HMS Pegasus 1776 by Moonbug - Amati Models - 1:64

[Moonbug]

Thanks so much @Thukydides and @alde!  I appreciate the kind words.  I've learned a lot from the folks here on MSW, so it's genuinely very gratifying to hear that my build log may be helping others in return.

[Blue Ensign]

A great rigging job you're doing there, Bug 👍

 

B.E.

[Moonbug]

Thanks very much Maurice,

 

  As I'm sure you know - your build still provides a major reference for me. Your thorough research and very specific notations when it comes to Lees, Steel, Antscherl, and Marquardt always tell me exactly where I need to look. An invaluable asset. 

 

  Hopefully I'm doing a decent job when it comes to citing sources so people don't mistakingly think I'M the smart one.  😛 

Edited February 6 by Moonbug

[Mirabell61]

15 hours ago, Moonbug said:

Thanks so much @Thukydides and @alde!  I appreciate the kind words.  I've learned a lot from the folks here on MSW, so it's genuinely very gratifying to hear that my build log may be helping others in return.

Great work Bug,

congrats, your ship looks fantastic, did you ever plan in sails with the rigging ?

 

Nils

[Moonbug]

When researching the braces (even though they are pretty straightforward) - I discovered something interesting about my build that I actually couldn't determine whether or not it was an error. Way back when I rigged the mainstays and preventer stays on both the fore and main masts, there was some conflicting evidence as to whether the main preventer stay was above or below the mainstay. I ended up going with the preventer stay being above because it was more consistent with other builds and reference and the arrangement made more sense at the fore of the ship. That meant when it came to installing the main mast crowsfeet, the euphroe would then attach to the main preventer stay - as it was the highest line. This is clearly illustrated in a picture in the Fully Framed Model on page 67. 

 

Fast forward to the present however, almost all the references for the fore yard braces have the pair of single blocks that attach to the main stay just below the euphroe - which is attached to the main stay.  Hunh. After some mental gymnastics deciding whether I should re-rig the crows feet and maybe even the stays - I decided to leave it well enough alone and that my arrangement of attaching the crowsfeet to the preventer stay was still quite plausible and does not prevent me from running the braces to the main stay as needed.  Mostly I just wanted to document it all here for those following along. I've also gone back to make a note in my main & preventer stay post so that folks look ahead. 

 

On to rigging the braces. As I said, other than the mess above, they're pretty straightforward.  The fore braces start with a very long .30mm line that starts at a clove hitch on the main stay just below the mouse on the main stay. Each side of the line runs out to the block on the end of the brace pendant of the fore yard (outboard to inboard) and back to a pair of single blocks stropped to the main stay just below the euphroe. The line then heads down to the main deck to belay on the rail by the hatch and water pumps.

 

 

 

 

 

The main braces are even more straighfoward. Still a .30mm line in which the standing end is seized to an eye bolt just above the quarter galleries. The line runs up through the blocks at the end of the main yard brace pendants then back aft to run through a sheave at the very aft of the railing. Now, as noted I didn't have room to install that sheave, so I belayed this line to the post that holds that swivel gun.

 

 

The crossjack braces are a little more complicated. There's also a little bonus in that they cross over one another as they are rigged - something to which one should pay a bit of attention. A smaller line at .20mm, the standing end of these braces clove hitches to the end lower shroud on the main mast at approximately the same height as the crossjack. The line crosses to the opposite brace pendant block and then back to a single block seized just below the hitch. From there, the line heads down to belay on the rail near the shroud.  This arrangement is mirrored with the other crossjack brace pendant, however, it's important that the opposing clove hitch and single block are seized one ratline lower (or higher) so that the lines down't foul as they cross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Moonbug]

15 minutes ago, Mirabell61 said:

did you ever plan in sails with the rigging ?

