model sailboat masts

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Guide to masts, yards & booms on model ships.

• Updated on: 18th January 2021
• Written by Gary Renshaw

In this post we will be considering the various masts and yards used on a wooden period model ship and their fittings. We will also examine techniques to taper the masts and yards.

It is important to construct the masts and yards and attach all the associated fittings to your model. This will make the whole assembly process easier. 

The masts on smaller vessels were one piece or made up of two sections the lower mast and the topmast. In larger vessels, the masts were made up of three sections— lower mast, topmast and topgallant mast.

On real ships, the masts were made from multiple pieces of timber that were shaped to be interlocked together which provided great strength in the mast. 

In modelling, the different mast sections are made from a single length of dowel. The dowel commonly used for masts and yards is usually either Ramin, birch, walnut or mahogany. 

Where the respective mast sections are joined caps and cross trees and trestles are used the attach the mast sections together. 

The lower mast rose to the trestle trees and cross trees on which was mounted the top. The top was a platform for various gear on which the crew worked. The trestle trees supported the heel of the topmast which rose through the cap of the lower mast. 

The section where the lower mast and the top mast overlapped was called the doublings.

Above the topmast was rigged the topgallant mast. For larger vessels the next higher mast was the royal mast, then the sky sail mast and finally, for the largest of 19th century ships was the moon sail mast. 

In this chapter, we will limit our discussion to the three masts presented in Figure 1. 

The front and side elevations of the mast sections are identified in Figure 1.

It is most important to assemble the masts and fit all eye pins and blocks before fixing the mast to the model. The location of all eye pins and blocks on the masts will be presented on the plans in the kit. 

Each of the parts is presented in more detail below.

Mast Structures

Trestle trees & cross trees.

Trestle trees are two strong bars of timber fixed horizontally fore-and-aft on each side of the lower masthead, to support the topmast, lower cross-trees, and mast top. Smaller trestle trees are fitted on the topmast head to support the topgallant mast and topmast cross-trees.

The Cap was a strong thick block of wood with two large holes through it, one square and the other round. The cap was used to confine two masts together when one is erected at the head of the other in order to lengthen it.

Mast cheeks were fitted fore-and-aft either side of the lower masthead. The trestle trees rested on the top of the mast cheeks.

Wooldlings  

Woodlings were iron hoops or heavy rope lashings to reinforce the mast.

Strengtheners (or fish)  

Strengtheners were lengths of timber lashed to three sides of the mast to give added strength and flexibility to the mast. 

Masts on Vessels

Sailing vessels had from one to several masts. Generally though the wooden model ship kits you will most commonly encounter will one, two or three masts. The bowsprit on a vessel is another form of mast projecting out from the bow of the vessel. Bowsprits will be dealt with separately later in this chapter. For a vessel with one mast the mast was simply called the Mast

For a vessel with two masts—starting from the bow they are called Fore Mast and Main Mast. The main mast is always the taller.

For a vessel with three masts—starting from the bow they are called Fore Mast, Main Mast and Mizzen Mast. The mizzen mast is always the shortest mast.

The bowsprit on a vessel is another form of mast projecting almost horizontally out from the bow. On small vessels the bowsprit was a single length of timber. On larger vessels there were extensions to the bowsprit called the jib-boom and flying jib-boom. The various extensions to the bowsprit were joined by a cap and rope gammoning.

The bowsprit was used to support a range of rigging which will be discussed in the Rigging chapter.

On some vessels a small yard called the Spritsail Yard was attached to the underside of the bowsprit.

Also on some vessels a short gaff-shaped spar is fixed perpendicularly under the cap of the bowsprit. This is called the Martingale or Dolphin Striker. It is used to guy the jib-boom in place.

Yard Identification

A yard is a long cylindrical length of timber suspended from the mast of a vessel to spread a sail.

The yards were named according to where they were attached to the mast. For example:

• The yard attached to the lower mast was named the Yard.
• The yard attached to the top mast was named the Top Yard.
• The yard attached to the topgallant mast was named the Topgallant Yard.
• For larger vessels the higher yards were named accordingly.

