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woodrat

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  1. woodrat
    To show the sail bellying to a moderate quartering wind, I used a cushion inside a plastic bag secured to a firm surface and coated with silicon lubricant. Strips of Silkspan were held together with watered down wood glue. Cross bands applied. Sail coloured with diluted wood dye. Silkspan is too white. I doubt mediaeval sails were ever white. A Templar cross was made of Silkspan and applied. Bolt ropes and cringles applied, robands inserted. I have avoided stitching as the Silkspan crinkles and tears easily. I realise that this sail not accurately depicting a real sail but this is a decorative model and I wanted to give an overall impression of a sail bellyingrather than just hanging limp. Double reef points and loops applied to both sides of the sail. Dick Woodrat
  2. woodrat
    And now to the knotty problem of how the mediaeval tar shortened sail. There is no doubt that in the 13th century, bonnets had not yet been introduced but there is ample evidence of reef points in contemporary illustrations. The patterns of reefpoints seen are legion, varying from a single band to multiple bands of reef ponts to seemingly random scatterings of points. It is my contention that reefing was not done using the techniques of later centuries. For one thing I believe sailcloth was somewhat stiffer and hence difficult to hand. Something more mechanical is needed. There were no footropes so it is unlikely that reefing by hardy matelots at the yard occurred during a blow although furling was done in harbour by sailors astraddle the yard. It is possible that the yard was lowered somewhat to allow the sail to be shortened from the deck, much as was the case with the later bonnets. The contemporary illustrations once again come to our assistance and, in this regard, I acknowledge the research and lateral thinking done by the early contributors to The Mariner's Mirror Robert Morton Nance and Harold Brindley. To these I owe the concept which , I believe, likely explains the the strange appearance of reef points in this age. I have elected to use their concept in my model. Many illustrations are seen where reef points are double and with a loop as seen in this woodcut fromthe Compost et kalendriers des bergiers 1493 These strange points were on the forward and after side of the sail. There are often three rows of reefpoints Mr Nance contends that the double points and loops were used to enable one or two sailors to sequentially reef the sail by passing the double points of the upper reef point "over and through the loop on the the lower band " then a reef knot is tied on the standing part. This is repeated on the other side. This concertinas the sail. (Mariners Mirror Notes, Vol VI, No 3, pp 85-86, March 1920) I have decided to use these reef points in my model although I baulked at showing the sail reefed. Cheers Dick
  3. woodrat
    Just a question about mediaeval robands. My impression is that the robands of this period in the north were a simple rope passed through a grommet in the sail and tied above the yard with a reef knot. My books give no evidence for this. Certainly the complicated double robands of the 17th to 19th century would not be appropriate. However, looking at some contemporary ilustrations, some seem to show ribbon-like robands, a little tapered at the ends. What was the scandinavian practice or dont we know. Sails dont preserve well. Dick
  4. woodrat
    Some pics of the quarter rudder The arrow points to the wooden rod holding the leather strop inside the bulwark. Removal of this by the steersman allows rapid raising of the rudder. Cheers Dick
  5. woodrat
    I used a strip of Silkspan doubled lengthwise glued and dyed brown. Seems strong. But, in order to be able to raise the rudder, this has to be released quickly. I fixed one end to the wood block against which the rudder moves and led the other end through a slot where it is held with a wooden dowel which can be pulled out quickly by the steersman. I have no evidence for this but they must have done something like this or lost a lot of rudders. Dick
  6. woodrat
    Thanks, Steven. The tamu file agrees with my impression of hulcs. Here is the maintop with the forestay and shrouds rigged. The yard is crossed. I was not convinced that parrels were appropriate so I opted for leather wrapped rope. There is a rope for tightening the leather strop. Cheerio Dick
  7. woodrat
    According to Wolfram zu Mondfeld (Historic Ship Models): from the 13th century onward the windlass drums were usually octagonal or hexagonal in cross section. As the speculative hulc predates this by at least a century, it would seem sensible to have a cylindrical drum. But of course local variation must have been endless. Dick
  8. woodrat
    no particular reason, Steven. Should I change it? Dick
  9. woodrat
    Thanks, Steven. And may I say, your Winchelsea beast is turning into a lovely piece. This is my take on the windlass: This how I have rigged the forestay, remembering this a keelless ship so I have seized the forestay to the keel plank. Cheerio Dick
  10. woodrat
    Thanks for all the comments and likes, chaps. I wasn't going to do crows nest but, as a lot of depictions of banana boats show some type of top on the mast, I would have a go. I'm sure that, at this period, they were still working out how to do them, so a lot of imagination is allowed. A cross on the flagstaff is a common feature and I have faced the cross forward. Although I tried to keep the weight down, I thought some tressle trees would be needed to support the top. The flagstaff I have made removable with a fid. Anyhow, here'tis: Cheerio Dick
  11. woodrat
    Well........ I did satisfy myself that this iteration of an hulc was buildable using techniques in common usage during the 13th century and earlier. The vessel ended up being quite beamy and capacious as would suit a merchant transport. This could suggest that hulcs may have developed from riverine vessels and barges used throughout western europe since roman days. The carrying capacity would have been superior to cogs and maybe even knaars. I am satisfied that horses ( although probably not gryphons) could have been transported in something analogous to this as seen in the Bayeux Tapestry. The lack of keel and flat bottom would suit the vessel to quiet and more shallow waters or estuaries. I don't know how good a sailor it would be in the open ocean. With appropriate ballasting it may have been stable enough for crossing of the North Sea. The reverse clinker is likely to have reduced leeway because of the increased lateral resistance supplied by the exposed upper edge of the planking. This may also have reduced the tendency to roll with beamy seas. It is unlikely that any nautical engineers would be interested enough to test this scientifically, but maybe if a reverse-clinker vessel were found....? Anyway, it has been sort of interesting. The next build will definitely be one that has been fully excavated and , I think, not represented in MSW, The Nydam Ship. Cheers Dick
