The Model Craftsman: Volume 3, Issue 12 – April, 1935

A POOL FOR YOUR GARDEN AN OLD TIME HORSE CAR THE SUPERMARINE S6B ANEIGHTEEN-INCH CATBOAT COLONIAL TEAKETTLE STAND BUILDING MODEL BOATS, AIRPLANES AND RAILROADS = & 5 r = a goo eee Sis BUILD IT IN YOUR HOME WORKSHOP| An Eighteen-Inch Catboat By MELVIN MATTHEWS to— Vn. This is one of the few small boats which . sul own with be mg seen lve led he action, can hold all comers Hav rs. the hesitation the original author in has making ter in away holes into the wood for about an tions. driving Pn (Adin: ich no a few nail or bradawl These will enable the line hat ng iay ‘en cé. he commercial such a model, successful but racing it was job that center may partly be with a jig or coping saw. are cut marked at the and cardboard correspond to the to or deck curve is will do the work easily and The block is then shaped to fit the largest or midship — section mould. Then, working towards the ends, the wood is removed by a chisel until the entire hull is roughly the correct shape. It is then finished with a small plane and a rasp. The final finish is given with first coarse, and then fine, sandpaper. Give the outside a coat of shellac to protect it, be- fore thick- starting the hollowing out process. case the sawed lines stations, fast. Commencing with the hull, we shall need a block of light, straightgrained wood (don’t use balsa) 18” x 634” x 234”. This may be built in which Cross this ly more than the original boat but the difference will not be sufficient to affect the sailing qualities of the finished vessel. together, pegs. saw and plane. If you are one of the lucky few who own a band saw, material may possibly weigh slight- nesses opera- marked on both sides of the block, as is also the outline of the bottom. These are then cut out with a permission was obtained from the makers to reproduce the lines and sail plan in the MopeL CraFrsMAN. While the prototype had a_ hull moulded from thin sheet material, the model we shall construct will necessarily be built of wood. This up by gluing two or more case it is cut shaping out The Completed Model, compare size with ink bottle. This is the reverse of the method used in shaping the outside. (Continued on page 50) The ae| to a | | | I8″ bm CAT BOAT N cet @ The original of this article was in the After the boat is finished, the holes are plugged with glued drawings. The sheer ies) ce during section moulds eet wo to be re-marked, made permanent by er line, which is this Statement, ‘he The block is marked with a|cen- its pe © tn THE (Continued from page 27) cuts run from the ends to the center, so as to prevent splitting the wood. When the sides are as thin as can safely be worked, the in- side is given two coats of varnish and the deck applied. The thickness of the sides of the boat de- pends so much upon the skill—and MODEL CRAFTSMAN interior of the hull to air out, which of the fin as possible. prevents warping. The fin keel is made by casting about 1% Ibs. of lead onto a 1/16” sheet metal fin. This lead is at- ers overhang the ends of the fin, and serve as clamps, keeping it in the saw cut. The rudder is cut from stiff sheet tached metal by boring a few holes in the sheet before casting the weight tiller is of wire, onto it. A very satisfactory mould are from the same material, and the made pin is just that—a pin. from boards. The nerve—of the builder, that no dithe center, should be left 14” thick, for the purpose of fastening the keel. The deck is made from %” lumber, and should have a hatch, both for baling out when an accident occurs, and also for permitting the this is exactly on the center line, or the boat will be eternally sailing round corners! The fin is fastened to the hull by means of two small screws, each of which carries a washer under its head. These screws are set into the center line of the bottom, as close to the ends The bottom, in the soldered to it. The pintles or hinges, may be fin is set into a %4” deep sawcut in the bottom of the hull. Be sure mension is given. and The wash- The end of the tiller is turned down and fits into saw cuts in a wooden strip on the deck. The spars are shown clearly in the diagram. They may be made from dowel rod, but will be better if of lighter wood. The boom is hinged to the mast by two screw eyes, set into one another. The bowsprit, as shown in the drawing, is round stock, held by two clamps, of thin metal. The original boat had a device, which enabled the mast to be moved to balance the sail area with the hull, which probably was one of the reasons for the remarkable success of this model. a However, as this is patented, we cannot give a drawing of it. The forestay and shrouds are’ run through a hole in the masthead, and Ymy BOWSPRIT should be of hard cord, such as fishing line. Spend plenty of time in polishing the paint on the bottom, if you want a fast boat, as these small sails have very little power, and a badly finished bottom will absorb most of what there is. (Continued from page 36) 18″ the legs properly spaced while marking out the position of the dovetails. N Hh\ After the legs have been set in place, they may be made even more secure by fitting a plate to the underside. This piece should be firmly screwed to the base of the stem. and have arms which reach along the under side of the legs for about ae 15% _| -3¢’mast pee \ three inches, each being fastened by two screws. In finishing, a wood filler should \ \ by » \ 1-~Sg, BOOM ut = — = TH eS J Y \” I _ j x © uy Lf ot —___ — 16. — eee be used first; then a coat of varnish applied. After this is thoroughly dry, it should be rubbed down with a very fine powdered pumice and oil until a smooth soft finish is attained. To get really good results, this operation must be repeated several times, but it is well worth the effort to produce finally, a piece of furniture as beautiful in its finish, as in its workmanship and de- sign,