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[Seacommander]

Hi,

Cut a long story short, my father started a Thames Barge 25 years ago, or so.......

He has just resurrected the project and over the last few weeks has brought the model to life again. However, the drawings are very poor and he is missing rigging and sail details.

Can anyone suggest the best place to purchase some 'good' plans, at a fair price.  The base of the project is the 'Will' I must admit there does seem to be a lot of rigging and rope on that boat

Thanks in advance

Mark 

[boneash]

The Will is often in St.Katherines Dock near Tower Bridge, or outside on the jetty or downstream at Heritage Wharf, Wapping.
There are plenty of pictures of her on the web, some showing the rigging quite clearly. there are several lower shrouds making up access with wooden slats and rope ratlines.
Good luck with the build.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_%28Thames_barge%29#mediaviewer/File:Sb-will.jpg

[CJ1]

Hi Mark,
When I made a Billings model of the Will, among others, I used Ivor Bittle's excellent website as reference.


http://www.ivorbittle.co.uk/Books/TSB/TSB%20for%20web/TSB%20Section%204%20The%20standing%20rigging.htm


hope that helps,


Chris

[Seacommander]

Hello,

Thanks for the replies gent's, some very interesting stuff,

What are considered to be the better plans, to the Will, should I go down the road of buying a set

Thanks

Mark 

[dodes]

Before you buy a set off the Wills rigging, bear in mind she was a coastal, mule rig barge and their deck layout is different from the run of the mill barge. So if you have a picture of its deck put it on this page, then others will suggest a suitable rig. Myself have several books on the subject and one small book , called " A handbook of sailing barges" by F.S.Cooper & John Chancellor , published by Adlard Coles is good enough to go on any full size sailing barge and rig it out, as to spars the average barge gear was not as huge as seen on the racing barges and indeed there was rules for the max size spar you could use for working barges in the old barge barge matches.