Jump to content
NRG Photographic Model Ship Competition - All eligible to enter - Reduced memberhsip fee - JULY 31 ENTRY DEADLINE ×

rwiederrich

NRG Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,320

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by rwiederrich

  1. rwiederrich
    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
  2. rwiederrich
    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
  3. rwiederrich
    Yes, and she was here in Port Orchard a month or so ago too....Beautiful little brig indeed. Rob
  4. rwiederrich
    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.
  5. rwiederrich
    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
  6. rwiederrich
    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
  7. rwiederrich
    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)
  8. rwiederrich
    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
  9. rwiederrich
    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
  10. rwiederrich
    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
  11. rwiederrich
    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
  12. rwiederrich
    Nice..... Rob
  13. rwiederrich
    Fantastic! Well done. Rob
  14. rwiederrich
    It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model? Or is it a family room mantle piece? Rob
  15. rwiederrich
    Man well executed safe/storage preparation for the future. Will miss the log.... Rob
  16. rwiederrich
    Ed...Only 450 to go....... What a champ! Not only is your model exceptional...your use of time management is as well. I don't have the same hours in a day as you do apparently..... Rob
  17. rwiederrich
    Every aspect of your build is impeccable.
  18. rwiederrich
    Thank the Lord for masking tape....... Great job Ed..fantastic work. Rob
  19. rwiederrich
    Fantastic work Ed..one question..what is that chain doing in the inside ceiling framing of the deckhouse....? Rob
  20. rwiederrich
    The iron windjammers were an entirely different animal...so were the Down Easters...which immediately followed the clippers. The Glory of the Seas was Donald McKay's last Medium clipper and it was considered one of the first Down Easters. From what I gather the windjammers were slightly smaller then the Great Republic...however there are some examples that were larger. 4~5 masted monsters. These were not built for speed but for cargo carrying capabilities to brave the Horn. I have many books in my library on windjammers, I might just look that info up. Thanks for posting and for your interest. Rob
  21. rwiederrich
    Thanks everyone for the fine comments and compliments. I'm pleased, and now I have a nice tool to illustrate the size difference of many of the most famous Clippers that ever slid down the ways. It is unfortunate that more ships couldn't have been added... there are so many more I would have liked to included. But for such comparisons, most of the average, unknowledgeable would not notice their absence. All in all, I think I've laid out in an evolutionary manner, the progression from early smaller clippers to what has become realized in the mind of the greatest(IMV) Clipper builder...Donald Mckay..the Leviathan...Great Republic. Again...thank you gentlemen, and all who have enjoyed this adventure of mine, that has taken me years to realize and to bring to fruition. Rob
  22. rwiederrich
    Made some final mods to the clipper half hull plaque. I added a short epilogue and description made from a maple tree I cut down in the yard. Relocated the anchor as well. Now were to hang it.....MMMMMM Rob
  23. rwiederrich
    Thanks Pat. I have many scale models of clippers in my library/den/man cave..and about the rest of the home. However, they all tend to be within the same scale....but they are surely NOT in the same scale to one another...lending confusion to those who view them. For years, it troubled me that I had no way of demonstrating the actual size differences between many famous clippers. Not to mention that since the Cutty Sark is the most modeled clipper and by her, many if not most, think she was what could be considered an average, if not typical representation of the clipper model, failing to see the astounding truth of the matter. Clippers are profoundly an American expression...and with wood aplenty, size and luxury was left to the designers(and builders) skill and imagination . Not to be lost in the discussion, is also the fact that clipper designs(for a better and faster model) were being played out as they were being built. Not any two clippers are exactly alike...no two share the same design...for ever better designs were being experimented with in each new clipper sliding down the ways. I just hope I've turned the light on of understanding....of just how different and even drastic, comparing(IN SCALE) the extreme size difference there was within the small and short lived class of vessels that were called CLIPPERS. Thanks for your fine comments. Rob
  24. rwiederrich
    Patrick..it is the wide use of powered tools and mills and lathes and sanders that aids me in my hurried building adventure. It helps me refocus on the 4 other builds I'm currently tackling. A side project motivates me to keep going with the others. Sometimes I wonder if I'm over doing it.. Thanks for the fine compliment and encouragement. Rob
  25. rwiederrich
    Almost finished....A few more items to add.

About us

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

SSL Secured

Your security is important for us so this Website is SSL-Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Nautical Research Guild
237 South Lincoln Street
Westmont IL, 60559-1917

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

If you enjoy building ship models that are historically accurate as well as beautiful, then The Nautical Research Guild (NRG) is just right for you.

The Guild is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to “Advance Ship Modeling Through Research”. We provide support to our members in their efforts to raise the quality of their model ships.

The Nautical Research Guild has published our world-renowned quarterly magazine, The Nautical Research Journal, since 1955. The pages of the Journal are full of articles by accomplished ship modelers who show you how they create those exquisite details on their models, and by maritime historians who show you the correct details to build. The Journal is available in both print and digital editions. Go to the NRG web site (www.thenrg.org) to download a complimentary digital copy of the Journal. The NRG also publishes plan sets, books and compilations of back issues of the Journal and the former Ships in Scale and Model Ship Builder magazines.

Our Emblem ®

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)

×
×
  • Create New...