A Clipper Ship Model. Part 4
The way to reeve the braces can be seen in Fig. 4. They can be of thin bead twist. Do not use cotton thread if you can help it. The general idea of the braces is to swing the yards around on their parrel axes. They should be so arranged that if the yards were hoisted to the mastheads, they would lead slightly downward without touching one another and with as few bends as possible on their way to the deck, where they are belayed. The lower yards should, if possible, have chain pendants (see Fig. 4). Note that the mizzen yards lead forward to the mainmast, the cross jack (lower mizzen) leading to the wire eye on the main lowermast and down to the fife rail. The main braces start from the ends of the bumpkins. The inner ends of the spanker gaff hang by a two- single-block tackle to the top. The peak halyards start at the end, pass through a double block at the cap, through a single block halfway out on the gaff, through the cap block, and to the handrail. A single line runs from the end, at either side, to the handrail, for the vangs (steadying lines), and another cord supports the outer end of the boom from the same place. For sheets, the boom has a two-single-block tackle on either side, to staples in the deck. It has topping lifts from the end through single blocks hung from the top. This completes the rigging.
A boat in davits (Fig. 2) goes on either side abaft the main rigging. The davits, which can be fish hooks or stiff twisted wire, are set in holes in the bulwarks (see Chapter IV). The boat on one side should be double-ended (a surf boat), and the other should be square-sterned. They are hung with double-block tackles to small staples in the ends. The ends of the tackles are hitched to one davit about halfway down, brought up under the boat, and hitched to the top of the other davit. The boats should have seats, and, if you like, oars. They should be white with brown gunwales. The anchors can be cast from bronze or white metal, or cut and hammered from sheet lead (see Chapter III). The shank should be about 11/2 in. long. The stock is of wood, stained dark brown; the metal part is black. A chain should be fastened in the hawse pipe with a bent pin, and to a ring, which is hung from the end of the cathead. The crown of the anchor is lashed to a staple on the forecastle deck.
A short chain should hang from a staple in the rudder and be fastened to others under the counter (Fig. 4). Each mast should have a small flat glass bead at the top for trucks; these may be gilded. The house or company flag at the main has three V-shaped stripes, blue, red, and white, the white being at the outside. The National Ensign can be the usual one or, more correctly, with only 31 stars. The base may be a board of any wood about 3/4 by 4 1/2 by 13 in., on which are glued and nailed two uprights shaped to the underside of the hull, with slots to take the keel. These may be cut from templates IV and X, but should not come so high. They can be quite plain or carved in any motif. Make sure that the ship stands upright in this and rests on a level keel (see Chapter VII).