energy, every attention and every sense to handling your boat and pay
heed to nothing else.
Even then there are many dangers to be guarded against. If sail is too
greatly reduced your boat may lag between seas and a following wave may
run over her stern and poop her; if there is a trifle too much sail or
even if the sail is of the right area, she may scud off a wave and bury
her bow in a preceding sea and be swamped, or her boom may catch in a
sea as she yaws and thus capsize her.
If she shows signs of running too fast a drag, such as an oar, a thwart,
a floorboard or even a cushion may be attached to a fairly long line
over the stern and this will not only hold the boat back, but it will
keep her steadier and will serve to prevent seas from breaking as well.
Oil thrown or dropped over the stern will also aid greatly in preventing
a following sea from breaking over a boat’s stern. Oil should always be
on hand. It doesn’t make much difference what kind of oil is used, but
the heavier it is the better and only a very little is necessary; a wad
of oil-soaked rag or cotton waste, or even oil squeezed from a sponge
will often produce really marvelous results.
But the best and safest method is to avoid running before wind and sea
by heading into the wind and running fairly free and then wearing ship
and sailing with a quartering wind and thus zigzagging over the course
to be covered.
When sailing to windward against a sea there is comparatively little
danger, if the boat is luffed up to meet the seas and is not allowed to
lose headway. Then when ready to go about, if tacking, wait for an
opportunity when there is a long, smooth-topped sea and swing the boat
on the other tack quickly and stand ready to bring her about with an oar
if she misses stays, for if she does this serious results may follow and
she may be caught without headway, swung about and upset before you can
get her under way again.
It is far less dangerous to handle a boat in a gale than in a seaway,
but of course if the gale continues for any length of time the seas will
rise. It is often far safer to ride out a gale than to attempt sailing
in it, for few boats will fail to weather even a hard and prolonged gale
and heavy seas if properly handled. If you have a sea-anchor or drogue
aboard cast this over, lower or snug down sails, keep low down in the
boat and if you have oil aboard allow it to drip over the bows. Under
such conditions the drogue will break the force of the seas and keep the
craft head to the wind and seas and the oil will prevent the crests from
breaking over the boat. While she may rise and fall and pitch about
tremendously there will be little real danger.
If the wind is blowing in a different direction from the seas or across
them, lower and stow the sails, but if the wind is in the same direction
as the seas a bit of canvas will often keep her steady and make her ride
more easily. With a boom-and-gaff sail the sail may be lowered until a
very small portion remains and the rest of the sail should then be
secured about the boom and the sheets trimmed flat. Sometimes a small
triangular sail, such as a spare jib, may be set aft above the furled
sail, while with a yawl or ketch rig the mizzen may be set and trimmed
flat.
Above all things do _not_ allow anyone to move about, to stand on the
deck or to sit upon the gunwales of a boat in a heavy sea or in a
squall, but keep all the weight as low and as stationary as possible.
Always make everything snug and fasten all loose ropes and lines when
riding out a gale or a squall, for trailing ropes, flapping sails and
swinging lines are liable to cause trouble, aside from the fact that
they will become tangled and will not run freely when wanted.
As a rule it will not be necessary to ride out a gale in a small boat
for severe storms seldom come so quickly that sails cannot be reefed and
shelter reached before the wind and seas rise until dangerous. Thunder
storms and squalls, however, are often so sudden and unexpected that the
amateur sailor has no time to run for a harbor and sometimes, when off a
lee shore, it is dangerous to heave a boat to in order to reef. Under
such circumstances great care and skill are required to weather the
sudden blow in safety, especially when off a lee shore and everyone who
handles a sailboat should be prepared for such events.
Have the sheet ready to let go instantly and drop the peak of the sail,
if a boom-and-gaff rig, and if the boat carries a jib drop that.
If the squalls are light they may be seen approaching by watching the
surface of the water, while if heavy or if they come when there is quite
a sea running, the approach of the gusts will be indicated by white,
scudding crests to the waves. Don’t try to bear away or ease off the
sheets to avoid these squalls but luff up slightly to meet them,
allowing the luff of the sail to tremble but keeping the after part of
the sail filled and by doing this and bearing off between squalls to
gather headway a boat may be safely sailed through very heavy and
frequent puffs.
If close to shore, however, or among reefs where there is little space
for maneuvering, it is often impossible to luff into the squalls without
danger of running aground and in such situations it will be necessary to
ease off the sheet and flow the sail until the luff trembles, but _under
no circumstances_ should you turn and _run before_ the wind when it’s
squally. As soon as your sail is before the wind you cannot prevent the
full force of the puffs from hitting it without swinging broadside to
the squall and if this is done there is a very great chance of upsetting
the boat.
If on a lee shore you should of course luff up, for you must use every
endeavor to “_claw-off_” the land. If you always remember the following
simple rule you will seldom have trouble in weathering reasonable
squalls. _Off a lee shore or where there is ample sea room, luff up to
squalls. If off a weather shore or with obstructions to windward ease
off for squalls._
Finally, if you lower sails in a squall, be sure to spill the sail
before lowering away, as otherwise it may catch a puff of wind, balloon
out and capsize the boat. If you wish to reef in squalls either anchor
or throw out a drogue to keep head-on to the puffs.
If the squalls are very heavy and there is plenty of space to leeward
lower the sails, throw out a drogue or anchor or scud before the wind
under bare poles until the squalls decrease sufficiently to permit you
to reef.
In handling boats an ounce of prevention is worth many tons of cure, and
if you keep your weather eye open, as sailors say, there will seldom be
occasion for you to face difficulties unprepared. Changes of wind or
weather are almost invariably presaged by certain signs or symptoms
which may readily be noticed and understood and everyone who sails a
boat should learn to recognize the signs which indicate certain
conditions.
Of course if one has a barometer the approaching weather conditions may
be determined very easily, but even without this instrument a person who
is weatherwise may usually foretell the approach of good or bad weather
or of rain or wind many hours in advance.
