davyboy

some progress:
 

Thank you scrubbyj427 .
According to the drawing, I placed painted glass balls imitating cannonballs in the main hold and started making the pumps.

Post 12
Completion of Planking.

6399a

6401a
Not too bad a spiled shape for the final strake, which mostly sits below the round of the hull.

6407a
Pattern for the final spiled plank.
 
A major milestone in this minor build, completion of the planking. I think the ugly duckling is looking a little more Swan like now.

6408a

6409a

6412a
For sanding I used 120 followed by 320 papers.

6414a
To maintain the keel drag for waterline marking I found it necessary to fettle the work stand to allow the hull to sit fully down on the retaining pin.

6421a
A little more fiddling and fettlin’ before I move on.
 
B.E.
02/02/2026

Ciao ☺️

Hello everyone!
 
The exterior sanding is now complete. This was done using the Proxxon angle polisher (which I bought specifically for the inside surfaces) up to grit 600, a scraper, and steel wool.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Regards 
Andreas

The front of the rear castle is built. Still needs to be painted, openings made for cannons, etc.
Notice in the photo that the plank on the right side is a bit wider at the top (now fixed).

An oversized ladder from the front castle is placed here.

Now i first make the rudder and tiller. 
(from a "detailled" drawing and out a piece of cherrywood)

The building slip is also adjusted to make room for the rudder

Preparations. Two pieces sawn and milled.

Gluing.

Proportioned to a figure.

Rudder and tiller largerly ready.

I make the mast foot with a square cross section, and it fits into a square socket. This prevents the mast from turning. Then it is unnecessary to glue the mast in place.

Continuation of work

Deck beams:



 

Another good point.
 
Two things have me unconcerned.
1. The scale is 1:64 and this beam is 12" tall full scale = 3/16" at my build scale. Beams on decks above this are smaller yet. The angle is quite miniscule.
2. No one will be looking at any of the beams from the side (cross section).
 
The angular detail should be un-noticeable and masked by so many other details that should draw the oooh's and aaaah's. If anyone should honestly notice and comment and not have been aware due to reading this posting, they'll get a double shot of the good stuff poured by me into my Glencairn glass.

Finally finished the stern.

Started making the next deck.

Made heads through which water drains from the deck.

This is what we get in the end.

It's been a while since I posted a construction report. I made some more gun carriages.

Hi All~!
 
A relatively short and less glamorous update today. I am nearing the start of rigging work. And before starting in earnest on the shrouds, tackles and standing rigging, I wanted to follow up on any work that would be somewhat difficult after the shrouds are fixed in place. 
 
So, I decided to put in scuppers that I forgot to put in place early on(next time I shall not forget!). This proved to be a lot more trickier than I thought as there are very limited areas where I could work on these. Due to these problems, I decided to put in just one scupper on the weather deck and one water pump(these will be installed later, before shrouds as well) related scupper. Below are the picture for these works.
 



I thought of using decommissioned carbon arrow shafts for the pipes, but these seemed too thick to use for scupper pipes. After looking for alternative materials for some time, I found a broken carbon fishing rod (on the thinner end) that could be suitable for this purpose.
 


 



 
Next, I decided to put in two cleats at the bottom of the main mast (just in case I happen to run tight on belaying spots). For these, I used small scraps that I saved during the fighting top work. Also, I made a third wooden hand to relieve some pain on my left hand’s 3 fingers (working on these tiny hard wood stuffs taking some toll on my left finger~).
 





 


 
Lastly, I decided to put in place a triangular block for the standing rigging on the lower part of the main mast. For this, I tested 2 different wood types and sizes.
 



The winner is the white hard wood (which was salvaged from a small furniture that was non-functional) as it does not chip away at all and quite good to work on.
 
 



The triangle block is dyed with pine tar (pine tar 1: thinner 2) and dried for 1 day. End result seems quite OK. I think I am going to apply this pine tar dye on all the blocks going forward. That's all for this update, folks!! 

Thank you all for your checking in and the kind words. This is another big build but is going to be a lot of fun.
 
Here I've added the pear false keel and rabbet strip the bulkhead former. As you can tell she's big. Around 36" log at this point. With the stem and stern completed I estimate her to be over 42" long! 

These are the pieces of laser cut Alaskan Yellow Cedar (AYC) to make the knee as well as the template. All of the cuts are clean and precise. Very little adjust, if any, was needed for a good fit. The template worked very well in ensuring the proper curve was maintained. It fit to the bulkhead former with no issues. The knee was also tapered as per the instructions to fit the figurehead. I made the taper, but I'll have to finish later when I get the figurehead.


And here is the attached to the former as well as keel and false keel. Like the knee they are all AYC. Next will be the setting of the frames.

@jdbondy
Thank you so much for your kind comment,
and thank you to everyone else for the likes.
 
Rope tubs for halyards and sheets - Baille à drisse
I am currently securing the running rigging of the foreyard at the appropriate points. In this context, the loose ends of the foreyard sheets also need to be stowed.
On French ships of the first half of the 19th century, this was done in so-called bailles à drisse – roughly translated as rope tubs, in which the lines lay neatly coiled and ready.
In Dr. Eduard Bobrik's "Allgemeinen nautischen Wörterbuch" of 1858, they are mentioned as follows:


 
Contemporary handbooks clearly describe the function of these containers. In the Manuel du Gabier (1827), it states:
"Les drisses doivent être lovées proprement et déposées dans la baille, afin qu’elle puissent filer sans embarras." (“The lines must be neatly coiled and placed in the container so they can run without snagging.”)
 
