Yenikapi12 by woodrat - FINISHED - 1/16 scale - a small Byzantine merchant vessel of the 9th century

[Louie da fly]

Beautifully worked out and convincing, Dick. A real working vessel. Are you going to weather it when it's complete?

[woodrat]

4 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

Beautifully worked out and convincing, Dick. A real working vessel. Are you going to weather it when it's complete?

I don't really have any skills in that area. Wouldn't that mean coating the hull in pitch? I saw a scandinavian model using a pitch coloured decking oil. Haven't found that yet in the hardware store.

[Louie da fly]

Yes, it would probably have to be coated in something that looked like pitch. Most ships in contemporary illustrations seem to be black (= pitch). Then there's always the "wear and tear" to be expected on a working ship. I can't remember his name, but one of our members in Turkey has done a couple of Turkish working boats with all the mess and neglect you'd expect in such a vessel - and they looked fantastic.

 

Still perhaps it's better to have it pristine. It's be a real shame to mess it up with a bad weathering job after doing such a wonderful job of building it.

[woodrat]

The deck framing is in place as well as the throughbeam which supports the mast. a stanchion supports the throughbeam and buttresses the forward tilted mast. The rig will be lateen so the mast is forward tilted.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheerio

Dick

Edited December 4, 2020 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Looking good, Dick.

 

Are you going to put a "hockey stick" top on the mast? I know you've got some very interesting ideas on how that all worked and it would be good to see it carried out in practice.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

Yes I will do this. Particularly as an amphora found at the Yenikapi site has a graffito scratched on it showing a boat a bit  like the Y 12 and showing a "hockey stick" at the top of the mast

 

The hockey stick is a mechanism whereby the halyard is directed far forward of the mast such that, on loosening the yard from the mast, it falls forward away from the mast to allow rapid elevation or lowering of the yard.

 

Interestingly, when the Y12 replica was built, they did not include a hockey stick, so it's up to me, I suppose. I also disagree with their interpretation of the quarter rudders. But more of that anon.

Cheers

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Ah, Dick. We can always rely on you to ferret out the obscure historical facts to make a model that is just that much better . . .

[woodrat]

8 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

Ah, Dick. We can always rely on you to ferret out the obscure historical facts to make a model that is just that much better

I am NOT a ferret. I am a woodrat!🌳🐀

[Louie da fly]

As Basil Brush would say - Boom, BOOM!

Edited December 8, 2020 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

The deck framing and cargo hatch frame completed. It is my contention that the throughbeam for the quarter-rudder would have projected quite a lot to allow the rudder to be vertical. This would have rendered the beam and rudder to be vulnerable to impact and , a solution to this, a "fender" would have been necessary. I have installed this as well as smaller triangular fenders (seen on some illustrations of nefs from the middle ages) on the throughbeam for the mast. This looks a bit similar to the "wings" seen on the quarters of byzantine galleys and other vessels.

 

The fender also resists the resultant lateral force from the rudder which a simple lashing will not do.

 

I think this also shown in this Black Sea wreck of the roman era

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Dick

 

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Sensible solution to the problem, Dick. And this picture backs you up:

 

 

Caulking boat from de Materia Medica Constantinople mid 10th century. Morgan Library, m652.240ra

 

Steven

[woodrat]

I have slightly darkened the vessel with a mixture of leather shoe wax and boot polish to a weather-beaten and pitch stained look. In this picture half the hull has been so treated.

 

 

This has also been used to give a weathered look to deck planks.

 

 

The wax is also useful to fill in any gaps which would have been caulked with pitch.

 

Merry Xmas

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Yes, that looks good, Dick. Coming along nicely.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

The quarter rudders are made and temporarily fitted to a brace mount with guides. Note the blade is symmetrical and flat in cross-section whereas later quarter rudders were assymetrical and foill shaped in cross-section. This type of rudder is closer to the Graeco-roman than the mediaeval. Note the reinforcing lashings which are seen on later roman empire bas-reliefs.

 

 

 

 

Merry Xams

Dick

[woodrat]

Louie da Fly will like this. I have come up with a possible explanation for the strange "hockey stick" structure at the top of masts of byzantine and venetian vessels. It is a pulley for the halyard but, after going through the pulley, the halyard is conducted forward to the tip of the hockey stick so as to pull the yard away from the mast. This makes it easier to raise and lower the yard.

