MEDDO

Hello , the booms and gafs are in position, except little jib boom . Some progress photos. I used a big pillow to focus on the ship.   Good night.
 
 

Hi Ken
I reckon there are some good points made above. You need more room - Space the tackle bolts wider at the port than the breeching ropes. The eye for the tackle hook should be further back and behind the breeching rope eye and ring on the carriage. I use extremely thin blackened jewellery wire for wrapping the blocks. It probably should be rope but it is very easy to use and manipulate. I find that does not break or bend when rigging if handled gently. Here is picture of my AVS cannon rig. 2.5mm blocks, 0.25mm tackle rope and 0.6mm breeching rope. My mistake here is the double block for the tackles at the bulwarks - have since learned that it should be a single. My coils are also too big and too long.

Okay ship log, finally got the outside planking on, sanded and painted.  I primed the bottom of the hull with a gray first.  I think my gray was too dark, it took 5 coats of white to cover it up. A tad bit frustrating.  The gray certainly showed the mistakes / beauty marks I made as well as any wood imperfections.  I tried to use the best wood I could from the kit, but obviously not.  The yellow ocra was watered down so it was more of a painting stain and not as sharp as the yellow ocra I put on the metal parts of the transom and side windows.  Used 2 light coats to get the texture that way I wanted it.  The black molding took quite a few swipes with the blade, too bad you can't really see the cuts in the wood in these shots.  I was quite surprised to see the wood actually curl up as I ran the blades over it.  Kind of hard with the naked eye too.  Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it.  Next comes the deck.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Made sure to put all of the rope holes in the sides of the hull as well as the anchor bumper and chesstree now so the glue would not mess up the paint if I did this later.

So the fairing is going slowly.  Ever so slowly.  Think I am about 1/2 done now.  At least it is starting to shape up.  I am using a piece of scrap planking to see/fit the frames.  Maybe in another week or two...haha Meanwhile the next step will be to frame out the transom. 
 

 

So the fairing is going slowly.  Ever so slowly.  Think I am about 1/2 done now.  At least it is starting to shape up.  I am using a piece of scrap planking to see/fit the frames.  Maybe in another week or two...haha Meanwhile the next step will be to frame out the transom. 
 

 

I taped off the keel and it seemed to go pretty well.
 

 
 
Until...
 

 
 
I have to be pretty careful going across the frames.  It is very easy to fix.  No wood damaged just a weak glue joint.  A bit of sanding and viola good as new.

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 59 – Lower deck beams
 
With a marathon effort all of the monofilament bolts for the iron strapping were installed into the outside of the hull frames – except for frames that will be cut out for the view ports and for areas that will be planked over.  The lower hull was then sanded to remove all traces of the CA glue used on the bolts.
 
To relieve some of the tedium of bolting, the lower deck beams were fabricated.  I used the method developed for the Naiad beams – including the recycled Naiad template-clamp shown in the next picture.
 

 
In the picture a piece of 17” (~0.236”) thick stock is being clamped.  All of the decks on YA were rounded up 6” at midship – a simplification vs.18thC RN.  A template was lofted with this curvature and pasted to the clamp.  The clamp faces were then shaped to the curve using a disk sander.  A more elaborate process was used on Naiad.  When clamped in place as shown, a flush trim router bit with a bearing was used against the template to form the curve on the top of the beam.  The router leaves a perfectly finished surface.  The piece to the right has had a beam sawed off (described below) after rounding.  It will soon be clamped and a new top surface routed.
 
The next step after routing is shown below.
 

 
The depth of the beam is drawn on the routed blank with a compass that has its point extended to ride on the side of the piece.  The beam is then parted off near that line on the scroll saw.  A new top surface is then routed on the remaining stock.  Finally the cut off beam is passed – upside down – through the thickness sander to yield the final depth of 14” (~0.194”).  The next picture shows the set of lower deck beams, ready to be cut to length and fit into place.
 

 
The process for making rounded-up beams was covered in detail in Naiad, Volume II, including alternate methods that can be used in the absence of a router table.  Naiad’s beams were more complicated in that they were made in two pieces with tabled scarph joints.  These were simpler.
 
Setting was also simpler.  YA’s beams were all centered on every other frame joint line.  The next picture shows some of the forward beams fitted and pinned in place. 
 

 
These beams were pretty massive – 17” wide and 14” deep.  There was nothing skimpy about the construction of these ships.  The first few beams fore and aft were smaller – 15” wide.  The next picture shows the difference in width on the aft three beams.
 

 
Hard pine was used for Young America’s deck beams and many other structural components.  Also known as longleaf pine, the trees grow mainly in the southeastern United States.  The wood weighs about the same as white (or English) oak and has about 90% of its strength.  As mentioned before, I am using Castelo to simulate this species.
 
The next picture shows the beams from the main hatch aft.  The larger spacings are to clear the hatch, the water tanks and the masts.  Stout headers (aka partners/carlings) and half beams will be installed in these spaces.
 

 
The last picture shows the current state with several central beams still to be fit.
 

 
When all the beams are sized and pinned in place, centerlines will be scribed on each.  Carling locations can then be marked.  After cutting scores for the carlings, pillars and knees will need to be made before any beams can be installed.
 
Ed

Worked on the rudder. I hate doing rudders. It's such a bear. Not truly happy with how it came out, but I am happier with how it came out than I was on my San Francisco so that's good.
 
I also went ahead and put a coat of stain and 2 coats of poly on just the lower hull. I'm pretty much done with that part and that thin mahogony is sooo brittle I got tired of it chipping on me. It's much more sold now.

Fast forward a couple days and I got the bow done and got the cannons and most of the deck furniture installed. Yes, it was a little tricky to place those couple cannons which are underneath those walkways, but it was not impossible by any means. Just took some clever tweezer work. 
 
I did my own thing with the cannon rigging. I'm not ready to tackle 'fully rigged' cannons, but I wanted to get them secured and I also added a rope going around the cannons to simulate securing the barrel to the carriage. I've seen that on some real cannons before. I'll tell you the line in this kit is already WAY easier to work with than the cheaper AL kits.
 
A few of the cannons protrude out a little bit more than others. I may address it but it doesn't bother me a whole lot today. I'm going to want and see how I feel in the morning. 
 
I also prepared the gunport lids. That's an adventure. Those little metal hinges HATE gluing properly to the wood. But we should be in pretty good shape.
 
Night folks!
 
 

My first grate!  I used a comb for a jig to get started, then I laid out the first course, then used scotch tape to hold them together and flipped it to add the last course, then used a 3x5 card to lay it on wax paper for Sjor's diluted PVA glue bath. Hooray....it worked.

Thank you for your interest in "Newsboy",
 
Next steps continue the installation od deck / hull outfit components.  Key points include:
 
>>> At this point, hatch / house coamings have not been glued in place
>>> New nameboard installed on spray rails (to improve contrast against rails)
>>> Anchor billboard sheathed with tectured Bristol board (goor representation of wought iron)
>>> Lower deadeyes installed (previously fitted with temporary mast)
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

Captain Blakeley and the Wasp: The Cruise of 1814
 
Stephen W.  H. Duffy
Hardcover: 348 pages including Index, extensive Notes and Bibliography.
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1557501769
 
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the start of his historic, and ill fated, cruise, it is my honor to present to you a brief review of a narrative of Captain Johnston Blakeley's career in the early American navy, culminating in one of the greatest raiding cruises every undertaken.
 
There are many tales of the accomplishments of America’s young navy during the War of 1812, and several of the most famous names in American Naval History were blazed into the national consciousness during that conflict.  Although the most successful American naval officer of the War of 1812, Johnston Blakely never enjoyed the fame that he had for so long desired.  His fame was posthumous.
 
In Captain Blakeley and the Wasp: The Cruise of 1814, Stephen Duffy tells, in a readable and coherent fashion, the story of Master Commandant Johnston Blakeley and the highly successful cruise of the American sloop of war Wasp in 1814. Duffy draws on archival information from numerous institutions to introduce the reader to the young Blakeley, tracing his youth and formative years through to his early years serving under Thomas Truxton on the President and John Rodgers on the John Adams to his command of the brig Enterprise in 1811. Blakeley’s skills and ambition are rewarded – he is sent to Newburyport, Massachusetts to supervise the construction of the Sloop of War Wasp.
 
Duffy demonstrates his passion for detail and accuracy as he chronicles the building of the Wasp and Blakeley's struggles to outfit and crew his new ship, an effort made more difficult by national politics and by rivalries within the Navy. Designed by Naval Constructor William Doughty as a commerce raider, Wasp was rated at 509 tons and 22 guns with a crew of 173.  Blakeley left port on May 1, 1814, at the helm of the newly commissioned Wasp. 
 
Blakeley captured his first prize on June 2, 1814.  Within the following month, the Wasp captured and burned four more prizes.  Blakeley secured his place in American naval history on June 28, 1814.   Blakeley and his crew chased and brought to battle the Royal Navy’s HMS Reindeer, a Cruizer class brig sloop of 18 guns.  One of the hardest fought battles of the war followed, and when it had concluded, Blakeley’s guns had overpowered and reduced the British vessel to a drifting hulk.  Also damaged, Blakeley sailed to L’Orient, France to offload prisoners and seek repairs.  En route, despite the damage incurred during the battle with the Reindeer, the Wasp still captured two more prizes.
 
The Wasp was back at sea by August 27, and Blakeley set course for Gibraltar.  He continued cruising successfully throughout the fall, even winning a battle over the HMS Avon.  As news of Blakeley’s success filtered back to the United States in October and early November, he became a hero, and Congress promoted him to Captain on November 24.  Meanwhile, the Wasp’s return was long overdue, and rumors swirled concerning the ship’s fate.  The British never made claims to sinking the ship, but the Wasp vanished somewhere on the Atlantic, possibly foundering in a gale.  The last confirmed sighting was by a Swedish crew on the Adonis.  They saw the Wasp on October 9, 1814, some 225 miles southwest of Madeira.
 
Duffy is able to provide a cogent and informative interpretation of the available archival records, and brings Blakeley to life as a tragic hero of his time. Faced with the common constraint imposed on any student of history, Duffy was faced with the paucity of primary source accounts from Blakeley and his close associates, as well as the conflicting accounts in the British and American records.  Duffy was very selective and effective in his use of reasonable speculation about the thoughts of the young officer regarding various situations. Mr. Duffy has succeeded in providing not just a story of a young man who was in the right place with the right ship at the right time, but also presents a well-researched and documented study of a junior officer in the small American navy at the beginning of the 19th Century.
 
 

 

The finished sail was provided with the necessary lines and furled to the yard. The buntline blocks were installed as descript in Lees. After putting up the yard with parrel ropes, ties and lifts the cluelines and sheets were installed.
 
For the lifts I choose (together with my bosun) a rather unconventional instalment. During the period of Pegasus’ build and live usually the topgallant sheets were used also as topsail lifts. In earlier or later times the lifts ran from the masthead; the same arrangement that is shown in the kits plans. The yard by yard build up seems easier for me, if I use separate lifts and sheets. Therefore, upon a suggestion of my bosun, I decided on a clove hitched span around the cap and seized the topsail lifts to it.
 
Another problem is the belaying of all those lines. The space is rather cramped and I try to find reasonable belaying points using the plans and Lees while not overcrowding the bitts and rails.
 
In the meantime the sail maker has started to work on the main topgallant sail.
 
 

Parrel ropes attached
 

Yard held with ties...
 

...and lifts. You see the span around the cap with the lifts sized to it.
 

Lifts
 

In the beginning there is still some space to belay the lines on the quarterdeck rail
 

Buntlines are in place
 

Captain Jack asks for more order around the bitts...
 

...and the bosun tries to live up to this rather untimely request.

Finally the buntlines were attached according Lees and belayed on the quarterdeck rail. This is all the rigging which will be installed on the main yard for now.
 
 

Buntlines installed
 
 

Belaying the buntlines. Note the 2 blocks stropped together end on end for the buntlines.

Whoa, this fairing thing is taking a while.  At least it's getting there.
 

Whoa, this fairing thing is taking a while.  At least it's getting there.
 

Jeers:
 
Although topmasts are pretty much ready to go on, the jeers have been nagging at me.  These seem to be pretty awkward to get in, especially once the topmast shrouds are in place so I've decided to install these before the proceeding further.  Getting the right length required quite bit of trial and error.  As always, suggestions welcome.  For some reason photos came out particularly badly tonight, so apologies in advance.
 
Block double stopped and kept in place with few drops of GS-Hypo.

 
Loop added to provide correct 'length', the three stands then seized near the top of the block.

 
Loose ends trimmed, and additional seizing put on.  I did this in accordance with the Grenado AOTS diagram (i.e. unserved), although it seems that these were also commonly served.  Frankly I didn't have the patience to attempt that...but suspect that the method could work just the same.

 
Mocked up the installation to check again length is appropriate.  There is not much room for error here, and it took multiple attempts to get length correct.  Looks OK to me.

 
Jeers will be lashed to the mast cleat on opposite side, this again is just a temporary mock up to prove it works.

Thanks Thomas. The cannon barrels are painted with what little I have left of my Pollyscale engine black (no longer available).
 
I've now completed another section of the quarterdeck framing. Before doing that, however, I had to do a chart of rigging sizes so that I could attach the main lower yard sheets to the bulwark cleats that would be inaccessible under the deck framing. The rope sizes were determined by using the tables and formulas set forth in Lees. Rather than using a spreadsheet, I chose to mark the sizes directly on copies of the sequential rigging drawings from the Essex AOTS. I then made a table to convert these sizes to correspond to the rigging line sizes available from Chuck. 
 
I then used the appropriate line size to do the sheets and ran them through the bulwark sheaves and attached them to the cleats. When this was done, I glued down the aft portion of the deck framing, which previously  had been left sitting loose. After that, I built two further deck sections off the model, installed them, added hanging knees to them and then filled in the open portions with lodging knees, ledges and carlings. The whole assembly was given an application of Wipe-on Poly.
 
The final portion of the quarterdeck framing will be done in conjunction with work on the pumps and mainmast bitts, which will be the next items of work.
 
Bob

Locker and cockpit details completed. The hinges were made as Chuck suggests in his build log using card stock and 28 gauge wire. I know that the contemporary model calls for a red cockpit but it ended up not looking very authentic when painted on such a broad surface using a brush. I was trying to get a even coverage but it didn't work out. I decided to do the cockpit area over again. The instructions say that using stain here is okay.
 

More interior details completed. I ended up braking a thwart while trying to get it under the cap rail. Fitting them close to the inner hull width means that one has to bend them slightly and they can break easily. Raising one end up so it touches the cap rail makes it easier to insert the other end. I'm still working on the wider thwart for the mast and need to paint the filler piece at the bow red.
 

David and Chuck, thanks! much appreciated. Chuck, you said in the Longboat Instruction Manual ". . take your time and treat each plank as a small milestone", which I think is great advice. I am trying to do this with each step regardless of how simple it may seem.

Decided to fix the shear plank by redoing the planking once more. I realize that I could have left things as they where but I need planking experience anyway. After sanding the hull with 400 sandpaper to a near sheen I applied the stain, 1 part Golden Oak to 3 Parts Natural and a coat of Wipe-On-Poly. After removing the bulkhead centers I thinned the bulkhead tops to 3/64". 3/64" + 1/32" plank + 1/64" overhang will give a 3/32" cap rail. I stained the hull inside as well. I then added the cap rail which is now ready for sanding.
 

​Take your time and use a sharp V groove chisel The sharper the better making small light passes at first so to produce light curls of wood 
Many light passes are much better than One large blunder and a trip to the wood shop for more timber 
Andy