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ships boat

shipahoy

shipahoy

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Just wondering if anybody knows what type(s) of ships boat the Swan class of ships from the 1770s carried on board. I am working on a 1/64 scratch build of the HMS Vulture based on the Victory plans for the Pegasus. The ships boat is shown carried in the waist suspended on spare topmasts and yards. A jolly at about 100 mm and would fit nicely, but I suspect that a pinance would be more appropriate, but at about 120 mm its a tight fit.
 
shipahoy said:
Just wondering if anybody knows what type(s) of ships boat the Swan class of ships from the 1770s carried on board. I am working on a 1/64 scratch build of the HMS Vulture based on the Victory plans for the Pegasus. The ships boat is shown carried in the waist suspended on spare topmasts and yards. A jolly at about 100 mm and would fit nicely, but I suspect that a pinance would be more appropriate, but at about 120 mm its a tight fit.
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The Swan-class sloops of the 1770s (built for the Royal Navy) typically carried two or three types of ship's boats, depending on the vessel’s size and intended role. Based on Admiralty records and plans from that era, these are the most likely candidates:
  1. Pinnace – A light, fast rowing and sailing boat used for transporting officers and dispatches.
  2. Cutter – A versatile workboat, often rigged with a single mast and used for everything from shore errands to boarding.
  3. Yawl or Jolly Boat – A smaller, lighter boat, often rowed, used for short trips and quick access between ship and shore.
The cutter and pinnace were most common, especially for a sloop like the Swan class, which had limited deck space. When not in use, the boats would have been stowed on deck or slung from davits.
 
This gets us into that murky area between “it’s your model, build what you want”, and what boats would an actual working sail powered warship carry.

If I were the ship’s captain, and I could only carry one boat, it would be a longboat. If I had to select from the choices presented by Jimsky above, it would be a cutter.

Sailing warships usually did not tie up to a pier. They anchored out in an anchorage. Once anchored, the ship was at the mercy of wind, weather, and other conditions. Short of getting underway, the ship’s only way to deal with changing conditions was to use one or more of her boats to put out another anchor or to move the existing one. This required a boat with the buoyancy to deal with heavy weights. The longboat and later the launch were designed to handle this work. The longboat and launchs’ design also provided the internal volume to stow barrels to transport water from shore to ship during a long vouyage. The cutter would be a distant second choice for these essential duties, and the pinnacle or jolly boat useless. A jolly boat could be easily nested within either a launch or longboat. The pinnace was long and thin so could not be nested.

The methods for handling anchors with ships’ boats are interesting and detailed in contemporary seamanship manuals.

Roger
 
shipahoy said:
Just wondering if anybody knows what type(s) of ships boat the Swan class of ships from the 1770s carried on board. I am working on a 1/64 scratch build of the HMS Vulture based on the Victory plans for the Pegasus. The ships boat is shown carried in the waist suspended on spare topmasts and yards. A jolly at about 100 mm and would fit nicely, but I suspect that a pinance would be more appropriate, but at about 120 mm its a tight fit.
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Brother Shipahoy:
A reasonable question, but remember that the discussion is about the types of boats that would likely have been carried, not anything more definitive. The choice of boats would have depended on the preference of the captain (and I suppose the bos'n) as well as what was available (or what the captain could afford) prior to sailing. You could chose, with a clear conscience, any boat that seems appropriate for the Royal Navy of the 1770's and looks good stowed on deck. Fair winds!
 
shipahoy said:
Just wondering if anybody knows what type(s) of ships boat the Swan class of ships from the 1770s carried on board. I am working on a 1/64 scratch build of the HMS Vulture based on the Victory plans for the Pegasus. The ships boat is shown carried in the waist suspended on spare topmasts and yards. A jolly at about 100 mm and would fit nicely, but I suspect that a pinance would be more appropriate, but at about 120 mm its a tight fit.




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That sounds like an impressive project! For the Swan class ships from the 1770s, they typically carried a variety of smaller boats like pinnaces and longboats. Based on the period and your scale, a pinnace would likely be the more historically accurate choice. It might be a tight fit at 120mm, but it could work with some adjustments. If you want to stay true to the original design, a smaller jolly might also work for the fit, but it would be less accurate.
 
According to W. E. Mays, based on Admiralty papers 6th rate sloops carried an 18 foot longboat (86mm) and a 26 foot pinnace (126mm) from about 1761 to 1777 when a four oared cutter was added. While this may have been the norm, some ships may have had something different.
Allan
 
Thanks for all the input my friends. I will probably go with a cutter or pinnance with possibly a jolly nestled inside. I will post some picks of her and maybe you could let me know what you think would look best and more importantly accurate.
 
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