Then the yards were further named according to the mast to which they were attached. For example the yards on the foremast of the vessel in Photo 5 were named Fore Yard, Fore Top Yard and Fore Topgallant Yard.

Yards on the main mast were named Main Yard, Main Top Yard and Main Topgallant Yard.

A yard was fitted with a range of parts. These are presented in Figure 5 along with their respective purpose.

Block: Used as part of running rigging to adjust the angle of the yard.

Jeer Blocks: Larger blocks used to raise the yard. Smaller yards may have one block.

Pendant & Block: Used as part of the running rigging to adjust the angle of the yard.

Foot Rope Stirrup & Foot Rope: Stirrup used to support the foot rope. Sailors would use the foot rope for support as they moved along the yard to furl or unfurl the sail. The foot ropes were always left slack.

Studding sail yard Studding sail yard: Used to extend beyond the yard end and have the studding sails attached. Studding sails were used in fair weather to add additional sail area to the vessel.

Refer to your kit plans to determine the dowel size and length for each yard. Shape accordingly and fit all the parts to each mast.

Boom and Gaff

The boom and gaff replace yards on fore-and-aft rigged sails. For a schooner, the boom and gaff hold the fore and mainsails. For a square rigged vessel the boom and gaff support the driver sail.

The boom and gaff are often tapered at one end only. The boom and gaff are secured to the mast by a yoke. The jaw of the yoke encircles approximately half the circumference of the mast and are secured by the use of parrel beads tied at each end of the yoke jaws.

Tapering Masts, Yards and Booms 

In a wooden model ship kit you will be supplied with dowels of various diameter to make these parts. The dowel commonly used for masts and yards is usually either, ramin, birch, walnut or mahogany.

Check your dowels for straightness . Sometimes you may find a length of dowel has warped in which case it will need to be replaced.

In your set of kit plans you will find drawings with all the dimensions for the respective lengths of masts and yards. Be careful with these drawings as sometimes they are not to scale. The drawings will always identify the name of the item, its length and the relevant diameter at each end.

The dowels in a kit are very rarely pre-cut to their required lengths. So It is most important that for a particular diameter dowel you identify all the items that have to be cut from the lengths provided in the kit. Sometimes in a kit you will have more than one length of dowel of the same diameter but it will be of different lengths. If you are not careful when cutting your mast or yard lengths from this diameter dowel you may find yourself short. To avoid the chance of this happening use a pencil to mark out on the dowel the lengths to be cut. Only when you are sure you will be able to make all the parts required from the stock of dowel supplied will you then cut your dowel lengths.

The masts and yards have to be tapered. There are a number of ways to taper the masts and yards

The ideal way to taper the dowels is to use a lathe. This however is an expensive option. If you do choose to use a lathe it is most important to follow the lathe manufacturer’s safety instructions at all times, wear a safety face mask or safety glasses, ear protection and make sure any long hair is tied safely back and loose clothing is made secure.

A less expensive alternative to the lathe is to use a variable speed pistol drill placed in a bench vice. Make sure to set the drill speed at mid-range. The same lathe safety principles apply to using this method. 

When using a lathe to taper your dowels first use a flat file followed by medium grade sandpaper. Continually stop the lathe and use a vernier caliper to take measurements . Use the sandpaper to make fine adjustments to the required diameter. Finally use a fine grade sandpaper to finish off the dowel.

A simple and cost effective way to taper the dowels is to use a mini plane. By continually applying the plane to the dowel to create a number of flat sides and then using a coarse sandpaper to finish the tapering an excellent job can be achieved. Continually checking the diameter with a vernier calliper and finishing off with a fine grade sandpaper will ensure the correct diameters are achieved.

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SOME Testimonials

Thank you for the BB3 booklet - a mine of information.

Thank you for such excellent service again, quality goods sent at lightning speed. A credit to how things should be done.

