James H

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

The final updates.
 
The last week has seen me build up the mast stuff and rig Grecian. She now sits complete on my bench. 
 
First up is the bowsprit. This is a very simple structure with hardly any tapering of parts. 
 



 
 
The assembly now slots to the hull and the gammoning is added.


 
 
 
Grecian doesn't have a spritsail yard, making her look quite sleek. Still lots of cord to rig this area though.

 
 
Mast work begins with the crosstrees. 

 
 
 
These are then slotted to the shaped lower mast sections, and then fitted out.


 
 
The mass are now added and the shroud lines attached. Once complete, they are tied down with even tension via deadeyes/lanyards.

A card template is made to aid adding the ratlines. I have drawn lines on these, 6mm apart.
 


 
 
Upper shrouds are now fitted.

 
 
 
And then the rest of the timber is built up. Yards, spars.....whatever you want to call them. I knew at least one guy who thought it was a big deal.



 
 
 
The anchors are 3D printed and have pear stocks with cartridge paper for the iron bands. 

The final updates.
 
The last week has seen me build up the mast stuff and rig Grecian. She now sits complete on my bench. 
 
First up is the bowsprit. This is a very simple structure with hardly any tapering of parts. 
 



 
 
The assembly now slots to the hull and the gammoning is added.


 
 
 
Grecian doesn't have a spritsail yard, making her look quite sleek. Still lots of cord to rig this area though.

 
 
Mast work begins with the crosstrees. 

 
 
 
These are then slotted to the shaped lower mast sections, and then fitted out.


 
 
The mass are now added and the shroud lines attached. Once complete, they are tied down with even tension via deadeyes/lanyards.

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

The final updates.
 
The last week has seen me build up the mast stuff and rig Grecian. She now sits complete on my bench. 
 
First up is the bowsprit. This is a very simple structure with hardly any tapering of parts. 
 



 
 
The assembly now slots to the hull and the gammoning is added.


 
 
 
Grecian doesn't have a spritsail yard, making her look quite sleek. Still lots of cord to rig this area though.

 
 
Mast work begins with the crosstrees. 

 
 
 
These are then slotted to the shaped lower mast sections, and then fitted out.


 
 
The mass are now added and the shroud lines attached. Once complete, they are tied down with even tension via deadeyes/lanyards.

A card template is made to aid adding the ratlines. I have drawn lines on these, 6mm apart.
 


 
 
Upper shrouds are now fitted.

 
 
 
And then the rest of the timber is built up. Yards, spars.....whatever you want to call them. I knew at least one guy who thought it was a big deal.



 
 
 
The anchors are 3D printed and have pear stocks with cartridge paper for the iron bands. 

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

The final updates.
 
The last week has seen me build up the mast stuff and rig Grecian. She now sits complete on my bench. 
 
First up is the bowsprit. This is a very simple structure with hardly any tapering of parts. 
 



 
 
The assembly now slots to the hull and the gammoning is added.


 
 
 
Grecian doesn't have a spritsail yard, making her look quite sleek. Still lots of cord to rig this area though.

 
 
Mast work begins with the crosstrees. 

 
 
 
These are then slotted to the shaped lower mast sections, and then fitted out.


 
 
The mass are now added and the shroud lines attached. Once complete, they are tied down with even tension via deadeyes/lanyards.

A card template is made to aid adding the ratlines. I have drawn lines on these, 6mm apart.
 


 
 
Upper shrouds are now fitted.

 
 
 
And then the rest of the timber is built up. Yards, spars.....whatever you want to call them. I knew at least one guy who thought it was a big deal.



 
 
 
The anchors are 3D printed and have pear stocks with cartridge paper for the iron bands. 

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

A card template is made to aid adding the ratlines. I have drawn lines on these, 6mm apart.
 


 
 
Upper shrouds are now fitted.

 
 
 
And then the rest of the timber is built up. Yards, spars.....whatever you want to call them. I knew at least one guy who thought it was a big deal.



 
 
 
The anchors are 3D printed and have pear stocks with cartridge paper for the iron bands. 

The final updates.
 
The last week has seen me build up the mast stuff and rig Grecian. She now sits complete on my bench. 
 
First up is the bowsprit. This is a very simple structure with hardly any tapering of parts. 
 



 
 
The assembly now slots to the hull and the gammoning is added.


 
 
 
Grecian doesn't have a spritsail yard, making her look quite sleek. Still lots of cord to rig this area though.

 
 
Mast work begins with the crosstrees. 

 
 
 
These are then slotted to the shaped lower mast sections, and then fitted out.


 
 
The mass are now added and the shroud lines attached. Once complete, they are tied down with even tension via deadeyes/lanyards.

