Was a ship's wheel Painted. (edited by admin)

[bluenose2]

Hello Les here. Can anyone tell me if a ships wheel such as the HMS Beagle or Endeavour would have been painted.  And if so what colours. Also when a long boat or such was stowed on deck, were the oars, masts and sails etc stowed in the craft  when the ship was at sea? Or stored elsewhere.

[wefalck]

I cannot answer the question pertaining to HMS BEAGLE or HMS ENDEAVOUR. In general, I think a surface treatment (varnishing, oiling) showing the wood (typically mahagony) was preferred. Like the binnacle it was often some sort of show-piece or adornement and, therefore, also had polished bronze or brass fittings. However, I have also seen painted wheels with cast-iron fittings. I gather it was a question of the 'grade' of the ship and how much pride the owner took into it.

 

Oares, sweeps, rudders, masts and similar pieces of wood would have been stowed inside the boats (if the boat stood upright in chocs or was suspended from davits) and securely tied down. Otherwise, oars etc. would have been lashed-down besides or under the boat. More perishable materials, such as sails would be probably stowed below deck, unless the boat was covered in a tarpaulin or it was the boat that was kept ready for service.

[bluenose2]

Bonjour wefalck. Would a binnacle have been oiled or left plain? 

[wefalck]

Actually, I think neither of it. Binnacles seem to have been either varnished wood, or they were painted. The well-known and more modern pillar-type binnacles seem to have been mostly varnished, while the older cup-board-like ones seem to have been mostly painted.

[bluenose2]

Ok gotcha.