Roger Pellett

Sure,  when the first in her class was launched, there probably was a lack of ventilation in the space behind the window, SO, send someone uptown to buy an AC unit!   The fix was then repeated on follow on boats.
 
Roger

The rabbet and bearding lines are marked with a tiny marking gauge (a present from my children who know my weakness for these things

 

Then some careful work with a 2.5mm upcut bit in the hand drill against a straight edge to establish the rabbet, using a section of planking to check depth, followed by some carving and scraping with the tiny chisels I made last year for Orca. The stem and stern post rabbets will be refined as they are planked.

This is how it’s supposed to be done.

 

That certainly could be the case - it might even be a better description for this craft than hydroplane!

Valeriy,  great work as usual.
 
I’m sure that you noticed the split accommodations for the crew; one before the stack and one behind it.  This was typical of steamships built in British shipyards for the British Merchant Marine.  The reason?  The Deck Crew insisted on separate accommodations from the Engineers!
 
At the Beginning of World War II, the famous American Naval Architecture firm of Gibbs and Hill was contracted to modify the design of the the British Ocean class cargo ship design for American mass production, the result being the famous Liberty Ship.  The Oceans featured deck crew quarters separate from the engineers.  Gibbs and Hill eliminated this silly feature, combining everything into one deck structure.
 
Roger

Re; Window AC Unit
 
In 1972 I made my first of several business trips to Europe.  To visit a nearby Mannesmann pipe forging plant I stayed in a hotel along side the Rhine River in Düsseldorf.  I was fascinated by the variety of river craft passing by.  These vessels of several European Nationalities  were often crewed by families and had potted flowers at the windows, laundry drying, bicycles and occasionally a small car stored on board.
 
My point is that riverine craft are often an interesting mix of maritime culture and down home amenities.  While the modern US towboats are usually corporate owned they do not hesitate to utilize shoreside gear.
 
Roger

Is it possible that “hydroplane” gets confused with “hydrofoil”?  Earlier pictures posted show submerged wing like lifting surfaces.
 
Roger

Re; Window AC Unit
 
In 1972 I made my first of several business trips to Europe.  To visit a nearby Mannesmann pipe forging plant I stayed in a hotel along side the Rhine River in Düsseldorf.  I was fascinated by the variety of river craft passing by.  These vessels of several European Nationalities  were often crewed by families and had potted flowers at the windows, laundry drying, bicycles and occasionally a small car stored on board.
 
My point is that riverine craft are often an interesting mix of maritime culture and down home amenities.  While the modern US towboats are usually corporate owned they do not hesitate to utilize shoreside gear.
 
Roger

Valeriy,  great work as usual.
 
I’m sure that you noticed the split accommodations for the crew; one before the stack and one behind it.  This was typical of steamships built in British shipyards for the British Merchant Marine.  The reason?  The Deck Crew insisted on separate accommodations from the Engineers!
 
At the Beginning of World War II, the famous American Naval Architecture firm of Gibbs and Hill was contracted to modify the design of the the British Ocean class cargo ship design for American mass production, the result being the famous Liberty Ship.  The Oceans featured deck crew quarters separate from the engineers.  Gibbs and Hill eliminated this silly feature, combining everything into one deck structure.
 
Roger

Valeriy,  great work as usual.
 
I’m sure that you noticed the split accommodations for the crew; one before the stack and one behind it.  This was typical of steamships built in British shipyards for the British Merchant Marine.  The reason?  The Deck Crew insisted on separate accommodations from the Engineers!
 
At the Beginning of World War II, the famous American Naval Architecture firm of Gibbs and Hill was contracted to modify the design of the the British Ocean class cargo ship design for American mass production, the result being the famous Liberty Ship.  The Oceans featured deck crew quarters separate from the engineers.  Gibbs and Hill eliminated this silly feature, combining everything into one deck structure.
 
Roger

Re; Window AC Unit
 
In 1972 I made my first of several business trips to Europe.  To visit a nearby Mannesmann pipe forging plant I stayed in a hotel along side the Rhine River in Düsseldorf.  I was fascinated by the variety of river craft passing by.  These vessels of several European Nationalities  were often crewed by families and had potted flowers at the windows, laundry drying, bicycles and occasionally a small car stored on board.
 
My point is that riverine craft are often an interesting mix of maritime culture and down home amenities.  While the modern US towboats are usually corporate owned they do not hesitate to utilize shoreside gear.
 
Roger

Valeriy,  great work as usual.
 
I’m sure that you noticed the split accommodations for the crew; one before the stack and one behind it.  This was typical of steamships built in British shipyards for the British Merchant Marine.  The reason?  The Deck Crew insisted on separate accommodations from the Engineers!
 
At the Beginning of World War II, the famous American Naval Architecture firm of Gibbs and Hill was contracted to modify the design of the the British Ocean class cargo ship design for American mass production, the result being the famous Liberty Ship.  The Oceans featured deck crew quarters separate from the engineers.  Gibbs and Hill eliminated this silly feature, combining everything into one deck structure.
 
Roger

Valeriy,  great work as usual.
 
