When the stunsail booms are pulled in and lashed is there a set position for them? Is there a spot where they are lashed? How much of the boom should stick out past the end of the yard arm iron? Or does it matter much?
Hi Paul Ron,mike, does the book talk about any related rigging for the boom's operation? i cant see these heavy timbers being deployed manually without the help of rigging to prevent human harm. im sure the booms weighed hundreds of pounds, and with sails... sounds rather deadly on a rocking rolling ship at sea so high above the deck besides.
The boom dimensions and thus the weight can be calculated using James Lees formulas for the size of the boom. With 15 to 20 men on each side of the main yard standing on foot ropes each would be sharing about 35 to 40 pounds of the load so manually sliding the upper stunsail boom should work. Up to 1810 there was a hole in the inboard end of the boom 1 diameter in from the end. After 1810 there was an eye bolt in each end of the boom. I have no idea how these were used, but perhaps they played a part in sliding the boom out board and back inboard.When the stunsail booms are pulled in and lashed is there a set position for them?
This is a new one for me. I see no way for the iron to slide along the yard as there are the robands, assorted blocks and stirrups. Could you please share your contemporary sources on this? Lees gives the following explanation on page 14 of The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War with both the hoops fixed to the yard, not to the boom itself. Four irons were required, one on each end of the yard arm and the others one third of the length of the stunsail booms in from the ends. The inner ones after 1773 were made so that the part to take the boon was able to be opened. The outboard irons were fitted on the yard ends with straps and bolts. He shows drawings of the irons where in there are holes for nails in the inner irons to secure the iron to the yard, not the boom. Anderson gives a similar explanation on page 60 in The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast. Antscherl gives similar description on page 93 in The Fully Framed ModelWhile the band on inboard end of boom was fixed and slide along the yard as it was pulled or pushed in or out.