rwiederrich

Like I said tricky stuff. I used lite cured acrylic. Wile pliable, I formed it around the mast and then removed it gently and then cured it. After it was hard, I ground it to the desired shape and form. Painted it and then the tricky part…….. I glued it in place and the mast at the same time in/to the hull/deck. The fife rail had to be installed by way of running it up the mast first, then glueing the mast and boot down. While the mast was setting, I brought down the fife rail and positioned it in place and glued it down All these pieces had to be fitted and glued down in sequence. All the internal sheet blocks and their eye bolts had to be installed first, before all this work could be done. Things are tight, much care had to be taken to keep everything balanced and not interfering with everything else. Your method looks good and advantageous. Good job. Rob

Look how open this deck is. The open hatch (Where the chicken coop would sit) is your only bit of furniture. And no *boys cabin* I wish a clearer version of this image could be found. Rob

The fife rail reduction looks super....surely closer to the prototype. Good work Vlad... Question: how are you building her mast boots and installing them? Tricky business. Rob

Good call Vlad. I was a bit confused....because you had added the chicken coop and that too was a later addition.....so I wasn't sure what time frame you were building her. Plus you said you were using the cabin boy picture as your example. Now I truly see you are traveling the way I went initially and building her like my original version...*Totally* original. You're going to have quite an open deck. There are little to no images of her original deck layout to model from. However, the image of her deck, looking forward with the second floor being added to her main house is probably the best *Open* deck image we are afforded. Forgive my overstep. Rob

No that image is not misleading, if you understand the intent and action of the doors. Other images show the doors slidden to the side and fully open. The doors are large enough to access and remove the 5hp steam engine that was housed within. 2 separate man doors would not accommodate these practices. the open door is partly open....giving the illusion it is a much narrower door....when in fact it is not. With all that said...feel no pressure to redo anything at my suggestion. You've been at that already, and very nicely to boot. Rob

Wonderful rework Vlad. I didn't realize truly how large the main cabin was on your model...but by seeing it in your hand....its quite larger then the one on my smaller version....almost 2.5 times larger. While I am on the subject and you are in the throws of remodel. I hate to bring this up now...but Glory's main cabin aft doors where large sliding and swinging doors. They opened up the aft cabin where the steam donkey engine was housed. The doors were more like large barn doors that rolled and then could swing open and out like normal doors. The image you posted of the boy on the boy cabin....shows the port door swung open. But those doors are larger then a normal door. there were probably more then just 2 doors...there might have been 4 and they rolled in and along the side of one another to open up the aft cabin wall. I will post this picture of those doors and if you study it long enough, you will see, they are not regular doors....but are possibly similar to pocket doors, with he ability to swing out independently like normal doors if you only needed to access the space. Like in the picture you posted of the boy. Lastly....not to cause trouble, but, there are only three boat skids and those skids do not rest entirely upon the house roof. They have spillways cut out on each end to permit water to easily flow and this also allows for the offset of the edge molding. You'll see clearly in the image. Rob

And I thought I was being detailed in my research. You’re dedication to even chain/sheave mating is epic. I simply used the smallest LPI I could find and used it for the tye, then made the gin Bloch to match. You’re amazing. Rob

Your Victoria’s helm looks more like that on your drawing of figure #4. And Western Shore is more like figure #7. Thanks for the rendering. Rob

Glad……wonderful modifications. Every correction looks splendid. Great job. Rob

Steve has been working on his book for over a decade at least. He and his family's health, has taken turns over the years and he is currently off-line attending important family matters. Well over, 14 years ago, I became aware of Steves findings and about the history of Cooz Bay Oregon and the deep water ships that were built there. I have been coroborating with him for some time now and most of his information and data will not be released until his book is published. Steve has completed 4 models of the Western Shore himself...the one I posted was his largest scale to date and it now resides (I believe) at the North Bend visitors center. Steve is not unlike Michael Mjelde.....in that he has spent a great portion of his active modeling years researching the Cooz Bay phenomena and the activities at the Simpson Shipyard. He and I have been communicating since around 2008. Steve's been on TV ,featured in magazine articles, given interviews concerning his finds...I'm sure he would be thrilled to know we have shown such interest. Unfortunately...I don't know the time frame for his book publication. Rob

I talked to Arina and she’ll talk to Mike too. Funny ……we’re on the same page…..again. I’m setting up a date for Mike to come by and view the model. Rob

February………. That is still good news. It will then be published! Yeah……… Congrats. Rob

Steve.......have you made any progress on your build? Its been some time since we talked...and I assume you may have started before I. I was wondering what *connections* you may have and what if any information you may have on the Western Shore. Rob

Mike..wonderful work on the wheel and gear mechanism box. 1/64 is a very accomodating scale to fabricate the slightest detail in. I'm fully enjoying your build. Rob

