coxswain

Thanks for posting these Alan;
 
Regarding the riggers hanging or drowning themselves, this was due to the Peace of Amiens, signed in 1802. 
 
Lord St Vincent, who had recently been made First Lord of the Admiralty, was convinced that the dockyards were staffed by rogues, who had no other object in life but to connive and steal for their own profit. As soon as peace was declared, one which St Vincent was adamant would last for at least 10 years, he immediately set up commissions of inquiry, and ordered swingeing cuts to the dockyard staff and Navy budget. He ordered halts to the purchase and stockpiling of most items needed for building or maintaining ships. These policies were opposed by more strategically aware Naval officers, but their protests were un-heeded. 
 
So of course, when war with France broke out again within a year or so, the Navy had few ships ready for sea, no timber stockpiled in the dockyards, a greatly reduced number of skilled men to put ships in commission and start on the building of new ones, and greatly reduced morale. At the same time, Napoleon was massing troops on the Channel coast, and proclaiming the forthcoming invasion of Britain. It was just like the disarmament policies of the British government in the 1930s, and the Munich agreement. Put not your faith in the promises of dictators!
 
St Vincent, a notedly harsh disciplinarian even in an age when much that would be unthinkable now was regarded as commonplace, would certainly not have spared a thought for either the damage he did to the Navy, nor for the lives of those who were so badly affected by his mis-timed and inappropriate cutbacks. Many of these men were probably owed years of back-pay, and having been dismissed from their employment, would have been unable to obtain any further credit to buy food. Being unable to sustain their existence any longer, they probably saw no hope of ever receiving their arrears of pay, and quite understandably, just gave up. Sobering stuff.
 
May their souls rest in peace
 
All the best,
 
Mark P
 
 
 
 

Now I'm almost done with planking both halves. Just the last strip to fit on both sides. All in all i think it has gone well. No problems that sanding and a bit of filler cannot solve 😉
 

My impression of the Aliphatic Resin I started using for this is positive. It is quite similar to white glue in handling, but is a bit stickier and the pieces does not tend to glide when pressed together. The only problem I have is with the bottle. It has a special screw "tap" on the tip that makes it easy to close the bottle with one hand after applying the glue and holding the pieces with the other hand. However, I find it hard to control the tap to get a very fine sting of glue (for example on the sides of the strips).
 
Cheers

My new method of bending the bottom sheet worked better. There is still a small gap to the stem, but I can live with that. I have continued with the upper planking.
For this I'm using my new glue "Aliphatic Resin". Previously I used ordinary white PVA glue. The new glue should be a bit more suitable for model building as it sticks together quicker and possibly dries quicker. On the other hand it is at least twice as expensive. I will use it for a while and see what I think of it.

Cheers
 

So, the first try at bending the plywood sheet was not fully successful. The modified paperclips I used didn't provide enough clamping force, so there became gaps to the bulkheads. I need a new approach.

I drilled a hole in the second bulkhead and put a matchstick through it. This provided something for the clothespins to clamp against.
 

So I re-soaked the plywood in hot water and clamped it down better this time.

There was also a gap towards the stem, so I cut a groove (rabbet) for the plywood and planks to end in.


Cheers

Next step is to glue the deck to the frames. When comparing the build logs mentioned above they follow somewhat different paths, either gluing the deck or the bottom first. Maybe there instructions are somewhat different since the ages of the kits are different.
 
Anyhow, I followed the instruction in my kit and glued the deck first. I used the part of the plywood sheet where the false keel was cut out from to get the correct curvature to press the deck to the frames.
This worked excellent, the deck got really tight towards the frames.
Next step is fairing the hull. As this is my first ship model with a traditional planking I want to go carefully. The curves are not extreme (compared to other build logs) but the bow comes in at about 45 degrees to the stem.

The hull form is (as Chris Watton mentions above) rather box-like and the bottom is almost flat. To simplify the planking the bottom half is "planked" with laser cut thin plywood. As the plywood piece tapers sharply towards the fore and aft the rest of the hull, which will be planked with strip wood, will need much less tapering. However the plywood piece is not so easy to bend, especially in the bow, even after soaking in hot water. I tried to solve this by putting a screw in the build board and put a wedge to hold the curve in place while drying.

