BOAT BUILDING
This truly English amusement cannot be too highly extolled, as it is calculated to incite boys to emulate each other in acquiring proficiency in an art which exercises their ingenuity and taste, while it inculcates habits of patient industry. A good sailing ship is rather a troublesome thing to construct; but when a lad sees it “walk the waters like a thing of life” he experiences feelings which fully repay him for all his labour. Every boy ought to learn to swim, if only to prevent anxious parents including boat-sailing with dangerous pastimes that ought not to be encouraged. We are always pleased to see boys sailing their miniature vessels, and we cannot think that an occasional ducking ought to interfere with an occupation so befitting to the youth of a great maritime nation. As long as French boys amuse themselves with playing at soldiers, we trust English boys will continue to build and sail their model ships.
If you wish to possess a good ship, you must make it yourself, as the smartly-painted vessels of the toy-shops are usually made to sell, and not to sail. To form the hull you will require a few carpenter’s tools, such as a couple of chisels, a gouge, and a saw, in addition to that invaluable instrument, a good pocket-knife. Having procured a suitable piece of good white deal, with a straight grain, mark a line down the middle, on the upper and lower sides, and at both ends; then mark out with pencil the shape of the intended vessel, which should be broad in proportion to length, and deep in proportion to the width. Most boys shape their vessels before scooping them out, but it is far better to reverse the process, and hollow out the wood before commencing the outside. The deck is to be made of a thin piece of deal, and must be fitted very accurately, so that no water may enter the hold. A flush deck, without a raised edge or gunwale, is to be preferred, as such a deck does not hold the water.
The mast should be made of strong, light wood; should be tapering, and rather long. The less rigging there is the better; two shrouds and a few stays will be enough. The best models for miniature ships are those vessels that are rigged “fore and aft,” such as cutters and schooners; square-rigged ships are unmanageable unless made very large.
CUTTER.
Our first [illustration] shows a model cutter, with her sails set. The principal sail is termed the mainsail, the one above it the gaff topsail, and the triangular sail attached to the bowsprit the foresail or jib.
The blocks used in rigging a model ship are to be made of boxwood or alder. The latter is a softer wood than the former, and can be more readily fashioned into shape with a penknife. The holes for the cords should be bored through the pieces of wood before they are shaped into blocks, as it is not easy to drill the blocks without splitting them. The rudder should be attached to the keel by bent pins. The little staples on the keel, in which the bent pins work, are to be formed of brass wire. The stem of the rudder passes through a hole in the stern of the vessel, and is provided with a tiller. Before launching the ship, the tiller must be fixed so as to keep the rudder at the required angle. Many boys fear to launch their ships in large ponds; but if a ship is properly rigged, and answers to her rudder, there need be no doubt as to her safe arrival at port.
SMACK.
The smack is not so graceful as the cutter, but is a capital sailer. The large sail is called a spritsail, from the spar or sprit which crosses it diagonally from the mast to the upper aftmost corner.
SCHOONER.
A schooner is a vessel with two masts, and fore-and-aft sails like those of a cutter. The schooner-rig is not suited to very small boats.
LUGGER.
The lugger is shown in the annexed [engraving]. The lug-sail which distinguishes this rig is a square sail fastened to a yard that hangs obliquely to the mast at one-third of its length. A lug-sail may be fitted to a single-masted boat. The lugger is an excellent boat for sailing, but it lacks the trim appearance of the cutter.
Cutters or schooners intended for fast sailing should have but one foresail, as a large balloon-jib rigged with a boom holds more wind than an ordinary jib and staysail. The ships should be well ballasted to prevent the wind capsizing them, and their topmasts should be made moveable, as in rough weather it will be found necessary to “strike” them. Each boat may have two sets of sails—one set large, for light winds, and the other considerably smaller, to be set up when the wind is high. The sails should be made of very light stuff—thin calico is best—and should have a line run round them, with loops for hooking them on to the spars. Beware of putting too many blocks and useless ropes about your boats, as the lighter the upper part of a vessel is the better she will sail. In conclusion, spare no pains in finishing your work neatly, so that your boats may bear witness to your skill and patience.
THE RAW MATERIAL.
