capnharv2

Buck,

That is a really nice book. I've had it for several years and enjoy looking thru it each time.

Harvey

My first wooden kit (30 years ago) was a Golden Kits Schooner Enterprise. The scale was shown as 1:60 on the box and plans.

Constructo now offers a Schooner Enterprise. The scale is shown as 1:51.

I've looked at build logs here for the Constructo Enterprise, and it looks like the same Golden Kits Enterprise I built, but the scales are different.

So my question is-are they the same size kit with the scale changed on box and plans, or are they 2 different kits? And, if they are the same, what scale is it?

Thanks,

Harvey

Page,

Are you sure you want to go to 1:76 or smaller scale? If you're having trouble with small rigging details, you probably want to go to something like 1:48.

Thanks,

Harvey

Hi Bob,

I'm glad you likes the pictures. The steaming of the cabintop side (1" x 15" x 20 feet) was a real challenge as well as fun and educational. Since those photos, we recaulked the seams and replaced 250 fasteners in the bottom. She went from leaking like a sieve to not taking on any water since the day we put her in.

One more thing about a wooden boat. The worst thing you can do to a wooden boat is seal her up and not use her. We've seen a lot of nice boats turn into piles of rot that way.

I don't have a good answer about historic bilge pumps. The best I've found so far are some examples of wooden manual pumps used in the 20's and 30's.

I'll be away for a week or so, but I'll do some more checking when I get back. A couple other places to check would be the Maine Maritime Museum, the Penebscot Marine Museum and Mystic Seaport. No guarantees, but they are good sources (and fun places to visit if you can!).

Hope that helps.

Thanks,

Harvey

Russ,

I apologize-I was wrong about it being AOTS. The book is "The Hudson's Bay Company's 1835 Steam Ship Beaver" by John McKay (published by Vanwell Publishing Ltd. (April 2004). The book's layout is very similar to AOTS and has several plates describing the build and, mostly, the steam engine.

I don't have the book anymore (I borrowed it from a museum), but the information on ordinance was almost non-existent. McKay references a couple sources, but I haven't checked them out yet. I probably will when I'm back in town.

But if you have some sources for merchant vessel ordinance from that period that would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Harvey

While we're on the subject. . .

I've been asked to build cannon for a model of the Hudson Bay Co. Steamship Beaver, launched in 1835. So far, I've been unable to find much about cannon from that era. AOTS Beaver lists 5-Nine pounders, but says they were probably short cannon, and have no pictures to base anything on. I tried using Hahn's formulas, but the lengths came out too long to use on the ship. Also, since it was a merchant ship, not a naval vessel, that further clouds things (to me).

If anybody can help figure this out I'd appreciate it

Thanks!

Harvey

Hexnut,

Ask away! I don't know all that much, but I've loved Friendship Sloops since I first laid eyes on them. I've tried to find out as much about them and the Muscongus Bay Lobster smacks as possible. But there's always more to learn.

I still have my old blog up

http://www.bearsafloat.net/capnharv/

I haven't updated it in years, but it does have some of our pictures of rebuilding our boat's cabin top on it. And it's got a few more ship models. Who knows, I may start updating it again.

Thanks for posting pictures your fine work. It's certainly an inspiration to me.

Harvey

Mark,

It really looks good! I admire the fact that the first 3 versions were probably good enough, but that you wanted to do better.

I think of re-planking exercises like this as a learning experience for our next model(s). But I also realize that the more we learn, the more we learn that there's so much more to learn.

Thanks,

Harvey

Wonderful Bob! You're doing what I've always wanted to do, and doing an excellent job! With a little luck, I will do the same one day

Thanks,

Harvey

Slowly but surely (or is it surly?)

Davits and Cleats are on. Rudder is on, but spectacle plate and chains need to be added.

And the bow cleats and Charlie Noble are in place

All the big pieces are on. About the only things left are the 2 cannon, anchors, steps, a few iron cleats and deck eyebolts for rigging. The hammock cranes and small boats need to be done, but I can work on them later.

I hope to start masts and rigging in a couple months.

Thanks,

Harvey

Looks good! I'm glad Bluejacket redid the strut.

Harvey

I concur with Greg. I bought a couple sets of #70-#79 bits last month and I'm very happy with them.

Harvey

Jared, is this a 2 week vacation that you're paying for, or the company is paying for???

Harvey

Really nice!

Harvey

Bob,

That looks like lots of fun! I wish I had time to build some of these models.

It looks like a Malabar Jr to me too. There are plans for it in "Fifty Wooden Boats: A Catalog of Building Plans, Vol.1"

The same book has plans for Alden's  Malabar 2 Schooner (42'). That's another one I'd like to build one day.

Thanks! I'm going to enjoy this build!

Harvey

Peter,

I see some problems using plywood for planking. First off, it doesn't like to bend and twist. Second, sealing the edges can be a problem (I know you're going to paint, but those open edges will suck up a lot of paint. Third, I don't know what the adhesive is in the plywood, but it could dissolve by using the wrong chemicals.

That said, there are quite a few full size plywood boats out there. The row and sail boats from Arch Davis come to mind. Sam Devlin (in Olympia, WA) has also made many outstanding plywood boats. So it can be done. It's just that, at the scales we build to, the working issues with plywood (other than for keels and bulkheads) seem to get magnified.

A different solution might be to plank over the balsa with basswood strips or cover the balsa with gesso and scribe the plank lines into that.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

Thanks,

Harvey

I think you're correct. Unfortunately, the understanding of fabric (either natural or synthetic), its design, construction and coloration is not my forte. I have "The Sailmaker's Apprentice" by Marino, but I haven't dug into it much. Maybe after I learn to sail and learn to build ship models

Thanks,

Harvey

Weflack,

Our boat has tanbark sails:

One interesting thing about tanbark. On cotton sails, it was used to extend the life of sails. On Dacron sails, Tanbark sails are more UV sensitive than white dacron sails, and tend to fade and degrade faster

Thanks,

Harvey

Regarding scale. . .

I looked up the overall length of the Robert E Lee-285' Since your model looks to be about 2' long, that does work out to 1:142

Ya know Jered, it's close to scale of Sara's Harriet Lane, and the period is similar. Does Sara have any spare parts you can use??

Harvey

Jared,

What scale is the model? I thought somewhere it said 1:120, but I thought I saw it also say it's 1:96.

Good comeback on the repair. Scribe or draw a few lines in on the new piece and it will be hard to tell it was damaged.

Thanks,

Harvey

So if it's term used on water skis in the USA, what's it called elsewhere???

Russ, thanks for the term Shaft log. I couldn't remember it.

If you look at the evolution of sail driven ships to steam driven ships, early ships converted to steam had a stern similar to what you show. The deadwood was cut away ahead of the sternpost for propeller clearance, and a shaft was inserted down the centerline to drive it. I can see that hull with the area around the propeller filled in and the boat would look more like a sailboat.

But I'm no NA so I better shut up.

Thanks,

Harvey

And a lot of lee helm

Seriously, your rigging and sails are fantastic!

Harvey

I used to work on odds and ends for my ship models at lunchtime at work. Gotta lotta funny looks

Sorry work is so weird. I'm still glad I retired before the s**t hit the fan.

Harvey

Russ,

In this case, is it really a skeg that popjack is talking about? I'm used to seeing skegs as fairing pieces for the rudder (on a sailboat) or a small piece added near the transom (on a rowboat) to help provide directional stability.

It looks to me like deadwood with a passage for the prop shaft.

Thanks,

Harvey

Is this a similar kind of model to what you built last week?

That was pretty impressive and fun to watch!

Harvey