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Boltrope or no?


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I’m not around the water anymore, so I can go look at a ship to get the answer.  I am building a fishing schooner at 1:48 scale and got to thinking. (Usually a bad thing) If I’m standing three feet from my model it is the equivalent of standing about 150 feet from the real ship.  At that distance would I see the bolt rope on the sails?  The other question is on a schooner what diameter rope would be used for the boltrope?

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

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...good point...  I've often wondered about tree nails using this rationale but....   I'm all ears

 

JP

Built & De-Commissioned: HMS Endeavour (Corel), HMS Unicorn (Corel),

Abandoned: HMS Bounty (AL)

Completed : Wappen Von Hamburg (Corel), Le Renommee (Euromodel)... on hold

Current WIP: Berlin by Corel

On Shelf:  HMS Bounty (Billings),

 

 

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Bob:

Here is a photo of the bolt rope detail from a Biloxi schooner in the 1920s. Note the relative sizes involved. That mast is probably 9-10 inches in diameter and the sail hoops are probably about 1 1/2 inches thick or thereabouts. The halyards there are probably not more than 1/2" diameter. I would say the bolt rope is fairly large and prominent.

 

Russ

post-164-0-34920000-1412543266_thumb.jpg

Edited by russ
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I think adding the bolt rope to the model sails should be done, if only to keep the sails from fraying, especially where the mast hoops are tied to the sail.

Allan

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If you (or other admirers) were always standing a meter away from the model, you could probably omit a lot of detail. The problem is that the observation distance of models varies, so you have to cater for even the case when someone sticks their nose almost into it (or as close as any glass case may allow) ...

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
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OK the rope goes on.  Now what size?  In the picture from Russ, if the mast is ten inches the rope is 1.5 inches.  That seems too big. ? ? ?

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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Bob:

I would say about an inch in diameter for the bolt rope. It is large enough to support the sail and keep it from tearing. It is there to reinforce the sail so it has to be a little beefy.

 

Russ

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Not sure, whether this applies to North American fishing schooners, but on many ships the bolt-ropes were of different circumference on the different sides of a sail, depending on the expected strain. In the 1:48 scale this should be quite visible. 

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
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That is interesting, do you have any information as to the sizes for the different areas?  In other words should the leach of the main be on the order of 1.5” circumference or more like 4.5”? 

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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I would need to file through some books in order to see, whether I could find something useful, but I have no time at the moment. The circumference is somewhat proportionate to the size of the sail and the weight of the canvas. On a schooner's mainsail, I would think that the circumference would be rather in the order of 4 to 5". The largest circumference would be at the luff and at the head. If the foot is loose, the diameter may be less than the luff one, or the same, if it was marled down onto the boom. The leech bolt-rope would have the smallest circumference.

 

Incidentally, you actually need the boltrope on the model in any case in order to form the eyes for attaching the sheets etc. 

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the picture.

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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Thanks, nice sails.

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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