Richvee

Thanks for the likes.. I put the KC in it's case today. Amazing how the case gives it that extra something.. I think it looks pretty good!

 
 

 
 

Mike, You're so right about all the things one can add. I had trouble figuring where to stop on adding to the whaleboats. Mine are missing so many things, but I think there's enough in there to catch your eye, then give it another look and notice a few more items. Like I've said, not only was this a real enjoyable build, I learned a ton about how a ship works, and more than a ton about whaling and the whaling industry of the 1800's. 

Rich,
 
Great job on the Kate!  I have recently just restarted my build of her and your thread has been very inspirational and spurred me on.
 
The Morgan has always gotten the spotlight but to me, the KC had more visual appeal with nicer lines.  The other thing that is attractive about this kit is that it's the perfect size for my den and has the "right" level of sophistication for someone transitioning into wooden ship model kits from other forms of scale modeling.

Good question.  I think you're right about the solid hull or the availability of the Morgan as having something to do with it.  If I ever get through my stash of models, I was thinking of scratch building a weathered whaler like the Katy Cory - so much cool stuff you can do with all the whaling equipment.

Thanks for the likes.. I put the KC in it's case today. Amazing how the case gives it that extra something.. I think it looks pretty good!

 
 

 
 

Thanks Mike. I'm not sure why it's not a more popular model. I guess it's the solid hull and the lure of the Morgan if you're going to build a whaler. 

Post 22
 
Continued work below deck
 
The next few posts will include elements where I take some information from the real schooner and attempt to represent that image in the model. As I am always learning, some try’s will work out and some will leave opportunity for future learning....
 
First, where are we at the beginning of 2021?   We have about four months left till show time, so pressure will begin to build.  
 
Beginning of 2021.   We are still in the covid bubble.
 
219  here we see bulwarks recently added on the port side and stanchions going in to starboard.  The white styrene handrails on the steel structure are on hold waiting for more ABS material that needs to go in first. 220  looking down we see the new lower deck framing started.  Laugh at me as it is all 3x 9 inch joists.  [ oops for later]  
221  looking forward we see some main deck added elements like the windless supports, mast partners and a few more beams  
222  Here is our year beginning  stacked, blurred, cropped etc. photo. Unfortunately I was not aware our crew member was napping on the job.  
Below deck study. I have collected here a group of photos from which I am basing the work below deck.  Little of this detail would be here before all planking and decking were in place.  
 
223  here is an image into the captains cabin showing two tanks below the lower deck.  I also like the construction ladder.  This area is a bunk room for added adventurers  
 224  here we see the engine room under way before arrival of the engine  
 225  here is an underdeck tank in the engine room.  
226a  here is a detail that is a ‘bridge too far for’ me at least.  Note that some of the deck beams are perhaps 2 or 3 inches thinner than the others and have shims.  The nominal beams from the 2006  drawings  are 9 inches and all of mine represent that dimension.   Also tucked behind on top of the shelf is a 6-inch-deep fore and aft beam that must beef up the edge of the water way where planks end in between beams.  This area is open and allows circulation of air to keep out the moisture from condensation that would cause rot.
 
226b     here on deck we see where the fasteners go though along the edge of the waterway.  I went below to figure out what they attached to and figured out the beam.  Fortunately, the model does not need them.  
 227  here we are in the galley looking forward, and can see my oops.   I need to change the framing. It is clearly 3 by 6 [ I first installed 3 by 9 ] That correction will help where I am squeezing in a tank underneath. I also need to prepare any readers that the clean sharpness in the forms of the framing due to the workmanship of the real thing are not carried through in my work....sorry  
 227b  I added this photo where we can see the design.  The area between the stringers will be filled in with perforated bead board.  The air flow then is continuous to keep things dry.  The bulkheads are all insulated and sealed off.  to the left side of this photo is the captains cabin, and to the right side is the hold.  
 227c  I add this photo as it shows the completed assembly. This is in the foc’sle.  Note the holes in the bead board filler panels  
 
  Model progress
 
I see in my attempt to document this work I need to find a way to photograph inside.   Then I could show each section and make it part of the story board.    On the other hand, my workmanship is better viewed from away.
 
228  Looking though the deck frame we can see I added a shaft and engine mounts. The framing will make the engine location clear.    
229  here is the little tank.   
230  Here is the start on other tanks in the hold area. I will not get all the right tanks in the right places but will try to represent the design in this build to have them there.  Example, I doubt there was complete holding tanks that new work will require. the old design had water tanks above the lower deck.  
Looking forward
 
Model
 
I need to get more of the insides completed so I can decide if I plan to add any more planking.  I then need to consider how to finish the planking.  Ditto for any decking.  I am thinking that below deck I may have some started but the look through is I believe important.
 
