Canoa de Rancho by JacquesCousteau - Scale 1:32 - Lake Chapala Fishing and Cabotage Vessel

[JacquesCousteau]

41 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

Just found this build log.  Very impressive work!!  I especially like the paint job you did on the watermelons.  Unexpected details like that really bring it to life!!

Thanks, I've been really enjoying your Hawaiian canoe build, as well, it's very intricate! I'm looking forward to making some fishing implements when I can get back to the Canoa de Rancho build. Although I'm going to have to make the nets a lot smaller--even at 1:32 scale, they would be 10-20 feet long!

[JacquesCousteau]

No further work on the Canoa at the moment, but I thought I'd do a quick post on the Christmas gifts, both of which I've finished in time. The lobster trap Christmas tree ornament turned out all right, and I added a stylized buoy suspended below. My parents recently took their first vacation in years and visited Nova Scotia, so I thought I would commemorate their trip:

 

As for the Ems Punt, I greatly simplified the mast and rigging assembly and tried to make it sturdier so I could hang it on a tree as well. The mast, for instance, should actually be mounted on a sort of pivot so it can be lowered, but I did away with that in hopes of making a stronger connection. But, once I started to get the rigging on, I decided that there was no way this would work as an ornament--it's a bit too big at a little over 5 inches long, and I still think the mast would be too fragile to stick a hook on. So, it'll just be a tiny, rather simplified desk model. Which will work great as a gift, it's not like my brother has much spare space.

 

 

 

With that, I'll stop derailing this build log and get back to the Canoa.

[wefalck]

I only know the Emspünte by name, no details ... I wasn't aware that they use this kind sheerleg-like frame to raise and lower the mast, when passing bridges. This kind of thingy is steel used on modern yachts that operate on inland waterways. A friend of mine had a sailing boat on one of the many lakes in northeastern Germany and it had exactly the same device that puts the forestay higher and at a less acute angle to the mast, so that one can lift the mast more easily.

 

Indee, the mast would have been sitting in what we call a 'mast-chair', two sturdy posts left and right of the mast with a sturdy bolt going across on which the mast is pivoting. There would a sort of latch at the bottom to lock the mast in place. The image below show a slightly different arrangement on the model of a Dutch boat that I built some years ago.

[JacquesCousteau]

5 hours ago, wefalck said:

I only know the Emspünte by name, no details ... I wasn't aware that they use this kind sheerleg-like frame to raise and lower the mast, when passing bridges. This kind of thingy is steel used on modern yachts that operate on inland waterways. A friend of mine had a sailing boat on one of the many lakes in northeastern Germany and it had exactly the same device that puts the forestay higher and at a less acute angle to the mast, so that one can lift the mast more easily.

 

Indee, the mast would have been sitting in what we call a 'mast-chair', two sturdy posts left and right of the mast with a sturdy bolt going across on which the mast is pivoting. There would a sort of latch at the bottom to lock the mast in place. The image below show a slightly different arrangement on the model of a Dutch boat that I built some years ago.

Thanks, that's very interesting! Most of my information came from photos, so there was quite a bit that was unclear to me. If I had known from the start that it wasn't going to be an ornament, I definitely would have liked to do the mast chair. Overall I found the scale (approximately 1:150) very tricky to work with, even with all the simplifications. Hats off to you for being able to do such fine work at such scales!

[Glen McGuire]

Wonderful work on those Christmas ornaments!!  Also, IMHO your Ems Punt would look really good inside a bottle!!  Something to think about?  Maybe?  😀 

[JacquesCousteau]

On 12/24/2023 at 10:12 PM, Glen McGuire said:

Wonderful work on those Christmas ornaments!!  Also, IMHO your Ems Punt would look really good inside a bottle!!  Something to think about?  Maybe?  😀 

Thanks! I've been considering trying a ship in a bottle at some point, but I'm a bit intimidated by figuring out a collapsible mast assembly, not to mention the blocks and rigging at that scale. I don't know how you do it! Although your detailed build logs will be really helpful if I go that route.

[JacquesCousteau]

After a bit of a break, I've been able to get back to the Canoa de Rancho and have finished the foredeck.

 

As seen in my earlier post, I used card to make a template for the overall shape, although I went with different plank widths than I had on the card. I ultimately decided to go with the longer foredeck, as both long and short ones were feasible options based on photos, but a longer deck would provide a better platform for casting nets.

