- Joined
- Apr 20, 2020
- Messages
- 6,228
- Points
- 738
merry Christmas and Happy new year my friend
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La Créole 1827 by archjofo - Scale 1/48 - French corvette
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2019
- Messages
- 471
- Points
- 373
I wish you all a happy new year full of inspiration, patience, and joy in model making.
May every project bring a piece of history to life.
PS: The figurehead is, of course, hand-carved by me.
Only the face… the Olympic god of beauty briefly intervened, because he thought my version was 'too realistic'…
May every project bring a piece of history to life.
PS: The figurehead is, of course, hand-carved by me.
Only the face… the Olympic god of beauty briefly intervened, because he thought my version was 'too realistic'…
Happy new year to you as well, Johann!
Please do the same, Johann! Happy New Year!
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2019
- Messages
- 471
- Points
- 373
After a longer lull in my build log, the wind is finally picking up again – at least as much as a retiree’s heavily occupied schedule allows…
Boulines on the Fore Yard – Bulins de la vergue de misaine
The question of how the boulines were correctly attached to the fore yard – especially when the sails were furled – can, in my view, only be answered convincingly by considering several sources together. A helpful starting point is Harland’s illustration showing a seaman lowered along the leech of the sail in order to detach a bouline from the bridles.
This scene makes clear how direct and practical these connections were in everyday use. On closer inspection, the bouline appears to be attached to the bridles by means of a toggle – a method frequently documented in early 19th‑century French rigging tradition, known for its quick handling and high reliability.
A look at the museum model of La Créole in the Musée de la Marine is also instructive. There, the boulines on the fore yard are secured with simple seizings.
Source: Musée de la Marine, Paris
To me, however, this execution seems more like a modeller’s simplification. While many details of the model are rendered with great care and historical accuracy, the seizings in this particular spot appear to be a pragmatic choice by the model builder rather than a necessarily authentic representation of actual practice on board. That does not mean it could not have been done this way – only that it is not compelling evidence.
A much clearer picture emerges from the main topgallant yard of L’Océan (1806). Here, the boulines are unmistakably secured to the sprits with toggles – an arrangement fully consistent with French tradition and entirely logical from a structural standpoint.
Source: Musée de la Marine, Paris
Interestingly, the model of L’Océan from 1806 shows both methods side by side: some boulines are clearly attached to the bridles with toggles, while others are simply looped around the yard with a fixed eye. The available sources do not offer a convincing explanation for this variation. Such inconsistencies are not unusual in historical rigging and likely reflect differing practical requirements or contemporary habits. A definitive interpretation is therefore not possible; the observation remains an intriguing but ultimately unresolved detail.
For the fore yard of my model, these findings together form a coherent picture: attaching the boulines with toggles appears not only historically plausible but is supported by several independent sources. Moreover, the toggles on the bridles were present anyway when the sails were bent, so their use with furled sails seems entirely logical to me.
For these reasons, I have chosen the toggle method, which aligns with both French practice and the technical logic of the rigging.
As so often in historical rigging, a certain degree of ambiguity remains. My chosen solution therefore reflects my own source‑based interpretation without claiming to be the only possible one.
Implementation on the model will follow shortly…
Boulines on the Fore Yard – Bulins de la vergue de misaine
The question of how the boulines were correctly attached to the fore yard – especially when the sails were furled – can, in my view, only be answered convincingly by considering several sources together. A helpful starting point is Harland’s illustration showing a seaman lowered along the leech of the sail in order to detach a bouline from the bridles.
This scene makes clear how direct and practical these connections were in everyday use. On closer inspection, the bouline appears to be attached to the bridles by means of a toggle – a method frequently documented in early 19th‑century French rigging tradition, known for its quick handling and high reliability.
A look at the museum model of La Créole in the Musée de la Marine is also instructive. There, the boulines on the fore yard are secured with simple seizings.
Source: Musée de la Marine, Paris
To me, however, this execution seems more like a modeller’s simplification. While many details of the model are rendered with great care and historical accuracy, the seizings in this particular spot appear to be a pragmatic choice by the model builder rather than a necessarily authentic representation of actual practice on board. That does not mean it could not have been done this way – only that it is not compelling evidence.
A much clearer picture emerges from the main topgallant yard of L’Océan (1806). Here, the boulines are unmistakably secured to the sprits with toggles – an arrangement fully consistent with French tradition and entirely logical from a structural standpoint.
Source: Musée de la Marine, Paris
Interestingly, the model of L’Océan from 1806 shows both methods side by side: some boulines are clearly attached to the bridles with toggles, while others are simply looped around the yard with a fixed eye. The available sources do not offer a convincing explanation for this variation. Such inconsistencies are not unusual in historical rigging and likely reflect differing practical requirements or contemporary habits. A definitive interpretation is therefore not possible; the observation remains an intriguing but ultimately unresolved detail.
For the fore yard of my model, these findings together form a coherent picture: attaching the boulines with toggles appears not only historically plausible but is supported by several independent sources. Moreover, the toggles on the bridles were present anyway when the sails were bent, so their use with furled sails seems entirely logical to me.
For these reasons, I have chosen the toggle method, which aligns with both French practice and the technical logic of the rigging.
As so often in historical rigging, a certain degree of ambiguity remains. My chosen solution therefore reflects my own source‑based interpretation without claiming to be the only possible one.
Implementation on the model will follow shortly…