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woodrat

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  1. woodrat
    My concept of the lower halyard blocks and bitts for the two masts. Loosely based on a Black sea find. On contemporary iconography a consistent feature is the halyard angling acutely aft from the mast as is the practice in dhows. This also allowed the halyards to act like backstays. Cheers Dick
  2. woodrat
    Beautifully preserved wreck and a log pump AND capstan in situ. Wow! Note the transom timber at the stern with a round tuck stern and she is carvel. Not what I would expect from a northern ship of the era. that foremast is very forrard and stepped on the stempost. Fascinating find! Dick
  3. woodrat
    Thanks. Carl. Just call me Simplicius. 😎
  4. woodrat
    Yes, Steven. I made it octagonal for 3 reasons: The slots for the levers are on alternative facets, lessening risk of weakening the log. When winding, it allows the winders on the opposite side to maintain the strain while the next lever is inserted. Thereby a rhythm is set up, no doubt with a shanty to go with it . It looks good. Dick 😎
  5. woodrat
    I have made a simple windlass which is likely to be what they used in the 13th century. No pawls are needed as the windlass could be prevented from running backwards simply by one of the crew pushing his lever all the way through to the other side, effectively locking it. Cheers Dick
  6. woodrat
    I am happy to help if I can. Don't be too discouraged if it all seems daunting. My first ship model "USF Essex " was way above my head but I took the time, researched the build and bought or made the tools. It took me 10 years but was worth it. Be prepared to modify the kit if it is inadequate or inaccurate. I have all the info you would need to make your model carrack as historically accurate as is possible. Don't be in a hurry. I look forward to your build. Cheers Dick
  7. woodrat
    do you have a reference for this chain pump? I would have thought that simple log pumps would have been used at this time. Dick
  8. woodrat
    It occurred to me that there should be accommodation in the after part of the ship for passengers and ship's master/pilot. Bit difficult to do it at this stage but I thought it important. So I retrofitted the quarters. Very basic accommodation (and no doubt cramped and smelly). The planking is only on the starboard side. I think there would be capacity for about 20 passengers in the steerage Dick
  9. woodrat
    The mediaeval lateen rig had the sail OUTSIDE the shrouds so if your caravel friend is putting the sail aback against the mast , he must have the sail INSIDE the shrouds which is counter to mediterranean practice of the period you are dealing with ( see prof. Pryor's publications on the mediaeval lateen rig). I will try to get hold of Julian Whitewright's thesis on the mediaeval lateen rig as a basis for the rig of my round ship. The dhows mostly used a settee sail not a full lateen and so I would be cautious using dhows as a model for your rig. It is no longer accepted that lateen rig originated in the Indian Ocean as undoubted depictions of lateen sail rigs date from the second century CE. the settee sail had the forward corner of the sail squared off Your idea of goose-winging the sails while oars are deployed is good. The oars would provide some lateral stability when running before the wind. I am enjoying the build immensely. Keep up the good work Dick
  10. woodrat
    In order to tack the mediaeval lateener, it was necessary to bring the yard vertical against the mast. I think your crutch forward of the foremast would impede that manoeuvre. Also the lower part of the yard needs to be shorter than the upper so it can clear the forecastle. The best illustrations of this manoeuvre are in Landstrom's "`The Ship". If you are going to depict rowers, are you going to stow the yards on the crutches? Dick
  11. woodrat
    Carl, I have no idea. Wrecks of this period have no decks. The Black sea may tell us in time. At the end of the day, if I am not happy, I can fully plank the deck. There must have been some method of strengthening the deck around the mast partners and bitts to allow transmission of force. Dick
  12. woodrat
    Here is the framing of the mid portion of the deck including hatch and mizzen mast partner. It is largely guesswork but I can assure you it is quite strong. Dick
  13. woodrat
    with regard to the "horns" at the stern, they are consistently shown with round knobs on top. This seems to suggest that the yards could be lashed to the horn, obviating the need for a cross piece. I agree that in port they may have just used removable crutches. Smaller vessels may have taken yards and unstepped the masts, stowing them along the side as seen in the Breydenbach vessel on the left. Dick
