popeye2sea

Wishing you a speedy recovery. Regards,

Yes

At 1:250 scale a 2mm block works out to be about 20 inches which is a pretty big block. It would be used for a line of about 2 inch diameter. That being said, I think the 2mm blocks would probably look good. I don't think you are going to find any smaller unless you want to substitute tiny beads. Regards,

Normally, the blocks on a yard are positioned relative to the center of that particular yard. For example: quarter blocks to be placed just outside the yard cleat. Clew line blocks to be placed one third the distance out from the center. Brace blocks placed just outside the yard arm cleat. etc. Regards,

Sorry, I'm around early 19th century ships and history so much that the the language almost comes naturally to me. Ask away. I'm here to help. Regards,

My two cents worth: Mount the lower deadeyes to the channels with the metal strops and chains. Constructing the shroud pairs: Measure the length from the mast head to the deadeyes and then double it. Use this length to make each shroud pair, then add some extra for turning in the upper deadeyes. Middle the shroud and mark the center point. If you wish to add worming, parcelling and serving do so now by servicing the middle third of each shroud pair. The forward most shroud is serviced its entire length. Form a bend in the center of the shroud pair of a size that will fit over the mast head and mark the point where the shroud pair passes over the trestle trees below the bolster. Clap on a round seizing just below this point. It is easier if you do all the above prep work off the ship. Complete all of your shroud pairs. If you have an odd number of shrouds one one each side will be mounted singly with its own eye or the port and starboard single shrouds will be joined by means of a cont splice Hoisting aboard the shrouds: If you are mounting mast tackle pendants they go over the mast head first. Use the jig that Mark mentioned above to set the position of the upper deadeyes for the first shroud pair. Put the eye of the first starboard shroud pair over the mast head. Lead the shrouds down and turn in the upper deadeye. Where the end crosses behind the standing part (looking from the outside of the ship) clap on a throat seizing. The seizing will look like it is laying on top of the deadeye with the end of the shroud parallel to the standing part. Bring the end of the shroud up alongside the standing part and clap on a round seizing a short distance above the throat seizing and then another round seizing the same distance again above that. Don't trim the end of the shroud above the seizings until you have set up all of the shroud pairs for their full due with the laniards. You can do all of this work off the ship too if you mark where the shroud end crosses at the top point of the upper deadeye Next put the first port shroud pair over the mast head. Repeat alternating starboard and port pairs until all the shrouds are over the mast head Reeve the laniards through the upper and lower deadeyes, but do not haul taut yet. Next over the mast head are the stays. Setting up the shrouds: Once the stays are hauled forward and set up taut you can then set up the shrouds. Haul taut the laniards in pairs alternating port and starboard so that you maintain equal tension on all shrouds. I have heard it said that it is easier to maintain a balanced tension if you start with the aft-most pair first (personally untried). Once the shroud is set up the laniard end is passed between the throat seizing and the upper deadeye with a hitch and the end is stopped to is own part. Well maybe that was five or six cents worth. Regards,

Running rigging can be roughly broken down into two parts: that which controls the movement and support of the yards and that which controls the sails. The rigging instruction sections will be nearly identical with respect to the lines which control the yards. Every yard will have halyards, lifts, braces. The differences will become apparent when you consider the sails. Sails are controlled by sheets, tacks, clews, bunt lines and leech lines. Fore and aft sails have uphauls and downhauls. Depending on which sails you choose to model will determine which lines you can exclude from your plan. I hope that makes things a bit clearer. Regards,

The spanker and the driver were originally different sails. The spanker sets from a gaff on the mizzen mast. It started out as the loose footed mizzen sail which was itself a modification of the lateen mizzen of the 17th century. At this point it is still referred to as the mizzen sail. By the late 18th century the foot was extended by a boom. The driver was a sort of studdingsail that was set in addition to the mizzen. The head of this sail was extended by a small yard that was hoisted by a halyard in the center to the peak of the gaff. When set square the foot was sheeted out to a boom lashed athwartships to the taffrail and extending out from the sides of the ship. The driver could also be set more fore and aft as sort of an extension or enlargement of the mizzen in which case its boom was lashed to extend the boom of the mizzen. (BTW, I think it is at this point that you start to have problems with interference with the ensign flag staff) Eventually, this enlarged and extended fore and aft mizzen/driver combination becomes standard and is called the spanker sail. Regards,

Cleats seized to the shrouds is probably the most appropriate method. Regards,

If "susbandes" indeed refers to the cap squares for the trunnions, I think they look perfect. Regards,

PM your address to me. I'll send you mine Regards, Henry

Aye, it were a fresh gale. Fit to tell a tale about.

