Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[michael mott]

Outstanding work Ed.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 234 – Fore Topmast Backstays

 

The four topmast backstays are the same size rope as the lower shrouds, 10½", so the deadeyes and lanyards are also the same sizes.  In the first picture, the forward backstay on the port side has its deadeye clamped for turning in.

 

The lanyards are longer for the backstays than for the shrouds, based on photos of the ship, probably to allow more length for tension adjustment of these longer lines.  The next picture shows this deadeye turned in with a throat seizing as described earlier.

 

The short leg has been turned up and clamped so the two additional round seizings may be added.  In the next picture the aft backstay deadeye height is being set to match the forward stay.

 

In the next picture the lanyards have been threaded and given an initial tension.  Final tensioning of all the topmast shrouds and backstays will await the installation of the forward topmast stays.

 

The last picture shows the model after rigging the topmast backstays.

 

The excess stay length on the starboard are not yet trimmed off.  In the next part the topmast forward stays will be described.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Good morning Ed, I am surprised by how short the tail end of the shrouds are, I would have expected them to have at least three siezings after the cross one at the deadeye.

 

Michael

[EdT]

Hello Micheal,

 

I am sure practices for setting up rigging varied in the laissez-faire America of the 19th century, so I would be hesitant to debate this.  However, all the references I have show the tails at about this length with a total of three seizings - two above the throat seizing.  At each stage in the design, questions like this have arisen and have had to be dealt with based on the variety of sources available - and the sometimes diverse answers.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Thanks Ed.

 

Michael

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 235 – Fore Topmast Stays

 

There are three forward stays from the topmast head to the bowsprit – the topmast stay proper, the inner jib stay, and the outer jib stay.  The first is the primary structural stay, consisting of a doubled 9" rope looped over the over the shrouds and backstays at the topmast head, then down and under opposite sides of the bowsprit with the ends brought up and seized to the opposite leg.  The two lines are brought together to form a collar below the crosstrees and also at the bottom above the seizings.  The collar is served and leathered and the lower ends are served on both legs up to the seizings.  The first picture shows this stay placed over the masthead after the tissue leathering was glued to it.

 

 

The collar is clamped where it will be seized together and the glue on the leathering was left to dry in this shape.  I used straight PVA white glue for this so when dry the collar will still be flexible.  In the next picture, the two legs of the stay have been passed under the bowsprit, in position for seizing.

 

 

The next picture shows a closer view of the lower area.

 

The two legs do not cross under the bowsprit, so one short leg is seized above the stay and the other below. In the next picture, three seizings have been put on each side and the two legs have been seized together at the top of the served areas.

 

 

Excess seizing thread and stay rope have yet to be trimmed off.  Brushing the seizings and the stay where the ends will be clipped with darkened wood glue will seal the serving and the seizing knots so the excess can be trimmed off.

 

 In the next picture the inner and outer jib stays have been served, leathered and put over the masthead and are clamped where the collars will be seized.

 

 

The leather is simulated on the glued-on tissue strips using acrylic artist's color.  The lower ends of these two stays are shown in the next picture. 

 

 

These each pass through sheaves in the bowsprit, under upper cleats on the martingale and are shackled to eyebolts on the hull – the inner jib stay on the starboard side and the outer on the port side.  After seizing the upper collars, they were pulled taut through the hull shackles and seized.  These stays are served from above the sheaves to their ends at the side.  The inner jib stay attachment is shown in the next picture.

 

 

 The stay is seized to a shackle fabricated with its eyebolt before insertion into the hull. 

 

These last two pictures and the next were taken after installing the fish tackle and some of the jib/staysail running rigging, so some of this appears in the pictures.  Each of these three stays carries a head sail.  This work will be described in later posts.  The last picture shows the ship with all the forward topmast stays rigged.

 

 

 

 

Ed

 

[druxey]

Thank you for my smile this morning, Ed. Beautifully executed work!