 

  Hey @Mirabell61  Thanks for checking in, good to hear from you!  No, I never planned on sails for this one.  Mostly because I have built a San Juan with sails, the Santa Maria with sails furled, and the Confederacy as an Admiralty - so this will be my first full rigged with no sails ship; kind of completely the variety.  That said - I still wanted to include as much of the rigging as possibly; clue lines, buntline, leechlines, etc.

[RossR]

I like adding as much rigging detail, but worry my sails cover up much of it or detract from it.  Love what you are doing?  
 

How are you adding the leech lines, what is the sail end attached to?   
 

similarly do you have the bunt lines just drop below the yard the back up through the block to the belay pin?   

[Moonbug]

Good afternoon @RossR - Thanks for looking in and for the questions.  I love the look of sails, but it definitely does hide some stuff.   

 

As for the bunt and leech lines - according to what I've seen, the ends that aren't attached to the sails (because they're not there of course) are just knotted and held up against the block on the yard. For example, in the image below the bunt line goes through the yard block then extends to the bottom of the sail. But without the sail, it's just pulled up tightly to the block - as I've shown in the second image.

 

Does that (hopefully) answer your question?

 

 

 

[Moonbug]

Because of where and how they are rigged, I think the clue lines, sheet, and tacks are some of the most prominent rigging on the ship. Like the bunt lines and leech lines, the aforementioned rigging is also a little bit of a challenge in terms of presentation without sails. For instance, the sheets and/or tacks can chafe against the back stays - which likely ins't much of an issue when the ship is in port without sails.  At any rate, I took a long look at how to present these lines before getting started.

 

During that long look - I discovered that I was missing an important sheet block along the railing in the middle of the ship that I'll need for the main course, so I started by adding that.

 

 

 

These lines start with a unique setup with the 9 " (3.5mm) clue block and a 14" (5.5mm) sheet block. Although the FFM describes a special type of clue block, Lees indicates that after 1773 regular single blocks were used. Both blocks are stropped with a loop and the loop of the sheet block goes through the loop of the clue block. They are then held in place by the tack whose end is a crown knot. I simulated by crown knot with a modified timber hitch pulled tightly because a crown knot is essentially impossible at this scale.  

 

 

 

The standing end of the clue line (.30mm) is timber hitched to the yard, runs through the clue block at the clue/sheet combo, then up through the clue block at the yard, then down to belay on the railing at the base of the mast.

 

 

 

It's probably important to note here the I measured and started the rigging of all three lines that juxtaposed so that I could make the adjustments in presentation. Obviously, when all three lines connect this way, any adjustments to each individual line affects the other two - so all three must be adjusted together to get the presentation you're looking for.  For instance, I started by timber hitch pretty far inboard on the yard - however, the standing end ultimately ended up pretty far out on the yard (both main and fore) to allow the sheets to clear the stays.  For both Main and Fore courses, the sheets are 4.5" (.60mm) and the Tacks are a hefty .70mm. The main course tacks go through the chesstree sheaves, the nearby fixed blocks, then belay on the cleats inside the bulwarks - which, btw, took my very longest tweezers, a generous amount of patience, and a few of what my kids call "potty words."

 

 

 

 

 The standing end of the main course sheet is seized to an eyebolt on the quarterdeck plansheer, runs up through the sheet block, then back down to my newly added sheave before belaying to a nearby timberhead.  Here's the problem for me - with this arrangement the line is tight against the gun post and definitely chafes against the stay. 

 

 

It is my general approach that anything that rubs, chafes, or fouls deserves a second look.  So after doing a little more research (and yet another good clue from B.E.'s Peg build), I found an alternative in Lees. He indicates the use of a lead block in the side above the eyebolt. I chose this alternative with one adjustment - I added my lead block on the channel instead, which provides a little more room and felt more functional to me. 

 

 

As I mentioned, I played with the tension of the sheets and tacks as well as the location of the clue timber hitch until I found the position that was most pleasing and functional to me.

 

 

Here' a look at the starboard side.

