I can get it at this stage. The throat and peak halyards are rove and the block and becket/line are in place for the hauling end of each. The topping lists (there are two, one on each side) and lazy jacks are in place as well. All of the lines are still adjustable as the boom is not on the boom rest so all the lines have plenty of slack as they will all need to be elongated when the mast goes onto the hull. I have not yet connected the yard sling chain as I may need to remove the yard to add the furled sail. I had to fabricate a "yard truss" to hold the fore topsail yard (the only yardarm on the vessel) as the Britannia item was too flimsy (IMHO) and I wanted the ability to swivel the yard "out of the way" as was done when these vessels needed the extra clearance next to the pier. I am also considering putting the furled fore topsail on the yard but need to make a "test jig" as the sail has a "notch" in the center to clear the fore stay. I am not sure how all this is going to work out so I need a way to rig the sail, furl it then rotate the yard. I will do it "off ship" first then maybe transfer the furled sail to the real yardarm. The sail is only held at the head and at each end - no complicated lashings so this might actually work But first I need to get the other two masts completed to the same level as the Fore. Do not ask me how I know but drilling out the deck hole for the fore mast to the 1 3/4" depth shown on the plans will come perilously close to going out the bottom of the hull.

Thanks Jacques - I have had some practice, all the previous schooners I built (save the first one) have had furled sails on the masts (two ,three or four as the case may be).

Following Tom Luria's methodology (seen on YouTube) I fabricated the Fore Sail for the Simpson, lashed it to the boom and gaff and added the mast hoops. Then I made a little stand with a spare piece of 3/8"dowel to simulate the mast and "hung it up". I did not add the reefing bands/ties or the panel lines since the sail will be furled and much of this detail would be lost. I also made the sail only about three quarters as tall as shown in the sail plan. Previous experience has shown (me) that the larger the sail the more difficult it is to get it furled "properly". Not to say that mine are properly furled, just enough to look more or less "presentable" IMHO. Continuing on with the fore mast I added the rest of the detail using laser board for the bands around the square section and the required blocks. I glued on the trestle trees, added the mast cap and rigged the spreader lifts (using turnbuckles instead of deadeyes - I just could not manage to get the 3mm deadeyes to "work" - too small for my old eyes and hands). I fabricated the "stay irons" from brass flat stock and brass eyebolts soldered into the brass stock. At least I remembered how to do that as it has been many years and models since I had to solder brass fitting together. With the fore mast more or less completed (I am sure I forgot something) I furled the sail and added it to the mast along with the mast cap and the boom rest. Then I rigged the throat and peak halyards - took a bunch of line with the gaff down on top of the boom. Next up are the topping lifts and lazy jacks - then on to the Main sail.

I think I have the hull completed as far as I can before turning my attention to the spars and rigging. I added the bowsprit shrouds (chain) and the martingales (also chain) but have not completely tightened the lashings (hence the sag). I do not want to tension anything untill all the standing rigging is more or less in place. At this point it is hard to tell what might influence what. I added the six head sail sheet blocks (three on each side). They form part of the hauling tackle for each jib (jib topsail, standing jib and flying jib). They are on pendants to make it easier to rig them. Not sure if I could really get at them if they were on the deck. Likewise I added the bottom blocks (doubles) on deck for the throat and peak halyards for the gaffs. I put the mizzen blocks on pendants as well since there isn't much room between the bulwark and deckhouse and the pin rail is also in the way. Channels and chainplates are in place on both sides along with the cap rail mounted deadeyes. This is the starboard side. Initially i was going to use the kit supplied lower links (although there were not enough and they looked to be too long but...) but they proved to be (for me) too difficult to remake and I chose to shift to 3/32" X 1/64" Britannia metal strips. If I had it to over again I would probably use those strips (or 1/16" X 1/64" ones) for the lower links instead of the 24 ga wire. Still some touch up to do and one bolt head appears to have carried away. One note on the cap rail mounted deadeyes, the fore mast arrangement is shown on the sail plan rather than with the rest on the arrangement drawing, but there is a "extra" deadeye which is not labeled, listed on the rigging table nor can I figure out where it might terminate. I have left it off. It is the sixth one (from the bow) in the drawing below. Now on to the spars and sails.

