Norfolk Sloop by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - Modellers Shipyard - Reconstructed Build Log

[Dan Vadas]

Thirteen ratlines done (there's one right up top holding them together) - seven to go for this side.

 

[Dan Vadas]

I've finished the Starboard ratlines - only twenty more to go on the Port side .

 

[Dan Vadas]

Fitting the Gaff

 

I've made up the Gaff Parrel and fitted the gaff to the mast. The rigging of it is yet to come.

The first pic shows a little trick I use to thread the tiny trucks on quickly and easily. I put them all onto a long-wire needle threader and fit the lot in one go . I've used 9 trucks for the gaff, and painted them brown to look more like wood.

I detailed and fitted a 5mm single block to the end of the gaff for the ensign halyard, two more at 90mm and 120mm (no measurement on the plans) from the end for the gaff halyards and a 5mm double block on top of the jaw for the gaff lift.

The parrel rope goes through the sides of the jaws correctly, unlike the way shown in the kit with the holes vertically. A large knot on the outside of each end holds the rope on.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Boom Stop

 

One thing I hadn't thought of before - and the kit doesn't mention it either - is a Boom Stop.

Having no way of getting a full ring into position with the rigging in place, I made a ring up out of boxwood in similar fashion to the mast hoops and split it in half. I then glued the two halves back together around the mast.

I also made four tiny knees for the stop and fitted them.

 

 

 

 

I've treenailed the boom stop. More for strength than anything else.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Sheet Cleats

 

I've reshaped the supplied Sheet Cleats and fitted them.

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Tiller

 

I've made the Tiller from a piece of 4mm x 4mm Norfolk Pine and fitted same.

I haven't curved it like the kit's because I've raised the rudder to clear the extended transom - it works out as being around hip high (28mm from the deck) which is spot on. The rudder top has been trimmed, a filler piece has been added above it, and I've treenailed it all together.

I've also fitted 5 footgrip strips made from 1mm x 0.25mm radiata pine.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Throat and Peak Halyards

 

I've rigged the Throat Halyard and Peak Halyard to the Gaff. A few differences to the kit instructions again :

First was the way they had the peak halyards rigged - they have BOTH ends running down to eyebolts on the deck (why?), whereas I have SPLICED (pic 2) the standing end around the mast and then rove through the blocks with the running end belaying to a pin on the starboard top rail. This meant removing one of the eyebolts in the mast and plugging the resulting hole (I should have checked a bit more thoroughly earlier).

Second was the belaying point for the throat halyard - again, they have it going to an eyebolt in the deck - no way ... I have used a belaying pin in the Port top rail.
 

 

I've also installed the four very large "belaying pins" for the Sweeps. I didn't think these were all that accurate, but the Replica has exactly the same things so I'll go with them (apparently they must work OK ).

 

[Dan Vadas]

Sheet Horse

 

I've fitted the transom railing which I made earlier, and also fitted a Horse for the Sheet on top of it.

I've also fitted another Horse(?) to the Boom over the top of where the sheet will be attached to the boom.

I don't have any real information on how the sheet works on the boom on this type of craft, or whether that boom horse was even used at all. Anyone got any ideas?

I'm leaning toward a ring around the boom that can slide inside the boom horse (like a Traveller), or would it just be tied off and not move at all?

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

From "Jim Lad" :

 

Just a couple of comments about the rigging:

Double ended halliards were sometimes used to cut down on chafe. The halliard could be moved back and forth a little so that the same part of the rope wasn't always working in the block.

Are you following the replica in your rigging? The halliard lead is a little unusual (but not unrealistic) and halliards in smaller craft were commonly made fast at the foot of the mast, rather than at the rail.

The horse on the boom is rather strange - firstly because the logical place to make fast a sheet block is under the boom, not on top of it, and secondly because a horse there would interfere with the foot of the sail. A more usual sheet attachment would be for the block to be fixed to a strop around the boom.

 

Hi John,

Thanks for the info.

I fitted that "horse" to the boom as per kit instructions - I didn't think it a logical way of doing it either ... it's coming back off.

[Dan Vadas]

In the pic below I've used a red arrow for what I thought the Peak Halyard should have been, but now I'm more inclined to think it's the Port side Topping Lift for the boom.

The green arrow looks like the Peak Halyard, with the Throat Halyard on the other side of the mast (or vice-versa).

I can easily change them over if that's the way they should go.

 

[Dan Vadas]

From "Jim Lad" :

 

I think you've nailed the replica's halliard configuration exactly - as I said, unusual, but not unrealistic. I also think you're right about the running ends of the halliards coming down the mast.

Have a look at the sheet in the two photos. In the first one, it looks like double sheets - the starboard sheet taut with the weight on it and the port one slack; however in the second photo it looks like there's only a single sheet. From the position of the blocks, however, it seems clear that they're made fast to strops around the boom.

 

[Dan Vadas]

As per John's advice I've moved the gaff halyards in to the foot of the mast.