Cheers
 

I've started with dry fitting and then gluing the bulkheads to the two (!) false keels. As mentioned the hull is built in halves, which are then glued together.
 
A building board in MDF is included in the kit, but I want to build the halves in parallel to get them as equal as possible, so I got a second one. The parts fitted well together. Below I have glued the frames to the false keels, with some waxed paper underneath so they wont stick to the boards.

 

I have done some research about the real Will Everard. First out of curiosity, later to decide how I want my model to look. Will has goon through several phases in her life, and is still sailing on the Thames.
 
Will Everard was originally built in 1925 as one of four sister steel-hulled spritsail barges for F T Everard and Sons Ltd shipping company. She was built so that an engine could be installed, but this was only done in 1950. In 1966 she was sold. In 1972 a restoration begun where among other things the cargo hold was converted to a saloon. She has since gone through several owners and is now a floating restaurant and charter boat.
 
I have found several sources:
https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/234/will
https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/thames_barges.html
http://www.hms-worcester.me.uk/page26.html
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/67432.html
http://rowifi.com/ndc/the-everard-story.html
 
One key decision is what period I would like my model to represent. To me the pre-engine sailing period seems most attractive. This means that some of the fittings and parts in the kit will not be used, such as the skylights on the cargo hold and the exhaust pipe. An interesting observation is that the kit does not contain a propeller!
 
One of my main references will be pictures of a model from Royal Museums Greenwich. The model is (according to the online catalogue) built in 1925 and should be an accurate enough reference.

There are some details that I will not do as the model though. The sails looks to be to big and the bottom color should be an orange/pink color. The following are postcards from an unknown date showing Will Everard. The bottom color is not easy to see, but it is clearly not green. Other sources state is as pink, not green.

Cheers

For my second model ship project I will build Billing Boats "Will Everard". It is the first kit I bought. But due to delayed shipment I bought another kit (Swampscott Dory by BlueJacket) from a local hobby store and built it instead as my first build.
 
I originally selected this kit since I thought it "looked nice" and wanted to try model ship building as a hobby. I have since read a lot more about the hobby, the kit in question and about the ship itself. I still feel that it will be a fun kit to build, but now based on a bit of more understanding and knowledge.
 
The kit is labeled as a beginners kit on Billing Boats website, but on the box it says "The Advanced Beginner". I think that should be about my level of experience 🙂

The content of the kit looks OK. There are laser cut plywood parts, strip wood for planking of the hull and of the deck and a building board in MDF. Fittings are a mix of plastic and metal parts.
 
I have read in several places that Billing Boats instructions are lacking a lot of detail. After having read them I can confirm this. Even simple things, like that the numbering of the parts list is the intended order in which the parts should be assembled is not mentioned. I figured this out after studying the drawings for some time. Fortunately there are two good build logs for this kit here on MSW by Izzy Madd  and by Micklen32 they should help me along.
 
The hull of this kit is built in two halves, which are later glued together. It should (in theory at least) make it easier to do the planking. We will see... After reading the build logs mentioned I have noticed that Billing have made modifications to kit over the years (this is a rather old kit). In particular regarding how the bulkheads are mounted. The form it takes in my kit looks to be slightly easier than seen in Izzy Madds or Micklen32s builds.
 
 
 
 

well..........it's confirmed.........planking is like watching paint dry   I'm probably at the 1/3 point.  do a strake......let it dry.......repeat.   getting an idea of the angle of the bow stem,  the bow end of the planks were cut to the angle,  and then beveled so they would lay flat to the stem.

the first plank laid after the bulwarks were closed up.........

