CharlieZardoz

Aha thank you very much and appreciate the compliments on both counts 😊 Sadly theatre (yes to the "re") is on pause for this year but art creation is not. Ill post a new update shortly ive been mulling over the lifeboat question. Where would it go on such a ship? Not on deck it would interfere with the Canon. The back lacks enough structural support. If you look at this image of an 1829 cutter of similar design you can see the back had a higher rear bulwark. (the pilot boat Achilles also had this feature) and no doubt the back could support davits for a life boat. My opinion is that the Doughty cutters were likely highly modified after launch or at least their upper workings, so likely either the pivot gun or rope stanchion railings were tossed soon after. The increased bulwark on this 1829 cutter and less extreme bow also suggests this. Also they likely continued to vary as the years progressed 1815-1825? ones that launched later likely corrected the inadequacies of the earlier batches. The original design with a low toe rail and rope stanchion... And some variations with improved bulwarks below This one above has a full solid bulwark some swivels as well as a raised pivot canon. This one above has canon ports which was probably common on the larger 80 ton versions however doubt that pivot would still be relevant? And here's a version with a half bulwark added to the front. Which also would likely help with water washing on the deck. Another interesting variation. Since I have 3 to work on for this diorama I am inclined to mixing it up a bit. But not sure which will have what yet. Open to opinions on the lifeboat question. Other than just tugging it along possibly a half bulwark in the back and then i can have the swivels as well. Considering Active was alone for the period immediately following the war of 1812 she must have been overworked and highly adaptable to any situation they found themselves in. 🤔 One thing I am certain about it that the toe rail bulwark probably had a cap rail. All the models show this however the Doughty plans do not. Most of the models show oar locks so logic dictates that there would need to be enough surface area to support them. Here is me testing out some bulwark heights now.

Greetings all! Here is my June check in. The weather is lovely and been out in the back yard alot helping my partner w her garden. As such I decided to switch gears from the 30 ton cutter to the 80 ton model whose frames I put together a few years back. This one will be the Vigilant which severed as replacement for Active and was described as "twice the size" Since none of these ships have much history I assume she was of the 80 ton design. Where the 30 ton model is 9" this one is 13". Part of the change was simple the need to send wood and work on something I can take around with me without being so delicate. All three will be part of my diorama so I plan to build them all! It's been nice to shift gears and have something to whittle away on. Even bought a new dremel! The shaper frames required an extra plank. I realized when I made them I didnt take into account the curve of the hull. I thought of remaking them w the laser but the shop has been closed. Figured adding a little strip of wood would do just fine. And last I added the bow and stern blocks and have been sanding them into shape. 😌

Next update was to recreate the small bulwark. To avoid making the same mistake last time I created a sample dummy piece that I could get a feel of how it would look completed. Part of this process led me to design the scuppers which I picked from a series of small crimp beads. Then drilled a hole and added it snugly. Overall looks good and ready to make the real bulwark. Stay tuned.

The only thing that's missing are a few wood peg bolt indentations that I will add to the points where the belaying pin rack meet bit block using an awl pointed bit. I'll get to those details on a bit 😊

Before I decided on adding the railings I wanted to make a bit of ship furniture. So decided to make the belaying pin racks which as per usual 3rd times a charm. This was also done using the dremel drill press, strips of wood that are 5/64" by 5/64" and an aluminum sliding jig. I was especially proud of how I carved the top block. I also thought it time to add all the parts on deck so I could get a scale perspective. The height is about 7/16" and this rack was slanted to the degree of the mast! I also took the time to refurbish my little bilge pump and added a superior handle. Look at them all together now and also for scale you can see the boat on my palm. Only 9"!!