Diorama
 
 I look for missing ABS structural shapes that will let me get past the building of the frame on the car and then set the model on the car to begin adding the movable stands. I have chain now and need to get it blackened and set. There is also a dock to build on the port side. I have worked out the angles etc. and will get into that soon.
 
All for now

Rich
 
good to hear from you.  I still have my two whalers started from a few years back when you were my source for tips on the Kate Cory  They are still on hold.  They will become brigs built in Boothbay eventually  using matched sizes from the Kate Cory hulls
 
cheers
 
 
.  

Thanks for the likes.. I put the KC in it's case today. Amazing how the case gives it that extra something.. I think it looks pretty good!

 
 

 
 

Thanks for the likes.. I put the KC in it's case today. Amazing how the case gives it that extra something.. I think it looks pretty good!

 
 

 
 

Instead of flooding your inbox with likes, I’ll just say I’m really enjoying following this build. Amazing work. 

Thanks for the likes.. I put the KC in it's case today. Amazing how the case gives it that extra something.. I think it looks pretty good!

 
 

 
 

Well, that about wraps it up. The following pictures were taken by my daughter with a better camera than I have, so I'll use them even though there's a few odds and ends that need to be finished when these shots were taken. Namely the barrels need to be lashed and rope coils needed on a few davits.
 
I purchased a case, for what I though was a reasonable price, from a gentleman who runs a site called Grandpa's cabinets. You can customize size, wood choice, and finish, and it comes complete with high quality plexiglass. Assembly is simple. I also purchased a nice, unfinished table that will serve as the display table. I'll post some final pictures when the table and case are set up. Right now I need to finish the new base, and I'm waiting on a nameplate that I ordered.  
 
Anyway, I really enjoyed this build. I think it's a sharp looking vessel, and I'm a little surprised how few KC's are on this site.  So it's my first completed ship build. (I'm not going to count the Taurus, and Benjamin W Latham I built almost 50 years ago as an early teen. I think the Taurus is still sitting around my mom's house, but the Latham is nowhere to be found. 
 
  I learned a ton about model building, and whaling. It's been a great journey. Not only did this build lead me to this site, it lead me to a great club, The ship Model Society of New Jersey. 
 
 I've taken advantage of Model Shipways end of season sale and picked up the Pride of Baltimore 2 for a50% off, so that's on it's way and will be the next project. 
 
Thanks to everybody who checked in, and for all the likes along the way. Special thanks to this site, as I would have never been able to complete some things without the help and knowledge of the members here. This place is a wealth of information and the contributors are great. . 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks great! Yes, indeed, nice job on the case. It really adds the finishing touch!

I have the Model Shipways Pride of Baltimore due to arrive in the mail any day. I’ve also ordered the rigging package for the Medway Longboat from Syren. I’ll probably start the POB, and somewhere in the middle take a break and rig the longboat. That should  take me through the next 4-5 years. 😃
 
I also have a vintage ( early1980’s) version of the 1/8” scale Essex. That is one daunting model and will require a ton of scratch building. That will stay the shelf for now. Thanks for looking in. 
 
 

Hi Tony, thanks for the update and suggestions.
 
I purchased a copy of the photograph from the SLV as a tiff and was able to enhance that in Photoshop.  You are right about the 2+4 in the photo and I can only put that down to a rig change after Norman had passed command over to the Marine Survey (Hydro) RN Officers.  Perhaps with the close-in to shore work they need a different rig?  I am more convinced than ever that Norman set-up the rigging initially in a Merchant Service convention (as inferred in the correspondence), probably the same as he experienced when commanding Queen of the South.  
 
I used the wrong Manual title above, it should read 'Boy's Manual of Seamanship and Gunnery', written by Commander Burney 1871 for the RN.  The description given in that corresponds nicely with what is given in the Rigging Warrant, and as such I am going with that rather than what is shown in litho 2 (not wrong, there is just no detail).
 
In this set-up, the buntline was rove through the upper sheave of a shoe block (similar to a sister block but one sheave is turned through 90 degrees) then both running ends are rove (from aft to fwd) through a double block at the top or cap (still to be determined), with one end then toggled to the foot of the sail and the working part/end sent to the deck.  The bunt whip was rove through the bottom sheave of the shoe block with a clip/sister/clasp hook on one end to clip onto the gullet becket as required, and the running part of the fall worked from the deck.  Lever and Harland both state this was the preferred way in the Merchant Service.    A very old fashioned way to do this, but apparently easier when minimum manned.
 
