Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 89.djvu/957

 Popular Science Monthly

��943

��wound with a generous length of fish line.

Details of the cockpit arc given but this may be made of any size, although the 7-ft. cockpit shown will prove very satisfactory. The flooring is made by fastening spruce boards to the underside of the backbone with ^8 by 23^-in. lag-screws. Around the outside of the flooring, a 5^ -in. combing is screwed. This combing should be 4 in. wide and may be put on in straight pieces by merely mitering the joint as shown, carrying the forward pieces to form a V-shape. Butt-blocks screwed on the inside of the combing at the miter-joint and where the combing butts against the side of the backbone, will make a neat and strong fastening. However, cockpits are made in various shapes, sometimes almost oval and again with rounded corners. If this is desired, the oak board must be thoroughly steamed and clamped in place while hot and moist, otherwise it will be sure to splinter while it is being bent.

As shown in the drawing, two pairs of guy- wires are used to support the runner-plank and keep it at right angles to the backbone. Wire rope J 4 in. in diameter is used. For the forward guys two lengths of wire rope

12 ft. long are required, and two lengths

13 ft. long for the rear guys. In order to set the guys up taut and keep them so a J^-in. turnbuckle is used at the end of each guy where it is secured to the eyebolt in the runner-plank. On the taper of the fore end of the backbone is wedged a 4-eyed band 4 in. in diameter. In the two side eyes fasten one end of the two fore guy- wires. This may be done by making a single hitch knot through the eye and seizing the end to the standing part of the rope with marlin or other strong twine. Another way is to clamp the ends with a metal clip sold at hardware stores as a "wire rope clip." To the other ends of the fore guy-wires, fasten the eye of the turn- buckles and hook the latter into the eye- bolt in the runner-plank. A heavy screw- eye is turned in through the flooring into the backbone 3 ft. from its rear end, and into this the ends of the rear guy-wires are fastened. The other ends of the rear guy- wires are lashed into the eyes of turn- buckles, and the latter hooked into the eyebolt in the runner-plank, in the same way as the fore guy-wires. By screwing up the turnbuckles. a strong and flexible stay is provided for the frame.

It is the usual practice among ice-boat builders, to use a second guy-wire to stay

��the forward part of the backbone. For this an ii-ft. length of }<4-in. wire rope is recjuired. Fasten one end in the lower eye of the band on the fore end of backbone

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��WPOUGHT-IRON FILLER

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���ONE-LYtD BAND 3" -MAST

Details of rudder-runner, tiller, backbone and mast connections and of the mast fittings

and run it to a screweye turned in the center of the runner-plank and up into the backbone. Connect the end to a turn- buckle and set this guy up taut. To keep the wire from the backbone, a V-shaped spreader is employed, as shown in Fig i. This is quickly made from strap-iron by a blacksmith, the length of 6 in. being about right. This spreader is shown in the draw- ing of the fittings.

The mast is isJ^ ft. long, 4}'2 in. in diameter at the base or foot, and tapered up to 3 in. in diameter where the single- eyed band is wedged on for the throat- halyard block, 3J/2 ft. from the top. The remainder of the mast is tapered to 2 in. to the end. Hickory cannot be excelled for mast and spars, and the wood is not difficult to round into shape with a sharp plane. The easiest way to do this is to first plane the mast to the desired taper in the square, then plane off^ the four corners to make it six-sided. Reduce the six corners to make it nine-sided. By planing off again the stick is almost round, and may be scraped smooth with a steel cabinet scraper.

The boom is 18 ft. long, 3}^ in. in diameter in the center, and tapered to 2 '4 in. at the mast end and 2 in. at the other end. The gaff is 8 ft. long, 2} 2 in. in diameter in the center, and tapered to ij^ in. at the mast end, and i}/^ in. at the other end. The jib-boom is 7 ft. long, ij^ in. in the center and tapered to 1J-4 in. at each end. The end of the galT is squared

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