JerseyCity Frankie

Next step was to furl the sail as much as possible off the build before attaching the gaff to the main mast:

 



 

 

I was able to completely furl the head area along the gaff up to the throat of the gaff.  You'll see I used three gasket type lines to hold the furl here, to somewhat represent the brail lines.  Not sure if this would be accurate as I think the brail lines actually ran through brail blocks at the gaff, and then were belayed down to the deck.  But, this would have been overly complicated at this scale, not to mention that multiple pins and cleats would have to be added.  So, I went with these three gasket type lines.  Ultimately, I went with two along the gaff, and moved the remaining line to the throat area of the sail (and not at the throat of the gaff itself).

 

I was also able to get the luff edge furled pretty well at this stage as well.  My plan of not angling the foot worked out pretty well, as you can see that the bulk is greatly reduced at the tack, with most of the bulk at the throat.  In case you're wondering, I'm using napkins under the red clothespins because I've found that the color on these colored clothespins can rub off on the sail cloth 

 

From there, it was a matter of installing the gaff and lacing it to the mast.  As noted above, the lacing for the mast is a bit different than the lacing to the gaff - I think zu Mondfeld has 10 different approaches in his book.  From my research, part of the reason for the different lacing was so that the sail could slide more easily up and down the mast.  I used the mast lacing pattern as in this diagram:

 



 

 

Next I furled the rest of the sail, and added two more brail lines against the mast.  I also added a block and tackle arrangement at the deck as you can see in the third picture below.  I'm also planning on adding the outhauler line, which would run from the tack clew, through a sheeve at the end of the boom, and belayed at a deck cleat at the base of the main mast.  The kit plans have two pairs of deck cleats to be installed at the base of the main mast, with only one pair used, so all I needed to do was add an extra pair of eyebolts to the deck.

 



 

 



 



 

 

They still need some work to try and get in some folds, etc., but overall it came out somewhat ok I think.  I'd also note that in addition to real drivers having brail lines and blocks, there are a number of other inhauler/outhauler lines at the peak, as well as lines at the end of the boom.  For my build, I thought they would add too much complication given the kit's pin and cleat configuration, and I had already installed them per the kit plans before deciding on the furled sails.

 

So that's how I added a furled driver.  There are probably better ways of doing this, but hopefully this helps give people a jump start on how to approach them - I had searched all over the internet for methods on how to install a furled driver, but couldn't find any so hopefully this helps a bit.  

 

Thanks for reading!

Here are the posts from my Badger log on how I added a furled fore topmast staysail and a furled jib.
 
 
Before I get too far, let me mention the resources that were of immense help in figuring out what to do:
 
1.  Lennarth Petersson - Rigging Period Ship Models - pictures say a thousand words, and this book really simplifies the mysteries of rigging.  Helpful to see the pictures of how the rigging for these sails works, but I would say that it shows rigging for larger ships so, for example, the haliards would be more simple than the block and tackle arrangements shown in this book.  Still, very highly recommended.
 
2.  The Fully Framed Model (TFFM) Vol. 4 - This Swan series book is an incredible resource for anyone that wants great detail into rigging period ships.  Antscherl compiles a lot of research into this book, with excellent pictures, to help one go step by step.
 
3.  Lees - The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War - Good detailed historical account and narrative description of these sails and their rigging.  
 
4.  Harland - Seamanship in the Age of Sail - Excellent descriptions of the actual mechanics of bending, raising, furling, etc. sails.  Very helpful discussion of what went into furling sails, particularly how the sails were gathered and then a "skin" was draped over the entire bundle.  The remaining 2/3rds of the book goes into fantastic details on how the sails operated in various conditions, etc.
 
Here are the pictures of where I am now, and I'll set up the next couple of posts to talk about the construction of both sails.  Needless to say, for what ultimately looks like rolled up wet tissues, these things took a while to figure out how to construct and to install.  But, I very much like the end result, which to me anyway looks better than a ship bare of sails.  The staysail needs a bit more positioning, which I will do once the sheet whips are installed.
 

 

 

First, the clews are created and attached.  I made them using 0.25mm natural thread from kit.  I ended up making them a tad longer and ran them into the sail and up along the outside edge a bit farther than necessary to ensure that the clews were visible when the dog-ears were folded down.  They were attached with fabric glue.

 



 



 

Next step was to bend the sail to the yard.  I didn't take pictures while this was in process, so hopefully the following description makes sense.  I used 0.25mm thread here as well.  First step was to mark on the front of the sail the points where the thread would be run through the sail - I marked points 5mm apart.  Second, I used a running knot to attach the line on one end of the yard.  Third step was to run the line from the front into the rear of the sail, then as you loop it over the yard, run it underneath the prior line and repeat til the end.  It got a bit tricky with the yard horses and blocks, but after a while you get the hang of it.  Once the sail was fully attached, go back and tighten the lines by pulling the vertical line towards the other end of the yard, and down along the top of the rear of the sail.

