canoe21

Installment 1
 
 
After I completed my self designed model of a Freedom Sloop I wanted to finally tackle my long held desire to build a mid Seventeenth Century VOC ship. (VOC stands for Verenigde OostIndiesche Compagnie or United East-Indies Company, chartered by the Dutch States General in 1602 and dissolved in 1800 due to bankruptcy).   I liked the looks of ships of that era best and to honor my father and my wife’s father, both died in the wool seamen.  My father wanted to study for seamanship in one of the Dutch Merchant Marine Academies.   However, due to circumstances not of his own doing he joined the Navy.  My wife’s father was First Mate with the KPM, a Dutch shipping company in the Colonies, and retired as captain in 1953.  In an around about way the KPM was a continuation of the VOC. 
 
 
 
I could have purchased existing drawings but none suited my ideas and at this stage I had not yet purchased Herman Ketting’s book “Prinse Willem.”   So, I decided to try my hand in designing my own ship.  Being quite familiar with aircraft design it would seem not to be that different or difficult.  I looked at many drawings of William van de Velde de Elder and the Younger.  I looked at many paintings and models and got a good idea how I wanted my model to look like to suit my ideas for the use of this fictitious ship.
 
 
I was born and razed in the Dutch East Indies in the fair city of Surabaya, I wanted to play-act as the born and razed East Indier from Surabaya, the cantankerous old shipwright but trained in the southern Dutch ship building methods. 
My original thought was to build the ship in Surabaya, a city in the East of the island of Java using local timber and local craftsmen.  Craftsmen from the different tribes in the Indonesian archipelago already build seagoing merchant vessels that sailed to India, China and Africa even before the Portuguese, the Dutch or the English arrived.
 
 
However, I, as the shipwright, realized that the VOC would never buy a ship build in the East Indies with local wood and craftsmen.  So I decided to build the ship in Middelburg, on the island of Walcheren in the Province of Zeeland. 
This Chamber of the VOC did usually build the largest ships for the Company.
 
 
My ship is going to be 165 Amsterdam voet with a beam of 41 voet and a “hold” of 16 voet.  The scale is 1:80.  I thought to make this ship a hybrid cargo / warship with an extremely shallow draft and good cargo carrying capabilities.  Therefore I needed to deviate from the suggested standards and make the bottom or “vlak” of the hull with only a 40 angle to the keel and a broader bilge.  She also needed more tumblehome to allow for 16 eighteen pounders on the first or gun deck and 14 twelve pounders on the second or spar deck with numerous swivels on the railings.  My reason for all this was to accompany the lesser armed ships for protection against the many pirates and of course the ever present Portuguese.  Well, “De Heren XVII” (the Gentlemen Seventeen, board of directors) liked the idea and the plans and ordered the ship to be built.  I also wanted enough space aft to accommodate passengers and have better accommodations for the officers with their own “sanitary” arrangements in de side gallery.  I also wanted a decked over forecastle for workshops, crew accommodations and possible additional 6 pound guns on the forecastle deck.
 
 
The name of the ship will be “Surabaya.”  This word is a composite of two words, sura, meaning shark and buaya,
crocodile.  There is an old legend shrouded in ancient history about how this city got its name.   A shark called Sura and a crocodile called Buaya, fought for owners right of the river Kali Mas and local waters.  The river turned red of their spilled blood and to this day a bridge build over the river at that spot is called Jembatan Mera (Bridge Red) or Red Bridge.  And yes, I walked across that bridge many times. There will be a carving of a shark and crocodile in mortal combat on the counter to illustrate the name. A note to this, in a later installment of my log rebuild you'll see a sketch I made.
 
I thank two fellow MSW friends with helping me with setting up this rebuild of my log.  I'm just not a computer savvy guy.
 
Start with the build.


 
The lines
 

 
drawings of the fictitious VOC ship
 

 
Close-up of the “groot spant,” the frame at the widest part of the beam, according to datagiven by Nicolaas Witsen.  The
black lines are drawn from Witsen’s data, the red lines are my deviations.  There was a comment from two “Gentlemen
Seventeen,” Amateur Jan and Amazon Dirk, that my tumblehome is too great.  I did adjust that but in retrospect I should have kept it as I originally drew it up with an eye on the mass of the 18 pounder guns.  However, now that the hull is pretty well completed it turned out okay.


 
This shows the trial bulkheads cut from MDF to check the overall flow of the hull.  There were a few adjustments to be made but in general I was satisfied with the design.
 

