Bluenose by rvchima - Amati - 1:100

[GGibson]

The bowsprit blocks do look better, Rod!  And, yes... a ton of clove hitches!  Great job!

 

Getting the flying backstays on the ship will help solidify the main mast, as well.  Your Bluenose is looking awesome.

[rvchima]

Thank you everyone for all the compliments. After looking at several of the Model Shipways builds on MSW I am realizing that Amati left off a lot of details on this model. It still looks nice, but I do wish that I had gone with the Model Shipways kit.

 

Question

I am about ready to add sails. I suspect that the gaffs and booms should all be pinned to their respective masts. Is that right, or can I actually rig them in place?

[GGibson]

Do as much of the gaff & boom rigging and block preparation as you can off ship.  When it got to that point, I used my tall "helping hand" alligator clip holder apparatus to hold the gaffs in place while doing the final rigging and securing the gaff to the mast with parrel beads.

 

I decided not to do sails on my Bluenose, so I wish you the best with the sail installations! 

[rvchima]

18 hours ago, GGibson said:

Do as much of the gaff & boom rigging and block preparation as you can off ship.

Gregg,

I've read that elsewhere but never really thought about it until you mentioned it. It suddenly makes a lot of sense. I can attach the booms, gaffs, and blocks to the sails off the ship, and then drop them in place. Thanks for the advice.

[rvchima]

Paper Sails

Yesterday I scanned and printed all my sail patterns. It took a little origami to fit each sail in my 8.5 x 11 printer, and I had to print the main sail in two pieces.

Today I washed and ironed the cotton fabric that came with the kit, then laid out the sails on it. Two sides of the fabric unravels - that's the weft. The warp goes in the other direction. The seam lines on the sails follow the warp, and I laid out the sails that way. It probably doesn't matter.

After reading Gregg's advice above I decided to test fit the paper sails. I'm really glad that I did because

1. Now I know where the sails go.

2. The foremast boom is too long.

3. The foremast staysail pattern is too big.

After a couple of quick modifications I'll be ready to start cutting cloth.

Edited Saturday at 11:05 PM by rvchima

[Kenchington]

1 hour ago, rvchima said:

The seam lines on the sails follow the warp, and I laid out the sails that way. It probably doesn't matter.

I agree: I probably won't matter.

 

But a sail that has to stand up to the wind needs its free edges (i.e. ones not supported by a spar or stay) aligned to either warp or weft. (Otherwise the bias stretch would ruin the shape.) As you have them printed on paper, the two jibs are "mitre cut", with the warp aligned to both foot and leech. (Or should be, though the one labelled just "jib" has one part with cloths aligned to the luff: Bad mistake by the kit manufacturer!)  Each jib has a mitre seam from clew to luff, where the two directions of the cloths meet. You might want to try replicating that by making each jib of two triangles of cloth, then joining them along the mitre seam.

 

Or not. As you say, it probably won't matter.

 

 

Trevor

Edited Saturday at 11:47 PM by Kenchington

[rvchima]

Trevor,

Thank you so much for your comments about the alignment of the fabric on a sail. I know more about weaving than I do about sailing, so I really appreciate the help.  As soon as I read

15 hours ago, Kenchington said:

But a sail that has to stand up to the wind needs its free edges (i.e. ones not supported by a spar or stay) aligned to either warp or weft.

it made immediate sense. And good catch that the upper part of the "jib" sail has the cloth aligned incorrectly.

15 hours ago, Kenchington said:

the one labelled just "jib" has one part with cloths aligned to the luff: Bad mistake by the kit manufacturer!

I am trying to be polite to Amati, but I am not too impressed with this kit.

I will experiment with the mitre joint on the two jib sails. I'm mot sure if I can sew it at this small scale but I will see what I can do.