I’m sure that you noticed the split accommodations for the crew; one before the stack and one behind it.  This was typical of steamships built in British shipyards for the British Merchant Marine.  The reason?  The Deck Crew insisted on separate accommodations from the Engineers!
 
At the Beginning of World War II, the famous American Naval Architecture firm of Gibbs and Hill was contracted to modify the design of the the British Ocean class cargo ship design for American mass production, the result being the famous Liberty Ship.  The Oceans featured deck crew quarters separate from the engineers.  Gibbs and Hill eliminated this silly feature, combining everything into one deck structure.
 
Roger

Little progress in my work on Blagoev.

Well, a but of a delay in progressing..... caused by self-inflicted sillyiness with the No. 11.  Is it just me but this always happens just after I think 'now don't put your finger there....'!

Anyway, back to work - and next is:
Keel Preparation for Framing.
Rebates for floor location:

 
 
The keel and the base of the floor are both notched ¾” making a 1/12” housing.
At scale this is 1.2mm, or 0.6mm each. I could ignore this if the frame was perpendicular to the keel, but as the rake needs setting I’ll have to create a means of doing this without driving me potty.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The above diagram shows the relationship of keel to keelson. The rabbet is at 8” above the base of the keel (6.35mm at scale) from stem to skeg, and the dimensions are based on a plank thickness of 2 5/8” (1.88mm at scale).
The bearding line is 1.5”(1.2mm at scale)  from the top of the keel at the centerline, but varies as the garboard angle changes.
I’ve knocked up a crude little router plane for the keel notch, using a blade 6mm wide (pinched from my Quangsheng Plane) and set at the correct depth. Its reversible left and right to get into the ends of the keel, as I didn’t think ahead to do this before assembling the centerline.
 


 
 
 
 
 
For the 6.5° angle on the base of the frame floor a simple little jig for running a sanding strip in the centre of the frame heel makes quick work of them. The dimensions are so small it only takes seconds.


Then a run through the thicknesser ro remove the paper template and set final size to scale:

...and finally finished frames ready for assembly.

A comparison shot for fun! I am pleased with the way the wood matches the oak at scale,

Next post (finally) will be cutting rabbets and setting up the frames on the keel. All for now!
 
The Friends of Vigilance facebook site has a great week by week chronology of photographs and commentry here which currently shows the planking - they are well ahead of me! 
 

Yep - I did the same thing aged 9. Still got the scar to prove it. Great looking frames Andy. They look just like the real thing.
 
P.S. Blood seeping through the bandage would have looked more manly.🙂

I could lock it in a safe and it would still get me!

These double or raised Pilot house were seen on many Great Lakes vessels too.  The original arrangement was an open bridge atop a closed pilot house.  The watch stander stood on the open bridge and relayed orders via speaking tube to the wheelsman below.  Later the open bridge was enclosed resulting in a second pilot house.
 
Photo original arrangement below:
 
Roger
 
 

US Navy Launches changed significantly during the period before the Civil War. Note that I refer to a specific boat type, not just any boat carried aboard a Warship.  First of all they were sloop rigged. Ref; US Navy Ordinance Instructions 1860.  Other details are listed in period seamanship manuals.
 
Roger

In its mounted condition, the model’s waterline should be level.  If you have the drawing that you used to build the model simply draw a line parallel to the waterline shown on the drawing.  Draw lines perpendicular to the line that you just drew and measure the distance to the keel.  Buy two pedestals that meet these dimensions.
 
If you don’t have the drawings set the model up temporary supports with the waterline level.  Measure up just like you did above.
 
Roger

Thank you Yves for the kind comments. I am using an XTool S1 laser engraver and the proprietary software that comes with it called XTool Creative Space. I have to say, it has opened up a whole new world of making model ship parts.
 
Funny that you say that. The guy that I am building this boat for read my last update and sent me a text message laughing about that very detail. My response was, "I don't miss details"  
 
 
-Brian

Hi all!
 
Since it's only once every four years, figured I might as well post an update on February 29th. Nothing really needs discussed that the images can't show off themselves.
 




 
Thanks for looking!

When I was 3 or 4 years old my father was building a 23ft L. Francis Herreshoff sloop in our side yard.  This generated a lot of scrap lumber that he turned into a large bag of building blocks.  I enjoyed them for years thereafter.  No Legos.
 
Roger
 
 

Don't cheat, you cannot go nowhere without that WD40 Keith! Can't see the duct tape however, that must be in the drawer.

If your need is to cut wood strips for planking a POB kit hull, a Model maker’s razor (Hand saw) works fine.  These often are sold in sets along with a small miter box.  Look up Zona Saw on Amazon.
 
Roger

Sorry but I disagree.  Properly heat treat steel tears.  It does not chip like these blades did.  Ordinary steel used for consumer products is relatively soft and ductile.  It cannot be hardened by heating and cooling.  To produce steel suitable for holding a sharp edge it must be alloyed with something else, the cheapest way being to increase the carbon content.  This “tool steel” is hardened by heat treatment. After heating to a high temperature, it is rapidly cooled by quenching in water or oil.  In this state it is very hard, brittle, and can shatter under impact.  To make it usable it must be tempered at a low temperature.  It would seem that in producing these blades the final step was omitted.  
 
Long story short, they’re defective.
 
Roger