[EdT]

Well, that makes me smile, Druxey.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 236 – Fish Tackle

 

The fish tackle is a triple purchase tackle suspended by a hook from the pendant described in an earlier post.  A second, large hook is fastened to the lower block of the tackle.   The purpose of this gear is to lift the anchors to stow them on the forecastle or to move them to the catheads.  The required weight of anchor for a ship of Young America's tonnage would be about 5000 pounds, so even with the mechanical advantage of 6 of the triple tackle, several hundred pounds of force had to be applied to the lift – unless another tackle was added to the fall.  The first picture shows the large bottom hook and the 12" double lower block of the tackle.

 

 

I still have quite a few blocks left over from the 1:96 Victory model, so with some re-scaling I have not yet had to make any.  There will be plenty of that later.  The next picture shows the  lower block strapped to the hook and being secured to the tackle rope with two seizings.

 

 

The tackle fall is a 3½" rope spun to the ~1" (.016") diameter from 2 strands of No. 60 Crocheting cotton and dyed with non-fading natural walnut extract stain.  The small seizings are simply an overhand knot – pulled tight, wet with glue, and the ends sliced off later.  The next picture shows the other hook being strapped to the upper 12" triple block.

 

 

The block is held in a surgical clamp in a bench vise for this.  For this small strapping a single overhand knot simulates the eye seizing at the hook and another overhand knot serves for the splice of the strap under the block as shown in the next picture.

 

 

Dilute, darkened glue is applied to the splice to fix it. The excess thread is then sliced off.   In the next picture the tackle has been rigged.

 

 

The upper block is hooked to the pendant and the lower end is hooked over a leg the forestay.  The fall is belayed and draped for convenience over the forecastle rail – one possible configuration.  The next picture shows a closer view.

 

 

The coil of rope was made separately from a length of line that would be sufficient in using the tackle.  Every foot of lift would require hauling six feet of rope. The line was coiled around a dowel, wetted with diluted glue, shaped and allowed to partially dry before mounting.

 

 

Ed

[wefalck]

Good work as usual !

 

For the seizings I tend to use a clove hitch with half-hitches added as needed. To me this gives a more prototype appearance.

[EdT]

Yes, I do the same.  For these very small ones I used just one hitch - a simple overhand knot.

 

Ed

[Mirabell61]

I like your hook tackles Ed....

 

Nils

Edited September 20, 2017 by Mirabell61

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 237 – Fore Spencer Gaff

 

The term "spencer" describes gaffs rigged on masts with square sails – except for the spanker gaff at the mizzen.  They were used to support fore and aft sails that were occasionally used, or sometimes to suspend pennants to keep them out of the other rigging.  The fore spencer gaff is shown in the first picture.

 

 

The gaff is a small, very simple spar attached to the mast with a gooseneck/eye fitting.  Stops for the standing lift are roughly centered on the spar as shown in the picture.  The upper end of the lift has an eye splice shackled to the eyebolt in the top.  A stop cut into the end of the spar will take a doubled "vang" pendant pair with a single block spliced into each end.  The long pendants may be seen in the next picture.

 

 

Each vang pendant is attached to a simple whip, with the standing end seized to an eyebolt on the main rail.  The fall is belayed nearby on the main pin rail.  In the picture the falls are temporarily clamped to center the gaff.  The next picture shows them belayed to the main pin rails port and starboard.

 

 

The limited required movement of the gaff requires a relatively short fall, so the coil of rope shown in the next picture is fairly small.

 

 

The masking tape shown over the open beams, does not do a lot for the photographs, but my sanity demands it.  I finally acquiesced to this after yet another part dropped into the hold and could not be retrieved.  While it is relatively easy to blow out small bits of thread, the main mast fid did not respond to this.

 

Finally, a test for clearance around the outboard boats is shown in the next picture. 

 

 

I need to think about this and decide if a lead block would be appropriate for this relatively small line, perhaps on one of the backstays.  I love rework.

 

Ed

 

[druxey]

Tried turning the model upside down and shaking it, Ed? Just kidding! Lovely work and progress, as usual. I love the open boat partially in frame as seen in the second to last photo.

[BANYAN]

Frustrating indeed Ed, some surprises for the future when someone xrays or takes a peek inside

 

She is really looking good with more of her finery added.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[cog]

You need balast anyway ... the only thing is you have to redo the part ...