 

I cut out and stained the planks, and had to redo a few to make them fit better. One challenge with this deck is that it sweeps upward following the curve of the bow. So, not only would I need to clamp carefully to hold planks down, but I needed to add support pieces to prop up the ends and keep them in line. Not every plank needed a support, though, as some ended on a crossbeam or the top of a frame.

 

Bobby pins were extremely useful for clamping the deck planks.

 

 

 

As can be seen, the aft edge of the deck didn't quite line up. I'm not sure why, as it did in test fittings and there are no gaps.

 

It wasn't an issue, though, as I was able to sand it flat--after carefully protecting the rail with tape--and restain the parts of the crossbeam that got sanded.

 

 

With that, the foredeck is finished. The boat looks a bit unbalanced at the moment, but adding the thatched rancho over the stem will balance out the foredeck.

 

 

That said, I'm having a bit of a dilemma. Although I just got to Chicago after being away for a while, I'll be moving again this summer. I was able to transport the Canoa de Rancho and the Dory with me by wrapping them in bubble wrap and placing them in the dory kit box, but a fully-rigged model would be much harder to pack. While I built the dory's mast and rigging to be easily removed, doing so on the Canoa would be harder. More pressingly, adding the rancho will make the Canoa too large to pack back into the dory kit box, although I suppose I could look for a more suitable box. So I'll have to think about whether it makes sense for me to continue with this build right now, or if I should set it aside to do the NRG Half-Hull and some unrigged models.

[JacquesCousteau]

After some thought, I've decided to continue with the build for now, and try to make the mast removable. So I've begun work on the next step, the thatched Rancho. But first, a note on the rigging.

 

I was recently messaging about small craft in the Caribbean with Roman--I'm not sure how to tag people in posts, but there's the thread:

 He was kind enough to share some images from the Álbum de construcción naval del Marqués de la Victoria, a Spanish publication from the eighteenth century showing a number of details of shipbuilding techniques and related images. One image, in particular, caught my eye: a Barco Longo, a type of small craft.

 

As can be seen, the Barco Longo is a fairly small vessel, similar in many ways to the Bateau de Lanveoc featured in an Ancre publication. Unlike the French Bateau, though, the Barco Longo doesn't quite have a square rig--you'll notice that one side of the yard is rather longer than the other--but rather a sort of lugsail. I was intrigued by this because it suggests one possibility for how the rig of Lake Chapala's Canoas developed. Like the Barco Longo, the Canoa often had what looked like a rather squared-off lugsail, with no braces on the yards, and controlled mainly by sheets. I wouldn't be surprised if the Spanish built similar vessels to the Barco Longo, and/or used similar rigs on small boats, in their American colonies. And it wouldn't take very much to simplify the above type of rig into something like a Canoa de Rancho's. All you'd really have to do, besides simplifying the stays, is to get rid of the bowlines, which it would make sense to do away with anyway--you'd mainly want those for sailing into the wind, and as I've discussed in earlier posts, the Canoa's hull design made it practically impossible to sail into the wind. In any case, it's hardly conclusive, but I think it does suggest one possible route by which the Canoa developed its distinctive rig. Something to think about.

 

Anyway, I got to work planning the rancho. Interestingly, Ramón Rubín includes a discussion in La canoa perdida (p. 220-221) about how it was possible to tell where a canoa came from by the material used for its rancho. According to him, carrizo (common reed) was typically used to make the thatched ranchos of vessels from around La Palma on Chapala's marshy southeastern shore. Caña de agua (a different type of reed, or possibly bamboo--it's not clear to me from descriptions how this differs from carrizo) was more often used on boats from the marshes near the mouth of the Lerma river on the eastern shore. In contrast, boats from Tizapán (south-central shore) all the way west along the coast up to San Juan Cosalá (northwest shore) typically used wooden slats to make a rather more solid rancho, given the lack of abundant reeds. Finally, boats from Ocotlán, Jamay, San Pedro Itzicán, and other areas to the northeast often used mats of woven tule reed to make their rancho. Although I can't really tell the differences between the types of reeds in the photographs, I will be making a thatched reed rancho because I think it looks more interesting than the wooden slat ranchos--although I'll happily go with the latter option if the thatching doesn't work out.

