mattsayers148

Well, I think you just blew by Jim Baumann! I'm speechless. Wow, wow....wow!

I've already caught the Nutz Bros eyeing your lighting idea. This was something that had entered their minds when they began their ship, now I think them squirrels be looking intently at stealing ideas, as pirates do. Me an the little buggers are bracing for this ride!

Thanks George, CaptainSteve, Boyd and everyone for the likes.

 

Now that the hull turned out cool I might redo the deck as well. I think the same wood would be to much though, we'll see.

Thank you to everyone for the likes.

 

Hey I know, I could buy him a fish tank and flip it upside down!

I'm going to advise him to get one, but it's up to him. He definitely was impressed.

This is the final resting place of my Launch, in my bosses office. I'll be organizing photos for the gallery and have them posted soon.

I think the squirrels figure that the more of them there are, the less likely that one of them will be missed. Scoundrels! The ones that were there did a little spit shine on the hull today. Man there's a lot of colors from the same tree.

 

CaptainNutz informed them, as soon as the hull is sea worthy, a day of rest and rum will be in order. However, he assured them, if anyone goes AWOL, punishment will be swift and fatal!

Or Montezuma's Revenge?

Now that Harry and Woodie have settled into their rolls, the work on the captured USRC has been running smooth.

 

The men had brought some concerns to Woodie(he's finally happy being the ships carpenter). They've been having trouble working with these 1ft wide and some 50ft long boards for the planking. So Woodie brought these concerns to Harry and discussed how this could be resolved.

 

They came up with a solution that was agreed upon. They salvaged some lumber that was left behind by the Beavers and commenced on adding a third layer of planking.

This third layer has advantages in several ways. Increased hull strength, the ease of working with 8 inch X 18.5 feet planks and the ability to repair planks in times of battle.

 

With this improvised method, the squirrels were able to work faster and make the ship stronger and more water tight.

Harry went back to his tent to work on ways to further modify the ship and Woodie with the men set forth to finish the hull. Lastly, Harry and Woodie have been trying to choose a name for their ship. The best way, they figured, was to allow the men to assist in naming it. The first suggestion by one of the men was 'Rum Runner'. Once all suggestions are collected, Harry and Woodie will sit down to make a decision on this issue.

Work went well Sunday through Tuesday, gettin four days of work done in two at the coast job. So I get a day or two off before I head up the Gorge to work Friday through Sunday.

 

So my schedule has allowed me to make today the day to launch my Launch. I'm a fan of the Resource warehouses so I'll go there to find a shelf or stand to display in its new home. As mentioned earlier in my log, this is to go to my boss, displayed in his office. Once there I'll be taking many pics to sift through to make into a gallery.

 

I can't thank everyone enough for the support, pointers and encouragement. It's been a priceless asset to have a collective mindset to gather information from. My transition back to my USRC Ranger will be immediate so Im hoping everyone will meet me over there with the Nutz brothers. I left them 100lbs of mixed nuts and 5 barrels of rum so we'll see what they've been up to for the last month.

 

No fair wells, I'll just see everyone over at my other residence.

I've got it! ---- We'll commission Squirrel Team 1 to go in there and pull a raid! 

That's what squirrel pirates do! Maybe that could be the name of their newly acquired USRC 'The Rum Runner'. I'll run it by Captain Nutz an see what he thinks.

Holy cr**! Just think Mark, if I bought it now I'd save $130.00! Wow, $899.99 a bottle, guess I was a cheap date back then!

Yeah it's a good Vegas kinda rum. Last time I was there drinking this stuff I came back with ex-wife #2! It's good I quit drinking, less ex's this way

Hey CaptainSteve, so this is your new home? I'll have to read up on your log so I'm not like a fish out of water. I spotted a few comments about guys knitting and quilting and such. Looks like I just may fit in here!

Okay Matt what will it hold Rum or Brandy?  Both were taken on ship.  One for the officers and the other for the crew.

David B

Well David, I don't know if you've tried Stroh Rum, but if you haven't you should give it a try. I know this rum post-dates Bligh's trip by about 40 years, but I bet those guys would've wanted this one. It's 80%, 160 proof, blowing fire kinda rum! I don't drink anymore, but this was one of my favorites.

