Topping lift (Main and fore booms on schooner)

[Maury S]

Would it be considered Standing rigging (Dark color) with a gun tackle at he end or running rigging all the way up to the mast head? (light brown)?

Maury

[Bob Cleek]

Standing rigging "stands." it doesn't move to operate the vessel. Running rigging "runs" or moves, often through blocks, to operate the vessel. 

A topping lift is running rigging and would likely not be served and tarred because it has to run through blocks to operate. It would be the same untarred color of the rest of the running rigging. Baggywrinkle is commonly found on topping lifts, though. The baggywrinkle prevents the topping lift from chafing the sail. I don't know for certain when baggywrinkle came into use, so if you are modeling an early vessel, you may want to do more research on that point.  Here's all you need to know about it:   http://www.scottmckittrick.com/2019/02/18/baggywrinkle-or-whats-that-fuzzy-stuff-on-the-ship/

 

 

[allanyed]

Maury

I am guessing it is a just a matter of terminology, but what do you mean by a gun tackle at the end?  

Thx

Allan

[Maury S]

Thanks all.  Allan, in this case, gun tackle/ topping lift tackle = a couple of blocks attached at the lower end of the topping lift to get some mechanical advantage in lifting the end of the boom.  See pic. of Emma C. Berry plan attached.

btw, scale here is 1:32.

Maury

[Maury S]

Bob, I thought the topping lift might be a special case (similar to pendants which seem to be tarred down to the point of a tackle being attached).

Maury

[allanyed]

Thanks Maury, Coincidentally I did find the terminology in a description of various block set ups when looking for information on one of the other forums here at MSW.   New one for me but glad to have it.

Allan

[bridgman]

All, of the pictures photo of Grand Banks fishing schooners I have seen never show 

baggy whinkel on any vessel. As these where hard working vessels that depended on 

there sails they did not seem to think it necessary.

Bridgman Bob

[Bob Cleek]

A "gun tackle" is any single-purchase tackle. Two single sheave blocks with the top one having a bail at the bottom. The line runs from the bail down to the lower block and back up and through the upper block with the fall coming down from there. So-called because they were commonly attached to each side of gun carriages. 

2 hours ago, Maury S said:

Bob, I thought the topping lift might be a special case (similar to pendants which seem to be tarred down to the point of a tackle being attached).

As the saying goes, "Different ships, different long splices." It's a matter of taste and there are no hard and fast rules. I suppose one could serve and tar the standing part of a topping life, but why would they want to? The tar would get all over the sails, for one thing, and it would just be an unnecessary job to keep up. 

 

5 hours ago, SpyGlass said:

Just a point - I dont think the lines with baggy wrinkles are topping lifts.

I think they are "lazy jacks" a pair of lines  run so that a sail can be dropped quickly and still stay under control between the lines.

Baggy wrinkles on those make a LOT of sense.

All the vessels I have sailed on with jacks have had a separate topping lift but I can see no reason why they shouldnt be used as topping lifts - except you aint going to get the baggy wrinkle through a pulley!  I think US practice does use the same lines for both more often than this side of the pond

However baggy wrinkles are mostly on standing rigging where a sail rubs at some points of sailing.

The lines pictured in my post are definitely topping lifts. Lines are sometimes spliced into topping lifts, the line running down and around the boom and back up to the topping lift on the other side, allowing the topping lifts to serve double duty as support for lazy jacks. However, at least on the western side of the Pond, lazy jacks are rarely seen on gaff-headed sails because the gaff boom, being lowered between a pair of topping lifts, keeps the sail under control when being lowered. Lazy jacks are more often seen on jib-headed sails for this reason. On smaller jib-headed sails, the topping lift is often just one line run from the masthead to the end of the boom, in which case lazy jacks made up of lighter cordage are more commonly seen. I would expect that lazy jacks were less common on large naval vessels where there were "many hands to make light work" of handing the sail. The conventional wisdom favors less weight and windage aloft and, certainly, less chafe on the sails.

[Maury S]

Bob, your comment..

Quote

"I suppose one could serve and tar the standing part of a topping life, but why would they want to? The tar would get all over the sails,"

has convinced me it is fully running rigging.  Common sense prevails!  Thanks,

Maury