Among the commonest and most noticeable indications are the following,
and only in very rare instances will these signs fail:
Unusual twinkling of stars,
Double horns to the moon,
Halos around stars or Increasing wind, or rain with
moon, “Wind dogs” a liability of wind.
Wind shifting from west to Increase of wind from the
east other direction.
Rosy sky at sunset Fine weather.
Sickly, greenish-colored
sunset Wind and rain.
Dark red or crimson sunset Rain.
Bright-yellow sky at sunset Wind.
Pale-yellow, or saffron,
sunset Rain.
Mixed red and yellow sunset Rain and squally weather.
Remarkably clear atmosphere
with distant objects
standing above the water Wind, usually from the
and seemingly in air northwest, and often rain.
Heavy dews Fine weather.
Fogs Change in weather and little
wind.
Misty clouds on hills,
remaining stationary,
increasing or descending Rain and wind.
Misty clouds on hills,
rising or dispersing Fairer weather.
Red morning sky Bad weather and wind.
Gray morning sky Fine weather.
High dawn (dawn seen above a
bank of clouds) Wind.
Low dawn (daylight breaking
close to the horizon) Fair.
Soft, delicate clouds Fair and light winds.
Hard-edged, oily clouds Wind.
Dark, gloomy sky Windy.
Light, bright sky Fine weather.
Small, inky clouds Rain.
Light “scud,” or small
clouds moving across
heavier clouds Wind and rain.
Light, scudding clouds by
themselves Wind and dry weather.
High, upper clouds scudding
past moon or stars in a
different direction from
the lower cloud-masses Change of wind.
After fine weather a change
is indicated by light
streaks, wisps, or mottled
patches of distant clouds
which increase and join. A
haze which becomes murky
and clouds the sky also
indicates a change to bad
weather.
Light, delicate colors, with
soft-edged clouds Fine weather.
Brilliant, or gaudy, colors
and sharp, hard-edged
clouds Rain and wind.
A mackerel sky (small,
separate, white clouds
covering the sky) Wet weather.
“Mares’ tails” (long, wispy,
curved, isolated clouds
against a blue sky) Wind.
Rainbow early in the morning Bad weather.
Rainbows in afternoon Fair.
Many of these weather indications have become so widely known and
universally recognized by seamen that they have been put into doggerel
verse to make them more easily remembered and every boat sailor should
learn these, for nine times out of ten they will prove true.
If wind shifts against the sun,
Trust it not, for back ’twill run.
* * *
Mackerels’ scales and Mares’ tails,
Cautious sailors shorten sails.
* * *
A mackerel sky
Seldom passes over dry.
* * *
Rainbow in the morning, sailors take warning.
Rainbow at night, sailor’s delight.
* * *
Sun rising low and clear,
Bad weather do not fear.
Sunrise hidden, light on high,
Reef your sails for wind is nigh.
* * *
When the sun sinks bathed in gold,
Strong winds surely are foretold,
But if red the sun should set,
Then the morrow will be wet,
While if pink shows in the West,
Weather will be of the best.
* * *
If a ring surrounds the moon,
Wind and rain are coming soon.
Twinkling stars that brightly glow
Show that there will be a blow.
* * *
Sunrise red, bad weather ahead,
Sunrise gray, a pleasant day.
* * *
When the sea’s against the wind,
Then your topsail halliards mind.
There are many more of these known to mariners, but the above are the
most important and familiar and while the signs may fail at times yet it
must be borne in mind that even the government experts, with their
highly perfected and delicate instruments, are often at fault in their
forecasts of the weather. With all our knowledge and scientific
research, we really know very little about atmospheric conditions and
changes and many an old sailor or fisherman can foretell fair or foul
weather, wind or rain, almost as accurately as the trained observers of
the Weather Bureau.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER IX
BUILDING SMALL BOATS
Very few men or boys are capable of planning, drafting, laying down and
building a round-bottomed boat. Even if you are expert enough to do
this, the finished product will not compare to a boat built by a
professional and it will cost far more, especially if time and
satisfaction count for anything, than a readymade craft or one built to
order.
There are many reliable firms which furnish patterns for all sorts of
boats, from canoes and skiffs to schooner yachts and big power-cruisers.
By means of these patterns and the directions which accompany them, any
person who has patience and is handy with woodworking tools can build a
boat. It is only necessary to mark off the patterns on the proper
lumber, work the planks and timbers to shape and put them together
according to directions, but even then you’ll find some difficulties to
be overcome.
These same firms also sell “knock-down” boats which have all the planks,
timbers and other parts sawed and formed, and by purchasing these it is
a very simple matter to build a boat. Full directions accompany these
knock-down boats and even the nails, screws, rivets and other fastenings
and all the hardware and fittings are furnished if desired.
If you really _must_ build a boat, the best plan is to look over the
catalogs of these firms, select the model and size that suits you and
then purchase the patterns or the ready-cut materials. You will no doubt
obtain a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction by thus constructing
your own boat, but your first attempts will not approach the boats built
by men who have spent years at boat-building and have learned every
little “kink” and trick of their trade.
In most places the cost of a readymade boat will be very little, if any,
more than the one built at home by an amateur, but the fun of making it,
the experience gained and the knowledge of using tools which you will
acquire may make it worth while.
As a rule, however, it is not advisable to attempt to build a large, or
even a medium-sized, boat and your first efforts at least should be
confined to boats less than twenty feet in length. Even in craft of such
small dimensions you will find there is plenty of hard, heavy work to be
done. Planks and timbers must be steamed and bent; tough, hard oak must
be cut, planed, chiselled and worked accurately and neatly. Many of the
processes used in boat-building are different from those employed in any
other form of carpentry and as a result a previous knowledge of
woodworking may be of little value when constructing a boat.
But there are many boats which any handy man or boy can build easily and
cheaply and which will prove safe, seaworthy and excellent sailing
craft. These are the flat-bottomed boats, known as skiffs or sharpies,
for a sharpie is really nothing more than a large skiff provided with a
centerboard and with dimensions and lines designed to adapt it to
sailing.
