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 



e=tt:^ 



WPOUGHT-IRON 

 FILLER 



i 



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 



