Where are my braces?

[Bluto 1790]

Well, it's not that I don't know where they are, but specifically, it's not very clear where the main brace is cleated/secured.

On the drawing I have it shows the running end of the main brace heading (as seems to be the normal) towards the aft end of the poop deck just below the taffrail.

In Peterssen's rigging book it shows that line passing through a sheave in the bulwark and being cleated off to a pin on a pinrail on the inside of the bulwark.

On H.M.S. Leopard it's not possible to secure it there as there are no bulwarks on the poop deck -- only hammock cranes . . . see the drawing below where I've highlighted the running end of the brace in red and I'm assuming the fixed end is the one in green >>>

It doesn't seem feasible to secure it  to a cleat on the taffrail even if there were any there. (there are none in any of the drawings/plans)

I'm thinking of continuing to run the line from the taffrail up to a block under the mizzen top and then back down through a series of blocks to a belaying point below.

It's just that to do so would seem to make for a very long, convoluted main brace ???

 

Any comments ?

[Gregory]

I'm pretty sure that convoluted is not the way to go. 

 

I don't have Lee's.  Perhaps someone who does can check it for you.

 

I have to imagine, for the sake of easy handling,  it would start at a ring bolt near the stern and belay to a cleat near the stern.

 

 

[JerseyCity Frankie]

In the deck view drawing there are some bigass cleats set right into the deck at that location so if it was me I'd take the sheet through the bulwark sheave right to that after most cleat. 

[popeye2sea]

I agree with Frank and Gregory.  The brace would come inboard through a sheave in the bulwark and belay to a cleat.  The cleat would not be on the taffrail.  It would be on the inside of the bulwark. Failing that I would use the deck cleat as Frank suggests.

 

Regards,

[Ensign]

The Main brace on Victory has the standing end attached to a ring bolt on the outside of the Bulwarks above the Quarter Galleries as your drawing shows. The running end is taken through a sheave at the top of the bulwarks just in front of the Taffrail and belays to a large cleat on the bulwark just aft of the Mizzen shrouds. Alternatively it could belay to a cleat in the deck as suggested by others. Ships of this period were rigged pretty much the same way so this is the way it should be done.

 

Regards

Gary

[Bluto 1790]

Gregory, Frankie, Henry and Gary -- thanks for your comments.

As this is my first time of arriving at the prospect of doing all the rigging I find it a bit bewildering especially when there is a total lack of details in the drawings/plans -- only what can be seen in the photo I posted above. I guess I'm tending to be over-thinking this thing and since I've considered your comments I can see the answer to this main brace question (in fact it might just be 'staring me in the face'!)

However, as can be seen in the photo below, the poop deck of Leopard is completely devoid of bulwarks -- there are only hammock cranes along both sides. There is though, a snatch block mounted at the extreme aft end of each side immediately ahead of the base of the taffrail. I hadn't really considered these to be used for the main braces, but I can see that they're my answer along with the deck mounted cleats that Frankie mentioned. (even badass cleats!)