Hi Welsh druid, interested in your response. All of my full size sailing has been in relatively modern fin keeled yachts. The biggest was a Moody 425, not mine, but I used to crew when possible for a friend. But then 30foot+, cats, down to dinghies and the sea scouts etc.
I am especially interested in your comments about long keel boats as I am near finishing a boat based on the Grand Banks Schooner Hull and as I have modified the hull (increased depth and added more topsides) I was concerned about the balance of the boat.
I shall have a spare jib ready but won't worry about it. So thanks on that score.
David Abbot showed me the Moonbeam he has built for Model Boats magazine, and also the way the rigging does stay with the boat. I have several sailing boats and now make up separate sail boxes, this helps with storage and transport and protects any fragile parts. This is especially needed for my 1 : 35 scale J class yacht. So that is where I was coming from on that point.
I will not be building Moonbeam as I have a genuine pond yacht from about 1904 or so to restore for my own use.
This is a plank on frame model with many screws and nails holding the planks onto the frames. She is a tad smaller than Moonbeam, but otherwise very similar. She has a keel mounted mast and is gaff rigged as per Moonbeam. She is in need of lots of TLC and I am caught between restoring her just to the Braine steering or to give her a scale appearance with R.C. Of course the Moonbeam deck treatment does appeal or possibly that of a Pilot Cutter.
I attach a picture of her so that you can see what she looks like. The 100 years is the opinion of the Chairman of the Vintage model yacht group. I thought she was from the 1930's but he said she was older, having been through a previous refit.
It is not that apparent where the mast stays / shrouds were mounted hence my particular interest in the way Moonbeam is fitted out, as I cannot fit a backstay for the same reasons. Although the mast is keel mounted the mast deck cut out is oval and offers no support, but here I am more concerned about water getting in!
Always open to ideas on this point.
So no Moonbeam for me but very interested in the genre.
regards Roy