Before commencing to build any sort of a boat, however, you should have
the proper tools with which to work, for without good tools it is
impossible for a person to build even a simple flat-bottomed boat.
The tools required for building a boat are neither numerous nor
expensive, but only tools of high grade should be purchased for a cheap
or poor tool is an abomination and is almost as bad as none at all.
Of course, many people will have most of the required tools on hand, but
for the benefit of those who do not the entire list is given as follows:
A large ripsaw; a coarse crosscut saw; a fine crosscut or panel saw; a
compass saw; a tenon saw; a hack saw.
The ripsaw should have about six teeth to the inch. The compass saw
should be rather fine, about eight teeth to the inch. A miter saw and
miter box will prove very useful in addition to the above.
Keep the saws bright and clean and when using them in gummy, pitchy or
fibrous wood rub them with hard soap or chalk to prevent them from
binding, but _do not_ use oil as it will only make matters worse.
_Never_ stand a saw up so the blade bends and under no circumstances
should you twist or bend the saw when sawing in order to pry or split
off the wood. A saw which is out of true, bent or sprung will bind and
catch and will _not_ saw straight.
You will also require several planes, such as a jack plane; a smoothing
plane; a block plane; a rabbit plane. These may be of wood or iron as
preferred and in addition you will find a bull-nosed plane, for planing
in corners; a pair of matching planes and some beading or moulding
planes very useful.
There should be several mortising chisels of 1 inch, 3/4 inch, 1/2 inch
and 1/4 inch sizes, and also two or three gouges varying from 1-1/2 to
3/4 inch in size.
A good drawknife is almost essential, and a spoke-shave will prove very
convenient.
A ratchet bitstock, or brace, is necessary and you should provide a good
assortment of bits and augers to go with it. The best bits to use are
those of twist-drill pattern, for these will not split the wood like
ordinary gimlet-bits, and if you bore against a knot, a nail, a screw or
any other metal object you can bore through it without injuring the bit.
The bits should range in size from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch in diameter, and
the augers, which should be of the ship-auger pattern, should range from
1/2 to 1 inch in diameter.
A breast, or hand, drill with assorted twist-drills will be useful and
you should have several gimlets; at least two brad-awls; a countersink;
a reamer, and a bit-brace screwdriver.
Extension bits, which can be adjusted to various sizes, are exceedingly
useful and convenient, but are not absolutely necessary.
A medium-sized mallet; a claw-hammer; a small hammer; two screwdrivers;
a spirit level; a steel square; cutting pliers; compasses; a bevel
gauge; a carpenter’s gauge; a yardstick; a folding two-foot rule; an oil
stone; wood rasps; flat or bastard files; a saw file; a carpenter’s
pencil; some iron carpenter’s clamps; an old flatiron; a bench vise and
a caulking-iron complete the list of tools.
In addition to all these you will need some benches or horses, a good
workbench, screws, rivets, nails, etc.
Copper or galvanized iron nails and brass or galvanized iron screws
should be used exclusively. Round “wire” nails will serve very well.
Boat nails rivetted over burrs, clout-nails which are clinched, or plain
copper nails will serve equally well, according to the purpose for which
they are to be used. Where a nail is used to hold two pieces of wood
together and does _not_ pass entirely through, wire nails can be used to
advantage, but if the nail goes entirely through both pieces, which is
necessary to insure great strength, or where two thin pieces of wood are
fastened together, rivets and burrs or clout-nails should be used.
Screws are to be avoided, for they require rather large holes, they
often work loose and after getting them part way in they are liable to
twist off or the slots may become so scarred that you cannot turn them
out or in.
Next comes the question of material. If you purchase patterns or
ready-cut material, the wood to be used will be determined by the
directions furnished; but if you expect to plan and build a boat by
yourself you will have to select and buy the lumber which is best
adapted to your boat and which can be most readily obtained.
For planking, white cedar, white pine, mahogany, yellow pine, basswood
or cypress may be used. For frames, knees, stems and sternposts,
transoms and ribs there is nothing better than good, clear white oak.
For making a flat-bottomed boat or sharpie, clear white pine or cypress
is the best material for the planks; cypress or white cedar should be
used for the bottom, and all the timbers, frames, transom and stem
should be of oak.
The size and thickness of the various pieces of lumber will vary
according to the dimensions of your boat, but for boats up to twenty
feet in length, 3/4 inch planking, 1 inch bottom boards and ribs,
gunwales, deck timbers, etc., of oak 1 inch square will be strong
enough. The transom should be of 1 inch oak, the deadwood may be of
1-1/2 or 2 inch oak or two 1 inch pieces bolted together; the keel
should be of 1-1/2 inch oak, and the centerboard should be of 1 inch oak
or yellow pine.
These are the extremes and the dimensions of timbers, ribs, centerboard
and such parts may be reduced for smaller boats. Side planks 5/8 or even
1/2 inch thick will be very strong if more numerous ribs are used, and
for small skiffs the bottom can be made of 3/4 inch stuff and the ribs
may be reduced to 1/2 inch square.
It is a mistake, however, to make a boat too light, if it is to be used
for sailing, for a reasonably heavy boat will have more headway, will
handle better and will be more stable and seaworthy than a very light
craft.
Before commencing your boat you should determine the exact dimensions.
Until you are familiar with the principles of boat designing and have
learned to figure out displacements, load-water lines, centers of
efforts and resistance and many other technical details your best plan
is to find some other boat that suits your ideas and copy her
measurements.
Once you have determined on the measurements you should mark them full,
or at least half, size on a smooth, flat floor or some similar surface,
as you will find it far more convenient to get out the various parts
from such large plans than to work from small scale drawings.
As soon as you have these rough outlines and measurements ready you must
make forms or molds. These may be sawed from planks or may be formed by
nailing several pieces together, but in either case they must conform
perfectly to the shape of the boat you have planned and both sides must
be absolutely alike, for a very slight variation may ruin the sailing
qualities of the boat.
