Position of the shroud deadeyes
(top) with reference to the channel deadeyes (bottom) and the channels
Correct!
Shroud deadeyes in one line, parallel to the channels
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After
the early 18th century deadeyes were no longer used, and the topgallant
shrouds were tensioned over the ends of the topmast crosstrees; on
Continental ships they were attached to the futtock stave under the
topmast crosstrees with small hearts or thimbles. In small ships they
were sitnply lashed to the futtock stave and the topmast shrouds like
the futtock shrouds. In British and American ships the topgallant
shrbuds were pulled through behind the futtock stave and taken down to
the top, where they were set up with thimbles and lanyards with the
lower thimble fixed to the chain plate of the lower top deadeye.
The royal shrouds
The royal shrbuds were carried like the topgallant shrouds and were
fixed to the futtock stave of the topgallant shrouds.
The ratlines
The fitting of ratlines to the shrouds - known as rattling down - is
rathe a tedious task, but one which should be carried out with great
accuracy. However,
there is one way of making this job much easier: draw the first and
last
shroud on a piece of card, then draw in the ratlines as cross lines,
and
clamp the template behind the shrouds; th, ratlines are then filled in
following
the template. The lower limit of the ratline is the rail, the upper
limit
is the futtock stave; the ratlines themselves should run parallel to
the
waterline. This job needs to be done on the lower shrouds, the futtock
shrouds
and the topmast shrouds, almost always the sprit topmast shrouds and
the
mizen topmast shrouds, but only rarely the topgallant shrouds, and
never
the royal shrouds.
The ratline spacing was about 15 or 16ins, and they were 1½ ins
in circumference. The ratlines must not be pulled tight; they should
only form a loose connection between the shrouds. The drawing shows how
they are attached. In the middle of the 19th century wooden battens
were occasionally fitted between the middle shrouds instead of the
ratlines. The drawing also shows how these were attached. They were
originally about 1½ ins high and 5/8 ins thick.
The sheer pole
Sheer poles were introduced in the middle of the 19th century to
prevent the shrouds twisting. They were round iron bars which Were
seized to the shrouds
above the deadeyes or rigging screws.
Rigging screws
After about 1830 rigging screws were frequently used in place of
deadeyes for setting up shrouds, backstays and stays. Making rigging
screws yourself is extremely difficult, indeed, almost impossible if
you need metal ones. If you cast them in resin, you must be sure that
they are strong enough to take the tension and the occasional knock.
Rigging screws, with opposite threads
at either end, are just about impossible to make, although there are
one
or two commercial sources of rigging screws of this type of a very high
quality.Rigging
screws were generally tarred black.
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