rwiederrich

GAW....you are so correct......I have built 3 clippers based upon drawings and old images...if one does ones research much can be found. Rob

You're doing a fantastic job bringing this model back to life...what a gift to have been given. One thing, If I may...you might consider bringing those deadeyes up closer to the rails...l think you'll appreciate it when you begin to rig the shrouds...More to scale and such. Great job. Rob

Clippers have been my favorite for over 46 years and that is all I model...I have built the Revell and Monogram 1/96 version several times... But the kits are limited..in all media and in vessel models....so I build from scratch. I am looking forward to your log. The Sea Witch was ground breaking in her design. Good luck. Rob

Your water is amazing.......not to mention everything else. Rob

Got to keep the next generation interested in nautical things if not through thier excitement of playhouse things. They are exposed to ships at every turn(If I can help it) Rob

No slide on this one..the slide is around the corner on the monkey bars and swing set I built last year from 2" galvanized pipe..it has a wood rope bridge as well. but because you asked..this house is the first stage of the *complex* there will be a large rope bridge off the far side that will lead to another tree forth that will have a large double seat swing beneath it. Just getting started..actually..there will probably be a tire ladder incorporated in there somewhere too. Rob

Got busy this weekend by building a tree fort for the Grandkids...so I didn't get to the shipyard to work on the next mast rigging for my Great Republic. Here is an image of the finished fort....it has a central staircase leading to the top deck and the lookout. I have a davit for supplies , a ship wheel and just after this image I mounted a brass bell. A small US flag is mounted to the lookout perch. Rob

Finished ratlines and shrouds for the foremast....next is the mainmast....I'll start that tomorrow. I'm slowly progressing.

Today I will finish up the ratlines for the foremast. I figured it would be easier to rig the top and topgallant shrouds and ratlines and then rig the lowers after the masts are stepped. I'm trying to figure out a method that will mentally produce the fastest results. small projects eventually add up to a finished model. Rob(thanks for the likes and comments)

Yes it is a wonderful feeling to be back in the yard..and with some days set aside for the very task..I hope to put the hours to good use...though I will probably be working in the machine shop getting a telescope ready for the weekend as well. rigging can be so rewarding and slow at the same time. Thanks for the fine comments Michael.

Finished for the day..but I'll be back at it tomorrow...... Got the top shrouds finished now got one side of the topgallant finished. I hope to have all the ratlines for the mast finished up tomorrow so I can begin on the mainmast next.

I'll begin and finish each mast as a single project to make the building go faster(in my mind). Here I've begun the rigging of the shrouds and lanyards for the formast.

I'm finding that I will have more time this week to spend on the GR..so I began on finishing up the top spreaders and adding some deadeyes. Rob

Amalio...I wonder... how far will you be taking this build? Will you go so far as to hide all the wonderful work you have currently done with further upper deck work? Rob

Funny thing is when we came into town I saw her mast head from the road and on our way out of town later in the day we stopped in. I was amazed you could drive right up to her and get out and walk around her. No one on board cared and I even spoke to one of the working crew members about the overhaul and repaint. Quite surreal...with her just sitting there all alone...wanting for an inspection. I've enjoyed her so many times before and even visited her in Greys Harbor when she was painted up for the Pirates of the Caribbean. The highlight of my day. Rob

Indeed...I looked into that and you can sign up as a crew member for many durations. Alas....I can't currently spare the time away from work, but a month long adventure would be great...indeed. Rob

Yes, and she was here in Port Orchard a month or so ago too....Beautiful little brig indeed. Rob

I wanted to share the images of the Lady Washington when we visited Port Townsend this weekend. she was hauled out for her semi-annual maintenance and refit. Beautiful Brig.

From what my 40+ years of studying the clipper design has revealed to me, is that, to some degree mask rake coupled with the hulls entry and exit features was part of the experiment in gaining the most speed from the vessel. There are examples of clippers with zero fore and main mast rake and only 1 degree on the mizzen...while other designs employed over 2~3 degrees on the fore and main and more then that on the mizzen. Smaller schooners and Baltimore/Boston clippers had an excess of 5 degree rake. Designers employed these extremes because the forces were balanced between hull design and forward action provided by the energy captured by the sail plan. In many instances rake was perceived by captains/designers as the essence of speed. Coupled this with extreme hull designs and you achieved speed. The commodity bringing the highest dollar value(At the time). Many theories were formulated during the time when speed was the goal and many experiments followed...some with results and some not so much. But as I've mentioned earlier, many forces are acting on the hull to propel it through the water on an even keel, and many forces are acting against that goal as well. I'm sure somewhere, someone has penned the cumulative answered as to why. I've tried to explain some reasons. Rob

