• LUCZORAMA SHIPWRECK SCAVENGER HUNT GIVEAWAY. 4 Weeks of Fun • 1 Legendary Prize ((OcCre’s Fram Ship)) • Global Crew Welcome!
    **VIEW THREAD HERE**

Masts

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sutty
  • Start date Start date
  • Watchers Watchers 8
Alan Smith said:
Actually as well as stronger, much stiffer. Layered structures are harder to bend than single thicknesses as well as stronger. They probably picked that trick up from looking at laminated crossbows. The study of the interaction between military technology and civilian applications is a hobby horse of mine. I could bore you for days on the topic.
Click to expand...
Not at all Alan it's something you really don't look into in depth but when you do it's very interesting. I have only started building model ships since covid and never really looked into the science of the orignal ship building but once you start reading especially on this group it makes the build much more interesting
 
Today the shipwrights have much better glue, so therefore they are not constructing a mast in the same way like in the past, but nevertheless I guss a very interesting video of making

How to build a mast! The Renewal of HMS Gannet's Foremast​

In 2011 a survey found the foremast of HMS Gannet to be rotten, requiring the construction of a new mast. This video gives step by step details on the key parts of how the mast was built from start to finish. HMS Gannet was a Royal Navy Doterel-class screw sloop built on the Medway at Sheerness and launched in 1878. She was preserved in 1987 as part of the Core Collection of the UK's National Historic Fleet and is based at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent. Chatham is famous for a number of historic vessels, including HMS Victory (1759).

​


 
There are a number of high resolution drawings of masts from RMG on the Wiki Commons site but they are so detailed as to probably be overkill for most of us. The outboard shapes though should be useful, including the tapering at the top and bottom. One example from 1780 follows.
Allan

1726761215725.png
 
Alan Smith said:
But very early on tt was learnt that a composite structure with appropriate bolting and banding was stronger than a single piece could ever be. And it was also a way to be sure there were no concealed faults in the heartwood of a single piece.
Click to expand...
Brother Allan:
The second sentence is key. A composite mast is not intrinsically stronger than a pole mast of the same wood but it's difficult to find a big, straight tree with no flaws or large knots. With composite construction, the soundest boards with the straightest grain can be selected and joined to optimize the structural properties of the wood. Fair winds!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top