JSGerson
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I am assuming that you will be painting your creation according to the MS instructions as well. That gives you an extra advantage over those of using natural wood. You can cover up most of your mistakes. You can use wood filler to fill in cracks between planks, and minor low areas, and then paint over the whole thing and nobody would be able to tell if and where you might have messed up a bit; so don't fret too much about minor consistences I jumped in with no experience in planking at all and used natural wood so I couldn't hide my mistakes, and make them I did. It could have come out worse but it could have come out better had I known what I was doing. Take your time, and don't forget to bevel your planks on one edge otherwise each plank will appear to have a narrow space between them especially where the hull curves outward. -
Welcome aboard, glad to have another spectator, but be prepared for a long read. I work slow. That's because I usual don't know what I'm doing and have to mentally figure it out. And I make mistakes...lots of them. If I am not making the same mistake twice, I'm usually trying out a new one 8-). If you are going to make the Rattlesnake, I strongly suggest getting Robert Hunt's Practicum. It may not be perfect (as I had documented), but I could not have gotten as far as I have without it.
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Be careful with that plastic miter-box. Over time it has a tendency to be cut through by the steel blades used to make the cuts. I use a metal miter-box which looks very similar but without the peg holes. It has lasted many years of constant use and still going strong.
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Found it! Thanks
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dgbot - I went looking for Bob Filipowski's build log on the English Long Boat as you stated above. I couldn't find it. I searched under his name, checked the member's list, and search all the long boat logs I found - no luck. Can you point me in the right direction?
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There was basically one method I found for creating the lettering in the various logs I looked at - transfer lettering; the letters are rubbed on from a sheet. The problem I had was the area I needed to place the ship's name was too narrow. So I created my own method which I described in my log at comment 337. In effect, the name was placed on a plaque like the one on the USF Constitution and then glued into place on the transom.
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You will find that that you will make mistakes, things break, the kit will have omissions, whatever. It would be good idea to invest in some basic wood stock as a reserve. Your local hobby store will usually have basswood which I believe is the basic wood stock for the MS kit. My Mamoli boat is built with a fancier wood package I purchased from HobbyMills which means I have/need extra boxwood, holly, and swiss pear wood, Jeff Hayes, who runs this HobbyMills, will bend over backwards to get what you need, just ask anyone who has dealt with him. If you are in a real pinch and must complete the waterways NOW, then yes you can skip areas that are unseen. I personally would try to avoid that because you would know you skipped part of the build. It will bother you and haunt you in your dreams (maybe) even though the casual observer won't even know it even exists or it's missing. Remember, its a hobby, not a race. Time is on your side. I've been working on my boat for over four years and have just reached the masts. Enjoy!
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Waterboard - I assume you mean "waterways" (at least that's what my instructions for the Mamoli kit called it), the trapezoidal cross section strip of wood at the junction of the deck and bulwarks. The Practicum I was following indicated it went from the tip of the bow all the way back to the cabins under the quarter deck.
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Some boats look good either way: painted or with natural woods; others demand to be painted e.g. USF Constitution (at least in my humble opinion).
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Looks real good. Just remember, they are filler blocks. Any imperfections, gaps, etc. with the bulkheads will be covered up by planking, so don't sweat too much about the small stuff...just a little bit. 8-)
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Just found your log and I look forward to following your progress. My Rattlesnake is my first POB build so if you look at my log, be aware I've made numerous miss-steps along the way, most of which I've documented. That may come in handy so you don't do the same. Have patience, do research, and most of all, have fun.
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The platforms were then glued into position on the trestletree/crosstree structures. The images below show the fighting tops on their mast as a dry fit. They won’t be glued into place until all the components of the masts have been made.
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The chocks are the little cross pieces inside the trestle tree. According to the Practicum, the aft piece is glued in place butted against the aft crosstree. According to everyone else, it a bit forward of the aft crosstree. The chocks were made from 1/32” x 3/32” boxwood in the shape of a “T” with a fat stem. A set of notches were cut with an X-Acto knife for the aft chock first based on Hahn’s plans. With that chock set in place as a dry fit, the assembly was then slipped over its mast to determine where the forward chock was to be placed. The forward chock notches were then cut. Additionally the Practicum called for bolsters to be made from 1/32” square boxwood a little later on. I saw no reason why they couldn’t be set into place at this point. Unfortunately, I had run out of 1/32” square boxwood, so I used 1/16 x 3/32”. The bolsters have a quarter circle cross section to allow lines to drape over them without damaging them.
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Once dry fitted and trimmed, the trestletrees and the crosstrees were mated and glued together using WeldBond. I chose the white glue over the CA glue because it gave me wiggle room to make sure everything was square before it set.
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These were in turn notched using the Byrnes Saw and the sides angled using a disc sander for their clean cuts and consistency.
