captainbob

Keith, I was going to answer but John and Frankie beat me to it.  Thanks friends.
 
Tom, I bought 1/8” plywood for the profile and bulkheads.  As for the larger slots, yes they are the masts and the foremost is for the Sampson post which would not have to go below decks on a model but I put the slot in anyway.  The rake of the masts is shown on the inner profile drawings.
 
Popeye, Michael & Augie thanks for the well wishes.  And yes, Popeye I have copies of the bulkhead drawings I made.
 
Bob

Just another 2 1/2 inch boat.  Oh!  Wait!  That's a metric scale.  Well done.  Well done.
 
Bob

I thank you very much Bob for saying that......it's kind of humbling.   since the M&M build,  I was thinking about another one.........I found a sort of freedom in doing it.  then to see the look on the admiral's face when I called it done...it made my day     I've had good luck with the first one.......I hope I can pull these off just as well
 
as for Michael.....he's in a league of his own......doing a build of a known style of ship.   but,  in scratch producing the blocks and tackle that this build requires,  takes a lot of knowledge and skill.   what he's doing is pure genius......a real thinking man's build   looking at builds in different scales,  really gives folks a good idea of the different dementions a model can go through.........the larger you go in scale,  the more detail it demands.   thanks for the link,  I'll look into it.
 
rest assured Bob......that if these come as good as the first one......there will surely be another 

Finally!  I made sawdust today.  I cut the parts out on the skill saw now I need to go back and sand to the line, but it feels good to get started.  I should mark the date somewhere, like in the records of ships where you see, “KEEL LAID ON:” Dec 18, 2013.
 
I decided to go POB for this boat.  You can see my CAD drawing on letter size paper in the picture.  The box with the 2” inside gives me the size to enlarge to.  If anyone wants a copy let me know.
 
Bob
 

Finally!  I made sawdust today.  I cut the parts out on the skill saw now I need to go back and sand to the line, but it feels good to get started.  I should mark the date somewhere, like in the records of ships where you see, “KEEL LAID ON:” Dec 18, 2013.
 
I decided to go POB for this boat.  You can see my CAD drawing on letter size paper in the picture.  The box with the 2” inside gives me the size to enlarge to.  If anyone wants a copy let me know.
 
Bob
 

Popeye,
 
Keep the creative spirit.  This hobby needs people like you.  Michael was talking about design creativity in modeling over in http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/4687-building-rational-and-design/ .  I for one love watching you build.
 
Bob

Finally!  I made sawdust today.  I cut the parts out on the skill saw now I need to go back and sand to the line, but it feels good to get started.  I should mark the date somewhere, like in the records of ships where you see, “KEEL LAID ON:” Dec 18, 2013.
 
I decided to go POB for this boat.  You can see my CAD drawing on letter size paper in the picture.  The box with the 2” inside gives me the size to enlarge to.  If anyone wants a copy let me know.
 
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
 

 

 

With every boat I build, there comes a time, when the hull and deck are finished and I’m starting on the cabin and deck furniture. At that time I start thinking of the next build.  The new boat takes over and consumes all my free time.  I get the plans and start doing the research and all work on the present build stops.  But after a while the new boat slowly moves into the background and I know I have to finish the present build before I start the new or I would never finish any of my builds.  That’s where I am on the Hoga.  Now to get back to building.  Here are the latest pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

Now, on to the pilot house, it has a round front with three windows.   First I drew a top view to get the spacing.  The windows are .28” wide with .06” between them.  The windows are flat while the structure curves.  I cut the windows undersize and glued the panel to the curved top and bottom before I trimmed away the excess.  I then put tape on the panel to show the limits of the windows and cut and sanded the windows to size.  On the fourth try it worked.  I made the side and back panels the same way.  Now its paint and add the wood trim around the windows.  Then add the interior furniture so I can glue on the back, which you can see on the deck,    Ah well, one thing at a time.
 
Guy, what color was the inside of the pilot house on YT 150 I suspect a light tan but I’m not sure.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally a little more detail.  The pipes are .025 darkened annealed steel wire.  At the hardware store they refer to it as rebar tie wire.  The ladder is .015 wire. 
I like this material.  It’s easy to work and I frequently flatten it to represent black iron straps or mast bands.  Now on to the upper deck.
 
Bob
 

 

The more I look at the pictures the more I see. On the drawings of the Nokomis and on the picture of the Hoga at sea trials there are only two towing bitts on each side, but I noticed that in the picture of the Hoga at Pearl Harbor there was another set of bitts added to each side. (see red circle)
 
Not here.

 
There they are.

