bobcat

Hi, I have just published a new book by Ab Hoving titled 17th CENTURY DUTCH FREIGHTERS, Text, Plans and Photos For the Ship Modeler. It features 10 ships and boats from the period. The book is in full color and a plans portflio of 24 sheets comes with it. You can see details at www.seawatchbooks.com. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hello, Just a quick note to tell you that David Antscherl's new book The Royal Navy Fireship COMET 1783 is now on the SeaWatchBooks web site. David has produced a beautiful model. Look for it at seawatchbooks.com. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hello, Just wanted to let everyone know that the News and Forthcoming section of the website (seawatchbooks.com) has been updated as of today. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hi, I am getting careless in my old age. The correct publisher for SLOOPS OF WAR 1650-1763 that I reviewed yasterday is the Naval Institute Press and not the Naval Academy Bob Friedman

Hello, The review for today is: THE SLOOP OF WAR 1650-1763 Ian McLaughlan 2014 Naval Academy Press, Seaforth Publishing, 288 pages 12”x10”. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I received this book to review. This large book is an extremely well researched and documented tracing of the development of the sloop of war. Mr. McLaughlan has carefully opened the door to the research of this class that, by the end of the Napoleonic wars became the most numerous of all the classes of ships involved in that conflict. McLaughlan starts his story by diving into the murky beginnings of sloops by looking at shallops and oared whaling craft and how they were adapted to the military needs of wartime in the 1650’s. That period led to the development of lots of sizes and rigs of small craft. This development grew along several needs until the 1704-17 period. During this time the advice or scout boat, brigantine, escort, bomb ketch and fire ship became consolidated into a basic sloop design. By 1732 some degree of standardization was established with the snow rig most favored. Only a few ships of that time used the ketch rig. The 1740’s saw the development of the ship rig and the raised quarterdeck and by the end of this book’s coverage the raised deck, ship rigged sloop as characterized by the Swan class of ships had become a staple in the Royal Navy’s fleet. There are some notable features in this book that need highlighting. The author starts with a detailed and well-illustrated chapter on rigs and rigging. This gives the reader a reference to all of the types of rigs to be encountered in the book. Also, two chapters are devoted to the concurrent developments in French design, leading to the classic corvette design used by the French navy and privateers. This book is heavily illustrated with photos, drawings and plans from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Of particular interest to modelers is that all of the NMM plans are identified by their file numbers which will make ordering from them easier. Two appendixes are also important to note for modelers. The first one gives mast and spar dimensions while the second serves as a primer on how to read the plans the plans of some of the ships in the book. I have two wishes concerning this book. I hope that other researchers use this benchmark book as platform to add to, prove or disprove any of Mr. McLaughlon’s pioneering work. My second wish is that the author gives us volume two that will take us through 1815.He will need collaborators to help with American and French sloop building efforts and I hope that he will be able to find that help. Finally, I hope to see some modelers build some examples from the wonderful collection of interesting subjects. By now you can tell that I like this book. It is a must have for anyone interested in the smaller warships of the 17th and 18th centuries. Bob Friedman

The first rule of publishing ship model plans is Never print them throug the gutter of the book. It renders thenm useless. Bob Friedman

