Cutter Cheerful 1806 by rafine - FINISHED

[Stuntflyer]

Nicely done, Bob! It looks like you really enjoy rigging.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Stuntflyer

[druxey]

Coming along really nicely, Bob. Very neatly done.

[rafine]

Thanks so much Mike and druxey and the "likes". Very much appreciated.

[Gahm]

Beautiful work, Bob! A pleasure to follow your progress!

 

Thomas

[Kevin]

lovely work bob,

[rafine]

Thanks so much Thomas and Kevin and the "likes".

 

Bob

[rafine]

I'm a little behind in my posting, because I've had some computer issues that have kept me from accessing or using my photos. Hopefully, all is resolved now.

 

The topsail yard has now been fitted out, mounted and rigged. As with the lower yard, the fitting out included adding the foot ropes, blocks, the yard portion of the halliard, the lifts, the clews and the braces. With all of that completed , I mounted the yard to a pin on the topmast and completed the rigging. This involved running the halliard through the masthead sheave and then adding it's tackle, running the lifts through blocks seized to the masthead, completing the clews and adding the sheets which were then run down through the sheaves in the lower yard and running the braces through a block hooked to an eye at the bowsprit tip.

 

From here, it is on to the gaff and boom.

 

Bob

[GLakie]

Mighty fine looking rigging Bob! Mighty fine! 

[gjdale]

Looking terrific Bob. You must be starting to consider the next model?

[druxey]

Looking terrific! Not much more to do before she's complete.

[rafine]

Thanks so much George, Grant, John and druxey for the nice comments and also the "likes".

 

Yes, the end is in sight and I am considering what to do next. I'll be back to you soon on that.

 

Bob

[lami]

Hi Bob,

She looks great, congratulations.

I have one question about the lower backstays, i know that nearly all models of cutters are showing them, but they are neither mentioned in the rigging instructions for cutters in the 1794 nor the 1818 edition of Steel's masting and rigging. So I even played with the thought that maybe the pendents were used as backstays on cutters. Do you by any chance have a literature reference for them?

I'm asking as I'm currently started to rig my Surly and I'm stuck at that point.

Many thanks for your help.

Edited March 29, 2016 by lami

[rafine]

Thanks so much Lami for the kind words. As to your question, I followed Chuck's rigging plan, without any independent research on this. I know that Chuck did extensive research and probably would have an answer for you.

 

Bob

[wyz]

Great job Bob!  You're in the home stretch now with the end in sight.  That has to make you feel good.  I too am interested in knowing what your next project will be.  Come on, give us a hint.  ;-)

 

Tom

[alde]

Man that's nice. It sure builds into a pretty little cutter. Your rigging looks fantastic.

[mobbsie]

Superb rigging Bob, as always.

 

Now I'm not going to ask what your planning on building next mate, I wouldn't do that now would I.  

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[rafine]

Thanks so much Tom, Al and Mobbsie for the generous comments and also the "likes". Always appreciated.

 

Nothing mysterious about the next project -- just haven't quite made up my mind. Very soon.

 

Bob

[rafine]

I've now mounted and rigged the boom and gaff. Before describing that work, I present a cautionary tale. This about not thinking far enough ahead and simply following plans without research or thought. I had chosen to mount and rig the yards before the boom and gaff. In the past, I have done this both ways without much difference. In mounting the yards, I decided to use simplified trusses, as shown on the plans with a note that many cutters did not use them and they are optional. I chose to use them because they help to hold the yard to the mast securely during rigging. Not until all of the work on the yards was complete did I notice on the the plans that the gaff is shown as being above the lower yard on the mast. Since the gaff slides up and down on the mast, this seemed an odd and improbable situation.

 

At this point, I contacted Chuck to get his input on this. He agreed with my conclusion, but provided persuasive evidence from contemporary models that this was, in fact, the way it was done on many cutters, particularly those that did not employ trusses on the lower yard. I was going to try to remove the truss and mount the gaff above the yard, when it became apparent that the only way to accomplish this would be to remove virtually all of the rigging to the yards that was now in the way. I chose not to do this, but go with mounting the gaff below the yard, as shown on some models with trusses. It also seems, from my exchange with Chuck, that if a truss was employed and the gaff shown below the yard, the fore and aft braces on the lower yard, one of the most visually interesting features of the cutter rig, would not be used, but only the forward brace.

 

In any event, the boom and gaff are now in place and rigged. Mounting involved making parrels for each from black beads. The boom rigging consists of a topping lift and the boom sheet. The gaff rigging involved the peak and throat halliards and the flag halliard. All of the blocks had been attached to the boom and gaff and the masthead before mounting the boom and gaff. After completing this work, I permanently tied off a number of lines that had previously been only temporarily done and added rope coils.

 

This completes the rigging except for the lower yard braces. While I understand that it is probably accurate to use only the forward braces, given what I've done, I really like the look of the double braces.   What should I do?

 

Bob

[Mirabell61]

looking even better with every new post of yours Bob ! ,

 

boom and coils on the pinracks look super

 

Nils

[druxey]

Those belayed lines look terrific, Bob.

[mobbsie]

Hi Bob,

 

In my experience mate with the types of boat I've worked on which is the Thames Barge's and Bawley the Gaff and Boom have always been rigged this way.

 

What you have achieved here is almost perfection, the rigging looks absolutely superb mate.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[_SalD_]

Very nicely done Bob, your rigging looks great.  I like the rope coils too.  As for the braces I would do what's going to make you happy (personally I'd go with both fore and aft, but that's just my 2 cent).   Or I guess you could install the fore braces see what it looks like and then install the aft ones.

[gjdale]

Lovely work Bob. It's a shame about the gaff with the gaff (pun intended) I'd go with "you're the Captain" in this case - rig the braces any way you like.

[rafine]

Thanks so much Nils, druxey, Mobbsie, Sal, Grant and Spyglass for the very kind words and thanks also to all of the "likes".

 

I'm still torn about what to with the braces. My historically accurate side says to go with only the forward braces. My artistic license side says to do the fore and aft. In my usual fashion of putting such decisions off, I have done the forward braces, but will delay the final decision for a day or two.

 

Bob

[Erik W]

Bob,

 

As one who strives for accuracy himself, I feel your pain with this decision about the aft braces.  With that said, I'm sure 99% of us, if not 100%, wouldn't have noticed the inaccuracy of the gaff below the lower yard as well as including the aft brace, if you had not pointed it out.  While striving for accuracy, at some point we have to admit that we are creating a representation of the real thing.  So in a case like this, in my humble opinion, what looks most interesting on the finished ship is what I'd go with.  Either choice will in no way detract from what you've accomplished with this build. 

 

Erik

[Gahm]

Bob, I don't know what the most historically accurate representation is, but I love the way you did the rigging! It looks absolutely fantastic! 

 

Thomas

[rafine]

Thanks so much Erik and Thomas for not only the nice comments, but the support and encouragement.

 

Bob

[NMBROOK]

She looks looking terrific Bob ! great work  .Personally,my artistic nature told my historically accurate side where to get off a while back   I know which route I would take

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[rafine]

Thanks so much Nigel. Just when I had almost made up my mind to be historically accurate, you've gone and made me rethink it again.   

 

Bob

[NMBROOK]

Whoops,sorry Bob

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

Edited April 2, 2016 by NMBROOK