 

With that decided, I needed to figure out the framework for the rancho. A few photos provide useful details. First, this photo clearly shows the rancho's "skeleton":

Source: https://www.museocjv.com/chapalapostaless.html 

 

Pretty straightforward. As for the details of how they made the A-frames, a few photos concur in showing that these pieces typically overlapped rather than coming together in, say, a mitered joint. They also suggest that the horizontal supports (barely visible in a couple photos) were rather smaller in diameter than the A-frames.

Source: https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/collection/mex/id/2308/rec/26 

 

(See especially the leftmost vessel. Also, there is a highly unusual round rancho, which I have not seen in any other photos.) Source: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A140957 

 

Source: http://chapala.mex.tl/frameset.php?url=/99531_Capitulo-X-Turismo-y-promotores.html

 

Finally, I was also intrigued by this example, in which they appear to have raised the entire rancho up on poles, leaving a gap. I haven't seen this on any other vessel, so I decided not to follow this example:

Source: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A140883

 

Next, the actual construction of the rancho.

[JacquesCousteau]

I decided that the simplest way to build the rancho framework would be to make the A-frames at the fore and aft end, then run horizontal supports between them, and then add some vertical supports in the middle. A number of photos show that the fore and A-frames were often at different angles due to hull widening amidships, but they also suggest that the sides and top of the rancho were straight lines rather than being built to closely follow the curved rail. By making the fore and aft A-frames first and connecting them with horizontal supports, I can properly define the Rancho's shape in a much simpler way than if I tried to make several A-frames that all lined up.

 

I decided to make the A-frames from 1/8-inch thick basswood. To join them, I used a lap joint so that the joint would be fairly strong, but I didn't cut the laps deep enough to make a proper half-lap joint, as photos do show that the parts overlapped. I made the aft frame first, which forms a neat right angle, and then the fore frame, which is wider. I had to redo the fore frame as I initially made it the same height as the aft frame, which, due to the hull's curve, left the aft of the rancho too high--photos usually show the rancho as either even (which requires the fore frame to be a bit higher) or as having the fore frame noticeably higher. I used my new razor saw and miter box to cut the ends of the frames--I love it!

 

I used a paper template to make sure the frames were even. (You can't see in the photo, but there are some dots on the bottom edge of the card to align the frame ends).

 

Next, the notches for the horizontal support beams. Based on what I could see in photos, the beams look pretty thin so I decided to model them with 1/32‐inch square slats. The fore frame is longer than the aft frame, so I decided to space the notches by proportion. After cutting, I finished them with a file, which left them a bit more rounded than I would have liked. But I don't think it will be very noticeable once the beams are in.

 

Adding the beams was pretty straightforward, although getting the frames vertical was a little tricky.

 

I still need to add the remaining vertical supports, which should strengthen the structure, but this gives an idea of the size and shape of the rancho (not glued in place yet).

 

 

Once I get the vertical supports on, I'll have to color the framework--in hindsight I should have stained it before gluing, but maybe I can just paint it--and then add the thatching.

[Glen McGuire]

Nice work!  I'm anxious to see how you pull off the thatching!

[JacquesCousteau]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:22 AM, Glen McGuire said:

Nice work!  I'm anxious to see how you pull off the thatching!

Thanks! I like what you did with the dried grass for the wa'a kaulua, once this cold snap ends I might go looking around for some.

 

I've added a pair of extra supports on the rancho. I might add two more pairs, for accuracy, although the interior of the rancho really won't be visible so I might not. As can be seen, I also managed to stain the rancho framework, so it won't stand out so much. Finally, I cut out a bit from the frames at the peak, as I'll be installing a larger beam running down the centerline.

 

Way back in September, I posted about having bought a material called "excelsior"--a sort of bird-nest looking material, apparently also called "wood wool"--to try to make the thatching. I'm not sure if it will work. It's pretty wavy, although also flexible enough that gluing it down should hold it straighter. But, I don't really want to use a material where I'll need to work one fiber at a time, at the speed the glue dries. So I decided to try gluing a few strands together into a bundle, to be glued all at once on to the rancho. In the photos below, it's not glued in place yet, and it still would need to be trimmed to the right size.