The clipper Sovereign of the Seas reached the highest daily rate and fastest speed recorded for a sailing vessel of 22 knots. Mast raking was popular with the clipper design. Rob

Glad I could help. One other note to mention is that hulls with limited buoyancy due to their lines(ie..clipper hulls) forward and aft tend to resist forward down energy..thus resulting in a condition known as *Hogging*. The hulls shape provides more buoyancy amidships due to width and dead rise..where the stem and stern lack buoyancy due to their sharp lines. So *Plunging* is a greater problem...hence mast rake plays into the calculation....as I mentioned earlier. Yes indeed, there are wonderful people on these pages..... Thanks for piping in Roger...yes *balance* is one of the *Several* forces I eluded too. This is why you can see that the rake of all 3 masts on a fully rigged ship can all be different. Rob(good luck)

Matrin is heading you down the right path. Mast Raking is a calculation based on several forces, one of which is the hull design. If large areas of canvas are vertical to the center of gravity...forward and down forces drive the hull forward and down as well...causing the hull to plunge into the oncoming water. Instead of having a *trim* path through the water, the hull is pressed down forward...and the vessel plows instead of drives. Raking the masts several degrees prevents this action and draws the most energy from the sails and translates it forward along the long axis of the hull. Some extreme clippers had extreme rake to the masts and even some schooners had even greater rake...to capture the winds energy and lift and push the hull forward..NOT, cause it to plunge down forward. Good luck. Rob

Indeed Daniel, Ed's fine version of the Young America shows the *Extreme* version of the clipper design. There were 3 categories of clippers. Extreme Clipper(as In Ed's example), the Clipper, and Medium clipper. Extreme clippers designs gave little thought to cargo capacity..speed was where they gained a good return for the owners. Clippers and medium clippers were of a fuller body and even achieved speeds equal to or exceeding those of the extreme design. Medium clippers were really sharpened versions of the Cargo carrier(Such as the later models you mentioned). I think the wonderful side effect of this fantastic thread, is that we can explore in greater detail the magnificent construction and beauty of the clipper....and we are further blessed by enjoying Ed's tutorial of the intricacies of their construction. This thread has been a refreshing drink of exploration and discovery. I'm giddy. Rob

Sailor.....The claim was focused upon the wooden Clipper design. When I mention this *Model*, I was referencing the Young American or Yankee Clipper *Model* which was not a composite design or a iron hull design which came later. Iron hulled designs were of European origin. Massive (2000+ tons) wooden hulled, fast clippers (American) and their immediate predecessor, the *Down Easter*. This MODEL was the subject of my claim of strength. I never suggested or said they were the *Ultimate in strength to withstand the punishment their masters gave them*. Up until the advent of the Clipper(American), no other ship design could withstand the grueling requirements of the True clipper (speed and hauling a specialized cargo) and their owners demanded it of them. It has been said and recorded that there are 4 things that qualify or enable a vessel to be considered a clipper. 1) A fine lined Hull, 2) an emphasis on a streamlined appearance, 3) A large sail area, and 4) a Daring and skillful master. I concur with you...no other ship design compared/s to the clipper design. She is the Belle of the Ball, and Ed has demonstrated that here with his Young America. Rob

One thing I want to point out about clippers, is that they were build far and above what was normal practice. From their Massive keel and framing construction to their iron lattice cross bracing and the extensive use of iron and brass frame securing pins. So well built was the clipper design, with their long slender hulls, that new and improved methods were invented to prevent the dreaded *Hogging* effect that plagued long, narrow hulled ships. Not to mention the enormous spread of canvas and towering masts required to sustain them...because the goal was speed and the ship was required to sustainably wisthand the driving of their captains, who were rewarded with substantial bonuses if they *drove* their vessels and crews to near destruction. No other vessel design could meet this grueling requirement. The true simplicity in their overall lack of ornate embellishment was, in one regard, what made them so attractive and said to be the finest creation man could produce that sailed the seas, not to mention the most beautiful Model ever designed. Ed's exemplary reproduction is a marvel in of itself...but more so, demonstrates to us all the attention to strength the builders of these wooden Greyhounds designed into their creations to make their *Clippers* strong against the elements bent on tearing them apart. Not to mention their captains who pushed them to near destruction. Young America is an supreme example of all the elements of construction and design beautifully coming together to produce the best in naval architecture that endured for decades. Ed...I applaud you , not only for your mastery in building such a fine representation of this renowned model, but in demonstrating the same attention to detail that the original builders must have used to produce them. Rob