bucknbarney

Very helpful Bindy. Lol So long as I don't get a "don't do it!" from our model making mentors, I'm going to try to tackle it this weekend. If I do get a "don't do it!", it's back to the drawing board for me. I'll try to post some pics of the craziness.

Ok. I have been poking and proding my brain. with this first build. I've decided to change my tactic AGAIN, and I think this time, my plan will work. I took a couple hours blowing up the plans I have to the exact size my model is. Of course, I don't have anything to print out that size, so I painstakingly blew up one part of the ship plans at a time and printed each section on a regular sheet of paper. I then taped each section to its mate until I finally got the complete ship and WOW, what a difference to finally see in full size what goes where! After that, I decided that I will take the full sized print of the top deck and lay it on a sheet of plywood to use as my guideline for flipping the model keel up to begin building it Hhan style. As I began trying to fit the motor, I noticed that having all 32 ribs will be too cluttered and make ot difficult to work in the interior parts so I am only going to use every other rib. This gives me a lot more room. I am also considering still using that broken, warped keel that has driven me to madness. Only now, I believe I will be laminating a 1/8" strip to each side, pressing it flat with weights and clamps until the glue dries. I believe this will not only repair the break and make the whole keel stronger, but it should also force the keel straight. (Fingers crossed)! I am also considering adding another 1/8" strip to each side to act as the rabbit, instead of knotching it out, which should make the keel even stronger, allowing me to feel better about attaching a keel fin when she's out of drydock. Well guys??? What do you think of my ideas? Good? Bad? Crazy?

You know Brava, I have attempted to translate as much as possible of the plans and looked at the ship in your link, as well as the other af Chapman from 1830 on the same site and neither of them seem to have the same dimensions as the ones on the plans. Still a mystery to me! So fun to do the research though!

Bindy, thanks for the Hulk vote! Mark, Semper Fi brother! I do recall a whole lot of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Hakan, that makes a lot of sense. My boy is taking French and he suggested that it may be the language it's in. I've tried to translate it, and I got a ways, but there is too much of it that is hard to read. No biggy though.

Wow Nedad! This build is looking fantastic. Going through your first posts, you have come a LONG way. It would be great if you could do a post at the end of your build with pics from first steps to last with a few descriptions for is to look through.

Nenad, you are an inspiration. Watching you go through difficulties and chalenges with such grace on your build log is so helpful and inspires me on my build to keep working through. Thank you for your posts here.

Thanks Nendad. I will now... That I have already done the damage! Lol Floyd, another lesson I need to learn! I didn't just walk away! To be honest, that darned keel has been on my mind in both my waking hours, and at night. I have LITTERALLY dreampt about it! It was bothering me that much! Oh well, now I can obsess about something else... Like a new keel!

Had a great lesson in patience recently. I was just sick and tired of that darned warped keel! I've tried steaming it, just getting the glue in the ply to soften so I could staraighten it without causing it to delaminate. Nope! Day after day, steaming it, straightening it, and setting it flat with weights on it to while it dried for 24 hours. It always seemed to work, then after a few hours without the weights.... The darned thing would warp again!!! Aahhhhh!!!! Frustration began to boil up... I though, "you work with this stuff for a living Jerrod! "Why can't you tame this darned ply?!?!?". Well, finally I was finished with it! No more steaming the ply... Now I was steaming!!!!! So, needless to say, my better judgement was out the window. I placed that keel on my knee and started to see if it would JUST STINKING BEND STRAIGHT ALREADY!!!! Nope! Just as I started getting it to a bend..... SNNNAP!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! Well, I've just had it with that darned keel. It has won. So, on the plus side, I get to start over now! There's a nice peice of soft 1"x11"x5' soft maple at the shop, just sitting there begging for me to work it. I'm thinking about plaining it down to 3/8" and cutting a new keel. It will be stronger, thicker, and have a heck of a lot more beautiful than 1/4" ply. Not to meantion, I can re-think the plan I was originally working for the keel. So, lesson learned (I think) about having patience. I know, I was told in a previous post by someone with A LOT MORE experience than me that "as long a that keel isn't u-shaped, I might just use that keel". Another lesson for this young grasshopper... Listen!!!! I've had that problem in the past too though. Probably why I ended up doing so many pushups in the Corps! Lol

I plan on going just as far as my imagination (and pocket book) will let me go. As it will be an rc ship, it will be fully planked. I will also be scratch building my masts. Each section up to the topgallant will likely be carved out of soft maple (free from the shop). I plan on having a main, top and topgallant for sails on the main and fore mast, and at top (think that's what it's called) and spanker on the mizzen. I do not plan on just turning the masts to rotate her sails. I am planning on fabbing up yard jacks for each. I do think that for this build, I will be using the bare minimum needed for the rigging. I will attempt to keep it close, but I'm thinking I may have to change a few things around to accommodate the sail winch servos.

