I installed all the shrouds, deadeyes, and lanyards. I never quite got a good system down. It's tricky doing the throat seizing while also getting the deadeye properly positioned on the shroud. The good news is each shroud is roughly under the same tension, which made being able to get the distance between each deadeye correct when rigging the lanyards. I used digital calipers to make sure the distances between the deadyeyes were all the same. At the mast top I was also conscious of making sure the growing shroud gang looked tidy. Also, I'm happy with the way I had measured and positioned the chain plates back when I mounted those. They're nicely lined up with the shrouds attached to them.

Lastly, after a month of working, it was time for a thorough dusting. I always use my airbrush to do this. I have a moisture trap on the compressor, and an in-line moisture trap also attached to the airbrush (if it's humid in the house, I don't want to accidentally blow water droplets onto the model). I set the compressor to around 30psi. I start further away from the model and get closer if it looks like any dust or debris is not blowing off. This keeps any unwanted damage from too forceful an air blast from happening.

Erik

That looks great...very neatly rigged. You have all the tedious stuff done now.

Looking fantastic! There's just something very appealing about a neat shroud gang at the top of masts.

10 hours ago, Erik W said:

I never quite got a good system down.

Could have fooled me Erik; the rigging looks fantastic.

cheers

Pat

Thanks guys! Chuck, my two biggest concerns with the rigging are the shrouds and the ratlines. I'm glad one of those is successfully behind me now. haha. Griphos, the shroud gang laid down a little easier than I thought it would, so that's been a pleasant surprise. Pat, the results turned out well. I never did come up with a workable method to get the consistently deadeyes attached to the shrouds. I just fumbled around until I got them where I wanted them. With only 8 to do, I just did one a day. It wound up taking me about 12 hours total for all 8 shrouds, deadeyes, and lanyards. Luckily I'm used to doing everything slowly, since that's how the whole build has gone. lol.

Erik

Really nice work, Erik - not much of a fortune teller, but I see a lot of clove hitches in your future.....

hamilton

I reached a bit of skill milestone I'm happy about. While the blocks I've stropped thus far have been fine, I knew I could improve upon the results to get the results I wanted. Like a lot of folks, I was having trouble with the taper after snipping off the short end of the rope (next to the long run of rope) when wrapped around a block. I just stropped the blocks for the lower backstays. And I'm happy with my results.

My new technique is: 1. Wrap the rope around the block, and put a small dab of CA on the rope on the block sides to hold it on place. Wipe off CA immediately with finger tips so it doesn't discolor the rope/block. 2. Using a pin, put a small dab of CA on the interior surfaces of the ropes up against the block, and on the top of the block where the rope meets on the side of the block where the seizing will go. 3. While the CA is still wet and pliable squeeze the two parts of the rope together with tweezer tips and push down onto the top of the block. This will make them snug against one another and the block. Wipe off the CA with finger tips. 4. Using your seizing thread, tie a knot around the two pieces of rope as close to the block as possible. 5. Coat the short end of the rope with CA to make it stiff and wipe off excess with fingers. 6. Take a really sharp #11 or scalpel blade on a cutting surface and cut at an angle the short end of rope to the length you want. 7. Finish the seizing and cut off the loose ends. 8. The CA should still be a bit pliable. Use tweezer tips to shape the seizing to desired final shape.

One note as I've looked at other's rigging. You kind of have to decide before you start your rigging what look you're going for. Archjofo for example, is essentially recreating in 1/48 scale the exact look of all the rigging on his exceptional La Créole build. Other's are going for a look that looks credible when viewed from a couple of feet away, but with some simplification. More representative than 100% accurate. Myself, I decided in order to compliment the clean look of the rest of the build, I'd go for an approximation of what the real rigging would look like. With the stropped blocks and seizings simplified somewhat at times, to keep the overall look to scale, and have the crisp look of the rest of the build continued on with the rigging. Anyway, enough philosophizing, now back to the build . . .

Erik

My latest results as seen from both the front and side:

Those are some very nice tight knots!

Thanks for the description of the process too!

Those are all Syren 3d printed blocks?

No wait, you made those right?

C

Chris,

Thanks! I bought most of my blocks from Syren back in 2016/2017 when I started this build. So they are Chuck's original handmade boxwood blocks. I realized in 2023 that I was short a couple types of blocks, so at that time I ordered the newer Syren CNC boxwood blocks. The fiddle block is a laser cut kit he used to offer. It's 3 layers of laser cut boxwood glued together and sanded to shape. The modern equivalent to what's seen in the photos would be Syren 6mm 3d printed single blocks and 10mm 3d printed fiddle blocks, both in boxwood color. My rigging material then is a mix and match of Syren 1st and 2nd generation wood blocks, and original and Ultra rope. It's all a close enough match that any differences in look or color are not really noticeable.

Erik

Very clean and neat work! Good job with the rigging!

I’ve had a productive week.  I installed the lower backstays, fabricated and installed the sling for the lower yard, and fabricated and installed the main stay. I’ve been using the serving machine daily!  All of this went pretty smoothly following Chuck’s instructions in the monograph.  I’m definitely feeling a lot more confident with the rigging process.  It’s not as scary as I had built it up in my mind before I started.  Like everything else on the build, I just plan ahead, look at a lot of photos from other modelers, do a bit of research if needed, and take it slow.  I’m a perfectionist, so some frustration is part of anything I’m working on, but I find trying to set a high standard helps achieve decent results . . . if I don’t drive myself crazy in the process!  Haha.

I have also re-tentioned the ropes.  After the first 4 shrouds were complete, I wound up re-tentioning most of the running rigging I had installed.  So, after installing the main stay I only needed to tweak a couple of the deadeyes slightly.  I’m getting the hang of how the rope stretches a bit over long runs, and how the smaller diameter rope stretches more than the larger. 

Erik

She looks pretty darn good. You will find yourself noodling with the tension as you progress. Nicely done.

That is very well done!

Very nice rigging work! Cheerful looks great!

Stunning rigging, makes mine look half-arsed, congrats.

Thanks for the kind words and likes! I installed the sheer poles and I'm working on the ratlines now. First I had to make some templates to show the ratlines and the shrouds. These actually took some effort to make. I went off the plans, but realized the rake of my mast is slightly off, so I had to redraw them to make them an exact match for the actual shroud placement.

Erik

Great work as always Erik. Lots of grist for the mill when I build my Cheerful.

Todd

On 8/21/2026 at 4:31 PM, Erik W said:

Everything is great, but please review how the end is tied on the stay.

Serikoff,

Thanks for the input. I had seen that diagram in the Petersson book, Rigging Period Fore-and-Aft Craft, and I had considered rigging the deadeye that way, but had decided to just follow the instructions, and accompanying photos, as Chuck wrote them in Chapter 13 of his monograph for the Cheerful build, seen below. I figured it would be easier to adjust the lanyard tension that way, which I wound up having to do after I had glued everything in place. Having previously taut ropes sag is maddening!

Erik

This is a inspiring build. I'm definitely taking some notes on your rigging.