Thanks Pat. I'm taking a great deal of my leanings from Mike Preske. He did the initial research on her and I want to glean heavely from his input. What I find most intrigueing about Western Shore, is that Mr Simpson NEVER insured his vessels. He owned them flat out and took full responsibility of them. His ships were built for his own particular use...so there was no *contractor* as was expected with most East coast clippers. Donald McKay acted in similar fasion on several occasions with several of his own clippers...where he flipped the construction bill...owned it flat out..with full intention of selling later...so insurance was a necessity for him. I'm, impresses with Mr Simpsons ability to reverse engineer his ships. A practice I tend to use myself. Going aboard vessels in port and adopting systems and structures he liked...taking measurments and then adopting them to his own vessels. That is a man who knows what he wants and skips the *middleman* to get the desired goal he seeks. The open helm design he selected is a very simple but efficient design. One thing I noticed about this design, is that the rudder post is much further forward then on the typical East coast clipper designs...suggesting that there was a greater fantail length to her stern then on those East Coast clippers...permitting her tiller or yoke to extend aft where the control lines can engage it via the control line drum. Your Victoria must have the hardware mounted under deck. The image of your helm is quite different. It looks more like the helm on the Charles W Morgan but without it being mounted on the tiller itself. Rob

My friend Steve Priske who first introduced me to the Western Shore built this model of her. Simpson built her not sparing any modern comfort……..and Steve represented her well in this model. Rob

Several pics show the opening for the fairlead. Look at this image up close the open fair lead on the splash rail is evident. Next to the curved board used for the starboard running light. It’s very noticeable on the second image too. If you also notice the spill gate in front of the channel…….. the splash rail terminates just in front of it. See the aft fairlead right in front of the starboard running light board? That added feature is mounted on the leading edge of the forecastle deck. compare images and you’ll see

Thanks Keith, I appreciate that. Rob

Hi Rick. Every house was painted off model. I simply used acrylics. Fast drying, water soluble , easy cleanup. The furled sails are made from a dental bordering compound. Very pliable when working and hard when cured. Not available to everyone. However, a good quality hardening wax may suffice, after painted. Thanks for the very fine compliment. Rob

What a whirlwind of building adventure since I began this log for the Western Shore. The Great Republic is finished.....I abandoned the old Glory of the Seas and built an entirely new one from scratch. Waiting for confermation from the museum I've contacted about her display.....and now....... Speaking to Steve Priske concerning his own builds of the Western Shore......I'm getting excited. there is still much more research to be done and supplies to be acquired but she is in the *Que*. Another painting of her.

Wow..Vlad...you are really redoing a bit of structures. Remember..when you *cant* the poop stanchions...they return to vertical once past the backstay lanyards and round the stern in a vertical fashion...if not a slight outward slant(I wouldn't worry about that part) One BIG reason why I prefer 1.96 is that it permits me to forego lots of tiny details that would otherwise be missed do to thier small size. Your larger scale doesn't afford such benefits....if you want to be as accurate as possible. I admit, I am glad to see you making the changes..especially the stanchions. While, we are on the subject....I do not wish to contribute to any more remakes....but to keep things as accurate as possible...you might want to review several other items I'v noticed that are issues. One is the location of your aft fairleads on the splash rail. Photograph evidence shows them just forward of the termination of the forecastle edge and close by the wood billets. Yours are too far aft and are actually in a useless location. Review the image Mike Mjelde gave us of Glory from an overhead view...prior to her burning. It clearly shows the starboard splashrails leading edge and you can clearly see the gap for the fairlead...just in front of that large staging board that was placed there during her canary refit. Secondly(Unfortunately) is the design of your main mast fife rail. You modeled it to extend quite far past the pump and wheels...but if you review the photographs....namely the one of her men working fish on her decks in Alaska....you will clearly see her rail ends at or slightly before the flywheels edge. Please believe me...I do not mention these to throw a wrench into your fine work or any such thing.....I, just as Rich...only desire that you have all the info to make the most accurate model of Glory during the time period you are modeling her. You've made so many self corrections up to this point......clearly demonstrating your desire to make the most accurate model you can. Good luck...and as always...you're doing a wonderful smart job. Rob

Interesting progress Vlad. I'm unclear as to why you removed all your deck furniture and masked off the deck? Were you repainting the bulwarks? Rob

The representation is designed to depict another vessel far off in the distance. It will appear small and somewhat submerged That detail can go in perfected, my model is the detail in question. Rob

Thanks Nic....I truly appreciate your compliment. My attention might shift to researching and scratch building the only clipper ever to be built on the West coast....in Cooz Bay Oregon...the *Western Shore*. She was unquestionably an extremely fast clipper, however she was short lived..built on October 10, 1874 and wrecked on July 9, 1878. One notible race was between the *Three Brothers*, *British King*and the *Western Shore*..sailing from San Fran to Liverpool. Both the Three Brothers and British King consumed more then 150 days to make the passage, while the Western Shore completed the same track in 104 days. This future build excites me for several reasons. The only 3 masted full rigged ship built on the West Coast of the US and the nature of her design and material used in her construction. She was built entirely of Douglas-fir and Port Orford cedar......with some exotic woods used in her cabins and gallary. She sported 6 yards per mast. I'm generally a McKay clipper enthusiest, but this particular clipper stands out as quite significant. Worthy of reproduction. I've already started a build log for her...just haven't contributed to it as of late....I suspect that will change. Rob

Oh...I'll find something to fill the hole....its finding the right thing that fits the hole. Thanks for the fine comments. Rob