 
And I cannot find a stern drying grid in any of the pictures of the Hoga or the City of Oakland. So here is where we are, the hull is done and the main part of the cabin. Now for the upper deck and the pipes and vents around the cabin.
 




 
Bob
 
 

Just a little update. I started on the cabin and capstans and located them temporarily on the deck. I’ll finish and paint everything before mounting them permanently. But it’s all coming together.
 
In trying to "make it right" I found so many differences between the photos of the Hoga and the drawings of the Nokomis that I put aside the drawings and am working from the photos now.  I find it interesting that between the launch on Dec 1st 1940 and showing up in Pearl Harbor on May 1st 1941 there were already changes made to the Hoga.  I am wanting to build it the way it was in Pearl Harbor but if I paint it all dark gray I’m afraid all the detail will be lost.  I’m thinking of painting it Light gray over dark gray.
 
Open to suggestions.
 
Bob 
 

 

Hi All,
 
When the Hoga was at Pearl Harbor it was all painted a dark gray and the detail is hard to see.  I thought I should show you the hull before it gets painted.  I will be painting the hull dark gray but the decks and cabins will be a light gray so people will not have to strain their eyes.  
 
Bob
 
 

 

 

I have been gathering pictures and other information on the Hoga and her sisters for over ten years.  The Woban class tugs were not all built at the same yard or at the same time or in the same way.  I find a lot of variation in what was on the deck and where it is located.  For example some boats had a raised grid in the stern and others were flat decks and the close-up pictures I have of the derelict, City of Oakland, ex Hoga, show the rusted gunnel supports as box beams without holes.  Since there are some things I cannot know for sure I have to use information from my old friend, Best Guess. 
 
As for the angle of the gunnels, what I have done brings the gunnel in too far before the stern so I will have to try again.
 
Bob
 

 

When will I ever learn?  I forgot to add the bulwark supports to the bulkhead drawings.  To get the bulwarks angle I glued on ten temporary supports changing the angle of each by 2 degrees.  Then using card stock I made a template of the bulwarks.  I removed the temporary supports and glued the bulwarks in place.  Now I’ll fit the scale supports and a caprail.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, but I did it again.  I got so wrapped up in the building that I forgot to take pictures.  The hull is finished except for the rub rails, the prop and the rudder.  The paint is a primer, I still need to decide on the color.
 

 

 

 
Yesterday I found a picture of the Toka YT 149, one of the Woban class, being lifted out of the water which gives me a great shot of the prop and rudder.  Guess that’s next.
 

 
Bob

Keith, John, Thanks.  With encouragement like yours I know I’ll make it.
 
The first thing was to decide how to build this boat.   Solid hull, I don’t consider myself a good enough carver.  Plank on frame, why make frames when no one will see them.  I finally settled on plank on bulkhead.  So it was back to CAD.   Draw every fifth station to show the deck chamber and a slot to fit onto the new keel drawing.  Cut them out of 1/16" plywood and glue it all together with the deck.  Now it's on to the planking.
 
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

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 for showing your work.  As I said I had never tried it myself but had heard it was good.  And yours looks fine.
 
Bob

Thanks Floyd. It's really fun to do.
 
Nothing really exciting to show all of you. I have cut the wales from cherry and installed them.
Once they are sanded I will be coloring them black with Fiebings leather dye. This will be the
first time I have used it so this might be interesting!  
 
I have depleted most of my ebony and will probably discontinue using it anymore. It’s bad for
you, I’m not religious enough about wearing a mask and it’s just messy.
 

 
As far as the rest of the planking goes I will be using Boxwood. The plans show planking
only above the wales but I may put two or three rows below the wales too.

Hello Dan I have checked the major suppliers and so far the smallest appears to be 3/16 radius.
 
New Cockpit part 3
 
All four corners are now glued and the final shaping is underway on the corners.
 

 
The sharp radius turned out well.
 

 
The oxidation of the fir decking is obvious now that the wide section of the old cockpit has been removed.
 
Michael

Michael,
 
It's been a while since I was last able to check in and wow, phenomenal progress!!
 
Looking at the mk1 & mk2 cockpit coaming, the mk2 looks infinitely better and far more realistic. For finishing, I think a rounded capping piece would really make it. It's worth noting that most production boats (and poor restorations) fit the wrong shape of capping - they tend to be flat topped with radiused edges but should have a slight radius over the top to assist with shedding water. Where the original coaming has been removed I'd be inclined to try re-sanding the deck to colour match before trying any oils.
 
As usual, excellent, nay, stunning work!! I really must make / find more time to keep up with your progress - the same applies to my own build (little or no physical progress but a modicum of thinking about sail winch servo positions).
 
Keep up the amazing craftsmanship,
 
Regards,
 
Row