Thoughts on standing after running rigging

[cwboland]

I was wondering if there were any advantages or problems that anybody has encountered with regards to doing the standing rigging after all the running rigging/sail hanging has been completed.  I looked through the instructions and it seemed easier, to me at least, to do all the running rigging before the standing. Currently working on an AL 1:75 Bluenose II

[testazyk]

I think everyone would agree that the standing rigging should be finished before doing the running rigging.  Aside from the fact that's how they did it on real ships because the standing rigging supports the masts, so technically you couldn't attach spars etc., until you had the masts secure, you would go crazy trying to do the standing rigging after the running (e.g., trying to rattle shrouds with spars in place),  Lastly, some of the running rigging is secured to the standing rigging so technically it's impossible.

 

I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has a contrary view.

[amateur]

I don't know how your ship looks like, but in mine all braces are attached to the stays, and part of the lifts are belayed on the shrouds.

No way to get the running rigging before the standing rigging.

 

Jan

[JerryTodd]

As pointed out, running rigging is very often anchored on, belayed to, threaded through, and dependent in some way on standing rigging that's, well, already standing.

You'll often find that the way things were done on real vessels, for a few hundred years, often work best on models as well.  Even rigging yards and bending sails before sending the yards aloft, I've seen done full size, so it's not really a modeler's shortcut. 

[cwboland]

Thanks all for your thoughts and insights.  I was just curious as to whether anybody had tried this in the past, but now I see why the standing rigging is done first.

[Mike Dowling]

Can somebody give me an idea of which part of the standing rigging should be done first. Is it the ratlines? And, should all of the standing mast rigging be done before the yards are attached? 

[allanyed]

Mike,

When at all possible, work from the inside out and then the spars and running  rigging. If you do not already have any, consider getting a rigging book or two.  Volume 4 of TFFM by David Antscherl, James Lees Masting and Rigging are VERY good.  The former explains how-to rig a sixth rate, but much of the  information will serve you well for any vessel.  The latter covers a range  of vessel sizes from 1625 to 1860 in such a way that you can calculate mast, spar and rigging sizes.  It is not so much a "how to" book but gives a wealth of information including where each piece of  rigging starts and ends.  It is laid  out  in pretty much  the order you would do the rigging.  There are a few others that many of the  folks here like and can recommend.  These two happen to be my personal favorites. 

 

Allan

[hamilton]

I'm curious about this question, too. I see how doing the standing rigging before running rigging would be imperative on square rigged ships. But what about in the case of fore-and-aft sails (even on a brigantine)? Let me give my current example.

 

I'm working on the OcCre Dos Amigos - a Baltimore Clipper. It occurred to me in projecting forward to adding the sails that I might do the rigging in the following order:

 

1. Stays

2. Attach & rig the fore-and-aft sails (main sail, foreward mainsail, foresail, jib and flying jib)

3. Shrouds & backstays

4. Attach and rig the square sails.

 

Mostly, this strategy was suggested to me by the difficulty I've had in previous builds attaching the main sail and the foreward mainsail to mast hoops and trying to work around the shrouds. If the rule is to operate from centre line outward, then it would seem to make sense (and not break too much protocol) to rig things according to the above order......

 

I'm also not sure there's much call in modelling to follow the order of rigging on a real ship....after all, the consequences for breaking these rules are not as dire for the modeller. As long as the finished product is authentic, then the order of the rigging seems secondary (at least until you can't rig one line without rigging another....with all due respect to those who follow a different rule.

 

Just my two cents - and I'd love to hear thoughts on the strategy above....

hamilton