KenW

I spent a great deal of the summer in the country without my model. But I survived and am happy to get back to work on the Providence. The first thing I noticed is that the main sail is a bit too short. So I took the sail down and made a new one. I like the longer sail and I think the furling produced a better look this time. After redoing the rigging, I added a tack line which is described in Lee’s and Antscherl. Now it’s time to move on to something new.

Well Done! Great carving. Cheers

Bob: I totally forgot that I followed this topic. I have a furled gaff topsail on my Independence. If you find my log, go to page 4, entry #107 - # 110 and you will see my discussion. For the actual rigging I used the source and diagram shown in your first entry. You need a halyard, a sheet and tack (which extends below the gaff). The sail is bent to the mast with a loose line. Once I accepted the fact that the bundle wasn’t the best looking, I no problems. Cheers.

Thanks Maury

Thanks Tom and Mike.

Thanks Thucydides. Furled sails aren’t that difficult. But, I didn’t attempt it until my third model. I was worried about other things. However, your model looks like it’s coming along great. Give it a try. Cheers.

The main sail is furled. I was worried about this, but it came out alright. It doesn’t look too much different than a photo I have of the replica’s furled sail. I also rigged the mainsail outhaul and the main sheet. I used the rigging plan shown in the Petersson book mentioned above; even though I know that rigging practices changed in around 1800 and all of Petersson’s examples are of ships after 1805. But, nothing is glued in place yet.

Next is to make the mainsail. I’m following the advice of someone that you should always do as much as possible OFF the boat. I noticed while doing my research that the holes I drilled in the boom and gaff jaws are wrong. They should not be vertical, but horizontal. So I used plastic wood to fill in the holes and drilled new ones. I had to make a “channel” on the inside of the jaws in order to add the parrals. I also added a block to the down-side for the mainsail outhaul rigging. This follows pages 99 and 111 of Petersson’s “Period Fore-And-Aft Craft. The block will be painted black as soon as the glue dries. I made the mainsail from the Wittholz plans; however, while I kept the length, I shortened the height. The sail was made from three layers of silk span. The middle layer had the ‘laces’ drawn with a pencil. The layers were glued together using white glue diluted with 10 parts water to 1 part glue. I ordered the wooden hoops from the Syren Cheerful model and they fit just fine. They were sown to the sail using a square lashing. I learned lashing from my days as a boy scout many, many, many years ago. I’m surprised I still remember how to do it. This photo shows the sail sowed to the gaff and the hoops slid down onto a piece of dowel the same diameter as the bottom of the mast. Next up is to furl that sail!

I really like those carvings. Well done!

Thanks Lou. Still thinking. Cheers.

Thanks Mike. Thanks to all the 'Likes'. Cheers.

Thanks Tom. The Providence models from the 1920s/1930s have various color patterns. No clear consensus. “See” you at the meeting tomorrow.

The boat is starting to look like a sailing ship. I made the mast, boom and gaff. I want to have furled sails on this model, as I’ve done on past models. This means that the main sail will be furled with the gaff lowered. For that reason, I have to work on the mast from the bottom up. First, the boom rest was added to the mast and the boom and gaff made. Next I’ll make the main sail and its mast hoops. Then the sail will be bent to the gaff. The gaff will then be lowered and the sail furled on the boom. Because that involves sliding the mast hoops down the mast, I can’t make the mast top since the hoops won’t fit over it. I also encountered a problem with the gaff. Usually the gaff is in its hoisted position. But now it will be lowered and the gaff jaw must be as wide as the mast at its widest part. The resulting jaw looks a little weird. (The gaff is on the right.) Now I want to consider whether I should paint the mast, boom and gaff black; as well as the jib boom. I’m trying to visualize the effect of all the masts and yards in black. I haven’t decided. I was even thinking of adding a little more black to the hull. It is supposed to be a black boat. Please comment.

Mike: You are doing a really good job on this model. Very precise workmanship. I like all the devices you create to assist in your project. Excellent.

Quick update: I added the bob sprint shrouds. I followed the usual connections - a thimble and hook to an eye bolt in the hull, to a dead eye up at the end of the bob sprint. Pretty straight forward.