David Lester

Bobstays & Bowsprit Shrouds
 
Thanks for all the positive support - much appreciated.
 
The bobstays and shrouds were relatively straightforward to rig. I decided to follow full size practice by serving the lines, using my finest thread  - Mara #150.
 
Bobstays were usually doubled, which I achieved by threading lengths of served line through the holes in the stem and gluing the ends together. Here's the inner bobstay first, showing the join:

Then I had a brainwave for the outer bobstay and realised I could hide the join in the stem if I made the hole bigger:

Here's the two finished:

The bowsprit shrouds were equally straightforward...

However compare the lanyards:
 

For the bobstays I just used some ordinary Mara thread (#70, I think) but for the shroud lanyards I used the thinnest rope I could make - 3 strands of Mara#150 - giving a more realistic 0.30mm result. I'll replace the bobstay lanyards as soon as I run up some more line. I've added a touch of raw sienna acrylic paint to the cut ends of the shrouds to represent the protective leather caps.
 
While on the subject of lines, I thought I'd say a word on my ropewalk. A few years ago when I was fitting out my garage I built a number of workbenches on lockable wheels in order to give me maximum flexibility when using various tools. This turned out to be a happy decision for rope making, as it means I can use the benches in conjunction with my Syren Rope Rocket to make rope of any length I want. In practice I tend to start with the headstock and tailstock 13 ft apart which gives me 10 ft rope which works well for me. Here's the two six foot benches set up with the Rope Rocket:


Here's the benches stowed away alongside two smaller ones. The wheels reduce the bench footprints to a minimum, still leaving room for both cars (and a pile of junk!):

More relevant, here's some of this morning's production, 0.65mm on the left; 0.50mm on the right:

I knot the ends until I can apply heat treatment to stop the rope unravelling. I use a crafter's hot air gun; others bake in an oven. I just find the hot air quicker and easier. 
 
Finally I should add that my wife found the design for the workbenches on Pinterest (the first and only time I've found a use for the latter!) and I tailored them to suit my tools and needs. I know they're not a new concept and some modelers use similar ideas in their workshops, but the flexibility and convenience they give me makes doing jobs in the garage much less of a chore and therefore much more likely to get done. 
 
Shrouds next, I think.
 
Derek   
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

I have been working on rope coils. I have always hated doing rope coils. Not because they're fiddly and monotonous; I don't mind fiddly and I thrive on monotony. But because I am seldom happy with the result.  There are many different methods shown either on the forum or on youtube which are essentially variations on the same approach and I can never make any of them work really well for me. My problem is always with the "small dab of glue" to hold the whole thing together. I can never get the loop at the top to hold unless I apply considerably more than a small dab, which always discolours the line, shows through to the front and ends up looking like a mess. Then when I use glue to attach the coil to the belaying pin it just looks like a solid row of glue running along the tops of the belaying pins. (I'm exaggerating slightly, but still I'm always disappointed with my efforts.)
 
So here is my new variation and I think the results are better than what I have been able to do in the past. It isn't substantially different from what others do, but I solved the problem of holding the whole thing together -
 
I started out the same as most of the other methods. I wrap the line around two nails four or five times, however I don't worry about making the loop at this point.
 

 
Then I tied a knot at the top of the coil with a piece of fine thread.


I slathered the whole thing with glue. I used matte finish podge, which I understand is similar to watered down white glue.

When it was dry, I ended up with this -

I pulled one of the long ends from the back to the front and made a loop and pulled the long end up to the top at the back, adjusting the loop to the approximate correct size.

Then with the good side down, I held in the the clamp and tied another knot around the base of the loop with fine thread.
 

This way, it's possible to add a small dab of ca clue to the knot at the back and have it hold well, without showing through to the front

Then it was just a matter of trimming the threads and attaching it to the pin.

I guess one could argue that there shouldn't be a knot tied around the base of the loop and the loop should not be cinched. Nevertheless I think it looks better than the heavily glued look which, despite my best efforts, I was usually ending up with previously. So for what it's worth, there's one more variation on rope coils.
David
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Dave - yes it's 3/16".

OK, the thing I like the least about any build is the (bleeped) little boats. I never have good luck with them. The Charles W. Morgan had seven of them and it was almost the end of me.
 
