Download - Flagstaff erection
Flagstaff Erection
Prepared by:P/CI (NPCC) Sim Guo Chen
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Objectives• Practice to have a flag raised during a camp• Flagpoles not always available at campsites• Necessary to improvise a flagstaff from the
materials available at the campsite• Marking of territory• Inculcate values• Practical application of knots and lashings and
pioneering knowledge• Component in the Campcraft competition held by
NPCC HQ once every two years
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Materials Needed• 2 x long poles/spars (preferably of similar sizes)• 3 x pegs (plus an additional peg or mallet to peg in
the last peg)• 3 x 5.5m manila hemp/nylon ropes (between 0.75-
1.5 cm/0.5 inch in diameter) (for guylines)• 2 x 3.0m manila hemp/nylon ropes (between 0.75-
1.5 cm/0.5 inch in diameter) (for lashing)• 1 x 1.0m - 1.5m twine (for manharness
knot/whipping)• 1 x long nylon rope (for flag line/halyard)• 1 x pulley (optional)
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Factors to Consider
• Maximize height• Maximize stability• Maximize resources• Ease of construction
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Recommended Procedure
• Use round lashings to tie the two long poles together. The thicker pole should be the bottom of the flagstaff. The length of the overlapping portion should be at least one-third the length of the entire flagstaff and at most 1m.
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Recommended Procedures
• Use clove hitches or constrictor knots to secure the three 5.5m manila hemps to the middle of the flagstaff, between the two lashings. They are the guylines. The clove hitches/constrictor knots should be adjusted such that the working ends are 120 degrees apart from one another, leaving no gaps between each hitch/knot. One end has to exit in the direction that is directly opposite where the flag line will be, so that none of the guylines will subsequently interfere with the flag when it is being raised or lowered.
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Recommended Procedures
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Recommended Procedures
• If there is a pulley, use the twine to whip it to the top of the flagstaff. If there is no pulley, a loop can be improvised by tying a manharness knot or whipping. If the manharness knot is to be used, the ends of the manharness knot will be whipped tightly to the top of the flagpole.
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Recommended Procedures
• Use a long piece of nylon rope as the flag line, running it through the loop/pulley. Ensure that it is smooth.
• Raise the flagstaff with one person holding it.• Hammer the three pegs into position. The distance
between the pegs and the base of the flagstaff will be the same as the distance between the base and the middle clove hitch/constrictor knot and at an angle of 120° to one another, forming an equilateral triangle.
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Recommended Procedures
• Adjust the flagstaff until it is vertical, and then secure the 3 guylines to their pegs simultaneously using the tent guy loop.
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Securing a Flag to the Flagpole• A flag has two loose ends used for securing it to
the flag line. The looped end usually represents the top of the flag.
• Secure one end of the flag line to the loop using a sheetbend.
• Secure the other end of the flag line with a fisherman’s knot (for ropes of equal thickness) or a sheetbend (ropes of different thickness).
• Pull one end of the flag line slightly before raising the flag to check that it is upright.
• Raise the flag and neaten the rest of the flag line.
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Rationale• Length of overlapping
– 1/3 of entire flagstaff to 1m– Assume same density– Anything less is maximizing height and resources at expense of
stability due to high centre of gravity (CG)– Anything more is maximizing stability due to lower CG at the expense
of maximizing height and resources• Thicker spar will be at the bottom
– larger base area and heavier weight and thus lower CG so it will be more stable
• Heavier spar will be at the bottom due to lower CG – more stability
• Longer spar will be at the bottom as it will be supporting the weight of the whole structure– Since the support is higher than the CG it will be more stable
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Rationale
• Positions of crosses of constrictor knot with respect to the nature of constrictor knot– All on the lower pole to prevent obstruction with
flagline– Clove hitch should be on poles and not in the
middle– Tengential pull– Downward force– No overlapping
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Rationale
• Position of constrictor knot– In the middle portion of the overlapping portion– Anything higher will have more stability at the
expense of ropes– Anything lower will use less rope at the expense
of stability– Compromise of 2 factors
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
Parts of a Flagstaff
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only
References
• NPCC Outdoor Training Handbook
For use in St. Joseph's Institution NPCC only