The hull and interior deck furnishing are essentially complete. I still need to add six 3mm single blocks that are part of the sheet tackle for the three foremost head sails that are going to eyebolts on deck just aft of the forward most pin rails. These are shown on the rigging drawing but all the drawing shows is the blocks sticking above the caprail - no way to tell how they are attached to the ship. So I will put eyebolts in the deck and pendants on the blocks so they will be above the caprail. The channels are all cut, slotted and painted so they are next along with the deadeyes and chainplates. There are six deadeyes (smaller 4mm size) on each side (three each on the main and fore masts) that appear to be attached to the caprail. The drawings says "Plain padeye fisher 135". I can only guess what a "plain padeye" looks like and the AJ Fisher catalog is no help as there are no padeyes listed and the Fisher 135 is missing - 134 and 136 are there; 134 is a cleat and 136 is a boat davit, I am going to cut some small squares out of black laserboard and call that a "plain padeye".

Since I am working my way aft I decided it was time to add the bowsprit. Hopefully I can keep from snapping it off while adding them rest of the "deck furniture". In addition to the bowsprit and the associated reinforcing piece down the side I added the bolt heads (square this time) to the catheads and the reinforcing piece. Also two hatches, the capstan and the eyelets that lead to the chain locker(s). While trying to accurately locate where the fore sheet bitts should go I discovered that while the drawing is correct (if you read it very closely) I had built the main and fore booms using the single drawing as a template and did not notice that the sheet blocks are in different locations. Now they are correct but it seems like there could have been separate drawings for the fore and main booms rather than "hiding" the differences in the dimensioning.

I guess it is time to start installing some of the "stuff" I have been working on for what seems like a long time. I decided to start at the bow and work aft. First up was the cat heads. Not much drama but you have to be careful when cutting the bulwark to avoid it being too large. I have marked the cat heads for installation of some more plastic bolt heads which are shown on the drawing. The bitts also require some surgery to the deck edge and the timberheads so the bitts will stand up vertically. I have not installed the eyelets to lead the anchor chain to the chain locker because I used the two provided in the kit to clean up the holes where the chain passes through the forecastle to the anchors. The basswood hull material will just NOT take a splinter free hole. I have more 3/16" eyelets on the way and will get to them shortly. Just to be on the safe side, the towing bitts by the forward hatch are just sitting there at the moment so they will not get in the way of drilling the eyelet holes.

Thanks Rick!😀 After sleeping on it last night I decided that the brass backing links I re-purposed from a different Corel chainplate package were too over scale and looked for alternatives. I set up a little jig (two pieces of .039" piano wire set vertically into a 2 X 4) and tried making the backing links out of 24 gauge annealed steel wire. Actually I tried 22, 24 and 26 gauge wire but decided 24 gauge was "best". Here are the selected chainplate and the two alternative backing links. I made the replacement just a bit shorter (assuming I can replicate the length more or less exactly - yet to be established) so it will (in theory) hit the waterline the same as the drawing shows. One down and 21 left to go.

Back to the present. I got all the stern rail and bow splash rail completed and touch-up painted so I decided to take some whole model pictures. And some with what deck furniture is ready for "prime time".

It turns out I have several choices for replacement chainplates. Not sure why or when I got these but when looking through the various "fittings" sites i sometimes buy "stuff" "just in case". It would seem I must have visited the site with chainplates more than once as these all look like they are from the same vendor. I shortened and rebent the kit provided chainplate and drilled two holes (not very well) and that is second from the right. The other three are different sizes of the same design (from Corel I think). On the far right is a potential replacement backing link (suitably blackened/painted) because while the drawing says 22 required the kit only contains ten per the parts list. Any of the Corel chainplates are going to require an upsize in the deadeyes. The two on the left use 5mm and the one on the right 6mm. The kit "large" deadeyes are 5/32' = 4mm (3.968mm according to my converting calculator). I am going with the shortest of the Corel chainplates. I think I have just enough room to bend it down after it clears the molding strip since the channels will be mounted below the cap rail. The backing link is going to have to be on top of the chainplate but I do not see any other solution.