So once I made the jig I realized that the hull was not smooth enough for copper plates. After a years time heat and convention has separated and warped a few of the veneer planks. Wood expands and contracts that's simply a fact so I looked over the hull and decided to smooth out the rough patches and also fill in any spacings and gaps. The result meant I had to retail one whole side and also once putty and detailing was in place the model was not colored to the cherry wood so with a bit of paint and staining I did a little artistry to match. Since the lower hull will be coppered anyways it's no big deal but for my own sense of completion it looks like a nice weathering affect that actually came out nicely! Also of note is the masking tape. I ripped off my first toerail/upper bulwark which didn't set right and had taken some damage and repainted the black strip which is supposed to represent the top of the main hull. The strip had lost some paint over the years time. I also intend to add a little bit of black under the wale as well. Once that was done I made new upper bulwark strips using pear. Hence why they are of a reddish color than the sepia Cherry. These while shown in place will not be glued in just yet.

Ok so back to the USRC Active, the first order of business was the making of this very special tool as per Dan Pariser's direction. It was basically a tool designed to create the rivet patten for copper plates. It comprises of sewing needles warn down slightly and added to a jig. I built about 3 of these before it got precise enough for me to like the results. The matter of keeping the pins arranged in as uniform a pattern as possible required me to use my dremel drill press which has been the most amazing tool I could use right now! Once the jig was completed I felt a small sense of satisfaction that indeed building the ship would begin again! That said while I tested the pattern on copper tape, I have yet to add any plates but it led me to my next task. Refurbishing the hull! Kitten assistance not required by welcomed of course! 😽

Hi Mark! Glad to see you are well. 😊 Yes Mr Toad is indeed to blame. May he always keep life interesting. 😅🤪🔥

Returning after over a year! I thought it was time to finally return to my build log. Alot has happened since the last time I posted here feels like a few lifetimes ago. Firstly I grew to become a successful performing artist and became part of many highly successful productions. I found a place for my art skills in costume and head piece creation. This year was going to be the production of a Broadway play which I was to act as manager and would have begun production as of this month. Of course we all know what has happened since... 😣 The changes in my life came at a cost. My old partner and I separated after 7 years. She was not able to accept the changes and also there were problems brewing for many years. So for a good year I found myself in transition without a stable space mentally and physically to build the model. Eventually came a new partner, new perspectives and a new work space and alot of emotionally support and freedom I hadn't experienced in a long time. It was a wild ride and still going however making the most of the current situation, now is a time to stay in and create so here we go! 🎨 Also I'm currently in Virginia waiting out the storm. 😊🌈🙏🌳🌳🌳 So with all that out of the way, the end result led me back to building the boat which started back in December however I wanted to have enough actually completed before I posted. I wanted something to show so I waited until some progress had been made. After a year it was interesting to see how time affected the model. Some refurbishing was required. Partially due to a change in my perspective on how I wanted to proceed and partly due to how the wood set. I will explain all this in the next post.

One of the best I've seen. An inspiration this is a true ship model well done!

The plan I posted above from naval architechure 1805, isn't of cruiser but of another ship. I mean I would read the nrg journal and see what they say about it, buuuuut it really boils down to when was the Davis model created vs when was the Salvini plan discovered? If the salvini plan was found after the Davis model was made then it couldn't have been a reference for his Lexington.

Explain please?

Those are great Talos! Look at those lines wheewhoo! Do you posts these in a different forum I'd love to follow your progress. Consequently I have an image of the South's attempt to convert the Raritan as well. I guess they really didn't have the resources to convert these ships to ironclads, but poor Germantown and United States were taken into the navy as floating batteries and then scuttled. Neat stuff!

Thanks for the advice Dan. Was wondering if the coamings should be rounded a bit, I knew that if I did so there would be no going back so I've been holding back on it but now that the deck is being done Ill adjust.

Yeah you know what, that's a very obvious weirdness. I mean a plan of that time would always have the keel horizontal having the plan to the waterline is.... wrong. One day ill try and track down where these plans came from and IF they have any merit at all. I will want to see that plan Chapelle worked on at the mystic seaport library. He apparently did an unofficial conjectural plan (mentioned a few pages back). Id be curious to see what this plan looks like if for only research purposes.