La Couronne by EJ_L - FINISHED - Corel - 1:100 - 1637 Version

[EJ_L]

Doug, you are correct. A pair of shrouds starts with the foremost pair on either the port or starboard side. They form a loop seized around the mast and drop down on the same side to connect to the deadeyes. In fact I have read that very thing several times recently and just skipped over it as I was really looking for other information and not thinking about it.

 

Thanks for pointing that out or I would have kept making them wrong. The end results looked great and I have been so focused on other details that I was not really paying attention to what I was doing in the present. That is why I never say there is a "dumb" or "beginner' question as sometimes we get so involved in trying to work out a new detail or challenge that we mess up something very simple. The funny part of this is while I was building the back stays earlier, I was looking t my shrouds and thinking that there was something not right about the way I had them running around the mast. While I will make sure the rest are made correctly the existing ones are not going to be replaced at this time. Fortunately by the time all the rigging is done that whoops will not be very noticeable.

 

With that, I think I am going to go to bed before I overlook something else.

[EJ_L]

Studying up on how to rig crows feet and euphroe blocks tonight. So far I have learned that they are complicated pains in the ***es that took a century for people to realize there was a better way to rig things. But they do look cool! By the way, this would be a nice thing if the prints actually showed how the lines were ran or even showed the euphroe blocks to help one figure this out. My plans make a person think that all of those lines simply run through a single block and somehow magically separate into 8 individual strands.

 

So, after a couple of hours I now know what I have to do. Now to figure out how to do it. Keeping tension on the lines and keeping it in the proper places on those lines is going to be tricky. That may be a weekend project more than an after work one. Luckily the weekend is almost here! 

 

A huge thanks to mar3kl and his wonderful Vasa build for helping me to see how those crows feet actually work and how to tie them off. His build is truly inspirational and his photos clearly show many of those little details that are not well explained. While the rigging is not identical to La Couronne, the basics are close enough that I can adapt them to the patterns needed for her rig.

[EJ_L]

Good morning! The weather is quickly becoming very beautiful here today so I wanted to get my ship building in this morning so I can spend the afternoon out in the wood shop working on some furniture. So I have been hard at work on the crow's feet for my fore stay. I did manage to finish it but I am still unsure if I am completely happy with the results. Overall I am satisfied but there is one area that is bothering me with the slack in the forward crows foot. I have already redone it twice as the first time was awful and the second I only had to redo two of the lines. Now I have to step back for a few hours or maybe longer and then decide what I want to do. May let it sit while I work on S.R. for a while.

 

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and suggestions are always welcome!

[Hubac's Historian]

Hey EJ - I'm full of book references lately. One read that will answer many of the grey areas in 17th C. rigging is James Lees's book Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860.

 

While R.C. Anderson provides better insight into the differences in practice between nations (Rigging of Ships In The Days of the Spritsail Topmast 1600-1720), Lees is much more reader friendly, with usefull illustrations.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Hubac's Historian

[EJ_L]

That one has also been on my wish list. I'm slowly collecting them and I'm sure I will have a very full library one day soon!

[ca.shipwright]

Books on ships are like tools- you can never have to many.

[EJ_L]

I agree and fortunately so does the Admiral! We are both huge readers which means I usually have no opposition to buying more books.

[EJ_L]

The majority of my ship modeling books have come from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I have a couple that are on my wish list with Ancre too. Most of them I have found new but a few have been used. I just keep my eyes open for them and when buying used I try to stick with third party sellers affiliated with reputable websites like Amazon or Barnes & Noble as they tend to keep the third party people more accountable to what they are selling.

 

Shop around when looking. I was looking up the pricing for Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860 last night and I found it ranging anywhere from $899 all the way down to $70. Best I could tell the book was out of print and when that happens you get a lot of price gouging. I have seen this with many other books as well. Just keep a wishlist and check up on it periodically and you can usually find one in an affordable range. 

[md1400cs]

EJ,

 

Just catching up - nice standing rigging work.

[Hubac's Historian]

A few months ago, I purchased Lees's book on Amazon for not more than $45, and it arrived in near perfect condition, as advertised.

[ca.shipwright]

E J

This is probably the best out there

 

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=19606292744&searchurl=kn%3DMasting%2Band%2BRigging%2Bof%2BEnglish%2BShips%2Bof%2BWar%2B1625-1860%26sts%3Dt%26sortby%3D17

[EJ_L]

Thanks for that link. There are some very nice deals on there for several of the books I have been looking for. I may be able to expand that library a little faster now...

[yancovitch]

coming along great....gonna be a real eye catcher when people come to visit you .... like...hello ej.....WOW!!! LOOK AT THAT BOAT!!!

