Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 258 – Fore Lower Topsail Sheets 1

 

Sheets restrain the clues (lower corners) of sails.  They are attached to common shackles with the topsail clue lines.  These shackles are hauled down to the cheek blocks in the lower yard by triple tackles at the deck.  When sails are furled or unbent, the clues and the attached sheets are hauled up to the bunt, the center part of the topsail yard.  Chain was used on sheets (and halyards) for durability in resisting constant working through the sheaves due to wind fluctuations on the sails (and yards). 

 

It may seem like an odd time to be installing these, but I intend to use the sheet chains to haul all the yards down to put tension on their sling chains or, in the case of upper yards, their halyards and standing lifts.  The model yards are too light to fall of their own weight.  To do this, the sheet chains will be stopped together inside the sheet blocks so that putting tension on the sheet tackles will hold the yard down and also allow the chains under the yard to sag realistically.  The method uses a wire connection between the two sheets as illustrated below.

 

 

The wire strap between the two separate sheet chains will loop over the central pin in the block.  The short legs will drop inside their respective sheaves.  The stopper link will be invisible as seen in the next picture.

 

 

The drooping horizontal chains in the picture are reeved through the fairleads under the yard, through the cheek blocks then temporarily suspended above until their yard is rigged later.  These upper legs are unaffected by tension on the lower ends.  The lower ends of the chains are secured to triple-purchase tackles that hook into eyebolts in the deck.  These were strung up as shown below before installing.

 

 

In the next picture the port tackle has been rigged.

 

 

The upper block is "shackled" to the chain – in this case fastened by a shackle-like, knotted loop of wire.  The opposite chain is tied off temporarily with wire awaiting its tackle.  The next picture shows both tackles secured to their chains.

 

 

The lengths of chain on each sheet is long enough to haul the lower topsail clues down to the lower yardarms from their initial position when the topsail is bent to the yard, so these triple purchases use up a lot of rope – most of which ends up coiled when the sail is rigged. 

 

The next picture shows the lower ends of the tackles hooked to the eyebolts and belayed on the long pins through the sheet bitts. 

 

 

These connections will probably be re-configured later, but for now the tackles have pulled the yard down and tightened the sling chain as may be seen in the last picture.

 

 

 

Ed           

[archjofo]

Hi Ed,

here I find an exemplary rigging work. I can learn a lot from that for my model.
Thanks for that!

 

[stm]

Ed I have not seen a triple lower topsail sheet purchase before as describe by Underhill and used on your YA. My sources always had a double, single block or combination there of arraignment and took it for granted that was the norm without really checking. Just to bring to your attention, Underhill describes that line was belayed to the pin from the lower block, pg 164. May have also been from the upper block in actual practice.

 

One thing that I wanted to touch base on and get your advise is twisting of lines and how to reduce this on a model. This is true when there is a pendent or purchase used in the area of braces, halliards, and sheets. I make it a point to use similar rope such as linen. To prevent twisting, I put tension on the pendent or line using my hands and then reeve the rope through the blocks when they stop twisting. This helps, but is not foolproof.  You may have touched base on this in the past, but the jig that you used reminded me and thought this would be the best time to bring it up. If you were planning on addressing this at a later date that would be fine.

 

Appreciate your input.

 

Scott 

[EdT]

Hi Scott,

 

Thanks for the question.  I welcome these and I know there will be many to come on these rigging details.  For belaying detail I used mainly Underhill and number of Crothers Sea Gull clipper plans, plus notes in other references.  As is often the case, some interpretation is needed and I rationalize that at least partly on the fact that individual captains did many things to rigs based on their own preferences - up to and including yard sizes and mast heights.  While almost none of these variations is documented, I believe the practice leaves latitude in how to handle some rigging details - within limits. 

 

The advantage of the sheet fall coming out of the lower tackle block as you describe is that it could be manned by more men, presuming, of course, that a clear path could be found from within the fife rails surrounding the lower blocks.  As you will see later, this area is highly congested, so congested in fact that the sheet tackles for the upper topsail will belay on the fore top using  similar tackles.   There is not much room in the top for a horizontal lead and the sails are about the same size, so it is not unreasonable to assume that similar configurations could be used.  Also, crew sizes were small, hence the triple purchase tackle, which has a mechanical advantage of 6.  So, I think the lead from the tackle could be rigged either from the top or the bottom block.  If conditions demanded, a runner block could also be rigged at the deck, or more likely, a sheave in the sheet bitts could be used.  I may yet run the lead through one of these.  Based on this logic I ran the lead down from the top block allowing easier access to it.  I would argue that either method could have been used - and perhaps others.