 

 

I'm not sure how much I like this idea, though--the material is still more twisted than I would really like. It's also very fragile, more so than dried grass would be, I think. I've seen a few examples of other techniques, especially from rail modelers making thatched roofs, but I'm still weighing my options. If anyone has any suggestions about 1:32-scale thatching, or if they think the bundles of excelsior are the way to go, I'm all ears.

[wefalck]

Thatching in Europe and Japan is a serious business and the workmen take great pride in its execution to ensure that it is watertight and its longevity. I think thatching with straw is rarely practiced anymore, but in some areas of Europe (for instance, the Cotswolds in England, northern Germany, Denmark, ...) it is still practiced with reeds. It's expensive and fire-insurance premiums are high, but people like to preserve the traditional appearance of their houses. I happen to have a little booklet about thatching practice in England and watched it in execution on the building of a museum near Hamburg, where an uncle of mine was a volunteer.

 

Model railway guys predominantly reproduce reed-roofs, which have a geometrically quite well-described shape and a uniform surface. I gather, the 'gaming' modellers, who work on medieval subjects, may have techniques for roofs thatched with straw. However, they tend to work in a somewhat exaggerated 'cartoon', rather than naturalistic style.

 

I could imagine various routes to reproduce such thatched roofs. Next time you are down Mexico-way, you could try to find some dry grass, hammer it to break the fibers and comb it with a bristle-brush to remove small and loose bits. Alternatively, you could try to find some plumber's hemp and also brush it to straighten out the fibres.

 

I would then put two strips of self-adhesive tape in the distance of the scale-length of the stalks, lay out the fibres in not too thick layers and spray them with some matt varnish to lightly glue them together. Once dry, you can cut swaths of this 'thatch' and glue them in rows onto the lattice work, beginning from the bottom. Normally the thatch is 'sewn' to the lattice work and you could reproduce that.

 

[JacquesCousteau]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

Thatching in Europe and Japan is a serious business and the workmen take great pride in its execution to ensure that it is watertight and its longevity. I think thatching with straw is rarely practiced anymore, but in some areas of Europe (for instance, the Cotswolds in England, northern Germany, Denmark, ...) it is still practiced with reeds. It's expensive and fire-insurance premiums are high, but people like to preserve the traditional appearance of their houses. I happen to have a little booklet about thatching practice in England and watched it in execution on the building of a museum near Hamburg, where an uncle of mine was a volunteer.

 

Model railway guys predominantly reproduce reed-roofs, which have a geometrically quite well-described shape and a uniform surface. I gather, the 'gaming' modellers, who work on medieval subjects, may have techniques for roofs thatched with straw. However, they tend to work in a somewhat exaggerated 'cartoon', rather than naturalistic style.

 

I could imagine various routes to reproduce such thatched roofs. Next time you are down Mexico-way, you could try to find some dry grass, hammer it to break the fibers and comb it with a bristle-brush to remove small and loose bits. Alternatively, you could try to find some plumber's hemp and also brush it to straighten out the fibres.

 

I would then put two strips of self-adhesive tape in the distance of the scale-length of the stalks, lay out the fibres in not too thick layers and spray them with some matt varnish to lightly glue them together. Once dry, you can cut swaths of this 'thatch' and glue them in rows onto the lattice work, beginning from the bottom. Normally the thatch is 'sewn' to the lattice work and you could reproduce that.

 

Thank you, this is very helpful! I'll have to look into the matte varnish spray, it would undoubtedly be very useful for this but might not be very feasible in my apartment. Although I suppose I could spray it my building's basement/laundry room, which is huge (helping with ventilation concerns) and entirely bare concrete.

 

I was looking a bit more at photos to get a sense of how they actually thatched the rancho. In a lot of cases, nearly all of the fibers end at around the same edge, and there doesn't seem to have been a lot of layering of rows. In this photo, for instance, practically all the reeds end off the edge of the rancho, and the thatching looks to be of a consistent thickness, which to me would suggest a single layer (itself several reeds thick) running the whole side rather than several layered rows.

Source: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A139791

 

Others look a bit bulkier and "hairier," seemingly with more variation in fiber length, which perhaps does suggest more layering:

Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/jalisco/chapala/cargamento-de-entre-MX14652247742300/5 

 

This one, meanwhile, shows a definite additional layer covering the top:

Source: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A140947 

 

So, I'm debating whether to thatch by building up multiple rows--which would certainly make it easier to cover gaps--or to try for a single main layer with an extra layer at the top.

