Ring tail or driver:
1. Gaff,.2. Ringtail or driver yard; 3. Ringtail or driver boom,.4. Halyard,. 5. Outhaul,. 6. Tack,. 7. Bowline
Studding sail boom strop:
1. Studding sail boom; 2. Thimble for martingale,. 3. Thimble for guys,. 4. Thimble for topping lift
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The studding sails were used to increase the sail area when the wind was light and following. With the exception of the yard lashing, all of the studding sail gear was rigged when the studding sails were set; when they were unbent, the entire gear was sent down.
The spar and boom rigging
The studding sail booms were normally fixed to the yard with a lashing at their inboard end. The topmast studding sail boom was often fitted with a small additional brace on the Continent and the topmast studding sail tack was sometimes arranged that it also served as lift to the topmast studding sail boom on the Continent. The studding sail boom was held upwards by a lift, downwards with the martingale, and supported laterally by guys.
Studding sail yards and halyards
The studding sails were always bent on their own small yards. The lower studding sails up to about 1750 carried yards the full width of the sail, and after that time the yards were half the sail width, and the inner earing was hoisted with an inner halyard.
If no studding sail boo,111 was carried, the lower studding sail was fitted with a lower yard of half sail width, and was set flying, with a tack which was attached to the lower yard with three bridles. The halyards of the studding sail yards were single, and reeved through blocks on the yard arms or the booms to leading blocks on the mast and down to the deck.
The tacks
Blocks were stropped at the outer ends of the booms, through which the tacks reeved; they were usually set up with a single whip, the fall of which ran down to the deck.
The sheets
On the mast side the studding sails were tensioned with double sheets which were belayed to the rail or the yard. They were usually bent to the clew of the sail without a block, and ran down to the deck via leading blocks
The early 18th century driver The original driver was a form of spanker studding sail and was similarly rigged. As well as the halyard, sheet and tack, it also carried a bowline on the leech. It was displaced in the late 18th century by the boom driver. Merchant ships in the late 19th century sometimes carried a similar sail outboard of the spanker, usually called a ringtail.
Studding sails, rope sizes
Rope
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Studding
sail boom
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Topmast
studding
sail boom
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Lower .
studding
sail
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Topmast
studding
sail
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Topgallailt
studding
sail
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Martingale
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22%
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Forward guy
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20%
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After guy
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20%
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Lift
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20%
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Brace
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10%
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Outer halyard
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20%
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18%
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12%
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Inner halyard
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18%
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Tack
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18%
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15%
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10%
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Sheet
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18%
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15%
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10%
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