 

Twisting of lines:  First, it is important to eliminate residual twist stress in the ropes after thye are spun.  Depending on the ropemaking process, this may be done by not over-twisting the rope as it is made, then allowing any twist to be relaxed after spinning, followed by a good stretching.  I notice that even with those precautions lines will revolve when hung with a weight after dyeing.  I usually constrain this, but I may let one go to completion to see if I am still left with rope.  Tackles will still likely twist up.  That is one reason why I threaded them as shown above.  The ones shown still wanted to twist up.  I took note of the hook orientation after threading them and made sure that I maintained that when hooking to the eyebolt.  Fortunately, chain does not want to twist, so the tackled stayed as placed. Having the fall come out of the top block helps, by the way, but that was not part of the logic.   A rope pendant will tend to twist more, so that stress has to be gotten out beforehand, especially with long pendants.  I did not experience the problem on the topping lifts.

 

Ed

[Sailor1234567890]

I would tend to think having the working part come out of the lower block or at least a lead block on deck before going UP to the pin rail would be most logical. Firstly, you mention more men tailing on it which is important but also, I think it best to have tension compressing the uprights for the rail rather than trying to pry it off the deck pulling upwards. I'm designing just such a system in my boat and all leads will come up from the deck to make fast to the pin rails in order to keep everything under compression.

[Sailor1234567890]

Another thought... Are the blocks rove or laced? With Triple blocks, there's a process to reeve them so the last part, the tailing part, comes out the middle sheave. This will allow for you to be pulling on the middle of the block rather than one side which might tend to capsize the block. This is called reeving the block. Otherwise, starting at one end and simply filling in the sheaves, it called lacing the block. Not optimal.

Edited December 17, 2017 by Sailor1234567890

[EdT]

Thanks for these additional comments, Sailor.  I don't really have anything to add to my previous comments on the sheet tackle falls.  On reeving vs. lacing of triple blocks, I am familiar with the practice you describe from descriptions in modern sources, but have seen no references to reeving the fall from the central sheave on triple blocks in text or diagrams in contemporary sources of the time.  So you may assume all triple blocks on the model will be laced from one side to the other.

 

Ed

 

 

[rwiederrich]

Ed..it occurred to me..will you be treating the yards as you have with every other portion of this build and leave some incomplete to demonstrate the symmetry of the build, or will all the yards receive the detail you are placing on the main yards?

 

Rob

 

[EdT]

Hi Rob,

 

I intend to fully rig all the yards and booms.  As I may have mentioned previously, though, the stuns'l rigging will not be included except for what I think would be permanent blocks.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Excellent....but you will be modeling her with her original single topsail yards as you originally claimed?

 

Rob

Edited December 18, 2017 by rwiederrich

[EdT]

No, I have always planned double topsails that were installed the year after launch, hence the Howell type brackets on the three lower mastheads.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 259 – Lower Course Buntlines and Leech Lines

 

Buntlines and leech lines were used to bring in the lower and outer edges of square sails when furling.  In the case of the lower sails, the courses, they were also used to make up and raise the sail package to the yard for bending.  Buntlines were toggled or knotted to cringles on the lower edge of the sail, leech lines to cringles on the sides.  On lower sails these lines then passed through lead blocks on the yard, single blocks hooked under the rim of the top, and down through shroud fairleads to belay on the main pin rails port and starboard.  The first picture shows these lines on the fore yard.

 

 

 

The four inner lines are the buntlines and outside are the single and smaller leech lines.  The lines pass through lead blocks lashed to the jackstays.  On the "no sails" model, the lines are stopped at the block with toggles that would be used to fasten to the sail cringles.  These toggles may be seen in the next two pictures.

 

 

 

The toggles, were made from small lengths of wire, passed through the line and glued to simulate an eye.

 

 

The next picture shows the blocks at the top.

 

 

The blocks on the 3" buntlines are 9", on the 2½" leechlines 8". 

 

And finally, the lines passing through the shroud fairleads to the pin rail.

 

 

As with all the running rigging for this first yard, final belaying and tensioning will not be done until all lines for the yard are rigged.  This will facilitate getting the right level of tension and avoid rework.  For this reason lines may not appear properly tensioned and a mass of excess lines clutter the deck at this stage.

 

 

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Wonderful!

 

Rob

[SJSoane]

Ed, those close-up photos make it look like the real thing. Imagine climbing out there in heavy weather...

Mark

[Landlocked123]

Hi Ed,

 

Your work continues to set a new paradigm for model ship building.  However as a relative newbie can you share some “universal” pointers on the general progression on how to approach the rigging on square sailed ships.  I’m working on a simple 19th century fishing schooner and I’ve virtually had to everything twice to deal with crossed lines etc.. Thinking about rigging YA, makes my head explode!  Thanks, Best, John

[ir3]

Hi Ed,

 

Following this thread is pure joy. An education on every page.

