cdrusn89

While working on the ratlines on the top masts I noticed that at least on the upper ratlines I was working with my arms at or above my shoulders and found this very tiring (and painful at times). I needed to find a way to either sit higher (but the workbench edge keeps getting in the way) or get the ship,lower. I saw this on a web site somewhere - uses an adjustable height stool to allow the model to be moved up and down to suit. The one I saw had pieces of wood permanently attached to the stool top and a cradle built from swimming "noodles" held together with duct tape. I already had the foam cradle (but have noodles if the foam cradle proves to be a problem) and decided not to destroy the stool's usefulness outside the workshop so I just clamped two pieces of wood to the stool to keep the cradle in place. I have the mizzen top mast shrouds in place and secured. Working ratlines and shroud cleats on the main mast.

Pressing on with the ratlines. Main top mast ratlines are complete. Seven down, 5 to go. That mess at the forward shroud is the cleat lashing, the lanyard lashing and the ratline. Makes me want to have done them all in black. Hopefully the other side will not look so bad. I seem to get better with practice and seeing what doesn't work so well as I proceed. Maybe someday (probably not soon) I will be able to do this consistently from the start. Mizzen top mast and shrouds in place. Need to make the final adjustments and then secure the lashings, add the shroud cleats and then - more ratlines.

A good bit of progress since the new year. I completed the ratlines and futtock shrouds and ratlines on the main mast. and started to install the shroud cleats on them as well. Not the most exciting activity so I only do a few at a time. I have the mizzen ratlines almost done Have the fore topmast shrouds in place and secured And I have the main top mast in place and the shrouds and Burton pendants in place "ready to rig". The upper deadeyes are not yet glued in place but held in place by friction between the shroud and the pre-made seizing. With any luck I can CAREFULLY adjust the length after the lanyards are in place to get the deadeyes lined up and the shrouds still taut. For the main (and mizzen) top mast shrouds I decided a single jig would suffice as making the "four place" jig for he foremast was a real pain I did not want to repeat. Here is the jig in place with the shroud "cinched" to the deadeye. I will start the next round of ratlines after I get the mizzen (and their futtock shrouds done. The fun never stops.

Mizzen shrouds (and shroud cleats) completed. Also installed the fore top mast, checked alignment with laser and secured to mast cap and trestle trees. Fabbed the top mast shrouds and the "holders" for the top mast deadeyes. Ready to rig fore top mast shrouds when I get tired of lower shroud ratlines and such.

I have the mizzen shrouds in place and the lanyards strung but not yet "secured". I probably should have thought of this before but with all three masts in place (but only one with any 'adjustment" ability left without major rework) I should check to see if they are aligned. Given the cross section of the fore and main masts it seems unlikely (IMHO) that they could have been pulled out of alignment during the shroud installation but... So I got my laser level out to check. I lined things up so the head of the figurehead and the center of the foremast were aligned. Then, since the level is just below the level of the model I added pieces of card stock with lines perpendicular to the bottoms to see how the main and mizzen masts looked. If the laser was level with the model the main mast would show directly but that would involve stacking boxes of something to get the laser higher and the card stock seemed easier. Main mast The line is actually directly behind the mast but I had to take the picture from the side to avoid getting in the way of the laser. Mizzen Mast Everything looks okay so I can proceed to tie off the mizzen mast lanyards and return to my favorite activity - ratlines and such.

Now that I have "experimented" with rigging the lower shrouds on the fore and main masts I believe (IMHO) that I have "arrived" at the procedure that works (for me). Too late to go back and "fix" the fore and main but the next time I encounter shroud cleats I will remember (I hope) what I learned here. I explained (briefly) the pre-made seizings process in post 379 and that is where I will start. I made up sets of seizings in three sizes .047", .050" and .065". The mizzen shrouds are .025" Syren line served for a length of about 2" in the center where the shroud will pass around the mast. As I explained previously the pre-made seizings diameter (the diameter of what they are wound around) should be slightly less that the combined diameters of the lines to be joined. The .047s are to join the unserved part of the shrouds and the .050s are for the served part at the mast head. I use a piece of wood (tongue depressor) with double sided tape on it to hold the seizings so they don't "get lost". For each shroud I will need two .047s, two .065s and one .050. I used 1.5mm pieces for one of the .047s and the .050 and then 1mm lengths for the rest. First is the 1.5mm .050 which forms the loop that goes around the mast head. I try and get the loop in the center of the served section. This (of course) goes over the mast head and the ends lead down to the channels. I have found it a good idea to secure the joint between the two shroud lines before proceeding further. Don't ask me how I know but manipulating the shrouds while adding the deadeye can cause the seizing to slip down the shrouds and that can mess up your carefully preserved deadeye alignment. With the shroud end ready for deadeye installation the other for four seizing are added in this order 1mm .047, both 1mm .065s and last the 1.5mm .047. Then the shroud is led around the deadeye on your carefully constructed deadeye "holder" and the 1.5mm .047 is glued in place while the bitter end is under tension. Care is needed to keep the bitter end aft of the standing end. Now the first of the 1mm .065s is brought down above the deadeye seizing. I modified the shroud cleats so that the surface that lies on the shrouds is tapered a bit at each end. Unmodified on the top. Keeping track of which side faces out I insert the shroud cleat between the shrouds and the seizing which has been sized for this purpose (after a number of false starts). Then the second 1mm .065 captures the other end and the shroud lines are adjusted so there is no slack, A drop of thin CA glues the assembly together. I am leaving the remaining 1mm .047 "adrift for the moment as I want to get the shroud bitter ends all aligned once the deadeye lashings are in place. So here is the forward most shroud temporarily lashed in place with the shroud cleat. Hopefully the tension from the line secured to this cleat (which runs forward) will help get the deadeye better aligned as it wants to twist the forward edge inboard. My intention is to belay the lashing with half hitches above the shroud cleat and below the last .047 seizing.