There was no jigger listed but a bunt rope was. Yet to establish positively what that was for, but may have been set up as a centreline bunt whip but called a jigger (possibly the bunt rope) to avoid confusion when calling orders from the deck.  The single block and hook sort of leans to this being the case.  It also makes sense as having shoe blocks at the bunts would have made the glut difficult to lift and a centre jigger with the centre line Bunt Slab line would assisted in getting that up and onto the yard.
 
The centre slab line was called a bunt slab line in the 'The Boys...' and informs that this was used to assist in hauling the gullet/glut of the canvas up and over onto the yard when the canvas had been got closer up during furling.   The whips were further outboard so they need something in the middle.
 
Starting to come together?
 
cheers
 
Pat

That said, if there were three blocks on the mast it would allow both ends of the tackle to be running. If this was set up as Rich has shown on the Kate Cory, with the fall from the upper block running down the starboard side and kept belayed (so in effect a standing end, but adjustable) while the fall from the lower block runs down the port side to the purchase tackle, that arrangement would allow the upper block of the purchase tackle to be kept from jamming against the lower masthead block when lowering the boom (by letting out more line from the belayed end).  I suspect that the purchase tackle will have enough length to allow the inboard end of the gaff to be lowered to the boom, it will presumably just be kissing the lower masthead block at that point. It would then be belayed, and the peak of the gaff could then be lowered using the other (starboard) running end of the tackle, which could then be cast off to trim the gaff down onto the boom.  I can't imagine you would have two running ends in play at the same time, too much to go wrong, even with an experienced crew.  In this setup the heavy work of hoisting the gaff and it's sail from the stowed position on the boom up to the sailing position would be done by the purchase tackles on the throat halliard and (to a lesser extent) the peak halliard. The relatively lighter work of trimming the peak of the sail would be done by the tackles between the gaff and the mast.
 
So perhaps there is a third block on the doublings but it is lower down and so isn't visible in the photo.

Well, that about wraps it up. The following pictures were taken by my daughter with a better camera than I have, so I'll use them even though there's a few odds and ends that need to be finished when these shots were taken. Namely the barrels need to be lashed and rope coils needed on a few davits.
 
I purchased a case, for what I though was a reasonable price, from a gentleman who runs a site called Grandpa's cabinets. You can customize size, wood choice, and finish, and it comes complete with high quality plexiglass. Assembly is simple. I also purchased a nice, unfinished table that will serve as the display table. I'll post some final pictures when the table and case are set up. Right now I need to finish the new base, and I'm waiting on a nameplate that I ordered.  
 
Anyway, I really enjoyed this build. I think it's a sharp looking vessel, and I'm a little surprised how few KC's are on this site.  So it's my first completed ship build. (I'm not going to count the Taurus, and Benjamin W Latham I built almost 50 years ago as an early teen. I think the Taurus is still sitting around my mom's house, but the Latham is nowhere to be found. 
 
  I learned a ton about model building, and whaling. It's been a great journey. Not only did this build lead me to this site, it lead me to a great club, The ship Model Society of New Jersey. 
 
 I've taken advantage of Model Shipways end of season sale and picked up the Pride of Baltimore 2 for a50% off, so that's on it's way and will be the next project. 
 
Thanks to everybody who checked in, and for all the likes along the way. Special thanks to this site, as I would have never been able to complete some things without the help and knowledge of the members here. This place is a wealth of information and the contributors are great. . 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While doing research on tryworks and trying to figure out how I was going to make this, I ran across this site, namely, jablackwell's Kate Cory build log. His log, along with Thomas Lauria's great site, and texxn's  C.W. Morgan added a wealth of information for me. it was after discovering all these places on line that I truly realized how much I had to learn, and how much better I needed to get. 
 
So the tryworks were built. I used the metal pots that I still had from the original kit. The brick was a thin plastic sheet of model railroad "S" scale brick wall, that I painted. The rest is wood sheet and strip wood I had from various kits, and steel wire for the slide rod for the oven doors. 
 




 
 

A little background before I start this log. I played around with models of all kinds when I was young, but this was my first effort at a "quality" model as a result. (The term "quality" is up for debate )I am in the middle of this build. I started it back in the late 80's. The hull was shaped, sanded and topsides painted. Plankshseer, rails and decking added and painted.....And there it sat as life went on. Bought a house, raised 2 kids, and late summer of '17 I dusted it off, and started adding rivets to the strip copper for the hull. Little did I know these strips should have been cut into plates. I simply simulated the plates by using the ponce wheel to run vertical rivets every  15mm.

After the copper, I started on the deck work. Hatches and companionways, wheel, skylight, galley. 
 





