Detailed Rigging for the Alert 1777 Cutter by Serikoff in 1:48 scale.

[serikoff]

For those who enjoy reading, there's a lot of information below (which I will update over time). But for everyone else, here’s a brief summary.

I have studied the anatomy of this ship and other rigging books (listed below) for a long time and created my own guide on making the masts, rigging, and sails. I originally made it for myself, using various sources, as the anatomy contains many errors, typos, and inaccuracies... and even more omissions! I will write about all of this below, justifying the corrections and proposed rigging solutions.

You can download all the materials at this Google Drive link: Rigging Alert 1777 by Serikoff

Here’s an example of what the first two sketches look like, drawn to a 1:48 scale!



When printing, you need to select A0 format (841 × 1189 mm)—this is indicated in the file names with “0” and “00.” The guide itself (files named “01-11”) can be printed in A4 or preferably A3 format.

































It may seem like I went overboard, but solving this puzzle over three weeks was interesting for me. If someone had done this earlier with the same level of quality, I would have been very grateful. That’s why all materials will be available for free. If you see someone building this ship, feel free to share the link to this article—I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. If you have any questions, you can write to me, and I’ll try to answer. I’ll also be grateful for well-founded corrections backed by sources (opinions like “I think so” will not be accepted).

What I based my work on. These are the books I used:



At the same time, I studied other ship anatomies. ChatGPT also assisted me throughout the process, and together we tried to recreate the most realistic rigging layout. I deeply respect all the book authors, including the one who wrote the Alert anatomy, but upon closer examination, I found many inaccuracies, typos, and gaps—for example, there is no diagram showing how the rigging is attached to the hull.
I also researched rigging rope diameters, and on page 11 of the guide, I listed all of them to 1:48 scale. The standard conversion tables don’t work here, as a three-masted ship is very different from a single-masted one. On a cutter, the main and largest sail is the mainsail, which was raised and lowered differently than on a three-masted ship. It was proportionally larger and moved together with the gaff, rather than being gathered at the mast and gaff. This affected the rigging layout and rope diameters.
The anatomy also specifies single-sheave blocks for lifting the gaff, square sail yard, and securing the boom. I increased them to two- and two-sheave blocks because ships of this class and size had fewer crew members, so more sheaves were needed to reduce the weight of lifted objects. The deck space was also limited, so not many people could work the rigging simultaneously.
For the same reason, some rigging elements were simplified or combined. For example, there were no separate Sling, Vangs, or Guy rigging elements, and the Lifts were performed by the lower Sheets.
The topgallant sail yard had no Lifts or Braces—it was held only by the Topgallant sail yard Tie and Sheets. In strong winds, it was either taken down completely or secured to the Topsail yard. Truss or Parrel ropes were likely absent or used only when the ship was docked.
The Topsail yard could have had either Truss or Parrel ropes (this isn’t specified in the anatomy, but it’s a reasonable assumption). In strong winds, a Truss would have been useful. However, the lower two yards were a different case. The Gaff had to move freely along the mast, with rings attached to the mainsail, so any fixed lower yard trusses would obstruct this movement. They were likely used only when the ship was stationary.
As for the Square sail yard, it also had no Lifts or Braces. It was fully raised and lowered to the deck using the Tie. That’s why the Spreadyard had no Footrope, just like all other yards except the Topsail yard. The Square sail yard was held only by the Tie, Brace, and Tack, and its maneuverability was controlled between the Topsail and Spreadyard rigging.
One of the biggest mistakes in the Alert anatomy is in the placement and method of securing the Boom topping lift, Peak halyard, and Gaff Jeers blocks.
If installed as shown in the anatomy, the Topgallant Mast could not be lowered on the Top rope, as the mast would hit these block fittings. I repositioned them alongside the mast’s lowering path, fixing the blocks to rings with hooks. There are many such issues in the anatomy.
Another major mistake is how the rigging is attached to the mast. According to the anatomy, if such a connection broke, the entire mast rigging would have to be disassembled from the top down to replace the loop. Instead, I designed all central mast fittings as tie-downs rather than loops. This is clearly shown in the guide.
The anatomy also doesn’t explain what the ship’s windlass was used for. Logically, it should have been used for raising the heaviest sail—the Mainsail on the Gaff. So, the Gaff Jeers were wound onto the windlass.
These are the most critical errors and changes, but there are many others. When analyzing the logic and supporting materials, everything falls into place.
If this text explanation is unclear, I will try to illustrate these descriptions with diagrams when I have time.
I have listed the minimum set of blocks required for the model. To calculate their size, you need to multiply the rigging thread diameter by 12—this gives the block length. But this applies to the rigging section, not the entire rope, as the upper part is thicker, while the working (rigging) end is thinner.
This guide and drawings will be useful for those building Alert from the Trident kit or scratch-building the model in 1:48 scale. In other cases, you’ll need to recalculate the dimensions and adjust the drawings to match your scale.