 



 



 

Next step was the first fold.  From the front of the sail, the bottom half was folded up so that the bottom line between the two dog ears was at the top of the sail.

 



 

Next step was to fold the bottom corners up and in, to help add more volume to the middle of the yard, and reduce the volume at the ends.

 



 

Next step was to furl the sail and attach the gaskets.  From my research, when furling the sails, the sails were "gathered up" such that the sail was folded into an accordion type of pattern with the final fold up and against the top of the yard.  That was a bit hard to do at this scale, so I ended up just folding and rolling the sail up from the front until it was tight against the yard.  Took a few tries, which helped I think to get the cloth more relaxed to get a tighter furl.  

 

Then the gaskets were installed.  I started with one in the middle, and then added three to each side roughly evenly spaced out.  These were fairly easy to do using a running knot, and then using tweezers to help tighten the furl as the gasket was tightened (sometimes with the help of some fabric glue to help keep the material furled).  After a few final adjustments, the knots were sealed with diluted PVA, and then the extra lines cut off.

 



 



 

Finally, using fabric glue, the dog ears for the clews were bent downward and glued into position.   

 



 

There you have it - the no sew method of furling sails.    I spent an inordinate amount of time researching and thinking about how to do these, so hopefully these look relatively authentic.  I know that opinions differ on whether sails should be attached or not, but I think furled sails add a nice touch and are a good compromise given the scale issues with adding full sails - plus, these are sailing ships after all 

 

I think there were lines running from the clews downward which helped to keep them in their downward orientation (and probably keep the furl tight).  I haven't figured out where those lines go, so if anyone has the answer, I would love to hear it 

 

The topsails and courses will be a bit trickier, given that they have blocks for the bunt lines, and yard horses.  I'm thinking that I will pre-rig the bunt lines by gluing a portion of the line into the sail to be furled, which will eventually be run through the blocks.  The instructions have the line started at the block by knotting one end of the line before it is run through the blocks - I think, however, that the line is technically started at the buntlines in the sail which are run through the blocks on the yard.  Haven't fully figured that out yet, so again, would love to hear from anyone with answers on how that works. 

 

I also have to do a little more research on the spanker and jibs - the spanker should be relatively straightforward, but how to reduce the sail to remove bulk while maintaining the brail lines will be tricky.  The jibs are are complicated, in that there are hanks, jib stays and travelers that need to be attached.  All part of the fun I suppose 

 

Thanks for looking in!

How awesome is MSW that you can get an answer like that!!'

Went by the ship today and took a couple of photos.  Those are truss tackles for the lower yards.  From top to bottom in the photo:
 
1: Truss tackle
2. Truss pendant
3. Truss tackle fall (belays on deck aft of mast)
I could not get aboard to check exactly where this belays.
 

 
 
BTW:  The signal flags NAPJ are the ships call sign.  A unique radio signal identifier for all vessels and/or broadcast stations. All US Naval vessels call signs start with N.  Civilian radio stations west of the Mississippi start with K and those east of the Mississippi start with W.  US Army and Air Force start with A

Interesting! I have emailed the Constitution Museum. I will let you know what they have to say.

Never said you shouldn't manage risk, just that saying something is toxic does not necessarily mean that it is.  Most government agencies use the "precautionary principle", i.e. that if someone thinks something might be toxic better to list is as such rather than take any risk.  It is just another cya move. 
 
An example, Professor Blowhard of Grants-r-Us U, head of the questionable science department issued a statement that dihydrogen oxide has been determined to be toxic in rats and should immediately be banned or at least strictly regulated to avoid risk to humans.  Professor Blowhard determined this by an experiment using two test groups of lab rats consisting of 6 rats in each group.  The first group was placed in 1 liter chambers filled with dihydrogen oxide and the control group were placed in identical chambers filled with air.  The first group all died after struggling desperately for a few seconds.  The control group all survived with no ill effects.  This 100% mortality in the test group is very strong evidence of the toxicity of dihydrogen oxide.  Professor Blowhard is asking for a 100 million dollar grant to study the affects of dihydrogen oxide on humans in areas such as Hawaii, Tahiti, and other areas where large groups of humans are exposed on a daily basis.  Professor Blowhard and his grad assistants Wendy, Bunny and Sue will spend the next several years visiting these areas and accessing the impacts.
 
