• Ships of Scale has incorportated an extra level of security when you log In. Please follow on-screen prompts to acknowledge that you are not a robot via a "Check Box" or a "Pictorial Check Box Puzzle". This is needed due to higher level of AI Activity Security.
  • SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE July/August 2026
  • Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.

USS Constitution 1:70 Scratch

mtbediz1 said:
The mizzen topmast stay and preventer stay are now complete. The stay runs through a bullseye already attached near the top of the main mast and is secured to an eyebolt on the main mast fighting top. The preventer stay passes through another bullseye attached to the main mast and is then set up to an eyebolt at the base of the mast using a pair of bullseyes.

View attachment 608441

View attachment 608442

View attachment 608443

View attachment 608444

View attachment 608445

View attachment 608446

View attachment 608447

View attachment 608451

As you can see in the photo, I didn't leave enough space between the fife rail and the main mast, so the central stay connection is slightly off to the side. I'm adding this here so that other friends building this model don't encounter the same problem in the future.

View attachment 608746
Click to expand...
Magnificent workmanship, stupendous model. cheers.
 
The fore top gallant/royal mast and fore top gallant yard were installed and rigged.

My advice to the guys who will be doing the rigging is this: at this stage, they should leave the external line connections that could make access to the spar deck difficult until the very end. Look at the last photo. The lines on which the clamps are hanged will be connected to their positions in the channels after the connections on the spar deck are completed.

20260630_105019.jpg

20260630_104830.jpg

20260630_104928.jpg

20260630_104925.jpg

20260630_105121.jpg

20260630_105051.jpg

20260630_112933.jpg

20260630_112950.jpg

20260630_113825.jpg

20260630_113917.jpg

20260630_114435.jpg

20260630_114624.jpg

20260630_113302.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hi Mustafa,
I'm at the point where I'm fabricating the irons for the jibbooms. I remembered that you fitted the jibbooms and irons quite a while ago, but intentionally left them off so you could more easily rig the yards. I'm trying to decide if I should follow suit, or glue the irons in before the yards are mounted. I see in your most recent photos, that the inner irons appear on the main yards, but not the foremast. And that the only visible end irons on the main yard seem to be simply dangling there.

1784297795549.png

I would prefer to glue both irons in as I finish making them (for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I don't want to loose them), but I can see that rigging the yard arms might be easier without the end irons fixed in place. Is there a good reason to leave off the inner irons until the yards are on the masts? I think I would prefer to mount the irons with the yards off the masts., but will definitely take your sage advise into account.
 
Last edited:
Der Alte Rentner said:
. Is there a good reason to leave off the inner irons until the yards are on the masts? I think I would prefer to mount the irons with the yards off the masts., but will definitely take your sage advise into account
Click to expand...
Hi Peter. There's absolutely no problem with installing the inner irons now. They won't interfere with anything.
 
Der Alte Rentner said:
I'm very glad to hear that. Thank you very much. It does, however, beg the question. Why are yours not installed?
Click to expand...
There's no particular reason, Peter. I just drilled the necessary holes for the irons in the yards and decided to mount them later. I guess the only reason was that I didn't want the area to be crowded while rigging.
 
I am in the process of installing the pin rails around the mast openings. But before I start gluing stuff down, I reminded myself that that there are some other items like eyebolts fastened on the deck. Now would be a good time to drill holes for them and possibly install them before the deck gets congested, making it more difficult to do later. So here are my questions:
  1. There are a lot of eyebolts painted white and wrapped with white cords. Because you have rigged most of your model, have you use any of those for the standing rigging? I’ve asked myself, why were they painted white? My conclusion was that the eyebolts are a tripping hazard to tourists and this was a way to make them visible without the need for safety signs/equipment which takes away the authentic look of the historic ship…and they look pretty. I may be completely wrong. Did you need or add all those eyebolts to your model? If so, did you paint them white?
  2. The plans show eyebolts next to the bases of the masts. These appear to be needed for the standing rigging. I assume there are some kind of blocks attached here. How are they attached to the deck? Were any stropped directly to the deck eyebolt or were they all hooked? If hooked, I can install the eyebolt now.
Always a pleasure to watch you work your magic!

Jon

Picture10.png

maxresdefault.jpg

Spar Deck.jpg
 
JSGerson said:
I am in the process of installing the pin rails around the mast openings. But before I start gluing stuff down, I reminded myself that that there are some other items like eyebolts fastened on the deck. Now would be a good time to drill holes for them and possibly install them before the deck gets congested, making it more difficult to do later. So here are my questions
Click to expand...
Thanks, Jon.
Yes, the white cords are there to catch tourists' attention and keep them from tripping. I won't be adding them to my model. And I am not painting the eyebolts white.
I'd recommend installing all of the eyebolts before you start the rigging. Almost everything—blocks, bullseyes and other rigging components—is attached to the deck eyebolts with small hooks, so having them all in place beforehand makes the job much easier.
 
