The Sailing Rig

The ' Ashley Grey' with her new mast being prepared and fitted. No varnish on it yet, in this photo,

The boat shown fromthe stern. The transom looks dark because of the shade

The mast being fitted , mast partner not seen as I was in process of making it and had to have mast postitioned perfectly before I could make the partner, which is the structure inside the boate that hods the mast up. The base of he mast has a 1'
square tenon thaat fits in a 1" square hole I carved out of the inner part of the stem. It's hrd to see it, because it is so slight, but there is about a 5 degree rake to the mast, meaning it tilts backwards ever so slightly.

Am now getting the components of the sailing rig finished. I chose a Lug rig because of it's simplicity and ease of set up and take down when out in the water. I am using a tung oil based varnish for the mast, boom and spar and will put on 4 or 5 coats, well buffed between coats. This will give these components a lasting, shiny translucent amber colored finish. Then I'll spread out the sail on the floor and begin lacing it to the spar and mast . The halliard will run through a slot at the top of the mast, inside of which is a sheave. The halliard will be attached to the spar at both ends and then wrapped around the mast aided by a thimble . The spar can then be raised or lowered to set or take down the sail. Pictures of this, once complete will make this easier to understand, but it really is quite simple. The rest of the running rigging is just the main sheet system which I'll describe in my next post. Enjoy these latest photos!