I had various recommendations of who to get sails from but the other day I saw a yacht with your sails and it just shone out, the shape looked beautiful, so I decided there and then to contact you.

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I live on the coast of NSW in Australia. Some time ago I bought Spirit No.2751 (the one featured on your site). I am currently racing the boat here in Australia in several IOM fleets. The elliptical rudder works perfectly and the boat is at full potential now, points higher than the TS2 and the Topiko. Neither are faster off the wind.... Thanks for a great boat, I have never felt another IOM that glides to windward like the Spirit 3. All your efforts are appreciated here.

I just wanted to say a really big thank you for the lovely suit of Dacron Heritage (sewn) sails you have made for my vintage 4 foot model J Class sloop. I have put the sails on the spars and they look superb! They are beautifully made as I expected them to be, but in all fairness it is actually better than I had even hoped for.

Sails have arrived safely and look fantastic. Very many thanks.

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Hi Frank thanks for another great (sail) job.

Thank you for your most attentive service, my best regards.

Dear Frank, the sails arrived safely on time, as promised. Superb quality and workmanship, as ever.

more comments from satisfied customers

Just a quick email to let you know the J class sails arrived in perfect condition and look amazing. I will of course send you some pictures when the boat is finished.

Hi Frank. The sails arrived today - they look great. I very much look forward to getting them rigged and tried out. I've already taken trophies with the sails you made for my 10 rater so hoping for more of the same.

The (Seawind) sails have arrived, the only thing I can say is - WOW. What a difference compared with the standard sails.

Absolutely magnificent (cotton) sails!

Congratulations for your sails! They look perfect and the belly looks fine and regular. Many thanks for the high quality of your work.

Many thanks for the most efficient service.

Sails received with thanks. You are a true craftsman.

Looking forwards to receiving the (Mascotte) sails, your workmanship always gives me pleasure.

Many thanks for the first class service you always give, items arrived this morning so that's my bank holiday weekend sorted!

Sails arrived this morning, superb as usual, thanks again.

Beautiful suit of sails arrived safe this morning, thank you.

Hello Frank, the sails arrived yesterday and are super thanks. I attach a photo of them fitted to my yacht.

Thanks for the BEAUTIFUL (cotton) SAILS which arrived today. What fantastic work. Amazing. Well worth the wait! I've fitted the sails to the spars. Fantastic. My goodness you are a skilled and talented man. I saw the shape you had made before fitting and understood why you did so, but only when rigged did it all make sense. Amazing. And those tiny brass eyelets... I took the yacht to my sister this morning. What a thing of beauty, was the unanimous cry. Forgot to get a picture for you in all the excitement... watch this space. I am so grateful to you, and will be coming back for more!

Thanks for your great service and friendly advice.

Order arrived this morning (next day), all OK, excellent service.

Just arrived, perfect delivery! Thank you Frank, and have a nice Weekend!

Many thanks for the prompt reply (directing me to the price list). Lots of goodies there!

The items arrived in the post today, all Ok. Thank you for the quick and excellent service, its nice to know that small orders like mine are given the same service as larger orders.

Hi Frank, (cotton) sails have arrived, they are perfect, you did a lovely job, will send you a pic when on the boat.

Just received my glorious suit! Magnificent! The tablings..... marvellous!!!... the stitching lines, the overall shape, every detail, all very beautiful indeed! I can't tell you how delighted I am. You must understand, the wind has always held a magical place in my heart and the thin membrane with which we apply our feeble human attempts to have it do our way over an equally mysterious sea..... alchemy indeed. I hold this suit in my hands and it all comes alive again. You sir, are a Wizard of Dacron. Thank you for your brilliant work, I raise a glass to you Sir,

Really thanks again for your great products and service!

The sails arrived safely yesterday and look amazing. I am very pleased with the result and they will make the yacht look smarter than she has ever done.

Hello Frank. Thank you for all your help, the sails, mast and fittings are all first class and Starlet is sailing beautifully.

Amazing. I wish all British businesses ran on your lines!

