augie

Ok, I'll take the bait (and display my ignorance).
 
Wouldn't the centerboard only be deployed when under sail?  I'd think it would be tricky lowering it if being towed behind a leviathan!  And you've got a pretty substantial keel there.
 
That said, aesthetically I would think it would be good to show it's there and personally like the uppermost photo.  It adds that 'certain something' and you did one heck of a job on it.

Glad to see you getting her started.....the Morgan that is!
 
Tough break there only being with your Admiral for 5 months.  Mine's been around her for 40 odd years so all I ever need do is give her 100% of my attention for more than 1 day and she begins to ask 'aren't you going out or have a new project to start'   

Sorry you've hit this problem hamilton, it's so frustrating when a desired plan fails to work.
 
I think the question you have to ask yourself is which is the most important feature that will contribute to a successful look or otherwise to the completed hull.
 
If I may venture an opinion, I would say the positioning of the wales; if the run of the wales isn't correct then the graceful sheer lines and balance of the hull will never look good.
 
You are not that far advanced, would it not be possible to blank off the sweep ports and redo the wales first, which will allow for a decent run of planking up to the topline, and a better proportion to the below waterline hull.
 
You would then be in a better position to gauge the line of the sweep ports which if re-cutting them proves too testy could at least be represented by closed blanks.
 
I do hope you resolve the problem to your satisfaction.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Looking forward to seeing your serving machine, Andy!
 
Hmm, the weather must be odd; it's pretty cold over here too - oh, yeah, it's autumn, isn't it?
 
John

Hello Jim,
 
Yes, I know. But I do have to thank everyone who has looked in at my build.
Thank you too for looking in. Next time I will post BIGGER pictures, so you can spot them better.
 
Take care,
 
Anja

Augie,
 
It is looking great, you have such a skill for attention to detail, very impressed.
 
-josh

The standing rigging on the mainmast has basically been completed.  This included the main topgallant shrouds, stay and backstays as well as the main royal stay and backstays.  I never realized that some standing rigging was actually adjustable as is the case with the royal backstays which run through blocks down to belaying pins on the rail. The tackles actually WORK!  (Sorry about the lack of focus on the first 2 pics).
 

 

 
Seeing as we're tying off to the pin rack, I decided to try my hand at making some loose rope coils for the belaying pins.  Toward that end, I constructed this highly sophisticated jig.  About 5 coils of line, a dab of CA and voila!  I'm not sure if this qualifies me as a neophyte 'darksider'
 

 
Time for a long distance shot.  Note that what appears to be a fore royal stay running to the bowsprit is just a temporary brace set to help tensioning to lines on the stays from the mainmast.  As nothing went 'boing' I think we're OK.
 
Which reminds me of something I forgot to post in the re-post of this abbreviated log.  All of the belaying pin rails and channels were pinned with 28 guage wire during construction (thanks Chuck).
 
 

 
Concerning the rake of the mainmast, I had previously determined from the plans that it was approximately 5 degrees aft.  Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.  So at this point measuring from ball truck to ball truck I get 9  1/8" which precisely matches the plans.  So assuming the mast holes in the deck were drilled in the right place, I finally got something right.  I believe this is a FIRST.
 
At any rate, this rigging thing is an absolute blast!  Haven't had so much fun since coppering.  Or maybe planking.  Or maybe........
 
Now we move on to a total repeat on the standing rigging for the foremast.  Hopefully, we will already have improved a bit.
Be back when the cursed ratlines are completed on the upper fore shrouds.
 
Everyone stay well.  And build straight  

Here are the completed shrouds.
 

 

 
And here are the lower fore and main mast stays.  I've got to get better at tying those lanyards!
 

 
 

Thought it might be time to place the masts in temporarily and see what she's going to look like.
 

 
You can see that Syren is almost as tall as she is long!!!!!
 
 

Same here.  All the fish I'm catching are pre-frozen     

yepper!  your doing quite well..........now that the shrouds are done........now let's see how fast you can do the rungs 

Darn it Popeye...... we're going to have to petition to have you assigned your very own 'Completed Ship Gallery'.  Since I started on my ONE you have completed about 5.  But who's counting.............    

Yes.....I've had many of those days.
 
Step away from the bench with your hands up, sir.
 