These forms represent the section of the boat at amidships, near the bow
and half-way between stern and amidships and their shape can easily be
determined from your plans.
[Illustration: BUILDING A FLAT-BOTTOMED BOAT]
1-2—Boat fastenings. 3, 4, 5—Molds. 6—Transom. 7—Stem.
8—Stem and throat knee. 9—Stern fastened to keel.
10—Transom fastened to keel. 11—Lining up sides.
12—Molds in position. 13—Ribs. 14—Mast thwart.
15—Section showing construction. 16—Centerboard.
17—Rudder and post.
The transom or sternpiece should then be gotten out and the next work is
to make the stem.
This will require care and time, for the sides must be cut away by
chisel and plane until they will just receive the ends of the side
planks neatly, and the angle of these depressions, or rabbits, must be
determined by the angle at which the sides meet at the bow on the plan
you have drawn.
When the stem, transom and molds are ready, take the piece to be used as
a keel, cut the slit for the centerboard in it, and fasten the deadwood
or “skeg” in place by means of bolts, screws and nails driven in from
the upper side of the keel. Place the keel on the horses, with blocks
beneath it to hold it at the proper curve, tacking them lightly to both
keel and horses.
Fasten the keel in place by clamps and by tacking it lightly and secure
the stem in position by means of a block or a knee. Fasten the transom
at the opposite, or stern, end and set your molds at the points where
they belong with the lower edges flush with the bottom of the keel.
Line up the center of the stem, molds and transom by a line stretched
along them, arrange all the molds and the transom so they are parallel
and exactly at right angles to the keel and secure them rigidly by means
of light strips, or battens, tacked along their tops and brace them very
securely by pieces running to the benches and keel.
Then take one of the side planks, clamp one end fast to the stem, so it
fits snugly in the rabbit, and bend it slowly around the various molds
to the transom and clamp it to each mold and to the transom. If you have
someone to help you while doing this it will be far easier, for while
one person holds or bends the board the other can secure it by the
clamps.
Here, too, you will find why it was necessary to fasten stem, molds and
transom firmly, for the entire strain of the bending plank will come
against them, and unless they are absolutely rigid the stem will swing
to one side and throw the boat out of true. To prevent this it is a good
plan to fasten braces from the top of the stem to the sides of the
building where you are working, so that the stem cannot by any
possibility be moved. When the plank is in position take a thin,
straight strip, or batten, of wood, lay it along the upper edge of the
plank—tacking it in position at the stem, at each mold and at the
transom and mark along this to give the sheer curve at the top of the
plank. Remove the batten and use it in the same way at the bottom of the
molds.
Then take off the side plank, saw carefully along the marks made by the
batten, cut the other plank exactly like it and replace it, securing it
first by clamps, and then by boat nails driven through it into stem and
transom and tack it lightly to each mold. In driving the nails be sure
to drill holes through the plank first, as otherwise it may be split.
When both planks are in place, lay a straight stick across from side to
side and plane down the upper edges of the planks until the stick rests
squarely upon the edges of both planks, instead of on one corner of
each, as it will do at first. When both sides are bevelled place the
various frame or rib pieces on the insides of the planks, spacing them
about 1 foot apart, measuring along the curve of the sides, and being
sure to keep them parallel and leaving a space of 1-1/2 inches between
their lower ends and the bottom edges of the planks. Secure them by
means of rivets and burrs, with the burrs on the inside, or by means of
clout-nails clinched over on the inside and use the old flatiron, held
against the head of each nail or rivet as you burr or clinch them with
the hammer.
Saw each rib off at the top, just even with the planks, and then fit a
good stout piece of oak or _throat knee_ between the planks and stem at
the bow and fit two other knees at the corners of the planks where they
join the transom.
At the spot where the mast is to be stepped secure a strong, oak
crosspiece, or thwart, with the mast hole cut in it, across from one
plank to the other by nailing, or bolting, pieces across the ribs just
the thickness of the mast thwart _below_ the upper edges of the planks.
Bolt or screw the mast thwarts to these and then secure a block, with a
hole in it, to the keel directly under the mast hole in the thwart.
If the boat is to be open you can place another thwart across the stern,
but if it is to be decked, or partly decked, the other thwarts can be
put in just as well later on. The next step is to make the centerboard
and its case and place the latter in position.
The centerboard case is made by securing two pieces, known as
_trunk-logs_, to the keel, using white lead and strips of canton flannel
or thin felt under them and drawing them tight to the keel by means of
long screws run up from below. Of course, it will be necessary to curve
the lower edges of these pieces to fit the keel snugly before putting
them in place.
Then rivet the ends of these to the upright posts at the ends, which
should also be set in white lead and screwed to the keel, and then build
up the case by other boards to a height well above the water line. The
board itself may be made either of several pieces of wood or a single
piece. In the former case the strips should be dowelled together and a
transverse strip should be placed at each end to prevent the pieces from
separating, while if one piece is used, end pieces should be fastened on
to prevent the plank from warping or splitting. The board should be
pivotted by running a brass bolt through the two sides of the case and
the board with a piece of pipe, an old rowlock socket, or some similar
“bushing” in the board to prevent the hole in the wood from wearing.
The board should be hung so it can be raised and lowered easily. In
order to do this, the pivot should be near the lower front corner, and
the upper rear end of the board must be rounded or slanted off so it
will swing up into the case.
The top of the case may be left open or a piece of board may be fitted
over it with a hole for the rope or chain which is used to control the
board to pass through. Be careful to adjust this chain, or rope, so the
board cannot drop too far as it should not fall beyond the
perpendicular.
The next step is to place light, diagonal braces across from side to
side and from molds to side planks, tacking them lightly in position,
and then remove the braces and clamps from the keel. Lift the boat from
the benches, turn it upside down and plane off the lower edges of the
planks until square as you did the upper edges.
Then fit a piece of oak along the lower edge of each side plank, cutting
little notches in it to fit around the end of each rib. Rivet these to
the sides, plane off the bevel to bring these pieces true with the edges
of the planks and you are ready to put on the bottom planking.
