Two Bluenoses are better than one

Most ship modelers are familiar with the famous fishing schooner Bluenose built in 1920 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It served in the Atlantic banks fishing fleet for nearly 20 seasons, and it also won six competitions for the International Fisherman's trophy. It was sold in 1942 to the West Indian Trading Co., and after spending four years as a freighter, the Bluenose was wrecked on a reef near Haiti in January 1946. Static model kits of the schooner have been produced by many manufacturers over the years and are still available today.

In 1963, an exact replica of Bluenose was built by Smith and Rhuland, the shipyard that built the original-and from the original plans; some of the same craftsmen helped to construct the new boat. The Bluenose II was originally owned by the brewing firm of Oland and Sons and used to promote their product, Schooner Beer. In 1971, it was sold to the province of Nova Scotia, and today it serves as an ambassador for both Canada and Nova Scotia at many international events and in many ports.

About seven years ago, my friend Tom Pratt scratch-built a fabulous 1/24-scale model of the original Bluenose, complete with radio control. The project took about two years, and the model is the best one I have ever seen of the boat. The hull is cedar-planked, and virtually every detail of the real boat is there. It turned out to be a bit too delicate, however, and Tom has never put it in the water; so Tom and his brother Dick decided to build two identical models of the Bluenose II to the same 1/24 scale. These models have sturdy fiberglass hulls and are capable of withstanding the rigors of RC sailing, transportion and handling. The project took another two years and consumed 1,000 to 1,500 hours. First, they made the wooden plug from which the two identical fiberglass hulls were produced. Each hull is in two halves that are joined at the keel. These are large moldings, about 89 inches long, and they're made with four layers of 7ounce fiberglass cloth plus a gelcoat. The finished wall thickness is about 1/8 inch. They had to make a special router tool with a carbide bit to cut out the scupper openings on the bulwarks. They then added the deck beams made of 3/16-inch white oak and planked the decks with individual wood strips. All of the deckhouses and structures are varnished natural wood. As these were to be sailing models, it was decided for practical reasons not to detail them as much as Tom's original model.

Four-channel Airtronics radios are used in each of the two models. The rudder takes care of one channel, and the other three channels are used for the sail controls. One sail servo controls the mainsail and main topsail while another is used on the foresail and fore gaff topsail. These two servos are wired with a Y-harness so that one channel operates them simultaneously. The jib and jib topsail require another servo while the jumbo jib uses still another. The brothers designed special rigging to allow the heel of the jumbo jib to be flipped over the jibstay when the boat comes about. The mainmast measures 63 ½ inches high from the deck, while the shorter foremast measures 56½ inches. The total sail area of each model is 2,584 square inches. With that immense sail area, both models required a bit of extra ballast in the form of external fins with 7-pound bulbs that extend about 6 inches below the hulls.

As I've said before, the bigger the model, the more realistic it looks and performs on the water. These two craft are no exception: they look spectacular under way. Neither model has auxiliary power; the wind is their only source of propulsion. The 45-pound models move through the water with a majestic beauty that only a sailing vessel can have. The models are no slouches when it comes to speed, either. The original full-size Bluenose won every race in which it participated. The ease with which these models can be maneuvered is a credit to the engineering and craftsmanship of their builders.

These projects aren't typical of the average boat modeler. Until retirement, Tom and Dick Pratt were engineers by profession. Tom has been a lifelong modeler, while Dick became active in the hobby only after he retired. Tom was also a machinist and is actively involved with RC aircraft as well as boats and model railroads. He is also an excellent wood craftsman and has restored a full-size Model-T Ford.

I hope that reading about these two fabulous models will provide inspiration to those of you with ambitions of building and sailing larger, more complex models. It can be done!

Bluenose notes

* The Bluenose has graced the Canadian dime since 1937.

* The Bluenose II has the world's largest working mainsail, measuring 4,150 square feet.

* The Oland family sold Bluenose II for $1.

* The Bluenose II can travel at 16 knots.

* A Bluenose II crew consists of 18 people: five officers, a chief cook and 12 deckhands.

* The materials used were: Douglas fir for the masts, booms, gaffs and deck; mahogany for the deck hatches and skylights; and red oak, spruce and pine for the hull.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Apr 2005
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