 

 

 

 The fore course is set up very similar - same clue / sheet / crown knot combination. The clue runs the same path, starting with the timber hitch then running through both clue blocks and down to belay at the base of the mast. The tack runs down through the large block at the end of the boomkin then up to a fore timberhead. The standing end of the Fore Course Sheet is seized to an eyebolt below the aft fixed block, through the sheet block, through the fixed block, and belays to the aft cleat in the bulwark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, all three lines are adjusted until a layout that avoids chafing and binding is achieved. The spritsail clues and sheets are a simplified version. Spritsail clues are 1.5" (.20mm) and the sheets are 3" (.40mm).  A crown knot is still used, and both the clue line and sheets belay to a cleat at the bow.

 

 

 

An overall look at the sheets & tacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 11:20 PM by Moonbug

[Moonbug]

Starting on the topsail yards with a little different approach that the lower yards. Instead of doing one at a time - I went ahead and attached all the necessary accouterments to the three topsail yards before rigging them.  My process this time was to start with the stirrups and horses on each so I could stiffen them with diluted PVA before moving on to blocks. For the mizzen, the stirrups and horses are 2" (.25mm). Sheet blocks are 10" (4mm), clueline and brace blocks are 5" (2.5mm is the smallest block I use). Brace pendants are 1.5" (.20mm). 

 

One more quick note here - While the kit shows an additional t'gallant yard on the mizzen, most other sources show that a ship this size would not have that additional level of mast or yard (I mentioned this when stepping the upper masts). 

 

 

 

 

As with the lower yards, the main and fore topmast yards have the same blocks as follows: 14" (5.5mm) Tye Block with two 7" (3mm) buntline blocks attached, two 6" (2.5mm) sheet blocks, and the pairs of clueline, lift, and brace blocks are all 8" - which is a bit of an in-between size, so I'm using 3.5mm blocks simply because I have more of them. Note: There is some controversy here on whether the 14" Tye block is single or double and a well documented error in the Fully Framed Model) - but I will cover that later when I address rigging the fore and main topsail yards. For now, just know that I used a single block and will explain why then.

 

One to rigging the mizzen. Based on the FFM as well as Lees, I'm using a truss parrel instead of trucks and ribs based on the smaller size of both the yard and the ship itself. The truss parrel is a 2.5" (.30mm) set of two lines (one short and one longer) that end in a seized eye. Each wraps around the yard and seizes to itself before both eyes are seized together.

 

 

The yard tie and halliards originate in the middle of the yard with an eye seized and the line wrapped around the center of the yard and up through the eye. From there the line runs up through the sheave in the top of the yard and down to a set of blocks, the bottom of which seizes to an eye bolt on the tressletree inside the top rail.  Even though every source calls for this location of the eye bolt, this immediately created an immediate issue with the lines fouling against the mast cap. So I relocated the eyebolt to the mast cap itself which solved the issue. As with all the topsail yards, the mizzen is mounted in it's lowered position, which is proper without sails.  This means the upper block on the aft of the mast has to be high enough to allow for the run of the yard when it's raised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fall of the line belays to one of the cleats at the base of the mizzen mast (not shown).

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:48 PM by Moonbug

[Knocklouder]

Very nice work.  

Bob  M

[Moonbug]

 Thanks so much Bob, as always.

 

The yard lifts of the mizzen are a simplified affair. Instead of lift blocks on the ends of the yard, the lifts (.25mm) are simply eye-spliced over the ends of the yard, then run up through the bottom of the sister blocks seized into the shrouds before falling to belay on one of the cleats at the base of the mizzen mast.

 

 

 

 

 

The braces are relatively uncomplicated as well.  While the FFM suggests each brace eye splices over the gaff, I chose to measure out the entire line for both port and starboard braces and used a clove hitch on the gaff.  This gave me some extra flexibility when adjusting the tension of both sets of braces before belaying them.  So, the standing end of the braces starts at the aforementioned clove hitch, runs up through the brace blocks on the ends of the pendants, back down through the pair of brace blocks on the end of the gaff, then down toward the deck.