A bit over the top but you would be surprised at just how many studies used to classify substances as "toxic" are no more extensive than my humorous example.

I think the arrangement as shown also puts a lot of strain on the shrouds, which I used to think of only in terms of holding the masthead in vertical alignment, not as holding the channels from drooping under the weight of the anchors, but I bet that is one of the forces acting on those shrouds.

Frank,
 
Never too old to learn I say.  I had never heard of the ballentine before, but once I saw it, I thought, ah, yes, just like the beer symbol! 
 
Allan

More on the Ballentine coil: I remember a discussion about it on a different model ship website, there were questions about when this type of coil came into use- I remember points made about there not being any documentation for it. It could be it was ALWAYS in use but nobody ever thought it worth mentioning?  Anyway, the Ballentine coil does two things that a regular Round coil doesn't. First, it fits the same amount of line into a much smaller more compact shape on deck. This is a very attractive feature for smaller ships with limited deck space. The second thing it does is that it has a robust nature that resists having its inner workings disturbed when kicked or stepped on by sailors feet. An ordinary round coil is just a stack of bights or rope, a "stack of circles" and a wayward foot can knock the side of this stack in and the resulting overlapping of the "circles" or bights can cause snarls when the sails are dropped and the coil has to run. Having the Throat Hailyard jam while the Peak Hailyard is running can cause an awful mess of things so a coil that runs perfectly is essential. The Ballentine is made with three inner smaller radially symmetric coils laid down so that they overlap each other at the center of the coil- there is a small triangular core to the coil all the way down to the deck where the three smaller coils overlap. These inner three use up the otherwise wasted  interior volume  of  the coil and this makes the Ballentine smaller and denser than a regular Round Coil. To make the Ballentine  you first make a "dirty coil" of the entire line, which is just a quick rough round coil on deck which you form by starting from the point of the rope closest to the pin. You do this to make sure the line has all the twists out of it, the twists will come out of the bitter end which is free to rotate. Now that you have got your line to behave nice, you lay the Bitter End of the rope on deck at the point where you want the coil to live then you make a large bight with the line, this initial circle of rope establishes the diameter of the entire coil, then three smaller radially symmetrical bights that all have their outer edge resting on top of the edge of that first larger bight and their inner edges overlapping each other, then another large bight the exact same size as the first large bight and resting directly on top of it and the three smalls, followed by three smalls again, each the same size as and directly over the first three smalls, and so on until the line is expended. In this way, when the coil runs, the line comes off the top of each bight in an ordered measured sequence. The interlocking nature of where all the bights overlap each other within the structure of the coil are what make the coil feel solid and resist the accidental kick and it also ensures that the coil can run smoothly when it pays out. The "hole" down the center of the coil makes visual inspection of the coil very easy since if you can look down the center and see the deck- or feel it with your hand- you know the interlocking bights have not been disturbed and the coil will run.

people viewing your completed model will feel a tiny bit cheated if they can't see a cannonball somewhere. You could perhaps have all the guns save one housed or sea stowed or whatever, with lashings holding them in place as I image they would spend most of their time on Bounty, then have one run out for firing with the gear out of deck for the sake of the viewers expectations. Plausibly, the crew could be exercising with this gun.

I have sailed numerous times on the Lettie G Howard, although not at all recently. Her hailyards, like on all schooners, represent a large amount of line to deal with on deck when the sails are set and as you point out, you could never hang a coil of line that size on the low pinrails of a schooner. On Lettie and again on many schooners like her, the line is coiled on deck under the pin the line is belayed to.  Sometimes its just a large coil, other times its a Balentine coil:   http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&q=ballantine+coil&gbv=2&sa=X&as_q=&nfpr=&spell=1&ei=a0y_U8aYApOryATas4LoAQ&ved=0CBIQvwU
 
Other schooner coil the line on deck then hang this large coil above the pin on the shrouds, tied temporarily in place with a short pice of line with a toggle and an eye on its ends.

I have sailed numerous times on the Lettie G Howard, although not at all recently. Her hailyards, like on all schooners, represent a large amount of line to deal with on deck when the sails are set and as you point out, you could never hang a coil of line that size on the low pinrails of a schooner. On Lettie and again on many schooners like her, the line is coiled on deck under the pin the line is belayed to.  Sometimes its just a large coil, other times its a Balentine coil:   http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&q=ballantine+coil&gbv=2&sa=X&as_q=&nfpr=&spell=1&ei=a0y_U8aYApOryATas4LoAQ&ved=0CBIQvwU
 
Other schooner coil the line on deck then hang this large coil above the pin on the shrouds, tied temporarily in place with a short pice of line with a toggle and an eye on its ends.