 

As for building materials, apparently carrizo reed is usually around half an inch in diameter, so at 1:32 scale, 1/64 of an inch. Breaking apart the fibers of long grass would be useful for this, but I'm not sure when or where I'll be able to get it. I'm also considering just ordering something like this: https://dollhousejunction.com/products/thatch-roofing-material.

[JacquesCousteau]

I did a quick test of layering the excelsior material on card backing, gluing at a couple of points to simulate attaching it to the framework, and determined that it wouldn't work very well for my purposes. It twists and curls too much to be readily glued into place, and doesn't really look all that much like thatched reed. The curves in the fibers made it very hard to work with.

 

But, while getting groceries at Trader Joe's, I saw this:

 

I first tested out breaking down the stalk into thin strands of fiber. This didn't work very well, as it was very difficult to get anything close to a consistent length. The interior also has a notably different texture and color than the exterior.

 

More promising, though, seem to be the awns--the little fibers extending from the seeds. They're aready the right diameter, very consistent in coloration, and quite straight. The one issue is that, as they developed to help spread the seeds, they catch onto things if approached from one direction. This makes them a bit odd to work with--one way they slide and move easily, the other they stick to your fingers, the workboard, etc. I was able to similarly test a bit on the card, and I think they'll work. I used tweezers to place them, as they didn't stick to the metal. Hopefully a matte spray varnish will block them from sticking to things--if not, they won't work very well on the model. I think my plan is to use ordinary white glue to first stick them in place, and then to spray the matte varnish at the end (or at least after each layer or section).

[JacquesCousteau]

Well, it looks like I'll have to rethink using the awns. I varnished over my test thatching, and even with the brush-on varnish--which I suspect is thicker than a spray--the "grip" is still there. The little sawtooth pattern is kinda visible in the very low-quality photo below:

 

This is a serious issue because it means the thatching would readily snag anything near it--rigging, sail, hands, etc--which could very easily knock the model to the floor. So, I'm going to test out the straw stem material. I may be able to cut it into more consistent widths, and a light wash might help even out the color. But if that doesn't work, or seems like more trouble than its worth, I may just bite the bullet and purchase the material I mentioned in an earlier post.

 

[Paul Le Wol]

Hi Jacques, I could be mistaken but in one of the above pictures there seems to be a different type of material running along the ridge. Possibly for protection of thatch while working up there. Another boat has its sail (?) draped along the ridge. Something like this could aid in the snagging issues. Everything is looking great.

[wefalck]

Well, the awns are there to grip animal furs or bird feather to help the seeds spreading ...

 

I think some plumber's hemp, brushed straight, might be a more promishing option. I suppose you would get this in a DIY store (at least over here in Europe this is not a problem).

 

The ridges of thatched roofs are their weak points and special techniques were develped in different cultures to overcome this. In some place pieces of turf were arranged along the ridges, fastened with wooden spikes, and grass and moss encouraged to grow there; in other places they used wooden boards, tiles, or in later years sheet-metal.

On a boat, I could imagine that a piece of sail-cloth or similar could have been tied over the ridge. It would add to its improvised look 😉

 

 

[wefalck]

Spent last week in Lisbon for business and over the weekend popped into the bookshop of the maritime museum in Bélém (which is not what it used to be ...). Anyway I picked up this book:

 

Simões Dias, F. (2018): As Embarcações Avieiras e outras traditionais do Tejo – Las Embarcaciones Avieiras y otras tradicionales del Tajo.- 237 p., Lisboa (A.I.D.I.A.).

 

A nice book with lots of drawings of different boat types along the Tejo/Tajo/Tagus, but mainly from the Portuguese part. What struck me was the PICARETO from the middle stretches of the Portuguese Tejo, which has a very similar profile with long drawn-out bow and similar plan view as your canoa. 

[JacquesCousteau]

5 hours ago, wefalck said:

Spent last week in Lisbon for business and over the weekend popped into the bookshop of the maritime museum in Bélém (which is not what it used to be ...). Anyway I picked up this book:

 

Simões Dias, F. (2018): As Embarcações Avieiras e outras traditionais do Tejo – Las Embarcaciones Avieiras y otras tradicionales del Tajo.- 237 p., Lisboa (A.I.D.I.A.).

