ClipperFan

@MikeR nice job on your more naturally sculpted flying fish figurehead.

Rob, that's an excellent suggestion from a 40 year veteran modeler. One which never even occurred to me!

@Luis Felipe send a DM to @Vladimir_Wairoa to see if he can get you a copy from his supplier in Europe.

@Jared behind @rwiederrich starboard broadside Glory of the Seas view is a row of over a dozen forceps which Rob has collected from his career as a denturist. These implements are what he uses for his builds. Perhaps this might help you avoid more breaks.

@Jared have you considered fabricating a jig of sorts to immobilize and protect the section of spar you're attempting to drill? I would also start with the tiniest drill first to create a pilot hole which could then be gradually widened to your desired diameter. Rob has an incredible assortment of such drill bits. Maybe he could give you an idea of where to find some.

@Jared Maybe @rwiederrich can give you some tool suggestions to alleviate those problems.

@Jared Has the tougher wood worked better for you or are they breaking too? Incidentally completing Stag Hound build within 100 days was a condition of the contract.

@Jared I may be getting you confused with another Flying Fish ship modeler. Were you the guy who researched relative hardness of woods due to original supplies snapping, or am I thinking of somebody else?

While we're waiting for @rwiederrich return to Stag Hound modeling activity, I found this fascinating Sea History article. The focus is on her first commander, Captain Josiah Richardson. There's good detail about her maiden voyage. In addition, there's mention of his tragic command of McKay's third California Clipper Staffordshire. There's also a beautiful piece by Charles Robert Patterson. Too bad it's monotone.

@Snug Harbor Johnny @Jared and I discussed the relative hardness of various wooden dowls. He was frustrated with the brittle nature of kit supplied spars. Chances are that you can probably safely drill small holes in tougher wood.

@Jared beautiful repair job! She looks like nothing ever happened to her. Nicely done.

@campbewj It's been too long since I've looked in on your really sharp Flying Fish build. Your aft coach house profile is really nice. It looks very similar to how the real one on Glory of the Seas narrowed to accomodate working of the ship by her crew. Rob and I have discovered some more facts about the real McKay vessel versus commercial plans. We're doing a project on McKay's premier vessel, the extreme California clipper Stag Hound. While discussing the forward forecastle windlass and bulkhead arrangement we arrived at a completely different plan than current commercial plans show. This has developed from the relatively low interior forecastle height. In the case of Stag Hound, Flying Cloud and Flying Fish, Duncan McLean states their deck height was set at that of the main rail. For both Stag Hound and Flying Cloud that's 5' but for Flying Fish it was a mere 4'6". Keep in mind, decks were 3 & 1/2" thick, making interior height that much lower. Here's the issue we discovered. This area was set up to provide accommodations for a watch of the crew. So in order to provide that, bulkhead walls would have to been higher and the forecastle would have been closed, not open as plans show. Here's an excerpt describing this set up for Flying Fish. This completely contradicts the Ben Lankford lay out. I suspect he patterned it after the Scottish tea clipper Cutty Sark. McLean states that twin companions in the wings of the forecastle lead to crew quarters below. Before these (down below) there are waterclosets, lockers, etc.He also says this area was lofty, well lit and ventilated. Rob and I have concluded there most likely was a 3' drop, creating 7' high bulkheads. Since the windlass can't be mounted above, it too was mounted below. Here's how I envision this revised topgallant forecastle bulkhead for Stag Hound. Flying Cloud and Flying Fish would have had similar arrangements. That eliminates the twin free standing twin structures abaft the forecastle as well as depiction of a windlass crammed into an awkward area too tight to comfortably work in. When you think about McKays deck heights in every other area of his ships, they're all 7' or higher. Why would he then put the forecastle crew in cramped confines? I realize this revelation comes too late for your current build but I thought you would appreciate knowing our latest developments as we discover them.

@Jared Rob apparently developed his technique over 40+ years of model ship building. Chances are, he might have more closely followed instructions too and then gradually modified it through experience.

@Jared that's why @rwiederrich says he rigs from the inside out and going from the mizzen forward. It's a bear to access inner fife rails if there's outer rigging blocking you. He rigs from mizzen forward because it allows him to control stress on the masts.

@Jared understood. I would check in with Rob as to how far to proceed in securing the mizzen topmast before you start rigging that section.