captainbob

I bet you sleep at night, “while visions of holiday boats dance in your head”.

I'm with Michael and Robbyn. Waiting for the next step. Bob

She's loking good, Shawn. Bob

Thanks, Pete, and welcome aboard. The more the merrier. Bob

I’ve been busy drawing the lines so I can start building. For those who have looked at the LoC drawings you know the two sides do not match, so I decided to try to average them, figuring that as one side went up the other went down. I could have started with the table of offsets and averaged the two sides but putting that many numbers into Excel, converting them all to inches and then averaging them to come up with new offsets was a task I did not want to get into. So I started by redrawing the lines given, averaging them as best as I could. Well I made the drawings and laid them over the inside drawings and they looked good. Now it’s buy the wood and make sawdust. Pictures soon, I hope. Bob

Daniel, you are right, her jib is backed but at the time of this picture she was “outfitted to accommodate trainees on educational voyages.” What can I say? John, I have a ways to go before I have to decide. I’ll have to see what it would look like. A couple weeks ago I read that some historical group, I don’t remember who would not allow them to add the fore topmast. I don’t remember why. Thanks, Popeye. Stick around it should get better. Frankie, Thanks for the information, that’s good to know. Nice looking schooner, Guy. Hope the Lettie comes up to such standards. Wayne, glad to have you aboard. Bob

John, thanks for the kind words and glad you are joining me on the Lettie. Bob

Guy, Billings Boats use to sell a kit at 1:50. You might contact them and see if they will part with the lines they made thier kit from.

Thanks, Augie, and welcome aboard. Bob

John, glad you could join us. Bob

John, I like the looks of her in the picture, so no engine and only the main topmast. Daniel, thanks for stopping by. Bob

I suspect if you took a poll there are quite a lot uf us. Bob

Ah, she's a fine looking ship. Bob

Are you sure that's not a picture of Santa's workshop? Bob

All are welcome. I only hope you will be entertained by this build. Tom you are correct but when she was rebuilt the break was added and there are pictures that show where it is. Meanwhile here she is under sail. Bob

There comes a time when I am building a model that I start thinking about what to build next. I had been thinking of a schooner so I started a web search and when I saw the HEAR drawings of the Lettie I knew she was my next build. I plan to build it with the break in the deck as was typical of the Fredonia model schooners. The HAER drawings do not show the break so more research was needed. If you look at the drawings you will see that the Lettie was warped and one side was lower than the other and the stern was askew. In redrawing the lines I straightened it out. Hopefully the way it was when it was first built. Here is a brief history. Dimension as built 1893 as “Lettie G. Howard” Length: 74.6 feet Beam: 21 feet Depth: 8.4 feet Tonnage Gross: 59.74 Net: 56.76 Dimension as rebuilt 1923 as “Mystic C.” Length: 75.4 feet Beam: 20.8 feet Depth: 8.5 feet Tonnage Gross: 52.24 Net: 47 Designated a National Historic Landmark, the Lettie G. Howard is the last existing clipper-bowed “Fredonia model” inshore fishing schooner. Named for Captain Fred Howard’s daughter, the Lettie G. Howard fished near the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine. Built in 1893 in Essex, Massachusetts by Arthur D. Story, her hull was oak framed, planked with pine held in place by treenails. She originally carried topmasts on both fore and main masts. E.E. Saunders and Co. of Pensacola, Florida purchased her in 1901 and fitted Lettie G. Howard for the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. She was rebuilt in 1923 in Bay Point, Florida and renamed “Mystic C.” Changes included the removal of the break in the deck, and the addition of eight inches of false keel depth along 36 feet of the keel. Documentation after the rebuild also noted slight changes in overall dimensions. In 1924 she was fitted with a 36 horsepower auxiliary engine, necessitating a new stern post and rudder. Sometime later her topmasts and bowsprit were removed. She was sold to the Historic Ships Associates of Boston, Massachusetts in 1967, who mistakenly renamed her Caviare, believing she was that former Gloucester schooner. The South Street Seaport Museum purchased her a year later and returned her to the original build name “Lettie G. Howard.” Lettie G. Howard was included in the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), which documents historically significant engineering, industrial, and maritime works in the U.S. The project is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Lettie G. Howard was documented in 1989. The HAER high resolution drawings are on the Library of Congress web site at http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Drawing:%20ny1621&fi=number&op=PHRASE&va=exact&co%20=hh&st=gallery&sg%20=%20true. The South Street Seaport Museum completely restored her between 1991 and 1993. Now in her original 1893 appearance, Lettie G. Howard is outfitted to accommodate trainees on educational voyages. In 1994 the U.S. Coast Guard certified her as a Sailing School Vessel, allowing her to carry students of all ages as a training ship. In January 2012, Lettie G. Howard was dry docked at Mystic Seaport. Subsequent inspections found extensive rot in her keelson and foremast step, and she was put back in the water until enough money can be raised for the necessary repairs.

Thanks, All, That's what I thought but wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was overlooking. Bob

Yes, Popeye. Someday I may bring it back to the table but it may be years and I cant see keeping this log open. So it's finished. Bob

When scratch building, why make frames for a hull that will be completely planked instead of just making bulkheads? Bob

Yes, next build will be the Lettie G Howard in 1:48 scale. I'll start the build log soon. Bob

There is water, but right now, with the drought, not much. Also I now have to build smaller boats because of space limitations. So RC for now is out. Bob

Wow! It’s been almost a month since I’ve added to this thread. Well I did a little more adding to the deck furnishings and details. Those who have done a web search are sure to see more that could be added, but for now I’m going to call it finished. As I said early on, years ago I had wanted to build the Hoga in a larger scale as an RC boat but that never happened. This build was a “make do” so I could say I built it, but it is not the boat in the water I had dreamed of and I am not happy with it. So it’s time to say, “Enough, It is finished.” and go on to other builds. Here are pictures as it is now. Good enough to put on the shelf. Bob

Keith, Shawn, A single cylinder steam engine cannot be dependably reversed but a two cylinder “V” steam engine can be reversed and does not take up much more room. Bob

i like the reshaping of the cockpit and agree that the walls are too thick. Bob

Words fail me so I just click "Like This". Bob