 

A nice book with lots of drawings of different boat types along the Tejo/Tajo/Tagus, but mainly from the Portuguese part. What struck me was the PICARETO from the middle stretches of the Portuguese Tejo, which has a very similar profile with long drawn-out bow and similar plan view as your canoa. 

Thank you for sharing, that's fascinating! There's a definite resemblance, especially in how the elevated prow isn't formed from an upturn in the wales, but is made of separate, wedge-shaped planks added above the rest of the hull planking. I'd be very curious to know if some sort of similar vessel was in use in Spain in the colonial period, and the design was transferred to Chapala where it developed into the Canoa, or if it's a case of convergent evolution. I do wonder what purpose the prominent upswept prow serves, on both vessels.

 

Also, I should note that, while a very busy period at work has kept me from making progress on the Canoa build, I did go search for new thatching material. No luck at finding plumbing hemp, but I was able to get a cheap straw broom, the fibers of which are thinner than the wheat stalks I already had and closer to scale, so I should be able to start on the thatching soon.

[JacquesCousteau]

As mentioned above, I was able to find a cheap straw broom to use for thatching material. The bristles are mostly under 1/32-inch diameter.

 

I tested how the material works on card, alongside my prior tests. As can be seen, it looks pretty good--straighter and sturdier than the excelsior, and lacking the grip of the wheat awns.

 

 

Now to get some double-sided tape and a matte adhesive/varnish spray, in order to make strips of thatching that I can attach and layer on the frame.

[JacquesCousteau]

After a long while away, I was finally able to get back to the build! The thatched rancho has proven more difficult than anticipated.

 

As mentioned earlier, I decided to use the bristles from a broom for the thatching. As some images of canoas suggest that the rancho was thatchee in rows, I decided to do two rows. I marked the dimensions for the lower row on card, placed double-sided tape, and ran a thread along the length. Then I began cutting bristles and adding them to make the row of thatch.

Placing the bristles individually was extremely slow, but I found it worked much better if I cut off bunches at a time, holding them together so they all stayed the same direction and length, and placing them in batches. After each batch I brushed on matte varnish. Soon the first row was ready. I wasn't worried about any thatching being over-long, as I could trim it to size later. I should note that the double-sided tape didn't do much to hold down the thatch while building, it was mostly the matte varnish.

 

I used the thread to help peel the thatch off the tape. Although the row broke into a few pieces, it mostly held together, and I was able to glue it to the framework. I made the upper row in the same way, but it broke into a lot more pieces when I removed it from the tape. While I had removed the first row while the varnish pooled on the bottom was still damp, allowing it to come off, I waited longer on the second and it was fully dry, making it harder to remove. You can see the numerous bits of thatching below.

 

Gluing the thatching to the framework required some creative clamping.

 

 

After finishing the upper row, I trimmed the top to size. This was no problem, except that a few bristles popped off from the cutting and had to be re-glued. More problematic was the bottom. Given how hard it was to cut the thatching to size fron the start, I had left it overly long. But cutting the bottom to size left it with a very straight line of a cut, which looked rather unnatural.

 

Hmmmmm.

 

From what I saw in photos, some canoas had the thatching spilling over the sides, but on others there was still a bit of a rail left. It might look better if I remake all of this--the framework and the thatching alike, redoing the framework to run to the edge of the rail so the thatching can spill over the side and won't have to be trimmed. I'll have to think about it, though--it would be quite a bit more work.

[Glen McGuire]

 

54 minutes ago, JacquesCousteau said:

But cutting the bottom to size left it with a very straight line of a cut, which looked rather unnatural.

I think you made a great choice with the broom straw for your thatch.  It looks great and each strand has small, random variety to the straightness which looks very natural.  However, I agree with what you say about the straight line on the bottom edge looking unnatural.  Especially compared to this picture from one of your earlier posts.  Like you said, it would be a lot of work to remake what you've done already, but I think you will be a lot happier with the result.

  

 

 

 

 

[JacquesCousteau]

30 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

 

I think you made a great choice with the broom straw for your thatch.  It looks great and each strand has small, random variety to the straightness which looks very natural.  However, I agree with what you say about the straight line on the bottom edge looking unnatural.  Especially compared to this picture from one of your earlier posts.  Like you said, it would be a lot of work to remake what you've done already, but I think you will be a lot happier with the result.

