Build log · Phase 14, Figurehead and fittings

Sheave blocks and standing blocks on the hull

3 October 2026 · How-to · Problem and fix

Next is the rigging along the bulwark. Caldercraft simply has you drill holes of 1.5 mm there, but I find it hard to believe that is how it was done. The Anatomy of the Ship explains it better: those are rings or sheaves for the rope to run over, not bare holes.

The drawing in the book: not holes but guides for the rope to run over
The drawing in the book: not holes but guides for the rope to run over

My problem is that I have no bulwark in that spot, only a rail. The solution is a piece of wood with two slotted holes and a brass tube filed into each, so the rope will run over brass instead of chafing on wood.

The first block dry-fitted to the hull
The first block dry-fitted to the hull

Piet thought it looked fine, so I carried on. There are five blocks on each side in total: a horizontal double, a single, and a vertical double. The last one has a small and a large block. For that I made a thicker and a thinner ring and set them in a block with a brass wire through them.

The stick with sandpaper I used to file the tubes; still the handiest tool at this size
The stick with sandpaper I used to file the tubes; still the handiest tool at this size
The parts together: the blocks and the rings
The parts together: the blocks and the rings
A painted block, ready to be fitted
A painted block, ready to be fitted

They ought to be black, I believe, but then you would not see them any more, and I rather like the detail. So they got the colours of the mouldings.

The hull with the blocks in place, beside the gun ports
The hull with the blocks in place, beside the gun ports
From further away: the whole thing hardly stands out, which is the idea
From further away: the whole thing hardly stands out, which is the idea
The forecastle with the blocks on the inside of the rail
The forecastle with the blocks on the inside of the rail

These are real close-ups, so every little thing shows in the photo. In real life it looks quite tidy.

Detail of the hull with the block between the gun ports
Detail of the hull with the block between the gun ports