Masting and Rigging Project - Practicum (Revised)

Some of the most daunting steps in building a sailing ship model are the masting and rigging.  In fact, this is the most common time that a kit is abandoned.  Well done rigging draws oohs and aahs at every model show.  The purpose of this monograph is to teach the novice and intermediate model builder the basics of how to mast and rig a ship.  The subject for this project is a waterline 1:48 scale cross-section of a late eighteenth-century British sloop of war, Swallow 1779.  To keep the size of the model more manageable, only the center portion of the lower yard and the lower part of the topmast are constructed. The overall dimensions of the model are 6.5” x 7.5” x 14”, making it a perfect size for desktop display.   The monograph will teach the model builder how to make a mast and spar from square stock. You will also learn how to construct and install the channels, chains and top.  The mast will be fitted with pendants, shrouds and ratlines.  Because this is a cross-section model, c