main staysails - sheets

[Jose Gonzales]

Hello all,

I am building the venerable Revell 1/96 Constitution, with modified rigging, drawing from Lennarth Peterson's book, as well other online resources. My question is regarding the sheets on the main topmast staysail and other staysails. The Revell instructions call for sheets only on the starboard side, rigged back to the pinrails near the mainmast on that side. Other sources show the sheets belayed to cleats or pins on the aft side of the main hatch. I have chosen to do the latter. My question is, should the sheets be doubled for the port side? If so I assume they would have to wrap over the stays running above the lower corner of the sail so that they could be switched when the ship switched tacks.

Thanks,

Jose

[Jim Lad]

Jose,

 

You are quite cirrect in assuming that the staysails have a sheet to each side.  I f you go the Google Books and have a look at "The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor" - http://books.google.com.au/books?id=HmJJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

The illustrations to pages 61 and 62 show this clearly.

 

John

[Modeler12]

i agree. I cannot imagine how the ship could tack if there were sheets only on one side. This applies to all sails that I am aware of.

 

I am building the Conny and may have plans that might be of interest to you. Drop me a note.

[Stockholm tar]

In my experience, all staysails and headsails have double sheets. I think you'd have a problem belaying, when the vessel went about otherwise – the clews of those sails also tend to get caught on the stays below when going through that manouver.

[Garward]

Hi, Jose! Revell instructions concerning sails are strongly simplified therefore take the advices of skilled modellers given above better.