Hi, I received my reviewers copy yesterday and the book looks very promising. This is supposed to be book one of three on the development and history of the British Sloop. Book one traces the development of small craft into the design and purpose of the sloops that most of us know of as the work horses of the last quarter of the 18th century. This volume ends at 1763. First glance says this is going to be a very good series. I will have a more in depth review at a later date. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hi, To my mind, one of the most significant books for ship historians and model builders in 2013, and perhaps the last 10 years is AMERICAN-BUILT PACKETS AND FREIGHTERS OF THE 1850'S, An Illustrated Study of their Characteristics and Construction by William Crothers. This book is a fitting end to a long career devoted to ships. Mr. Crothers was a draftsman in the design division of the Philadelphia Navy Yard until his retirement in 1972. He then devoted the rest of his life to the study of 19th century ships, their flags and signals.. He began drafting and selling plans of 18th and 19th century ships under the imprint of Sea Gull Plans and published a 500 page book on American Clipper Ships. A large collection of his research work can be found in the Mystic Seaport library. His current book is a work of genius and dedication. I first saw the manuscript for this book in a carton of typewritten pages and a pile of hand drawn illustrations and charts. It proved to be too big a project for me to deal with and the project wound up at McFarland Publishers. They did an amazing job of organizing, editing and digitally formatting this huge pile of papers into a printable file. Rather than reinvent the wheel I want to quote from the publishers description of the contents of this book. "This comprehensive volume appraises in minute detail the construction of these ships, outlining basic design criteria and enumerating and examining every plank and piece of timber involved in the process, including the keel, frames, hull and deck planking, stations, knees, deck houses, bulworks, railing and interior structures and arrangements. More than 150 illustrations illuminate the size, shape, location and pertinent specifics of each item. Complete with a glossary of contemporary industry terms, this work represents the definitive study of the mid-nineteenth century's great American-built square rigged vessels." There are also chapters on ship colors, flags and rigging. There are two drawbacks to this book. The 8 1/2"x11" volume is bound as a paperback. I wish it was bound as a properly sewn hard cover. It is also very expensive at $95. Both of these factors might be due to the great deal of time, effort and expense in putting this book into a print ready digital file. It could not be helped. If the cost is too much for your budget then go pester your library to obtain a copy. In conclusion, if you are a student or modeler of 19th century vessels this book is a vital tool. AMERICAN-BUILT PACKETS AND FREIGHTERS of the 1850's, An Illustrated Study of Their Characteristics and Construction William Crothers, McFarland &Co., Publishers, Jefferson NC, 2013 8 1/2"x11", perfect bound, paper cover, 408 pages, b/w illustrations. ISBN 978-0-7864-7006-8 Thanks, Bob Friedman

It's time for a long overdue review of what I think is an important book. The title is BRITISH CRUISERS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA by Norman Friedman with ship plans by A.D. Baker III. The book is published in the US by The Naval Institute and in England by Seaforth Publishing. Mr. Friedman, who is one of the world's preeminant ship historians, takes his readers through a remarkalbe 40 year period of changes from 1860 to 1900 in British naval design and implimentation in it's new cruiser classes. Mr. Baker profides profile and overhead deck plans of some of Mr. Friedmans subjects in a very clear style. This serves to highlight the excelent text and many photos that Mr. Friedman has included. In 1878 the designations of Frigate and Corvette had been droped by the Royal Navy. Two hundred years of the navy's most beloved classifications were gone with the stroke of a pen. In its place came the Cruiser. The evelution of ever more efficient steam engines, advanced construction techniques using iron and steel and shell firing guns allowed the navy to design ships that could serve to protect the Empire's expansion throughout the world; hense the cruiser. This evolution presents many opportunities for the ship modeler. Many early cruisers were cpomposite built, having wood planking over iron frames and they carried a fully functional sailing rig. They also had complicated decks giving a viewer of the model lot's to see. In short, these ships make for interesting model subjects for the builder who wants to expand his or her subject matter beyond the eighteenth century. So if you are a fan of frigates and corvettes as I am then I think youwill find this book to be an excellent addition to your library. BRITISH CRUISERS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA Norman Friedman, Ship plans by A.D.Baker III Naval Institute Press, (US and Canada) 2012, 9 1/2 x 11 1/2", 352 pages b/w photos and plans ISBN 978 1 59114 068 9 Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hi, One thing that is never done by todays black powder cnnoneers is hurrying shots. The Royal Navy records for speed are safe for all time. The loading and firing drill should be adhered to. Slow and steady prevents stupid things from happening. As for "jumping" guns, my experience has shown that once a gun gets hot it will steady out and the recoil pattern will stay the same. Personally I have never seen a hot gun having to be cooled down, but I beleive the stories of guns getting hot enough after continuious and fast firing to need a little cooling down. I wonder how much stress a bucket or two of cold sea water would have on a red hot gun. Bob Friedman

Among all of my pastimes firing black powder cannons is one of my favorites. I own four black powder pieces including a 1/7 scale dalghren, a 1/4 scale naval 18 pounder and a 1/6scale cohorn mortar. I have also particapated as a gun crew member on a full scale Civil War piece and a 6 pound carronade. The field piece fired a full charge with projectile while the caronnade fired a 1/4 blank charge. Regardless of size, all of the guns have begun to jump as they warmed up. I do not have a scientific explanation for this but I have learned to be extra alert after 3 or 4 shots. As an aside, I have never had a premature firing as any good gunner should know, a full cleaning and loading routine is performed. My 2 cents Bob Friedman