I guess no additional ratlines are required for those who choose to go through the "lubbers hole". They would certainly be a challenge to tie if the futtock shrouds were in place.

Starboard side Main Mast ratlines done (except for trimming the ends). On the main I started at the bottom and worked up (obviously) one row at a time in sequence (no skipping) starting from the aft edge until about row 15 when I noticed a tendency to distort the shrouds. Then I switched directions (work from aft then work from forward as I moved up. When I got to about row 20 the aft two shrouds were so close together that the two knots were starting to force the shrouds apart so I skipped the inner (#7) of the two. A row or two more and I had to do similarly at the forward end skipping shroud #2. Now for some fun rigging the mizzen upper deadeyes and then on to the port side main ratlines.

Mizzen mast shrouds in place and templates for upper deadeyes fabricated and in place. I have been alternating between main mast ratlines and working the mizzen shrouds.

Mizzen mast in place (but not glued) and Burton pendants installed while I start on the Main mast ratlines.

While tying off the lanyards on the Main Mast and with the shroud cleats in mind it might have made sense to either raise the entire set of main mast upper deadeyes so the after 3/4 of them would be above the railing or just raise the aft ones although I do not believe I have ever seen upper deadeyes that were not at a constant heigth. As they stand mine are near the upper limit (three times the deadeye diameter) but unless the after cleats are little used working them with the railing in the way would have. not been any "fun".

Foremast lower rigging (lower shrouds, futtock shrouds and associated ratlines) completed - well almost completed - need to trim off those ends. The other side looks similar but the site will not download that photo for some reason. On to the Main mast

And here I thought ratlines were a pain. At least that is the same pain over and over and over. Futtock shrouds are another whole level. I cut the futtock shrouds extra long as I really had not figured out how I was going to get them installed when I started. As it turned out that was a good thing. One thing for those that follow - the eye in the PE-57 hooks provided need to be drilled out (I used a #68 drill bit) to get the .5mm line through (or my paint job is really thick - not likely since it was sprayed on). I followed the kit plans for how the futtock shrouds are located - from the futtock plate down around the futtock stave and then up along side the lower shroud and then secured to the lower shroud with seizings. Lennarth Petersson's book shows the futtock shrouds wrapping around the futtock stave and being seized to the lower shrouds below the futtock stave. For the fore mast the second, third, fifth and sixth lower shrouds are where the four futtock shrouds terminate. Here is the second (from the bow) futtock shroud in position. The green arrow points to the futtock shroud, the orange arrow to the third lower shroud. The extra length of the futtock shroud allows me to run the end up into and across the top and then hang a weight on the end to keep it in place while I secure it to the lower shroud. I use Syren .008 brown line to "seize" the futtock and lower shrouds together. Here the orange arrow shows the line that will be used to join the lines I used a simple overhand knot and kept the line just above the stave. A drop of thin CA secures the knot (and the two lines together). A second knot is added just under the ratline The ends of the "seizings" are trimmed off and the futtock shroud is cut off just above the ratline - I use cuticle shears to cut lines in these areas as they are easier (for me) to control and their sharp point makes getting into tight places (like here) easier. And when the futtock shrouds are all in place - MORE RATLINES!

Here are the fore mast port side shrouds complete - at least for now - still have to add the catharpins. Hopefully next time I can get the ratlines without so much slack.

If I had it to do over again I would add the cleats as I was tightening the shrouds. The drawing shows the cleats just above the upper deadeye so they should not interfere with the ratlines. The one down side that I see is that if you are using a ratline spacing template behind the shrouds the cleats may make getting that situated satisfactorily more difficult than not having them there.