tulok

The Arrogant Class to which the Vanguard belongs was a development from the previous Bellona Class and supposedly had very similar dimensions/original armaments to each other with the main difference being in their underwater hull shape.  

That said, even if these two classes of ships are closely related, their variations can be quite significant and incorporating these would entail a lot of research since you would be modifying even the lines of the ships. If you're not in a hurry, I suggest just waiting for Victory Models' upcoming Bellona also designed by Chris Watton. 

Wow! You seem to have a lot of work in store for you 

Of course you could always get away with re-building them "Admiralty-style" with only mast stubs and no rigging 

Nice modification plan, another option would be to get a scroll saw, then, using the sheer profile and body plan, just cut a new set of centerboard and bulkheads making sure that the deck level on the aft-most bulkheads are at the level of the lower deck. Have a look at the rough sketch below:

The bulkheads and keel look OK to me, and based on my previous Caldercraft kits, the ply false keel and the walnut stem/keel/and rudder post are indeed the SAME thickness (i.e. 5mm thick for the larger kits and 3mm for smaller sized kits). I would surmise that your Chatham, based on her size, would also have 3mm thick false keel ply and walnut stem/keel/sternpost. 

Some builders just modify their ply keel by thinning its foremost and lower edges to form the rabbet, which is a good enhancement and allows easier planking, but you can actually build these kits successfully without any rabbet and just taper the front edges of the planks so they sit flush on the stem. What is indispensable for these particular kits is the need for a bearding line at the stern so the thickness of the double planked stern after final planking would be the same as the stern post. 

One more essential thing is to fair all the bulkheads for a smooth run of planks. 

Dont be discouraged... with properly faired bulkheads and a bearding line, you should be fine even if you don't make the ply keel thinner than the walnut components 

Thanks for the detailed info guys, they are much appreciated 

Thanks for the info shihawk, yes that was indeed what I meant by fingernail test

Nigel, thanks for chiming in with regards to the durability of maple and beautiful planking work on your SOS Sir, from my observation, it seems that CMBs Maple more or less has the same color as lime

Thanks Mark and Shihawk, I like the grain of this wood, it seems very fine.

Shihawk, I noted that you have also used cherry, is this particular maple as hard as cherry? Is it resistant to the "finger nail" test? 

Thanks for the info, Joe and Jaager

This is the maple I was contemplating on getting, any idea if it's the "hard" or "soft" maple based on the pictures?

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/maple_strip.html

Hi to all,

I'd like to inquire from members with experience using these woods as to which has/is:

-finer/smoother grain

-able to hold and edge better

-more flexible

-harder/more durable

Thanks very much in advance guys

I too had my fair share of being snared by "fantasy ships"...

For my first model, I got Sergal's HMS President frigate because of the low cost and "easy-build" rating.

It's "history" states that it was supposedly a "light" frigate armed with twelve guns.

Imagine my surprise when I later went on to build HM Brig Cruiser which, while about the same scale as my frigate, is almost twice as long and has 18 guns

I guess my 12 gun frigate will be no match to my 18 gun brig in a pounding match

The grain will be more visible once you apply some finish, especially oils like tung oil, however, as previously mentioned, finishes may affect glue adhesion so you may want to apply it a bit later. 

By the way, IMHO, I think the grain in your wood deck looks just fine since the less pronounced grain makes it look more "to scale"    

Actually, many woods used by scratchbuilders such as boxwood, pear or holly are chosen because they have less pronounced grain.

Basswood and  European Lime actually are from the same species of trees (linden). They are both tightly grained and relatively soft compared to other hardwoods, but somehow, European lime seems to be a bit harder than the usual basswood found in the US. Not sure if it's the climate, soil components etc that cause the difference but I generally find European lime to be marginally harder.