Continuing with the topic of drawings to wrap it up completely.

I have compiled another A0 sheet, with half of it containing the original drawings from the Trident Model kit—now in a more readable format (black on white instead of the nearly illegible blue on blue). The other half is scaled to 1:48, including the hull (side and top views), deck details, boats, and other elements.
Why did I do this, and why might it be useful for anyone building the Trident Model kit? This is for those who want to go beyond just assembling the skeleton and wish to add planking, decking, and other details. I specifically scaled all the elements so they match the true dimensions of the model in 1:48 scale.
Of course, these drawings won't help you build the hull from scratch—that’s not their purpose. Their function is to provide accurate real-time dimensions: plank widths, nail patterns and positioning, bolt placements, boat drawings (which are missing from the kit), and precise dimensions of some parts that were slightly oversized in the kit. Using these drawings, you can make necessary adjustments.
So, if you have the Trident Model kit and plan to add planking and some refinements, this will be useful. And if you also want to rig the ship with sails, the first two sheets and the rigging guide will help.
I made these drawings for myself, but I’m happy to share them with you.

Below is a sample of the format A0 sheet, as the full format cannot be uploaded here. You can download the original from Google Drive via this link.

 

[polydoc]

Congratulations. A masterful piece of research. There are lots of ship plans available but rigging plans are hard to come by. I usually have to make do with a lot of improvisation so work like yours is a real contribution to the hobby.

 

[Signet]

Wonderful work! It's sad that such quality work can be accomplished by an individual, yet model kit builders making many thousands of dollars from a kit cannot spend a fraction of the time you have to present anything reasonable to the customer. I have no intention of building the kit, but have downloaded some just to admire your work.

I understand your reasoning in making this publication available for free, but you might consider certain (larger?) projects that you could publish and sell, like ANCRE. I imagine any model ship builder would by happy to pay for a similar publication for the model they are building. I know I would!

 

[Rodric]

Serikoff

I’m building the Vanguard kit of Alert. I have done far less research than you. But I come to a rather different conclusion, and I’d be most grateful for your judgement.

In his study of the Alert, Goodwin apparently bases much of his interpretation on a model of the cutter Hawke in the Royal Maritime Museum. He describes her as rigged with a square sail, topsail and topgallant sail, bent to four yards including a spreadyard. He shows the upper ends of the shrouds fixed to a collar some way below the mast cheeks. This goes against normal practice: the shrouds were usually looped over the trestle trees.

But the Hawke model is not a reliable source. Hawke and Alert were built at the same time, and were of similar size and similarly armed: but it is not clear how closely they resembled one another. The model of Hawke was apparently contemporary. But it was later damaged and repaired, so there is no assurance that rigging arrangement it shows is accurate.

Goodwin says Alert was rerigged in the 1780s without a spreadyard. He suggests that the rerigged Alert resembled another model in the Royal Maritime Museum: which is also the basis for Lennarth Petersson’s book Rigging: Period Fore-And-Aft Craft. This shows the shrouds rigged in the conventional way over the trestle trees. But this model was not completed until 1960, well after the RMM acquired it. So it too is unreliable as a source.

I have come across references to only two documentary sources. Thucydides kindly drew my attention to a possible rigging warrant for Alert in the RMM:
https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-557865. Blue Ensign (build log post 54) says the Admiralty lines describe the topsail yard as 4’ shorter than the equivalent yard on the Hawke model, and the square-sail yard as 2’ longer).

I’m sure I should do a good deal more reading. Despite the uncertainties, I think I will nevertheless rig my own model of Alert with square and topsail yards only, and no spreadyard. But I’d be grateful for your views first.

Rodric

 

[serikoff]

Congratulations. A masterful piece of research. There are lots of ship plans available but rigging plans are hard to come by. I usually have to make do with a lot of improvisation so work like yours is a real contribution to the hobby.

Thank you for the praise. I was looking for the same information, but if you don't go deep there isn't much. I had to approach it seriously))

Wonderful work! It's sad that such quality work can be accomplished by an individual, yet model kit builders making many thousands of dollars from a kit cannot spend a fraction of the time you have to present anything reasonable to the customer. I have no intention of building the kit, but have downloaded some just to admire your work.

I understand your reasoning in making this publication available for free, but you might consider certain (larger?) projects that you could publish and sell, like ANCRE. I imagine any model ship builder would by happy to pay for a similar publication for the model they are building. I know I would!