I got to thinking of the masts and the boxes I want to make.   I want to be ready for that step,  so when the masts are installed,  they will have a firm root point.  picking out the size dowels mentioned in the diagrams,  the holes were made large enough to accept them,  and then set in place.
  
this looks to be the rake they are to be at....I have the spirit boom dry fitted too.  I'm going to have to find out how long they are to be......I'm sure it's not this long.  the boxes don't need to be pretty......just functional.

after these are trimmed down and sanded to shape  they will be installed........the main mast box already is.   the fore mast box will need to be located further up the #3 bulkhead,  or it will interfere with the planking.   I did a few strakes on the starboard side too,  but more was added to the port side .

so now it's time to stop for the evening....this is where I am at the moment.
  
the bow is OK so far........no drastic measures need to be taken yet.   but the stern however....I think it's time to taper the planking.

what you can see of the stern looks neat and trim........that's because I've already trimmed it........done some sanding too.   .........just can't handle the idea that the planking is rough.  this is Obechi.....a fairly soft wood,  that likely wouldn't mill smooth in the first place.  it does have it's limitations though....the twist will snap if you try to force it.  usually when I plank,  I will wet it down and plank the hull damp.....it is a bit more elastic.  it can dry on the hull..........actually,  I think it helps the glue seep into the wood's pores,  giving it a better bond.   but here,  I'm using it dry without much trouble.   tomorrow is another day....I had a great day off  
 
as always,  thanks for look'in in and the likes  
                                                                                                                           

Finally done laying my "scratchbuilt" maple deck! 
 
Once it has been cleaned up i will post some comparison photos with the engraved. I think i took the right decision but the engraved would had saved me alot of time. But i want it to go better with my other builds so maple it is.
 
A couple of tips if you want to do it yourself is that you try to get hold of better quality wood that you dont have to sand on the sides. Also having a disksander for the tips is extremily helpful. 

And a few more....
                     
                     
                     
                     
Thanks to all of those who looked in and left comments or likes. I am quite happy with how the finished model turned out with all of the modifications and enhancements I made to the original kit.
Thanks again for looking.

Hello All,
The following photos are of the finished model and were taken back in 2016. Please excuse the clutter in the background.
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
 

Hello All,
The last things to do on the model were to fit the anchors and tidy up the paint work on the cross section and fit the photo etched knee brackets.
The first two photos show the cross section painted and the second the knees temporarily in place.
                            
                             
The anchors were made up from the kit parts and primed.
                             
They were then painted black and the puddening was added to the rings.
                            
They were attached to the anchor cable using a clinch knot which was seized with 0.10mm natural thread, they were then rigged and hung from the catheads.
                            
                             
Thanks for looking.

Hello All,
The catharpins were fitted next they were made from 0.75mm black thread with an eye formed in each end they are lashed to the shrouds and futtock staves at the fourth, fifth and seventh shroud, binding the port and starboard shrouds together. There are normally 4 catharpins, the fourth fitted to the ninth shroud, but seeing as this model only has 8 shrouds the fourth has been omitted.
                       
The rigging for the spritsail yard was set up next.
                       
                        
 There are two lifts on this yard the standing lift and the yard lifts. The standing lift which has an eye formed in each end, one end being lashed to the yard about 50mm from the slings and the other end lashed to a thimble in a collar on the bowsprit aft of the bees, it is made from 0.5mm black thread. The standing end of the yard lift falls has a hook seized to it which attaches to an eye bolt in the bowsprit cap, the running end reeves through a block on the end of the yard and the through the block on cap and runs down to belay on timber heads on the forecastle breast rail.
The cluelines also belay on timber heads on the forecastle breast rail.
The standing end of the spritsail yard braces is seized to the forestay just above the mouse and eye, the running end reeves through the brace block on the end of the yard and then up through two blocks fitted under the foretop and down to tie off on a timber head on the side rail.
                    
The jackstaff was the fitted to the bowsprit cap and rigged with it's halliard and stays which are anchored with eye bolts to the marines walk.
                    
Thanks for looking and the likes.

Hello All,
The next lines that were attached were the foreyard lifts, the fore topsail sheets, the clue garnets and the yard tackle pendants. Because these photos were taken after all the lines were rigged I have posted two of the same photo, one labeled and one unlabeled, for a bit of clarity, I hope.
The first two are a general view of the yard lifts, sheets, clueline and yard pendants and after that a brief description of the marked lines.
                             