 

 

 

 

The FFM shows the braces heading down to run through a lead block seized to an eyebolt on the quarter piece before running through the fixed sheave on the rail. Once again, I don't have that sheave back there, so I made another adjustment. My lead block is seized to an eyebolt at the aft of the deck before belaying on one of the timberheads. 

 

 

 

 

This has the added benefit of separating the braces from the vangs a little bit as well, creating an overall cleaner look.

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:39 PM by Moonbug

[Moonbug]

Before beginning the rigging on the topsail yards I noticed I was missing a couple of blocks not shown in the Fully Framed Model plans - which does not include bunt lines and leech lines. Two buntline blocks are added under the heads next to the jeer tyes.

 

 

Unlike the mizzen mast, the fore and main topsail yards are fitted using the more traditional truck and rib parrels rather than just a truss pendant. The parrel is made up of six "b" shaped pieces of wood that make of the ribs and separate the trucks which are barrel shaped separators (the same as the gaff parrel). While the kit comes with small metal ribs, they are not quite the right size of scale for my application. I also wanted to use wood rather than metal to be more authentic.

 

 

 

 

Although there are only a couple of pictures here, this was a LOT of work. The ribs are 5mm wide and about two millimeters tall. I started out by shaping a length of harder wood in those dimensions then using a round file to create the valley in the center. The piece was cut into one millimeter slices with holes drilled into the rounded portion. Finally, each parrel was individually sanded and shaped into it's final appearance.

 

 

After test fitting the parrel on two 2" lines, I stained them darker so there would be lest contrast between the trucks and the ribs. Mounting the parrel itself is a fiddly process. The two lines start with an eye seized in one end. Those two ends wrap around the yard and are seized together. The loose ends wrap through the 'valley' of the ribs around to the other side of the yard where one goes over and the other goes under. It then wraps back through the valley to repeat the process two more times before being seized together. This is a very confined space to accomplish all of this and took a fair amount of patience.

 

     As I hinted at above, there is some confusion regarding the rigging of the topmast tyes for the fore and main topsail yards. A well documented error in the Fully Framed Model has a 14" single block is listed in the text of section 19.15 regarding the fittings on the yard. However, when referring to the actual rigging in section 19.25 it lists a double block. The use of the latter is confirmed in Lees' Masting and Rigging of English Ships as well as David Steele's description. Steele and Lees describe the tyes as originating as loops over the topmast head above the shroud wrappings then descending through the double block, back up to the single jeer tyes, then down to seize at a double block where the falls occur.

     Here's my problem - I simply don't have enough room to loop anything else over the topmast head without interfering with the double sheaves. Further - Steele actually refers to a single block instead of a double for the topmast yards on smaller vessels - specifically sixth rate ships with fewer than 20 guns. This was the perfect excuse for me to go with the single 14" block rigging. In this case, it means that the tyes themselves are rigged more similar to the lower yards.

     A 14" double block is spliced into each end of the tye. I start with one end of the 4.5" (.60mm) tye line secured onto the double block, the other end is fed up through the jeer tye, then down to the 14" single block in the middle of the yard, back up to the opposing block under the mast top, then down to the second double block - thus creating the same "M" as with the lower yards.

 

 

 

 

The falls themselves are made of 2" (.25mm) line with the standing end secured to a single block with a long stropped hooked to an eyebolt in the channel just aft of the shrouds. The line then runs up through the outboard hole of the double block, down through the single, back up through the inboard hole of the double, then back down again to belay on the rail. Since I substitute my fore rail with a snazzy cable line, my fall will belay on a convenient timberhead.

 

 

 

Here's a layout of the entire tyes and falls with some notes as it's difficult to see the fall of the line amidst all the other rigging. Note that when taught, the two double blocks at the ends of the tyes are located about the height of the masthead. It takes some care to adjust all the lines so that the two blocks are even with one another. Once again, the topsail yards are fitted in the lowered position when sails are not present.

