Page 10. MAINE COASTAL NEWS December 2012 BLUEJACKET SHIPCRAFTERS DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
With the Holiday season around the cor- ner and the weather starting to get frosty, but things are heating up at BlueJacket. Besides kits and fi nished models, BlueJacket sells other items in their gallery. Two new items of interest is from Foster Grant, the sunglass people. The fi rst item is called “LightSpecs”. These are “magnifying” glasses with LED lights built into the temple piece on both sides. They come in 3 magnifying strengths, 1.5X, 2X, and 2.5X. They are really useful and the batteries last for over 50 hours. They also have a new tool called “SpecLights”. It is a LED light that clips directly to your own glasses. When owner Jeff Marger saw these, he was afraid that they would be too heavy to be comfortable and/or too distracting. To his surprise they really are very light, and after wearing them for a few minutes, he forget that he even had them on. The cost for either of these items is $25.00 and a four-pack of replacement batteries is $8.00. These items are available at BlueJacket’s location or via phone.
Model of the Month-ATLANTIC ATLANTIC was a William Gardner designed three masted schooner, built by
Townsend and Downey Shipyard, located near the north shore of Staten Island in 1903. ATLANTIC’s record for the fastest trans-Atlantic passage by a monohull was set during the 1905 Kaiser’s Cup race. She was skippered by Captain Charlie Barr, well known for his America’s Cup appearances in boats such as COLUMBIA and RELI- ANCE. Capt. Barr sailed ATLANTIC to his monohull record of 12 days, 4 hours, 1 minute, 19 seconds which stood for nearly 100 years until beaten in 1997 by the yacht NICORETTE, completing the crossing in 11 days 13 hours 22 minutes. ATLANTIC is generally regarded as one of the prettiest, most graceful yachts ever built. Her size, elegance, grace and speed has inspired a book, and a full sized replica has been built by the Van Der Graaf Shipyard, in the Netherlands in 2008. BlueJacket’s model of ATLANTIC is a striking and impressive model, epitomizing her grace and sophistication. The model is built in a scale of 1/8”=1’ (1:96) which yields a LOA dimension of 28½ inches. Her height is 20.5 inches. This solid hull model, which contains a good deal of etched brass, is suitable for a modeler with moderate ex- perience.
Tip of the month...Spars
Before we can even begin to think about rigging, we fi rst have to consider how to build spars (i.e. masts, yards, gaffs, etc.). While there is a tremendous amount of variation from rig to rig, we ought to consider some defi nitions and descriptions of the common type of spar arrangements that you are likely to encounter. On square rigged vessels, masts generally consist of the bowsprit, foremast, mainmast, mizzenmast and the yards. The bowsprit is at the bow,
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is not vertical but is more or less horizontal, and is designed to anchor the lower edge of the jib stays (lines to which the forward edge of the jib is secured). The foremast is the fi rst vertical mast. The mainmast is the highest mast, and is generally in the center on a vessel having three or more masts. The mizzenmast is at the stern. Besides the masts, square riggers have yards, which are attached to the masts at a right angle to the hull axis and to which the upper part of the sail is attached. On schooners, there are two or more masts, with the mizzenmast also being the mainmast, i.e. it is higher than the foremast(s). There may be a bowsprit or not, and depending upon the era, there may be some square sails, especially on the fore- mast. There will almost certainly be at least one mast boom, which secures the bottom edge of the mainsail, and perhaps a gaff, to support the upper edge of the mainsail. Depending upon the design, there might be additional spars for the sails on the other mast(s).
The kit materials designed to ultimately be spars are usually supplied in the form of dowels. Dowels have a round section and are usually of a standard length. Following the plans for a particular spar, the dowel must fi rst be cut to the proper length, and then tapered to the correct shape. Tapering is a rather simple task. Mark a circle correspond- ing to the largest diameter of the spar and another circle corresponding to the smallest diameter. Starting at the largest diameter, reduce the size of the dowel by means of a plane, sandpaper, rasp, or any other means that is comfortable for you. Reduce the oth- er end of the spar to the smallest diameter. Carefully, smoothly taper the spar between
these two size extremes, using sandpaper and constantly turning the spar to avoid fl at spots, while frequently referring to the plan. While most masts have a constant taper, often yards have the largest diameter in the center, tapering to thinner ends. In this instance, shape the center of the dowel to the appropriate diameter, using a caliper or micrometer. Then shape each end to the fi nal diameter, and work outward from the center to each end to form a smooth taper. Again, depending upon the era and your particular model, most masts are not usually a monolithic construction, i.e. a single solid pole stuck in the deck. It is usually made up of a lower mast and a top mast, held together with the top, cap, and cross trees. There is great variation in the style and construction of each of these parts, again dependent upon your particular model. Likewise, the same can be said of the method of affi xing a yard to a mast. Various fi ttings are employed, such as mast bands, yard cranes, yard trusses, etc. It is impossible to generalize, as it depends upon your model. Now, once you have your spars, you can begin rigging. Have fun!
Christmas Special offer BlueJacket is very happy to offer a Christmas special. Purchase any two BJ model ship/boat kits, and receive a 20% dis- count on the less expensive of the two. This is an opportunity to own two of the models that you have had your eye on, or purchase one for yourself, and another as a gift for a friend. Happy holidays!
For additional information or to place an order: BlueJacket (1-800-448-5567).
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