When to ratline?

[von stetina]

I have my lower shrouds on and I'm thinking of putting on my ratlines next. I read Underhill waited untill after the running rigging was on as it gives more room to belay. As braces will be going over where I need to work doesn't it make more sense to do this now? I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts on this.  Thanks.

 

Von Stetina

 

building clipper Lightning 1/8 scale

 

[Jim Lad]

Bruce,

 

I've found that leaving the ratlines until later doesn't restrict access in practice as I find I reach most of my belaying points from the opposite side anyway.

 

John

[gjdale]

Bruce,

 

I've just finished my ratlines. I did them as the last item of the Standing Rigging. That worked okay, but I did find the backstays various to be a bit of a nuisance. Might have been a bit easier to do them a little earlier in the build, but it's probably six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Edited March 16, 2013 by gjdale

[dcicero]

I'm doing my ratlines now and it'sthe last bit of rigging to be done.  I'm not having any trouble maneuvering around the other rigging.

 

 

Dan

[von stetina]

 I might be able to leave braces untill later, but I don't like the idea of having the yards moving around that loose, not sure as I've never done rigging before. This ship has belaying down in some tuff areas, I see the ratlines could be restrictive. However doing all those knots having to work around the braces seems like it would be an issue.    I suppose the yards could be tied out of the way whille I do the ratlines. 

 

Von Stetina

[gjdale]

Bruce,

 

I had only the bowsprit yards fitted when I did mine and found I was constantly knocking them when working on the foremast ratlines. Trying to tie them with all yards fitted might be asking for trouble.

[Jim Lad]

Bruce,

 

Whatever else you do with regard to rigging sequence, leave the braces until last.  As they run outside everything else they'll really get in the way.

 

John

[von stetina]

Hi Grant and John, Yes Grant, that's what I'm worried about....knocking a yard silly. That makes great sense John. I had visualized working bottom to top with all of it as I go, but I see that you're right as I think about it.  I guess I can secure the yards as I need to with temporary lines.

 

I'm rigging my standing rigging from stern to bow as the mizzen stay runs to a bullseye on the back of the mainmast that is just above the pumps and runs down to the deck. The area is one deck below the 80 foot poop. It took a couple of tries to figure out that the ringbolt needed to come back out of the deck, a bit of a shock. I have what is called a stencil burner. I slipped the bent tip in under the pump to get to it, the heat broke the CA glue loose. I rigged that end then put it back down in there and ran it back up. The bowsprit shrouds are all chain, and are on. I found chain down to 40 links per inch, still a bit oversize but looks good.

 

Bruce

[normanh]

I have always fitted the shrouds and ratlines as the first stage of rigging as you are most likely to get the tensions on the mast correct and have little disturbance of the tensions, working from stern to bow working on each mast as to cause the least hassle  and entanglement of the rigging - usually top down on the mast and closest to the mast first.

[von stetina]

Hi Norman,  Yep.  

 

Not sure what you mean by top down though. Are you refering to the running rigging?

 

Bruce

[normanh]

Running rigging yes I find it much easier but always working close to the mast first then work away.