Looking for rigging diagram or photos for Benjamin W Latham

[Hog2sail]

I started a build log on here in the Kit Build section and I'm getting close to starting all of the rigging.

 

However this is my first ship build and I'm having some difficulty determining all the rigging.

 

I don't plan to add the sails. I like the look of the ship without the sails, showing all the rigging. However the drawing that shows all the rigging for the Latham has it's sails showing all the stitching along with the rat lines and it's very difficult to determine where all the rigging line(sheets) go.

 

I do have the book by Howard Chapelle "The American Fishing Schooners" and it's very helpful. However I was hoping to find a diagram or a photo just showing the rigging without all of the other stuff.

 

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Eddie

[Jaager]

Do you have the Model Shipways building manual for the kit by Erik A R Ronnberg Jr.? There are some rigging details in it.

 

I have two thoughts about this:

 

If you are not going to bend the sailing - even furled - most of the running rigging for handling the sails could be left off.  The rigging would probably be taken below with the sails.  ( A sheet is the line that holds the free corners of a sail taught against the force of the wind - the two bottom corners of a square sail,  the distal bottom corner of a gaff sail, and the bottom corner of a staysail.)

 

A rigging diagram for most any schooner near its age would be a good guide.  The pattern would probably be uniform.  In the dark, in a storm, half lit on rum, seamen from multiple countries - you would not want to have to guess which line proformed which function.  It would need to be the same vessel to vessel over a long period of time - generation to generation.

[captainbob]

Eddie, when I built the Lettie G. Howard I had the same problem in trying to find a good set of rigging plans for a schooner.  The best I could find was Model Shipways Instruction Manual MS2109 which can be downloaded as a .pdf file.  That along with Howard Chapelle’s "The American Fishing Schooners" is what got me through.  It’s all there, it just requires a lot of digging.

 

Bob

[Hog2sail]

Thanks guys,

 

I do have the Model Shipways Manual MS2109 and Howard Chapelle's book "The American Fishing Schooners".  I also managed to find a couple pictures on the internet. So a little more studying and I should be able to figure it all out.

 

Some of this stuff takes longer researching than the time it actually takes to build it.

 

Thanks again for the info. I'm enjoying the build. If nothing else it's teaching me to be patient.

 

I've got another 3M sailplane I  partially designed to scratch build after this. That will be a piece of cake after building the "Latham".

 

Eddie 

[Tadeusz43]

Hello Eddie,

Complete and very clear information on standing and running rigging in the form of drawings of individual parts and general plans

including belaying plan are contained in excellent book:

Rigging Period Fore-and-Aft Craft By Lennarth Petersson ISBN978-1-86176-237-5  

www.amazon.com/…Period-Fore-Aft-Craft/dp/1591147212

Download

http://www.ebooks-share.net/rigging-period-fore-and-aft-craft/

 

Happy modelling,

Tadeusz

[Hog2sail]

Tadeusz, thank you very much.

 

Eddie

[captainbob]

Some of this stuff takes longer researching than the time it actually takes to build it.

 

Eddie 

 

That sure is the truth.

 

Bob

[Cap'n Rat Fink]

Eddie,

    There is a book on the BWL titled "THE AMERICAN FISHING SCHOONER: BENJAMIN W. LATHAM by Erik A. R. Ronberg at Amazon.

 

Plus I think he is member here. His name is Jim Leferver who build this schooner. Beautiful build. you can find some of his pictures here    

 

shipmodeling.net/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=942   103 total photos

 

 

I really payed attention to Jim's photo and explaintions on his build to help me build my BWL years ago.

 

Mario

Edited December 15, 2014 by Cap'n Rat Fink

[Elia]

Eddie,

 

In plans development of my Arethusa build I put together hand drawn sketches of each of the rigging lines.  I initially and solely used Howard I. Chapelle's The American Fishing Schooners' appendices.  I then altered them when I obtained detailed photos of a large scale model and also photos of the real ship (a rare luxury).  I encoruage you in taking the MS Benjamin Latham plans and try doing the same.  You might want to look at the photos of Jim Lefever's model, noted previously (at shipmodeling.net), as that very likely shows what the plans book presents as small sketches.  This takes a little time, but in my experience it helped me greatly in understanding the functioning of each line.  And compared to a three mast ship-of-the-line it is relatively easy.

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[cg451]

Fellow BWL modelers,

 

I just ordered my BWL kit from MS for a drastically reduced price, and finding all the information here (plus references to build logs) was encouraging to me. Having a 1:48 scale schooner in kit form will be my stepping stone to my first scratch build--a POF 1:48 Bluenose from amazing plans purchased from Canada. Thanks to everyone for the ongoing support.

 

Bill

Edited March 30, 2015 by cg451

[allanyed]

Eddie

 

If you live in the US near the ocean, there may be help.  The Lettie is in NY.  New England has several Gloucestermen that serve as examples and there may be appropriate schooners on the West Coast.   Nothing like seeing the real thing to get it right.     If you live other than in the US, I am sure there are plenty of members that may be able to steer you to an applicable schooner.

 

If you do not have access to the actual boats in the water, The American Fishing Schooner is your best bet, book wise, IMHO.  I have used it in guiding me through 4 schooners over the past few years.    You can also find   schooner photos on the internet for some fine up close details although most are under sail.

 

 

Allan

[jhearl]

There is a book named "Bluenose II" by L.B. Jenson that has some very good drawings of the rigging. The book might be out of print and used copies are pretty expensive (around the $40 range) but you might be able to get a copy through your library.

 

Here's a link to the Amazon page for the book -

http://www.amazon.com/Bluenose-II-L-B-Jenson/dp/1551090635/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427992820&sr=8-1&keywords=bluenose+ii+jenson