Thank goodness there's only one for the Speedy, and at long last I have it finished. Initially, I messed it up so badly, that I had to order a new one. And by the way, for those of you in Canada, I discovered that Vanguard has a distributor here -The Crafty Sailor, which provides very good service. So I bought my replacement one there.
 
Here are a few representative pictures:
 



 
I've had the interior together, taken apart and back together again so many times, I've lost count and I've stripped and repainted the white paint at least three times. In any event, I think the result is now acceptable, and it will have to be, because that's as good as it's going to get.
 
I enjoy every other aspect of a build, but for some reason these boats always have me strung out. I'm not sure why. I have four of these coming up for Agamemnon, so I think I might get them out of the way sooner rather than later, then I can relax for the rest of the build.
 
I've also been making progress of the Speedy rigging, which will be in my next update.
 
Again, thanks for checking in!
 
David
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Good Morning,
Time for an update. I have pretty much finished the standing rigging. I don't really have too much comment to make as it all went very routinely.
 
Topmast shrouds in place -

Ratlines - I have always used black thread in the past for the ratlines, but the instructions here called for natural thread to be stained afterwards. Does anyone know why that would be? Is natural thread inherently better for ratlines than black thread? In any case, I decided to give it a go. I used India ink to colour them.

I decided to try to make my own mouses (mice?) for the forestays. I started with a 1/8" dowel and drilled about a 1mm hole into the end of it. Then I started paring the wood away with an xacto knife, sanded it smooth and then cut it off.
 



Once I was happy enough with the tension, I glued and trimmed all the lines -




 
So next up is the lower yards.
 
David
 
 
 
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Hi Dave,
I can't answer your questions specifically, and personally, I don't worry about such things too much as I tend to paint my models. However, have you discovered Tom Lauria's series of youtube videos. They're all excellent, but he has one specifically on choosing and finishing wood so that it mimics the real thing, yet keeping the grain in scale for the model. He also feels that the finish is an important part of scale and that even a too thick coat of varnish can look over scale. One area where I have adapted his technique to a degree is on my decks. I like my decks to be gray, and as he shows, a good effect can be achieved by using watered down acrylic paint, rather than stain, to get the colour you want and then rubbing it with a paper towel. It gives a very nice look with a soft sheen. Even a lowly basswood deck can look ok with this technique. Here is my Niagara:
 
 
That's black, white, a little brown and a little yellow mixed into a very watery mixture, then rubbed with a paper towel. I think it gives a fairly natural representation of a real deck.
David
 
Here's the link to Tom's video:
 
 

Hi Dave,
I can't answer your questions specifically, and personally, I don't worry about such things too much as I tend to paint my models. However, have you discovered Tom Lauria's series of youtube videos. They're all excellent, but he has one specifically on choosing and finishing wood so that it mimics the real thing, yet keeping the grain in scale for the model. He also feels that the finish is an important part of scale and that even a too thick coat of varnish can look over scale. One area where I have adapted his technique to a degree is on my decks. I like my decks to be gray, and as he shows, a good effect can be achieved by using watered down acrylic paint, rather than stain, to get the colour you want and then rubbing it with a paper towel. It gives a very nice look with a soft sheen. Even a lowly basswood deck can look ok with this technique. Here is my Niagara:
 
 
That's black, white, a little brown and a little yellow mixed into a very watery mixture, then rubbed with a paper towel. I think it gives a fairly natural representation of a real deck.
David
 
Here's the link to Tom's video:
 
 

Hi Dave,
I can't answer your questions specifically, and personally, I don't worry about such things too much as I tend to paint my models. However, have you discovered Tom Lauria's series of youtube videos. They're all excellent, but he has one specifically on choosing and finishing wood so that it mimics the real thing, yet keeping the grain in scale for the model. He also feels that the finish is an important part of scale and that even a too thick coat of varnish can look over scale. One area where I have adapted his technique to a degree is on my decks. I like my decks to be gray, and as he shows, a good effect can be achieved by using watered down acrylic paint, rather than stain, to get the colour you want and then rubbing it with a paper towel. It gives a very nice look with a soft sheen. Even a lowly basswood deck can look ok with this technique. Here is my Niagara:
 
 
That's black, white, a little brown and a little yellow mixed into a very watery mixture, then rubbed with a paper towel. I think it gives a fairly natural representation of a real deck.
David
 
Here's the link to Tom's video:
 
 

Hi guys, thanks for all your comments. Just getting to them now, as I have been away for the week at the Habitat for Humanity Canada national conference. (I'm the local affiliate chairperson.) It felt both good and unsettling at the same time to be meeting again in a large group.
 