  

 

 

 

 

Thanks! Yeah, I think it makes sense to try to redo it, this time with a more ragged edge running off the sides of the rail. Which will require a new, wider rancho framework.

 

I'm also debating whether to keep the two layers that I had for this version, or to just go for a single layer.

 

In either case, the top will be covered by some sort of cloth strip, as can be seen in the image of all the canoas docked in post #128.

[FlyingFish]

Belatedly catching up - grea job with the 'thatching' I was going to suggest natural raffia, but your solution looks authentic. Enjoying the build.

[wefalck]

Not sure, what the final verdict on the thatching is now, but one could also use a technique akin to that that was used on the rial thing: put a thread of about the same colour as the thatching material and twice the length of the rancho on the double sided tape, place a bunch of the material on it, lay the loose end over the bunch and fix with varnish. Then put thread that was on top onto the tape, place the next bunch, and lay the thread that was on the bottom over it. And so on. In this way you kind sew the bunches together and they should lift of more or less as a unit.

 

In real life the thatch would have been sewn to the rafters using hemp cord or a cord made from straw twisted together. The house thatchers had special long needles for that.

 

Thinking about that using such sewing technique, you may be able to do the thatching directly on the rancho ...

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks, all, for the kind words and suggestions!

 

Eberhard--I'm intrigued by the idea. I had a very hard time getting the thread to stick to the thatching with the varnish, though. The thatching itself is pretty fragile, with the varnish barely holding it together, and the string just did not stick well. I'll give it a try, but I'm not sure how feasible it will be. That said, having the thatching attached to the rancho framework by thread and not just by glue would help resolve another problem that I'm having. I started making a new, wider rancho framework that would run to the edges of the rail, so that the naturally ragged edge of the thatching can protrude, but the geometry of the situation is difficult. The rail curves, but the rancho framework should be straight. This means that, even if the fore and aft A-Frames run to the edge of the rail, the rail sticks out more than the framework in the middle of the rancho. This is a problem if the thatching is glued to the rancho and hence rigid. But if the thatching is attached more securely at the top, but left to hang loose below, this would allow it to follow the curve of the rail without any problems. Honestly, it may even be possible to simply cut the thatching off of the framework I already have and re-use it.

 

That said, this is dependent on me being able to get better adhesion between the thatching and the string with the varnish.

 

Other options include using some sort of rough fabric to represent a woven petate mat, which was used for the rancho covering in Ocotlán and some other cities, or just using wooden slats.

[wefalck]

What kind of varnish do you use? Personally, I would use one based on organic solvent, as a drop of solvent would soften it, allowing adjustments.

Edited February 18 by wefalck

[JacquesCousteau]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

What kind of varnish do you use? Personally, I would use one based on organic solvent, as a drop of solvent would soften it, allowing adjustments.

It's DecoArt DuraClear Polyurethane Matte Varnish. What sort of varnish would you recommend? I can't say I'm very familiar with varnishes, paints, and solvents.

[wefalck]

I am currently using so-called zapon-varnish for such things. It dries within minutes and was originally used mainly used to varnish silver and brass to prevent it from tarnishing. Old-fashioned nail-varnish is very similar in composition (not the modern acrylic one) and probably easier to find, though over here in Europe we find zapon-varnish in most DIY stores.

 

Another option would be shellac, particularly the one in flakes that can be mixed with alcolhol to give any consitency, from honey-like to watery. It's an old-time means to stiffen paper, felt (as in bowler-hats), etc. It dries slower than the above varnishes.

 

All obviously dry glossy, when applied to thick, so one may need to give it a spray with with some matte varnish.

 

The nice thing is that all maipulations are reversible using a fews drops of aceton or alcohol. If you are not happy with the lay of thatch, brush some solvent over it, adjust and brush again some varnish on it. Repeat until you are satisfied with the looks.

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Brief update: I've remade the rancho framework. This time, it extends all the way to the edges of the rail. I also simplified the interior vertical supports--they're just a 1/16-inch square strip of basswood, instead of a larger part with notches as on the first one--and added more supports than on the first one. 

 

 

Next, to re-do the thatching, this time making sure to wrap the string around it to better keep it together. Unlike the previous attempt, I won't be assembling it on double-side tape backing this time, as the thatching material didn't really stick at all to the tape so it wasn't all that helpful in aligning things.