The Elusive Hulc by woodrat - FINISHED - 1:32 - plank-on-frame - a speculative reconstruction of a mediaeval merchantman

[Kevin]

well thats another build missed by me, sorry im so late to the party, wrapped up in my many other things

 

lovely to see something different

[Louie da fly]

On 6/11/2021 at 12:39 AM, woodrat said:

I have a cunning plan to suggest how the rudder can be tensioned via a withy ( a narrow flexible willow branch).

 

I seem to recall the Gokstad ship's side rudder was attached by a withy (I was going to write "with a withy", but that just sounded silly . . .)

 

Beautiful work as usual, Dick. I love the way you've solved the problems that go with such an adventurous speculative design. If the hulc was really built with reverse clinker as theorised, I imagine it would be very like this model ( but bigger, of course )

 

Steven

[woodrat]

The problem is how to tension the withy so that it holds the rudder to the side of the hull tight enough to resist the lateral pressure on the rudder and yet allow easy release of that tension so the rudder can be raised to avoid damage. Rope apparently stretches when wet and was found not to suit, so a withy was used. 

Hurdle fences are constructed with withies made of willow or hazel. Note the variation in thickness of the withies. Presumably if they are small diameter and green they can be bent around corners more readily. Anyone have experience "with" withies?

Dick

 

T 

[Louie da fly]

Hi Dick, I've done a bit of wattling, though not with willow. I know green timber is far more flexible than seasoned, and splitting a withy down the centre makes it easier to bend. However, I wouldn't recommend that for the job you have in mind. IIRC the Gokstad rudder was held in place by a fairly hefty withy (just a single piece) passing through both the rudder and the ship's side and right angles, and its flexibility (even though seasoned after all that time in use) allowed quite a bit of vertical pivot in the rudder, though looking at pictures of it I do wonder if my memory is correct. The sectional diagrams seem to show a rope

 

               

 

Do you have some kind of idea of how you plan to construct your rudder-fixing? A diagram of what you have in mind would be very helpful. 

 

Steven

[woodrat]

On 6/21/2021 at 12:50 PM, Louie da fly said:

Do you have some kind of idea of how you plan to construct your rudder-fixing? A diagram of what you have in mind would be very helpful. 

Yup. Better than a diagram. I built it.

The hull fixture for the pivot needs to be solid. I carved it from a piece of fallen eucalyptus.

The internal fixture for weaving the withy is a solid extra knee with oblique channels for the withy. I tried to avoid acute angles so as not to stress the withy. Having carefully drilled a 2mm. channel throught he internal and external fixtures, I passed a length of green tendril from a creeper in the garden which was easily able to be tied in a knot and remained strong.

After I will have attached the rudder, the withy will be tensioned with a wedge.

 

As this is an imaginary vessel, I allowed my imagination free rein.

Cheers

Dick

Edited June 23, 2021 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

That's very interesting indeed, Dick. Apart from knowing in a general sense that the Gokstad ship used a withy for the rudder, I hadn't really thought about the mechanics of the apparatus in detail. What you've done certainly looks workable.

 

The withy would probably season in place, but retain a reasonable amount of flexibility (I think the reason willow is used for wattling is the fact that it does retain a fair bit of flexibility - IIRC in wattling it's usually allowed to season, then soaked before being used).

[Edit - correction - I'm pretty sure wattling uses green willow - it's basket weaving, that uses soaked seasoned willow]

 

Steven

Edited June 21, 2021 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

On 6/20/2021 at 1:49 PM, Kevin said:

sorry im so late to the party

Not a problem, Kevin. Welcome down the rabbit-hole. If you were to read the first few pages, you would understand that this ship comes from a somewhat Dodgsonian parallel universe. Nonetheless there is somewhat spurious evidence that such a ship (which we have called a hulc for lack of better names) may have existed and shipped cargo between England and the low countries in the early mediaeval period. We lack a wreck which could conceivably resemble this beast but, nil desperandum, what the heck!

