Altair 1931 by KeithAug - FINISHED - Scale 1:32 - schooner

[KeithAug]

Bedford, How about could do better. When I look at what others have done it sometimes feels like this. Being a bit dissatisfied is maybe not such a bad thing.

 

John, thank you. It is however coming up to its second anniversary and I still think I have 6 months work left. I am resisting the urge to rush and spoil something. I'm looking forward to more of your sea stories.

 

Mark, thank you for your support. Your dedication to the forum is much appreciated by many of us.

 

Mike, thank you for looking in and commenting.

 

Also thank you to all who have visited.

 

I have continued with the foresail. Its taken about 7 hours so far and I am praying that it fits well.

 

While still on the template I attached reinforcing details at the corners and for the reefing lines. I also picked out the detail of the sail battens.

 

I then attached the edge strips with the embedded stainless steel wire. Finally the eyes were added. It is however still not finished as I have to attach the reefing lines, sliders, boom and gaff. Sewing the mast hoops on while they are on the mast is a worry for the future.

[KeithAug]

I continue to make the foresail. I'm not keeping an accurate track on time but my estimate is currently between 12 and 15 hours. I have offered it up to the mast and its about 1/4 inch short of what would be an ideal length. Given the amount of time invested I am prepared to live with the discrepancy

 

Anyway to continue:-

 

I put the buntlines on - threaded through the sail. I glued a small bore tube over the line and chamfered the leading edge at 45 degrees to make the threading easier - see photo.

I then laced the head of the sail to the gaff. 

 

The sliders were sewn to the foot of the sail and then the sliders were gently slipped on to the boom track.

I had thought I would get away without inserting battens but decided the leech would hold its shape better with them fitted. I made them from .025" brass wire inserted under rip stop tape.

I then went about forming the various attachment points. The strop and the triple block for the gaff lift was made.

 

I fitted the barrel beads - fixed at one end with the other end open for fitting to the mast. The beads are .100" diameter with a .04" hole. The double block for the gaff lift was also made and attached.

Another triple block was wired on to the end of the boom to take the boom sheets.

Gaff span strops were made and mounted.

The single blocks were made for the peak halliard and the boom sheets 7 in all.

Thats all for now.

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2017 by KeithAug

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up after being away for a while, Keith.  She continues to look superb.

 

John

[KeithAug]

Thank you John and welcome back.

 

I spent the last 2 days hoisting the foresail. In total the work on this sail has lasted 8 days with 3 to 4 hours spent working each day. I will try to describe some of the learning points and record what I will do different next time.

 

The first few shots show general views. The main lines are in place but many other are still to be rigged.

 

 

As I said previously the sail is about .250 short which means the saddle does not sit exactly over the mast rubbing plate. I think I can live with it. I tried to rig the gaff lift in situ but too many other lines got in the way. I took it off and rigged the blocks on the bench. Also in the following shot you can see the head of the sail is a bit full leading to the crease. I think I will be able to pull the crease out with a bit of extra lacing. I will cut the edges in this area back a little when I do the main.

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The rigging of the peak halyard was likewise done on the bench. The 5 single blocks being threaded on to a single line before being offered up to the model.

To pull the sail flat involved a fair amount of tension and i'm hoping that I don't wake up in the night to the twangs of parting lines or disintegrating blocks. 

 

I said in a previous post that the triatic stay was rigged in a way best suited to interfering with the peak halyard blocks. My fears were will founded and in the end I decided to re-rig it to what seems to be a much more sensible arrangement. The triatic is the line immediately above the top block in  the photo below.

Sewing the mast hoops to the sail in situ was a real pain. In the end I moved a lot of the halliards on to the beam to temporarily get them out of the way. Even then  I ended up platting the thread around the wrong side of the stays on more than a handful of occasions. All a bit frustrating.

I learned the lesson and so rigged the foresail sheets / blocks on the bench from the outset. A preventer is rigged to hold the sail over to starboard.

A few other shots follow.

 

Well thats it for a bit. As a penance for such an intensive period in the workshop I have to suffer visits to the extended family. So no more building for a week or so.

Edited October 21, 2017 by KeithAug

[shipmodel]

Magnificent work, Keith.  Your attention to detail and accuracy are inspiring.  Your results are amazing.

 

I am sure that you mentioned it before, but what is the purpose for the openings in your deck?  Will there be any problem working on them with the sails rigged?  

 

Dan

[KeithAug]

Hello Dan - thank you for the kind words.

 

The deck openings are for skylights which were made earlier (January). They just slot into the holes and sit well below the foresail boom.

 

 

 

 

[Guest Riccardo1966]

Looking very tidy, great attention to detail and very nicely executed.

Regards Richard

[Jim Lad]

Very nicely done, Keith.  Can hardly wait for the next update.

