Jim Lad

Popeye, now you just get right back and finish off the other models first! (dies that sound like your mum/) You're really charging ahead with thos one, mate! John

Giovanni, please write your posts in English! Rekon, more beautiful photos of more beautiful work! John

Good to hear that the elbow's healing, Borge - don't overdo it now, will you? John

Ahhh! Something really nice to look at on a slow Sunday morning! John

Wailt 'till you get to the 10,000th one, Meredith! John

Coming on nicely, Meredith! Jiohn

Meredith, Always have plent of drills on hand. If you have plenty, you never break one. It's when you only have one left that it's sure to break! John

I'm surprised that you haven't been able to find a paintinhg of her with them swung out, Bruce. Would they have been that far forward, or would they have been closer to the main mast to take the clews when she was running with the wind aft? If she were close hauled the lee clew would be close aboard, surely. John

Meredith, If you're talking metric, a 0.55 mm bit would be between a No.74 and a 75. I think your stain has turned out well! John

Kats, The staysail 'uphauls' are more property 'haliards', but who's watching? Best place for the boom inhaul and outhaul extra line would be hanging over the cleats - remember that the outhaul will have almost nothing extra as it's full extended. The spanker sheets would most likely simply be coiled on deck near the cleats. John

And to make it even more fun on the Revenue cutters, Floyd, they were only allowed into port for stores or repairs - other than that they were supposed to be at sea on patrol, no matter what the weather. John

Michael, Your Bowden cables look nice, but are laid up the wrong way - wire rope is usually laid right handed (but only worry about that if you want absolute scale accuaracy). As for yout seizings, in real life, wire rope is usually seized with marline, so using a non wire thread if just right - all you need to do is to find the appropriate size of thread. John

That really is good news, Kevin. John

Bruce, I'd guess the booms would be at deck level where there's some strength to support the gooseneck; and just long enough to spread the foot of the sail. John

Mark, It's a bit un-nerving being out in the open when you first start, but it's actually good fun - especially with the small kids who are interested and sometimes ask the most amazing questions! One of the main problems is in firstly choosing a model that can be built away from your main stash of odd tools and secondly in planning what you hope to achieve for the day and making sure that you have all the bits with you. John

At least you can use CAD, Michael. I look at it and just get confused! John

Michael, If you're going to sail her, is stainless steel wire a possibility? John

Final details, Popeye! Don't rush the last bits, now! John

Thanks, Michael - perhaps I should up the scale a bit to make it easier on the tiny pieces! John

It's certainly no simple task you've taken on, Kats! By the way, without sails, you won't have to worry about any jib or staysail sheets - they'd be sent down with the sails. John

Ummm, I thought you were cutting down on the number of builds you were doing at once, Popeye? John

Kats, Let's go throiough them in some sort of order" Spanker Sheets - on the Cutty Sark these were double - ie one on each side of the ship - and were twofold purchases (2 double blocks). Head Outhaul etc. - This will be wire - not hemp. Runs from the sheave in the peak of the gaff to a lead block at the lower cap and then down to another single block, to which it is shackled. This is the upper block of a gun tackle (two single blocks) and the running part leads to a pin on the port rail. There is also an inhaul (you need to be able to furl the sail as well). Also of wire. The outer end if the inhaul could be shackled to the end of the outhaul if there are no sails. It then runs to a lead block at the foot of the gaff and then to a gun tackle as for the outhaul. The inhaul is also made fast on the port pin rail. With no sails rigged, remember that the outhaul/inhaul connection should be in by the mast! Foot outhaul etc. - For the Cutty Sark, the foot outhaul is rigged as you describe, however it would be more usual for it to lead down to the spider band. The foot inhaul is also made fast to a boom cleat on this ship. Vangs - On the Cutty Sark these were twofold purchases (2 double blocks) with the running part being made fast to cleats inside the bulwarks. Spencer Outhaul etc. - There seems to be very little information on the rigging of this sail, but it would be safe to rig an outhaul and inhaul as per the spanker. Vangs - These are also rigged as per the spanker, but the tackles may well have been lighter - a handy billy or gun tackle. The lower blocks of these tackles would be set up to eyes on deck, not to pins. That's the setup 'according to Hoyle', but you'll no doubt have to modify the rigging a bit to fit in with the confines of the kit structure. Have fun! John

Of course you can make it work, Popeye! You're being drawn inexorably into the gaping maws of the (shudder) DARK SIDE!!!!!!!! jOHN

Robbyn - call it a draw with your shrouds at the moment. The trick is to make sure that your lower deadeyes are really well secured (which one of mine turned out not to be ) and to use a spacer to get the distance between the deadeyes even - a length of hard wire bent at bothe nds is sufficient for this. Augie and Aldo - thanks for the engouragement gents Frankie - I agree that cutters must have been beasts to sail - and very uncomfortable - but many of these seamen literally grew up at sea. When last in the U.K. I was talking with some people from the Norfolk Wherry Trust about the sailing of those craft. They are very different craft, I know, but they informed me that they were sailed by a man and a boy. The crunch was that a 'man' could be as young as 14 years old and a 'boy' as young as 6! John

Glad to see the wood secured by a clamp this time, Mark, and not by a bloody finger! John