 

Here we have the quarter rudder, positioned on the "steerboard" side. The port or larboard side is reserved for the side of the wharf, where cargo is loaded. The rudder is closely modelled on the Vorsa rudder discovered in 1897 and probably a fairly new rudder which fell off because of withy failure (see previous posts). It is held against a wooden dome by the withy and the upper shaft is held against the hull by a strop of leather.

 

 

 

Cheers

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Another step in the progress of the build. Following with interest.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

The following shows my interpretation of the possible framing of the fore and after castles. I believe that these should be strongly but lightly constructed as they would have to suffer the buffets of the sea as well as piratical assault while not making the vessel top heavy. Some models show somewhat flimsy castles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Dick

 

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Beautiful crisp work, Dick. It looks very good, and the proportions look just right.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Cometh the Banana Boat.

Thanks Steven and I look forward to your "nef"

Dick

[woodrat]

The castles prior to decoration.

 

the sterncastle

 

the forecastle

 

castle decking and access scuttles to be added

 

Cheers

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Very nice.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Thank you for all the likes. Nearing completion of the hull and castles. Quite a few seals show bowsprits. These are not in the centre but offset to one side . This will allow unobstructed access to the stem for the forestay. The bowsprit is mainly for leading the bowlines to the mainsail. Staysails and jibs weren't used to my knowledge. The bowsprit necessitates some imaginative framing in the forecastle and is why I have left decking till the very last. Note the scuttle allowing ladder access to the castle from the foredeck. This ladder would be pulled up if the waist were boarded.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Dick

[woodrat]

There was insufficient freeboard so I have add a strake to correct this. The stern and forecastles are complete. They will be rigidly attached and some wash strakes applied.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Dick

Edited September 3, 2021 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Nice work, Dick. Beautifully detailed as usual.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Until we find and excavate a nef with its upper works preserved enough to directly observe, any reconstruction is frumious. For my two bobs worth (i.e. two shillings worth, i.e. not worth much), however, I observe from the seals that many of these vessels have 3 through beams and the middle of which is forward of the mast where most force would be applied. The other two are forward and aft of this and are obviously meant to take a lot of strain. Indeed, the Sandwich seal shows the boat stored between the middle and aft beam. This suggests to my congested brain that there is  a foredeck and and an aft deck supported on the fore and aft beams respectively. This would leave a large storage area between the fore and aft throughbeams which could be planked over, support a main hatch or left open ( for instance to transport horses and griffons). If left open (to allow griffons to see over the side as they have long necks) gangways may be needed to allow crew to go backwards and forwards and avoid griffons.

 

I have attempted to show this in my spurious imagined hulc . I have also joined planks together and made them into removable platforms which sit between the rabbets of my cross beams. This would simplify access to space under decks.

 

Cheers

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Thanks, Dick. 

 

I've been sort of tending in the direction you've suggested, and your ideas confirm my own opinions. Rather than hatches, removable sections of deck with catwalks either side (but not as narrow as on the Hedeby knarr - those Vikings must have had very good balance).

 

The Winchelsea seal seems to show a higher through-beam at each end, which I interpret as supporting a raised foredeck and afterdeck.

 

And of course the gryphons are in case you want to do a bit of elephant hunting. (Is that a hulc I see in the background?)

 

 

Steven

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

1 hour ago, Louie da fly said:

And of course the gryphons are in case you want to do a bit of elephant hunting. (Is that a hulc I see in the background?)

It certainly is, Steven. With a large gryphon landing pad on the sterncastle.

 

But I thought it was the Roc that carried away elephants.

and dropped rocks on ships

 

I do not think that gryphons (griffins is equally incorrect) have the strength to lift elephants and I quote as my source:

 

"in size and strength they resemble lions, but having this advantage over them that they have wings, they will attack them, and they get the better of elephants and of dragons. But they have no great power of flying, not more than have birds of short flight; for they are not winged as is proper with birds, but the palms of their feet are webbed with red membranes, such that they are able to revolve them, and make a flight and fight in the air; and the tiger alone is beyond their powers of attack, because in swiftness it rivals the winds." Flavius Philostratus, The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, translated by F. C. Conybeare, volume I, book III.XLVIII., 1921, p. 333.