(i just thought that most would say boat rather than ship...but i could be wrong )

Edited February 15, 2017 by yancovitch

[EJ_L]

Most of my friends, especially the ones here in Kansas would say boat. My Navy friends and family from Louisiana would get it right though!   It will be a very nice talking point in my house once done and displayed. Still working out where it will be displayed... I have a plan just have to get the Admiral's approval...

[yancovitch]

oh my gosh.....the admiral's approval for sure

[EJ_L]

Started work on the main top mast tonight. Not a lot done yet just some basic shaping and sizing and started to carve out the cap. She is getting taller all the time now. It is one thing to say that she will be 2 feet tall when finished but it is another to see it in real life! And to think, Soleil Royal will be even taller!! Sometimes I understand why the Admiral thinks I'm a little crazy... 

 

Anyway, more will be coming soon I just wanted to update the log and show that I'm back in La Couronne's shipyard again. 

[EJ_L]

Main top mast is built and in place! With that I have also completed the last top for this ship. As neat as those round tops are in appearance, they are a pain to make. Next build session will start the shroud rigging which means that nothing exciting will be seen for a few days but with the weekend coming up I may get lucky and get in some longer build hours and get it done.

 

Afterwards the stays will go up and surprisingly the stays for the main top mast are quite simple when compared to the ones on the fore top mast. In looking ahead the rigging is fairly straight forward for a while until I get to the top gallants and the lifts for some of the yards. Then the crows feet come back. The more I read about them and experience trying to rig them, the more I understand why they vanished relatively fast in favor of much simpler rigging. I would not have wanted to be the sailors tasked with trying to repair one of them while at sea.

 

Ok, enough chat for now, enjoy the pictures! 

[EJ_L]

Shrouds and ratlines have taken over this weekend! While I didn't quite get them all done, I made a very good dent and should probably be done with one or two more hours of work. I am also rather please to say that I even built the shroud pairs correctly this time! So, I hope to finish up the ratlines later this week and then rig the stays. I am ready to be done with ratlines!!!!

[Hubac's Historian]

I appreciate the fatigue factor, but you are getting really good at them.  Ratlines look amazing, dude!

[donrobinson]

Very impressive E.J.

[Roadking]

Wow! That's an intense amount of work but certainly paid off. Quality workmanship. 

 

[EJ_L]

 

Ratlines and stays on the main top mast have been completed! This finishes the last of the large mast sections. I plan on working on S.R. for a while and advance the planking some more on it but, when I return I think a bigger push will be in order. I plan on building the mizzen top mast as well as the fore and main top gallants and all the flag staffs. There is not much rigging needed for them and as there are no more platforms to build the construction of those masts should be relatively simple. Plus, that will finish up mast construction and then I can start on the yards!

 

I must admit that with every new line I rig I tend to spend more and more time just sitting back and looking at her and I am getting more and more excited about seeing the finished ship. Still months away but it is much closer to the finish than the start!

[donrobinson]

Beautiful work E.J., you deserve a trip to that lovely shelving unit of yours

[Roadking]

Unbelievable!!!  I'm blown away by the quality of your workmanship. I'm currently working on my first ship and am learning but I'm not sure I'll ever get to that level. You've set a high bar. 

Do you plan on putting her on a shelf or in a display case?

[yancovitch]

congratulations on the drat lines....a big thing out of the way ....a pretty ship she is.......

[Hubac's Historian]

That's the greatest feeling - to see this thing you've been working on really take shape.  Congrats, Dude, she looks incredible!

[EJ_L]

Thank you all for the kind comments and the likes! I do plan on putting her in a case when done. I am working on a design for a new curio cabinet that will have her center stage but also allow display around her for the Admiral's collections also.

 

Don, funny you should mention that as I have just came from that particular shelving unit and am in fact enjoying a nice beverage while I catch up on the goings on in MSW. May have to pour another when I slide over to the work bench to continue S.R..

[ca.shipwright]

Beautifully done E J. Your photos are super- keep them coming.

 

Regards

 

Sold my La C.- can't work in 1:100 anymore. But I am continuing to follow your log. It is very inspirational as is the LSR.

 

Regards

[Tallshiptragic]

Beautiful E.J, she's an impressive model. I'm currently building the old Sergal Sovereign of the seas also 1637 so it's nice to see a vessel from not only the same era but the same year! And to compare the English vs continental Europe ship design. 

[Roadking]

Hey EJ_L (and several others on this site),

 

Should I be thanking you or cursing you?

 

Last week I worked on my rigging. I thought it looked pretty good, but after looking at some of these build logs I ripped it all out today and am starting over. 

 

I'm working on my first build and my attitude is changing as I work. Things aren't "good enough" any more. 

 

Youre all driving me crazy with the quality of your work.