Perls

I use them when testing a new batch of paint when I am airbrushing. Spraying onto wood gives a more accurate idea of what the paint looks like on ship's timber than does spraying onto paper. I write on the sticks and keep them as a reference for future painting jobs. I do the same when testing the different colours and shades of wood stain.

It looks like a very good beginning. This website is the greatest for helping you with problems that will crop up.

Hi,
 
I have found that wooden coffee stirrers a lot more useful. The ones I have are about 7.5"x1/4"x1/16" and are made from birch. They have uniform straight grain and are quite flexible. You can get a box of 1000 for about 6 bucks at Staples, Office Depot, etc. If you look at my build log, I used them for the pump handles on my log pump.
 
Best,
Steve

Hi,
 
I have found that wooden coffee stirrers a lot more useful. The ones I have are about 7.5"x1/4"x1/16" and are made from birch. They have uniform straight grain and are quite flexible. You can get a box of 1000 for about 6 bucks at Staples, Office Depot, etc. If you look at my build log, I used them for the pump handles on my log pump.
 
Best,
Steve

Hi all. Anchor's Aweigh!!! After doing the twin drum windlass, the time had come to do the two anchors that Ingomar had resting on her foredeck. I tried many ways, but finally succeeded in replicating the anchors as best I could; although they do need a bit of cleaning up to get rid of the rough edges. I then painted them light gray to simulate a 'worn' sort of look. I also threaded the anchor chain (actually black rigging thread had to be used because I didn't have a chain tiny enough!) through the hawse holes and up through the deck and onto the respective drums of the windlass.
 
Also, having glued the bowsprit on, I decided to see what Ingomar's masts would look like. I put some dummy dowels into the mast holes to see just how much of a transformation the masts would eventually make. Wow! Not bad, I thought.
 
QUESTION! I have to build the binnacle next. However, I'm stuck for ideas of how to build the octagonal glass part of the binnacle. At this scale, it's a pretty difficult task because it's only about 1.5 mm high. I can try using an octagonal shaped glass bead, (from a jewellerry bead shop) but I'd welcome any ideas from anyone out there. Any ideas????
 
Hope you enjoy the photos!
 
All the best!

Hi all! Guess what? It's Friday...and you all know what that means. Yep. It's the weekend soon. Yay.
 
Well, Ingomar's just emerged from an in-depth session of painting. Her hull's been sanded and painted; probably more than 10 times over the past couple of weeks. After that, I applied at least four coats of thinned down gloss varnish as a clear coat. But, before all that, in terms of preparatory work, I did my best to clear up all the rough edges and clean things up. That way the finish would scrub up really nice and crisply. Nils, if you're reading this, after some consideration, I'm still in two minds about painting the drop keel the brass colour. It sounds good, but I wonder if it would stand out too much? I may still do it later. Thanks for your advice, though.
 
I've also made the twin drum windlass in the bow of the ship (it still needs a bit of finishing off. I don't have the ability to replicate all the actual gears of an authentic windlass, so I kinda cheated and made a modern-style windlass, such as what would appear on large modern yachts today; albeit a simplified version of one.
 
The following photos illustrate the paint finish of the hull, as well as the windlass.
 
Have a great weekend and all the best!

Hi everyone!  Hope you're all well.  
 
What a difference the addition of the drop keel and rudder has made to Ingomar's hull.  I was actually dreading adding the drop keel, because I thought it would spoil her underbody shape, but, to my surprise, I reckon it's added a huge point of interest to the hull.  To my mind, Ingomar looks like she's really coming along nicely.  The rudder, also, has made a big difference and in many ways, sort of 'completes' the hull nicely.
 
Another addition that's just been added is the final strip of jarrah to finish off the deck's edge and the top of the transom.  I reckon it contrasts nicely against the lightly coloured deck planks.  Still needs further sanding and varnishing though.
 
Lastly, I've temporarily added a piece of wood to simulate the long bowsprit.  It looks really, really, really long to me, but I've triple checked the measurement and it's correct.  It just gives you an idea of the huge amount of sail that these mega yachts carried in the early 1900's.
 
Hope you enjoy the photos.
 
All the best, everyone!
 
 

Hi Elia,
 
I can't believe it's taken until today to find this log. WOW! The overall level of craftsmanship is unbelievable and something to which I can only aspire.
 
The "try, fail, ponder, adjust, try agin, fail, ponder,....." Is something I can completely relate to. I know some might find it amusing but today I spent 3 hours trying to fabricate an iron wye for the the bowsprit on the Smuggler. I think I could do one now in about 10 minutes. I wished I had found this log earlier since it was through trial and error I stumbled upon using different solders with different melting points.
 
Anyway, thank you for sharing this terrific build, the things you've discovered and also for the encouragement you have shown me.
 