Next up was the tryworks. 
 

Well, that about wraps it up. The following pictures were taken by my daughter with a better camera than I have, so I'll use them even though there's a few odds and ends that need to be finished when these shots were taken. Namely the barrels need to be lashed and rope coils needed on a few davits.
 
I purchased a case, for what I though was a reasonable price, from a gentleman who runs a site called Grandpa's cabinets. You can customize size, wood choice, and finish, and it comes complete with high quality plexiglass. Assembly is simple. I also purchased a nice, unfinished table that will serve as the display table. I'll post some final pictures when the table and case are set up. Right now I need to finish the new base, and I'm waiting on a nameplate that I ordered.  
 
Anyway, I really enjoyed this build. I think it's a sharp looking vessel, and I'm a little surprised how few KC's are on this site.  So it's my first completed ship build. (I'm not going to count the Taurus, and Benjamin W Latham I built almost 50 years ago as an early teen. I think the Taurus is still sitting around my mom's house, but the Latham is nowhere to be found. 
 
  I learned a ton about model building, and whaling. It's been a great journey. Not only did this build lead me to this site, it lead me to a great club, The ship Model Society of New Jersey. 
 
 I've taken advantage of Model Shipways end of season sale and picked up the Pride of Baltimore 2 for a50% off, so that's on it's way and will be the next project. 
 
Thanks to everybody who checked in, and for all the likes along the way. Special thanks to this site, as I would have never been able to complete some things without the help and knowledge of the members here. This place is a wealth of information and the contributors are great. . 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the likes and looking in. Closing in on the finish line. The boats are loaded, and hung from the davits. The spare boat is also lashed to the tailfeathers. All that remains is the rope coils on the davits, and lashing those barrels to the rail.....If I decide to use those barrels. 
 
 

 
About those barrels...I picked them up from an "S" scale website years ago when I ordered the brick for the tryworks. I've painted them, re painted them, tried drybrushing some "age" onto them, added a coat of dullcoat.... I'm not sure I like them. My wife says I need to make them look "worn". I said how much more worn can they look? I don't know.  Maybe I've been staring at them too long. Maybe they do look horrible. I need some honest opinions. 
 

 
 

 
My daughter will be visiting tomorrow. I hope she remembers her camera. I hope she can take some decent pictures for me. 
Happy holidays to everyone and thanks for checking in. The final product is real close now!!
 
 
 
 

More whalecraft....

 
Here's some loaded in a boat. 
 

 

 
I still need the second line tub for each boat, and it looks like I have enough room under the forward 3 thwarts for a waif, and maybe a boat hook, and boat spade. 

Tryworks tools and lances.
I made the handles using a drawplate and running bamboo through it to about .03" or about 3" diameter. The strainer is made out of a thin brass ring and the base is a piece of styrene filed to fit. The holes are #78 drill bit. The lances are 32 gauge steel wire. The tips are just punched flat om an anvil and shaped a little with files. 

 

 
The bucket is also a piece of brass tube, and the "poker" laying across the cooper's bench was made out of a thin needle, with the eye cut opened and turned a bit to look like the tool in one of the above posts from New Bedford. 
 

I have spent the past month experimenting with different methods of rope hanks. The two I ended up using are Tom Lauria's method  which makes a wider loop of rope. I used these on the main rail, and sparingly on the fore rail where things are real tight. On the fore rail, the hanks are almost all made using this method I ran across on youtube. One thing I changes from the way these are made in the video is, I needed to coat the whole hank in diluted white glue. Not just the top and bottom as shown. It gave the hank stability as I worked on getting the upper loop back through the hank.  It was easy enough to make the hank flexible when installing them by wetting them with some more diluted white glue. 
 
Here's a shot of the main rail, with Tom's method.
 
 

 
For the fore rails, with many more lines, I used the second method for more of the hanks for thinner, compacts coils. 
 

 

 
Rigging is almost complete. I have added the braces for the top 3 yards, and the clew, tack and fore sheets.
 

 

 
The only thing left is the brace for the lower  yard. That runs from the main shroud, the the end of the yard, and back through a block on the main shroud. Thys will severely limit access to the deck, so I need to fabricate a few tryworks tools and install them before adding these last braces. Hopefully I can make a few that look something like these on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. 

 

I can't seem to flip these right side up. Whatever I do, they load upside down? I hope you get the idea of the tools. 
 
 
 
After the tryworks tools, it will be on to fabricating oars, masts, line tubs, harpoons, and maybe a few other items  for the whaleboats. I want to try to furl some sail cloth around the whaleboat masts. We'll see how that works. The end is near, but still a lot of work to go.