The bottom may be run either lengthwise, or crosswise, on a
flat-bottomed boat, but if run lengthwise cross timbers are required,
which are a nuisance, and the crosswise planking does just as well and
is far easier to make.
Place a piece of the bottom planking across the bow, covering the stem
and extending a short distance on either side of the side planks. Smear
the lower end of the stem, the keel and the side planks with thick white
lead and nail the piece securely into the stem, the keel and the two oak
pieces along the sides and to the side planks also. In driving these
nails be sure and set them at an angle to correspond with the slope of
the sides, or else they will split out and cause your boat to leak.
Fit another cross plank behind this with plenty of white lead between
the edges and secure it in place. Continue in this way until the slot
for the centerboard is reached. Here the planks must be run from each
side of the slots to the side planks, and where the deadwood, or skeg,
is fastened the same method must be followed.
When the bottom is fully planked saw off the projecting ends close to
the sides, being careful to keep the same angle and not to scar or cut
the side planks, and then, with the block plane, smooth the ends evenly
with the side planks.
When this is done fit a false keel, or rubbing-strake, along the center
of the bottom with a slot cut in it to correspond with the centerboard
slot and taper it at the rear to fit the lower surface of the deadwood.
Smear the under surface of this, as well as the bottom where it rests,
with thick copper paint and nail firmly in place. And _don’t_ forget to
paint _all_ the inside portions and joints of the centerboard case, as
well as the board itself and the inside edges and slot in the keel, with
copper paint before putting them together.
You can now turn your boat over, knock out the molds and finish with the
decking or other interior arrangements, but before taking out the molds
you should put the deck beams in place, if a deck is to be used, or
should place thwarts across from side to side, if the boat is to be left
open.
For a small, simple boat the deck beams may be run straight across from
side to side and the cockpit may be made rectangular, with the forward
end pointed or V-shaped. The deck may be made by nailing narrow strips
along the timbers and following the curve of the sides, or wider planks
may be nailed lengthwise and trimmed off to make a smooth, even edge
with the sides, after which a covering board should be nailed over the
joint and a strip of half-round molding should then be run along to
protect the edges from being injured, as well as to give a good finish
to the boat.
The edges of the cockpit should be finished by oak combing nailed to the
deck and timbers, and a quarter-round molding should then be run around
the outside where the combing and the decks join.
If the deck is carefully made and laid in white lead, it will be tight,
but if desired it may be covered with canvas laid in paint and with the
edges folded down over the sides, trimmed closely and concealed by the
molding.
The rudder should be made of either wood or metal. For a small boat,
brass or galvanized iron is the best. It should be hung _under_ the
stern by means of a post run up through the keel and after deck. To
prevent water from entering, a piece of brass tube, or pipe, threaded at
both ends, is run through the hole, and set up closely by means of
“waste-nuts,” after which the ends of the pipe should be filed off
smoothly and slightly rivetted or burred over to prevent the nuts from
coming loose.
If you succeed in building a sharpie, as directed, you can attempt a
V-bottomed, or skipjack, boat or a dory, for the principles involved are
the same in all, but space will not permit a full description of how to
construct these. You can obtain a far better idea of how they are built
by examining a boat and studying its various parts than by reading many
pages of text.
Finally let me warn you not to attempt to build any boat, not even a
small, flat-bottomed skiff, unless you possess patience and perseverance
and are willing to take plenty of time and painstaking care. No boat
that is worth building can be made by slap-bang, careless, slack
methods. Boat-building is something which cannot be hurried, for the
finished result depends very largely upon little things and attention to
details. To watch a boat-builder, one would think that he did his work
by guess and took little care, but in reality he does everything in a
certain order and a certain way. His apparent carelessness is really
expertness, for he has done exactly the same thing so many times that it
becomes second nature and is almost involuntary.
If there is a boat-builder in your vicinity visit his shop, watch him by
the hour, note the way he handles his tools and the order in which he
shapes the parts and puts them together and your time will be well
spent. It’s the best possible way to learn the details of boat-building.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER X
WHAT NOT TO DO
In learning to sail a boat or when handling a boat after you have
learned to sail, there are certain things you _should_ do and many other
things you _should not_ do and of these the latter are perhaps the most
important.
In the first place _don’t_ try to learn to sail by using several
different boats. Every boat has its peculiarities. If you use one boat
on one day and another the next you will be confused and will be unable
to make rapid progress, for one craft will sail to best advantage with
the sails trimmed in one way and the very next boat you use may require
very different treatment. One boat will sail closer to the wind than
another, one will luff more quickly than another and one will come about
readily every time, while the next may miss stays under the same
conditions. Still other boats require special arrangements of ballast, a
certain amount of centerboard or a definite trim in order to behave well
and you must learn every whim and caprice of your craft to become expert
in handling her.
_Don’t_ try to learn to sail in a large boat or one with many sails or
complicated rigging. Begin with a small craft with a single sail of the
simplest pattern. When you are thoroughly familiar with this you can
attempt handling larger boats with head-sails.
_Don’t_ take your first lessons in a strong wind, in rough weather, or
when there are signs of thunder storms, squalls or fogs. Select the very
best weather for you’ll have plenty to attend to without looking after
the elements.
Above all, _don’t be afraid to be afraid_. Many a man is considered
brave merely because he doesn’t know enough to be afraid, but real
bravery consists in realizing danger, being afraid of it and yet facing
it calmly, deliberately and with intelligence.
_Don’t_ be afraid of the opinions of others, if you think you should
shorten sail reef at once, even if everyone else is carrying full sail
and people laugh at your caution.
_Don’t_ be afraid to fear squalls, fogs, gales or heavy seas for they
are all treacherous and the more you fear them the more likely you’ll be
to safeguard yourself, your passengers and your boat.
