Chapter IV

HOW TO FIT MASTS, STANDING AND RUNNING GEAR, ETC.

The best material for making masts and spars is bamboo canes, these require little trimming, can be procured of any thickness and length, and are stronger, lighter, and more elastic than any other kind of wood.

The mainmast must be 38 in. long from the deck, and ⅝ in. diameter at the foot, to fit the socket or step (diagram, p. 52), slightly tapering to the head or top; the head must be fitted with a brass ferrule or socket for the topmast (like a fishing-rod), and must be _included_ in the above 38 in. length, but as the mast has to fit in the step, the depth of the step must be added to it.

If the yacht builder cannot solder or get soldered eyes on the socket at the mast-head, he must lash them on for the foresail, jib, and main- and peak-halyards, and also for the main-backstays; thus--

_a_ socket for topmast.
_b_ ring for peak-halyards.
_c_ ring for throat-halyards.
_d_ ring for jib-halyards.
_e_ ring for foresail-halyards.
_f_ ring for starboard-backstay.
_g_ ring for larboard-backstay.
_h_ gaff.
]

Rings _d_ and _e_ must be lashed forward, _b_ and _c_ aft, _f_ and _g_ one on each side, _e_ and _c_ about an inch below _f_ and _b_; this is all necessary for the mainmast.

The bowsprit must be 34½ in. long outside the stem and a trifle thicker than the mainmast; be careful to allow the extra length from the stem to the chock (p. 51); it must have rings (these rings can be got at any fishing shop, of all sizes--, any size will do, so that the lines used pass easily through) for the guys and bobstay lashed on, and hooks for the jib and foresail; tip the end with a band thus, to prevent damage to it by collisions--

_a a_ rings on each side, close to the end, for the guys.
_b_ ring for bobstay underneath.
_c_ hook for jib tack. (to be on top.)
_d_ hook for foresail tack. (to be on top.)
]

The hooks, _c_ and _d_, for the tacks cannot be lashed on till the sails are made and fitted, for as the jib must always swing clear of the foresail, and the foresail clear of the mainmast, it is best to try them before lashing on these hooks.

These hooks are made of stout brass wire about 1½ in. long, flattened where to be lashed, and the end turned up with the pliers; thus--; the hook ¼ in. high is plenty, so that the sails may be as low down as possible.

Next, with the pliers make a dozen hooks or so, this shape and size--, of strong wire; and two of still stouter wire, this shape and size, say 1 in.--; the former are for the various standing and running gear, and the two latter for the foresail sheet and mainsheet. Make also a dozen or so of wood or bone slides to pattern--; one hook and one slide at least is required for every rope that has to be lengthened or shortened. Ladies’ bone meshes of suitable width and thickness make the best slides.

The following diagram shows the application and use of these in all instances; say you are fitting the larboard mainbackstay (_f_ in diagram, p. 50), make fast your line to the ring (_g_, diagram, p. 60) at the mainmast head, pass the line through two holes of the slide, then through a hook which must be hooked on to the screw-eye (_f_, diagram, p. 50), back through the other hole in the slide, and make it fast there by a knot, only see the line is not too long or too short for convenient working. By this means, as you will soon see, any rope can be fitted that requires it, and can be lengthened or shortened in a moment without danger of slipping; thus--

The best line for all the gear is suitable sizes of fishing-line. If the line kinks, _i.e._ gets into twists, put a yard or so at a time through the loop of the key in a door, cross it over itself once or twice, and rub it backwards and forwards, that takes all the turn out.

The brass wire required may be these sizes--

for small hooks.
larger hooks, &c., &c.
foresheet horse.
mainsheet horse.
]

Now comes the mainboom (_d_, diagram, p. 50); it must be 36 in. long, a little thinner than the mainmast, and must be fitted thus--

Put a brass band, _a_, ½ in. wide, round the thicker end, drive a peg strongly into the hollow of the bamboo (the band is to stop it splitting), and screw in a screw-eye, as shown at _b_ above; then lash one ring on at _c_, say 15 in. from _a_, and another at _d_, both on the under side of the boom, this last crossways. These two rings are for the mainsheet _f_, and are most important; they must be well put on, the latter, _d_, about 12 in. from the outer end of the boom, so as to work well when the hook _e_ is hooked on to the horse for this sheet (viz. mainsheet) at the stern; this hook, _e_, is to be one of the large hooks (as shown p. 62).

