Rick01

There's a good basic planking tutorial in the Articles database on the home page which is worth reading a couple of times before you get too frustrated and I found a short soak in water then clampling to a curved mould to be much easier when plank bending. I also had some trouble with mixed quality timbers in this kit so sorted through ALL the planking to get a selection that I was happy to use. All the ply fittings I dumped and replaced with solid timber - ply just doesn't stain smoothly. If you haven't already then check the National Maritime Museum for models of cutters. This link is what I used for additional information http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;authority=subject-90254;collectionReference=subject-90254;innerSearchTerm=cutter;start=0 Decking needs a waterway and using Kings sketches I repositioned the gunports, also using his cut-away to reposition all the deck furniture hatches etc. As for the hobbit home main gangway - total redesign and build. The top mast spreader (8.7 in the instructions) will need the lower mast cap rebuilt as it has no provision for the spreader to sit properly (see page 17~18 of Petersson) and the fixed top yard should be omitted as all King's paintings/sketches show it as a flying gaff. There are probably more items that I missed as it was my second model only and I was still learning and attempting my own research. One thing you will find useful is a scalpel and a few dozen no. 11 blades all quite cheap on Ebay (plus a pack of bandaids) and a small steel rule. Makes cutting planking very much easier. Don't be afraid to make your own tools along the way either I think we all have a number of home-made items that we've found essential. Rick

There are a few other areas of "dissent" that I came across. I did make some notes on the plans as I went so if you'd like I can dig them out and post them here. My knowledge of rigging etc. is also pretty much zero but given that basic physics applies right down the line "if it ain't going to work then it can't be right". 😉 Rick

Ooops - gunwales should read bulwarks!! I ended up having to add a couple of mm to the stem to allow for the bowsprit and rigging holes. As you've rounded the transom this may well also affect the fit at the stern for the bulwarks. 🙂 As for positioning all the deck furniture I used Kings cut-away sketch as a guide assuming he had a fair idea of his own ship. Blew it up to 1/48 and worked from there.

Hi - I guess you've found the older build logs on the Mermaid with our own variations and problem solving. I seem to recall a particular problem was with the gunwales.Instructions advise "identify and fit" with no mention of the fact that there is a (from memory) 1mm different in height front to back. Gunwales sit nicely either way but if you get them with the high side to the bows it stuffs up the rest of the fittings at the bow. I had a short discussion with the mfg. of the kit and was told this would be rectified in the next redraw of the instructions. Note also the runof the anchor cables - starboard side leads onto the drum incorrectly so that when turned on anchor raises whilst the other is lowered!! Rick

😜 Rick

But.. but.. but ... Koalas aren't bares!! 🙂😉

Completed at last - I still have to make a stand and case for it but otherwise I've actually made a Scratch built model!! May not be the best one on the forum but I'm happy with the result. Rick

Down to the final bits now. I've approx. 30 rope coils to make and attach, anchors to secure, a stand to make plus a case and I'm finished. I'm back on two legs at last but 8 months of crutches have ruined my left shoulder so fine rope work is a bit of a pain but I'm getting there. There are problems with it but for my first scratch build I'm happy.

Got a few steps further. Bilge pumps made and located but not yet fixed in place. Fore boom also completed. Ran out of parrels so gaff is still dismounted. Bowsprit completed together with dolphin striker. Little bit of the rigging also under way. This area is causing some problems - I've been on crutches for near 9 months and this has played havoc with my shoulders, surprisingly with fine work your shoulders seem to take quite a bit of strain which has meant that much of the rigging is on hold 'til I'm walking without crutches again - quite soon I hope. Rick

A little more progress. Fore mast being worked on now Fore gaff, boom and yokes under construction and assembled ready to be cleaned up and dressed.

I know the build is slow but I'm getting there. Lower masts now stepped and main mast top plus boom etc. fitted. Majority of the rigging has also been added with the ratlines yet to be installed and some loose ends tidied up.

She's coming on - take your time with the first planking but remember that it will be covered and can be filled and sanded back to give a good solid base for the final effort.

Construction is a little slow at the moment - as an amputee I'm battling with a broken hip (not that big a problem) but the crutches together with a partial tear of my rotator cuff and an inflamed bursar are causing mobility problems! However I've managed to build lower and upper masts and started to dress them so I should be able to start some of the rigging shortly. I should probably add that fine work is a real problem due to the restricted movement of my shoulder.

Just take it slow and remember that the first layer of planking can be experimented with and will take a reasonable amount of sanding. Any problems arising don't hesitate to ask if you're at all unsure - we've all been there with our first (and with me 2nd, 3rd etc) models.

Getting on slowly. Bow section near complete and looking pretty crowded. Foremast is a temporary installation to get positioning of windlass etc. correct. Catheads have been rigged before fitting as it's so much easier than trying once crammed into the space available. Work is a little slow at the moment as I tripped a couple of weeks back and broke my femur - all pinned screwed and plated OK but sitting for any length of time to work on the model is rather painful!

I have a large sheet of MDF and just use bulldog clips to hold the plans, propping the plans up behind my worktop.

Hows the planking coming on? I find the last couple of runs can be real sods when attempting a perfect fit! I guess work and your cough have probably been in the way a bit recently.

Thanks for the help everyone it's given me something to work with now.

Full plan

Vessel is an 1830 topsail schooner built in Hobart. Profiles as attached. There are no original plans of the schooner but this plan was drawn up by Karl Heinz Marquardt based on drawings of the Topsail Schooner Enterprize and ship building practices common at that time. Length over deck 53', beam 18' 4", draft 10' Hope this helps.

I'm having a problem understanding a section of a plan for a 1830 topsail schooner. There appears to be an anomaly surrounding the hawse hole for the anchors. From the attachecopy you can see that there appears to be a hole well forward to allow the anchor cable to be pulled aboard but it is situated below the deck level. From above there doesn't appear to be any way for the cable to be fed round the windlass but at the same time it appears that there is (possibly) a hole in the deck alongside the fore mast which I would guess as being for the cable to be fed down to the rope locker. Can anyone clarify these points please.

This is only guesswork, however I would expect to see the double system used on heavier yards. Having said that I've seen more use of the double system than the single and my knowledge of nautical terminology/usage is so close to zero as makes no difference. I tend to look at things on a purely mechanical basis.

As far as I can see truss pendants were used where an obstacle of some sort would prevent the yard being fully lowered if held by parral trucks as in the rigging for cutters and topsail schooners. Oversimplified but it works for me.

Bowsprit step completed after a couple of tries and two days of fiddling to get everything to line up. Bowsprit roughed up as it was needed to ensure the step fitted and sat in the correct position. I had to ensure it was tapered correctly, starting with an 8mm dowel placed in the chuck of a hand drill used as a lathe I tapered it to measure 7 mm down to 6 mm and then had to square the end to fit the step at the correct angle - that was a real pain as there was a lot of guesswork and fitting by eye, however I got there in the end. Getting the curve needed 24 hours of soaking but it did come out OK.

More to the point - coughing with sharp implements in one's hand isn't exactly recommended! Hope your Dr can fix you up quickly.