Louie da fly

Still waffling around on this build. Not the way I usually work - normally I'd spend a lot of time researching and getting everything worked out before I started building, but with a deadline - and over-confidence - how hard could it be? (famous last words) I rushed in before I had everything sorted out and made even more mistakes than usual, which is why I've ended up with two versions, neither of which I'm terribly happy with. So - here's version two, with card for the decks so the promenade decks can be seen through the "side walls". Painted and with filler to hide some problems - with a fault in the timber and with the shape of the stern. Funnels made and painted. Card decks At which point I got hold of another, better side view of the ship which I blew up to 1:1 with the model and discovered I'd added a top deck which didn't exist. Plus the card was very fragile and bent when I looked at it. I've gone back to version 1, and I'm afraid the client will have to be happy with what he gets - I doubt that anyway he and his girlfriend will see the inaccuracies it took me all this time to notice. (BTW those things at the bottom of the pic are the lifeboats). I think it won't be long before it's all complete. I don't think in future I'm going to accept commissions for ships I'm completely unfamiliar with, and certainly not with a built-in deadline. Steven

That's quite a wave she's going through. I wouldn't want to have to walk on that! Steven

Planking: Only the top row of planks still to do: Adding a stealer to the bow, which curves up rather dramatically. Treenails made of whatever scrap wood that came to hand. And filling the gap on the starboard side. But I discovered the sheer on the larboard gunwale was not correct, so I had to undo the glue and cut the treenails to move it down into a curve that worked better with the top planking: Ah, that's more like it . . . Planking complete on port side (old Goon show joke: Ned Seagoon, on board P & O steamer: "Purser, where's the rest room?" Purser: "Port Side". Neddy: "Port Said??? I can't wait that long!" Antepenultimate plank: Penultimate plank: AAAAAND - Planking complete! Aftercastle and masts dry fitted: (sorry about the picture quality) Steven

J11, did you ever go any further with plans to build Magellan's ships? I just revisited this thread and it's over three years since you posted. I hope you're still thinking about the project - I think it would be very worthwhile. And I (rather late, I'm afraid) got google to translate your Spanish article above It says "The term 'nao' is used for a ship, vessel or boat, although in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in Spain it was also used to designate a certain type of ship dedicated to transporting passengers and merchandise, moved by sail, without oars, with high sides, a castle at the bow and poop at the stern, a round stern and axial or central rudder. At the end of the 15th century, it was standardized into a ship of a certain size, with a continuous deck, a covered castle at the bow, an awning cover at the stern and a tonnage or loading capacity of 100 to 600 toneladas (= tuns: barrels weighing a ton). It was equipped with a rig capable of withstanding strong winds consisting of a bowsprit or bowsprit at the bow with a feedsail(?) and three vertical masts, of which the foremast and main had a rectangular rig, and a triangular or lateen mizzen, with a crow's nest on the main. At first, it was the merchant ship par excellence, although in the 16th century it also began to be used as an armed or warship, to be used especially in voyages to the Indies." Not really all that helpful, I'm afraid. I've seen somewhere on Facebook someone making a very nice model of a carrack from about the right period with some extremely good plans. I'll see if I can find it. Aha! You can find it at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2235633576538313/search/?q=carrack - look for Caracca Veneziana being made by Giuseppe Chiavazzo - if you contact him on Facebook he may be able to help you. BTW, another point to keep in mind is that the ships wouldn't all have been the same size. If you look at the last photo in post #14 above, you can see carracks of different sizes in a single picture. Basically all very similar, but with differences of detail (apart from size, some have four masts, some have three). And here you have scope for variation - things like the awning at the stern can have the ridge beam running either fore and aft or side to side. If you check out various different pictures of carracksyou'll see other kinds of variation you could introduce to show a bit of variability in the different ships of the fleet. I hope you're still out there to read this Best wishes, Steven

Had a sausage sizzle yesterday. Unfortunately as it was in Ballarat, the sun stayed away. But nothing better than Chrissy on the beach! Preferably with your feet being burnt by the hot sand. Steven

Beautiful work, particularly for a first wooden build! Steven

This level of detail helps me understand why you chose such a large scale. Nice work, Dick. Steven

Beautiful work, Gusar! Steven

Beautiful work, Dick. Is that timber jarrah? Steven

I'm loving following this build and your logical process of decision making and problem solving. Beautiful work. Steven

Beautiful job, mate. She looks very good. It wouldn't be a proper ship build if you didn't learn something to do differently next time Regarding small tweezers, have a look at the ones used for personal grooming. I bought a set of them, all with different 'business ends' quite cheaply at s department store. Steven

Yes, a very difficult shape. Good luck with getting it nice and smooth. Steven

It just occurred to me that maybe we've misinterpreted the meaning of the title of this thread. Sorry (couldn't help myself) Steven

Yes. But as well as external wales for strengthening, most of the ships I encounter (mediaeval and renaissance) also have stringers inside the hull, doing a similar job. Except perhaps for looking nice . . . Steven

Beautiful work (as usual), Greg. I love your 20th century warships; even though it's not something I'd want to do I can recognise quality work when I see it and be impressed by it. Steven

https://news.err.ee/1609172593/europe-s-oldest-compass-found-in-lootsi-wreck-even-older-cog-still-underground More information in links at the bottom of the article.

Allanyed, I'm attaching (my own) translation of the article that appeared in Archaeonautica, but looking more carefully at the cross sections in Part 6 I may have been misled by the midships cross-section to think the wale lined up with the main deck throughout the length of the ship. Further inspection reveals that the wale is by no means present in all the sections level with the main - by which I mean the middle deck - between the orlop and the upper deck as shown in Fig. 50 (Cross-section at floor timber W70). To help with interpretation of the drawings, note that the partial sections (all of the ship that survived, unfortunately) are of the vessel as she was found - lying on her port side, so the keel is on the right of each section. Thank you for bringing this to my attention - I'm planning to tackle Lomellina as my next build, so I don't want to get it wrong. Steven Archaeonautica Lomellina article - English.pdf

These will support the ship, but won't fix it firmly to the base - it's only held by gravity so it it could still tip over. You'll need to decide whether that's enough for you or whether you want to ensure that it's impossible for the ship to tip over and come off the base if jolted. Steven

Yes, I could have explained it in my previous post, but it was more fun to keep them in suspenders for awhile . . . Steven

Is that where you keep the jousting sticks? Steven

Very impressive! It wasn't till I saw that photo that the 1:25 scale sank in . . . Where do you find the room for all these models? Steven

More planking. Steven

I don't know about other ships, but I do know that the main wale on the Lomellina (sank 1516, probably built 1503) was exactly in line with the main deck. But my understanding is that wales were effectively just thicker, heavier strakes, so other strakes would be placed in line with them. Steven

They'd better be! Much more work in this model than $200 worth! Oh, no. Woodrat beats me hands down. From 1600 B.C.E. Mycenaean galley to 1440 C.E. carrack/nao - that's over 3000 years - still more if we include his 18th century Gros Ventre. But I think I can claim the widest chronological gap for two builds going on simultaneously. Steven

Interesting. In New Zealand, the Maori dug-out war canoe is called a Waka, and the building process (including the ceremonial and religious aspect) was very similar to that of the Hawaiians - see John Allen's fascinating build at