• Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.

Masts and shrouds

HughLo

HughLo

Joined
Apr 8, 2023
Messages
290
Points
158

Location
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
A question as I get ready for my first rigging…

A while back a friend told me that “if or when” possible, only build a mask up to the point where the lower shrouds are attached (I think this point is called the hound). This makes seizing the shroud a lot easier as you are not having to work around a bunch of stuff.

I’m working on OcCre’s Buccaneer, and the instructions show the masts and yards being full built, then installed, and then beginning the shrouds. I’ve also yet to see a build log that builds masts in stages.

To build the masts in phases requires a bit of planning, but definitely doable.

Thoughts? Build them completely off the ship and then install or build them in stages?
 
I have heard and seen many who build complete mast, and place in ship hull, then work shrouds to lower level. Then work yards for lower levels and rigging that goes with them. then move up a level with shrouds and yards, that way you don't have extra things in the way as you work shrouds, which take time and space for big hands that are out of scale...

Hope this helps.

Also my building mentor told me not to glue mast into ship hull, as then if needed it can be removed later for repairs or shipping if needed.
 
I personally have built the yards separately and the masts separately I do as much of the work as I can with the masts separately off the ship to keep my clumsy fingers away from delicate parts. I attach the topmast and top gallant masts onto the main mast while off the ship.

I put on the top mast shrouds and ratlines on off the ship the main shrouds are attached to the main mast also off the ship. I make the shroud lines a few inches longer than necessary just in case and keep them cooled up with a clamp or tape.

Once the mast is stepped onto the ship, I attach the main shrouds to the ship and do the ratlines. Then attach the yards working from the top down.
Rob
 
Last edited:
Hey Hugh !
My opinion (and that's all it is) is to build the lower mast and also attach the next section of the mast because if you install the shroud lines first, it could interfere with the installation of the next piece of the mast (look at the picture from Rob444 above and you can see how that can happen). Leave all the yards off until you have all the shrouds installed. I hope that helps. :)
 
It's really not rocket science. There's an established sequence for rigging full-sized vessels with crossed yards and that schedule works as well on a model as on a full-scale ship. The one exception is that modeler will propbably want to attach to the top hamper blocks with appropriate lengths of running rigging rove through them, and similar small details, "off the ship" and prior to "sending them up" because doing so, (particularly the reeving of blocks,) will be more easily accomplished on the bench.

The sequence of rigging a sailing vessel is set forth in detail for the various rigs in two primary treatises, the first being The Art of Rigging by David Steele published in 1794, often referred to simply as "Steele's" and the second being a new and revised edition of The Art of Rigging published by George Biddlecombe in 1848 and often referred to simply as "Biddlecombe." Each address what the authors describe as "The Method of Progressive Rigging." These works indicate work which can be performed "ashore" prior to installation on the vessel. This "ashore" work should be done by the modeler "on the bench, together with such other work as may be more convenient to do off the model itself. In any case, the order of installation of elements on the model should parallel the installation of the same on the full-scale ship.

Below are links to each of these seminal works. The two Art of Rigging PDF's are listed in the "Masts and Rigging" section of the Model Ship World forum's "Articles Database" at the top of their homepage. If you cannot access them from the below links then try https://thenrg.org/resource/articles, or you may have to sign in to that forum in order to gain access to them.