                             
The yard lifts are made from 0.5mm tan thread and the it's end is seized into the eye on the single block on the mast cap and reeves through another single block stropped to the sheet block attached to the end of the yard then back through the block on the mast cap and down to the deck where it reeves through a kevel block fitted to the inboard rail at the fore end of the fore channel.
The topsail sheet line was made from 0.75mm tan thread and was secured by knot in the end of it to the sheet block at the end of the yard and then down through the sheet blocks on the underside of the yard next to the mast and down to belay to inner sheave on the topsail bitts.
The clue garnet is made from 0.5mm tan thread and one end is secured to the yard with a timber hitch just outside the clue line block attached to the yard, it reeves through the block attached to the tack blocks and then through the clue line block on the yard and then down to belay on the outer sheave on topsail bitts.
I decided to show the yard tackle pendants rigged instead of being tied up to the yards as they normally would be when not in use. Rigging them also made the yard a bit more secure. They are made from 2 double blocks one on a pendant of 0.75mm thread 50mm long attached to the end of the mast the other block has a hook stropped to it and an eye formed in the other end of the strop so that the falls can be attached. The falls were made from 0.25mm tan thread and reeved through the blocks and belayed to one of the posts on the side rail. 
The outer tricing line is made from 0.10mm tan thread and was used to haul the yard pendant up against the yard when it wasn't in use. It reeves through a single block attached to the yard and then through another single block attached to the first shroud at the futtock stave and then down to belay on deck. The inner tricing line attached to the other double block just above the hook and reeves through a single block fixed to the front shroud next to the block for the outer tricing line and belays on the deck. It is not shown on the model.
The next few photos show some of the belaying points and the sheet an tack blocks rigged.
                        
                         
                         
Thanks for looking in and the likes.
 

Hello All,
The first photo is of the foreyard sling which I forgot to post yesterday showing how the eye and the other leg of the sling are seized together.
                            
The thimble on the yard sling was then lashed to the thimble on the yard with 0.25mm black thread. The truss pendants and jeers were set up next.
                           
                           
As can be seen in the above photos the falls for the jeers, which is 0.75mm tan thread, is attached to the yard with a timber hitch and reeved through the jeers blocks and down to the deck where it made fast on the main topbowline bits (the pinrail on the aft side of the foremast). Also you can see the lashing for the yard sling. 
                          
There are two truss pendants on the foreyard, port and starboard, they were made from 0.75mm tan thread and an eye was formed in the end of each one, they were then seized around the yard (which can be seen more clearly in post# 377 on this page) with the starboard side pointing up and the port side pointing down on the aft side of the yard. The running end of the port pendant reeves through the starboard eye while the running end of the starboard pendant reeves through the port eye. Two double blocks are used for rigging each pendant one attached to the end of the pendant approximately 75mm off the deck and the other attached to a hook and eye bolt fitted to the deck either side of the mast just in front of the aft pin rail. The falls are made from 0.25mm tan thread, reeved through the blocks to belay on the cleats attached to the lower front side on the mast.
                        
The nave line, which serves to hold up the truss pendants, was made from 0.10mm tan thread. This line is made up in two parts first a short length of line is attached using eye splices to each truss pendant then a length of line is attached to the span using an eye splice and then reeved through a single block attached to the after cross tree and belaying to the centre pin on the main top bowline bitts.
                       
Thanks for looking and the likes.
 
 

Hello All, 
The snaking between the forestay and the fore preventer stay was the next job. I used 0.25mm black thread for this, tying it to the stay at the point of each triangle with a length of the same thread and then adjusted them till I was happy with the outcome.
                                                  
                                               
They were then glued and trimmed. The ratlines on the foremast shrouds and futtock shrouds were next these were done with 0.10mm tan thread and were left in their natural state, I was going to paint them black but I like the contrast in colours and there are a few photos floating around on the web that show tan or white line used as ratlines even some older ones of the Victory herself at Portsmouth.
                           
                       
They were tied on using a clove hitch and then glued and trimmed after that the ratlines and shrouds were given a coat of diluted PVA glue. The bumpkin stays were added next, this is a two legged stay with an eye made in the middle of it which fits over the end of the bumpkin and rests on a shoulder machined on the end of the bumpkin also holding the foresheet tack block in position between it and the shoulder. The two legs have a hook seized into the end of each one and hook into eye bolts located in the stem.
The photo is a bit out of focus, sorry.
                          
