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schooner

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Posts posted by schooner

  1. Things start to get complicated

     

    I thought my next step would be per the sequence laid out in the instructions, i.e. adding the details along the bulwarks working fore to aft, so I thought I would start with the catheads (the davits that the anchors hang from) but I ran into a problem that will take me in a different direction and hopefully not into a rathole.

     

    The problem is that the plans only show the catheads on the outboard profile (the side view of the ship) and since the catheads are located where the bow has it’s very bluff curve I could not figure out where they get placed (an overhead view would have solved this problem).

     

    After a lot of looking at the instructions, the plans, build logs of contemporary models and the instructions for ModelExpo’s SYREN, which are, hands-down, best set of instructions I have ever seen, I finally figured out that the catheads need to be above the hawse bolster (the holes where the anchor hawsers pass thru the hull), which in turn is part of the whole complicated head railing assembly. (BTW, the SYREN’s instructions are available online , as are the ones for all the ModelExpo kits on their website)

     

    After a lot more studying I think I understand how the head rails go together (every set of instructions I looked at said the head railings were the most difficult and complicated part of 18th century ship models) I realized I would have to tackle the head railings  but before I could do that I needed to assemble the bowsprit for 3 reasons: 1) I want to rig the gammoning (a bunch of figure 8’s  that lash the bowsprit to the hull) before adding the railings since it will be very difficult to do it after they are in place  2) I want to ensure that the gammoning is vertical which will depend on the slot in the stem the “hole” in the grating, and the chocks on the bowsprit, and 3) because I need to ensure that the figurehead, which although decorative is a key part of the head rail assembly, is not going to interfere with bowsprit which sits right above it.

     

    So bottom line: I’ll be departing from the build sequence in the instructions because of all the interrelationships of the “stuff” around the bow/stem I’m going to try to stay out of my own way and avoid bad language when finding out I should have done step 10 before step 2, so to speak. I’ll try do document each step and also what doesn’t work for those who may decide to try this kit.

     

    To get started on the bowsprit I had to do some plastic surgery where it will pass thru the bulwarks. When I added them I left a gap that needed filling at it’s bottom so the bowsprit will sit at the proper angle:

     

    IMG_20210328_080954.thumb.jpg.ddaa0e5ba97eb6c818cebfe998909e3f.jpg

     

    I tapered the aft end of the bowsprit so it will sit properly (it, of course has not been cut to length yet) I also filled in the gammoning slot which had been cut in the stem early on since I will have to drill out a new one based on where the head rail grating sits. You can slo see a paper template for the the tailboards which I plan on making from scratch so they will be a better fit for my stem that the kit-provided britannia pieces.

     

    IMG_20210328_084458.thumb.jpg.83f079d466aad55845160cdc9350b134.jpg

  2. Deck Planking Finished

     

    The instructions call for making the vertical bulkhead at the aft end of the main deck from the scribed decking material but I thought that would be a hassle trying to get a good fit at the outboard ends so I used planking strips placed vertically and topped with another strip that covered the ends and served as a flush piece for the quarterdeck planks to but up against.

     

    IMG_20210325_115102.thumb.jpg.566ba624fc5a3e4ea846bd71f8067f64.jpg

     

    The quarterdeck planking went on without any problems and the reveals provide decent visibility down into the gun deck.

    IMG_20210325_115139.thumb.jpg.4c73aa92acd34e5a52e3257fe8e90cc8.jpg

  3. Avi,

    I have not built the Connie but I am building BlueJacket's ALFRED and I seem to recall the same issue with where to set the profile around the stern. I think your blue line might be correct because that is where the bulwarks end but when you get around to adding the transom it will be convex (bending aft) and it's center line will reach the red line.

     

    Bottom line - no need to cut to the blue line just now, wait until you hear from some folks with experience on this kit. You can always shorten the bulwarks later but it would be harder to lengthen them.

  4. It's really hard to see any difference in the sponson locations based on the photos - especially with the flight deck on. That means it probably won't be obvious to anyone looking at the finished model.  But if it bugs you, you could, as you said, relocate the sponsons but before you do that you might want to verify that the flight deck is parallel to the keel.

     

    Be careful - measurements like this are easy to screw up. You would need to make sure the hull is sitting on a flat surface (not a book), that it is level  athwartship (i.e. not listing port or starboard) and then check the height of the flight deck (actually I mean the part of the hull that the flight deck sits on) along it's whole length. Using just a ruler and eyeball will likely give you some pretty unreliable data - you would need some sort of jig to run along the hull. Something like a high school football goal post with the crossbar held in place by clamps so it can be adjusted might do the trick. You could set it so the uprights stradle the hull and the crossbar just touches the forward edge of the deck and then move it aft - you will be able to see if the height is constant.   If you think you have a problem you should come up with another way of checking it and verify there really is a problem before you do any sanding.

     

    As I said at the start, just based on your photos I think you are OK now.

  5. Main Deck planking completed

     

    The planking for the main deck is completed - I’ll wait until after it’s done on the quarterdeck before I clean all the saw dust out of the gun deck.

     

    IMG_20210308_093203.thumb.jpg.37db26572dc009e4d6ac1c1175ae72f2.jpg

     

    IMG_20210308_093221.thumb.jpg.af36a91840c4dff3ae69891bdf72e541.jpg

     

     

    Next up will be installing the short vertical bulkhead that divides the main deck from the quarterdeck.

