HMS Endeavor longboat

[spad pilot]

Does anyone know if rigging plan for Captain Cook's longboat are available? The Artsania instruction book is practically useless (in my opinion).

 

[AllanKP69]

There are probably no drawings of Cook's longboat on the Endeavour, but the plans for the masting and rigging of a longboat at RMG Collections ZAZ7322 may be useful. The 1742 model may also be useful. There are 10 photos on the RMG Collections site as well. One example is also attached. I hope this is at least a little helpful.

Allan

 

[Jimsky]

Does anyone know if rigging plan for Captain Cook's longboat are available? The Artsania instruction book is practically useless (in my opinion).

Have you tried Karl Heinz Marquardt’s The Anatomy of the Ship: Captain Cook’s Endeavour? It includes detailed plans for all four of Endeavour’s boats, longboat, pinnace, yawl, and skiff, with rigging layouts. Many modelers refer to it as the most complete source.

 

[Roger Pellett]

I recently completed a scratch build of the longboat posted by Allan above. The boat’s rigging shows a number of interesting features:
1. The gaff is quite short relative to the boom.
2. The boom is thickest at its outboard end tapering to where it attaches to the mast
3.There are no backstays. The mast pendants provide this function to a degree.
4. The main sheet horse passes over the tiller, allowing the boat to be tacked.
5. The jib halyard passes through a cheek block.
6. A triple block near the masthead serves several different
functions.
7. The mainsail is loose footed.
Without going into details, engineering analysis indicates that these features all contribute to practical rig.

The Fore and Aft rig by E.F Thomas describes two separate single masted gaff rigs; the short gaff rig and the long gaff rig. Thomas believes that these two rigs had separate origins; The short gaff, the shoulder of mutton rig, The long gaff, the spritsail. While Thomas’s classic work was published in the 1930’s there is also a much older relevant work; Daniel Defoe’s. Robinson Crusoe. While Defoe’s book is a book of fiction, as a “merchant” he was required to sail with cargoes, so would have been familiar with boat rigs. Throughout the book, longboats were described as being rigged with Shoulder Of Mutton rigs. Robinson Crusoe dates from the early 1700’s. There are also drawings made in the 1720’s of various Colonial American ports showing boats with these short gaff rigs.

It is my theory that the short gaff as a boat rigs is the older than the long gaff.

My Model


Re; The Anatomy of the ship drawings: I am in general unimpressed with the boat drawings that they include in their books. It often seems that they just include something to give the modeler a complete package. The two masted rig looks Nineteenth Century.
Roger

 

[Roger Pellett]

I recently completed a scratch build of the longboat posted by Allan above. The boat’s rigging shows a number of interesting features:
1. The gaff is quite short relative to the boom.
2. The boom is thickest at its outboard end tapering to where it attaches to the mast
3.There are no backstays. The mast pendants provide this function to a degree.
4. The main sheet horse passes over the tiller, allowing the boat to be tacked.
5. The jib halyard passes through a cheek block.
6. A triple block near the masthead serves several different
functions.
7. The mainsail is loose footed.
Without going into details, engineering analysis indicates that these features all contribute to practical rig.

The Fore and Aft rig by E.F Thomas describes two separate single masted gaff rigs; the short gaff rig and the long gaff rig. Thomas believes that these two rigs had separate origins; The short gaff, the shoulder of mutton rig, The long gaff, the spritsail. While Thomas’s classic work was published in the 1930’s there is also a much older relevant work; Daniel Defoe’s. Robinson Crusoe. While Defoe’s book is a book of fiction, as a “merchant” he was required to sail with cargoes, so would have been familiar with boat rigs. Throughout the book, longboats were described as being rigged with Shoulder Of Mutton rigs. Robinson Crusoe dates from the early 1700’s. There are also drawings made in the 1720’s of various Colonial American ports showing boats with these short gaff rigs.

It is my theory that the short gaff as a boat rigs is the older than the long gaff.

My Mode
View attachment 525979View attachment 525980

Re; The Anatomy of the Ship drawings; it looks too late. Early Nineteenth Centuty?

Roger

 

[spad pilot]

Gentlemen...........Thank you all for such an incredible plethora of information. I am now inclined to remove the A/L foremast and to rig it as Mr. Pellett has done. I do want to depict it as an 1760 -1770 longboat.....more in keeping with the Endeavor's third voyage. Hampton Sides book, The Wide Wide Sea was the inspiration to build this model.
This forum is such an amazing source for all wooden ship modelers, especially those of us who are new to the hobby. Again, Thank you all!

David

 

[AllanKP69]

I just noticed on the Marquardt drawings that the tiller is higher than where the sheet is rigged on the hull. This has been brought up elsewhere but how can the sheet come across when tacking with the tiller in the way? The only thing I can think of is that the sheet is loosened then maneuvered to the opposite side across the horse then hauled taut on the opposite side. Not something to be fiddling with in the middle of a maneuver. Otherwise, the horse has to be higher so the tiller is under it, not over it. Same problem with the drawing and model from RMG. If these are all correct, how is the sheet handled so it does not foul on the tiller when the boom is swinging across?
Allan

 

[Roger Pellett]

All of these boats have loose footed and more importantly boomless sails. They also don’t appear to have travelers; there is a sheave in its place on their transoms.

As a small boat sailor, I was used to small boats that could be rapidly tacked; necessary for racing. These boats with their long straight keels could not be spun around like a modern racing dinghy. It’s possible that a loose footed boomless sail could be brailed to clear the tiller and then reset on the other tack.

The kit for the Medway Longboat is another matter. This features a mainsail laced to a boom. There is no way for the boom to clear the traveler.

Roger

 

[AllanKP69]

All of these boats have loose footed and more importantly boomless sails. They also don’t appear to have travelers; there is a sheave in its place on their transoms.

Thanks Roger, makes total sense. I still would love to see the issue resolved when there was a traveler (horse?) under the tiller one day.

Allan