Help with mast tackle

[LucienL]

Hi everyone. I am in the process of rigging my Beagle and am struggling a bit understanding how the mast tackle is supposed to work.

I am not sure how the lines running through the blocks indicated by the red arrows is meant to finish. Should this tie off to a belaying pin on deck or just wrap around the base of the block? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[barkeater]

The lines you indicate are not actually part of the shrouds but rather separate single or double blocked lines whose blocks are hooked or spliced to eye bolts in the channel. This arrangement would be used for yard lifts, braces, tyes, clue lines et al. The use of blocks allows for tension adjustments to rigging or raising and lowering of the yards. Your rigging plans should show further elucidate their relationship to the masts or yards Typically, they would be tied off to a belaying pin, cleat or stanchion.  The one in the middle in this case has the line originating from the single block at the channel then spliced to the line going from the other block through a third block and the probably belayed to a pin rail.

Rich

Edited Sunday at 02:32 AM by barkeater

[Dr PR]

Lucien,

 

These mast tackles and Burtoning tackles are used to lift and move heavy objects on deck, and to move things over the side.

 

Here is a drawing showing how they typically are rigged.

 

First is a heavy runner pendant that loops around the mast top and hangs down 1/3 to 1/2 the mast length. It has a single runner block on the end. On larger ships the pendant loops around the topmast head. On smaller vessels without a topmast head the pendant loops around the lower mast head.

 

On vessels with an odd number of shrouds the pendants are often just the ends of one of the shrouds after taking it around the mast head. The pendant may also be a separate line that loops around the mast head and descends on both sides, ending in a single runner block.

 

A line fastens around the double block of a luff tackle and the fall runs through the runner block on the pendant and then down to an eye bolt on the channel. Typically the fall will have a hook on the end that secures to the eye bolt.

 

The lower single block of the luff tackle has a long leader with a hook on the end. The hook attaches to another eye bolt on the channel. The fixed end of the luff tackle line fastens to the single block, runs up through the double block, back down and through the single block, up to the double block again, and the fall comes down and belays somewhere on deck. It may belay to a belaying pin in a pin rail, to a cleat on the bulwark, or just tie around the leader.

 

 

 

Note: Lines 9 and 11 in the drawing you posted are not mast tackles. Line 9 is a "running" backstay that can be tightened and loosened as needed. It appears to be rigged like the mast tackle except the pendant extends almost to the deck. Line 11 is a tye tackle for the topsail yard. The tye is used to raise and lower the topsail yard.

 

Here is an illustration showing how the mast (Burton) tackles and yard tackles are used to move heavy objects.

 

In this case both for and main Burton tackles are linked with a span to bring the pendant bocks close together over the object. For longer objects, such as the ship's boats, the length of the span is the distance between lifting points on the object (boat).

 

The Burton tackles lift the object near the ship's center line.

 

The yard tackle hangs from the end of the yard. It is used to move the object inboard or outboard.

 

Using a combination of Burton and yard tackles objects can be moved around anywhere on deck.

 

The Burton or mast tackles ae not part of the rigging used to control the yards and sails. They hang loose and are secured to the eye bolts in the channels when not in use.  The falls and leaders are usually both hooked to the eye bolts and are not tied to them permanently. This allows the greatest flexibility for using these general purpose tackles.

[LucienL]

Okay, thank you both, that does help clear things up