Hi Frank, sails (Nottingham J) arived safely this morning, very pleased, they are very well made and look beautiful. Merry Christmas.

Thanks Frank, wonderful service.

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By DaveBaxt February 21, 2021 in Masting, rigging and sails

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I have almost at the point of starting on the rigging and have been reading lots of conflicting information on how to go about this. As some of you have been helping me you already know I am building the Bounty by Amati and I have been following a set of videos for guidence but not always. I understand form what I have read both on line and in books it is the standing rigging to do first. However when breaking that down again is it the lower shrouds first then the forward stays or the other way around or does it not matter? I have also noticed on the Amati video just about everything is attached to the masts including the shrouds prior to fitting the masts to the ship.Now although this makes a bit of sense to me( easier access) it all looks a bit messy). On other videos and information I have received it is the opposite approach whereby the masts are fitted with the blocks etc, then the masts are fitted to the ship before the shrouds are fitted. Although I have what seems like a million more question I will ask one more if I may. Is the sprit mast the first mast to be fitted ,in order to fit the fore mast stays? Thank you again for all your help best regards Dave

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021  Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

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Not sure which lines are appropriate for Bounty, but the general order  would be

Burton Pendants

Shrouds, starting with starboard pair, then port pair, then starboard, etc

Swifter Stbd, (if odd number of shrouds eye spliced)

Swifter port (if odd number of shrouds eye spliced)

Breast back stay eye spliced stbd

Breast back stay eye spliced port

standing back stay stbd

standing backstay port

fore topmast preventer stay

fore topmast stay

These go on after the trestle trees, cross trees, bolsters, cheeks etc are assembled and before the topmasts are put in place.  They can be done before the mast is stepped but I have never had a problem rigging these after the lower mast is stepped.

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2 hours ago, allanyed said: Not sure which lines are appropriate for Bounty, but the general order  would be Burton Pendants Shrouds, starting with starboard pair, then port pair, then starboard, etc Swifter Stbd, (if odd number of shrouds eye spliced) Swifter port (if odd number of shrouds eye spliced) Breast back stay eye spliced stbd Breast back stay eye spliced port standing back stay stbd standing backstay port fore topmast preventer stay fore topmast stay These go on after the trestle trees, cross trees, bolsters, cheeks etc are assembled and before the topmasts are put in place.  They can be done before the mast is stepped but I have never had a problem rigging these after the lower mast is stepped.    

Allan Thanks once again for your replies Most of which I had to look up , although some of them I have heard of, I didn,t know what they are for, so I have had to do a little research to find out what they are. Neither the Burton pendants or the Breast back stays are shown on the Kit drawings.However the Swifter shrouds will be required as there are an odd number of shrouds on all the masts. So does that mean a splice for each port & stbd rather than a loop with a splice in the middle ie one line for both ? Hope this makes sense. There are two back stays for the fore and main mast and one for the mizzen and all have smaller dead eyes . I cannot see anything on the drawings regarding the Breast back stays I am assuming these are in line and outside of the shrouds. Does this  mean the drawings are incorrect or have they omitted them for some reason or is that I just can,t find them? Hoping I am not getting mixed up. Best regards Dave

I agree with Allan and the order of fitting the standing rigging over the mast head.  Also, the order of setting them up (tightening) the stays, shrouds, and backstays needs to be considered.

You will need to step the bowsprit and at the very least rig and set up the bob stays for the bowsprit.  This will allow you to set up the fore stay.  I set up the fore stay first using a temporary back stay belayed somewhere aft on the ship. This allows me to fix the mast rake at the proper angle. Then I set up the shrouds and backstays, working in pairs alternating port and starboard.

I generally work from forward to aft, setting up the lower masts. I also fit the yards on each mast as I go. Then I move on to the topmasts, again forward to aft. I find that setting up the lower masts first gives me a good stable 'base' for aligning and setting up the upper masts.