_Don’t_ be afraid to refuse to go sailing if you think a squall, storm,
or fog is coming up, or if you think the weather too bad. It’s better to
be scoffed at and called a coward than to be shipwrecked or drowned. A
live coward’s better than a dead bravado any day.
_Don’t_ be afraid to assert your authority. The captain of any craft is
supreme aboard his boat and there should be no questioning of his orders
or decisions.
_Don’t_ take anyone with you who is nervous, cranky, hysterical,
overbearing, grouchy or a “know it all.” Such people spoil all the
pleasure of a sail, they are a nuisance and in times of danger they
often become a real menace to others. If they know more than you do, or
think they do, they should be handling their own boats, not going as
passengers in yours.
_Don’t_ take anyone with you as a passenger until you are competent to
handle your craft under any and all conditions. You have no right to
imperil the lives of others.
_Don’t_ take out a party unless there are life-preservers enough for
all. Accidents happen to the best of sailors.
_Don’t_ try to sail or handle a boat until you know how to swim.
_Don’t_ set out on a sail without oars, compass, water, anchor and at
least one life-preserver on board.
_Don’t_ jump, run, wrestle or skylark in a sailboat.
_Don’t_ allow anyone to sit upon a rope or line which may be used at any
moment.
_Don’t_ permit passengers to sit or stand on the bow or bowsprit unless
for the express purpose of keeping a lookout.
_Don’t_ tie or make the mainsheet fast. Hold it in your hand with a
single turn about a cleat, so it can be released instantly.
_Don’t_ try to show off by carrying all sail in a blow or in squalls.
Reef before it’s too late. It’s easier to shake out a reef than to put
one in.
_Don’t_ sail across or close to the wake of steamers to “get” their
waves. It may result in the boat capsizing and only shows you are a
landlubber and a fool.
_Don’t_ start out in the face of a storm, gale or squall. Wait until you
are sure of what is going to happen and then reef close if you must go
forth in a blow.
_Don’t_ forget that you cannot judge the force of the wind or the size
of waves from the shore.
_Don’t_ brag about “liking to sail in storms.” Real sailors cannot have
weather too fair.
_Don’t_ sail in fogs unless you have a compass and are sure of your
course.
_Don’t_ try to sail too close to reefs, to other vessels or any other
obstructions; something may fail at the last moment and a collision or
wreck may result.
_Don’t_ forget that when sailing close to land sudden puffs or squalls
are more frequent than in open water.
_Don’t_ forget that another vessel, a rock, or the shore cuts off the
wind and may cause you to lose headway and then when beyond the object
the wind will strike you suddenly and perhaps with dangerous force.
_Don’t_ fail to keep everything shipshape and orderly about the boat. A
snarled or kinked line is a menace to life and limb.
_Don’t_ sail with water in the boat. Water is so much shifting ballast
and is dangerous, besides being unpleasant and unnecessary. Bail the
water out and keep it out.
_Don’t_ try to save a few cents by using old, rotten, or frayed ropes.
New rope is cheaper than human lives.
_Don’t_ use a leaky boat. If a boat leaks a little in smooth water it
may leak fast enough to sink when in a seaway.
_Don’t_ sail at night without lights. You are endangering yourself and
other sailors as well.
_Don’t_ assume that the “other fellow” knows how to sail and is familiar
“with the rules of the road.” He may be more ignorant than yourself.
_Don’t_ wait too long before turning aside for another boat. Shift your
helm to show your intentions.
_Don’t_ try to sail too close to the wind. You’ll reach your destination
more quickly by sailing a few points off and thus traveling faster.
_Don’t_ run dead before the wind if it can be avoided, especially in a
seaway.
_Don’t_ sit on the lee side when sailing on the wind.
_Don’t_ climb up on the masts or into the rigging unless it is
necessary. A man’s weight at the top of a mast may cause the boat to
capsize.
_Don’t_ lash or tie the helm under any circumstances.
_Don’t_ leave a lowered sail unfurled. It ruins the sail and is
dangerous.
_Don’t_ try to run to a mooring or a landing before the wind when under
sail. Lower the sail and run in under bare poles or row in.
_Don’t_ fail to take the advice and suggestions of more experienced
boatmen.
_Don’t_ take others sailing until you are thoroughly familiar with the
boat and know how to handle it under all conditions.
_Don’t_ anchor or moor a boat where she will rest on a hard, rocky or
uneven bottom at low water.
_Don’t_ overload your boat.
_Don’t_ sail in strange waters without a chart or a pilot.
_Don’t_ lose your head or get “rattled.” Keep cool and use your brains
and common sense.
_Don’t_ fail to keep your gaze to windward. Seas and wind puffs come
from that side.
_Don’t_ neglect the boat or allow your attention to be distracted by
your companions.
_Don’t_ attempt to tack or go about with a large wave rolling on your
weather bow. Wait for a smooth, or when on the summit of a long, easy
roller.
_Don’t_ jibe if it can be helped. It’s just as easy and far safer to
wear ship.
_Don’t_ luff a boat sufficiently to stop her headway. Keep steerage-way
at all times.
_Don’t_ try to cross another boat’s bows if she is under way.
_Don’t_ get frightened if the boat upsets. Crawl up on the bottom over
the weather side. A capsized boat will support a number of people in
perfect safety.
_Don’t_ take to the water if there is any floating object to cling to.
Even an oar will support a person.
_Don’t_ let go of the helm and run about.
_Don’t_ let sails, ropes or garments trail in the water.
_Don’t_ forget that a loaded or heavy boat has more momentum or headway
than a light or empty boat.
_Don’t_ trust a squall which you cannot see through.
_Don’t_ use a brand new rope for any part of the running rigging.
Stretch it and work it through tackles or over a beam before reeving it
through the blocks of your boat.
_Don’t_ sail in a beam wind and sea if it can possibly be avoided.
_Don’t_ forget that if you are obliged to ride out a gale that oars,
cushions, thwarts and spare canvas lashed together and attached to a
line over the bow will hold the craft to the wind and seas and will also
form a “smooth” for the boat.