 

John

[Landlocked123]

Very interesting picture.  My only question is, where are the girls in bikinis (minimum).  I mean after all, if your going to have a yacht like that, in place that the picture would suggest, without partially unclad young women, what’s the point? 🤔😎

Best,

John

[KeithAug]

John

 

In my experience the ladies you are talking about are more likely to frequent luxury motor yachts with twin 5000 hp diesels, a sun deck, sauna and swimming pool. More than likely manned by overweight and aging millionaires with fat wallets and a short expectation of remaining life.

[Landlocked123]

Hi Keith,

 

I’ve thought about it and you’re most likely right.  The babes will go to the fat billionaires on the power yatchs.  But with a little bit of creative marketing we could make it work.  The crux of the problem is finding 3” tall babes.

 

As you know I’ve been following along since the beginning and plain and simply, you have created a master work.  Thanks for sharing it.

 

Kudos and best regards,

John

[KeithAug]

 

20 hours ago, Landlocked123 said:

 

Hi Keith,

 

I’ve thought about it and you’re most likely right.  The babes will go to the fat billionaires on the power yatchs.

 

 

Hello John

 

It was a bit of an informed speculation.

 

A few years ago we sailed into the small port at the north end of the Greek Island of Kea. We moored stern to in the pack of boats which included a couple of very large motor yachts. After mooring my pal and I went for a walk along the quay. As we passed one of the motor yachts our attention was drawn by loud music and flashing lights. The yacht had a huge lounge, closed at the back by large bi-folding doors. These were drawn open revealing within a mega tv screen, bar, disco stage and dance floor. Arranged around the dance floor was an array of armchairs, loungers, and seating pillows. Prostrate on the furniture were several very large and balding Greek men dressed in Bermuda Shorts and shirts. As they smoked their cuban cigars and drank their martini cocktails their guts strained for freedom and were restrained from escape only by the herculean efforts of a few gallant buttons. On the dance floor, seductively swaying to cat strangled wailings of some latter day greek diva, were a group of scantily clad young women who were of varied ethnic and exotic origin. My friend caught my gaze with a knowing smile, but this was immediately dashed by my comment:-

 

"Isn't it nice when grandparents give up their weekends to take their granddaughters on a nice cruise".

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to follow my build and for your comments.

Edited October 26, 2017 by KeithAug

[Mirabell61]

Awesome work Keith,

 

a stunning model and beautiful fitting out details...

 

Nils

[albergman]

I haven't been here for a while as I  have no more maritime projects and I've turned to other subjects.     However,  I  like to return occasionally just to check on Altair.    This is such a tour de force and I  know we've all run out of superlatives ... I have anyway.  We should all just sit and watch quietly till it's done then all gush at once!!

 

Truly admire your ability to find an elegant solution for every problem that might be a show stopper for the rest of us.

 

You've raised the bar so high Keith that we can all wear our top hats as we walk under it. 

 

You, of course,  won't be wearing your topper as your head has probably swelled too much from all the well deserved admiration!   LOL.

 

Now, get back to work!

 

Frank

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

Nils / Frank

 

Thank you for visiting and for your supportive comments. 

 

After a bit of a layoff I returned to sail making and rigging.

 

The next step was the fore topsail. I took a while to sort out how the various sheets and halyards attached to the deck. The plans had rudimentary sketches of the mast and deck with the lines numbered to cross reference them. This would have been good had some numbers not departed the mast to be lost in the ether while others departed the mast as one line only to arrive twice at the deck. I decided the best bet was to generally follow the plan but make changes to create a sensible arrangement.

 

My starting point however was to make some rigging tools out of 1/8" brass rod and sewing pins and a bit of solder.

 

 

I am making blocks as I need them. I always seem to be needing a lot more!

 

The fore topmast is triangular cut away at the luff to clear the lower mast The sail was made as previously described with wired edges.

The sheets on the topsail are pass through sheaves at the end of the gaff, are led to blocks at the top of the luff, before going through blocks at the deck and on to deck winches. I was reading the Gaff Rig Handbook by Leacher which said this arrangement often blocks caused chafing of the sail. I reinforced the sail with patches behind the pulley (I would have done this if it had been my boat). See photo below.

The topsail halyard and some of the other halyards are led to twin double blocks at deck level.

 

 

Tacking of the topsail must be a real drag as its path is obstructed by a number of standing rigging and other lines. I suspect that it would have been set up correctly on the dominant tack and just allowed to sit inefficiently against the stays on the other. The alternative seems to be re-rigging the sail on every tack which seems to be a bit of a chore.

Next I will move on to the flying jib.

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by KeithAug

[Mirabell61]

Very inspiring work Keith,

 

your rigging including the sails is facinating....

 

Nils

[KeithAug]

Thank you Nils.

 

And so on to the flying jib.