Thankfully, MTaylor gave is a link to use for dimension of everything above the decking. That was one of my major concerns. I missed the recomendation for ply thickness. Of course, that wouldn't have worked for me anyhow as I had the plans blown up to fit my desires for the build, which were large. I do wish I'd use a larger ply than 1/4", but it is cheap (free!) for me so that's what I'm using.

Have you started a build log yet rpeteru? I would like very much to follow along. While there were many ships built that were designed by Chapman, due to these plans being generic, they are vague i.e. no ship name. Because of this, there's no real way to tell if this particular ship was ever even built. Although this gives us a great deal of artistic expression, it also doesn't give the ability to dive into the details of one certain ship. As I am also in the beginning steps of my build, I'm not too much further ahead of you, rpeteru. It might help both of us to give and take ideas while doing these builds!

Yeah, I have TONS of great pics from that search.

OMG! This stuff is amazing! it is exactly what I was needing! Thanks you!

Holy cow! I finally did it! After tons of research on this site and others, I found a story that had documents from 18th century English builders, giving what the dimensions in feet should have been for a frigate this size! Not the same country, but same time frame and from what research I did, it seemed that mast lenghts varied depending upon the builder. It had lengths for masts, yards and the like! All I had to do was calculate the feet to centimeters (did I mention that I now LOVE the metric system?), take that number and convert it to my models scale of 1:44.68 (finally figured it out), and BOOM!!!!!, I've got the measurements I have been yearning for!!!! Woot woot! Makes me feel like marching around the house in my slippers shouting the ol' cadences we used to belt out back when I was in the Corps! Yup! I'm in a good mood now! Think I'll go have a shot o' rum to celebrate!

Yup! Our oldest, 17 years, rolled the jeep I gave him last year! Yay! Well, at least he was ok. The jeep did not fair so well.

Russ, Is this the measurement for the entire main mast, including the topmast and topgallant, or just the lower? I'm looking for a way to get measurements for each section of the masts so I can begin putting them together. I am also looking for ways to get measurements for the yards. Thanks in advance for any and all help from all of you on this forum. You all rock!

Tax return's coming soon! Oh what I would give if the Admiral would let her captain have a wood lathe!! I've decided I need to get started on the masts. I'd like to play around with spinning out some cannon as well.

Michiel, that is an adorrible pic! I sincerely hope my boy gets into doing this. He likes "helping" me (not as much as playing though!) when I work on it but I think when he sees the "pirate" ship actually sailing and is given the opportunity to take the controlls, he'll be hooked too!

Solid advice, which I will gladly take guys. We compromised.... he and I build a square rigger out of play-dough. As I am in the process off using the scroll saw (loud) for the ribs, and being that it is stinking cold out here, the ship yard is my dining room table (wifey okay with it so long as I clean up after), which is next to the boy's room. So, I am at a little stand still. lol

And so.... Tonight will be most likely be another having fun with my boy, dreaming of getting the rest of the ribs for my ship finished! How can I say no to that face?

Well, seems all week my beautiful 4 year old boy has had my attentions away from the build. I am so blessed that every time I get home from a hard days work, my little guy runs to me with a big smile and warm hug and a question; "you wanna play with me?". What can I say people!?!?... I can't help that all I think about from my first waking moments until my last for the day is this model! I think I'm getting a little obsessed! Is this what you all call "the dark side"?... Well, I can't disappoint my favorite 4 year old! I told him today that I'd like to work on my ship a little.... Here was his face after:

Wow. Loving all the thought and research that is being put into this build.

Thanks rpeteru. I look forward to seeing them. PM sent!

As I feel this may be my next build, I am watching yours closely. This ship is one of the most beautiful square riggers of all time (my opinion). Nice work so far!

Ah! A fellow musician, and former (most of the time) hell raiser! Lol Yup! given my past, I believe my teen is giving me my just desert too. You've got it right though, Nenad. While they can be the biggest pain in the aft, they are also the biggest blessing!