DonnRW

In many respects I am a relative newcomer to the world of model shipbuilding. I recently completed, as my very first build,  the HMAV Bounty (Caldercraft) and I am reasonably pleased with the end result. That said, it took me about eight years to complete the project; however in fairness to myself, the actual time spent actively working on the ship was closer to two years.  Following retirement, most of my time has been devoted to building furniture, however, I recently sold my house and shop so woodworking had to be temporally suspended. Given the fact that I wanted to keep my hands busy, I dug the Bounty out of mothballs and began building. It took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of working in a smaller scale, but I soon rediscovered how much I enjoyed tinkering with these wonderful old ships. 
 
Given my limited experience as a modeler, the wisest course of action would have been to choose a much less ambitious project than the Agamemnon. I totally agree; but having found this website and after reading the building logs of such Master Builders as Sjors, Mobbsie and others, I knew that my next build would have to be the Aggie! ("Aggie" or "Aggy", I am not sure which is correct...but, since one of my degrees is from Texas A&M University, I'll go with Aggie).
 
So, it is with this background in mind that I start this log. No doubt it will take me a very long time to complete this project and I am very confident that I will be calling upon the collective wisdom of this folks associated with this site to help me along the way. 

As you can see, I have the box with all of the necessary inventory, and I have started the build! Since I have never posted pictures before, I will close for now to be sure I understand the mechanics of the uploading process before I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Thanks,
Donn

In many respects I am a relative newcomer to the world of model shipbuilding. I recently completed, as my very first build,  the HMAV Bounty (Caldercraft) and I am reasonably pleased with the end result. That said, it took me about eight years to complete the project; however in fairness to myself, the actual time spent actively working on the ship was closer to two years.  Following retirement, most of my time has been devoted to building furniture, however, I recently sold my house and shop so woodworking had to be temporally suspended. Given the fact that I wanted to keep my hands busy, I dug the Bounty out of mothballs and began building. It took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of working in a smaller scale, but I soon rediscovered how much I enjoyed tinkering with these wonderful old ships. 
 
Given my limited experience as a modeler, the wisest course of action would have been to choose a much less ambitious project than the Agamemnon. I totally agree; but having found this website and after reading the building logs of such Master Builders as Sjors, Mobbsie and others, I knew that my next build would have to be the Aggie! ("Aggie" or "Aggy", I am not sure which is correct...but, since one of my degrees is from Texas A&M University, I'll go with Aggie).
 
So, it is with this background in mind that I start this log. No doubt it will take me a very long time to complete this project and I am very confident that I will be calling upon the collective wisdom of this folks associated with this site to help me along the way. 

As you can see, I have the box with all of the necessary inventory, and I have started the build! Since I have never posted pictures before, I will close for now to be sure I understand the mechanics of the uploading process before I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Thanks,
Donn

In many respects I am a relative newcomer to the world of model shipbuilding. I recently completed, as my very first build,  the HMAV Bounty (Caldercraft) and I am reasonably pleased with the end result. That said, it took me about eight years to complete the project; however in fairness to myself, the actual time spent actively working on the ship was closer to two years.  Following retirement, most of my time has been devoted to building furniture, however, I recently sold my house and shop so woodworking had to be temporally suspended. Given the fact that I wanted to keep my hands busy, I dug the Bounty out of mothballs and began building. It took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of working in a smaller scale, but I soon rediscovered how much I enjoyed tinkering with these wonderful old ships. 
 
Given my limited experience as a modeler, the wisest course of action would have been to choose a much less ambitious project than the Agamemnon. I totally agree; but having found this website and after reading the building logs of such Master Builders as Sjors, Mobbsie and others, I knew that my next build would have to be the Aggie! ("Aggie" or "Aggy", I am not sure which is correct...but, since one of my degrees is from Texas A&M University, I'll go with Aggie).
 
So, it is with this background in mind that I start this log. No doubt it will take me a very long time to complete this project and I am very confident that I will be calling upon the collective wisdom of this folks associated with this site to help me along the way. 

As you can see, I have the box with all of the necessary inventory, and I have started the build! Since I have never posted pictures before, I will close for now to be sure I understand the mechanics of the uploading process before I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Thanks,
Donn

In many respects I am a relative newcomer to the world of model shipbuilding. I recently completed, as my very first build,  the HMAV Bounty (Caldercraft) and I am reasonably pleased with the end result. That said, it took me about eight years to complete the project; however in fairness to myself, the actual time spent actively working on the ship was closer to two years.  Following retirement, most of my time has been devoted to building furniture, however, I recently sold my house and shop so woodworking had to be temporally suspended. Given the fact that I wanted to keep my hands busy, I dug the Bounty out of mothballs and began building. It took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of working in a smaller scale, but I soon rediscovered how much I enjoyed tinkering with these wonderful old ships. 
 