  14. woodrat
    Love the crutches but I still think your spur is too long😓. But as long as you are happy with it, thats all that matters. Interestingly the undoubted dromons shown on the Annales de Genes show the spur well. These are not dromons as there is only a single bank of oars Dick 😊
  15. woodrat
    The yards were too long to stow on deck and in the case of galleys, would get in the way of oarsmen. Lowered yards could also be used to drape awnings when in harbour. Here is a picture from Breydenbach's Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam 1486 (artist Reuwich) showing a small trading vessel being loaded through a removable bulwark. Note that quarter rudders are used with a swing mount but have been removed while in port. Note also that the other vessel has a massive stern rudder which would be very difficult to unship. Dick
  16. woodrat
    Thanks, Steven. I know this drawing well as it was used on the cover of prof. Pryor's book "Geography, technology and war" . Required reading for anyone interested in the maritime history of the mediterranean in the mediaeval period I agree that the "horns" at the transom are wrongly drawn. They are probably meant to be lashed to the lowered yard. Question: When the yard was lowered, in the absence of horns, what did the yards rest on? Removable crutches? Alberto. I have reviewed all my images of the Black Sea vessel and I agree that there is definitely a gap in the starboard bulwark which is likely where a removable bulkhead was sited. I have put them on both port and starboard sides.. Cheers Dick
  17. woodrat
    Thanks, Alberto. The Laurons ship was one of the factors that persuaded me that removable bulwarks were often used. In addition the veneziano painting on which I base my reconstruction seems to show the coffin of St Mark being loaded across a gap in the bulwarks: I will have to closely look at that feature on the Black Sea vessel you have pointed out. Well spotted. Dick
  18. woodrat
    Including the coamings it is 67mm. equating to 2.14 metres which is 6.2 venetian piede Dick
  19. woodrat
    I am unaware of when gratings made their first appearance but have seen no evidence of them in the mediaeval period or earlier. Dick
  20. woodrat
    Steven. I found that tapering the wedges slightly from the outside to the inside allowed them to fit together more snugly. Then they are woolded. The dromon is looking fine. Too late to use it as a bread basket.😊 Dick
  21. woodrat
    I suppose so. All is supposition until I get some answer from the archaeologists. I have been unable to find pictures of hatches from contemporary sources. Dick
  22. woodrat
    Have installed the mast partners, main hatch and bitts. Dick
  23. woodrat
    Thanks for those pics, Binho. Most Useful. The round throughbeams have also puzzled me. The vessel is said to be a "round ship" although not as "round" as what people conceived a round ship to be. The Contarina I wreck is about the same period as the Black Sea vessel but regional differences are important. Just look at the vast range of different types of hull and rig extant in the 20th century in the Arabian Sea. One of the unusual findings in the Contarina ship was the cut off of top timbers level with the deck in the mid section of the ship. Combined with this was the slotted timbers at each end of the gap. This seems to represent a removable section of bulwark. Is this to facilitate cargo loading or to allow sweeps to be deployed? No-one knows but I favour a combination of the two. In any case, I have included this feature in my model. The section of bulwark could be lifted by two men and slid into position Here is the rake of the main (forward) mast here is the rake of the mizzen (rear) mast Cheers Dick
  24. woodrat
    Thanks, Binho. As I cant purchase the documentary in Oz, that would be most kind. Thanks also Mark and Steven. I do not plan to cover up any more of the hull framing. Partial deck plank it is. I have a tentative plan for the deck. It is largely driven by the position of the mast partners Dick
  25. woodrat
    I couldn't help it! The wood was crying out for moisture. So I slavered on lots of orange oil and the wood said "thank you". The hull is largely complete. I now will attend to the deck framing, hatchways and machinery. This is contentious as no deck framing has survived from Contarina I and the I am likely to fall off the perch before I get answers from the Black Sea!! Anyhoo, the next question is whether to fully plank or partially plank the deck or not at all. Decision, decisions! Btw, thanks for the likes and general support for what is a fairly exotic subject cheers Dick

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