  12. woodrat
    Well, that's the hull complete. I don't think the ship has turned out as outlandish as I thought it might. Any self-repecting gryphon would be happy to be transported in her. Now for some deck furniture, rigging and a mort of decoration. Cheers Dick
  13. woodrat
    Summary of the Construction of the Hull On a building board with the plan of the ship glued, the keel was erected. Stem and stern posts were scarfed onto the keel. At this stage the shape of the master frame was determined by geometric technique of the manuscript Libro de Navigar. The master frame is fixed to the keel A special jig was made to allow assemblages of frames with different amounts of floor narrowing Tail-frames and every fifth frame attached to the keel. Intermediate frames are inserted to complete the main hull framing. Ribbands between the hull, stem and sternposts are used to fashion the bow and stern frames. Internal stringers and deck clamps are installed and longitudinal wales. This completes summary of the framing of the hull The Quarter Rudders Mediterranean vessels of the 13th century followed the ancient practice of having two rudders on each of the vessel’s quarters. The shape of these rudders is well known from contemporary pictures and recent discoveries in the Black Sea and elsewhere have confirmed the accuracy of these pictures. In essence, the quarter rudders need to have a mechanism to allow raising and lowering of the rudder. For instance, when heeled over under sail it was a common practice to raise the weather rudder and to steer by the lee rudder. A tiller was slotted into the upper end of the rudder. In addition, because there is considerable lateral force on the rudder, this must be resisted. In order to allow raising and lowering and resist lateral force, a system of curved rudder guides was built into the quarter of the ship and rigging designed to achieve this. The rigging is shown diagrammatically and the rudder guides as constructed on the model:: The rudder in raised position: The timoneer’s position is in front of the sterncastle The Deck furniture The Pumps These ships were probably fitted with log pumps. So called because the longitudinal element was made from a single log hollowed out by large augers . The pump mechanism was and expanding leather cone lifted by hand and predating chain pumps by centuries. This example was found in the Newport ship These are the pumps in the model The Windlass The use of simple windlasses is well attested but probably not capstans. I doubt that pawls were installed at this early stage. Masting and Rigging of the Round Ship will be summarised in the next post
  14. woodrat
    Reconstruction of a Venetian round ship of the 13th century Summary Richard J Beaver During the mediaeval period, Venice was a trading hub which dominated the Mediterranean and, despite numerous battles with its rivals Genoa and Pisa, Venice traded widely through the Mediterranean basin, up into the Black Sea and even sent trading vessels into the Atlantic as far as Flanders and the British Isles. At the period we are dealing with most of its trade was conveyed in either merchant long-range galleys (long ships) for longer distances or, for shorter hops, the round ship. It is this latter vessel that I wish to represent with a 1/32 scale model, built, as well as can be ascertained from the limited evidence, according to the original techniques used by Venetian shipwrights. Evidence was derived from rare manuscripts, contemporary paintings and illustrations and from the few wrecks of these ships that have been found. The craft of the ship-builder was secret and passed on to family or trusted individuals. Woe betide anyone who stole or revealed the secrets of this craft! No plans were drawn up. The constructions and measurements were made using geometrical and arithmetic formulae. These were transferred to templates which were often no more than dozens of marked sticks which were stored in case a further vessel was required. For instance, the distance from the top of the bulwark to the main wale would be one marked stick and the width of a deck beam would be another. The Round Ship or Nave Tonda was built skeleton-first and carvel-planked. It was lateen rigged on one or two pole masts. The stem and stern posts were drawn using simple Euclidean geometry and attached to the keel by simple scarfs. The keel lengths, beam width and depth of hold were also established using geometric techniques adjusted according to the owners special requirements. Each frame of the “skeleton” was modelled on a “Master-Frame” and consisted of a flat floor timber, two futtocks and two top-timbers fastened with iron bolts. No trenails were used in the construction. Having established the length of the vessel, the number of needed frames was calculated. Having determined how much the frames would narrow fore and aft, a geometric technique such as the “Mezza Luna” (there were others) was used to produce a smooth narrowing between the Master Frame and the two Tail-Frames (the last frames with a true floor, one at the fore and one aft). Each frame was then constructed with progressive narrowing of the floor. Every fifth frame was bolted to the keel and trued up. At this point, the frames were connected by longitudinal ribbands. The remaining intermediate frames were then installed. Ribbands were extended to the stem and stern posts. By direct measurement the bow and stern framing was constructed. After completion of framing, planking proceeded (by the Guild of Caulkers) using carvel planking, well caulked. External wales, internal longitudinal stringers, keelson and ceiling were installed. Lastly, deck beams were installed. In order to construct the model, I used the framing plans of the Contarina 1 shipwreck discovered in 1898 and fully measured. The overall dimensions were those given in a contemporary manuscript by Michael of Rhodes which has been fully published and translated. Lastly the superstructure was based on a painting by Veneziano in the St Mark’s Basilica ( the Pala d’oro). Summary of theConstruction of the model to follow in next post
  15. woodrat
    I stand corrected.😷 But Damme if can find any heraldic gryphon with a tusk!