Best,
Steve
 
ps. I've come to share your fondness for American fishing schooners. I spent a couple of hours last night going through Chapelle's AFS fantasizing about which one I would like to attempt as my first scratch build when my skills get there. S.

Small progress update Arethusa. I've been working more of the fiddly bits of ironwork for the deck. Following are chainplate assemblies.

I mentioned previously that I was 'stuck' on making the double stropped lower deadeyes. I had fashioned the strops from 0.015" diameter brass wire, looping it around two pins a given distance apart on a wood board. I pinched the wire adjacent to each pin, and soldered the overlap of the two free ends with Stay Brite solder. After trimming the excess, and sanding the soldered end into somewhat reasonable shape I used a drill bit which as about the same diameter as the deadeyes to create the strop shape. Pliers were used to straighten the 'lug' ends of the strop. Once those were all formed I painted the entire strop dull silver except for the non-soldered lug end.

Here is a photo of the some of the parts in manufacturing sequence. On the left is a straight strop after the one end was soldered and sanding/filed. Next to it is a formed hoop strop, the deadeye, the brass rivet, and the chainplate. Next is the soldered assembly. And last is the assembly with the rivet stem trimmed off.



Here is a photo of all of the parts prior to mass soldering production:


Here is a photo of my soldering pad and the assembly secured with wire and a pin:

I placed the manufactured 0.8mm head diameter rivet head at the end of the strop which had been soldered so that the other end, which would be soldered to the unpainted strop was as far away from the strop soldered joint as possible - to mitigate as much as possible the heat from the full assembly soldering from damaging the first soldered joint. This may have been overkill, as the second soldered joint was made using TIX, which has a melt temp of 270F, whereas Stay Brite has a melt temp of 450F or so. In any case the plan worked acceptably. There were variations in forming of the strop loops, and the soldered joints, resulting in more than I want, but all in all acceptable to proceed with.

The final parts assembled, trimmed, and touch up silver paint applied.


Soon I'll install them on the ship.

Cheers,

Elia

The build log reconstruction begins...
 
It has been a long time since I’ve started a new sailing ship build, with my sailing ship model (Oneida) taking about 4 years to complete.  Ever since building Smuggler, an 1870’s mackerel seiner from Gloucester, I’ve been smitten by 19th and 20th century American fishing schooners.  There are a number builds, both in progress and completed, that have been inspiring to me – Bluenose builds, a couple of Ben Lathams, a scratch build of Columbia, and even a few of the “yachty” Americas.  Jim Lefever, who’s impressive Benjamin Latham build was a great inspiration for me, provided me with a list of great reading references on American fishing schooners.  After receiving a number of them as gifts, and reading through them, I knew my next build would have to be another fishing schooner.  I have to admit right up front that Arethusa, an early 1900s fishing schooner and the topic of this build, was never called the “Goddess of Gloucester”.  She was a goddess in Greek mythology.  The schooner was named after one of Thomas McManus's daughters.  I just thought that 'Goddess of Gloucester' fit to her will and made for a catchy name for this log.  Arethusa, the schooner, was big, beautiful, and had a colorful history – sounds interesting to me.  Enough about my motivations and ramblings….let’s get on with the ship.     Arethusa was designed by Thomas F. McManus in 1907 and built by James and Tarr in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1909.  She was what is termed a knockabout schooner.  Unlike traditional schooners, with bowsprits (and jibbooms, and flying jibbooms), knockabout schooners had an extended bow and no bowsprit.  The extended bow essentially placed the fore topmast stay at the same position as on a traditional schooner.  With that configuration of stay location the crew wouldn’t be required to climb out on the typically poorly maintained footropes aside the bowsprit in order to perform tasks involving the sails and rigging.  This was a Thomas McManus innovation, based on his observations and discussions with fisherman and owners, and was meant to reduce sailing crew injuries and deaths.   I am using Howard I. Chapelle’s lines drawing and sail plan of Arethusa from his “American Fishing Schooners”, plate 120 and figure 30.  “American Fishing Schooners” (AFS) has a great deal of detail in it’s appendix on most of the features of late 19th century and early 20th century schooners, and it is these I will use to build the details of the model.  If anyone knows of more details about Arethusa I would be most grateful to learn of them.  I have contacted Mystic Seaport Museum about their collection but found that while Arethusa is listed in their collection they don’t have any more information than that (little) which is shown in AFS.   Following are some excerpts from “Thomas F. McManus and the American Fishing Schooners”, by W.M.P. Dunne, on Arethusa: James and Tarr “...completed her on 25 September 1907.  Fifteen feet longer than the Pontiac, the Arethusa was, nevertheless, a deep, short ended knockabout, with the typically knuckled straight run of the keel (although with less drag), that Tom favored in this class, and more tumblehome.  Once again he experimented with the rig.  He stepped the foremast farther forward with the masts further apart.  Right from the start, the big fisherman earned a reputation as a speedster.  Captain Clayton Morrisey, the Arethusa’s first skipper waxed poetic: “She’s the slickest bit of wood that ever went down to Bay of Islands.  Nothing can touch her and an eight-year-old girl’s little finger is stout enough to spin the wheel no matter how fresh it breezes.”  “Can she sail?” exclaimed Captain Morrisey, opening his eyes as if he didn’t quite believe his ears.  “Why, when we were coming up from the herring grounds she cut out her 13 knots an hour for six consecutive hours.”     “We’d see a blotch of smoke away ahead on the horizon and in a little while would make out a tramp steamer bound our way.  Pretty soon the Arethusa was kiting alongside the tramp and then we’d lose sight of her astern.  She did that trick a number of times.”     In fact, with Clayt Morrissey at the helm in 1912, the Arethusa would easily outrun the Canadian Dominion fisheries’ patrol steamer Fiona, “whose commander opined the Arethusa was violating the three-mile limit.”           “At the beginning of 1921, soon after the new [prohibition] law was in place, Captain William F. “Bill” McCoy, a sometime Daytona Beach, Florida, boatbuilder, guided his fully-laden McManus schooner, the Henry L. Marshall, past the Tybee Lighthouse and up the river to Savannah, where, in the dark of the night, he discharged not fish, but 1,500 cases of illicit liquor.  With the proceeds, McCoy replaced himself with a new skipper on board the Marshall and went to Gloucester in search of the boat of his dreams, Tom’s speedy Arethusa.  Although McCoy had fished the Marshall legitimately until after the Eighteenth Amendment dried out the country, he had always thirsted for Arethusa.  With Gloucester feeling the effect of postwar economic contraction, the owners of the fourteen-year-old schooner…..sold her to McCoy in April 1921.  The Arethusa became a rum runner, a fast freighter of bootleg spirits.  McCoy renamed her Tomoka, added a bowsprit so she could carry two jibs, jumbo and jib topsail-and a lot of liquor (she had the capacity of 6,000 cases of illegal alcohol).     He brought the Tomoka to anchor just outside the then three mile limit of United States waters, but well within site of the beach.  He soon began a thriving business with New York and New Jersey bootleggers…. “  [this is where the term ‘the real McCoy’ came from]   Arethusa later returned to fishing, and was lost off Halifax in November 1929.  Her particulars are:   Designer                Thomas F. McManus Builder                    Tarr and James Launch date                25 September 1907 Gross tonnage                157 tons Molded length at caprail of        127’ – 3”     Molded beam                25’ – 0” Molded depth                13’ – 2” Registered dimensions        114.0’ x 25.6’ x 12.5’