_Don’t_ under any circumstances allow liquor aboard your boat. If your
friends _must_ drink spirits let them stay ashore to indulge themselves.
They have no place in a boat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME NAUTICAL TERMS AND THEIR MEANINGS
=Aback.= A sail is said to be aback when its forward side is acted
upon by the wind.
=Abaft.= A position toward the stern from any stated point.
=Abeam.= At right angles to the line of the keel.
=About.= To go from one tack to the other.
=Adrift.= Broken loose or uncontrolled.
=Aft.= Towards the stern.
=A-lee.= To the side of the craft opposite the wind. To the
leeward side.
=All in the wind.= When the sails have the wind edge-on and shake.
=Amidships.= In the middle. In line with the keel.
=Athwartships.= Across the boat. At right angles to the keel.
=Avast.= An order to stop or discontinue anything.
=A-weather.= The side towards the wind; to the windward side.
=Backstays.= Stays or shrouds leading aft to support a mast or
topmast.
=Bear up.= To turn from the wind.
=Belay.= To secure a rope about a cleat or pin.
=Bend.= To make fast. A kind of knot.
=Berth.= An anchorage or mooring. A slip or place where a boat
rests at a dock. A sleeping place.
=Bight.= A curve, noose or slack portion of rope.
=Bitts.= Upright pieces of timber or metal to which ropes or
cables are fastened.
=Blocks.= Contrivances with sheaves or rollers through which ropes
are passed to make them move readily.
=Block and block.= When two blocks of a tackle are brought as
close together as possible.
=Block and tackle.= Blocks with the ropes rove through them.
=Board.= The distance made on a tack.
=Bobstay.= A stay from the cutwater to the bowsprit-end.
=Bolt rope.= The rope sewn around the edges of sails.
=Boom.= A spar at the bottom or foot of a sail. A spar extended
from a vessel’s side to which small boats are fastened. A raft
of logs in a river fastened together to hold other logs in
place.
=Bowline.= A line used on square sails to extend the forward edge
of the sail when running close to the wind. To Sail on a Bowline
is to sail close to the wind.
=Bowse.= To haul upon.
=Bowsprit.= A spar extending forward from the bow.
=Brails.= Ropes for drawing up a sail to the mast in order to furl
it.
=Bring to.= To come to an anchor or mooring.
=Bull’s eye.= A piece of wood with a hole in the center through
which a rope may be passed.
=By the head.= To be deeper in the water at the bow than at the
stern.
=By the wind.= As near the wind as the boat will sail without the
sails shaking; also called Full and By.
=Cable.= A line or chain by which a vessel is anchored or moored.
A left-handed-laid rope.
=Capsize.= To upset. To loosen a knot.
=Carry away.= To break or tear loose.
=Cast off.= To untie; to free.
=Casting.= To pay a vessel off on the desired tack.
=Cat’s paw.= A light puff or current of wind seen on the surface
of the water. A kind of knot or bend.
=Chock a block.= See Block and Block. Also used to denote fully
laden.
=Cleat.= A metal or wooden object to which ropes are fastened.
=Clew.= The after corner of a fore-and-aft sail. The two lower
corners of a square sail.
=Close hauled.= Sailing as nearly as possible into the wind.
=Cockpit.= The open after part of a boat.
=Course.= The direction in which a boat is to proceed. The lower
sails on square-rigged vessels.
=Crank or cranky.= Not stable. Unable to carry sail well. To tip
easily. Unsteady.
=Cringle.= A thimble or eye worked in a sail and through which a
rope may be passed.
=Crotch.= A support of crossed pieces of wood, or metal, in which
the boom rests when the sail is furled.
=Cutwater.= The extreme forward edge of the bow.
=Davits.= Curved iron or wooden objects to which boats are
hoisted.
=Downhaul.= Rope used to haul down sails.
=Dowse.= To lower rapidly. Also to extinguish.
=Draught or draft.= The amount of water in which a boat is
immersed when afloat.
=Earrings.= Lines passed through cringles.
=Ease off.= To slacken.
=Ensign.= The national flag of any country.
=Entrance.= The lower part of a vessel’s stem.
=Fag end.= The end that is frayed.
=Fall off.= To move away from the wind.
=Fathom.= Six feet.
=Fid.= A sharp, tapered tool used in splicing rope.
=Fill away.= To have the wind fill the after surfaces of the sails
and the vessel proceed on her course.
=Fore reach.= To pass to windward of another vessel when close
hauled.
=Foul.= Anything entangled. To come into contact.
=Furl.= To stow a sail.
=Gaff.= The spar that supports the top of a fore-and-aft sail. A
pole with a sharp hook on the end.
=Gangway.= The place where people come aboard. An opening in a
vessel’s side. Room to pass.
=Garboard strakes.= The planks next to the keel on a boat’s
bottom.
=Gasket.= A lashing of rope or a strip of canvas used to secure
sails, etc.
=Go about.= To tack. To alter the course so the sail fills on the
other side.
=Grapnel.= A four-pronged anchor.
=Griping.= Carrying a hard weather helm.
=Grommet.= A ring of rope. A metal ring used in place of an eyelet
in a sail.
=Ground tackle.= The anchor, cable and fittings.
=Halyards or Halliards.= Ropes used to hoist sails.
=Handsomely.= Carefully, smartly.
=Handy billy.= A small tackle used in hauling on a rope.
=Hanks.= Metal rings for attaching sails to stays so they will
slide easily.
=Heave to.= To stop a vessel’s movement by so arranging sails that
she will lie head to the wind and almost stationary.
=Heeling.= Tipping to one side.
=Hitch.= A kind of knot.
=In irons.= When headway is lost and the boat will not answer her
helm.
=Jammed.= Any rope or other object caught so it will not move or
cannot be readily freed.
=Jib.= A triangular sail set between the mast and bowsprit.
=Jibe or Gybe.= To let the mainsail swing from one side to the
other when running free.
=Jury mast.= A temporary mast to replace a mast which has been
carried away.