I made and fitted two brass cleats, which I've since painted to look like wood. (Pics 1 and 2)

I've attached the Boom Topping Lifts with a clove hitch around the end of the boom, but I may change this to a single block stropped to the same position.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Boom Sheets

 

Next thing to do is the Boom Sheets, I'll only do a single.

On the Replica (pic 1 - sorry about the quality, it's as good as I can get it) they use what looks like a brass Traveller or ring to fit between the lower block and the horse to enable the sheet to slide from one end to the other - I've done something similar.

 

 

 

 

EDIT - Following some advice given me by PM I've redone the Sheet Horse. The horse now goes THROUGH the top rail and into the cap rail and transom - a much sturdier method, and the way it was done on the Replica (but I didn't see it ).

 

[Dan Vadas]

From "Anton" :

 

Looking at the picture of the replica... it appears the topping lift actually fixes to cheeks either side of the boom - one for port and starboard respectively. These cheeks would have a number of holes drilled through to allow the topping lift to be moved for or aft - though only slightly - these cheeks and the topping lift would then be further forward along the boom - not quite a third in from the aft end.

 

 

 

 

I don't know how many times I've looked at that pic of the Replica under sail before and didn't see what you've just drawn - now it's all so obvious .

Thanks for that, and I'll put the changes into effect.

[Dan Vadas]

Boom Cheeks

 

Here are Anton's Boom Cheeks. Made from boxwood.

 

 

I thought I'd have a go at making Anton's Guide Line Strop, just to see if it was possible.

Yep, and not all that hard to do either - only took me 20 minutes to make one  - four more to go.

I used two fishing line seizings instead of splices, which aren't all that easy to do on 0.15mm thread.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Jib Rigging

 

I've fitted the Jib Rigging.

I've done all this completely different to the kit, which I thought was WAY out.

For starters I'm using a Jib Stay as does the Replica (I can't see how the jib would work without one). I've seized the standing part to the shackle in the jib traveller, and also fitted a block for the jib's Downhauler. The stay reeves through a block on the starboard side of the mast cleats above the top of the shrouds etc. The running end will belay to a pin in the top rail just forward of the shrouds.

The jib halyard will reeve through the block on the port side, and belay to another pin on the port top rail.

The ONE (the kit had two) Jib Inhaul is tied off to the bottom of the traveller. The running part goes to the Starboard cleat in the bowsprit block.

The Outhaul in the kit is shown as having it's running part tied to an eyebolt in the stem under the bowsprit - it wouldn't have done ANYTHING down there.

I've tied it to the hook in the traveller, rove through the sheave in the bowsprit and took the running part to the Port cleat in the bowsprit block.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Railings

 

I've made and fitted the side Railings. The same method was used for the Transom Railing.

After laterally bending the rails (soaked with water and left to dry in a jig) I drilled the holes for the 0.5mm brass pins, then placed each rail on top of the bulwark rails and drilled through them as well. This ensured exact alignment with each other.

Then I drilled the stanchions and fitted the pins. When dry I sanded the protruding parts flat and fitted the railings. Finally I gave them a couple of coats of semi-gloss clear.

BTW - I don't remember if I mentioned it when I did the Transom Railings, but I've halved the kit supplied stanchions - the railings are now at elbow height instead of eyebrow height .

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Anchors

 

I've made the Anchors.

I wasn't all that happy (to say the least) with the kit supplied Stocks.

 

I've made the stocks from 4mm x 2mm walnut in two pieces as the originals were. The gap in the centre is to allow the bands to be tightened when needed.

I made the bands from painted photo paper. The kit's brass bands were too large for the outer two and I had a lot of trouble trying to reduce one to size.

 

 

 

I've also "Puddened" the Rings :

 

 

 

I thought I may as well finish off the anchors (for now - they'll be fitted after the sails and rigging are completed) by tying the anchor cable to them.

The knot used for this is called a Clinch Knot. That is the way described in Lees.

The knot is finished with a seizing.

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Sails

 

I've been procrastinating a bit about the Sails, mainly because I haven't used a sewing machine in over 20 years.

Today I got my mother-in-law to show me what her $4,000 machine could do (she makes and dresses Porcelain Dolls as a hobby - and she's VERY good at it too ).

This sample was done with whatever she had in her machine at the time - she says it's not a particularly fine tread, and she has two smaller sizes ... AND it's PINK .

The smallest stitch with this thread is 1mm - it looks TOO small to the eye. I'm more inclined to the 1.7mm.

The material I've used for the sample is 1,000 Threads per Inch Egyptian Cotton. Probably a bit TOO fine at this scale.

 

 

From "hopeful" :

 

I am using a 1.7mm stitch which works for me. Yes, I think 1.0mm is too small. The key is to be able to see the stitch as a stitch, 1.4 to 1.7 is good.Too small and it looks like a straight line.

My stitching is off white polyester to match my sail material. Most users of sails seem to prefer a colored stitch. BTW, when sewing the sail seam stitches you need to be aware that it will gather which has the effect of shorting the length of the sail. Don't you dare cut the sail cloth close until after the sail seam stitching in finished. At that point you can continue on to tabling. Otherwise your sails will end up too small.