 

For SJSoane and others I suggest Google "Around the Horn movies 1930's" and you will get a first hand view of the crew working in extremely rough weather. "Imaging climbing out there in heavy weather..." took very special people to do that kind of work.

 

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone.

 

Landlocked, my only previous experience with this was my Victory model, which was also heavily rigged but had only 9 square yards, whereas this model has 18.  So I am anticipating issues down the road and expecting some frustration as things start to get congested.  I am  loosely following some general sequence rules:  forward to aft, lower to upper, and standing before running on each mast or spar.  I also expect to complete one yard at a time, holding off on permanent belaying until rigging on each yard, or other collection of lines can be safely tensioned and fixed.  Although I used several belaying diagrams for guidance in preparing the drawings, I fully expect to make changes to uncross lines or to avoid interferences.  I have already made some of these adjustments and will incorporate them on the final drawings and other information.  Your are right, though, there is a head-exploding number of lines on the model - well over 700.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

1 hour ago, EdT said:

Your are right, though, there is a head-exploding number of lines on the model - well over 700.

 

Ed

Ed the old saying "you have raised the bar" need to be changed to read "you have crossed the line".

 

Michael

[Mau]

Hi Ed, I just updated with the latest posts and, although I expected great photos, I was delighted. So much care in details. Beautiful!!

I love it when you put photos of the parts being made. Inspiring work.

Greetings

 

Mauricio

[albert]

Hi Ed  very wonderful work.

[EdT]

 

...and a Happy New Year!

 

Ed

Edited December 25, 2017 by EdT

[druxey]

And to you also, Ed! Thank you for your contributions to our knowledge this year.

[Richvee]

Merry Christmas and Happy new year, Ed. Found this log about 4 months ago and I've been following since. You work is amazing. Plus your knack for explaining processes is second to none. I'm extremely grateful you take the time to explain and write this log. I'm relatively new to the hobby and I've learned more here in this log than I ever dreamed possible. Not to mention the inspiration. You have set the gold standard. Thanks!! 

 

 

Rich   

[BANYAN]

And to you Ed;

 

cheers

 

Pat

[wyz]

Merry Christmas to you too Ed.  All through 2017, with each of your YA entries, the MSW group received an early present from you.  Thank you Santa Tosti!

[Piet]

Merry Christmas and a very prosperous and healthy New Year Ed.

 

Your silent and learning follower,

[michael mott]

A happy new year to you Ed I hope your Christmas was as good as you expected it to be. And again thank you for your detailed account of the processes that broadened my knowledge base.

 

Michael

[cog]

A happy and healthy New Year to you Ed, thank you for your wise lessons and instructions

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 260 – Clew Garnets, Tacks, Lazy Tacks

 

Clew garnets were used to pull the lower corners of the sail up to the bunt when furling.  Blocks for these lines were shackled together with the sheet blocks, tacks and lazy sheet/tacks.  These shackles were attached to iron clue rings or cringles on the sail.  For these lower sails, this was done on deck before the sail package was hauled aloft.  On the no-sails model the sheets, tacks and lazy tacks are suspended from the clew garnets.  The sheets will be added later.

 

Sheets were used to restrain the clews of the sail, the tacks to haul it forward when braced, and the lazy tacks to help control the sail when shifting from sheets to tacks.  On the model these lines are tensioned in a way that will position the shackled blocks and eventually allow the sheets to drape gracefully.  The first picture shows these lines rigged.

 

 

The clew garnets are shackled to an eye under the yard.  The line then passes through block on the shackle, back through the forward sheave of the double quarter block hooked under the yard, then down to the fife rail.  The lines that go directly down from the shackle to the pin rail are the 4" lazy tacks.  These would be belayed at any convenient location.  The line slanting forward to its cleat on the cathead is the 5" tack.  Both these lines had their eyes at the shackle formed in place.  The tail of one has not yet been clipped off in this picture.  The next picture shows a close-up of the shackle on the starboard side.

 

 

The larger, empty sheet block is to the left of the shackle. The next picture shows the fife rail with the clew garnet belayed on the first pin.

 

 

I finally decided to re-order the pins, moving the topping lift falls back to the third pin and the reef tackle fall to the second.  This avoids crossing lines.  The topsail sheet falls have also now been run through the outer sheaves on the sheet bitts and are temporarily belayed.  I may move these to the inner sheave.  The next picture shows the run of the tacks to the cathead cleats.

 

 

And finally, the belaying of the lazy tack on the first pin of the main pin rail.

 

 

The lines on pin 3, 4, and 5 are the two buntlines and the leechline.  

 

Ed      

Edited January 11, 2018 by EdT

[albert]

Great beautiful work Ed, bravissimo.