The name Barkentine caught my eye.  Many years ago I worked at the Barkentine Book Store in California. They only carried books about boats and I spent most of my pay on books from there.
 
It would be nice if there were full plans for all boats ever built but sometimes all you can do is find as much as you can and then draw the plans yourself.  That’s what I had to do with the HOGA tug.  I’m sure you’ll come closer to the true lines then you feel you can.
 
Bob

I've always been fond of the "jack-a$$ bark" or hermaphrodite bark rig.  It's a meld of bark and barkentine, or just a bark with a fore-n-aft main course.
  I did this sketch in 97 to show what I was thinking of building what would instead become Constellation.
 
 

Have been given one and they are useless. No power and precision. Apart from that, I wouldn't sew sails anyway, unless I would be building 1:10 scale or so. The stiches are grossly overscale with any practical needles and thread.

And then inboard...
and a jig.
 
Mark

Hi everyone,
 
Here are old, not very good photos of early construction, Hahn style. Cutting it off the base and flipping it over after years upside down was a thrill and also very scary.
 
Mark

Yes,
 
I dared, the lanyards are secured :-)
 

 

 

 
XXXDAn

Jumping around a bit. Shaped a few of the yards & started on some of the trusses. The foreyard truss is wood attached with metal pins & CA glue. Will add bands later. The lower fore topsail yard truss I made out of metal wire. Banded it onto the yard with flattened metal wire wrapped around & hooked into notches in the yard. CA glued them, filled in the area where the wire notched into the yard, filed it down to match the rest of the band & painted them. This was a little complicated, wrapping CA coated paper would have done & looked just as good but wouldn't have held the truss very strong.
 

here are some shots that show how the supplied pins looked & fitted & how they look & fit now after making them thinner...
 

Hi Newton, I can't help with your specific inquiry but on the subject of nomenclature, I've heard two theories about the source of the term "crows nest." 
 
One was that crows will fly directly toward land and that sailors kept crows and released them to find the direction of the nearest land.  Presumably the crows were kept or released from the tops and that led to the term. 
 
I find that doubtful but no more plausible than the other theory. On some 17th century ships the bottom shrouds for the fore and main masts were attached to the top by several smaller lines.  The result was called the "crow's foot"  and that led to the top being named the "crow's nest."
 
Probably more information than you need/want and I'm sure someone out there knows the definitive answer, but it's interesting how these stories crop up.

Hello,
 
Just registered here, but been reading the forums for a while and thanks for all usefull information so far! I am definitely a newbie so it is with great reverence I post my first thread..
 
I am thinking of building a model of a Danish-Norwegian fregate, "Höyenhald" or "Raae" by danish constructor Judichaer. Raae was launched 1709 and in service until 1751 (plans available at orlogsbasen.dk, click "database" and "simpel" or "advanced" search to find the ships).
 
My question is what type of rigging to use. 17th century or 18th century? On the attached file you see the Raae with a sprit topmast and jackstaff, but being in service until 1751 (1754 for the Höyenhald) they must have been re-rigged at some point with more modern rigging? In England it seems like the change was made between 1710-1720. But perhaps the danes were a little slower in adapting it? I have noticed that some danish ships (and french) use Lateen sails well into the 18 century when english ships from similar years use gaff riggs.
 
Oystein Klausen Norway  

Hi all. The original deck was really looking sub-standard and was really getting me down! The more I did to it to fix it, the worse it got. So, I ditched it overboard and built a new one; this time, I left even more of the deck exposed for the internals to be seen.
 
Hope you enjoy the photos. The first photo has the old deck next to it (destined for the scrap wood pile). The other photos show the bulkeads glued in place, in readiness for the cabins, etc to be built around them.

Hi everyone! Back again. Progress has been slow, but, I've started on the internal bulheads. This is the part that I really love, because I always see it as a real challenge to try to fit in as much detail as possible, yet being mindful of how small everything will be. Nonetheless, that's the fun of it, isn't it?
 
Pictured below are the bulkheads, with their panelling and doorways cut out ( in readiness for the doors). Some photos show the bulkheads temporaily sitting in their respective pats of the hull. This gives you some indication of how it's all coming together.
 
Pls bear in mind that some of the bulkheads such those of the galley and crews quarters will be painted white; whilst the staterooms and grand saloon will be done in wood, reminiscent of the rich panelling and decor of a luxurious mega yacht of its day.
 
The deck has also been nearly completed. It now features the diagonal bracing which Hereshoff would have designed to give the steel hull additional strength.
 
By the way, there's still a lot of cleaning up and finessing to be done, especially to the underside of the deck which look a bit rough at this stage. All in good time, though.
 
I hope you enjoy the progress so far!