The only draw back to this method is that you have to get comfortable with the amount of rigging that is inevitably going to be hanging from the mast before you get to the running rigging. I estimate the lengths of running rigging needed for each line before attaching it to the yards and sails and coil it up into a hank that hangs from the yard until needed. Again, I assemble everything, sails, blocks, rigging, etc. on the yard prior to crossing the yard on its mast. And I hoist and cross the yards on their respective masts before I even step the next higher mast.

I have to say, this method is not what everyone does.  Each modeler finds the rigging method they feel most comfortable with.

• mtaylor and allanyed

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Current Build:  Le Soleil Royal

Completed Build :  Amerigo Vespucci

Dave,  The list I gave is if all of these lines are on the ship.  Sorry, but I really  have no idea which of these would be on a collier, be it as merchant built or converted to RN service so I cannot say if the kit drawings are correct or not.  If anyone here at MSW knows for sure that would be great, but it may come down to trust that the Amati folks did a thorough research into the rigging that is likely to have been used, including block and line sizes, and so forth.  Two of the things that seems to stand out for some  kits are that the blocks looking nothing like they really looked and belaying pins that are larger than bowling ten pins if they were full scale.    I don't know if that is the case for Amati kits but maybe something to check before installing.

I always rig the backstays last so I can tighten everything up.

Damn the Torpedoes , Full speed ahead.   Adm David Farragut.

I suppose the swifters could have a cut splice or individual eye splices, but Lees states that each swifter, which would be the aft most shroud, would have an eye splice (page 42 of Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War).   Also note that the ratlines do not necessarily extend aft to the swifter.  If she was rigged as other naval vessels, after 1773 the first six rat ratlines and the upper six start from the second shroud from forward and finished at the second shroud from aft, not extending to the swifter.  (Page 44) 

Thankyou everyone for all your answers. There is a lots of information to digest which hopefully will continue to shine some loght. Thank you Allan for clearing that up regarding the swifter and the ratlines. No doubt I will have numerous additional questions as I proceed and If I may can add them to this forum. I would also like to thank Jim and Popeye too for their input all of which is helping me a great deal. Best regards Dave. 

Now to put it all into practice? Best regards Dave. 

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Making Sails for Model Ships

December 3, 2017

On my Model Shipways Bluenose build , I debated whether or not to make the sails.  Many (most?) ship models do not include full sails.  The Model Shipways kit was designed with sails, and includes the sail cloth as part of the kit.  The inclusion of sails was actually one of the factors that led me to select this kit for my second build.

With the booms and gaffs rigged and installed, I would basically be finished with the build if I omit the sails.  The remaining rigging is all attached to sails, so I’d leave it off if I didn’t include sails.  However, the sails really do add something to the model, especially for a schooner like this.

So, I decided to make sails.  I’ve never made sails before, so this will be a learning experience.  Here’s how I ended up doing it…

Choosing How Sails are Displayed

An important decision to make before you start is how you’ll be displaying sails.  There are three different ways you can go:

• For Display

(I made those last two names up).

Furled sails are sails that are lowered.  Many modelers choose to do furled sails on their ships.  The advantage is that the sails don’t cover everything up and make a model look like a bunch of cloth.  When doing furled sails, you typically don’t make the full sail, instead making smaller version.  The sail is put in place, but is bunched up and tied to the appropriate boom or gaff.

Realistic sails try to show the sails rigged and set as they would be while the ship is actually at sea.  Ships adjusted their sails depending on the situation.  In most cases, some sails would be raised while others would be lowered.  Some sails might be set off to one side.  Realistic sails would try to show the ship in some kind of ‘real’ sailing state.

Making sails simply ‘for display’ is what I’m doing.  I’m making all the sails, and installing them all in their raised state.  I’m not going to set any sails off to the sides – everything is just going to be installed straight and even.  You’d probably never see a ship at sea actually set like this, but I think it works well for a model.

When to Make Sails

From what I can tell, the general practice is to make the sails  before rigging and installing the booms and gaffs.  Several of the sails need to be laced onto the booms and gaffs, and that is nearly impossible to do directly on the ship.

