TMY Style Guide – US VMYG

This is a reference document to be used for articles in The Model Yacht and on the US VMYG website at https://usvmyg.org.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations are allowed if used three times in an article. Define at first use.

Avoid abbreviating in text (allow in tables)

High Flyer
Traditional

Standard Abbreviations (no need to define)

aka
am
AMYA
CAD
disp.
LOA
LOD
LWL
NOR – ok to write out
pm
R/C – never RC
US VMYG – always has a space
vs
e.g.
i.e.

Formatting

Italics

Italicize boat names (Tritonia, Madcap, Lady Katy) but not general types (Skipjack, Sharpie, Marblehead).
Italicize non-English terms: vs, a priori, ipso facto

Boldface

Use boldface for emphasis – sparingly.

Issue Labels

Issue 1: Winter/Spring
Issue 2: Summer
Issue 3: Fall

Numbers

Do not start a sentence with a numeral.
Use numerals for all measurements: 3 in, 47 lb.
Write out numbers one to nine in text. Use numerals for 10 or more.
Use comma for thousands separator.
Use decimals rather than fractions except for: ⅛, ¼, ⅓, ⅜, ½, ⅝,⅔, ¾, ⅞. Always use 0 before decimal for values less than 1.
Use superscripts: 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd … 28^th
1940s not 1940’s
10:00 pm
Close up modifying operators: ≤12, 250%, ±0.5 in

Hardware

#10-32
1/4-20 carriage bolt

Punctuation

Use serial comma.
Use apostrophe only for possession and contractions.
Use hyphen for unit modifiers:
- The mast was made of 1⁄2-in hardwood dowels.
- … are approximately 3- by 6- by 9-in blocks.
Use N-dashes for numerical and date ranges or combinations/mixtures of components.
Use M-dashes to set of clauses in sentences—if you don’t want to use parentheses.

Trademarks

Use the registered mark (®) or trademark mark (™) synbols for any trade name. You may need to set ® in superscript.
Follow the owner’s style. If they use a registration mark or TM, then we should use them.
Use the mark at the first mention of a protected name in any article. Do not use it on following mentions.
If the mark is listed in the Usage list below use it. Look up items you are unsure of and document them in the usage list so we can be consistent going forward.

Units

English units preferred.
Use abbreviations rather than symbols: in, ft, s, min, h, lb, oz, in²
Use symbols for stock dimensions – especially when mixed with sizes.
- Fig. 2 shows all the parts for the vang body: 2 ¾ in of 3/16” tube, 2 ⅜ in of 5/32” tube, ½ in of left-hand …
Write out: yard, mile, days, knots
Define not usual units at first use:
- V – volt(s)
- A – amps
- mAhr – milliamps per hour

Currency

Don’t use “US” to modify $
Close up $: $1.00
Always use decimal and cent places

Usage

3D printer
10-Rater
2⨉6s – dimensional lumber
A Cat
aftmost or aftermost (be consistent in article)
America’s Cup
app (for phone/tablet application)
backstay
backstay bracket
ball peen hammer
backsaw
bandsaw
Barbie®
Bakelite
Bermuda rig
boatbuilding
bolt rope
bolt wire
bowsie
bowsprit
Braine gear
CAD
centerline
chainplate
Cheerio, Cheerio II, Cheerio III (not Cheerio I)
Chris-Craft
close-hauled
Conservatory Water
cotter pin
countersunk
counterweight
Cunningham
Dacron®
deadwood
disc – see “disk”
disk – prefer “disk” over “disc” for anything generally disk-shaped. Use “disc” for optical media, music, and anything medical, “eg @#$#!! I slipped a disc!”
double-check
downwind
Douglas fir
downhaul
Dremel
Duratec®
Earl Boebert Craftsmanship Award
EC12
Evapo-Rust®
fairlead
fore-and-aft rig
foresail
foresheet
forestay
forwardmost
freesailed boat (one word per SFMYC Style)
freesailing (one word per SFMYC Style)
gaff rig (but gaff-rigged schooner)
“GIT”-ROT
geopositioning
grandchild
great-uncle
gunport
gybe (prefer jibe)
hacksaw
handmade (adj)
handmade (v)
hands-free
headsail
jackwire
Jenny stay strut
jib stay
jigsaw
jobber-length drill bit
Kerbs Boathouse
Kevlar®
Layline (the TMY Editor Column)
leech
Lexan
lighthouse
Lucite
L. Francis Herreshoff
Marshall Croft Sportsmanship Award
mainsail
mainsheet
Marblehead (50/800)
mast head (at the top of the mast)
masthead (at the beginning of an issue)
mast heel
mid-Atlantic
motorboat
Mylar®
Nathanael Herreshoff
nonprofit, 501(c)3
nylon
“O” ring
online – one word
outhaul
outreach
poohbah
Press’n Seal^® cling film
Popsicle® stick
powerboat
Race Committee
Race Director
Redd’s Pond
“Radio-controlled sailboat” vs “boat is radio controlled”
Rip Tide (not Riptide, Rip-Tide)
rudderpost
Rust-Oleum®
saber saw
sailboat
sailcloth
sailmaker
Scorekeeper
screenshot – one word
Semicircular, semicircle
shear – cutting the hair off of a sheep
sheer – the line on a boat.
shoreline – one word
sidestay
source (v) – prefer find or acquire/get/collect
stand off (v)
standoff (n, adj)
staysail
sternwheeler
Sun-Kiss (not SunKiss, Sun Kiss)
Table of offsets
taffrail
telltale
Traditional Watercraft
toe rail
topsail
try square
upwind
US VMYG
V36 (36/600)
vice versa
Vinylite™
warship
watercraft
waterline
watertight
WD-40®
WordPress
workboat
X-ACTO®
X Class (no need to use quotation marks – “X” Class boat, prefer X Class boat)
Ziploc®

Battery terms

Nickel–cadmium – NiCd
Nickel–metal hydride – NiMH
Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion polymer / Lithium polymer – LiPo
Lithium iron phosphate – LiFePO₄

Direction

Write out.

north
south
east
west
northeast
northwest
southeast
southwest
north-northeast
east-northeast
east-southeast

US VMYG Classes

International A Class

can be referred to as A Class
do not hyphenate A Class boat
no need to use quotation marks – “A” Class boat, prefer A Class boat

Schooner Class

can be referred to as Schooner or Schooners

Skipjack 48 Class

can be referred to as Skipjack Class or Skipjacks

Unrestricted Models Racing Class

can be referred to as Unrestricted Class, Unrestricted Model Class, or simply Unrestricted

Vintage 10-Rater

always with a hyphen
can be referred to as V10R or simply 10-Rater once the class has been identified
subclasses: Traditional, High Flyer

Vintage 36 Class

can be referred to as V36, V36 (36/600), or simply 36/600 once the class has been identified
subclasses: Traditional, High Flyer

Vintage Marblehead

can be referred to as VM, VM (50/800), or simply 50/800 or Marblehead once the class has been identified
subclasses: Traditional, High Flyer, Classic M