 

Thank you Igor, I do enjoy watching your ship-in-a-bottle progress. You get a bigger chair than me for your details at such a tiny scale.

Thank you CaptainSteve, Nigel, Ken and those who hit the like button.

 

Earlier in my log I spent a bit of time just trying to find out what a "barracoe" was! Anyone whose interested in finding out a thorough history of rum on the high seas check out upspirits.co.uk (many really awesome containers for rum and grog).

 

So I'm off to the Coast again for a few days, and then up the gorge to The Dalles for a few days. The chance is pretty slim that I'll have time for any further items for the Launch, but you never know. The completion will be stamped on this log next weekend. Thanks again to all for help that I've gotten on this build.

Thank you to everyone for all the likes.

 

CaptainSteve, George, Mario, Mark, David, Tom and Boyd, thank you guys so much for all the encouragement and help through my first build log. I'm excited to move forward full time on my USRC Ranger bash (now controlled by the Fierce Pirate Nutz)

 

I was clearing out some things to accommodate the new build and found my spigot! It wasn't lost, it was just forgotten, so I had to make one final barracoe to house it. My hats off to Buck for the tiny spigot idea. Now you guys can see why I said I'd wait til next weekend to call it completed, its the OCD kickin in again! Med time!

After some adjustments, it all fits. I had originally thought about unshipping the stern crane and toss it overboard, but decided it should stay. I was able to stand the body up and secure it to the aft mast so that it is visible, yet out of the way. The windlass can stay in place, as it too, takes up little space.The support arms for the crane and the hand spikes for the windlass tied together and easily slid under the raised aft deck.

With the crane out of the way, the chest, compass, food sacks and tools seem to have plenty of room. The cargo nets were large enough to support almost all of the barrels.

I decided to only hang four oars off each side. This way the two that are left may appeal to those who can't look with their eyes.

Now those chocks look strong enough to hold up an elephant, and pretty enough for an entry into a castle. Looks awesome!

One of the other necessary items is done. I borrowed the idea from CaptainSteve and the entry in the "Kit Bashers Guide" with only minor tweaking. I've been trying to make anything that's metal out of my assorted metal pieces bags.This is only the third item that I've soldered so far and am putting up the CA for metals for good.

 

I'm finding it really difficult to say if I'm done. So I'm in the process of arranging everything and then will decide. Stay tuned, pics will come soon.

I assure everyone, microscopic etchings of a sunset, island and palm trees like on Bucks knife handle, will never be on a list of things I think I could do. I couldn't afford the scanning electron microscope that I would need to even work at a scale that small.

 

I agree with CaptainSteve, Buck's bar is somewhere up there near the moon!

An absolutely beautiful work of art! Your ability to look outside, inside and all around the box has not only been enjoyed, but admired! From crappie sails to harry coconut, you've been able to capture the very essence of "the bash".

 

I look forward to watching your Constitution build. (Is this to be a bash as well?)

Boyd, CaptainSteve, Ken, George, Buck, David, thank you guys for your positive words. Coming from an incredible group of craftsmen and bar pushers, it's the bars that you've set that I reach for.

 

I'm enjoying the last little bits at 1:16 before I steam ahead at 1:64. I've learned a wealth of knowledge from everyone here and learn new things everyday. All hail them squirrels and their brethren!

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and input.

 

Hey Boyd, thank you. Your build of this Launch's Dad is inspiring to watch.

 

For my cutlasses, I used a length of brass for the blades with different size brass tubes for the hilt and handle.

I cut a slice in the larger tube and drilled holes through top and bottom of the "C". Then the end of the blade was cut to fit through hilt and handle. Once all pieces were cut and fit, they were soldered. Then just a bunch of grinding, fileing and bending to look like a cutlass. I chose the figure 8 shape for the hilt as it was a distinguishing mark as English made.

After I blackened and let the cutlasses dry I did some final details on the hilt and handle. I very carefully buffed part of the black off to give it a shine. Black thread was then used for the half-hitch whipping for the hand grip. The final step was to carefully blacken only the blade again.(The blades measure at 22 inches, overall length 27 inches)