Given my limited experience as a modeler, the wisest course of action would have been to choose a much less ambitious project than the Agamemnon. I totally agree; but having found this website and after reading the building logs of such Master Builders as Sjors, Mobbsie and others, I knew that my next build would have to be the Aggie! ("Aggie" or "Aggy", I am not sure which is correct...but, since one of my degrees is from Texas A&M University, I'll go with Aggie).
 
So, it is with this background in mind that I start this log. No doubt it will take me a very long time to complete this project and I am very confident that I will be calling upon the collective wisdom of this folks associated with this site to help me along the way. 

As you can see, I have the box with all of the necessary inventory, and I have started the build! Since I have never posted pictures before, I will close for now to be sure I understand the mechanics of the uploading process before I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Thanks,
Donn

In many respects I am a relative newcomer to the world of model shipbuilding. I recently completed, as my very first build,  the HMAV Bounty (Caldercraft) and I am reasonably pleased with the end result. That said, it took me about eight years to complete the project; however in fairness to myself, the actual time spent actively working on the ship was closer to two years.  Following retirement, most of my time has been devoted to building furniture, however, I recently sold my house and shop so woodworking had to be temporally suspended. Given the fact that I wanted to keep my hands busy, I dug the Bounty out of mothballs and began building. It took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of working in a smaller scale, but I soon rediscovered how much I enjoyed tinkering with these wonderful old ships. 
 
Given my limited experience as a modeler, the wisest course of action would have been to choose a much less ambitious project than the Agamemnon. I totally agree; but having found this website and after reading the building logs of such Master Builders as Sjors, Mobbsie and others, I knew that my next build would have to be the Aggie! ("Aggie" or "Aggy", I am not sure which is correct...but, since one of my degrees is from Texas A&M University, I'll go with Aggie).
 
So, it is with this background in mind that I start this log. No doubt it will take me a very long time to complete this project and I am very confident that I will be calling upon the collective wisdom of this folks associated with this site to help me along the way. 

As you can see, I have the box with all of the necessary inventory, and I have started the build! Since I have never posted pictures before, I will close for now to be sure I understand the mechanics of the uploading process before I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Thanks,
Donn

Robert,
You are doing a beautiful job on the Victory! Thank you for sharing your craftsmanship through your posts, I am enjoying watching the ship take shape. I noticed that you have installed the windows on the galleries; did the window materials come supplied in the kit, or did you use something else?
 
Thank you,
Donn

Robert, thank you! Based on your recent pictures, I thought you had installed the glass, but after a closer look I can see that I was fooled by lighting and old eyes. That said, whatever you decided to do relative to "glass" installation, I am sure it will look great. I am enjoying your building log, thank you for taking the time to share it with the model shipbuilding community.

Here is a nice collection of photos of what looks to me to be a very good model of Bounty:  http://www.modelships.de/Bounty_II/Photos_Bounty_II_details.htm. I pulled this photo from the set. 

On the McKay drawing posted by Gregory the rigging attached to the gaff is as follows: Vangs which lead down from the peak of the gaff to the deck on either side, the peak halliard which leads to a block at the mizzen mast head, mizzen topsail braces which lead from the mizzen topsail yard arms to small blocks sized to the gaff peak, and the brails used to gather the mizzen sail to the gaff and the mast. The peak halliard appears to be a simple single lead. There would also have to be a throat halliard which would be used to haul the end of the gaff at the mast up under the mizzen top. It would hoist to a spot roughly 2/3-3/4 the length of the mizzen mast head below the underside of the tressle trees. The peak would be hoisted to about the same angle as the mizzne stay or mizzen topmast stay.

JerseyCity, great pictures...thank you! I have looked very closely at the pictures, it is amazing how much variation there is with respect to the rigging plan. I suppose this means that there is more than one "right" way. I like the approach depicted in this model!

JerseyCity, wow, this is a very clear picture and very helpful! I will be using this as a guide for the placement of blocks and rigging. Thank you! 
 
Matrim, I recently learned of the belaying plan for the Bounty. Although I learned of it late in the process, I too emailed Caldercraft and requested a copy of the plan. As of this writing, I have not heard from them (it has be at least three weeks). Once again, thank you for your assistance.

I am in the process of finishing the rigging on the Bounty (Caldercraft). Overall, the experience has been very good, although I have found what seems to be a number of discrepancies in the plans, I have been able to work my way through most of it. I am, however, a bit stumped with rigging the gaff-boom. The plans are confusing (seemingly contradictory and incomplete). Before I go and do my own thing, I thought I would consult with those on this site to see if anyone has faced this particular dilemma. Thank you.

