Gunning Flag "Build"

[Steve Sanford]

Last fall, I needed to re-furbish the flag for my Great South Bay Scooter Ted Sanford and make a new one for the 2-man Scooter White-Wing. So, I took all the necessary photos but am just now getting around to organizing the process into words and images. Susan and I are up at our camp on Lake Champlain - the dog days of summer are a good time to put down the heavy work and spend more time on the computer and web. It's also a good time for those small chores that make the anticipation of the fall even more fun.

The full story is on my site at: http://stevenjaysanford.com/2014/07/27/flags-for-divers/

Here is my old Scooter flag. I made it ~25 years ago - it has all the features I think make a good flag:

1) Nylon to avoid soaking - and freezing solid
2) Black AND White to show up under all light conditions (although my flag for Canadas is solid black)
3) A sleeve to contain the staff (instead of simply tacking or stapling to the staff)
4) Weights in the outboard edge of the flag to help "flapping"
5) A Turk's Head to serve as a knob on the lower end
....and branding the staff - like all of my gear that could wind up as flotsam.....

I started with nylon from my local fabric store - and the usual tools for marking, measuring and cutting. Seamstick (a glue in tape form) is invaluable to hold the cloth where you want it until it's sewn down - with the 1975 Sears Kenmore Susan and I got as a wedding present.

I sewed the bulk of both flags in one long strip.

The most important feature is the pocket into which the staff slides - sewn a bit loose.

I use 3 short lengths of #12 wire (from Romex) as weights in the outer edge - so the light nylon does not wrap itself around the staff in light airs.

The weights are sewn in.

I bore a small hole through the upper end of each staff.

I fasten the flag to the staff by hand-sewing waxed nylon whipping thread through the nylon.

As with all my gear that could be lost overboard - and MAYBE found by someone else - I brand the staffs.

And, as with all my "long stuff" (wading staffs, pike poles, push poles, pickup sticks), I put a Turk's Head on the butt to serve as a knob. I follow Hervey Gerrit Smith's instructions on pages 28 and 29 of The Marlinspike Sailor.

I use old decoy line and epoxy it to the staff - at a spot first roughened with coarse sandpaper.

Two coats of paint go on the staffs before the flags are lashed on.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Bill Ferrar]

Looks like you put some time into making them, they look great.
What side flags do you use?

 

[Steve Sanford]

Bill~

The flags themselves are about 12"H x 16"L. The staffs are short for use in the scooters - about 30" long - and 48" for my Goose flag.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

Bill~

While working on my site around 3:00 this morning - in the middle of heavy rain and thunder on the shores of Lake Champlain - I discovered that I had drafted a complete "flag" post last December - but never posted it. And, upon reading it again for the first time in about 7 months, I discovered it was a better read. So, I am replacing the one I posted a couple of days ago with the original: Flags for Divers. It is at http://stevenjaysanford.com/flags-for-divers/

I mention it especially because the original includes the measured staff-length for our GSB Scooter flag - 28 inches. At least my remembered guess of "about 30" was pretty close....

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sutton]

Only you could post a PE on how to build a "flag" with the results being more than "DUDE..it's a flag"....and for sure only you could post a repost on building a flag and have people reading it and thinking..."how neat is this"?.....it is, afterall A FLAG...a half a square of white material, a half a square white and a stick....yet I found myself reading every word of the first one...and then every word of the second one as well....
Meat stuff man..its posts like yours, and Pat's, and Jeff Churan's, that keep many people clicking the refresh button.....
Steve

 

[Tom Russo]

Very nice Steve! My worn pirate flag on a cut-down paddle needs an upgrade.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Tom

 

[Steve Sanford]

Steve~

I am glad you enjoyed the posts - and can tolerate my OCD!

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

Tom~

A cut-down paddle sounds like a great idea - certainly solves the freezing or wrapping around the staff issues....

Thank YOU for the inspiration!

SJS

 

[Pat Gregory]

Steve - Splendid idea! Both historic and functional. I've often contemplated a flag in our layout boat for days when the divers are skirting us. Please tell me how I can get one. PM sent.

 

[Dave Liddell]

Neat flags. A question for you. Who did your branding iron? I ordered one off Woodcraft and its pretty generic. Kinda like your style. Thanks. Dave.

 

[RLLigman]

Steve, great idea on the inseretion of the Romex on the outer edge!

 

[Steve Sanford]

Dave~

I had my iron made ~ 1979. Back then, I think I got an ad from a decoy collectors magazine - it just said "Branding Irons". I was actually a bit disappinted because the first S looks a bit like an 8. Letters are 1/4" tall.

Mine is just an iron - needs the stove to make it hot. I may get an electric iron someday - but this has served me well over many decoys, boats and pieces of gear.

Terry Desilets here has a branding iron business - perhaps he could make what you want.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Dave Liddell]

Thank you sir. Much appreciated.

 

[John Bourbon]

Great write up!

John

 

[Todd Duncan Tennyson]

Love it!

 

[John Canavari]

What a agreat job,well done

 

[Dave Diefenderfer]

Steve, sent this post link to Mom for a Christmas suggestion for me. So I have a nice new pair of flags ready for me to affix to handles. My qestion to you is about the wire. Does this run parallel to the handle pole, or perpendicular? If parallel, why 3 pieces? In any case did you consider smaller wood dowel stock instead of wire?

 

[Jeff Reardon]

I'd forgotten about this post! Among other strange hobbies, I referee college water polo games. I played in college and coached at the high school level for a while.

Back in the "good old days" until the rule book was "fixed", we used to referee with a double ended flag to indicate possession--holding up a dark flag when the team with dark caps had possession and a white flag when possession went the other way. There were also a whole series of incomprehensible flag motions to indicate a variety of different kinds of fouls. To "fix" the problem of spectators who couldn't understand our signals, we have replaced incomprehensible flag waving with incomprehensible hand motions in the new rule book.

But I digress--back to the ducks!

Those old water polo flags would be perfect gunning flags on the Sanford model, and somewhere a lot of old water polo referees have them sitting in closets and no longer have use for them. I have just made a note to myself to find mine and put it into the boat box.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Dave~

I use wire just for a non-corrosive weight with no ends or edges that would wear through the nylon cloth. Long ago, I used some pieces of printers lead - they were slugs about 1/8 x 1 x various lengths. Traditional draperies use lead, I believe, as ballast in their hems.

And, yes, the weights are sewn into the end opposite the handle.

I use 3 short pieces rather than one long one so the cloth can fold anyway it wants went stored.

I look forward to seeing your new flags - especially the Turk's Heads.....

All the best,

SJS

 

[Troy Fields]

I use your gifted one about every trip Steve. Thanks again!