continued...

Hi Alfons,
 
I want to take advantage of your offer to post a couple of pics. of my Smuggler. I don't think I can hold a candle to you or Nils, but it's my first build and I've given it my best best shot so far. You guys have really inspired me to take my craftsmanship up to the next level going forward.
 
None of the deck furniture is attached. And, as I mentioned I'm reworking the color scheme. I'll use these photos as a starting point and put together my own build log in the very near future. Thanks again for your inspiration.
 
Best,
Steve
 

 

Hi Omega,
 
I'm still on the "flat" part of the learning curve, but to make something so crisp and clean at that size amazes me. Are you going to fit sails? I usually wouldn't care but the profile earlier in the log showed a beautiful sail plan. Keep it up. You have found a new fan.
 
Best,
Steve

Thanks Nils but I don’t think the brass comes close to yours.  It's all in the camera.
 
Thanks Pete I was starting to work on wood hoops when I remembered the admiral said black and gold so the hoops are now slices of brass tubing and the pins may be brass also.
 
Bob

When the Lettie was discovered after being abandoned the masts, bowsprit, and the windlass had been taken off the boat and mostly disassembled so I am not completely sure this is the correct windlass.  I got this design from Chapelle’s “The American Fishing Schooner”.  I think it will do.  It is mounted on a temporary base and I will be taking it all apart and painting some of the parts before mounting it on the boat.  I have to admit I had a lot of fun with the linkage.  I wish I had kept time on this I figure somewhere between 12 and 20 hours.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

 

Steve, Jim,
 
Thank you for your interest.
 
The Maine Topsail Schooner "Eagle" 1847 was my 1st scratch build and also a very enjoyable build.  I think that future models of my "American Merchant Sail from the Mid-1800's Series" will be scratch or near scratch build as I have developed a standard build sequence and list of preferred fitting suppliers.
 
Planning for the Topsail "Eagle" build was ~40-60 hours while I built furniture for our New Hampshire house.  Actual construction was ~800 hours spread over roughly one year.  As I was retired at the time, time was reletively free.  Now that I am working again, time is more limited.
 
