Model Sailing Yachts - How to Build, Rig, and Sail Them

MODEL SAILING YACHTS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTORY

MODEL YACHTING, as a scientific and fascinating sport for both the young and those of mature years, has now obtained that recognition which it deserves. During the last fifty years it has been modestly followed by many people, but in more recent times it has made such strides that, instead of being classed as child’s play, it has now engaged the serious attention of the sport-loving public, and the circle of its votaries widens as its delights as a pastime and the practical lessons to be derived from it, when intelligently pursued, become more and more known.

The practical model yachtsman is, as often as not, a landsman with very indistinct notions as to the merits of the different types of yachts or the meaning of the various nautical terms used. However, the experience which can only be gained by practice, together with the knowledge to be obtained from the careful study of this book, will soon enable the novice to enjoy the pastime.

There is, of course, as much difference between the scale model yacht designed and built by the professional or skilled amateur as there is between the shilling tin toy engine and a scale model locomotive. The novice is often at a loss to know why the gorgeously painted toy, newly purchased in the bazaar, lies flat down on its side directly it is placed in the water and refuses to right itself, notwithstanding the assurance of the salesman that it is a perfect model of the latest most successful large yacht; whilst the little simple looking schooner scarcely half its size and obviously homemade, belonging to the mechanic on the other side of the pond, is slipping along and increasing her speed as she gracefully heels to each puff of wind. Again, the novice does not understand why it is that the splendid model of a full rigged frigate, with complete equipment of brass anchors and rows of cannon tastefully arranged along her deck, insists upon sailing backwards or continues slowly to turn round like a top as she drifts from one end of the pond to the other, and yet that simple jib and mainsail rigged boat with her racing flag at the masthead seems to be sailing straight against the wind, increasing her speed the harder it blows.

Fig. 1.—Sloop rig

Model yacht sailing does not consist of merely placing your boat in the water and waiting to see where she will go. However perfect a model may be, unless she is handled by a yachtsman who has a fair knowledge of the principles of sailing she may be badly beaten, both for speed and direction, by an inferior boat. He who has a knowledge of the correct way to sail a boat, and the principles of design and construction employed in building her, can set his model yacht on a given course and know just what she will do under certain conditions of wind.

Fig. 2.—Cutter rig

The sport of model yachting should appeal strongly to us, a maritime people. Its great fascination lies in there being no finality in it; it is an art, not an exact science; sufficient can be positively stated as to cause and effect to give confidence, and the interest is maintained in the following up of all the elusive factors which are called in being. As a pastime it would be very hard to beat, as, firstly, the designing and building may occupy its followers in the drawing-room and workshop during the dark winter evenings, and the finished models provide healthy and pleasant recreation in the open air in the summer.

Types of Yachts

Although the evolution in the type of yacht hulls is greatly influenced by the designer’s ideas of what is the best form for speed, the performance of any particular hull may largely depend upon the kind of rig and the proportion of area that the various sails bear to each other. The most simple rig of all is the jib and mainsail rig, which consists of the two sails mentioned, only, and is the most popular rig with the racing model yachtsman, on account of the exactness with which the varying angles of the sails with the amidships line of hull found most suitable for certain directions of course and wind can be consistently reproduced, the methods of doing so being explained later in the chapter on sailing. As reefing is hardly practical in a model yacht, it is the custom to have, in the case of this type of sail plan, two or three rigs of different areas, each reduced to scale in correct graduation; and as in most model yacht clubs the members have their sails already fitted on separate spars, it is only the work of a few moments to change from one to the other, according to the amount of sail their model will carry for the strength of wind prevailing.

Fig. 3.—Yawl rig

Fig. 4.—Ketch rig

The cutter rig (Fig. 2), which consists of four sails, may be so arranged that the top sail may be either removed altogether or replaced by others of smaller area.

In the case of a large yacht all sails have to be hauled up into position by ropes known as halyards, which must lead down to the deck; but the model yachtsman can dispense with a lot of such gear. Recently a prominent designer, for the first time in large yachts, dispensed with the topsail yard, making the topmast itself sufficiently long to set the sail, a practice which has been in vogue with model yachtsmen for many years.

The type shown in Fig. 1 is commonly regarded as the sloop rig, and differs from a cutter in that she only carries one sail forward of the mast.

The yawl rig is similar to that of the cutter, but has a smaller sail set upon another mast (known as the mizzen) abaft the mainsail, the sheet being led aft to a spar projecting behind the counter. In the case of this rig the main-boom has to be considerably shorter than in the cutter rig, so that it does not foul the mizzen mast when it swings.

The ketch rig differs from the yawl rig inasmuch as the mizzen mast is always placed forward of the rudder post, whereas that of a yawl is always stepped aft of the rudder post.

Perhaps the prettiest rig of all is that of the schooner, shown in the frontispiece, but unless the hull so rigged is of perfect formation it is difficult to get this type of boat to go well to windward.

The ketch also has a much larger mizzen sail than the yawl and generally has a topsail with it.

There are many kinds of other rigs—such as topsail schooners, which have square topsails on the foremast; but none excepting those rigs which have been mentioned are often used for sailing yachts.

The Parts of a Model Yacht

The boat proper is termed the hull, the backbone of which is called the keelson, and the lead, which is attached to the latter in order to give the boat stability and power to resist the heeling moment created by the wind pressure upon the sails, is known as the keel.

The opening in the deck which gives access to the interior is called the hatchway, and it is closed by a cover known as the hatch. The extreme forward end of hull is the stem, and the portions forward and aft of the midships section are respectively known as the fore-body and after-body.

The extremities of a hull, the deck of which is longer than the load water line, are known as