https://cdn.wildapricot.com/278718/resources/Documents/articles/TheArtOfRigging-Steel.pdf?version=1579727200000&Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOiBbeyJSZXNvdXJjZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY2RuLndpbGRhcHJpY290LmNvbS8yNzg3MTgvcmVzb3VyY2VzL0RvY3VtZW50cy9hcnRpY2xlcy9UaGVBcnRPZlJpZ2dpbmctU3RlZWwucGRmP3ZlcnNpb249MTU3OTcyNzIwMDAwMCIsIkNvbmRpdGlvbiI6eyJEYXRlTGVzc1RoYW4iOnsiQVdTOkVwb2NoVGltZSI6MTc2NTIyMzE1M30sIklwQWRkcmVzcyI6eyJBV1M6U291cmNlSXAiOiIwLjAuMC4wLzAifX19XX0_&Signature=asgNOQccAhGr-JCkEd0tTtK2Dh8buUZw0XjEuyIQiyyW03K1oZQtESMdltwNLaTqGWAqRQQVQWOyjtPi9LvB~TNR0mAbeA5A8UzZ944JacFtcR6HLWFKPHuh2DIfBfSnTeY~DCsnBSj-dzh1sfWD~x7p0UFaiRcYnYN0iRY3g1lRBCHA564OyzCHvkYlv3E-vy6R76~oD7i0~Bm9nSopbQX0B4bMlp-4BuSntyCwvv~gtI0SmoAlCCb45AWSGnD6iRJac8VGZe3qS5rOHpvMy8Pg0UMr8nDP9nVHbigJ8z21OtLuOoedhdus2Vj3KErV6l3TCtfi6BzDu2npbr3QAg__&Key-Pair-Id=K27MGQSHTHAGGF
1765223047859.png
https://cdn.wildapricot.com/278718/resources/Documents/articles/TheArtOfRigging-Biddlecomb.pdf?version=1579727205000&Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOiBbeyJSZXNvdXJjZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY2RuLndpbGRhcHJpY290LmNvbS8yNzg3MTgvcmVzb3VyY2VzL0RvY3VtZW50cy9hcnRpY2xlcy9UaGVBcnRPZlJpZ2dpbmctQmlkZGxlY29tYi5wZGY~dmVyc2lvbj0xNTc5NzI3MjA1MDAwIiwiQ29uZGl0aW9uIjp7IkRhdGVMZXNzVGhhbiI6eyJBV1M6RXBvY2hUaW1lIjoxNzY1MjIzMTA2fSwiSXBBZGRyZXNzIjp7IkFXUzpTb3VyY2VJcCI6IjAuMC4wLjAvMCJ9fX1dfQ__&Signature=LrKNbLCcLUfZOlTrlcgv3Yi8vLSGn8GPUGjUNY~uCinMRvKnX6UDIdLUS0bIinjgYiF~wM5c4H~hdKZvLs4WhVmKh7RIwuLTb3l9~hcj~f6W2U3oAe6W6YjIH4gL5TCwSHby--UFqCVZvaCzrVeHkBBTHACAWRgJcKoyeo098gRKtTYFLTNQczBwc8U2shMFf2G3kaxQyBdtJ-q8lHF1IcolA23A8Bb4cfIToGjARu51nU6GJlR8DF2xrh8vqYohEvvQPA07GPX6mckDI9FWecg5TUS8PlFz6AY~g-4BMdOt~836VSovXRh-ExbV5UMuAkyYpv17uz2DR0wWvyfFSA__&Key-Pair-Id=K27MGQSHTHAGGF
1765222968780.png
 
Last edited:
Corsair said:
@Bob Cleek When I try to go to thees documents I get a message "Error - Access denied". :)
Click to expand...

The two Art of Rigging PDF's are listed in the "Masts and Rigging" section of the Model Ship World forum's "Articles Database" at the top of their homepage. If you cannot access them from https://thenrg.org/resource/articles, you may have to sign in to that forum in order to gain access to them.
 
Bob Cleek said:
The two Art of Rigging PDF's are listed in the "Masts and Rigging" section of the Model Ship World forum's "Articles Database" at the top of their homepage. If you cannot access them from https://thenrg.org/resource/articles, you may have to sign in to that forum in order to gain access to them.
Click to expand...
Odd, I was able to navigate to them through the menus, but couldn't use the links.
Maybe the link has something specific to you since I assume you were logged in when you went to them.
 
KAYA61 said:
@Corsair I logged in and it opens as well. and @Bob Cleek again thank you very much for imformation.Since my English is not sufficient, I will have to translate it into Turkish using artificial intelligence.
Click to expand...

You will probably have the best results with an AI translator program if you try to translate the later 1848 Biddlecombe revised edition of The Art of Rigging. The earlier Steele edition is printed with an archaic English font that the AI translator may not recognize at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top