In order that the mainsheet should not have to be made too long, and thereby get foul of the stern, &c., when the boom swings over in running or reaching, it is best to have another sheet called the “running sheet,” to be fitted as follows:--

Screw a screw-eye (a strong one) into the middle of the deck, just abaft the hatchway, lash a ring to the underside of the mainboom exactly over the screw-eye when the mainboom is amidships, fasten a strong piece of line to the screw-eye, put on a slide, then pass it through a hook, and fasten off to the slide, and hook into the ring on the mainboom; and let this sheet be just so long, that when the mainboom is out as far as it can go for the backstays, it will just take the strain off the backstays, on whichever side it happens to be, in running before the wind.

By means of this running sheet, when the after mainsheet is unhooked, the mainboom can be kept in or let out to any required angle without the sheet fouling, and as the running sheet is fast to the ship only, it can be easily unhooked from the mainboom when unrigging. Still, this running sheet is not absolutely necessary, but is a very great convenience.

To attach the mainboom to the mast, and allow it to move freely, get a strip of sheet brass ⅜ in. wide, just long enough to go _round the mast_ (close to the deck), and ⅜ in. over at each end; bore a hole at each end thus--, and bend it round the mast. With the pincers nip the two ends close together, and so that the two holes are in a line thus--

Now put the screw-eye at the end of the mainboom between these two holes, fasten it there with a bit of wire turned round at each end; thus--

No arrangement can be more perfect or stronger than this.

The above operation has to be repeated for the _jaws_ or inner end of the gaff (_c_ in diagram, p. 50), but the ring must fit the head of the mast instead of the foot.

The gaff must be 21½ in. long, and a little thinner than the mainboom; thus--

Lash one large ring at _a_, as close to the end as possible, two others, smaller, further out at _b_ and _c_, and one at _d_; all these rings must be on the top side of the gaff, _d_ an inch from the outer end of the gaff, for the sheet of the topsail to be hooked on (see frontispiece).

The topmast is a taper bamboo, the lower end of which must fit tightly into the socket at the mainmast head, it must be 24 in. long outside the socket; lash two small rings at opposite sides, ½ in. from the head, put a knob on the top (called the truck), and the topmast is ready.

The boom for the foresail (_i.e._ the spar that extends the foot of the sail) must be 20 in. long, that for the jib 25½ in. long, and both about the thickness of the gaff; here, however, use your judgment. Lash rings on for the sheets of each; each must have a sliding sheet (see drawing at end of this chapter) the same as for the mainsheet (p. 63); the jib sheet, however, requires no hook at the end, but must be made fast to the bowsprit, or, if greater precision is required, a horse may be made for the jib as for the other sails, and fastened in its proper place across the bowsprit, and to the guys as below;

it may be made of thin brass wire, as follows, merely taking care that it is the right length, and that the horse is an inch or so less than the foresheet horse. It is made of four pieces of wire, the horse bent, as in diagram below, and the other pieces soldered to it;

the guys may be passed through the loops a on their respective sides, and knots made to keep them in place; it will be perfectly self-acting, and never get out of place; the weather guy being always tight will always keep it nearly horizontal; it makes the jib, like the other sails, a good _driving_ as well as steering sail. Besides the above rings, another must be lashed on the outer end (all the rings on the boom are underneath) of each boom, _a_ and _b_, about 2½ in. from the end; thus--

and must both be crosswise, as they are to secure these booms to their respective hooks (see _c_ and _d_ on bowsprit, p. 61; and also diagram, p. 70). This manner of fixing these sails is the best to keep them tight and flat when in use.

This diagram shows the best mode of fixing the tacks of jib and foresail to the bowsprit; by this means, when the sail fills with the wind, it raises the after end of the boom, _depresses the fore end_, and thus tightens the luff of the sail and keeps it taut, which is very necessary. This diagram also shows how the jib and foresail swing clear of each other; also that the jib must not quite go to the end of the bowsprit, or it may be knocked off.

When all the rings are carefully and neatly lashed on, say with strong white thread,--lashing is the best, because it does not weaken the spars by making it necessary to bore holes in them,--varnish all the lashings with copal varnish, it will preserve them and prevent them slipping.

Each maker must use a little judgment, and _understand what he is going to do before he does it_, and as in some instances the spars, or what not, may be a little too long, the best plan is for the maker to try each and everything before spoiling his work.