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Issues with rigging on Pannart Royal caroline


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Hi all

I'm 4 years into my second wooden ship, Royal Caroline and still haven't stepped the masts! I am, however looking forward and have just started studying Panarts rigging sheet.

Whilst I have very limited knowledge of how historic ships were sailed, I have experience with sailing both modern sloops and gaffers, and whilst I am not too worried about the historical accuracy of the ship to the nth degree, I do not wish to build a model which I do not believe could be sailable.

.....and so to my question. On the angled yard on the mizzen (I regret that I forget the proper name, but will call it a gaff), Panart show bracers which have a block and tackle but which are seized at both ends. The same is shown on the mizzen yard but the mizzen topgallent is shown as belayed one end. With the gaff permanently seized it would be possible to sail close hauled but when the wind was from the beam or astern it would not be possible to use the sail. Did they lower the two sails that are seized, using only the topgallent sail in freer winds or have Panart got it wrong and one end should be belayed?

Thanks in advance, I'm sure loads of you will put me straight.

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I believe the Royal Caroline has a lateen mizzen. So the the cross jack yard is only used to spread the bottom of the mizzen topsail and there would not be a sail set from this yard. It does not need to move much.  A lateen mizzen is not meant to swing widely like a gaff rigged fore and aft sail.  It is only meant to increase or decrease the turning effort of the aft rigging; helping to keep the ship on or off the wind.

 

It would help to know what you mean by "bracers" also.

 

Regards,

Edited by popeye2sea

Henry

 

Laissez le bon temps rouler ! 

 

 

Current Build:  Le Soleil Royal

Completed Build Amerigo Vespucci

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Hi Frankie and popeye, thanks for replying.

frankie, picture of the plans is below. The rigging I am referring to is the one at the forward end of the yard (marked P11 on the drawing) and the similar one at the aft end. The detail drawing of this  shows the line ending at an eyelet on the gunnels with a whipping holding the rope in a permanent position.

Popeye, these are the rigging I was referring to as bracers. Both fore and aft there are two (one secured each side). Regarding the sail, I have sail plans for RC and they show a sail set on the mast and the aft part of the yard, like a non-boomed gaff rig. It was this that prompted my question. You will see that the lower of the two other mizzen yards is also  seized in a permanent position and this would suggest that it too would not  carry a sail. Sorry about my lack of knowledge regarding the names of the various yards but this is my first historic build and learning the technical names seems to be my next important need to do. However, I hope this clarifies further what I was asking and that you wil be able to definitively answer my query

image.jpg

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The tackle you are calling “the bracers” is clearly going to run, meaning the lines can be hauled tighter or eased looser, they are not “seized at both ends” if by “seized” you mean that they are fixed and unmovable. I’m not impressed with the plan they gave you but this plan does show tackle, and the tackle will have a hauling end.

i took a quick look at some references I have and all show the tackle at the forward end of the spar (R-11) but none show the unidentified line in your plan at the after end of the spar, which I doubt the veracity of. I think whoever drew the plan invented this line out of thin air, but I could be wrong. The square yards above the lateen yard look fine to me, they are not “seized” in any unusual way, they appear to have the usual Lifts Braces and hailyards but I will say the Halyard labeled 71 was drawn sloppily as it should be fixed to the center of the yard, not off to one side as shown. Get the R C Anderson book I linked to above, it will augment the poor drawing the manufacturer provided you with. The book is one of the very least expensive yet very worthwhile ship model books and it directly addresses your time frame.

  

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 Niagara USS Constitution 

 

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Hi Capn Morgan,

 

The tackle R11 is called the Lateen Mizzen Yard Bowline they were rigged on both Port and Stbd sides. The tackle at the aft end of the yard is called a vang,they were also rigged in pairs Pt and Stbd. A rope was clove hitched around the yard peak,a long tackle (fiddle) block was spliced in each end and connected to a single block hooked into an eyebolt in the quarter piece each side. Have to say this,that rigging plan is rubbish. Get the book JCF mentioned or get Andersons' 17th Century Rigging IMO a better book,with better line drawings etc. Also usually easily found on online booksellers lists.

 

Rigging really is fun,honest :D

 

Dave :dancetl6:

 

 

Edited by davyboy
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I concur with Dave and Frank.  I do notice that all of the lines in that plan are depicted as permanently fixed to the rails.  In fact the hauling ends would not be seized to the rails but belayed at some point, either to belaying pins or some other fixture.  That may be what generated your confusion as to them being fixed and immovable.

 

Regards,

 

Edited by popeye2sea

Henry

 

Laissez le bon temps rouler ! 

 

 

Current Build:  Le Soleil Royal

Completed Build Amerigo Vespucci

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Thank you all who have taken the trouble to put me straight. 

Frankie I will invest in the book, thank you. Regarding your comment about the two yards, the bottom one is actually fixed, the "free" end terminating at an eyelet just astern of the mainmast shrouds. This does not seem correct to me and I will await the book you recommended before deciding how and where to belay the various anomalies.

Dave and Popeye, what you have said exactly confirms my original suspicions and I'm glad my instincts were correct.

thankyou all for putting me straight👍👍

a picture below to show how I've done so far

image.jpg

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