 

And if Tenniel is to be believed, they are much too genteel.

Cheers,

Dick

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

1 hour ago, woodrat said:

But they have no great power of flying,

 

Well, rocs do it too, but it's in a picture, so it's got to be true.

 

Of course, the male gryphon has no wings, so it can only be the females that carry elephants . . . According to Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge:

 

"In British heraldry, a male griffin is shown without wings, its body covered in tufts of formidable spikes, with a short tusk emerging from the forehead"

 

 

I hadn't previously known about the tusk on its forehead, and this one seems to be without one - maybe it's an immature one, or perhaps it broke off in a fight?

 

Tenniel is all very well, but he probably never saw a real gryphon (they were very scarce in Victorian England - probably the pollution from all those dark satanic mills). Which reminds me, I had a friend whose surname was Mills . . .

 

Steven

 

 

[woodrat]

I stand corrected.😷 But Damme if can find any heraldic gryphon with a tusk!

[woodrat]

Well, that's the hull complete. I don't think the ship has turned out as outlandish as I thought it might. Any self-repecting gryphon would be happy to be transported in her. Now for some deck furniture, rigging and a mort of decoration.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Dick

[druxey]

Looking good; gryphons notwithstanding (or flying, for that matter).

[Roger Pellett]

Dick,

 

Very nice work and a fascinating example of experimental archeology.

 

Having lived with this project for a while, can you give us any insight on why this ship type developed?  Did any advantages become apparent?

 

Roger

[Louie da fly]

A very nice bit of experimental reconstruction, Dick. I'm still not sure whether I believe the hulc really was like this, but I think it was worth it to find out how practical it might have been, and you've certainly done that.

 

Oh, and made a very attractive model, to boot.

 

 

 

Steven

[woodrat]

On 10/3/2021 at 1:41 AM, Roger Pellett said:

Having lived with this project for a while, can you give us any insight on why this ship type developed?  Did any advantages become apparent?

Well........ I did satisfy myself that this iteration of an hulc was buildable using techniques in common usage during the 13th century and earlier. The vessel ended up being quite beamy and capacious as would suit a merchant transport. This could suggest that hulcs may have developed from riverine vessels and barges used throughout western europe since roman days. The carrying capacity would have been superior to cogs and maybe even knaars. I am satisfied that horses ( although probably not gryphons) could have been transported in something analogous to this as seen in the Bayeux Tapestry. 

 

The lack of keel and flat bottom would suit the vessel to quiet and more shallow waters or estuaries. I don't know how good a sailor it would be in the open ocean. With appropriate ballasting it may have been stable enough for crossing of the North Sea. The reverse clinker is likely to have reduced leeway because of the increased lateral resistance supplied by the exposed upper edge of the planking. This may also have reduced the tendency to roll with beamy seas. 

 

It is unlikely that any nautical engineers would be interested enough to test this scientifically, but maybe if a reverse-clinker vessel were found....?

 

Anyway, it has been sort of interesting. The next build will definitely be one that has been fully excavated and , I think, not represented in MSW, The Nydam Ship.

 

Cheers

Dick

[Louie da fly]

Very interesting conclusions, Dick. Worth making the model just for that, perhaps.

 

I like the idea of the Nydam ship. Looking forward to it.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Thanks for all the comments and likes, chaps. I wasn't going to do crows nest but, as a lot of depictions of banana boats show some type of top on the mast, I would have a go. I'm sure that, at this period, they were still working out how to do them, so a lot of imagination is allowed. A cross on the flagstaff is a common feature and I have faced the cross forward. Although I tried to keep the weight down, I thought some tressle trees would be needed to support the top. The flagstaff I have made removable with a fid. Anyhow, here'tis:

 

 

 

 

Cheerio

Dick

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Nice work, Dick. Looks good.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Thanks, Steven. And may I say, your Winchelsea beast is turning into a lovely piece. This is my take on the windlass:

 

 

This how I have rigged the forestay, remembering this a keelless ship so I have seized the forestay to the keel plank.

 

Cheerio

Dick