JerseyCity and Michael, thank you both for taking the time to respond, I am very appreciative. The plan sheet refers to the piece in question as a "gaff-boom", consequently, that is what I called it. Since I originally posted the question, I have looked up various pictures of other models as well as the full-blown replica of the Bounty. Although the pictures are not crystal clear, I have been able to tease out enough detail to determine that there is a considerable amount of variability as to how various models are rigged. At this point, I am not sure exactly how I will approach the problem, but it would seem that I have options. Again, thank you for your insights and input. Donn

Gregory and Matrim, thank you for the input. The drawing is a bit busy, but it clearly shows more stays than I have seen on most of the other Bounty pictures that I have reviewed, which is very interesting. Matrim, my version of the Bounty was purchased at least 10 years ago (long story), so perhaps the plans have been cleaned up since my purchase. One example of "discrepancies" I have experienced is that the plans for rigging the "gaff-boom" clearly show a 3mm block attached on top of the gaff at its base (portion nearest the mizzen), however, none of the other plan sheets show this block and therefore no rigging is shown to the block.  That said, it has been a lot of fun building this model, I am thoroughly enjoying the process!

Robert, thank you! Based on your recent pictures, I thought you had installed the glass, but after a closer look I can see that I was fooled by lighting and old eyes. That said, whatever you decided to do relative to "glass" installation, I am sure it will look great. I am enjoying your building log, thank you for taking the time to share it with the model shipbuilding community.

Hennie, your craftsmanship is amazing! Would you mind sharing a few more details as to how you went about marking and cutting the gun ports? Based on the top photograph it looks as if the port outlines are "burned" into the bulkheads. Thank you, Donn

Hennie, your craftsmanship is amazing! Would you mind sharing a few more details as to how you went about marking and cutting the gun ports? Based on the top photograph it looks as if the port outlines are "burned" into the bulkheads. Thank you, Donn

Thanks Mark, I'll look at their site. As for location, I live in North Carolina.

At long last, I will soon be finishing the HMS Bounty (Cauldercraft)! Even though this is my first major build, I am fairly pleased with the results. That said, it is time to think about mounting the finished ship. In times past, I would have built my own display pedestal/brackets, but at this point in time I would prefer to order on a turnkey basis. Does anyone have a suggestion for potential supplier? Thank you.

Sjors, I have been worried about you! I have been following your SOS build, but noticed that you were not posting with the same degree of regularity that I had become accustomed to with some of your prior builds. That said, I accidentally stumbled on on this ST building log so the mystery is solved...and I am delighted to know that you are well and happily building! I must admit, however, I do not know how you manage two major builds simultaneously...no doubt you are incredibly organized and patient. Cheers! Donn  

Sjors, I have been worried about you! I have been following your SOS build, but noticed that you were not posting with the same degree of regularity that I had become accustomed to with some of your prior builds. That said, I accidentally stumbled on on this ST building log so the mystery is solved...and I am delighted to know that you are well and happily building! I must admit, however, I do not know how you manage two major builds simultaneously...no doubt you are incredibly organized and patient. Cheers! Donn  

Sjors, I have been worried about you! I have been following your SOS build, but noticed that you were not posting with the same degree of regularity that I had become accustomed to with some of your prior builds. That said, I accidentally stumbled on on this ST building log so the mystery is solved...and I am delighted to know that you are well and happily building! I must admit, however, I do not know how you manage two major builds simultaneously...no doubt you are incredibly organized and patient. Cheers! Donn  

I appreciated the suggestions offered here as I also enjoy books of this genera. I have read several of the series suggested, but one that I didn't see was by S. Thomas Russell. He is a contemporary author who is continuing to add to his series. To date he has 4 novels published in the Themis  series, these books are historical fiction about HMS Themis, a Royal Navy frigate, at the time of the French Revolution.
Under Enemy Colours (2007) A Battle Won (2010) A Ship of War (2012); US title, 2013, Take, Burn or Destroy Until the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead (2014)  

I appreciated the suggestions offered here as I also enjoy books of this genera. I have read several of the series suggested, but one that I didn't see was by S. Thomas Russell. He is a contemporary author who is continuing to add to his series. To date he has 4 novels published in the Themis  series, these books are historical fiction about HMS Themis, a Royal Navy frigate, at the time of the French Revolution.
Under Enemy Colours (2007) A Battle Won (2010) A Ship of War (2012); US title, 2013, Take, Burn or Destroy Until the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead (2014)  

Hennie, i am looking forward to watching as you create the beautiful ship that is hidden within all the parts spread out on your worktable. I have been following Sjors as he built the Agamemnon and his current SOS build. I have learned a lot from his posts and I am sure I will learn just a much from you. Thank you for sharing your craftsmanship with us!
 
Donn