I fitted the boarding pikes to their rack on the foremast next before too much rigging got in the way, the shafts were made from bamboo drawn down to 1mm and the tips from flattened brass nails they were then stained and painted.
                      
                     
Thanks for looking.
               

Hello All,
The bowsprit shrouds were the next item to be fitted there are two on each side and they are attached to the hull by means of a hook and eye in the lower wale at the bow just outside where the lower stem decoration rail finishes.
 
                                
                                
After all of the foremast shroud, forestays, bobstays and bowsprit shrouds were fitted the foremast shrouds underwent their final tension adjustment and the seizings were finished off and they were glued and trimmed.
The futtock staves were fitted next. The rule for fitting these is that they are fitted at a level as much below the upper edge of the trestle tree as top of the lower mast cap is above it.
                              
                              
The staves were made from bamboo drawn down to 1mm in diameter. The hooks for the futtock shrouds were made from 2mm copper eye pins bent to shape.
                             
The futtock shrouds were made from 0.75mm black thread and fitted and tensioned by passing a loop around the fore shroud and the stave and seizing the tail to the fore shroud. 
                            
                            
Thanks for looking and the likes
 
 
 

Hello All,
This post covers the fitting of the fore and preventer stays and the bobstays.
The forestay was made from 1.7mm tan thread because I could not find any black thread of that size to buy and I do not have the facilities to make my own. It was blackened by drawing it through some black rigging wax that I had. The mouse was made from 3mm dowel and drilled out to take the thread.
                                            
A 10mm Heart was seized to the end of the stay and it was then lashed to the corresponding heart on the bowsprit.
                       
The preventer stay was made the same way as the forestay except using 1mm thread and it was also fitted to the model.
                                                  
                                                 
The bobstays were the next piece of rigging to be fitted. There are three of them, The first two are straightforward being seized to holes drilled into the stem but the third or outer stay has two legs which run together down to the stem and then split and are anchored by a hook seized into an eye at the end of each leg to an eyebolt in the bow on either side of the stem.
                               
The above photo is of the outer bobstay.
                               
                              
The second photo shows how the outer bobstay splits at the stem and  attaches to the hull.
 
Thanks for the likes, that is all for this post I will post some more progress soon.
 
 

Hello All,
It has been quite a while since I posted to this site but having finished this model a couple of years ago I decided it was to time to complete this log. Looking back through the log it appears I left off just before the foremast was fitted and the rigging stage started.
I thought I had taken a lot more photos of the final stages of the build than I could find but either I hadn't or if I did I can't find them, however I have found enough to show the rigging of the model and I apologise in advance for the quality and composition of some of them as they were taken in my old workspace before I refurbished it.
Righto on with log, I wanted to replicate as much of the rigging that is on the actual ship so before I started the rigging I made up a list of the quantity, line size and the block size and type required for both the standing and running rigging. The list for the standing rigging is in the first photo.
                                                    
 
The foremast was glued into place and then the shrouds were fitted in pairs. They were set up with the help of two jigs made from brass wire to give a gap between the top and bottom holes in the deadeyes of 25mm. They can be seen in use in the second photo.
 
                                      
                                    
                                      
 
The next two photos shows the rigging of the shrouds completed however the seizing on the lower shrouds has not been finished to allow for some adjustment to the tension, if required, after the forestays have been fitted.
                                     
                                      
  The next parts that were added were the fore and preventer stay collars to the bowsprit. They were made from walnut and limewood stock respectively and lashed to their collars. 
                                       
That's all for this post. I will post some more soon
 
 

I'm sure we'll notice other things that are different.   I thought that about the anchor anyway.......figured that this small a vessel wouldn't likely have the need for two anchors.  I've used this as a rule of thumb......so seeing this model with two got me thinking.  logically........a ship is at port.......it would be logical for the anchor to be located on the starboard side,  much like the diagram dictates.  but thumbing through the Petersson book,  it shows an American schooner with two catheads,  which suggests that two anchors are used......or can be.  for some of these smaller vessels,  the cathead is also an anchor point for one of the bob stay lines.  once I get the book you have,  more will come to light.
 