Looking marvelous!

[EdT]

Druxey, I often resorted to the method you describe in the earlier days of the model - I guess up until the poop monkey rail was installed.  Very effective if you pay attention to your grip and nearby obstacles.  Not so good with masts and rigging.  I believe I will be able to get everything out before completion, but having to stop and go fishing when in the middle of something gets very irritating.  I have a thin brass rod with a wrapping of sticky carpet tape on the end that works very well if you can see the part.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic work Ed.  I'm sure those line issues were evident on the real vessel...I can't imagine they were not.

 

Rob

[JerseyCity Frankie]

It occurs to me know to wonder where the name "spencer" comes from. Likely the name of an individual. Names of individuals have only very occasionally worked their way into the lexicon. Charlie Noble, Mathew Walker, Plimsoll Mark, I can't think of any more but feel they are out there....

Edited September 27, 2017 by JerseyCity Frankie

[mojofilter]

Very nice coil Ed,  don't think you could get much more line on that pin.  Did you make those pins or find them somewhere?  The pins supplied with my 1:78 Cutty are totally wrong scale.  And you've probably covered this before but how do you treat your rope for coiling?

 

- Tim

[EdT]

JCFrankie, can't comment on the origin of spencer.

 

Tim, the belaying pins are homemade - as is everything except the larger chain and some nails.  They are brass lathe turnings using a special filing jig.  There are about 300 on the model.  They were described briefly in an earlier post (Part 131), but are fully described, including making the filing jig, in Young America, Volume II.  You are right; the downhaul coils are quite a lot of rope.  For each line, I am measuring the amount of rope for each coil based on where the other end of each line is fixed.  The coils are formed "offsite" on a dummy pin rail after wrapping the rope on a plastic rod and wetting it with diluted wood glue.  I will describe in a later post and in Volume III.  The formed coil is then glued over the pin after the line is belayed.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 238 – Head Sails Running Rigging

 

Each of the three stays described in Part 235 carries a triangular headsail.  Each of these sails is rigged with three lines of running rigging – a halyard to raise the head of the sail along the stay, a downhaul to bring the head down, and a double sheet to restrain the clew of the sail on the windward side.  When bent to the stay, the tack at the lower end of the sail is tied off low on the stay.  Then as the luff of the sail along the stay is secured with rope "hanks" the halyard is hauled up to raise the sail along the stay.  Both the halyard and the downhaul are shackled to the sails head cringle.  On the "unsailed" model, the halyard and downhaul eye splices are secured to the shackle, which is "stopped" to the lower end of the stay with a short length of rope as shown in the first picture at the base of the topmast stay.

 

 

In the picture the smaller downhaul is led down and through a single block back to its belaying point on the forecastle.  The next picture shows the lower ends of the inner and outer jib stays rigged in this manner.

 

 

The downhauls and halyards for the topmast staysail and outer jib lead back on the starboard side and those for the inner jib are rigged on the port side.  The next picture shows the three halyards where they pass through blocks hooked under the topmast trestletrees.

 

 

The lines lead down through fairleads in the top to the fife rails below.  The next picture shows the block arrangement at the topmast head, a double block on the starboard side for the staysail and outer jib halyards and a single block on the port side for the inner jib halyard.

 

 

The next picture shows the staysail and outer jib halyards belayed on the fore mast fife rail.

 

 

As will be seen in the next picture, the rope coils on the rails are quite small because the halyards are fully overhauled along the stay when there are no sails.

 

 

The next picture shows the belayed inner jib halyard on the port side.

 

 

Conversely, most of the downhauls must be coiled at the belaying points so sufficient line will be available to run up to the head of the sails when they are hauled up to the tops of the stays, so the three large coils in the next picture contain sufficient line for that.