Tom - I have noticed the boat you're referring too. Maybe next time.
Derek - I am definitely using black ratlines next time too.
Thanks again,
David

Good Morning,
Just a brief update this morning. I've attached all the yards -
 
Lower yards - jeers and trusses


For the trusses, I used these small cast bullseyes from Bluejacket. I'm a big fan of them and I like to keep a supply of them on hand. They come in several different sizes, but I really like the smallest ones - 1/16" inch - because they're easy to use and never look over scale.

They blacken easily and just need a small amount of cleanup. (Of course when all is said and done, you can't even see them on the trusses, but at least I know they're there.)
 
Parrels and ties on the topsail yards -
 

 
Ties on the topgallant yards -

There isn't really too much to explain about my methods. I just added each according to the plans. It was all pretty straightforward and free of problems.
 
I've started working on the boom and gaff. The completion of this build is actually within sight; then I will turn my attention to Agamemnon in earnest.
 
Thanks again for likes, comments etc. Very much appreciated. 
 
David
 
 
 
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Hi Dave,
I can't answer your questions specifically, and personally, I don't worry about such things too much as I tend to paint my models. However, have you discovered Tom Lauria's series of youtube videos. They're all excellent, but he has one specifically on choosing and finishing wood so that it mimics the real thing, yet keeping the grain in scale for the model. He also feels that the finish is an important part of scale and that even a too thick coat of varnish can look over scale. One area where I have adapted his technique to a degree is on my decks. I like my decks to be gray, and as he shows, a good effect can be achieved by using watered down acrylic paint, rather than stain, to get the colour you want and then rubbing it with a paper towel. It gives a very nice look with a soft sheen. Even a lowly basswood deck can look ok with this technique. Here is my Niagara:
 
 
That's black, white, a little brown and a little yellow mixed into a very watery mixture, then rubbed with a paper towel. I think it gives a fairly natural representation of a real deck.
David
 
Here's the link to Tom's video:
 
 

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David

Good Morning,
I'm now getting very close to the finish line for the running rigging. I've been working my way through it, step by step without any real problems (except for a couple of my own making.) The plans are excellent and it really couldn't be more straightforward.
 
Boom and gaff -


 
The lifts -

Many times when I return to the model, I look at what I did previously and think "Were you on drugs? What were you thinking?"  In this case, for reasons I don't understand I had placed the lower yard lift blocks near the aft side of the mast cap and not the fore side. So I had to fix that in situ, but otherwise smooth sailing.

Clews, tacks, sheets and bow lines all added next - 

I'm now working on the braces. The spritsail yard braces are in place and here are the blocks attached to the main stay for the lower fore braces -

I did run into a complication with the spritsail yard braces that a bit of foresight on my part would have avoided. One of the nice things about well drawn plans is that they show each component of the rigging in isolation so it's quite clear where each line originates, its path and where it terminates. However, this also makes it easy to forget that in actuality you end up with a tight concentration of lines and blocks in a very small area, such as under the mast top.
 
In the picture below, you can see that the spritsail brace (#49) runs through two blocks underneath the mast top. They are actually double blocks which the brace shares with the clew line #29 in the second picture.

 

I had previously attached the clew line and belayed it and as a result those two blocks no longer had much range of movement. When I went to add the brace, it was almost impossible to thread it through the second block. The area was dense with shrouds, futtock shrouds and many other lines running down. It was difficult to even find the block, let alone identify the clear path through it. I tried approaching it from the front and from the rear, but the same problem arose either way. In the end I cut the clew line, freeing the blocks and then I could manipulate them sufficiently to get both the brace line through as well as the new clew line. 
 
All I needed to have done was either not belay the clew line until after I had the brace line in place or possibly have added the brace line much earlier in the process and just let it rest there until I was ready to fully install it later.
 
Just a minor frustration that I will take note of for the future.
 
Other than that, the running rigging is progressing very easily (largely due to the excellent drawings) and when the braces are complete, it will be done. Then all that remains is to add rope coils, the anchors and the boat and to transport it safely to my son-in-law's office!
 
Thanks again for comments, likes etc.
David