Last edited:
Hello Mustafa,
Regarding all the eyebolts in the deck used for rigging, do you have a plan showing all the locations. The BJ instruction manual has a belaying diagram that shows circles where there are supposed to be eyebolts in the deck. There are clearly 4 at the foremast, eight at the mainmast, but the mizzen mast is very unclear. There are several "dots", but I'm not sure if these are supposed to be small circles or what?
Also, there is this photo that you posted above that shows an eyebolt in the middle of the deck near the mizzen mast.
1785102231153.png

Do you know what is attached to that? There is no indication that this should be there in my plan. Lastly, the belaying plan I have does not indicate what is attached to any of these eyebolts. Perhaps it is in the rigging instructions somewhere, but I have not found it yet. Thanks for help
 
g8rfan99 said:
Hello Mustafa,
Regarding all the eyebolts in the deck used for rigging, do you have a plan showing all the locations. The BJ instruction manual has a belaying diagram that shows circles where there are supposed to be eyebolts in the deck. There are clearly 4 at the foremast, eight at the mainmast, but the mizzen mast is very unclear. There are several "dots", but I'm not sure if these are supposed to be small circles or what?
Also, there is this photo that you posted above that shows an eyebolt in the middle of the deck near the mizzen mast.

Do you know what is attached to that? There is no indication that this should be there in my plan. Lastly, the belaying plan I have does not indicate what is attached to any of these eyebolts. Perhaps it is in the rigging instructions somewhere, but I have not found it yet.
Click to expand...
Hey Frank - I am way early in this build process, as you know, so I am trying to learn all of the drawings, locations and "codes", but in his book "All Sails Up and Flying", Olof Eriksen has a belay plan of what he is confident the 1815 version looked like.

BelayPlan-ASUAF1.jpeg
BelayPlan-ASUAF2.jpeg

As you can see from the symbols legend, the spar deck had these eyebolts all down either side of the centerline of the ship. I have been scanning his detail discussions of the belay plans, though and so far, I do not see any mention of lines that fall to these eyebolts in the deck. Plenty of mention, of course, to cleats and pins, but not eyebolts. I'll keep looking, though! Hope this helps a little! I do have the BlueJacket book, as well, and the eyebolt identification around the masts is a bit difficult!

EDIT: I did find one reference to an eyebolt so far. In the MAIN TOPMAST Static Rigged discussion, it states "Fore masthead to eyebolt in deck, aft of foremast - Bely Point 50".
 
Gregg, thanks for sharing. I really wish I could afford a copy of this book. It would be most valuable. I believe the eyebolts down the center that you mentioned are for the out haul tackle for the carronades. I did not plan on putting these in, since I didn't plan on including this tackle. These are not present on the current ship, as I think they are trip hazards for the tourists.
So, what you have provided has both enlightened and puzzled me, mostly in terms of the mizzen mast. In 1812 there was no fife rail here. Instead, there was what was called a spider rail, which went around the mast.
BelayPlan-Olaf1.2.jpg
The BJ kit supplies this with 8 holes (pins) and their belaying plan indicated 8 lines attached. However, Olaf shows this spider rail as having 12 pins, all clearly utilized. Also, several of the lines appear to first go to the eyebolts on deck and then to the pin. I'm not sure what that means?
Lastly, it would be most helpful if you could send me the page that indicates which lines the numbers refer to, as Olaf not only includes the pins, but also the eyebolts. I don't mean to hijack Mustafa's log, so perhaps you could send it to me as a PM, or add it to my log.
 
g8rfan99 said:
Hello Mustafa,
Regarding all the eyebolts in the deck used for rigging, do you have a plan showing all the locations. The BJ instruction manual has a belaying diagram that shows circles where there are supposed to be eyebolts in the deck. There are clearly 4 at the foremast, eight at the mainmast, but the mizzen mast is very unclear. There are several "dots", but I'm not sure if these are supposed to be small circles or what?
Also, there is this photo that you posted above that shows an eyebolt in the middle of the deck near the mizzen mast.
View attachment 621847

Do you know what is attached to that? There is no indication that this should be there in my plan. Lastly, the belaying plan I have does not indicate what is attached to any of these eyebolts. Perhaps it is in the rigging instructions somewhere, but I have not found it yet. Thanks for help
Click to expand...
Frank, I apologize, I'm currently away from my shipyard and my laptop. Therefore, I haven't been able to reply. I hope to be back soon and be able to answer.

I had previously researched and found out where the eyebolt you asked about was connected, but I can't remember it now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top