Hello, The blue jacketed Kriegstein was the initial volume.This edition is out of print. The green jaceted book is the new, revised and expanded edition. Six new models were introduced and the book had many more pages added. It is the version that is currently available at seawatchbooks.com. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hello, Just to let alll of you who have been waititing for Ed's second volume on building THE NAIAD FRIGATE that it is now available. Go to www.seawatchbooks.com for details. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Gib McArdle, author of HMS Sussex, fell in love with the Statenjacht Utrecht and the plans in the book by Cor Emke and decided to draw out all of the frames to augment those plans and build the model using Navy Board framing. Not content with building the exterior, Gib built up the interior cabins in great detail. He then left the decking off so that all of the cabins could be viewed. The result is a beautiful and accurate display model. Pleas go to seawatchbooks.com for more details, color photos and a very special price for the combination of Gib's new book and Ab Hovings STATENJACHT UTRECHT. Thanks, Bob Friedman Seawatch Books

Of course, it will be the only way to buy it. Bob F

Hi, The author continues to work on the manuscript and photographing the models. With any luck I hope to be able to publish book one late next year of what will be a 2 or 3 book series on all of the models in the collection. The first book will be on first, second and third rates in the collection. At his point, any futher information would be very premature. Keep your fingers crossed. Bob Friedman SeaWatchBooks

Imagine being paid to pursue your hobby of model ship building in a famous museum holding hundreds of projects waiting to be worked on. Well, for over 20 years Ab Hoving had that pleasure at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam where he was the head ship model builder and restorer. Ab and his team worked on exhibits in what is now the fully restored Navy Model Room of this great Museum. For those of you who do not know him, Ab is one of the foremost ship historians and model restorers of our time. His books and articles have illuminated our knowledge of seventeenth century ship building and his modeling skills speak for themselves. In this book Ab has selected 54 subjects out of the hundreds in the Museum collection to tell about in words and pictures. Not only will you see a wide scope of subjects displayed in color but you will get AB's research on the stories and histories behind each one. This book has been translated by Paul Fontenoy, editor of the Nautical Research Journal, from the Dutch version that was published last year. The English version has been faithfully rreproduced in the US using Ab's son Emiel's lay out and design. what a joyous and and beautiful way to close out a career. For more information please go to seawatchbooks.com. Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hello, I have just published a primary reseach source. The title is THE GREAT ORDNANCE SURVEY OF 1698,A Facsimile. An introduction and guide is provided by Richard Endsor and Frank Fox. Richard also has provided scale drawings of the principal weapons in the survey. It is a large volume containing 474 pages in a large 8 1/2x11 case bound format. The print run is limited to 199 numbered copies. In the late 1690's the Ordnance Office conducted an inventory of all the great guns of the Royal Navy and coastal defense batteries. The guns were described and inventoried in great detail. Beside the weight and identification of each gun, they are listed as being on boad ship, in arsenals designated for ships, in storage or in batteries. The survey number was also cut into the gun so that surviving examples can be easily identified. Richard and Frank explain the sizes and names of each weapon along with an explanation as to how to read the material. The inventory was recorded in 1698 by a single clerk that had a very readable hand. The materials have been reproduced from the original in the British Archives with very little retouching. It was printed using a digital press. In fact the whole project was made possible by digital technology. This is an important pioece of primary research that Richard, Frank and I wanted bring to the light of day. We hope that some of you will find this of great value. We beleive this work will be of particular importance to historians, maritime archaeologists as well as lover of great guns and ships. More information can be found at seawatchbooks.com Thanks, Bob Friedman

Hello, The book is still available from ANCRE. Delivery can be slow at times because Hubert Berti, the owner, takes off to Marakech when he feels like it and sometimes orders can back up for a few weeks. I was the co-publisher of the English version which was translated from the French by Paul Fontenoy of the North Carolina Maritime Museum. The book was so warmly received that it was subsequently translated into German, Spanish and Italian. It is one of the most popular modeling books ever done. If you can get a copy then grab it because when ANCRE's stock runs out I do not think there will be a reprint. It is too expensive and Mr. Berti is in his 80's Bob Friedman

Hi, I have been reading this thread. I am sorry for the high postal costs but there is not much I can do about them. All shipments to Europe are priced according to weight. A sinlgle book, weighing 3.5 pounds costs over $30. I only charge $25. For orders up to 4 books I can use the post office's flat rate box that is charged at $60. I only am charging $50 at the present. Also, books ordered in Europe are charged to the customer in Euros. The exchage rate against a dollar is .76 Euros which is quite a favorable rate. The rate against the English Pound is even better. There are two people in SeaWatchBooks, my wife and myself, and we price our books as fairly as possible. There has to be enough money to pay the printer's bill for the next book. I hope I can continue to be of service to this hobby. Bob Friedman