I haven't seen anything in the way of plywood billets on E-Bay OC..........I'll have to check it out though    I know that Mark gets something for his laser cutting.......I'll ask him what he uses and go from there.  even MDF would work better than some of these plywoods I buy.
 
as J and I proceed,  we've taken on our own directions on the model.  this is how others view their projects.......without logs,  the first time modeler,  would have a tough time figuring out the right way for them to go.   the different styles shown on this site is exciting......when I built my first wood ship,  I was so clueless........the processes in building one of these models is much different than plastic.  but the one thing that is much easier,  is that if a part breaks or doesn't fit correctly,  another part can be made faster and {hopefully} better suited for the task.  my take is to plank the hull first....get the overall shape of the hull and deck area,  and go from there.  the book I received adds another vessel to the fold....the cutter.  it's a single masted vessel,  so a little more modification must be made.......mostly to the deck area.  I won't be going there though;  I'm going to stick with the schooner concept.  so now,  both bulwarks are planked and I can see how the deck line meets the bulwarks.  there are some gaps....I expected that,  but I am happy that it looks as good as it does.  the port side had very little gap towards the stern....most of it is at the bow.  the starboard side needs one more strake to complete the bulwark closure.

the port side is not bad at all at the stern........it's at the bow.......
 
it's not overly bad.......deck planking will cover that easily.  I did run into a small problem at the port stern........I went to trim off the excess planking and I took a chunk out of the plank above it.  I had to remove that small section and replace it........but with doing that,  I chipped the one above that one.....GRRRRRR!  so I have a two strake repair at the stern....I hope it becomes unnoticeable when the hull is sanded.  I want to stain the hull,  but if I have to paint the upper part black,  so be it......that will definitely cover the sin     I also decided to stagger in some butts......awwww hell,  make it interesting.....right?   I still want to make a second hull......the brigg angle is too cool not to do....I've never done one.  I think everyone should know me by now.....replicating hull is something I love to do,  and if I can squeeze another model out of this kit,  then I got more than my money's worth.  planking the bulwarks can be a bit messy on the deck side....glue blobs and such.  I take an odd piece of wood and remove the blobs,  cleaning the inner bulwark up.  if the inner bulwark is to be planked over,  than this will not be an issue.  I will sometimes do it,  but all of the posts need to be the exact size and shape,  so bulges won't be a deal breaker.   the starboard side strake,  closing up the deck / bulwark relationship,  has been cemented in place now.
 
at the bow,  it's a bit worse,  but not bad enough that the deck planking can't cover it.  there is good mating.......I am glad to see that.  now I'm able to us outer forms of clamping and I won't have to worry about glue blobs and stuff.  once dry and a little sanding,  I should have a neat appearance for the bulwarks.  I've taken the day off today......with any luck,  I can get most of the hull planking done.  one thing I forgot to do,  is draw the center line down the middle,  to mark the start of the deck planking.
 

Funny you should mention it - Here's the first yard mounted. I took a week off to do a repair job.
 
Nic
 

Hi all - I think my experiment with the copper foil tape is over.  This stuff is awful to work with!  By the time I get the backing peeled off it`s all curled up & nearly impossible to flatten it back out without wrinkles.  I also couldn`t get a consistent pattern of nails on it,plus I had a hard time laying it in a straight line.  By the time I pulled it off several times & repositioned it the glue on the back didn`t want to stick very good.  It is also way too shiny & a lot of the edges had some sort of dark stain on them which I couldn`t get off.  On top of that,I totally ran out of cuss words trying to work with this stuff!   I am therefore going to use the plates I have from Jotika.  The "nails" may be a bit out of scale,but they still look decent plus they are easy to work with.  I have 3000 of them,which should be plenty.  The picture shows some of the copper tape I tried along with one of the Jotika plates.
 

 
Mark  

Thanks Frank - I got the level from Sears several years ago before they closed their store here - a really nice unit.  It is self-leveling as long as it is within 4 degrees of level.  It also has threads in the bottom so it can be mounted on a tripod.  It can project either a horizontal,vertical,or cross beam.  It uses 3 AA batteries,so there is no cord to trip over or drag around.   I don`t remember what I paid for it,but I`m pretty certain it was well under $100.  It really works well for hanging pictures,mounting shelves,etc.,etc.
 
Mark
 
Mark