Post by James M. Norton on Nov 12, 2012 11:15:01 GMT -5
Below is a picture of my 1/24 scale Irish ocean-going curragh, supposedly sailed by Saint Brendan and his crew of monks from the west coast of Ireland to the New Hebrides, Iceland, Greenland, and North America. The journey is described in the 5th century Latin manuscript NAVIGATIO BRENDANI ABBATIS. The model was built in 2007-2008 as a commission for an author who had written a series of fictional books on Brendan's supposed adventures in the "New World" and beyond.
The hull was built in the authentic way, based on a book written by Tim Severin, who re-created Brendan's boat and voyage. First, a sturdy double gunwale was constructed upside down, ribs were bent and placed in holes in the bottom gunwale, and pulled and tugged until the desired shape was obtained, fore-and-aft stringers were attached to the ribs by individual knots at each intersection, and the resulting basket-like frame was covered with scaled sewn leather "hides". The leather shell extended over the top gunwale, and was pulled taut over the frame by being lashed to the lower gunwale. The mast, sail, and rigging conformed to the primitive sailing vessels of the time, with some artistic license. The ribs and stringers, and the knots securing them, can be seen in the photo. A single figure of Saint Brendan himself is shown at the tiller.
The hull was built in the authentic way, based on a book written by Tim Severin, who re-created Brendan's boat and voyage. First, a sturdy double gunwale was constructed upside down, ribs were bent and placed in holes in the bottom gunwale, and pulled and tugged until the desired shape was obtained, fore-and-aft stringers were attached to the ribs by individual knots at each intersection, and the resulting basket-like frame was covered with scaled sewn leather "hides". The leather shell extended over the top gunwale, and was pulled taut over the frame by being lashed to the lower gunwale. The mast, sail, and rigging conformed to the primitive sailing vessels of the time, with some artistic license. The ribs and stringers, and the knots securing them, can be seen in the photo. A single figure of Saint Brendan himself is shown at the tiller.
Attachments:
