KLarsen

I'm not knowledgeable enough to confirm it with certainty, but it makes sense. The only thing I don't understand then, is why the keel is not distorted in the same view. What I can confirm though is that the frame is indeed seen from the right angle. The lines to the right of each frame shows it from the longitudinal view, and it is narrower there as one would expect. I've been progressing with the stern posts today. Don't worry, I'm not going to detail every little piece of the ship in this blog. 😉 I have a lot of respect for you guys building fully framed ships, these are just the baby steps I'm taking and I'm finding it really hard. I've already had to remake one piece because the template I used got stretched when gluing it on. Still I'm having a lot of fun and am learning, which is the most important!

Possibly, but then the keel would also be distorted in this view, and it isn't. Anyway, using the measurements Adrián Sorolla told me everything seems to fit just fine. There's another plan that has the cross sections projected onto the side view that I hadn't noticed at first.

I can finally get started on the model and today I made the keel. I also treated myself to a new toy, a Proxxon disc sander. Gone are the days of sanding everything by hand!

Hello Adrian, Thank you so much, that's great information! I've been studying the plans thoroughly this afternoon and got to the same conclusion regarding the central block. Do you mind if I contact you via PM here in the future if I have more questions about the plans? Again, thank you, much appreciated!

Having just finished my first Ancre monograph scratch build, the Santa Caterina, I'm ready for something a LOT more ambitious: a stern cross section of La Mahonesa, a Spanish frigate (or possibly one of the other frigates built from the same plans, I've yet to decide on that). She'll be built from swiss pear only and be half planked, showing as much interior detail as I'm capable of doing. Initially I wanted to build La Belle from Ancre, but got completely overwhelmed when I studied the plans. Instead I decided to focus on what seemed to me the most difficult part of a hull, the stern section, and decided on La Mahonesa due to her size. However, I've already run into trouble and am unable to decipher the plans. 😂 The space between the angled stern frames doesn't seem to be consistent between plans. On plan 3 (frames) it's shown as 8mm, which is strange since the keelson is 7,3mm over the rest of the frames. Is the keelson supposed to be wider at the stern, even wider than the stern post? Somehow that doesn't make sense to me and is not how it's depicted on the other plans nor on the photos of the prototype model. On the overhead view the distance from the frame to the centerline is 2,5mm, making the space 5mm. Which plan should I trust here? Another point, the frame on the top photo is wider than when shown here on the overhead view. This leads me to believe that the frame is shown at 90 degress to its flat side, not from the stern of the ship. In that case, I suppose I can't trust the cross section of the keel and keelson as it's depicted but should take those measurements from the overhead and stern views? I hope I'm making some sense here...

I live near Granada in southern Spain.

Hi @wefalck, Very interesting, thank you! I'll see if I can get that French book you mention, I can just about read enough French to hopefully understand it. Nuestra Vela Latina is written is Castellano (Spanish) with some of the technical names is Catalan. It's possible it's originally in Catalan, I don't know.

Your amazing model has been of great help to me, I've looked at your album several times while building. Don't worry about the antenna, the monograph is quite consistent in having it upside down so I'd have made the same mistake had I not got other sources 😂

Thank you! I've decided not to glue any of the rigging, I want to be able to change the position of the antenna and maybe even dismantle the rig if I need to transport the model. As it is, even the mast isn't glued in.

Thank you! Yeah a lateen rig ought to look elegant. I could have gone for an even longer antenna but I'd have had to make the mast longer too. I think what I ended up with is just right for a fishing boat. The antenna is roughly 1,4 times the length of the boat, it should be between 1,2 and 1,8 with 1,5 being the normal. Oh and by the way, the monograph is 0,9 which is just way too short.

I'll attempt to document the changes I've made to the rigging, especially where I've deviated from the monograph. I only know the names of the rigging in Spanish, and Google Translate isn't of much use with nautical terms, so I hope you can accept the names not being translated. Tackle for the antenna As I've already commented earlier, the blocks for the antenna are over dimensioned in the monograph. I've replaced them with double blocks. The way they are attached isn't much different. Troza This is the assembly that can be seen below: a loop that goes around the mast and antenna and tightened via a block. It's attached to the side of the boat with a pair of single blocks (only the upper one is shown). This part is basically correct in the monograph. Davante This is the rope that holds the lower part of the antenna down, maintaining the angle with the horizontal. In the monograph this rope is doubled and runs through a single block, belayed to both sides of the boat. I don't think that's correct because it'll only allow the antenna to rotate a little from the longitudinal; in reality it can go as much to 90 degrees (perpendicular to the keel). Orzapopa This is the rope that rotates the antenna from the longitudinal according to the wind and course. This is completely absent from the monograph (possibly confused with the davante above). Escota Not much to say here really, I think this one is self explanatory. It's completely correct in the monograph, except it should go around the stern post. Falsa troza This is the closed loop of rope seen below. It's used to prevent the antenna from seperating too much from the mast when you loosen the rope that holds it tight (the troza), when maneouvering the antenna. It isn't shown or mentioned in the monograph. Traba This one can be seen both on the photo above and below. It's a thin rope that is fastened to the sling holding the antenna, running through a sheave in the butt of the antenna, and back to the other side of the sling. It prevents the antenna from slipping and falling down. This isn't shown in the monograph either. Osta This is the long rope running from the antenna to the side of the boat. It serves as reinforcement for the antenna during strong winds, preventing it from breaking. In the monograph there's one each side and the text says it's to angle the antenna, which in reality is done by the orzapopa. It wouldn't make sense to try and angle the antenna at this point, it would require a lot more force than using the orzapopa in front. Cenal Shown above to the left of the osta, it's used to raise the sail. This is correct on the monograph. Amantina This one I've left out. It's a tackle attached to the rear of the antenna and the top of the mast. It's used in heavy seas to help keep the angle of the antenna. According to my sources it was only used occasionally. The monograph has this attached to the front of the antenna, not the rear. This doesn't seem correct to me as the heavy part of the antenna is the rear, which would naturally want to fall down. Other differences Compare my rigging to the one of the model in the monograph. This one has a shroud each side of the mast, which I believe was never used on small boats (the troza with its tackle serves as a shroud). There's also a tackle to the very rear of the antenna, maybe for a flag? It also uses a lot more blocks which in my view would be more correct on large ships. And lastly, a photo of the belaying points. The ropes need a bit more tidying but they won't cooperate. 😂 I hope this is useful! Please keep in mind that I am not an expert at all, most of my knowledge comes from the book Nuestra Vela Latina mentioned above. It's quite possible that I've completely misunderstood the lateen rig and my model is not correct. Still I believe it's an improvement on the monograph. Edit: Seems that I had a left-over photo. Instead of removing it I'll let you enjoy it. 😜

Thank you! 😊 Don't worry, I'll document the rigging here, though it might be some weeks until I get time for it.

I have more or less finished the boat now. I most likely won't make the bowsprit because apparently it was almost never used on boats smaller than around 9 meters. Also, I wouldn't be able to set the sail in a way that would be realistic like I've done with the main sail. I'm also not sure if I'll make an anchor or other equipment. I don't want the boat to look too cluttered. I'll still need to tidy the ropes a bit more and make a name plate for the stand. And there are probably a few things to touch up here and there. If anyone is interested I can go over the rigging and compare it to the monograph, it might be useful for others thinking of building this boat? Please let me know if it would be of interest! And of course here are a few pictures. I'll take better ones when I have better light. It's been a fun project, and I'm really happy with the result! I still feel it's only 99% complete though, like I've forgot to add something. So this build log isn't finished yet. 😉

Today I sew the bolt rope onto the sail which means it's almost done, it just needs reinforcements at the corners and the ropes that attaches it to the antenna. It's not perfect but for a first attempt I think it's fine. I'll definitely keep it as it is.

This is my first time making sails. It's made from cotton and hand sewn (because I don't have a sewing machine). I know the stitches are probably too big for the scale but still I think it turned out fine. In my opinion the boat looks better with sail than without. Taping the sail on to get an idea of how it'll look:Also I tried making a stand that turned out absolutely awful. I used too much watered down glue for the gravel so the edges split:So instead I settled for a more minimalist stand from a stone I picked up last time the local river was dry:This stand has the added benefit that I can put a name plaque on it if I ever get around to making one.

Enjoy it! It really is a great book with some lovely drawings.

From what I can see on the Ancre site the rigging for the N.S. del Rosario is the exact same as for the Santa Caterina. The dimensions might be more correct for a ship of that size, but there are still errors. To mention a few (from the Santa Caterina monograph): The antenna is simply too short, and not rigged correctly. It should be rigged at 2/5 its length, but on the monograph it's rigged at the halfpoint. It's upside down. 🙃 The rigging at the lower point of the antenna is completely wrong. There should be a line to hold the antenna at an angle (the davante) which is missing, and a line to move it sideways. That one's kinda there but completely wrong. The "lift" to hold the antenna at an angle should be behind the mast (the heaviest part) and not in front as on the monograph. Having it in front makes no sense, you want to lift the heavy part of the antenna, which due to the triangular shape of the sail is behind the mast (also 3/5 of the antenna extends behind). And then the monograph has several lines which serve no purpose. Some of them might on a heavier ship, though, my knowledge doesn't extend that far. I wouldn't have known any of this if I hadn't read the book 'La Vela Latina' and double checked with photos of real lateen rigged boats.

More rigging. The book I'm using 'Nuestra Vela Latina' es basically my guide at this point. The cross where the antenna is mounted. And from another angle. This is more or less the angle I'll be displaying the antenna at. Of course I'm also going to make the sail if I can. Next will be the rigging to move the antenna sideways. The monograph is completely wrong at this point, I'm honestly surprised how bad it is. The part describing the construction of the hull is great, but the rigging leaves a LOT to be desired. I'll see if I can describe all the issues later, maybe writing a full review of the monograph (which I still very much recommend!).

Getting started on the rigging. I'm using rope from Ropes of Scale, it looks absolutely amazing! The blocks are made from black hornbeam. I tried making working pullies for the double blocks but it was impossible for me to cut them at 0,5mm, they simply disintegrated, and I couldn't find any metal pullies at that size to buy. So the tackle is not as smooth as it could be, but it still works. The tackle for raising the antenna is again simplified compared to the monograph, which uses blocks with 5 and 6 pullies. This block is for seizing the antenna to the mast. Standard thumb for scale (I'm not a giant!). I'm actually surprised I was able to make that on my first try...

I'm progressing a lot these days, I just installed the mast and started on the antenna. The way the mast is installed according to the monograph is almost correct, it just needs to be slanted a few more degrees forward (again, because the antenna is longer). I slightly reworked the mast foot since it's supposed to spread over 3-4 frames. It should probably extend further forwards too, but the oar bench support is in the way and I don't want to rework that; it's "good enough" as it is. 😂

No, unfortunately it doesn't, though it does explain the construction but not in enough detail to construct a boat. Good luck with your project!

This week I started on the mast. It's very different from the one shown in the monograph, which is more adecuate for a large xebec. My mast is simpler, has only one sheave and is about 1cm taller. It took me a few hours to make on my Proxxon lathe. The sheave is from pear and fully works. If anyone is interested, this is the book I'm using which explains how the lateen rig works. As far as I know it's only available in Spanish, but if you can read that I highly recommend it. It goes over the history of the lateen sails, how the boats are (and were) constructed, and how to sail them. It mainly focuses on Catalan boats but is useful for any small lateen rigged boat. The appendices are especially useful since they go over the calculations required to rig a boat.

Speaking of the rudder, this afternoon I finished and attached it. The hinges were difficult to make but I think they turned out fine. I would have wished the rudder to sit a little closer to the stern post, but I'm happy with the result. Since I intend to put a longer antenna and sail on the boat, the rudder needed to be longer (at least according to my research). As you can see, it extends below the keel. It should have been even longer (twice the draught), but I settled for a little less. in the photo above you can also see the side keels which are necessary for a lateen rig, and the hooks to haul the boat onto the beach. The rudder turns freely on the hinges and can be detached. I've yet to make the tiller. Now I can get started on the mast and rigging!

Hi Cnemo, The hull with the rudder is 29 cm long and 9,5 cm wide at the beam. This is 2/3 the size of the monograph. When I finish this project I'll make a stern cross section of the Spanish frigate La Mahonesa in 1/48 scale. The wood is already on the way so I'll probably start on it in a few months. I'll be sure to make a build log here!

At this point the boat is almost complete, just missing some iron work and the rudder. Then I can start on the mast and antenna, which as I mentioned before will be different from the monograph. I should be finished with this project in a few months, then I can start on my next project which will also be an Ancre monograph.