Standing Rigging

As I said before, sometimes I deviate from the kit instructions and this is one of those times. I begin installing the standing rigging as I install the masts. I like to rig starting from the center of the ship and work outward. This minimizes the possibility of breaking parts and rigging already installed. The lower foremast stays were installed first and I worked my way up the mast. It’s very important to pull the thread just tight enough to remove the slack and not over tighten . Plastic masts bend very easily and over tightening will result in misaligned masts. I also pull each piece of thread through a cake of bees wax before I use it. This will prevent the thread from being affected by moisture in the air and it makes the thread easier to use.
After all the forestays and backstays have been installed on the foremast, and it is aligned as straight as possible, install the shroud / ratlines supplied with the kit. This is where I made a large mistake. While cleaning out old spru trees and plastic bags from my kit box, I managed to throw away the supplied ratlines. Fortunately I have a loom, left over from another kit, and I was able to make replacements.

As each mast was installed I also installed its standing rigging and ratlines.