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Louie da fly

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Everything posted by Louie da fly

  1. Perhaps they are theoretical reconstructions. The only contemporary images of nefs I'm aware of are on city seals, plus three manuscript illustrations. Which is the problem faced by those of us who are interested in ships of this period. These images are about all we've got, as we lack any archaeological information on ships of this type. Steven
  2. I'm sure I've read somewhere that the "ram" on renaissance galleys (which by this time was right up at upper deck level) was used as a boarding bridge. Steven
  3. No worries, Roger. Taken in the spirit it was offered, and your interest is appreciated. Steven
  4. I'm wondering if it wouldn't be best for you to sand all the planks down at the bow cheeks to make a single smooth surface. Otherwise I can't see how that decal is going to stick. Whether you should also varnish it, I really don't know. Steven
  5. So long as it's stable, you should be fine. I've seen the results of ship models tipping over. Not to be thought of. Steven
  6. Just checked the taper in the strakes. The visible part (i.e. not taking the overlap into account) goes from 5 millimetres amidships to 3 mm at the ends. So a taper of 2mm in 5 - not all that shabby after all. Steven
  7. Thanks, Tony. It's just on 14 inches in the old money (35.5 cm). Steven
  8. Thanks people for the likes. Roger, I know about these carved stem and sternposts. Not a problem, but I decided to do it a different way, as nefs are later and further south than Viking ships (there's one on a seal from as far south as Spain!) and could well have followed a different tradition of construction. Chuck, the planks do taper but perhaps not as much as they should, and the taper is not terribly obvious in the photos. Steven
  9. Well, I can't speak for anybody else, but the base on my own galley (dromon) is wide enough so it doesn't tip over sideways but narrow enough for the oars to stick out either side. I think it looks better that way. Note that the base is made of a piece of marble, so it's VERY heavy, to keep it stable. Steven
  10. Thanks everybody for the likes and i particular thanks Woodrat, Druxey and Bolin for the info on bow/sternpost planking. Well, I've reached something of a milestone - I seem to recall Druxey saying the hardest bit of planking is getting to the turn of the bilge. Which I have now done! I've found that I'm doing an average of one pair of strakes every two days. Here's a pair of end planks. I've been joining the planks in a strake with scarphs in the thickness of the plank. There's a lot of trial and error involved and quite a bit of adjustment needed to get the planks to fit properly and follow the line of the strake smoothly. Of course the upper side of the plank isn't as important as the upper, because it will be hidden by the next plank overlapping it. Sometimes it doesn't quite work at the ends and I have to put in slivers of wood to fill the gaps. And then trim them off smooth. So here's the sequence - progress photos as the planking gradually gets done. Some more gap filling needed here. I'll get onto it in due course. This end is rather better. I'm pretty happy with this. And the pattern of the planking is unexpectedly attractive. It's made me appreciate clinker construction a lot more. Steven
  11. I've also seen a suggestion that ancient galleys didn't ram other vessels side-on, but on an angle from the stern. This makes sense if the opposing galley was travelling at speed - less likelihood of the ram being torn off by the collision. Unfortunately I've lost the reference. [Edit] I read a book a while ago called (I think) The Crescent and the Cross - The Battle of Lepanto. It basically described the battle as one of a single round of gunfire, followed by soldiers boarding opposing galleys and wiping out the crews in hand-to-hand combat. The galleasses, being much slower (though much more heavily armed), only figured in the battle at the very beginning after which they were left behind by the ebb and flow of the fighting. And the battle had very little effect on the overall situation - the Ottoman fleet had been completely replaced within a year. It was more of a propaganda victory than a strategic one. [/Edit] Steven
  12. Yes, much heavier and more powerful vessel than a galley, which was built as lightly as possible because it was moved by muscle-power. Steven
  13. Well worth getting if you're into that kind of thing. Very well and comprehensively researched, and as far as I'm concerned though it was published back in 2006 is still the definitive work on the subject. The discoveries at Yenikapi in Istanbul have made some of it out of date, but it's still the best book out there on dromons. Steven
  14. Thanks, mate. Is that first picture you posted from the wreck of the Lomellina at Villefranche? Steven
  15. I've just added some more galleons to my Pinterest page, for those who are interested. https://www.pinterest.com.au/lowe1847/galleons/ Steven
  16. Merci beaucoup, GD. For the English-speakers; "The carlingots are two pieces placed against the keel, parallel to it, for lateral reinforcement. The aiguillettes are the top piece of the top part of the cavaliers (which on this ship have a particular form)". I'm not familiar with the term cavalier, but it seems to be a frame, and so I think the aiguillette must be the top futtock. Steven
  17. Hi Sandra, What an amazing job to have! I envy you immensely. I have a smattering of French myself, which has helped me with archaeological reports. Speaking of which, have you any idea of what is meant by the terms aiguilette and carlingot ? (see text below from the report Le Navire Génois de Villefranche in Archaeonautica No. 9). The carlingot appears to be something to do with the carlingue (keelson) but I can't find a definition for it anywhere. Any help gratefully received. Steven
  18. Thanks, Allan. I think there's a lot to learn from contemporary representations, and I thought it would be good to collect as many as possible in one place as an easily-accessed reference. Bill, just a quick question - when you ask about chain plates, do you mean metal plates or the flat wooden extensions to the hull which hold the shrouds, known as chain wales (channels)? Steven
  19. You might like to look at the collection I made of contemporary representations of galleons at https://www.pinterest.com.au/lowe1847/galleons/ - it might be helpful. Steven
  20. Beautiful work, Slog! I don't know how anybody manages to produce such magnificent work from card. Kudos, mate! Steven
  21. Sandra, you'll occasionally find that there are alternative translations between French and English, of which one is correct and the other isn't. For example the usual translation of the word pont into English is "bridge" - but the correct word for ships is "deck". The "bridge" is a different part of the ship entirely. Another one is bâtiment - the usual English translation is "building", but the maritime one is just "ship." There are quite a few words like this, but as you get into the subject it gets easier. Steven
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