=Jury rig.= Sails set on jury masts.
=Kedge.= A small anchor.
=Leech.= The after edge of a fore-and-aft sail. The ends of a
square sail.
=Lee helm.= When a tiller or helm must be held to leeward to
prevent the boat from falling off the wind.
=Leeward.= The direction toward which the wind is blowing. Away
from the wind.
=Leg.= The distance sailed on a tack in one direction.
=Log.= An instrument used to measure a boat’s speed or the
distance travelled. A record of the ship’s travel and what has
been done each day. A book in which the log is kept.
=Long leg.= The longest course sailed when tacking.
=Luff.= To bring the boat’s head to the wind. The forward edge of
a fore-and-aft sail.
=Lying to.= Heading close into the wind under reduced sail so as
to remain practically stationary.
=Missing stays.= Failure to come about when tacking.
=Moor.= To secure by anchors or cables.
=Moorings.= A spot where a vessel is kept when at anchor.
=Mouse.= To secure by means of spun yarn or line to prevent its
becoming detached. A seizing about a hook.
=Off and on.= Approaching on one tack and bearing off on the other
especially when approaching or near land.
=Offing.= Out to sea. Sea room.
=Overhaul.= To slack up a rope and haul it through blocks. To
straighten out a line and arrange it. To examine and make right.
To overtake.
=Painter.= The line by which a boat is made fast and which is
attached to the bow.
=Part.= To break or pull apart.
=Pay.= To coat with pitch or tar. To let out rope or cable.
=Pay off.= To recede from the wind. To bring a boat’s head around
to catch the wind.
=Pendant.= A short piece of rope.
=Pennant.= A narrow flag or streamer.
=Pooped.= To be struck by a sea which comes over the stern.
=Port.= Left hand. Also sometimes called Larboard.
=Preventer sheet.= A sheet used to relieve unusual strain.
=Preventer stay.= A temporary or movable stay set up to relieve a
strain on the rigging under certain conditions.
=Quarter.= Part between beam and stern.
=Rake.= The lean or cant of a mast or other object from the
perpendicular.
=Reaching.= Sailing with wind abeam.
=Reef.= To reduce the area of a sail. A line or group of sunken
rocks.
=Reeve.= To run a rope through anything.
=Rooting.= Burying by the head.
=Run.= The submerged after-part of the hull.
=Scud.= To run before a wind. A kind of cloud.
=Seize.= To make fast or bind.
=Selvage.= A strap made of yarns loosely bound together.
=Sheave.= The wheel within a block or any wheel over which a rope
runs.
=Sheer.= To vary from a direct course. The curve from bow to stern
horizontally.
=Sheet.= A rope attached to a sail and by which the sail is held
and worked. On a square sail, ropes which spread the sails.
=Snorter or snotter.= A rope strap into which the heel of a sprit
is slipped.
=Soldier’s wind.= A beam wind.
=Spill.= To throw the wind out of a sail.
=Splice.= A method of joining two objects together so the joint is
no larger than the rest of the object.
=Spring.= To crack or bend a spar. A rope made fast to a cable, to
some spot ashore, to a buoy or mooring, or to another vessel and
then led aft in order to swing a vessel’s stern in any desired
direction. To start a plank. To start a leak.
=Sprit.= A light spar used to extend a sail.
=Squatting.= Settling down by the stern.
=Starboard.= The right-hand side.
=Stay.= A rope or wire used as a support to a spar.
=Sternboard.= To move backward stern first.
=Tack.= To proceed against the wind by zigzags. The forward corner
of a fore-and-aft sail.
=Tackle.= Any arrangement of ropes and blocks.
=Taut.= Tight.
=Truck.= The top of a mast.
=Unbend.= To cast off; to unfasten.
=Veer.= To turn. To pay out cable.
=Wake.= The track left by a vessel in the water.
=Watch.= A division of the crew. The length of time a man is on
duty.
=Wear.= To turn a boat’s head into the wind and then around until
she has the wind on the opposite side.
=Weather helm.= When a tiller or helm must be kept to windward to
prevent a boat from flying into the wind.
=Weathering.= Surviving anything, such as a gale or storm. Getting
to windward of anything.
=Weigh.= To hoist or lift, especially to lift the anchor.
=Wind’s eye.= The exact direction from which the wind blows.
=Yaw.= To swerve wildly or violently from a true course despite
the action of the rudder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber’s note:
All figure references in the text have been regularized.
Table of Contents, ‘Latteen’ changed to ‘Lateen,’ “sails. Lateen, lug,
gunter”
Page 29, full stop changed to comma after ‘say,’ “he will say,
“Starboard”
Page 44, semicolon inserted after ‘topmast,’ “the topmast; it may also”
Page 46, ‘leg-o’mutton’ changed to ‘leg-o’-mutton,’ “is a leg-o’-mutton
sail”
Page 48, closing parenthesis added after ‘lines),’ “course in dotted
lines))”
Page 52, ‘Waterline’ changed to ‘Water line,’ “11—Water line.
12—Starboard quarter.”
Page 53, ‘it’ changed to ‘is,’ “have to do is to learn”
Page 70, ‘SAILING’ diagrams 12, depicting approaches to moorings, and
13, depicting approaches to and departures from docks, are absent from
original caption.
Page 92, ‘water-line’ changed to ‘water line,’ “especially below the
water line”
Page 112, ‘show’ changed to ‘shown,’ “as shown in the illustration”
Page 118, ‘whch’ changed to ‘which,’ “the strands which form the”
Page 133, comma struck after ‘small,’ “is some small reef”
Page 147, full stop inserted after ‘blowing,’ “which it is blowing. All
these”
Page 152, second ‘and’ struck, “underrunning her and leaving”
Page 167, ‘diamter’ changed to ‘diameter,’ “from 1/2 to 1 inch in
diameter”
Page 169, ‘certerboard’ changed to ‘centerboard,’ “and the centerboard
should be”
End of Project Gutenberg's The Book of the Sailboat, by A. Hyatt Verrill