That is some beautiful work.

OK, so first let me say that I think the rigging plan for these topgallant and the royal halyards is incorrect. There are tackles in this position on the actual ship however they are for the lower yard truss tackles. I actually do not remember how the halyards run on the ship. I will take a look and report back. That being said, if you are going to stay with the plan I would temporarily position a line that runs from the sheave hole on the mast to the belaying pin on the pin rail where it will belay. Mark the position where it crosses the top. That is where I would put the "B" block so that the tackle ends up in line with the lead of the halyard. You may have to drill a hole in the top so that you can fasten the block. You will end up with the topgallant halyard coming down to one side of the mast and the royal halyard coming down on the other. You should lead the fore halyards opposite to the main halyards. In other words if the fore topgallant leads to starboard then the main topgallant will lead to port. BTW, the "B" block is a single block with a becket. The becket is that second loop on the block. It takes the standing part of the tackle fall. Regards,

Jim, I am assuming that the b-block nomenclature is referring to the type and size of the block as per your rigging plan. Could you say what part of the rig or what line you are referring to? There are many, many blocks in the tops for the Constitution. Regards,

I would think it more likely that the guy runs above the spritsail topsail yard. Further, were these yards even used for sail? I thought the transition had been made by then to jib sails. Regards,

Aviaamator, what scale are those sails? That is some incredible detail work. Regards,

It may help with the tensioning if you install the crows feet as all one piece instead of several separate legs. Start at one of the center holes in the top run the line down through the first hole in the euphroe the back up to the hole next to the first then back down through the second hole in the euphroe and up on the other side to the next hole in the top. Continue to alternate left to right until all the holes are filled. When you pass the rope through the top make sure your line passes over the rim of the top on its way to the euphroe. That way all the segments between the holes will be hidden underneath the top. You can then make adjustments prior to securing the crows foot line so that the euphroe is centered over the stay. The final tensioning will be done using the tackle from the euphroe to the stay. Regards

The build isn't dead. Just on hold. I hope to get back to it this spring. Regards,

I just watched it free with Amazon Prime.

I believe that in the late 16th century they would rigged as follows: The futtock staves are seized outboard of the lower shrouds at a distance below the top equal to the height of the mast head above the top. Futtock staves go the full width of the lower shrouds. The futtock shrouds are either hooked or seized into the bottom of the futtock plates that strop the deadeyes. The futtock shrouds lead down and pass around the futtock stave and are then seized to the lower stay below the stave. Catharpins are fitted between the port and starboard futtock staves in order to bowse in the lower shrouds and keep them from being pulled outwards by the futtock shrouds. Only the lower shrouds that have futtocks attached are catharpined. If you fit catharpins on your model, do them first before you fit the futtock shrouds. Regards,

I'm sure both Constitution and Victory have a team of shipwrights responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their respective ships and are knowledgeable in the construction of blocks and deadeyes. You may want to contact them for advice. There are other shipwrights that have worked on the various replica ships afloat that could be contacted also. Regards,

I love my wife dearly but she seems to be a walking entropy engine. She can walk through a room and things will appear or disappear on whatever horizontal surface strikes her need at the moment. At some point we get the re-arrangement a-la Derek's post above at which point I will be able to find nothing. As a result I am super diligent about scooping up tools and things that she has borrowed after she has used them. Regards,

Other than the minimum required ballast that would not be removed. The cargo itself becomes the ballast. You can look at the ship during or after the ship is loaded to see what her draft and trim is. A ship would normally be trimmed so that she was a little heavier aft. If more ballast is necessary after the ship is loaded you could always add some and/or shift cargo around to provide the proper trim. When the cargo was off loaded the ship would take on a new cargo (hence, not much change to ballast requirements) or if returning empty (this was called sailing in ballast) additional ballast my be loaded to stabilize the vessel.

Knot is a rather generic term. In reality very few actual knots are employed in rigging a ship. The most common knot being the reef knot: the name tells you its usage. Knots were also used to create a knob on the end of a line: Matthew Walkers knot and the Wall and Crown knot for lanyards, man ropes and tack lines, etc. Most rigging was accomplished with hitches, bends, splices, seizings, and lashings. All of which can be used to advantage in models. Regards,