 
This shows the MDF trial bulkheads installed and seen from above to check the lines of the ship.  As you can see not much tumblehome.


 
Port side view with temporary MDF bulkheads installed.  Adjustment notes taken from this trial fit were translated
to the actual plywood to be cut out.


 
This shows all the bulkheads drawn onto ¼ inch plywood for the frames as adjusted from the MDF trial bulkheads.  Again, in hindsight, I should have used a better grade of wood.
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for your compliments on the winch Patrick and Michael,
 
that tooth-wheel question did`nt leave my mind cool all the time, here`s what I did with some odd polycarbonate wheels out of my "leftovers" box. Think its better than to quit the toothwheels not showing up....
Further there is a bracket mounted which takes up the two cylinders, one side already bears a piston rod (to be shortend)
I`ll try to chemically blacken the winch framework, when the appropriate parts are ready. Up to this stage every part is repeatable
 
Nils
 

 
the crankshaft is not mounted yet. It will all be a quite compact design....
 
 

 
size relation to the pin
 
 

 
shafts and wheels dismounted for soldering the cylinder carrying bracket
 
 
 

thanks very much Piet,
 
once the prototype is made, the learning curve sets in and the remaining 5 winches ca`nt go wrong any more. One needs to be mirrored.
 
Nils
 

 
The horizontal holes for the 3 axis are drilled by means of a template, taken from the prototype
The upper side contours still to be filed into shape. For the large gear wheel it requires a little freecut in the front side. I`m so happy that it worked out like it was intended

Update
 
Prototyp winch is now complete (requires a few paint touch ups)
 
Two of these winches go on the forecastle deck and one on the forward waist deck, behind the foremast
 
Two reciprocating steam drives mounted, also outer winding drums and brake. The framework was chemically blackend.
 
2 of these winches go on the forecastle deck and one on the forward waist deck, behind the foremast
 
Nils
 

 
 

Hi Ed,
 
thanks for looking in and for your nice compliment. I was stuck a bit in the winch fabrication, lifeboats and vents, and sorting out the related design, so there is not much progress on the basic model, but following your wish, I`m happy to show the present state (pics taken  this afternoon )
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Update
 
the winches are coming together quite well. Have meantime made out another two slightly different (narrower) looking winches on the boats deck, of which I unfortunately do`nt know the function....and there are only two of them on the entire boatsdeck
 
The status of the 6 cargo winches....
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
this pic is borrowed from the St. Petersberger "Qvartett KWdG"
Perhaps they have some relation in order to hoist the lifeboat lines or so..... Does anybody know ?

Update
 
6 cargo "steam" winches (1:144 ) now complete
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Build log part 2
 
 
I know it sounds strange to start making the propellers where the hull is not even on the slipway, but I was wondering if I could make them from brass, as they are a typical detail, in the way they were designed 118 years ago......., and as I`ve never seen such model props on the model market, it would be a pitty if I had to fit regular model brass props
 
 

 
I fell in love with these elegant stern lines, designed for speed
 
 

 
here some of the detail parts, in total there are 38 to be made single parts per prop, port- and stb. props rotate counterclockwise with appr. blade twists
 
 

 
raw hub with mounted, drilled and slotted calottes to take up the blades. The slot orientation is set with card template angle jig. The hub raw material is 8 mm squarebar, with centerline boring and M3 thread
 
 

 
blades soldered on and brushed over, the soldering per gas tourch was quite tricky
 
 

 
started to fit the resembled blade fastening bolts with distance sleeves and hexagonal dome nuts. Here six bolts (in actual would be 8 or 10, but that was to tricky for me to drill at that scale...
 
 

 
The actual props had a diam. of 6800 mm, resulting in 47,2 mm model scale 1:144
 
 

 
without bolts....
 
 

 
with bolts
 
 

 
the first prop took me 2 days to make, the second 1,5 day (learncurve)
 
 

 
here original design drawing with 3-blade hub
 
 
Nils
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks All.  No it will not be weathered.  I am building it as it is in the opening overhead picture.  It was a Coast Guard boat during WWII and I don't think they would have put up with dirt and rust.  So even the bumps scrapes and dents will be painted and clean.
 
Bob

wish you ongoing pleasure and fun with this project Bob,
one sure can see that you`re enjoying this fine build....
 