  16. woodrat
    It certainly is, Steven. With a large gryphon landing pad on the sterncastle. But I thought it was the Roc that carried away elephants. and dropped rocks on ships I do not think that gryphons (griffins is equally incorrect) have the strength to lift elephants and I quote as my source: "in size and strength they resemble lions, but having this advantage over them that they have wings, they will attack them, and they get the better of elephants and of dragons. But they have no great power of flying, not more than have birds of short flight; for they are not winged as is proper with birds, but the palms of their feet are webbed with red membranes, such that they are able to revolve them, and make a flight and fight in the air; and the tiger alone is beyond their powers of attack, because in swiftness it rivals the winds." Flavius Philostratus, The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, translated by F. C. Conybeare, volume I, book III.XLVIII., 1921, p. 333. And if Tenniel is to be believed, they are much too genteel. Cheers, Dick
  17. woodrat
    To avoid cluttering Stevens log I have made some speculations on beams and decks in my hulc log Dick
  18. woodrat
    Until we find and excavate a nef with its upper works preserved enough to directly observe, any reconstruction is frumious. For my two bobs worth (i.e. two shillings worth, i.e. not worth much), however, I observe from the seals that many of these vessels have 3 through beams and the middle of which is forward of the mast where most force would be applied. The other two are forward and aft of this and are obviously meant to take a lot of strain. Indeed, the Sandwich seal shows the boat stored between the middle and aft beam. This suggests to my congested brain that there is a foredeck and and an aft deck supported on the fore and aft beams respectively. This would leave a large storage area between the fore and aft throughbeams which could be planked over, support a main hatch or left open ( for instance to transport horses and griffons). If left open (to allow griffons to see over the side as they have long necks) gangways may be needed to allow crew to go backwards and forwards and avoid griffons. I have attempted to show this in my spurious imagined hulc . I have also joined planks together and made them into removable platforms which sit between the rabbets of my cross beams. This would simplify access to space under decks. Cheers Dick
  19. woodrat
    I tend to agree, although many wouldn't. I made the same decision for the spurious hulc. The hulls were often blackened by pitch or other resins so nail heads would not show up well. When I was a lad and doing plastic aeroplane kits they often put in every rivet at 1:72 scale and all the dots made the plane look like it had smallpox. Later the kit tended not to have them. Looking grand, Steven. Dick
  20. woodrat
    There was insufficient freeboard so I have add a strake to correct this. The stern and forecastles are complete. They will be rigidly attached and some wash strakes applied. Cheers Dick
  21. woodrat
    I'm not sure this helps. The Nydam Ship from the western Baltic has been dated to circa 320 CE. If I am interpreting the photos well the clinker overlap seems to be maintained to the rabbet. So the use of gains probably postdates this The Gokstad faering uses a different method again. So they were obviously experimenting Dick
  22. woodrat
    Thank you for all the likes. Nearing completion of the hull and castles. Quite a few seals show bowsprits. These are not in the centre but offset to one side . This will allow unobstructed access to the stem for the forestay. The bowsprit is mainly for leading the bowlines to the mainsail. Staysails and jibs weren't used to my knowledge. The bowsprit necessitates some imaginative framing in the forecastle and is why I have left decking till the very last. Note the scuttle allowing ladder access to the castle from the foredeck. This ladder would be pulled up if the waist were boarded. Cheers Dick
  23. woodrat
    The castles prior to decoration. the sterncastle the forecastle castle decking and access scuttles to be added Cheers Dick
  24. woodrat
    Cometh the Banana Boat. Thanks Steven and I look forward to your "nef" Dick
  25. woodrat
    The following shows my interpretation of the possible framing of the fore and after castles. I believe that these should be strongly but lightly constructed as they would have to suffer the buffets of the sea as well as piratical assault while not making the vessel top heavy. Some models show somewhat flimsy castles. Cheers Dick

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