The standard process seems to be:

• Build the booms and gaffs.
• Make the sails based on the plans.
• Attach sails to the booms and gaffs as appropriate.
• Install and rig the booms and gaffs.
• Add the additional rigging for each sail.

I’m not confident that all my booms and gaffs are 100% accurately sized, and I suspect that the dimensions of my sails might need to be adjusted to fit my particular ship.  So, I intentionally put off making sails until I had installed all the booms and gaffs.

Once I had everything installed on the ship, I could make templates for the sails that take into account both the plans and the size/shape of my actual build.

Of course, this means that I had a bunch of rigging for the booms and gaffs that would need to be un-done so the booms and gaffs could be removed.  That was fine with me, because I had avoided the use of glue when securing the rigging.  Everything was either tied off (easy to un-tie), or attached with a hook or shackle (easy to remove).

So, my process is:

• Build the booms and gaffs .
• Install and rig the booms and gaffs .
• Make the sails based on the actual layout of my ship.
• De-rig the booms and gaffs, and remove them from the ship.
• Re-install the booms and gaffs, and their rigging.

For me, this approach (while more work) has several advantages:

• Initially, I’m able to focus on getting the booms and gaffs properly installed and rigged, without the sails getting in the way.
• I can start with sail templates based on the plans, and adjust as necessary to fit the exact size/shape of my ship.
• Once sails are ready to install, I can quickly get them rigged without spending any time on the other rigging for the booms and gaffs, since those runs are already done and just need to be re-tied/attached.

Paper Templates

Making the actual sails starts with making paper templates.  Some of the sails were too big to use normal paper, so I picked up a roll of white craft paper.

For each sail, I took a piece of paper and laid it over the plans.  I marked the corners of the sail, then used a ruler to draw lines between the marks, giving me the outline of the sail.  Some sails have curves that I had to hand-draw.

Once the shape was laid out on the paper, I cut the paper to shape.

A paper template for the jib sail.

Next I positioned the paper template on the actual ship in the correct spot.  I took note of anything that didn’t fit just right, and adjusted the template as necessary.  Some sails needed to be made slightly smaller, while some had to be made slightly larger.

To help me visualize the sail, I also marked where the hems on the edges will go, along with any other key elements of the sail.  For the edge hems, I’ll be folding the fabric over and sewing it.  I’ll be shooting for a 1/16″ hem, so I used that size for the markings on the template.

The actual sails on the ship were made from strips of cloth, not one big piece.  To simulate this, I’ll just be sewing lines onto the cloth.  For some of the sails, I went ahead and marked these lines on the template since they need to be oriented correctly according to the plans.

The main and fore sails also have  reef bands , which run horizontally along the lower portion of the sail.  These were marked as well.

Preparing the Sail Cloth

Once I was satisfied with the template, I got out the sail cloth.  Model Shipways includes sail cloth with the kit.  This cloth is a medium weight cotton cloth in an off-white color.  The kit includes enough to make all the sails, assuming you get everything right on the first try.  I knew that wasn’t going to work, so I ordered two more packages of sail cloth from them.  It was relatively inexpensive – about $7 for each package of cloth.

Sails on a ship were rarely bright white.  I’ve seen that many modelers will dye their sail cloth to get a desired shade.  There are many tricks for this, like dipping the material in coffee.  I felt that the off-white color of the Model Shipways cloth was fine, so I didn’t dye my cloth.

If you’re wanting to use other sail cloth, look for something lightweight.  Almost all fabric is going to be too thick and out of scale, so just do the best you can.  I actually used some fabric from a local hobby store for a few ‘test runs’, and learned a few things.  Look for fabric with a tight knit, so the fabric doesn’t start to come apart as you cut it.  Also look for something without too much stretch, as stretchy fabric can distort the shape of the sails as you sew them.

Ideally, you want to wash, dry, and iron the sail cloth before you start.  Most fabric will shrink a little during this process, so you want this out of the way before you start cutting things to size.  Doing this will also release any wrinkles in the fabric.  (I was too excited to get started, and didn’t do this.)