COMPLETED!
 
Hope you like her. On sale very soon  
 

Second Planking – Right-Hand Side Second Planking Completed
The work on completing the second planking on the right-hand side is now complete. This completed planking represents a big improvement on my skills in this area and I am very pleased with how much ability to plank has developed with this build, especially with the use of lateral plank bending. The correct tapering of the bow and stern planks meant I did not have to add any stealers. My hull fairing skills, particularly around the transom, still requires much more work however.
 
I opted to use boxwood for the second planking with the idea that I could leave the completed planking in their natural state with a nice, varnished finish. On reflection this was perhaps bit optimistic on my part as my completed planking is not as clean and neat I was would have liked.
 
Once I have inspected the completed hull, I will fill in some of the small gaps, either with filler or thin slivers of off-cuts and then I will give the hull a good sand. Once that is done, I will be better placed to make a final decision on weather to paint and copper or to simply varnish the boxwood.
 
 I have attached a few photos of the completed planking.

Ok folks,
 
This kit will be hitting the doormat tomorrow so I'll be starting work tomorrow afternoon. Again, this is a prototype for the kit, and I'll be doing the kit manual pics and text as I go.
 

Some history, abridged from Wiki
Grecian was an American schooner launched in 1812. During the War of 1812 she received a letter of marque. The Royal Navy captured her on 5 February 1814 and took her into service as HMS Grecian. She was sold in 1822. In 1823 she became a merchantman. In 1824 the Chilean Navy captured her, but she escaped, and thereafter may have served for a time as a Spanish privateer. After the end of the Peruvian War of Independence she apparently returned to more conventional pursuits and was probably lost in 1829 though she was still listed in 1830 as sailing between London and Lima.

 
She had a long, curving stem, and a shallow, less convex bow. Grecian's first captain was James Phillips, and under him she had made one voyage to France. She received letter of marque No. 944 in December 1813, under Captain Knapp. She had not captured anything before the boats of HMS Jaseur cut her out under the guns of a battery field pieces on East River, in Chesapeake Bay on 2 May 1814. The British cutting out party under Lieutenant West, first lieutenant of Jaseur, rowed up silently in the night, drove Knapp and the seven members of the crew on watch below deck, fastened the hatches, cut her cables, and sailed off. The British commissioned her as HMS Grecian under the command of Lieutenant Henry Jewry. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Grecian was deployed on anti-smuggling duties in the Channel, and captured a good number of vessels, including Betsey, Nancy, and Market Maid. On 18 August 1818 Lieutenant Nathaniel Martin was appointed captain of Grecian. Between 30 August 1819 and 20 January 1820, Grecian made several small captures. Grecian made further sundry small captures on 16 May 1820, 27 March 1821, 20 April, 6 May, and 2 August.
 
She was paid off in 1821. The Admiralty put Grecian up for sale in April 1822 at Portsmouth. She was sold to Joshua Crystall for £510 on 18 April 1822.
 
Initial prototype photos
These are the builds Chris did to test the initial fit of parts prior. Here is where initial changes take place before sending out the materials to me. There may still be changes made as I build, and I will then pass those onto Chris, but the hull of this is quite different to other gunned vessels, so the usual trials and tribulations will be much less.




 
More stuff when the parts land here...
 

Here's a couple of the finished hull.
 

I did promise a small update, so I can. now show the hull completed.
 
There are a few things on the deck that need a little rope. The main one is the rudder tiller which is wired up to the ship's wheel via a simple block system. Also needing rope are the ladder hatch opening and the ship's boat. 


 
 
 
The chainplates/strops on Grecian are single piece PE parts. These are prised apart to pop the deadeye into place before being closed up again with tweezers.

 
 
 
There are only 14 deadeyes/shrouds on Grecian, making it a perfectly simple intro to ratlines. This will be a breeze to rig.


 
 
 
Rudder chain installed...

 
 
 
And now the completed hull photos. Next stage is masting.

I've actually forgotten to add a little info too. 
 
The outside channels have slots into which they fit, so no pinning whatsoever. That also goes for the inner bulwark belaying racks which have a tab and slot thing. I just made sure that I masked the contact area before I painted the bulwarks. Here's some pics of the coppering and the stern.
 

I admit that I always find those lower mast sections to be a chore!

I admit that I always find those lower mast sections to be a chore!

Quick update: I am now continuing with Main Mast. Main mast goes several shapes from bottom up, as you see in the plan. I realized I could try my Proxxon Bench Circular Saw (Model KS 230), which has been sitting on the shelf for a long time I even forgot I have it. It worked well. Here I wanted to post some photos showing how it worked.
Photos 693-699: