Endurance by Tomculb - OcCre - 1:70

[SaltyScot]

This is a ship that I REALLY would like to build. I have read several books on the history, Frank Worsley's being the one I enjoyed the most. I will pull up a keg, sit down and follow along sir.

[Tomculb]

Random progress report . . .

 

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but to help with visibility in doing all of this rigging, I created a screen behind the model, by opening a manila folder, taping some of the same material to the back for stiffness, and taping it all to a 2 x 4.  That has helped immeasurably.  I love the view out my window, but it can be a major hindrance when it comes to seeing what I'm doing with my Endurance.

The ratlines on the upper foremast are nearing completion.

I have installed the lower shrouds which will support the lower ratlines, and I'm off to a good start on those.  The ends of those shrouds will be clipped off only once I have finished all the ratlines.  Tying the ratlines sometimes results in unintentional and careless jerking of one of the shrouds, which last fall resulted in a main mast shroud coming apart at the deadeye.  Hopefully this will reduce the risk of that happening again.

Finally, I have installed the ratlines on the futtock shrouds. That proved to be a major test of my patience and my clumsy arthritic fingers, and somewhat to my surprise I did it without any major mishaps.  

 

Edited February 2 by Tomculb
Typo

[SaltyScot]

I will be following along sir, with a keen eye. I have the OcCre Endurance kit on the way from AOS. It will not be my next build but should be on the shipyard table before the year is out. This is a very informative log and one that will certainly be a great help to me once I do start. Your work is a joy to look at.

[Jeff preisler]

Very nice workmanship!!  I also have this kit in my collection and when I decide to construct it, your detailed build thread will be a wealth of information for me.  Thank you.

[Tomculb]

Thanks for the kind words Mike and Jeff.  I hope you find my log to be helpful when you get around to your Endurance builds.  I have gained immensely from what I’ve learned from the logs of others, so it’s nice to hear every so often that there’s something to be learned from mine.

[Tomculb]

The foremast ratlines are finished! Slow patience was the trick, never doing more than three on each side at one sitting. As I expected, the most difficult ratlines were nearing the top of the lower shrouds, finishing at the futtock shrouds. Tying knots with tweezers has never been my strong point.

 

As you can see, I have also completed the pair of lower shrouds (on each side) which parallel the ratline shrouds.

[SaltyScot]

Beautifully done, sir. I sit here and admire this now with the slight angst that one day, in the not too distant future, I will be tackling this too 😬 At least I have this very well documented build log to follow (among others).

[Tomculb]

The foremast standing rigging is now complete, with the addition of three more shrouds on each side of the mast. 

With my attention focused on securing these shrouds to their deadeyes, and then lashing the pairs of deadeyes together, I wasn’t paying much attention to where I had wrapped each port and starboard pair around the mast. The lower pair was run through the top, no problem there (and no picture). The middle pair was secured to the mast just below the mast cap, and somehow the lashing slipped and it got twisted off center a bit. At this point I don’t think there is any way to remedy the problem. Fortunately it is not as evident to the naked eye at a viewing distance as it is in a close up photo. The pair secured at the top of the mast is much better, although the several lines secured there are a bit messy (again, worse in the photo).

I also finished installing the braces; that is, the running rigging attached to the ends of the foremast yards and running back to double blocks on the mainmast, from which they run down to the spider band at the base of that mast. As I have mentioned previously, I have chosen not to put sails on my Endurance, and I am not installing running rigging that would be attached to those sails, which leads to a cleaner look (but not as accurate).

You can also see the standing rigging described above in first picture below. 

OcCre has you secure the end of the lower braces, and the double block they pass through, to the stay running from the mainmast top to the deckhouse roof just aft of the foremast.  When I rigged the jib halyard/downhaul lines with blocks attached to the forestays (again, as OcCre directs), I was unable to do it without distorting the run of the stays, as can be seen in the first photo immediately above.  To avoid that, instead of attaching the lower braces to the stay, I looped them around the mainmast and through the top, and I attached the double block directly to the mast at the height of the gaff gooseneck.  I have no idea which is more historically accurate, but I like the look of how I did it better.  

Taking a needed break from rigging awhile, I’ll next start working on the forward pair of ship's boats.

[SaltyScot]

It looks good, Tom. I bet you did need a break after that too! She is coming along nicely, sir.