Questions about the masting and rigging of British cutters found in Lennarth Petersson's Rigging Period Fore and Aft Craft

[vossiewulf]

Curiouser and curiouser...

 

@Chuck, why does the contemporary model of the Cheerful have three yards while your rigging plan only calls for two? We are trying to understand cutter rigging plans and not having much luck. Sometimes (@chris watton's Lady Nelson, HMS Sherbourne, the contemporary model of Cheerful) we have three yards on two masts, in other cases (Chuck's rigging plan for modern Cheerful models, Lennarth Petersson's rig in his Rigging Period Fore and Aft Craft book) we have just two yards.

 

Was the third yard a light wind rig that wasn't there all the time as Phil suggests? Or are three and two-yard cutter rigs fundamentally different things?

Edited Tuesday at 06:20 AM by vossiewulf

[Chuck]

That model is actually mis identified.  It is not actually the Cheerful or Surly.  In fact, for most of its time is was just named as an unidentified cutter.  It is most likely a much later cutter based on certain things.   But there are too amny crazy differences between the original drafts and that model.  I am talking about many many.  Position of hawse holes,  wales , channels , gun ports etc.
 

in addition,  the model was rigged and re rigged many times over the years.  It is not original.  Check out the position of the topmast  on the wrong side of the main masts.  So take that model rig with a huge grain of salt.

 

I was told by the curators that the rig could be a construct from two different contemporary models which is what Henry Culver did quite a bit back in the day.  Use the Surly model in the Canada collection instead.

[Gregory]

Chuck,  I have always felt your Cheerful rig reflected what would have been actual practice for functionality and proportion.  I don’t think anyone can go wrong by using it for reference.

 

Is that Roger’s model mast way too tall, or is that just a perspective thing?

[Chuck]

Yes it is that tall.   Maybe they had a tall topgallant mast but look how short the topmast is.  Its a weird rig and I didnt really use it.  I mainly used the rig from the contemporary Surly model and the early cutter in the Science museum.  But that is an earlier cutter but close enough for my tastes.

 

Chuck

[vossiewulf]

30 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Yes it is that tall.   Maybe they had a tall topgallant mast but look how short the topmast is.  Its a weird rig and I didnt really use it.  I mainly used the rig from the contemporary Surly model and the early cutter in the Science museum.  But that is an earlier cutter but close enough for my tastes.

 

Chuck

Thanks Chuck for answering, we really appreciate it. Maybe Chris will chime in later about why the Sherbourne and the Lady Nelson have three yards.

[Chuck]

I really wish I knew.   Probably not a permanent thing is my guess.