The rigging of 1700 ships

What ships are you building? That information would, perhaps, help others help you find useful information on their rigging.

Soliel Royal and royal sovereign 

I'll recommend two books. I don't imagine they're available in electronic format, but they are available as cheap paperbacks.

First: The Neophyte Shipmodeler's Jackstay, by George Campbell (published by Model Shipways). It's a skinny little book, aimed primarily at solid-hull wood kits. And it shows it's age, having been written in the early sixties. But it contains all sorts of good, basic information about sailing ships, including their rigging. Learn everything in that little book and you'll be well on your way.

Second: The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, by R.C. Anderson (Published by Dover Books). This one is even older (late twenties), but it's the standard reference on the period of the two ships you mentioned. 

I don't know about British prices, but in the U.S. you can pick up both for a total of less than twenty dollars.

Good luck. It's a fascinating subject.

Thanks the second one you mentioned is available on the kindle, it's actually one I was looking at, it's 11.39

Jackstay can be found on used book sites for peanut money.

Trouble reading the Heller instructions? Novel concept...

There's been a couple of really excellent build threads here too.

I endorse both of those books.  And, the internet has sure aided those of us who buy used books.  While there are vendors who specialize only in used books, I have pretty much turned to Amazon- they have an emmense selection of used books at very reasonable prices

Well, the Petersson and Biddlecombe books won't help you much in rigging models of seventeenth-century warships. (Neither of the two huge warships you've mentioned was fore-and-aft rigged, and Biddlecombe describes rigging practices of more than a hundred years later). Let Dr. Anderson be your guide for seventeenth-century vessels, and save the other two books for future projects.

Good luck - and have fun.

I also have the Thermopylae and hopefully they will help with that.

Biddlecomb certainly will; Petersson won't do much for you until you build a schreiner oner (such as the Revell yacht America).

I'll add my endorsement for the R.C. Anderson book.

It's got *everything* you'll need to rig 17th c.

As far as for Simpletons (lol), it doesn't exactly fit the bill.  The first time I opened my copy (which was rightly recommended for the Heller Soleil Royal) I was confused, and I thought it was too complicated for me to understand....actually, the first several times I opened it!

BUT, once I began to break it down, and use it for reference to specific items at a time, it quickly became obvious that it is presented in a very practical manner, and it ended up being my go-to source for my questions.  So my final advice is get the book, and read it until you understand it.  Pick a specific aspect (forestay, for example) and read about it.  Then move on to main stay...it is the best way, and you'll be glad you did!  By now, I have read everything in it numerous times, and learned a ton!

Boom!

Dave

Dave speaks the truth. If the Anderson book seems a little over your head, the smart thing to do is to spend a few more sheckels on the Campbell Jackstay book. It'll tell you the difference between a stay, a shroud, a brace, etc.