Thank you. Yes, I also thought about the price and cost. But there are 2 points. I don't have time to put it on stream and make many such manuals of other ships. And secondly, I did it for myself, and would be glad if someone did this work for me)))) That's why I shared it) It was like a challenge, and solving a riddle or puzzle, so I don't regret the time spent. But the idea is good))

Serikoff

I’m building the Vanguard kit of Alert. I have done far less research than you. But I come to a rather different conclusion, and I’d be most grateful for your judgement.

In his study of the Alert, Goodwin apparently bases much of his interpretation on a model of the cutter Hawke in the Royal Maritime Museum. He describes her as rigged with a square sail, topsail and topgallant sail, bent to four yards including a spreadyard. He shows the upper ends of the shrouds fixed to a collar some way below the mast cheeks. This goes against normal practice: the shrouds were usually looped over the trestle trees.

But the Hawke model is not a reliable source. Hawke and Alert were built at the same time, and were of similar size and similarly armed: but it is not clear how closely they resembled one another. The model of Hawke was apparently contemporary. But it was later damaged and repaired, so there is no assurance that rigging arrangement it shows is accurate.

Goodwin says Alert was rerigged in the 1780s without a spreadyard. He suggests that the rerigged Alert resembled another model in the Royal Maritime Museum: which is also the basis for Lennarth Petersson’s book Rigging: Period Fore-And-Aft Craft. This shows the shrouds rigged in the conventional way over the trestle trees. But this model was not completed until 1960, well after the RMM acquired it. So it too is unreliable as a source.

I have come across references to only two documentary sources. Thucydides kindly drew my attention to a possible rigging warrant for Alert in the RMM:
https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-557865. Blue Ensign (build log post 54) says the Admiralty lines describe the topsail yard as 4’ shorter than the equivalent yard on the Hawke model, and the square-sail yard as 2’ longer).

I’m sure I should do a good deal more reading. Despite the uncertainties, I think I will nevertheless rig my own model of Alert with square and topsail yards only, and no spreadyard. But I’d be grateful for your views first.

Rodric

Well, let's say this, I proceeded from what is in the anatomy and logic of constructing the rigging of those times. I was able to adapt and correct all the shortcomings that were in the anatomy. And this is just my version. It may not be accurate, which is most likely the case, but they definitely do not contradict logic and could well be. Everyone decides how to equip a model, I decided to do it this way, and as best I could, I argued the reality of such an option, and it is up to everyone to decide. In any case, whoever takes my version as a guideline - will save a lot of time on research and guesses on how everything should work. If someone had done this before me, I would have used it, even if I knew that maybe I was wrong in something, but, in general, all the rigging was logical and detailed for production))) and it is up to everyone to decide.

 

[Ben Gilbert]

Fascinating and quirky rig on this vessel. A question: since the ratlines end well below the topsail yard, how did the sailors get onto the yard?

 

[Rodric]

Thank you for such a clear and rapid reply.





Of course you’re right: in the end one has to deccide for oneself. Although I can’t match your research, I’ve been interested in square-rigged ships, their history and handling, for very many years; and I sailed my own small boat, which help one imagine what it’s like.





So we’ve ended up going in different directions. But I and everyone else will benefit from the mass of orderly material you’ve assembled, Very many thanks.





Rodric

Fascinating and quirky rig on this vessel. A question: since the ratlines end well below the topsail yard, how did the sailors get onto the yard?

I’m not sure that the crew would have to go out along the topyard very often, perhaps only when the topsail had to be reefed or unreefed. For that purpose the yard would be in tis lower position just above the doubling. From there it could be reached easily enough from the shrouds, assuming they were rigged in the normal position over the trestle trees. Otherwise the sails could mostly be handled from deck through the sheets, lifts, clew lines, bunt lines, and bow lines.

These naval cutters had very large and agile crews: Alert may have had as many as fifty to work the ship and fight the guns. All needed to be fed and crammed into the meagre accommodation below decks. Some very good fiction helps on imagine how they did it: Richard Woodman’s A King’s Cutter, Captain Marryat’s The Three Cutters. Both men were professional sailors and new what they were talking about. Patrick O’Brian wasn’t: but his novels about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars contains the most convincing description of what it was like to be aboard a square rigged ship at sea in all weathers that I know.

Rodric

 

[serikoff]

Fascinating and quirky rig on this vessel. A question: since the ratlines end well below the topsail yard, how did the sailors get onto the yard?

The lower square sail was lowered to the deck and gathered there. The upper sail was lowered to the fore-sailyard and gathered there. That is why the sailors did not rise above the fore-sailyard. This was done to simplify the rigging on such a class and size of ships.

 

[serikoff]

Thank you for such a clear and rapid reply.





Of course you’re right: in the end one has to deccide for oneself. Although I can’t match your research, I’ve been interested in square-rigged ships, their history and handling, for very many years; and I sailed my own small boat, which help one imagine what it’s like.