Regards,
Pete

Good evening
after the dismal progress i made last weekend, it nearly ended up being the same this weekend
the tried in vane to get the right sale on the cannon rigging, but it all looked so large, so i attempted to convert some 3mm single blocks into doubles without success so i gave up and ordered 100 3mm double blocks
today i tried the fire buckets, the ones supplied with the kit don't look anything like Real life, come on Jotika Caldercraft - you can do better than that, although not to scale i am going to use some from my parts bin, they could do with being thinned out inside but i am going to fill them with sand so it should not show
the gold emblem is work in progress, hopefully when painted and scanned and reduced in size i will then print onto water decal sheets
 

Looking forward to your build, Tim--I have the Bluejacket kit (want convert the hull to POB) so have a chair pulled up, a full bowl of popcorn, and am ready to watch your beautiful build unfold!
 
Jay

Hi,
 
I'm pretty confident you're OK. As I mentioned above, I have a lot of years experience reproducing antique furniture. This has obviously involved the use of lots of veneers and inlays.
 
While not exactly the same, I have used a short cut for attaching the veneers and inlays. Depending on the specific circumstances I would use carpenters glue as opposed to the more traditional contact cement. Essentially it involved coating both the substrate and veneer/inlay with carpenters glue and letting both dry. Then I would use a hot iron and press the pieces together. It's sort of the opposite process of what you did with heat gun. I did some of this work 30 years ago and everything is as tight and smooth as the day I finished it. I've applied the veneers/inlays to both plywoods and hardwoods (mostly mahogany) with no problems.
 
I hope this helps.
 
Best,
Steve

Hi Bob, how is the work proceeding on the sails? the templates look good, have you been sucked into the whole CAD thing?
 
Michael

Harvey Russ, Bob, Elia, Salty, Mark, Overdale, Popeye. Thank you all for your kindness
 
Well because it is snowing pretty hard right now Cricket was definitely out..... so I opted for a test paint of the cover boards and a re-coat on the bulwarks.
 

 
It turned out looking quite reasonable we thought,
 

 
so after it dries we will give it a second coat and see how it looks.
 
Michael
 
 

Well that certainly was a bit of a shock.
 
I will not try to rebuild everything back to the begining but here is a brief overview of from there to here.
 
This pilot cutter is based on some plans that were published by MAP
(Model and Allied Press) back in the early 70's and those plans were actually
based on the fishing smack CK482. Those of you who have seen the build in the past
will already be familiar with what I have done so far.
 
The model is

LOD 63 inches

LOA 84 inches

Beam 18 inches

Draft 10 1/2 inches

My intention is to sail this model here are a few pics of the build





The frames are Jellutong, and the planking on the hull is Cedar.





 
The roller reefing is custom built around a worm gear on hand.

The mast is Clear Fir and the boom is Spruce.


 


The deck is double planked the lower planks are white pine glued and treenailed
into place the top planks are clear Fir the caulking is coloured Carpenters
glue the top planks will also be treenailed in place.
 
The cockpit surround is Honduras Mahogany as is the forward hatch and the cabin
sides.
 

 
The underside of the
cockpit coaming the walls will drop into the opening 2 1/14 inches and there
will be a gasket around the edge of the deck under the coaming. The cockpit
will be fixed into the hull with a couple of brass machine screws then a teak
floor grate will cover those. this way I can access the rudder controls and
keep the water
 

 
I have learned form this experience to back up everything and am now building my log in MSword and posting to the site.
 
It is great to have the site back.
 
Michael
 

Once everything was added to the side panels they were glued into place.  The first thing I did was to tack the bow sections in place so I could make sure everything was even on both sides.  And glued the sides to the hull.  I then noticed that one side was about a 1/16 to short.  So I cut a section and added a strip to make it fit.  A little pressure and the seam is hardly noticable.  I will proceed to hide it as I proceed with the model.





David B

Hi Alfons,
 
I want to take advantage of your offer to post a couple of pics. of my Smuggler. I don't think I can hold a candle to you or Nils, but it's my first build and I've given it my best best shot so far. You guys have really inspired me to take my craftsmanship up to the next level going forward.
 
None of the deck furniture is attached. And, as I mentioned I'm reworking the color scheme. I'll use these photos as a starting point and put together my own build log in the very near future. Thanks again for your inspiration.
 
Best,
Steve
 

 

Bob, if you drilled a hole the same diameter as some brass tube through a small piece of hardwood, then cut it trough to the shape of the hull at the bow, you could then file the brass tube to the same shape then anneal it and seat it back in the hole only sticking out a little bit. Next you could use the end of a piece of solid rod to shape the open end into an oval type eyelet. Just a though because I have to do the same thing and I though I could watch how you get on before doing mine;~) 
 
Michael