Keith Black

Thank you, Keith. That character is what drew me to this project in the first place. It's been fun trying to replicate that character from the original photos.   

Hello Mike
It's been a while since I built these RC models, but I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.
I have a preference for boats with square sails. This presents a problem. If the braces are shortened on one side, the constantly changing angles cause the brace on the other side to hang loose. To prevent wooling, I use a system developed by a member of the mini-sail group.
The principle is a wraparound sheet to which the braces are tied. This circulating sheet can be installed below deck, but there are other options, as the drawing shows.
 

The drawing shows the steering of the sails on the foremast of the Chapman frigate.
 
How exactly the technology is installed depends very much on the options offered by the model.
 
Some examples:
 

 

 
 

This picture shows the technology in the Chapman yacht.
 
 
The following pictures show the technology installation on the cutter "Le Cerf." The sail winch is installed in the companionway, and the circulating sheet is led forward and over the deck through small holes (not yet installed on this photo). All braces are led from the bowsprit onto the circulating sheet. The foresails and mainsail have their own winches.
 

 

 
Different models, different solutions.
 
There are a few things to keep in mind with everything.
The circulating sheet has a winch with a double spool. When one spool is wound, the other is unwound. Since the circulating sheet is wound onto the spools in multiple layers, the length pulled out changes with each revolution. To compensate for this, it is important to equip a block with a spring at the turn point to keep the sheet taut at all times.
 
This could look something like this: 

 
Not all systems always work flawlessly. It has proven advantageous to run the circulating sheet above the deck. This provides easy access and makes repairs easier.
I can't remember how many times I have rebuilt or completely replaced the entire technology in my models. Over the course of several decades, it has continued to evolve, and the development continues. Time and again, problems have to be dealt with, such as winches that are too weak, brass angles that are too small, too little travel, or lines that wrap around a cannon or a beting.
 
Nowadays, I actually spend more time sailing than on repairs. It used to be the other way around.
The Chapman schooner, in particular, sails quite reliably. Perhaps I'll figure out how to upload a video of it soon.
Here's the link to a video of the Chapman schooner:
 
Herzliche Grüße
Willi

Hello Willie, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.
 
John

Welcome Willi. MSW is a great site to explore and enjoy this hobby, plenty of inspiration and advice to be found with like minded enthusiasts. Your models are superb! 
I also echo Dziadeczek's and Mike's enquiry about details relating to those big questions on waterproof finishes, ballasting and r/c sail control.
Cheers,
Graham.

Hello Thomas
Thanks for your interest.
Regarding your question:
After some experimentation with different varnishes, I achieved very satisfactory results with a polyurethane resin, which can be purchased in Germany under the trade name G4 from Voss Chemie. When applied in several coats with decreasing dilution, it provides good protection against water. It's transparent, so you can still clearly see the wood structure. The only drawback is that it has a very high shine.
This can be remedied by applying a coat of matte stair varnish after the actual varnish has cured. This should also be based on polyurethane resin.
A fiberglass mat was laminated on the inside with epoxy resin.

Beautiful work.
Rich

Fun is the idea!  Welcome aboard.

Thank you very much, Gary. I'm really looking forward to making that pump. 
 
 Thank you, John. It's good to have you back with us. 
 
 Thank you, Paul. There's not a lot of free space on this littler guy's deck, things are packed pretty tight. 
 
 Thank you, Eric. 

Welcome home, John. I look forward to seeing more Cecilie updates.  

Thank you, Keith. That character is what drew me to this project in the first place. It's been fun trying to replicate that character from the original photos.   

looking great Keith- just oozing character
 
Keith

Great Balls of Fire 🔥.  Lol it had to be said. Your going to light up MSW with this build , following along for morel support. 
 
 Knocklouder 😁 
Kurt ⚒️ 

Hmmm.  I was not even gonna try to incorporate any lighting beyond the Greek Fire.  Never heard of "grain of wheat" bulbs, so I will have to look into those and see if they might work.  I hope they are very small!  Thanks, Johnny!  

Incredible! Hope you are planning to start a build log in this site?
And can you tell a bit more about the internals, controlling all these sails, ballast and waterproofing? So many questions! 😁

Wow!
How did you waterproof your models?
Thomas

I'm in.  
 

I'm in.  
 

Thank you very much, Gary. I'm really looking forward to making that pump. 
 
 Thank you, John. It's good to have you back with us. 
 
 Thank you, Paul. There's not a lot of free space on this littler guy's deck, things are packed pretty tight. 
 
 Thank you, Eric. 

I got a few items's checked off the list this past week.
 
 Added the stair railing. 

 
The stair railing was the moat time consuming as it was mostly trial and error
 
 Added control lever and steam pressure gauge in the pilothouse and it's now permanently attached. 
 
 Added the water tank, exhaust pipe, steam whistle, drive shaft (as much as can be seen) and step over

 
 
 Thank you to everyone for the likes and for your support, I appreciate it so very much. 
 
    Keith

Those are some great models!  Welcome to MSW!

Welcome! And amazing models you have build! 👏

Welcome! Incredible work!

Howdy!
 
Good luck with your projects!

Moin, Willi!
 
I was an exchange student in your neck of the woods -- or at least not too far from it (Aurich).
 
 
Just add the relevant text either before or after the photo. Those are indeed some very nice models!

Thank you very much, Gary. I'm really looking forward to making that pump. 
 
 Thank you, John. It's good to have you back with us. 
 
 Thank you, Paul. There's not a lot of free space on this littler guy's deck, things are packed pretty tight. 
 
 Thank you, Eric.