 

 

Finally, the sheets – a pair for each sail.  These are shackled to eyebolts on either side of the forecastle, run through bullet blocks at the ends of a double pendant shackled to the clue of each sail, and belay on cleats on the forecastle breast beam.  One side or the other is used, with the lee side slack.  On the unsailed model, I have omitted the pendants and intend to coil each sheet adjacent to its eyebolt as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The picture shows the starboard sheet for the topmast staysail secured to its eyebolt.  When passed through the pendant block on this side, this line would be belayed on the innermost cleat on the breast beam. Eyebolts for the other head sails are arranged to the left on the rail, astride the mooring cleat.

 

Ed

 

[albert]

Wonderful work Ed, very very nice model.

[amateur]

they are colourpictures, and some of the deck-planking is missing.

Oterhwise we could think that it is a picture of the original.

I very much like the detail and atmosphere of the model. Could watch for hours to those pictures.

 

Jan

Edited September 28, 2017 by amateur

[wefalck]

Wouldn't be another method for stowing the sheets to pick them into the same shackle as the downhauls ? I also seem to have them seen forming a sort of triangular spidernet between the stays. In this way they are not liying around on the forecastle.

Edited September 28, 2017 by wefalck

[stm]

Ed in the first photo I have always attached the downhaul block to the stay, not the bowsprit, and then clove hitched the halyard and downhaul lines together if both single. If the halyard was equipped with a block then I would tie the downhaul to the hook that was used to secure the halyard block to the sail.  Interesting to see the method you are showing which I may use in the future on other merchant vessels. In addition, your detail in taking into account the length of rope to be belayed when no sails are rigged is an excellent point. This will also apply when the spars are set up. I have thought this through from time to time when building my ships and going forward I plan to adhere to it. Thanks again for bringing this to your viewers attention. It certainly adds to realism.

 

Scott

[EdT]

Thanks, Wefalck.  That is certainly an option.  I am sure practices varied for storage/belaying of lines when sails were removed.  So we must make assumptions and consider options.

 

As a basic premise for this model, I am configuring the ship as it might appear in a docked situation that typically lasted several weeks - if not months - as the ship was unloaded and reloaded for the next voyage. 

 

In this case sails would most likely have been removed from the ship for onshore warehousing, inspection, repair, and/or replacement.  The configuration would differ in cases where sails were merely furled or removed at sea when not needed, but kept aboard for quick deployment. 

 

The possible rigging permutations, even for this limited case, are many.  I considered several options for the head sail sheets, including the one you suggested in the last post.  All involve a lot of clutter on the forecastle, since the sixteen lines (2 x 4 pair) all belay at deck level where working space for several tasks is at premium.  The one modeled assumes the sheet pendants are stored in lockers on the ship or with the sails.  It assumes that when needed, the sails would be bent to their running rigging on the forecastle, including shackling the sheet pendants and reeving the sheets.  The halyard/downhauler shackle would be brought back to the forecastle to convey the sail out on the boom using these lines.  The tack would then be secured to the lower stay and the hanks or lacing to the stay applied before/during hauling up the sail. 

 

This is, of course, one assumption based on an assumption.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Thank you, Scott.  I believe either method for the downhauler blocks could be used.  I based mine on Underhill.  I believe offsetting the downhaulers to the sides avoids potential tangling if they all (four on this ship) run along the centerline.  Fairlead planks on the topmast stay could alleviate this.

 

Your comment on the halyard blocks is timely.  My sources on this are varied ranging from no blocks (shorter lines, no mechanical advantage) to either a block at the sail head or a simple whip below  the xtrees ( longer rope, 2:1 mech advantage).   I omitted blocks, but have been considering reworking the halyards to include blocks at the sail.    The New York photo of the ship shows these pretty clearly, but I missed it in the original design.  My rigging rework percentage is growing.

 

Thanks for these comments.

 

Ed 

Edited September 29, 2017 by EdT

[cog]

What I like about your build log, is besides the beautiful workmanship, the educational value. It's not just anyone can see e.g. the workings of the running rigging, but it get's explained as well. I start to understand it more - at least I have the impression I do ...

Thanks for sharing ...

[EdT]

Thank you, Carl.  I will confess that I am no expert and that this is a learning experience for me that I am happy to share - including the fits and starts that are part of the process. I am very glad that you find it useful.  Thanks.

 

Ed