Got a start on the Wampum VM Vintage Marblehead RC Sailboat standing rigging this weekend. Can't do it all until after I varnish the deck, but got the mainsail installed and the boom installed, and a few other things. Here is a nice trick... prop your boat's keel up on the floor so that it is perfectly on its side. Then line up the entire rig. Measure where everything will be attached. Mark those spots with sticky notes. Mark the sticky notes exactly where to drill attachment points.  But first, don't be a complete idiot like I was and attempt to install the mainsail backasswards! Gawd... Got my sails from Carr Sails . He does a great job. Here are a few of the things I was able to install today. In this first picture you can see the gooseneck, the boom, and the boom vang. Roger from Model Yacht Fittings hand makes these things and they are works of art. He has complete kit just for Vintage Marblehead boats.  The mast crane is my own creation. You can ...

Most people who make their own wooden mast also choose to make their own booms. Normally you would make them out of spruce and simply mill them to correct dimensions. Some decide to also laminate their booms from two or three individual layers that they’ve milled down on the table saw. In my case, because I have access to a laser cutter and can play around a bit, I decided to make my own “artsy-techno-structural-funky-scifi-ishy” booms out of 1/32” plywood. I ended up with a really funky set of booms, but I like them. Contact me if you want the same booms, but if not, then use your own creativity and imagination to come up with your own design. There are several businesses that will happily laser cut the parts for you. For my latest main boom, we used National Balsa because the laser cutter that I have access to is down. They cut two sheets of plywood for me using my own designs, and they charged $65 (USD, 2018) including materials and shipping. It’s a bit spendy, but if you can s...