Tim Curtis

Sorry to hear this Jesse. Rest well.
 

Sorry to hear this Jesse. Rest well.
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 264 – Fore Lower Topsail Yard Detailing
 
I finally got the fore topmast ratlines installed, something I wanted done before mounting the lower topsail yard.    
 

 
The spreaders at the top of the yard continue to take a beating.  Some protection is probably in order.  At the top of the shrouds the ratline extend across the backstays.  The next picture is a closer view.
 

 
The next picture shows the fore topsail yard with footropes, quarter blocks and buntline blocks installed.
 

 
In the next two pictures the yard has been temporarily mounted using the permanent pin in the crane.
 

 
In the next picture the yard has been returned to the holding fixture for further work.
 

 
In this picture the footrope stirrups have been pulled straight for stiffening and the chain upper topsail sheets have been threaded through the cheek blocks, under-yard fairleads and the central sheet block.  Below is a closer view of the sheet block.
 

 
The fabrication of this block was described earlier, as was the linking of the two chains inside the block so the sheet tackles could be used to keep the yard down.  In the next picture these tackles have been rigged and shackled to the chains.
 

 
The upper topsail sheet chains are short and those shown will be cut back later. The upper sail was taken in by lowering the yard and not using clue lines as was typical for the other yards, so there was no need for the sheets to be hauled up when furling.  The tackles were thus used to take up slack in small adjustments.  The short tackles shown will belay in the foretop – in the next post.
 
 
Ed

Hello,
 
The hull, up to the whales is now planked. Here are some pictures.
 
Alexandru

Heronguy,
Love this kit, and thoroughly enjoying your posts.
You seem to be able to keep build logs for about 5 kits on the go at once.
Amazing. 
Anyway this seems to be a partic beautiful kit....keep posting.
 
Tim

Just love this kit....and what you are doing with it.
So exciting to see one of the few genuine plank on frame kits in action.
Loving it.
Not surprised you are encountering a few challenges along the way.
You seem to be mastering them well enough though.
 
Tim

Melbourne is great.
Currently just over 100 degrees. A little on the warm side.
Keep posting....this is one of my favourite build logs!
T

Thanks for the looks and likes, and Tim, thanks for the encouraging words.   I am well along into fixing the issue, and while I am at it, I am reshaping my stern a bit...err, reshaping the stern of the model ....to try to better match part of the plan.  More on that in my next post.  During the last two weeks, one thing that has taken away from time working on the America has been watching a bunch of tennis matches from your home town.  The television coverage in the US always includes plenty of "Visit Melbourne" type commercials.  Looks like a beautiful place.   Maybe some day....
 
 

Just love this kit....and what you are doing with it.
So exciting to see one of the few genuine plank on frame kits in action.
Loving it.
Not surprised you are encountering a few challenges along the way.
You seem to be mastering them well enough though.
 
Tim

Sorry to hear this Jesse. Rest well.
 

Thank you to all for the comments and likes.
Tha last rigging on the bowsprit - main stay collar and bumkin shrouds - is done. Now I start the works on the shrouds.

I've now made up, mounted and rigged the boom and gaff for the mainmast. The boom and gaff were both made from dowels, tapered and shaped by sanding.The jaws were cut from boxwood strip and sanded to final shape. The various cleats were made from boxwood strip. The parrels were done with wire and small beads.
 
The boom was rigged with topping lifts and boom sheets. The gaff was rigged with throat halyards, peak halyards and vangs. The lines were tied off and separate rope coils added.
 
All that remains of the rigging is to make and rig the two mainmast yards, to do the braces for all of the yards and then to tie off and add coils for the various lines that have been left temporarily attached.
 
Bob
 
 

Continuing with 1st layer of planking. Working from both directions - keel upward and top downward.


 

So far so good.

Wonderful!

Glorious.
Thanks for sharing this.
Tim

Just working on the last details. It was fun. My first attempt.

Tanks, Amalio
last photos of the outside, before moving on to internal work:

The first thing the instructions say is to strike a good centerline on the top and bottom, then trim the hull to the plans.

Bracket and propeller
 

Got them all done and glued in place. I'm glad this was suggested, I wasn't going to add these as it wasn't in the instructions but I like the way it looks.
 
Jesse

Finished up shaping the hull and carving the bulwarks.  The instructions indicate that the bulwarks should be carved down to 1/32" thickness. I used a Dremel to carve most of it and then sanded the rest down to a thickness that I felt comfortable with, which wasn't quite 1/32".  It finished up somewhere between 1/16" and 1/32".  I was too nervous to go any further and risk breaking it.  If I find myself in this situation again, I will probably cut away the pre-carved bulwarks and rebuild it with 1/32" sheet.
 
I finished up this evening by applying a coat of sanding sealer.  Tomorrow I plan on drilling the mast holes, drilling the holes for the stands and starting on the planksheers and wales.

And finally, it has all come together in the display case. This was a rewarding project, and probably took me 15 hours, not including the paint screw-ups.

Thank you NMBrook, it is nice to see you again back on the forum.
Rest of yards is completed with all blocks and prepared for installation.

I've made knee of the head with holes for gammoning, bobstays and main stay collar, stern post and keel. 
 



To be continued...

I am wondering if anyone out there has copies of the build plans for the Sciabecco as the Amati kit is very vague and is in ITALIAN only.
It does not supply any plans to show sizes and sails and rigging etc.
Thanks in advance.
Eddie