Ratlines - distance

[otsoa]

I don’t know why you are calling these parts thimbles; the correct nomenclature in English is wood blocks or perhaps pulleys. From the side view, thimbles look like a teardrop. The outside of the thimble is concave so one can wrap a rope around it like a loop. If it’s steel cable you can clamp the two pieces together . Often there will be some kind of a fitting in the eye of the cable. I’m not so certain about rope thimbles. I owned and operated a hardware business that began as a ships’ chandler and in my time I catered to contractors who were looking primarily for wire rope and all the fittings.
Phil

Since I don't have a very good command of English, much less technical words, I have used the term used by the Ukrainian company that manufactures the product. That's why I really appreciate your clarification, for me it's a new word learned.

 

[JPSteve]

I don’t know why you are calling these parts thimbles; the correct nomenclature in English is wood blocks or perhaps pulleys.

I understood those fittings were called "hearts."

 

[otsoa]

I understood those fittings were called "hearts."

In Spanish, it would be one of the several types of "corazón vigota" or "triangular vigota"

 

[sined37]

I finished Cook's Endeavour from Artesania Latina a year ago, and I enjoy telling people I tied 1,044 clove hitch knots for the ratlines. I used off white thread with dark thread for the shrouds, and went for the aesthetic option, tying the ratlines by dead reckoning, and for the scale of the vessel, they look convincing. The task was challenging, however by doing the knotting in stages, eventually it was completed. This forum is by far the most valuable for the modellers! Well done!

 

[AndyA]

Will you black or tan line for the ratlines? We've had this disscussion before concerning my Mayflower model. I started with tan lines but visually they didn't stand out as much as I wanted them to. I agree many parts of a model boat come down to aesthetics that are pleasing to the builder.

Yes, aesthetics is an important factor. But there is science involved as well. When looking at a model ship, our eyes and brain are comparing that view with a view of an actual (much larger) ship at a much greater distance. This has to do with field of view, perspective, angular displacement, and atmospheric perspective. Landscape painters make objects farther away smaller and hazier because that's what our eyes and brains normally perceive in nature. With a model ship or any miniature our perception is struggling to deal with objects that don't agree with the normal way they would be expected to look. Should details on a model ship, like color and texture, match what we see if we were standing on the deck of an actual ship or what we would see from 200 feet away?
Fair winds!

 

[Norgale]

What you say is true, and it coincides with what Uwek says, in modern boats that is approximately the distance (14 inches) on the ratlines and they look really close together. Maybe I should forget about scale and give in to aesthetics? That's the question, when the time comes I will ask your opinion again.

Es cierto lo que dices, y coincide con lo que dice Uwek, en los barcos modernos esa es aproximadamente la distancia (14 inches) en los ratlines y se ven realmente juntos. ¿Quizás deba olvidarme de la escala y ceder a la estética? Esa es la duda, cuando llegue el momento volveré a consultar vuestra opinión

 

[Norgale]

Try about 1/4 " and see how that looks. It's easy to measure that on a scale boat then trying to make the rungs every 14" and a foot is close enough.

 

[otsoa]

Desde un punto de vista práctico, me imagino que los obenques verticales estarían cubiertos de alquitrán para aumentar su longevidad y que las líneas horizontales se dejarían en su estado natural, lo que significaría que serían menos resbaladizas, más fáciles de inspeccionar en busca de daños y no dejarían las manos y los pies de todos los cubiertos del alquitrán se esparcieron por el resto del barco.

¿Harás una línea negra o canela para las líneas de rata? Hemos tenido esta discusión antes sobre mi modelo Mayflower. Comencé con líneas de bronceado pero visualmente no resaltaban tanto como quería. Estoy de acuerdo en que muchas partes de un modelo de barco se reducen a una estética que agrada al constructor.

Yes, I think that the vertical shrouds should be in a dark color and the ratlines should be in a light color, it seems illogical to smear tar where you have to rest your feet.

 

[Winova]

I am an old timer , 90 years plus and tie my ratlines on my model by simply eyeing the space which would be up to knee height of a seaman whose height would be measured by the door height on the model.

 

[otsoa]

I am an old timer , 90 years plus and tie my ratlines on my model by simply eyeing the space which would be up to knee height of a seaman whose height would be measured by the door height on the model.

I agree that the distance must be that of the sailor's knee, but does the height of the sailor coincide with that of the ship's door, in his time? Today it is easy to document the average height of people from a certain region of the planet and the century in which they lived.

 

[Winova]

I agree that the distance must be that of the sailor's knee, but does the height of the sailor coincide with that of the ship's door, in his time? Today it is easy to document the average height of people from a certain region of the planet and the century in which they lived.

 

[Winova]

One could also if plans were available to take a look
at ships bunk ( bed ) size as we know men were
considerably shorter in the late 19,18,1700 s . I used
the door height on my model as a means of estimating
an average person height, not necessarily would my
persons height range from bottom to top of door but a
shade under.