I agree that plan # 2 is probably the way you want to go.  I too have had a plan and then needed a new one (or 3).  It's part of learning and anticipating.
 
I'm not sure I understand how this happened.  You probably do by now.  It is often stated here that 'anything can be fixed'.  That is true, but you need to decide at what 'cost'.  I think, at the early stages in our shipwright 'careers'  we all have some 'woulda/shoulda' events.  Well, at least I do.  The important part right now is that you recognized that something is awry AND that you are addressing it. 
 
Hang tough and take a lesson from it.  You are already better because of it.
 
Now ----- back to work

Ahoy Hamilton
 
Do not despair
 
I am currently correcting a mistep I made. It took me over 25 hours to make and I estimate will take another 40 to fix.
 
What I do is start a side project, something unrelated to the current debacle. It could be the ships boat, some deck item, or even another small kit. This way I do not rush into my repairs making another mistake, but contemplate the possibilities for a few days. Repairs will sometimes require long periods where no work can be completed and these side project fills those gaps. They also help me to maintain the right attitude
 
I have found my repairs to be a source of great pride in my build; I hope you will too.
Good Luck

Better check the bottoms for any missing toes...

Same here.  All the fish I'm catching are pre-frozen     

Thanks Eric…...
 
One thing….you don't see Anja below it     
I'm standing on her hands!
 

Wow, you're quite agile for your age:
 

 
 

Attaboy Wayne......old school.  CA, tweezers and a magnifier (+scissors to keep cutting it back).  My kinda guy!!!!!

Ahoy MSW
 
Thank you all for the comments: They are very kind and much appreciated :)
 
In reality, it is you guys that deserve praise more then I. 
 
If my planking proves anything, it would be the benefit of sites like MSW. I merely applied elbow grease and persistence (my only real talent). It was following the example and advice of others that took the time to post in their logs or respond in mine that allowed me to reach this point in my build. Thank you all.
 
Back to the Build:
 
Other then contemplating some changes to the paint scheme as a result of an image I received in a PM, I have been on a small break from building. I decided to clean the shipyard and reset it. Over the last four months, working on this project produced a lot of little mementos which are now very neatly organized in the trash bin and vacuum cleaner. 
I will be doing treenails, additional coats of poly, my transom and redoing for the third time my gunports. I understand that with Decks, three times is the charm. I hope that this will be true for Gunports too. This decision will all make sense in that post which might not be for a week or three. Again “thank you all” for your help on my journey. Till then.
 
 
Let this Pic document that my little closet work area was actually clean.

Do I want to know what kind of things they are???????
But my friend, I need your help over here with the entertaining…..
So, give the man a train ticket! 
 

Made the drive home today... how nice not to have to deal with all the traffic that was on the road on Monday...
 
A small parcel waiting for me when I got in the door... the bit and pieces I was waiting for...
 
Only a small update to begin with...The cleats at the base of the mizzen mast (some of the parts I was waiting for). Much better appearance than what was suggested in the kit... at least I think so....
 
And before anyone accuses me of shirking my rigging duties... a picture of what I was up to, from time to time last weekend..
 
My personal fleet has expanded by one.
 
 
Am I messed in the head or what?    
 
Andy

Attaboy Wayne......old school.  CA, tweezers and a magnifier (+scissors to keep cutting it back).  My kinda guy!!!!!

Ahhhh...I see we share the joy of juggling the parrel beads.  Sjors has a clown for this.
 
Can't wait to see the macro shots.
 
Stay well, Frank.

Today I reinstalled the plank I removed the other day, plus I sprayed three more planks that I planned on installing tomorrow. Unfortunately the spray results were awful. My airbrush is very picky about being very clean. The least amount of residual dried paint (as in specks hard to see) clogs it up and throws splatter. When it works right, it does an amazing job but the cleanup takes longer than the actual painting. I took a cleaning shortcut the last time I used it and apparently the airbrush gods were not too happy with me. It's not a big deal, I'll sand them down, repaint and then install. This will be another lesson learned, number 110,000,002.
 
Well..., this week has primarily consisted of complaints, whining and a few expletives thrown here and there with very little ship building. Now that it's out of my system (almost out – still gotta fix those darn planks with the bad paint job) it's time for some fwd progress.