 

I had to rig the stay first. The stay starts on the deck with a turnbuckle which lays alongside the bowsprit.

It then passes through a hole in the bow (fortunatlely spotted and bored some time ago).

Then it passes round a sheave before heading off on a long journey to the head of the fore topmast. I am having to be careful with tension. The masts are still flexible in the fore and aft direction and therefore  prone to bowing. The problem is the lack of main topmast backstays, left off pending rigging of the mainsail and main topsail.

The two lines passing through the blocks at the end of the bowsprit are attached to the tacks of the jib and flying jib. These   pass over the rubbing strips on the bow and are anchored on to the cleats on the bowsprit foot.

By this stage I have a real rats nest of tails on the deck ready for a good tidy up.

But at least the flying jib is aloft and flying nicely. 

I have not however attached the flying jib sheets as yet. They land on the deck well aft and I don't want them to get in the way of rigging the mainsail.

 

Edited November 9, 2017 by KeithAug

[Nirvana]

Delicate and beautiful!

[kees de mol]

Very relaxing to watch your build.

[Jim Lad]

She really is looking 'the ant's pants' Keith!

 

John

[Guest Riccardo1966]

Looking so very good, stunning.

 

[KeithAug]

Per, Kees, John, Richard. Thank you for looking in and commenting. 

 

Richard, I see you too have sleep problems. Internet at 4.30am !!!!!!

[mcpwilk]

Stunning.

 

Mike

[shipmodel]

Keith - 

 

As a student of rigging and its techniques, it is a pleasure to watch you work.

 

Dan

[KeithAug]

Mike, Thank you.

 

Hello Dan, it feels like a big learning curve for me. I have never sailed or rigged a gaff rigged vessel before so I seem to be taking a lot of time checking and rechecking what I am doing. I hope most of it right but I guess some of it comes from my imagination. 

 

A brief (mostly pictoral update) follows:-

 

I got round to tidying up the rats nest of tails and she is now all "Shipshape and Bristol fashion".

I then spent several hours making the template for the rather large mainsail. I have marked on all the seams, batten pockets, reinforcing, buntlines, slider, mast hoop and gaff lacing positions, much as I did with the foresail. I offered the template up to the mast a couple of times and trimmed it to get it to what seemed to be right. I feel more confident with the sizing than I did with the foresail, however as the say "Confidence often comes before a fall" - time will tell!

[Guest Riccardo1966]

Hello Keith,

She looks better and better, the addition of the deck houses and the rope work more than hint at how good she will look finished, albeit perhaps a little way off yet. Yes ha ha, I do have trouble sleeping some times and will visit the forum on occasion. It had crossed my mind as to others that find themselves in the same circumstances, It made me laugh that it was you who noticed, but does not particularly surprise me, with regard to your attention to detail specifically.

Cheers Richard

Edited November 10, 2017 by Riccardo1966

[druxey]

I don't know how I came to miss the updates to your work, but, oh my! Your rigging is beautifully done. 

Edited November 12, 2017 by druxey

[KeithAug]

Thank you Druxey, I'm pleased you rediscovered my build.

[Jond]

Keith

 

I continue to be inspired by the clean and crisp imagery of your build. Now watching you go through figuring out how the rigging works I love it even more.

 

One of your comments was about tacking the topsail.  I have read several different approaches. 

• The 4 masted schooners used clew lines to gather up for top mast furling.    It was thus a two step partial raising by clew line and the tack lines p&s transferred to allow tacking across the spring stays, lower gaffs and peak halyards etc.
• Bluenose has clew lines but the stories tell of a brave crew member staying aloft to pull the sail over and transfer the tack line while racing.

If the topsail is raised from the deck . Perhaps having a double tack line would be enough to pull the sail up and let it flow over. Perhaps a lighter traveler line could have been rigged to pull up the tack ( opposite action of the jib down hauls)

 

Anyway I love learning more about how these boats worked.  And I love learning from logs like yours

 

Thanks for sharing

Jon

 

 

[KeithAug]

Seeming, Sewing and Stopping:-

 

I moved on to the mainsail, a virtual repeat of the foresail. That said I had awful trouble getting the cloth reasonably flat. It was a new piece of cloth that, on application of the PVA wash, bagged and bellied in a most unusual fashion. Whether the fault lay with me or the cloth I do not know. In the end I had it pinned to preparation frame at multiple points while it dried. It seemed to work but time will tell.

 

I won't go into the long process of building the sail and attaching it to the boom and gaff but here are a few photos.

I was admiring my work while it lay on the lounge floor when a critic turned up to assess my performance.

She was obviously unimpressed.

I completed all the mainsail related blocks - a full days work and started to rig the mast ready to take the sail.

 

Tomorrow I hope to get the sail up so by tomorrow evening I should have something more interesting to show.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by KeithAug