So we’ve ended up going in different directions. But I and everyone else will benefit from the mass of orderly material you’ve assembled, Very many thanks.





Rodric

I’m not sure that the crew would have to go out along the topyard very often, perhaps only when the topsail had to be reefed or unreefed. For that purpose the yard would be in tis lower position just above the doubling. From there it could be reached easily enough from the shrouds, assuming they were rigged in the normal position over the trestle trees. Otherwise the sails could mostly be handled from deck through the sheets, lifts, clew lines, bunt lines, and bow lines.

These naval cutters had very large and agile crews: Alert may have had as many as fifty to work the ship and fight the guns. All needed to be fed and crammed into the meagre accommodation below decks. Some very good fiction helps on imagine how they did it: Richard Woodman’s A King’s Cutter, Captain Marryat’s The Three Cutters. Both men were professional sailors and new what they were talking about. Patrick O’Brian wasn’t: but his novels about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars contains the most convincing description of what it was like to be aboard a square rigged ship at sea in all weathers that I know.

Rodric

I was glad to be of help))

 

[tball4217]

Better than what the model companies are doing. I am curious on the following good sir Serikoff,

Firstly, how much did the 4 cutters of the alert class differ from each other in the rigging? I mean, the deck plan for the rigging of the Shipyard HMS Rattlesnake seems logical, but there is serious deviation from your main mast arrangement that I have to ask. Also a very different arraingment of rigging tie offs around the rudder as well.

Secondly, in the last illustration of your post 1, you present an excellent set of plans, but there is a detail issue in them that I need help with.

in the spot next to the rudder assembly, it shows an over head plan view of the bit of raised decking that the rudder head penetrates the hull at. In this view you show two hoops attached to the front edge of this section of raised decking. Then you should a front view and show what looks like a flag pole stuck inserted into one.
But as this detail is NOT shown in any other part of the plans, I must kindly ask, what are they for? I have never seen them in a built model of Alert or her sisters, its seriously screwing with my head.

 

[Smithy]

@tball4217 - The hoops are two alternate locations for the small, optional mizzen mast. (According to the Anatomy of the Ship book by Peter Goodwin.)

 

[AllanKP69]

The hoops are two alternate locations for the small, optional mizzen mast.

You may have the answer with these being to support a mizzen, but the rigging warrants list no rigging lines or blocks for a mizzen mast. In the end one may have nothing to do with the other, but curious that there would be no rigging available if there was to be a mizzen mast. Add to that, Alert 1777 was reclassed the same year she was launched as a cutter rigged sloop so she would, by definition of a sloop, carry only one mast.

It could be the drawing from RMG below was made before the conversion. RMG comments they do not know the date of the drawing.





The pages below make up the rigging warrant for Alert. Description at RMG
A sheet folded in two recording handwritten details of the rope thicknesses and lengths for the various rigging parts, as well as the type and size of the blocks for rigging Kite and later for Alert (1777), a 10-gun Cutter (later classed as a sloop but still cutter-rigged).


There are various slight sketches of the Alert plus a sketch drawn to scale of the profile view of the body of a sailing vessel (Drawing) (PAE9598) at RMG that may help, but it is not on their website so would require a visit and/or a fee.

 

[tball4217]

I am thinking that shipyards used those two features to logicalize stern chasers on a carronade slide.

 

[serikoff]

Better than what the model companies are doing. I am curious on the following good sir Serikoff,

Firstly, how much did the 4 cutters of the alert class differ from each other in the rigging? I mean, the deck plan for the rigging of the Shipyard HMS Rattlesnake seems logical, but there is serious deviation from your main mast arrangement that I have to ask. Also a very different arraingment of rigging tie offs around the rudder as well.

Secondly, in the last illustration of your post 1, you present an excellent set of plans, but there is a detail issue in them that I need help with.

in the spot next to the rudder assembly, it shows an over head plan view of the bit of raised decking that the rudder head penetrates the hull at. In this view you show two hoops attached to the front edge of this section of raised decking. Then you should a front view and show what looks like a flag pole stuck inserted into one.
But as this detail is NOT shown in any other part of the plans, I must kindly ask, what are they for? I have never seen them in a built model of Alert or her sisters, its seriously screwing with my head.

According to anatomy, this is a mount for a mizenmast. The book has alternative sailing rigs, both storm and additional. But I think one mast was mostly used.

 

[tball4217]

shockingly, no reply as to the carronade mounted long guns has arrived, but the kit does have these two bits on the model. But I cant see any iron hoop, just the wood.

 

[serikoff]

shockingly, no reply as to the carronade mounted long guns has arrived, but the kit does have these two bits on the model. But I cant see any iron hoop, just the wood.

English is not my native language, I can not always understand the question from the translator, especially when there are terms. If you ask the question in more detail and simply, I can help you.