The Manuel du Matelot (1811) adds:
“ Les cordages de manœuvre sont rangés dans des bailles pour les préserver de l’humidité et du désordre. ”
(“The maneuvering lines are stored in containers to protect them from moisture and disorder.”)
 
This clearly defines their function: order, dryness, and free-running lines without dragging on the deck or becoming tangled.
 
The Manuel du gréement – frégate de 44 canons (1828) describes, by way of example, how these containers were moved as needed when a free run had to be ensured when a rope was being let out. This prevented loops from forming or the rope from snagging on the deck. This source proves that the baille à drisse was an active piece of equipment, its position adjusted depending on the maneuver situation—not merely a static storage location.
 
The shape of these containers is not described in detail in the texts, but the Atlas du Génie Maritime and several shipyard models in the Musée de la Marine (e.g., La Belle Poule) clearly show cylindrical, open baskets with vertical struts.

Source: Atlas du Génie Maritime
 
 

Source: Musée national de la Marine
 
Some time ago, I made such baille baskets for my 1:48 scale La Créole and presented them in the construction report.
For the construction of my baskets, I used a corresponding drawing from the Atlas du Génie Maritime as a guide. As with the historical shipyard model, I will install a total of five: two at the foremast, two at the mainmast, and one at the mizzenmast.

 
In the French Navy of the early 19th century, bailles à drisses were mobile wooden containers used for both the organized storage and dry keeping of running rope, particularly halyards and sheets.
 
1. Safe, dry storage of rope
Between maneuvers, the lines were neatly coiled and stored in these containers. This protected them from:
• Dampness on the deck
• Dirt
• Tangles
• Damage from chafing
The containers were therefore located in close proximity to the respective rigging, usually at the base of the mast or where the lines led onto the deck.
 
2. Organized handling during maneuvers
During sailing maneuvers, the containers served to neatly gather the running or hauled-in rope. They prevented:
• lines from dragging across the deck
• lines from wrapping around fittings or blocks
• loops from forming
• crew members from being hindered in their work
 
3. Situational Repositioning During Maneuvers
The Manuel du gréement (1828) describes a specific case on page 234 in which the officer has the containers briefly moved aside to prevent loops from forming and snagging when a halyard runs out.
This example demonstrates:
• The containers are not permanently mounted
• They are positioned according to the maneuver situation
• They are an active tool, not just a storage location
 
The described case is a practical example, but it confirms the fundamental function of these containers.
 
 

The initial temporary placement of a rope tub on the foremast shows the direction things are headed. The design with small feet lifts the container slightly off the deck, thus reflecting the practical logic also mentioned in the Manuel du gréement of 1828. The final placement of all five rope tubs will only take place after the rigging of the running rigging is complete and the belaying points have been cleaned up. These will later receive their coils, so the overall appearance will only be complete once the final setup is finished.
 
Until next time…

The head of the ship is now finished apart from rigging and the bowsprit to be installed later. This was undoubtedly the most difficult part of the build so far.
 
This shows the head before installation of the gratings. I thought I might do carlings instead of gratings but the plans called for gratings so.....

The grating follow the main head rail so they tilt alarmingly as they go toward the figurehead.
The heads are installed but I will install nettings and life lines later.
The boomkins are placed but need iron plates on the rail and cross beam.


 
The next job is the chainwales
Cheers
Dick

Post 11
The slog of planking continues.
Here in England’s currently not so pleasant land, January has provided day after day of cold wet weather, perfect for settling down for this sort of repetitive exercise.
You get into a rhythm a bit like Rattlin’ down.
Measure, Mark, taper/edge bend, test, and glue, clean and move on.

6354a
Following dry fitting the planks are pinned in place and blasted with the hairdryer on hot before gluing into place.

6356a

6357a
I have continued to form the strakes in three plank runs, easier to handle when using cyano.

6359a

6361a
The strake above the Garboard is now fitted, leaving six strakes to go each side.

6389a
There is an awkward area where the strake meets both the stern post and lower counter which would otherwise need filling.
The counter was trimmed slightly to allow passage of the plank.
Not quite sure whether this plain part of the counter is a kit simplification, it just looks a little odd to my eye.
In practice would it not have been framed and planked similarly to the engraved plank marks below the counter?

6392a
Five days effort and three strakes to go, one top, one bottom and a final spiled strake between.
 
B.E.
31/01/2026

Hi all,
 
Well it's been a long time since I last posted. The world and other things have intruded. I had a couple of projects I had to do for friends of the family, Vanguard Grecian and AL Virginia 1819. Then there's work. After turning 70 last year I told my boss it was time to cut back. So during the summer and fall I sent my time training my replacement. I've now taken the winter off and don't return until May and then only parttime!  
So I've been back at the Speedwell, finished the stern framing and that finishes chapter 2. 
 

 
I'm now on the mend from "trigger finger" hand surgery so no fine work or heavy sanding in the near future. I can however do milling of the AYC needed for chapters 3 & 4. It's break out the saw and make a lot of dust! 
 
 

If you are rigging, the masts will stay put without glue. Hint: they didn't glue the masts in at full size either!

This part will consist of photographs only.
I have nothing more to describe here.





















 
But if you think this is the end of the story, you are mistaken. The work is far from finished.
…to be continued…

If one absolutely has to use nails - which I do not for one moment recommend! - then one needs to predrill a hole just under the diameter of the nail one is using.

Well guys and gal's. Figure it was time to do a update and hope you enjoy the photos. Let me know what you think me know please. Gary