Soleil Royal by KevinW - Heller 1:100

[KevinW]

I'm about ready to start rivetting now and would appreciate views on my logic on the spacing and positioning before I get going. I would think the planking and wales would have been principally nailed and rivetted to the frames, so one would see a series of vertical rows, much as you see on aircraft. Looking at this drawing, that's what I do see, along with the odd non-pattern for sundry items which would be also be typical of this method of assembly. Then I also see the four much larger heads two either side of the gunports, whose purpose I don't know - would they have been much beefier bolts to stop the recoil tearing the frames from the planking, or even through-bolts with eyelets on the other end, for the gun rigging?

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Your idea to approach this incrementally with plenty of breaks is the way to go!

Those through-bolts to either side of the port opennings are, indeed, for securing the rings that the breaching rope and haul-in tackles connect with.

On a warship of this size, frame spacing would have been very close, and the futtocks would overlap along the wale belts, so a more or less even distribution of fasteners checks the plausibility box.

Dutch, and from somewhere within the 1650s - 60s, but you get the idea:

 

[NMBROOK]

Hi Kevin

On French ships of this period, the gun rigging eyebolts passed completely through the hull and were secured with a washer and wedge that passed vertically down through a slot in the protruding part of the eyebolt.
I may be wrong, but I am sure English ships of the period used the same method, however the eyebolt ends were secured underneath the hull planking so not visible.

French ships of this period used one square iron nail and one square treenail per connection between plank and frame placed diagonally in the contact area

Kind Regards

Nigel

 

[KevinW]

Thanks both, that's helpful.