Once you’ve got your fabric ready and your template sized, you’re ready to cut some fabric.

I used a fabric marker to do all the markings on the fabric.  I picked this up at a local hobby store in the sewing section for a couple dollars.  This marker uses special ink that disappears as it evaporates.  This means I can draw all over the fabric, and within a few hours the ink is gone.  I found this to give much better results than using a pencil and trying to erase markings.

The paper template is used to mark up the fabric being used for the sail.

A note on marking fabric…since I’m going to be folding over the edges of the sail to create hems, one side of the sail is going to look better than the other.  Often, you pick a ‘display side’ of the ship, and put ugly stuff (like the worse sail side) so it isn’t visible from the display side.  I found that with the way I was marking, folding, and sewing the cloth, I wanted the markings on the display side.  Making sure I marked the display side ensured that I as I worked I ended up with all the ugly stuff on the back.

First the outline of the sail is marked on the fabric.  Be sure to leave extra space on all sides outside of the sail.

A second outline is made 1/16″  outside of the first outline.  This is the hem that I want to end up with on the finished sail.

A third outline is made 1/2″  outside of the second outline.  This one doesn’t have to be perfect…this is just a guide for cutting the fabric.

You can also mark the reef lines and strips at this point if desired.  I typically didn’t mark the strips, since I was able to position those accurately using my sewing machine.

The fabric is trimmed, leaving excess material around the edges.

Once everything is marked, I cut the fabric along the outer-most outline.  I used a rotary cutter (like a pizza cutter), which gave much better results than scissors.

To make sails you have to do a lot of sewing.  I have no experience sewing.  Doing all this by hand with a needle and thread was not practical, so I bought a cheap little ‘hobby’ sewing machine.  That machine was junk, and broke within the first 20 minutes.  Since I’m hoping to keep this hobby going for a few decades, I decided to go ahead and invest in a real sewing machine.

At my local hobby store, the staff helped me select a good quality machine.  I got it for under $200.  The advantages of a real machine include:

• It won’t jam.
• Variable speeds.
• Selectable stitch length and width (critical for trying to get the stitching remotely close to ‘scale’).
• Many different computer-controlled stitch types, so you can do more than just a simple straight stitch.  This would end up making the reef bands much better.

It took me a few hours to get the hang of using the machine, but my skill level increased quickly.  While I certainly couldn’t sew a shirt or a pair of pants, by the second or third sail I was flying along like a pro.

Since you’ll be sewing, you’ll need thread.  There are three main considerations with the thread.

First is the color.  This is a matter of personal preference.  I’ve seen some models where the stitching on the sails was very high-contrast (dark brown thread on white cloth).  I’ve also seen some where the thread was the same color as the cloth.  I felt like the stitching shouldn’t stand out  too much , and I wanted to rely on the texture of the thread to define the lines rather than the color.  So, I went with a ‘natural’ color thread that ended up being really close to the color of the cloth.

The second consideration is the thread material.  A hobby store will likely have hundreds of different kinds of thread.  There are synthetic materials and natural materials.  I went with a cotton thread.  Why?  No really good reason except that all my rigging lines are cotton and the sail cloth is cotton, so it seemed like a good idea.

The final consideration is quantity.  I have no idea how to predict the amount of thread that will be needed (there may be some ‘trick’ to it that the pros know).  Initially I bought one spool of the thread.  That only made two sails.  When I went back to by more, they were out of that exact thread, so I had to order more online.  That caused a week delay in making sails.  Obviously you wan the thread to be the same on all the sails, so buy a lot of  the same thread up front.  Thread is cheap, and it is better to have some leftover than to run out.

Sewing the Edges

On to sewing.

The first step is to sew the hems on the edges.  I start with the longest edge first, then do the opposite edge, continuing on until all edges are sewn.  The cloth is folded over at the first outline (the line that defines the actual edge of the sail) and pinned into place.  The 1/16″ line that indicates the edge of the hem should be inside the sail.  Since the cloth was cut 1/2″ past that line (on that third outline), there is some extra material here that makes pinning easier.  I’ll cut that off later.