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I finally got to cut the boxwood pieces for the trestletrees (1/8” x 1/16”) and its crosstrees (3/16” x 1/16”).
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Finally, I've drilled what seemed like a billion holes into the fighting tops.
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Steve - When I started this build soooo long ago I knew nothing except how to follow directions. I had no books and few ship building skills. Now I have so many directions it gets confusing, as I have noted above numerous times. Actually I have all of the books you mentioned plus another 20 or so. I have spent a fortune in books alone. My latest one is The Fully Framed Model, Rigging a Sixth Rate Sloop of 1767 - 1780 Vol. IV by David Antscherl which excellent. I wish I had known about and read his first three volumes when building the Rattlesnake hull. That's one of the reasons I go so slow, I'm always pouring through my reference library. I can't stress enough the importance of a build log. I was afraid, like you, to write a log knowing there were craftsmen out there who had skills way beyond mine. I was pushed and reluctantly started to write. It was the best thing I could have done. Just organizing my thoughts to tap them out on the keyboard helped me understand what I was doing, plus the feedback was invaluable. Jon
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Chuck, I welcome another Rattler. You will find I have documented a lot of errors. Just don't follow too close and make the same ones! 8-)
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Thanks, you verified my thinking
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Martin - The holes for the Crowsfeet I've already drilled without a problem. What I'm confused about is how and where the buntline blocks are attached to the platform. Mamoli shows them tied with a line that goes over over the rim right where the Crowsfeet is rigged and hanging below the platform. The MS plans show the same thing in a more simplified manner. If there were no Crowsfeet, I wouldn't of seen a problem. In the books which do show the Crowsfeet, the buntline blocks are hung further inside the platform with the jeer strop. I guess I don't understand what you were trying to say as to where you placed them.
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1. Main topmast shrouds 2. Mainmast cap 3. Main yard lift block strop 4. Hole for main topmast 5. Ratlines 6. Mizzen topmast stay 7. Main yard lift long tackle block 8. Eye for top ropes 9. Strops for jeer pendants 10. Main yard lifts 11. Topmast shroud stave 12. Mizzen topmast stay deadeye 13. Topmast shroud lashing and deadeye 14. Main yard lift fall 15. Main top rail 16. Mizzen topmast staysail stay 17. Mizzen topmast staysail block 18. Topmast shroud lower deadeye 19. Deadeye plate 20. Deadeye lanyards 21. Bolster 22. Lower mast shroud eyes 23. Jeer strop 24. Main top gunwale 25. Jeer strop 26. Batten 27. Iron plate for topmast heel fid 28. Crowsfeet 29. Topmast deadeye and futtock shroud plates 30. Spritsail brace and main course buntline block 31. Studding sail boom topping lift and inner buntline fall block 32. Standing jeer block 33. Bibs
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What is taking me so long to drill the holes in the tops is among other things trying to figure out where the rigging is going. As I stated, I plan to rig Crows feet as shown in Harold Hahn’s plans but neither the Mamoli nor the Model Shipways show this. When I look at the books from Petersson, Lee, and Antsherl they show in excruciating detail how the Crowsfeet is supposed to look. All fine and good except that both Mamoli and MS show rigging and blocks that the book authors don’t, specifically the buntline blocks. (see comment 520 of the log). The Mamoli plan (third image) shows 12 blocks (Nos 450 – 499 and 451 – 499) and the MS plans (first image) shows 6 blocks. Both plans show them attached to the rim of the platform. Because my model will have the Crowsfeet, it would appear that the blocks attached to the fore rim would interfere with it. The books on the other hand show either 6 or 12 blocks suspended underneath the platform using something called a Jeer Strop (No. 23 in the diagram below). Now I know no two rigging plans are the same so I’ve chosen the Hahn’s plan as the Master guide but I still have to refer to anything I can lay my hands on for the details. For instance the diagram shows deadeye and futtock shroud plates (No 29) as well as the MS plans (not shown). The Mamoli plans appear to just use rigging line (2nd image comment 520). What will I use? I have no idea at this stage. If I go with the plates, I’ll have to make them somehow.
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Since this appears to work I now know what size hole to drill for the stanchions. Next I need to figure out how the futtocks work. The last item to the stanchion to be made is the little base plate which is not needed at this time so it will be created later.
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Matching the thickness of the music wire, a 3/64” bit was used to drill a hole on the center axis of the strip as close to end as I could. This was cut off at an equal distance on the other side of the hole. Drilling the hole first was much easier than trying to drill it after the piece was cut off. Using a pair of flat nose pliers, the two sides were bent up to a 90° angle forming the U-shaped saddle. The hole was then filed with a round needle file to ensure proper fit, allowing a piece of 17mm long music wire to be epoxied on. Once the glue had set and the excess trimmed, it was “painted” black with a Sharpie pen.
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