 

 

 

 

 

This shows the mast in its step and lashed temporarily to the throughbeam and its stanchion.

 

 

Cheers

Dick

[bigpetr]

Great progress.

Easy and practical explanation of "hockey stick". I like it.

[Louie da fly]

Interesting idea. As I recall, your original concept was a groove in the top of the hockey stick, following its curve. But that would expose the halyard to perhaps unacceptable amounts of chafing.

 

As I understand it, with this one the halyard goes over the sheave and then through a curved hole in the hockey stick? Is there any contact between the halyard and the inside of the curved hole, or does it run completely free? 

 

Steven

Edited February 1, 2021 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

4 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

Is there any contact between the halyard and the inside of the curved hole, or does it run completely free? 

 

The way I have done it, the only contact the halyard has is with the pulley and the  peg at the tip of the hockey stick. The channel in which it travels is straight. Otherwise the halyard would wear out rapidly. Maybe a second pulley or rotating peg at the tip ?? Still thinking.

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Thanks, Dick. This Byzantine representation of Jonah getting chucked over the side (BL Add MS 19352 Theodore Psalter 1066 CE. Constantinople.  f.201r) seems to show a spindle just where yours is - 

 

 

I've seen a reconstruction drawing of YK11 that has a sheave in the top of the mast, but below the hockey stick (which seems to make the hockey stick itself redundant, so is probably an incorrect interpretation).

 

And this (Sacra Parallela. Bibliotheque National de France Gr. 923 f. 207r -9th century)

 

 

 seems to show the halyard hanging forward of the mast as you describe above. 

 

On 12/24/2020 at 8:12 PM, woodrat said:

This type of rudder is closer to the Graeco-roman than the mediaeval.

 

That makes sense - the ship's supposed to be 6th century A.D., isn't it? Still really the classical period in a lot of ways.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Thanks Steven, great picturres as usual. Here is a picture to show the course of the halyard.

 

Dick

[woodrat]

15 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

That makes sense - the ship's supposed to be 6th century A.D., isn't it? Still really the classical period in a lot of ways.

 

I understood 9th century ACE but your statement still applies.

Dick

[Louie da fly]

2 hours ago, woodrat said:

I understood 9th century ACE but your statement still applies.

 

Damn! I didn't check the title at the top of the page!

 

I just re-checked Mott's TAMU paper The Development of the Rudder A.D. 100-1600 and the major change in side-rudder design occurred around the 12th or 13th century, from symmetrical to "unbalanced". This made it a much more efficient aquafoil (like an aerofoil, but in water).

 

Anything before that followed the same general design (with minor variations) as those of the Ancients. 

 

Steven

[woodrat]

The first picture is a flat cross section symmetrical rudder on the ancient mediterranean pattern and the second is a foil cross-section assymmetrical rudder of the 13th century ( on my round ship)

 

 

 

Dick

 

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Exactly 

 

Oh, and I was getting YK 12 (9th century) mixed up with the almost identical YK 11 (7th century).

 

Steven

Edited February 4, 2021 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

The decking is in place and I have filthied it up a treat. I think it looks like a working boat now. Little to do now but rig it.

 

 

 

 

Cheerio

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Looking simultaneously suitably scruffy and aesthetically beautiful. Looking forward to the next instalment!

 

Steven

Edited February 9, 2021 by Louie da fly

[Jim Lad]

Looking really good, Dick.

 

John

[woodrat]

Thanks John and Steven. Louie da Fly complimenting the boat on filthiness is praise indeed. "Straight from rubbish tip to you..."

The main problem now is where to place the lower halyard block. The only place I can see that it could go is on the after deck behind the steersman. To back this up I have this 9th century turkish illustration showing the halyard going toward this position. It also shows the "hockey stick" well. And if I'm not mistaken, it also shows a triangular wing on the starboard quarter.

 

 And this 7th century graffito shows even more detail" It also backs my interpretation of the hockey stick calcet.

 

Cheerio

Dick

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by woodrat

[J11]

I have no words ........ 

[Louie da fly]

Nice pictorial evidence, Dick. And you've got a good eye. Though I hadn't seen the top picture before, I was fairly familiar with the bottom one but had not noticed either the halyard or the "hockey stick", probably because the drawing quality wasn't all that good. And yes, that's a triangular wing, for sure.

 

Steven