Lecrenb

My son has an interest in German warships so I will follow this with great interest... I may get him the kit for Christmas if it is not too late! Regards, Bruce

Thanks Druxey! I have now completed my paper templates... here's how: First I extended the frame locations up onto a clear area of tracing paper and drew a second set of waterlines, creating a new template aligned with the spine pattern. This can be seen in the photo on the previous post. For the aft half of the ship I will need additional frames at the aft end of the hold and fore and aft ends of the rudder well. I used my spine pattern to add these extra locations onto my new template as 5A, 9A, and 10A. The extra frame locations also need to be drawn onto the original 1927 lines drawing so their shapes can be lofted. Even though my drawing is a copy of the original I used pencil to preserve it. I used my dividers to loft the breadth of each frame at each waterline from the lines drawing onto the template, as well as the distances to keel and deck. Then I completed each pattern using French curves, including the deck camber which is given on the drawing. The first photo below shows the completed templates for the forward half of the ship. Extra frames 2A and 2B at the fo’c’s’le break and forward end of the hold are shown, as is the foremast. The frames in way of the hold are hollowed out to match the thicknesses of the hull and deck, and frame #4 is cut back where the hatch will be framed in. The frame templates nest into each other because they are aligned with the spine. This alignment lets me verify the sheer lines on my template and I think this outweighs the clutter. I did erase most of the waterlines for clarity. The next picture shows the fore and aft templates together, and the mainmast has been added. Note that the fore and aft frame waterlines were drawn different distances above the spine pattern, something I would correct if I use this method again. Keen eyes will note an extra line on frame #10, this frame will be cut back to create the rudder well. The mainmast was removed in 1944 when St. Roch’s rig was changed to a ketch, so the museum plans I have do not show it. James Delgado’s book includes a copy of the 1928 hull profile drawing that shows the mainmast. This is too small for accurate scaling, but the hull frames are shown, and their dimensions and spacing are known measurements. I counted the number of frames and spaces between the masts and transferred that dimension onto my spine template. The result matches my historic photos, and I am confident I am within 3 scale inches (1/16”) of where the mast should be. Now I am ready to transfer my patterns onto plywood and cut them out!

I'm not laughing, I think you have built a credible model of St. Roch. I have visited and photographed the ship in the museum and have now started a scratch build of her. BTW, the original ship's outer layer of planking is Australian Ironbark, chosen for ice protection, and was deliberately uncaulked to allow seawater to penetrate to the inner planking to help prevent dry rot. Hence the gaps. Well done sir! Regards, Bruce

Hi all, first post here so please be gentle. I am building RCMP St. Roch as she spent most of her life in the Arctic, wearing her mainmast and schooner rig and with the original smaller deck house. I am using copies of original plans from the Vancouver Maritime Museum where the ship is currently the main exhibit. I am also old school, so dividers and French curves are substituting for CAD! The only kit of St. Roch is a 1:72 rendition by Billing Boats which I see several members here have built or are in the process of building. I look forward to checking these builds out! I will build my model plank on bulkhead in 1:48 scale, with the cargo hatch open to show the transverse beams in the hold that were designed to prevent the hull from being crushed in the ice. I will also include the rudder well which allowed the rudder to be lifted clear of ice. I will decide how to display the sails later in the build. So, to start: I drew patterns onto tracing paper to be transferred to plywood for cutting out. My copy of the 1927 lines drawing is 9 scale inches (3/16”) short, so I did not directly trace parts from it. I also referenced a copy of the 1944 section and general arrangement plans, but with caution since it shows her later configuration. I drew a base line onto the tracing paper, then vertical lines to mark the frame locations shown on the drawing, and the stern. Next I added seven horizontal waterlines, also from the lines drawing. Their vertical distance from the base line is not important. The spacing of frames and waterlines came from actual measurements noted on the lines drawing, which when transferred to my tracing paper made up for my undersized copy. When checked, I verified that my hull will indeed be the correct scale size after planking. I now have a template onto which I can draw my model’s spine. I used a 1:48 scale rule, dividers, and French curves to transfer scaled measurements and known dimensions from the drawings to complete this pattern, which is the aft half of the vessel, drawn from frame 5 aft to the stern. I will need extra frames at the aft end of the hold and the fore and aft ends of the open rudder well, and these locations are shown on the 1944 drawing, taking note that a jog was made in the hold to enclose St. Roch's larger engine. I transferred these locations to my spine drawing then drew in the propeller and rudder posts and the rudder well, and indicated the rudder axis and propeller shaft centerline. The large jog near frame 6 is the aft end and floor of the hold. Next I will finish my paper templates and cut wood! Thanks for looking in and comments and critiques are welcome!