Nils

Thanks Lawrence.  Yes, we build in the detail we want for our own enjoyment, and I'm enjoying this build.
 
Bob

Hi everyone
 
I hope you're all well. Just a short, but quick update. I've started on the construction of the Bridge decks interior accommodation. In particular, although you can't see it clearly, is the Bridge Deck's control console. The steering wheel will be added later. There's also a drink's bar amidship, together with other assorted items, e.g. the round coffee table.
 
All the best
 
Patrick

Hi Greg, Nigel and everyone else for their Likes and comments.  I greatly appreciate them.
 
As for Majellan, well, I've done a little bit more on the internal fit-out of her Main Saloon.  In the following photos, you'll notice that I've added her main dining table, and the cabinetry that sits against the cabin walls (some of which are situated under the windows; others of which are in the corners of the saloon).  I've also made the main couches in the seating area (although they still require shaping and for the cushions to be added) and the drinks bar.
 
Still, lots of fun work to go.
 
Cheers and all the best!
 
Patrick

Hi everyone and thanks for all of your comments and Likes!
 
Just a quick update.  The fit-out of Magellan's main deck's accommodation continues.  However, this time, I've jumped around again and started work on fitting out the main saloon.  Whilst it's still very early days, the galley now has some more cupboards added as well as a fridge.  Nothing's glued down yet, so it still looks pretty rough, but you've gotta start somewhere.
 
Sadly, I still haven't found the TV remote...
 
Cheers and Happy Easter, everyone!
 
Patrick

Hi everyone
 
Thanks for all of your comments and Likes!
 
As is customary for some reason with this build, I've been jumping around a bit, in comparison to my normally systematic approach. Therefore, things may seem a bit jumbled. Nonetheless, I've started to fashion the Sun Deck's "wing", upon which the radar domes and antanaes will eventually reside.
 
In the main deck, I've also started on the galley and the owner's stateroom. Everything's incomplete, though, so there's stll lots and lots of work to go, including the finishing and sanding, but here are the photos anyway.
 
I hope you enjoy them
 
Cheers and thanks
 
Patrick

Well now that you have had a bit of practice when are you going to start the real models?
 
A stunning collection Sir
 
Michael

Hi Bob
 
Many thanks! I wish I knew where that machine was, too. All I know is that someone keeps using it on my wallet. Each day, my wallet just keeps getting smaller and smaller...LOL.
 
Anyhow, enough of my bad jokes! You have a good one.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick .

Hi everyone
 
Hope you're all well and thanks for your Likes and compliments!
 
I've done a lot of work on Majellan over the week, most of which can't be seen; mainly because it involved a lot of measuring, cutting and fine tuning how each deck sat upon the one below it. Although it may not ybe immediately apparent in the photos, the decks are looking much better than before (well, I think so, anyway).
 
Also, just for fun, I thought I'd also put Magellan alongside some of her sisters in my miniature fleet, namely, Symphony (Ketch), Mystic (cabin cruiser) and Rainbow (J Class). It's interesting to sit back and look at the relative sizes of each model when compared against each other. I still can't believe how small Mystic is in comparison to the others!
 
Have a great weekend, everyone.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Hi everyone
 
Hope you're all well.  Progress has been slow this week, but I thought I'd show where I'm at with Majellan.
 
The superstructure's painting and puttying continues, whilst I chase the glass smooth finish that I'm after.  I've also started work on the forepeak where the winches and other associated deck furniture will be stored.  The rear garage door and staircases haven't been touched since last week, so there's still lots of work to go before the stern is finished.
 
Please see the photos below.
 
Enjoy your weekends!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick 

Thanks Lawrence! I must admit that I'm also quite surprised that so much detail can be fitted into these tiny hulls as well. I always think to myself, if masters like Phil Reed and Donald McNarry can do it, then I can at least try to emulate their skills and achievements. I may never be as good as them, but, what the heck, I can still have fun trying!
 
Thanks once again and all the best.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Once the glue had dried, the bottom planking was faired back level with the chine strip and the transom.
 

 
The next step is to release the hull from the build board by removing the previously applied staples in the sheer plank.  It looks kinda boat-like now!
 

 

 
The Sheer plank now needs to be faired to the frames before applying the side planking.  Just debating whether to install some running gear and cabling before installing the side planks.  My order from MACK products arrived during the week, and I’m very pleased with the looks of the various goodies (which will be revealed in due course).
 
