Tag Archives: the reliance project

Configuration Management

There is a lot of effort going on behind the scenes to make sure our RELIANCE is accurate. Boats, especially race boats, change during the season. We chose late August as our configuration date, when RELIANCE was measured and raced for the Cup, since this timeframe is when we had the best pictures. Ours has been a constant battle for configuration management.

For example, NGH’s approved drawing 86-126 (from MIT Hart Collection) shows the original placement of three topmast backstay staples and a trysail staple as shown in picture #1 and as placed on our model as in picture #2. Our visit to the NYYC in NYC last Spring to see their model showed a discrepancy which was confirmed in picture #3 as blown up in #4.

Our metal casting expert, Mike Mirman, then used this picture to created a new fitting, shown in #5.

Sometimes there seems to be a lot of change, but other times there is a lot of work but not much apparent change. This was one of the latter session, but with much progress. The toe rails at the stern have been fabricated and stained and pinned in place. The starboard handrail made and stained and also pinned in place along with accompanying toe rails. Steve has been working on the starboard pin rail and making sure the belaying pins are properly seated. The outboard belaying pins and center eye are actually part of the stanchions and have been tapped, threaded and glued into the deck. Chocks for the spare #2 yard and club stowed on deck were made and the #2 topsail club placed in its resting place. Herb has been gluing up the #2 yard. Meanwhile Mike has been finishing up three large bollards; two of which are seen in photo 4 in front of the hatch and one amidships portside in photo 1. More deck fittings should be arriving over the next weeks.

1. final toe rails in place at stern

2. starboard handrail, pin rail and belaying pins

3. spare yard and club chocks

4. #2 club in its chock

5. #2 yard being glued up

We had another good day on Tuesday! A lot of work and good times. Our Washington State Douglas Fir log arrived. It is huge and really gives us a firm idea of how massive RELIANCE’s 41′ bowsprit really was. Freshly cut, it is still dripping wet and will need to dry out to our ambient humidity levels before we shape it into a 14″ cylinder. (Photos 1, 2 and 3)

We’ve also been making display stands, to dress up accompanying exhibits in our shop and give you additional reasons to visit us – we tell about the big metal-hulled schooners and all the America’s Cup boats built by HMCo, HMCo and the other boats in our barn . (Photo 4)

Mike Mirman brought the Anchor Windlass from the foundry. (Photo 5) The mold had been made by a team from the Met School in Newport using CAD/ 3-D Printing. We’ll do the final polishing and fitting in our shop. Sven has already found a new resting spot out of sight of Capt. Barr. (Photo 6) Mike also brought news that we can expect the bollards, main sheet sheave holders, topmast backstay pad eyes and other key castings in the near future!!

Bill, Keith and Steve laid the after center strip of canvas (Photos 7, 8, 9, and 10) Later this week, we’ll finish painting this strip and then cut out the next courses of canvas to either side of the center strips. After these middle strips are laid, we’ll lay the outer strips in place and be done with laying canvas! While waiting the glue to dry on the canvas, we cut out 220′ of 11/32″ x 3/16″ toe rail strips and 24′ of 1/2″ x 5/32″ hand rail strips (Photo 11). By the end of the day, the glue on the canvas had dried and the canvas decking was then primed. (Photo 12). We placed some of the toe rails and hand rail on deck so we could imagine what it’ll look like. (photo 13)

Meanwhile we cut and glued in place the wooden sides of our first hatch cover (Photo 14) and built a nest of cleats for the sheets and halyards that on the real Reliance would be lead to below-deck winches. (Photo 15)