Boothbay 65 Schooner by allanyed - FINISHED

[allanyed]

Druxey and Eberhard,

Just to be clear, are you talking about silkspan paper or silk cloth?  Silkspan is a non-woven paper while silk such as K&S Aero cloth is silk cloth.    

Thanks for all your input!

Allan

Edited December 4, 2020 by allanyed

[wefalck]

Sorry, I always thought that silk-span is the American expression for the light-weight silk fabric used for model airplanes ... I was talking about the fabric, not the paper. I have used silk-paper too.

[allanyed]

So you have used silk cloth with acrylic paints with success?   The material is certainly not inexpensive, but it is out there.

Thanks Eberhard.

Allan

[wefalck]

Yes, this is a 1:60 scale model:

 

 

 

I had some trouble keeping the boltrope in place, due to the furling, but I think today I would overcome this - the model was completed around 1995.

Edited December 5, 2020 by wefalck

[allanyed]

Druxey, to be clear are you using cloth "silkspan" or paper?  There appears to be two different materials with the same name.   I only remember the cloth "silkspan" when I was a kid, but now,  if you buy silkspan on line,  it is paper.  To be sure, I am sure that silk is stronger, but I found that the silkspan paper is quite robust with several coats of paint.  It can be punctured pretty easily with a needle, but I have had no problems at all with tearing.  Of course making the paint style grommets helps as do the reinforcing pieces,  and boltropes as they prevent tearing when puncturing holes for the various lines.   I plan to try the cloth silk down the road, perhaps on Ernestina, to see how they compare.   The price is definitely different!

Allan

[druxey]

SilkSpan is a form of paper. The fibers run randomly , which contribute to its strength.

[KeithAug]

Allan, your experience with silkspan (paper) will be quite informative when I come to make sails for Germania. I am watching with interest but as you progress I would welcome your view on how applicable it is  for much larger sails.

[Roger Pellett]

When the late  Harold Hahn was writing in the Nautical Research Journal he was using surgical silk thread for the very fines in his models.  Since then silk thread has acquired a reputation for decaying over time.

 

I would assume that the same would be true of silk cloth (not Silkspan paper)?

 

Roger

[wefalck]

(Some) silk has indeed a bad reputation among museum conservators and there are many models with decayed silk flags. It is a question of how the silk was treated after the worm has been killed in hot water and the cocoon unravveled. Some dyes are also acid-producing and lead to the destruction of organic fibres. Man-made 'silk' would not necessarily suffer from these problems.

 

However, as one effectively creates a compound material with the silk embedded in an acrylic paint film some of the problems should not occur or be delayed. The UV-exposure, for instance, would be greatly reduced.

[allanyed]

Sails are rigged and guard rails are installed.   For the rail wire I used rope soaked in chrome paint except for the entry area which is rope hooked to the stanchions.  I have a few more rope coils to make and glue in place, otherwise ready to ship.    

 

Note in the second photo it is clear that there is a pretty large gap (4 feet) between the upper aft side of the fore sail and main mast.  The gap on the model is actually a tad smaller than shown on the sail plan.  I have no idea if this gap is to aid in sail handling when tacking and so forth or for some other reason. Perhaps it has something to do with allowing the wind to leave the aft side of the foresail without crossing over and directly onto the main sail and creating eddies or some other disturbance with the wind already coming directly on the main sail. I would love to hear from anyone that knows why this gap would be so large.   I see this same gap on every sail plan of the schooners in Chapelle's American Fishing Schooners so I am sure the design is correct, but would like to know the reasoning.  Even if the foresail extended back another 2 feet or more, there would be a lot of clearance to swing the boom and gaff to port or starboard once the fisherman's sail was down.   Allan

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[wefalck]

Just a guess, as don't know, how the foresail is handled: if you lower the gaff, the angle may change, depending, how co-ordinated the two halliards are handled; there is the chance that the gaff comes down plus/minus horizontal, so it would have to still clear the space between the two masts, i.e. its maximum length has to be less than the distance between the masts.

 

I have seen quite a few illustrations that shows the gaff being lowered in a rather haphazard fashion ...

 

[allanyed]

Eberhard,  You have kindly pointed out the obvious which I failed to notice.  What you wrote makes a lot of sense.  I checked on the architect's drawings and the gaff indeed has 6 inches clearance should it lie perfectly horizontal.    Thank you very much!!

Allan

[Jond]

Alan

 

This log has been a great adventure for many of us amateur schooner buffs as well as the experts who added much.  I was at the yard today and saw your model in the flesh. it is a joy to see.

 

 Here she lays for now anyway

 

 

  

 

 

  Eric, the yard director, was happy to come over and take off the cabin roof for me to see inside.   

 

 

great work and lots learned by reading you log

 

 

cheers

 

jon 

Edited January 8, 2021 by Jond

[allanyed]

Jon,

Your post is the best response on one my build logs I have ever received.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing!!!

Allan

Edited January 9, 2021 by allanyed

[Wintergreen]

Just enjoyed reading through this log of yours Allan. 

Thanks for sharing. A really nice looking schooner came out in the end 👍

 

However, I mused over the head layout, given that it should be suited for disabled people... first, a sliding door would make more sense, and then the space itself at least doubled in size. Well, not my concern really, but having some experience of sailing on the one in my avatar I still mused over the designers presentation. Stayed at a hotel in the big smoke once, where you more or less had to stand on the throne to be able to close the door. 😄 

 

Another item for discussion previous in this log was wheel chairs vs heeling yachts. I would say that this is not an issue either, given that the purpose is day-sailing with small groups. First, if it is too much wind I'm sure the captain and crew resigns to auxiliary propulsion (i.e. diesel engine) or maybe even postpone the trip. Safety first you know. Secondly, even when sailing, the vessel won't heel that much at all. I'm sure a lot of us here have seen these poster pictures from regattas in the med where the crew holds on for dear life while the lee rail is washed under water. That would be totally reckless for a day-sailing party, just saying. 

 

Again, Allan, thanks for sharing your work!

 

 

[allanyed]

Hakan

I did bring up the point of the swinging door to the head with the yard along with a couple other places where a standard size wheel chair would not fit or be able to easily maneuver.  This yacht is literally still on the drawing board so some design changes will definitely have to be made before construction actually begins.  It is my understanding that for now the model is strictly for showing prospective investors what she will look like and the concept of having wheel chair access.   

Allan