In the meantime, picking up on an idea from the RC Groups forum, I contacted a rubber stamp making company here in Australia and had them make up some Chris-Craft logo rubber pads for the step pads.  The company were excellent to deal with and produced proofs from a photo I sent them.  Once I gave them the go ahead, the finished product was waiting for me when I got home from work the next day.  Can’t beat that for service!  The stamps are only available in grey rubber, but I think they should paint up okay with black paint.  I’m very pleased with the way they have come out.  They look better than the photo suggests – I couldn’t get the camera to focus on the pads instead of the five-cent piece!
 

 
 
 
 

Construction: Planking

Didn’t have much time for this build this weekend as the other build (Bomb Vessel Cross Section) took up most of the available time, but did manage to fit the bottom planks.

Planking begins with the bottom planking. This is achieved with two large “plastic” sheets. The material is an expanded core PVC called “Sintra”. On the bottom of the hull, there will be no over planking as this gets painted. On the rest of the boat, the Sintra forms an “underplanking”, over which the Mahogany planks are laid. Use of the Sintra simplifies and speeds up the build, and makes the whole vessel lighter (a consideration for later on with the RC version of the build).

I have heard of a number of people having water ingress issues due to the Sintra and the fact that the bottom is also not fibreglassed like the remainder of the boat. I will either seal the hull with a waterproof car body filler, or fiberglass the bottom as well as the rest of the boat – I haven’t yet decided on this aspect.

Construction: Frame, Keel and Chine Installation

The frames are then installed, with the aid of a special template jig as they are not perpendicular to the sub-deck. When installed correctly, they have a slight lean aft. Epoxy is the recommended glue for this job. I used the 5-min type and it was quite good to work with, having a reasonable working time to get things aligned correctly, and then setting reasonably quickly after that.



Once all the frames are installed, the Fwd keel is inserted. I used Epoxy to glue the forward part to the sub-deck, and then wicked super thin aliphatic resin into the frame joints.




The next job is to insert the Butterfly Keel, which is a two piece keel (one either side of the centreline) extending from Frame Four aft to Frame Eight. Once that is installed, the next job is to install the Chine. This is an interesting construction method. The Chine is made of two 1/8” thick strips of balsa on each side To start, the ends of the two strips are glued together for the first inch, with about 1/4" overlap. Once dry, this section is then glued into the notch in frame one, using a liberal amount of Epoxy and left to cure for at least one hour.



Once the epoxy has cured, a bead of wood glue (I used the aliphatic resin again) is run between the two strips, and these are progressively bent to shape, clamped and glued to each frame notch in turn with thick CA and the assistance of some CA kicker. Sounds complicated but is remarkably easy and all done in about 5 minutes.



Once all the glues had dried, the overhang was trimmed flush with the transom.



This completes the lower hull framing. The next job will be to install the “underplanking”.

Edit: I may have been mistaken about some of the materials used. See post #19 below for further thoughts.

The gauges have now been set aside for the time being.  The final version will be dependent on some lighting I plan to add, so will wait for some of that to arrive before going any further with these.  In the meantime, it was time to start construction proper.
 
Construction: Frames and Keel
 
The frames are all die cut balsa ply.  The die cutting requires a little more effort to release from the layout boards than does laser cutting, and the edges are nowhere near as neat.  However, after a couple of hours of cutting out and cleaning up, we were ready to begin.
 

 
Four of the frames have reinforcing strips around the edges, so the first job was to glue these up:
 

 

 
Frame Four is also drilled to accept the steering column, and has a support installed on front (bow) side of the frame:
 

 
The Forward keel extends from the bow to Frame Four, and is comprised of two identical parts epoxied together:
 

 

 
The sub-Deck provides a flat surface on which to assemble the frames.  It comes in two parts which are joined together over a sheet of grease proof paper on top of the building board. (The grease-proof paper is to ensure that the sub-deck doesn’t accidentally get glued to the building board!)
 

 
Continued next post......... 

Thanks Mobbise, Mark and Ben.
 
A minor update tonight......
 
Construction: Gauges continued
 
Continuing development of the gauges, I came across another idea from the RC Forum – instant domed gauge glasses!
 

 
Yes, they’re “googly eyes”.  A few minutes on the sanding block to remove the backing and reduce the diameter to just fit the gauges and you have:
 

 

 
The plastic is not quite as clear as I would like, so not sure yet whether I’ll go with this in the end.  I have another alternate method to try yet……..