 

 

The main tyes, halliards and their falls are essentially a mirror of those of the fore mast with the exception of where they secure and belay. In case of the mains, the eyebolt is located in between the sets of stays at the swivel gun. One must pre-measure the falls to avoid any fouling, particularly with the swivel gun. The following pictures show the run of the line from the 14" block in the center of the yard, up through the jeer tye blocks, down through the tackle between the double and single blocks before they belay on the rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Moonbug]

The Topsail yard lifts serve the same purpose as the lowers of course (to square the yards) but are rigged a little differently than the lower ones. Instead of running through blocks at the mast heads, they are run through thimbles. Each of the fore and main upper yard lifts start with a 30' (140mm) span of 2.5" (.30mm) tarred line that end in thimbles. The span clove hitches around the topmast cap. The thimbles are lashed to corresponding thimbles seized in the standing ends of the lifts themselves - which are of 2.5" (.30mm) untarred line. 

 

  

 

The lifts then run down to the lift block on the end of the topsail yard, back up through the lower block of the sister blocks seized into the shrouds, then down through the every shrinking amount of space in the hole of the mast top.

 

  

 

The fore topsail yard lifts belay to a timber head on the fo'csle railing, while the main lines belay to a shroud cleat.

 

 

 

 

You'll also notice here that I've attached the studdingsail booms to the yards at this point - prior to rigging the yard lifts. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Moonbug

[Moonbug]

The topsail yard braces for both main and fore are similar in that they involve a separate span with single blocks on the ends to facilitate the run of the lines. In this instance it was much easier for me to start with the main. The span for the main braces is a 21' long (just about 100mm) 3.5" (.40mm) tarred line with an 8" (3.5mm) blocked seized to each end. This span is clove hitched around the mizzen mast just above the cross jack. Both the length of the span and its exact location needs to be pretty precise to prevent the braces from fouling with any other lines - especially the crow's feet.  It is definitely tricky trying to tie a clove hitch in this area especially with blocks seized to the end and still get each end of the span equidistant from the other.

 

 

 

The standing end of the braces (.30mm line) is hitched to this span above the blocks (see above right) then runs through the brace pendant on the end of the yard. It runs back through the block on the span then down to belay at one of the mizzen cleats at the bottom of the mast.

 

  

 

 

Here's an overhead look at the run of the main topsail braces along with the cross jack braces.

 

 

The fore topsail braces are a similar process but a little more complicated. These braces utilize TWO spans, both of which are hitched to the main stay. One is located just below the fore yard brace blocks, the other is located just above the belfry. Both spans are still .40mm tarred line with 3.5mm blocks on each end. The spans are a bit shorter (about 40mm for me) as they only wrap around a line instead of a mast. Still quite tricky to get the ends equidistant.  The standing end of the braces starts on the main stay just below the standing ends of the fore braces. Note: Just like the fore braces, I chose a clove hitch of a single very long line rather than two separate standing end hitches which (to me) creates a little bit of a bulky mess. 

 

 

From there, the braces run up to the brace pendants on the yard, back to the blocks on the upper span, down to the blocks on the lower span, then down to belay on the inner ends of the fo'csle breastwork rails.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the railing is getting a little crowded. And I suppose it goes without saying that things are starting to get quite complicated over the main deck of the ship at this point, and rigging is becoming an expert level version of cat's cradle. Understanding that it's getting difficult to follow the run of the lines, here are a couple of photos to indicate the locations of the spans and hitches. 

 

 

 

Once again, the level of engineering on these ships amazes me. Planning the runs of the lines in ways that keep them fully functional without fouling is something that has always (and continues to) impress me.

 

 

 

[Thukydides]

Those overhead shots look so cool. It really gives you an appreciation for how many ropes are running in every direction.