popeye2sea

Ah, yes. You are but still young, grasshopper, if you are from 1740. 🤨 But the origins of a lot of these terms goes back hundreds of years before then. Regards,

Because slops were often cast offs and remainders of uniforms. Sometimes they consisted of the clothing recovered from deceased crew members sea bags. The clothing was not always in the best of conditions, hence the moniker - slops. Marine uniforms were required to be in a more presentable state because they were often the face of the Navy ashore (along with the officers uniforms). When a ship did make port often the only personnel allowed ashore were officers and a marine detachment. Regards,

Broadside naval gunnery tactics did not come into widespread practice until after the Spanish Armada (1588). The English were considered to be early adopters of trucked carriages. An entire class of ships (race built galleons) was developed to maximize forward firing artillery as that was the predominant gunnery tactic of the day. Most reloading was accomplished while the ship wore away from the enemy to come back around for another assault. Spanish naval tactics still relied heavily on boarding actions and so their gunners only were expected to get off one or two shots for an entire engagement. Regards,

Hey, I take exception to that!! Although I too am a retired CPO I portray a marine on Constitution. I think the room is the equivalent of the Navy's slop chest where replacement clothing for sailors was available. However unlike sailors slops that the individual sailor paid for, Marine uniforms were an issue item. I would think that there would be shelves and bins to hold various uniform items. Regards,

I am referring to vessels prior to 1700 or so where, for instance, the spritsail topmast backstays originate in an elaborate system of crows feet seized to the fore stays. Other examples may include braces that originate on stays, bowlines that have fairlead blocks seized to stays, etc. Regards,

I really can't think of any reason that the robands would be any longer than that necessary to make the square knot. Regards,

Although it does not apply to the Leopard (1790) false stays were typically employed in early vessels where various lines such as backstays and bowlines were seized to the normal stays that would prevent a stay sail from being able to be raised or lowered. The false stay would be seized at the head to the underside of the normal stay and set up in the usual fashion in order to provide a clear line to hank the stay sail to. Regards,

There were several other factors at play in early naval gunnery. Inferior quality powder, breech loading cannon not creating a good seal, early carriages not always wheeled, stone shot, etc. Regards,

This keeps getting better and better. Very realistic looking shingles and wood siding. Regards,

Regarding your second question. I would think that the main sheet will be outboard of all other lines because it is attached to the lower corner of the main sail when set. Even if the sail is clewed up the sheet would be raised up outboard of all other lines on the yard. Regarding your question about the lead of the sheets to the kevel. I have always surmised that this is another good reason for furling the courses before going into battle. It would mean that the main sheet would not have to be worked and so would not have to be fouled on the cannon when they are worked. When making way in transit the sheets can be worked without concern of fouling the cannon Regards,

I believe that Fake and Flake are used interchangeably. BTW the correct term for the round, flat coil is a Flemish Flake or Flemish Coil. Regards,

You would have to furl the sail before the spar could be lowered to the deck. It would blow out and foul everything otherwise. Regards,

I have seen examples of models with rope ladders rigged abaft the mast to reach up to the topgallant mast head. Regards,

Further update. The museum may have changed names to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum so the model guild may be named that now. Regards,

I found some info in a google search: Ventura County Maritime Museum Model Guild 2731 South Victoria Ave. Oxnard, CA 93035 I can not tell if they still exist or not. Regards,

The drawings appear perfectly centered. Is this maybe a case of measure twice, cut once? Regards,

Now that's just pretty. Well done.

You can also save some width by bracing the yards around sharp and showing her close hauled on a port or starboard tack. Doing so may allow at least some stun'sl's. Regards,