  6. Starting the Deck Planking

     

    I’ve got the centerline portion done. It’s been a real 2-steps forward, 1 back as I relearn how to do this. It would have been easier to plank the centerline and then add the hatches on  top of it and cut holes for the bitts but it is really hard to clean up sawdust and debris from the gun deck with all the beams in place so I decided to do it this way.

     

    IMG_20210224_083940.thumb.jpg.50827f432d1bf329bc67ce193dace82b.jpg

     

    Next I’ll fill in the bow area back to the 3rd beam and then add 1 or 2 planks along each side.

  7. Jep, glad you were able to get this one going again.

    If you need some references for what kind of stuff was on the catwalks you may want to go to the New Steelnavy site (steelnavy.com), look under "model gallery", select "aircraft carriers".  About 2/3 of the way down the list there is the USS Kallin Bay - a very large model at Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and then down almost at the bottom of the list is an album of a 1/72 scale scratch build of the Gambier Bay.

  8. Fitting the Margin Planks

     

    My planking strips are 3/32” wide. I needed the margin planks to be a little wider and was able to find some 1/8” strip of the same thickness.

     

    The curvature at the bow is too severe to edge-bend the strips so I had to cut it out of sheet material. I traced the forward edge of the deck off of the plans on to a piece of paper to serve as a template. I only took it as far aft as the point where the planks will run straight. After a bit of trimming I had an acceptable fit:

     

    100_2046.thumb.jpg.e7cdb737c8a0620eaea2e9bb2f7b2157.jpg

     

    I then traced the outboard curve of the paper onto my sheet material, used a Dremel sanding drum to get a pretty close fit to the traced line and then, kept test firing the wood onto the deck, sanding and filing until the wood had a good fit. Next I set a compass at 3/32” and followed the outside of the curve to set the inside curve and the width of the forward, curved plank:

     

    100_2047.thumb.jpg.9e2ec9da414f7323e321a4385638ffa0.jpg

     

     

    A scarp joint was cut into the aft end of the forward plank and transferred to the forward edge of the next piece moving aft:

     

    100_2048.thumb.jpg.fc406ca87f182b3d32df850323b4b509.jpg

     

    The margin planks for the main deck are now in place:

     

    100_2050.thumb.jpg.5e6cbc5c1d10001a3502414a06e24063.jpg

     

     

  9. Deck Framing and Furniture for Quarterdeck

     

     

     

    The deck beams and framing are done for the quarterdeck (which really pushes the term quarterdeck since it take up just over half of the ship’s length).

     

    100_2043.thumb.jpg.56fa3f38df8d9e1d8c988c9ce775f1fa.jpg

    100_2042.thumb.jpg.564c326fc2166c30581bf4532edb44d2.jpg

     

    The deck furniture is also done:

     

    100_2044.thumb.jpg.0051e6ec3f9a929508b44c4afbd416f7.jpg

     

     

    Next up will be installation of the deck furniture and fabricating the margin planks and then it will be time to plank the decks.

  10. Main Deck Framing

     

    All the main deck framing that I intend to add is in place with the exception of the athwartship pieces for the mast partners - I’m going to wait on those until I have the lower masts tapered, I want to avoid having them interfere with the mast rake and ideally, help set it.

     

    IMG_20210204_101856.thumb.jpg.06f58ada58630d6d07139f18c6f00c1f.jpg

     

    IMG_20210204_101848.thumb.jpg.9cc127e571bd23e1cedee175f14cbf0e.jpg

  11. Main Deck Beams and Deck Furniture

     

    All the deck beams are in place:

     

    IMG_20210203_083911.thumb.jpg.ecb2ced8eda1d6f596c482b9c737dd10.jpg

     

    The deck furniture for the main deck is done. The capstan is a solid piece of britannia. For the windlass the kit provides 3 britannia pieces; the 2 end pieces and the central axle with gear. The plans show  “something” just forward of the windlass axle but it’s not clear what it is and the photos show the ship’s bell mounted above the axle but it’s not clear what it is mounted on. I figured it had to be where the ratchet/pawl assembly was so I made up my own and mounted the bell. The windlass will not be mounted until all the rigging is done around the foremast because otherwise it will be in the way. The belaying pins are very nice, good shape and to scale but I will probably be cursing them in a few month while I'm trying to handle 2 pairs of tweezers in the middle of a jungle of rigging to tie off a line. The openings in the large hatch cover are for the anchor cables to pass down thru.

     

    IMG_20210203_084027.thumb.jpg.ff9c2fb991ba1d1833b3b8dbb54f6397.jpg

     

  12. Wow. There are some very impressive Syren builds on this site but I'd have to rate yours the best. Amazing craftsmanship.

    Syren will probably be my next build and I expect that I'll be using your build log as much as the kit instructions. Thanks for taking the time to make such a detailed, well illustrated log.

  13. Thanks for the likes and kind words.

     

    Starting the Main Deck

     

    With all the guns finally rigged I can move on to less tedious work. The first 3 deck beams are installed. I’m going to fabricate the deck furniture as I come to it working fore to aft. I’ll need the furniture completed for the next step after the deck beams are installed which is figuring out where to put the carlings and half-beams to support the furniture.

     

    IMG_20210130_092641.thumb.jpg.c1fedef4c604e9f8b48dda8a4dd0db51.jpg

  14. I think body filler/putty should work fine for the larger flaws and CA can take care of the smaller stuff that is too big to sand out. As far as the anchor goes, what do the plans say about where it goes and does it get lashed to something? If so, it might not be a bad idea to show the stock in the "folded " position since that would have been the most space-saving.

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