Be sure you use a small needle to match your thread size as good as possible. Otherwise, you will be punching big holes filled with tiny thread.

 

 

From "Jim Lad" :

 

Just to keep the scale thing in perspective, according to Kipping's "Sails and Sailmaking", now sails were stitched at 144 stitches to the yard, or 1 stitch every 1/4 inch. That makes actual scale stitches at 1:36 scale 0.18mm long!

Go for it, Danny!!

 

What can I say but - YAY ?

All done by eye, and the right scale too - amazing .

[Dan Vadas]

Time to bite the bullet and start on the Sails.

I've drawn them up in AutoCAD on my computer, and printed them to full size.

I have the Cloths at 24" apart, and drawn in the Tabling to see what I'll be in for when I sew them together - pretty tight. I made the Tabling for the Gaff a scale 3 1/2" for the Head, 3" for the Luff, 2 1/2" for the Leech and 2" for the Foot. 3" equals 2.1mm at this scale, 2" is only 1.4mm.

The Jib has a 3" Stay, and 2" Leech and Foot.

I'll put a single Reef Band in the Gaff, and reinforcements in the corners of both sails.

Before I start anything I'll test fit the paper templates.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

The saga of making the sails begins here.

First thing I did was buy a "Disappearing Ink" Pen - it's water soluble, but "air-erases" in a day or two anyway. I also bought a bottle of "Fabric Stabilizer", which is a water-based fabric "glue" for holding the Tabling in position prior to sewing it. These came from a sewing supplies store.

 

 

I laid my sail cloth - 1,000 thread-per-inch Egyptian Cotton - over my templates, which I taped to a piece of Manilla Folder. You can JUST see the template through the cloth (pics 3 and 4) and marked them out (pic 5).

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

I've decided to get my dear old mother-in-law to do the machine sewing on the sails - she can do a hem in 5 seconds flat whereas I was struggling to do one in 1/2 an hour .

We started by doing the "seams" for the cloths.
 

 

 

Next I used the Fabric Stabilizer to glue down the "inside" hem of the first Tabling. To speed the drying process I used the point of an iron.
 

Then I folded the hem over itself and re-applied the glue, ironing it flat again.
 

M-I-L then sewed it down (pic 5).

 

[Dan Vadas]

Two pics of both the sails to the stage I've done them so far. I washed the glue and marker pen off them after taking these pics - no problems at all with getting either of them off.

The Gaff has the wide reinforcing on the Luff already.

 

 

 

EDIT - Lees is a bit hard to follow sometimes as he jumps around a bit - I didn't find the right way to fit the Tabling for the Gaff and Jib until I read back several pages (in the middle of the square sails) where he mentions that the tabling and re-inforcements are done on the Port side ONLY. I'd wrapped the Luff tabling AROUND the sail and had it on BOTH sides. I've since corrected it.

[Dan Vadas]

Bolt Ropes

 

Hand-stitching them through the rope. This might take a while .

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Since my last post I've done another 80 stitches (one every 1.8mm) - about 2/3 of the way down one side in a bit under 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

It's taken me about 3 hours to sew the bolt rope down one side of the Jib.

I've seized the Sheet loop into it.

 

[Dan Vadas]

The first 1/3 took me 3 1/2 hours, the last 2/3 only took 2 1/2 hours.

One of the major reasons for my increase in speed was a change of needle.

I broke the last of the small ones I had at 5:00am this morning and thought that was the end of play until I could buy some more later in the day.

Then my brother-in-law, who lives two doors down, called in five minutes later to check on my progress - we're both early risers . He said he had a heap of small needles from years ago when he did leather-work (he's an ex-bikie) so I tried one of them. What a difference .

These needles are very small, but extremely strong. The eye in them doesn't flare out either, so they are very easy to pull through multiple layers.

 

I've finished the Bolt Ropes on the Jib sail - a total of 6 hours work.

The Gaff shouldn't take me much longer, now that I've got my technique and needle sorted out.

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

The Luff of the Gaff sail only took me 50 minutes - and that was all through at least 4 layers. I'm getting the hang of it now .

I've left a short tail at the first loop to splice the return rope through.

 

 

 

The Leech, which is the longest on the Gaff sail (260mm) only took me 42 minutes. The Head was only 170mm and took me the same amount of time.

Only the Foot left to go.

[Dan Vadas]

The bolt ropes are finally finished .

They are about as much fun to do as Ratlines or Treenails - luckily I like doing them as well .

 

[Dan Vadas]

Robands and Reef Points

 

I've fitted the Robands which tie around the Gaff. They look like an ungodly mess at the moment . I've done two per cloth as described in Lees, and given each a spot of PVA to stop them pulling out while I tie them.
 

 

 

I've also added another Reef Band.

 

 

And I've fitted the Reef Points. I've put a spot of PVA on each to hold it in position. They'll get tided up after the sail is fitted.

 

[Dan Vadas]

The Cringles are on - this completes the sail suit. Now to fit them to the boat.