Mainsail of Scooter Scow.]
A sprit sail and jib were rigged up. The dimensions of these sails, which
were taken from a book in Mr. Van Syckel's library, are given in the
illustrations. A sheet of heavy muslin was made to measure 7 feet square,
as indicated by dotted lines in the drawing; then the corners were cut off
along the full lines shown in the illustration. The edges were now hemmed
all around, and the lower edge of the sail was lashed to a boom, 7 feet 6
inches long. To the luff were attached a number of mast rings, which were
slipped over a stout mast projecting about 5 feet 6 inches above the deck
of the boat. The peak of the sail was held up by a spar called a sprit.
The sprit was sharpened at each end, and the point at the upper end was
inserted in a loop of heavy cord fastened to the peak of the sail, while
the lower point of the sprit rested in the loop of a rope on the mast,
called a "snotter." The snotter was a short piece of rope with a loop at
each end. It was wrapped around the mast, as shown in the drawing, with
one loop holding it in place, like a slip knot, and the other supporting
the end of the sprit. A single halyard was used to raise this sail. It was
attached to the boat and passed over a block in the mast.
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