Everyone has a different way of sequencing their builds, but for me I found it easiest to attach all of the blocks, etc. to each mast and yard first while they are off the ship. This will include foot ropes, studdingsail irons and booms, and all the other fittings on the yard. For some of the yards I also attach some of the rigging like clew lines, halyards, jeers, brace pendants, etc.. I also attach one side of any necessary parrels to the appropriate yards. For the sails, I attach all of the fittings and gear to the sail prior to bending the sail to the yard, This includes bunt lines, leech lines, bow lines, sheets, tacks, uphauls, downhauls, etc. Bend the completed sail assembly to its yard. Start reeving the running rigging through the appropriate leading blocks on the yard. You now have a completely rigged sub assembly for the yard and sail ready to go on to the ship. After I rig each section of mast with its standing rigging I hoist and cross it's yard (sometimes by actually hauling the halyard. (This has the added benefit of teaching you just how much line is required.) I then pass the parrels abaft the mast and fasten the other end to the yard. Now your yard and sail are properly secured to the mast. Continue with the running rigging by reeving through the appropriate lead blocks under the tops or mast caps, etc. Run the rigging down to the deck through the appropriate faileads, thimbles, bullseyes, etc. Belay the lines to their knights, cleats, or pins. A caution here about belaying at this point. If you belay the lines with the yard square and then later brace the yards around you will have to slack off some of the lines or you may pull a fitting out of the deck. Finish off the rigging of the yard with any final elements like lifts, reef tackles, yard tackles. Then I move on to the next mast section and repeat. For me the benefits of masting and rigging in this fashion are 1. It is how it is done on a real ship 2. I get to set up and stay each mast section plumb and with the proper rake which provides a solid base for the next mast section above. 3. The belaying of the rigging generally tends to proceed in a logical manner with the lower sails belaying closer to the centerline or from forward to aft as appropriate. As I said before, everyone has their own method of rigging. You will develop a sequence that works for you. Regards,

I would recommend a pair of round nose pliers. The kind used for making jewelry. With those you can make very convincing eyebolts down to about 1mm inside diameter using 28 ga. (or smaller) wire. You can also employ the pliers to make hooks. You can strop your blocks with thread instead of wire to bring them more into scale. I used 2mm blocks for all of the cannon on my 1:100 Soleil Royale. The eyebolts, ringbolts, and hooks were all made using only the pair of pliers. Regards,

I don't think the shank painter should be hitched to the anchor. It should be hitched or spliced around one timber head, pass around the anchor shank and then hitch to the other timber head. Clove hitches should suffice. Regards,

Not only is the Cutty Sark rig complicated but the rigging instructions provided for the Revell kit are way over simplified. There is a lot more that you can add. And even more complexities to the lines they chose to include. For instance on the upper topsail sheets I talked about above there is a two fold tackle employed before it belays in the top. Also, they are not showing any halyards or lifts. Unless they are included on another page. Regards,

All of the plan sheets you show are with sails. Views number 100 - 103 show the run of the braces for the yards and the sails are omitted for clarity but the yards are still shown in their fully hoisted positions. If you want to show the model without sails you can omit some of the rigging from plan views 96 - 99 and all of view 104. and lower the yards. Note that the lower yard and the lower topsail yards are fixed in position and do not lower. Also note that on views 98 and 99 the upper topsail yard down hauls numbered 22, 38 ?, 71, 87, 129, and 141 are still required even without sails. You may choose to rig all of the lines, anyway, because they would all still be there even without the sails. They would just be toggled onto their appropriate points. BTW, on view 99 the inset views A and B do not make any sense whatsoever. They are attempting to show the upper topsail sheet and downhaul. The upper topsail sheet starts at the clew (the lower corner) of the sail reeves down through the inner sheave at the lower topsail yardarm then through the block on the yard and belays in the top (as shown in plan view B). On your plan these lines have no number. The downhaul starts at the yard arm of the lower topsail (as in plan view A) runs up to a block at the upper topsail yard arm thence to the leading block further inboard and then down to the deck. (See line numbers above). Are you planning to go with or without sails? Clipper ships have some of the most complex rigs possible. Don't hesitate to ask if you need more help with this. Regards,

Not sure about cutter rigs. But I thought I would give you a general rule of thumb for a square yard. The futtock stave is not a yard. It is a piece of wood that is seized across the gang of shrouds that becomes the attachment point for the futtock shrouds and the catharpins. Different countries tended to carry their yards higher or lower. It also depends on what time period we are talking about. If you want to maximize the extent to which the yards are able to be braced around then you would mount them at or near the narrowest point athwartships of the shrouds. The catharpins assisted in this by swifting in the shrouds a bit more. Regards,

The masthead length is the distance from the trestle trees to the cap. The position of the futtock stave (where the futtock shrouds attach to the shrouds) should be the same distance below the top as the masthead extends above. The height of the yard should be approximately the same level of the futtock stave, which will put it at the narrowest point of the lower rigging. Regards,