Colors of Rope
Rigging rope on big sailing ships can be broadly classified into running rigging and standing rigging. Rope that goes through blocks is running rigging and rope that hold things or people up are standing rigging. Standing rigging was generally tarred during manufacturing[1] to help repel water and reduce rot. Running rigging was not tarred (or at least not much) because it would jam the blocks. Tarred rope took on the color of the tar – generally a dark brown/black color. (Not pure black.) Rope that was not tarred was the color of the underlying natural fiber – generally a tan color. Untarred rope tended to bleach in the sun to become greyer over time.
“White rope” was not white. It was just untarred,[2] so was the color of the other untarred rope. I have seen no evidence that sailing ships of old used actual white (i.e. bleached) rope for standing or running rigging.
Questions about the colors of lanyards & footropes have come up on the ship model forums. Based on contemporary documents, I think they were both dark. Sailors were told to treat lanyards with a mixture of tar and grease[3] so that they were protected but would still slide through the deadeyes if the tension on the shroud needed adjusting. Thus, they would be dark from the tar. Ratline stock was listed under the category of tarred goods in the cordage catalogs[4] of the day and thus, would have been dark as well. Ratline stock was used for things other than ratlines but was used for ratlines as well.
Note: there is no need for a ship model to try and represent exactly what the actual ship looked like. For example, dockyard type models that show the ship’s frames do not look like what the ship would have (the ship would have sunk!). Many old modelers did not color any of their rigging, instead the rigging (running and standing) was all the same color. This can make the rigging details easier to see.
[1] Plymouth Cordage, The Story of Rope, 1916, pages 49-52 and 77-78
[2] Stephen Bleecker Luce, Text-book of Seamanship, 1884 page 26
[3] Fordyce, Outlines of Naval Routine, 1837, page 42
[4] Plymouth Cordage Co.- General Catalogue 1919.page 71;