Build log · Phase 10, Rails and capstan

A mast coat made of cloth

5 October 2021 · How-to

The next little job is the mast coat (or is it the mast heel?). Or mast coats, since there are three of them. In Zu Mondfeld I read that these things consist of separate wedges. That is rather a lot of work, of course, so I trimmed the ring supplied with the kit to simulate separate wedges.

The ring from the kit, trimmed into separate wedges
The ring from the kit, trimmed into separate wedges

In reality, according to Zu Mondfeld, canvas was laid over it and tarred. The individual wedges are then no longer visible, which is why the mast coats on most models are only notched a little. So my ring was no longer correct either. So I ‘borrowed’ some black cloth from the fabric stash at home, stretched it over and glued it down. I never actually see that on other models, but it was fun to try.

The mast coat with the black cloth stretched over it
The mast coat with the black cloth stretched over it

Koos (Jaques) thought it neat, but would paint it a bit brown. Done straight away, and I actually think it is quite a nice detail that turned out better than I expected beforehand. A keeper, then.

The mast coat after painting it brown
The mast coat after painting it brown

Erik B, whom I met in Hillegom, asked whether a mast coat like this was something all British ships of that period had, so perhaps the Bounty too. Honestly, I am not sure. Zu Mondfeld says nothing about it. It seems more like standard practice, but I have not been able to find anything about it in other books.

What Zu Mondfeld writes about the mast wedges and the mast coat
What Zu Mondfeld writes about the mast wedges and the mast coat
The drawing in Zu Mondfeld: on the left the ring of wedges, on the right the mast coat
The drawing in Zu Mondfeld: on the left the ring of wedges, on the right the mast coat

Stephan pointed to a discussion about this in the seventeenth-century taproom (the forum’s ‘gelagkamer’ section), which I had not yet found. Herby63 posted photos of the foremast and mainmast of the Victory, before and after the latest refit. Based on those, and on some other photos I found, I am going to make a second one. See which is nicer. The glue Sjors recommended is working well, by the way; I have already used it on the mast coat too.