How do people use deadeyes on an RC yacht?

[M.R.Field]

Hi,

I am making a model of a Victorian cutter and because of the size of the boat I will have to de-rig it to transport it.

It has 4 shrouds each side fitted with deadeyes.  How can I still keep those, but not have to string them up every time I go anywhere?  I'm thinking of doing the lanyards in wire, with pelican hooks onto the chain plates, for speed.  Or some kind of spring behind, out of sight (ish)

Ideas anyone?

 

Martin

[JerryTodd]

My models lower mast stay in place, the topmast, t'gallant, etc, are held up by fids just as the actually vessel was, and the rig collapses down

Addendum: how the topmasts are fidded on Constellation

     

Edited May 11, 2020 by JerryTodd

[M.R.Field]

Jerry,

thanks for your response.  The mast on the cutter would be too high to put in the car, so has to come off. Even if it did fit, it would be damaged by the state of the roads round here. Broken springs and new joints already inside a year.

Cheers,

Martin

[kimosubby]

Hello there.

I was challenged once by a fellow modeller who stated that period ship models were only good for static show as their masts and rigging make them too big to transport easily.  I set to and made a 1/48 HMAV Bounty (sourced from the monthly magazine offerings and adapted) as a pirate ship which has three removable masts as well as the bow sprit. The masts were set into tubes below deck in which there was a strong small spring. The shrouds were added, and rattled, then dosed with weak PVA solution. The lower deadeyes were attached to a brass rod with chain plate realism, the brass roc being held to the hull by two brass hooks. All the stays were made with a variety of quick release couplings (various jewellery connections). By pressing down on the mast, against the spring, the shrouds can be looped off complete, the masts stay as complete units for carriage.

The masts are fully rigged with sails too, though these are loose fitted to lessen the effect of wind!

The bow sprit merely slots home and the various fore stays secure it in place against the fore bitts.

With practice we can now rig in about 3 minutes, that's three masts and bowsprit.

Transport is one box for the hull and another carries all the masts and bowsprit upright in another box. 

The whole is motorised and a great favourite with the younger generation.

Oh, I won my challenge.

 

 

[mnl]

Can't help you for Victorian, but the Star Class has used tracks for shrouds for a long time. Tee track mints on the boat and the shroud adjuster mounts to a car that slides on the track. Taking the rig down is easy, let it go forward, pull the pins and slide the cars off the tracks. The best thing is that when you put it back up again it is still tuned or very close to it. In the photo the from pin is covered with tape to prevent the jib sheet from catching.

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by mnl

[Bob Cleek]

You might consider a hook on the bottom of the lower deadeyes which would attach to an eye at the top of the chainplate. There should be enough play in the rigging to pull the hooks down just enough to unhook them and hook them back on again without having to loosen or unreeve the lanyards at all. The entire mast assembly could then be pulled out of the mast holes. You could use the same small hook arrangement for the headstays. I encountered this arrangement with an old sailing model I restored maybe twenty-five years ago. It worked fine.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Bob Cleek