The edges are folded over to create a hem and pinned in place.

The hem is sewn on the edge.

The cloth then goes into the machine and gets stitched up.  I used the machine’s reverse feature to double-stitch the first couple stitches to secure the thread, then just ran a straight stitch down the edge, staying between the edge of the sail and the 1/16″ hem marking.  I used a small stitch length so things weren’t  too out of scale.

My machine lets me set the position of the needle, allowing me to get really close to the edge.

Once the stitch was complete, the extra thread was clipped off.  I used a pair of sharp scissors to carefully cut off the extra cloth along the 1/16″ hem line.

A completed edge hem, about 1/16″ wide.

This was repeated for each edge.

Two edges meet in a corner.

Adding ‘Strips’

To simulate the strips of material, some modelers simply draw lines on the cloth.  I decided to run a stitch for each strip instead.  It is more work, but it goes pretty fast

The ‘strips’ of sail sail cloth are simulated with stitches.  Each sail has a unique strip layout shown on the plans.

The width of the strips is indicated on the plans, as well as the layout of the strips.  It turned out that the width of the strips matched with space between the needle on my sewing machine and the edge of the ‘foot’.  So I didn’t need to mark the strips on the fabric – I just positioned the fabric under the foot and ran the material through the machine.

Reef Bands and Points

The large lower sails (main sail and fore sail) have  reef bands .  These are horizontal bands across the sails.  My sewing machine has a setting that creates a stitch that looks like a ladder (or railroad tracks?).  I adjusted the stitch length and width to get the desired size, then ran this stitch across the sail to create the reef bands.

I ran this right  over the strip lines.  This is easier than doing the reef bands first and trying to start/stop the strip lines at the bands, and you can’t really tell the difference.

Reef bands were sewn in using a different stitch pattern on my machine.

At each point where a strip line crosses the reef band, there is a short rope that goes through the sail.  These ropes were used to secure the sail when it was lowered and bundled up.  I cut a bunch of 1″ long pieces of 0.008″ tan rigging line and punched them through at the appropriate spots.  I used a small bit of fabric glue on each side to keep these ropes flat against the sail instead of sticking out.

Corner Attachment Points

The sails typically have rigging lines attached to the corners of the sails.  This means you need something in each corner to attach a rigging line to.  From my research, it looks like most sails had a rope that ran around the outside edge of the sail, and that rope would form an eye at the sail corners to create the attachment points.

I decided not to add this rope.  I wasn’t confident I could make it look good, and I thought the tan line would stand out too much.

So, I simply sewed brass rings (made from wire) into each corner.  This was done manually with a needle and thread.

Anchor points in the corners were made from brass wire and sewn in.

Finishing Up

Once everything is sewn and I’m happy with the results, there are a few final steps.

I do a final pass to trim anything that looks bad (edges of hems, loose threads, etc.).

After all my disappearing fabric markings have evaporated and disappeared, I iron the sail to flatten it out and remove any remaining wrinkles.

Finally, I use some fabric glue along any exposed fabric edges (like the hems) to keep them from fraying.  I also use a little fabric glue on the ends of stitches to ensure they don’t come loose.

Then the sail is ready to install!

A few completed sails on the ship.

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Aluminium Mast Heel

T37 Carbon Fiber Mast

The Carbon Fiber Mast is an optional upgrade from the standard wooden mast supplied with your T37 RC Sailboat. Both masts work equally well, but the Carbon Fiber Mast is preferred for racing your model sailboat. The benefit of the Carbon Fiber Mast is that it is stronger than the wooden mast and will not bend in strong winds like the wooden mast may. 

This mast is only needed if you are purchasing a standard T37 RC Boat Kit or the Retrofit Kit for the T37 Remote Controlled Boat . The Carbon Fiber Mast is already supplied with the T37 Racing Upgrade RC Sailboat .  

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