Sources and Information for Traditional Hardware?

[Jak Mang]

I have a 1936 Alden cutter that needs new rigging. It is currently rigged with swaged wire and bronze turnbuckles on the shrouds and bowsprit. The rig has been "patched" haphazardly by different people over time.

I have been searching the net and have not found many suppliers for deadeyes and solid thimbles. There are one or two offshore sites with very limited selections. Port Townsend Foundry has some thimbles: http://www.porttownsendfoundry.com/id62.htm

Beyond the hardware itself, I'm also looking for sources of information on the appropriate selection of these components for loads and rope sizes. The Arts of the Sailor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/048...lance&n=283155
has some information on setup, but not much on design. The Rigger's Apprentice discusses eye splices for thimbles and deadeyes.

Would it be better to stick with turnbuckles rather than lanyards?

Some local riggers that I have talked to seem very opposed to replacing wire standing rigging with rope and traditional hardware. I know this is not a dead art, but it seems to be very weak. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-jak

Hi Jak,

I'd stick with turnbuckles. An Alden of that vintage is more in the "classic" than the "traditional" mold, if you know what I mean - by the 1930's rig design was actually quite advanced and the use of turnbuckles and wire rope was commonplace, dare I say "the norm" - especially on yachts. I'm not speaking of workboats or grain ships or oddballs - I'm sure someone was using deadeyes and lanyards at the time and thought them the end-all be all of rigging tech, but Alden probably wouldn't have.

For specs on a rig of that age, you could look for a copy of Skene's Elements of Yacht Design which has a good chapter on masts and rigs. Chapelle's Boatbuilding might help, too. You could also look in some old issues of the rudder or similar magazines to see what was being advertised and written about in that time period. I'm assuming you have a marconi (as opposed to gaff) rig in this boat - and a rig like that can use some tension and stability that deadeyes & lanyards are just not going to give.

Your local riggers have probably not responded well to your questions regarding deadeye & lanyard "traditional rigging" because it is for the most part, now, a set of techniques and skills that require hardware built from scratch and result in, by modern standards, not very efficient or safe set-ups. Nor does this type of rigging really "fit" a yacht from the 1930's. I know I'm treading on thin ice here, but it would almost be as if you brought your 1930's roadster into a classic car shop and asked them to fit you up with tack and harness to hitch the horses up to. Maybye that's taking the metaphor too far ;-)

You can get wonderful polished bronze turnbuckles (as opposed to chromed) that look very classic indeed when paired with simple swaged 1x19. For other hardware that fits the era, I'd look at bristol bronze : http://www.bristolbronze.com/ which, at least the last time I dealt with them, had a huge range of old hardware that they cast themselves. Their quality can be a bit erratic, but the hardware is for the most part cast from original examples.

I hope this helps.

Best,

J. Nicholas

[Jak Mang]

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

-jak