EdT

Rudolf, Thank you for purchasing the book. I hope it meets your expectations. It should be no problem printing any of the pdfs on A4 paper. A4 is slightly narrower and also longer than letter sized, but the pdfs will fit. When printing from Acrobat or reader, simply click on page setup and change the printer paper size to A4 or do this in Printer Properties. Also make sure that "Actual Size " or "100%" is checked. Just to be sure,, check one of the dimensions after printing - for example the maximum breadth on the pattern for the deadflat. Good Luck. Let me know how it went. Ed

No need for a ropewalk since wire will not require the "reverse twist" that thread fibers need to keep the strands together. Simply wrap the number of turns required around a small nail or pin with the other end around a hook in an electric drill and spin it up to the required diameter. Stretch the spun wire after spinning. If uncoated copper or brass is used, the spun wire rope may then be blackened with liver of sulfur (copper) or WinOx (brass) then buffed to a metallic sheen. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 22 – Topside Works 2 In the last part, planking between the main rail and planksheer rail was shown installed. This planking is straightforward once the strakes around the elliptical stern are in place. It’s just a matter of continuing these forward to the stem. Fitting the strakes around the stern is a bit more complex, so I wanted to backtrack to show that work in some detail. The installation closely parallels the same work on the framed version, but is somewhat simpler because thumbtacks may be used into the solid filler block, whereas on the framed model the curved strakes had to be clamped to the stern timbers. In the first picture the main rail has been boiled and is clamped around the stern to dry just below the top planking strakes installed in the last post. The shape of this molding was scraped before boiling. When dry, the piece will be used to space the planking strake below. It will not be permanently fixed until much later after it and the hull have been painted. In the next picture the stern is being given some light final trimming with a rasp before beginning the planking. In the next picture the first plank below the main rail has been boiled, bent to shape, pinned in place and allowed to dry. The main rail shown in this picture is only temporarily fitted as a spacer. Because these planks are curved in two planes, it is difficult to get a perfect fit to the plank above without some trimming before final gluing. This was done as each strake was installed – to get a neat fit with the one above. The next picture shows the third strake below the rail tacked and pinned in place for drying. The gaps in the joints with the adjacent strake above can be seen. In the next picture the second strake is being trimmed with a paring chisel to accept the next plank. Both sides of the joint got some slight trimming. In the next picture the curved third strake is being checked for fit with the one above. This strake is being glued in place in the last picture. To allow for the trimming and fitting of this planking – and also the final levelling – planking strips were slightly oversized to start. I find this method of fitting these curved and twisted planks less work than spiling. The two dimensional curving of the planking strips requires significant boiling time (say an hour) and use of an easily bendable wood species – in this case straight-grained hard maple. I doubt that this degree of shaping could be achieved with kiln-dried Castelo that would be a likely choice for an unpainted model. This one will be painted. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 21 – Topside Works 1 Because of the fragility of the plywood toptimbers, a slightly difference sequence was followed in constructing the topside bulwarks on POB model vs. that used on the full framed version. To reinforce these toptimbers and allow them to be faired and sanded smooth on the inside, the top strakes of planking just above the main rail were installed first – beginning at the elliptical stern. These two upper strakes were installed using one planking strip. In the first picture a strip has been boiled for bending and is clamped around the stern at the top for drying. In the next picture, a final check of the height of the stern at the centerline is being checked against the drawing using the height gauge. Last chance to make sure the height is correct. The decking of the poop was flush with the top of the side planking, allowing the fancy rail to cap the side and deck planking. In the next picture a gauge strip of deck plank thickness (3 ½”) is being used to check the side planking height as it is glued and pinned in place. The top plank was then continued forward to the stem as shown in the next picture. The height gauge was used throughout the installation of this upper strake to ensure an accurate line. The next picture shows some more of the installation of the upper strakes. Once the work has proceeded forward of the poop deck and the plywood bulkheads, clamps were used in lieu of the pins as the planks were glued. In the next picture the upper side strakes are complete and the tops of the timbers are being levelled off at the correct height using a fine rasp. This could not be done safely without the upper strake in place. Before sanding the insides of the toptimbers, outboard planking between the main rail and planksheer rail was installed. I will cover fitting of this planking around the stern in a later post. A temporary spacer was used to set the gap that will eventually be filled with the painted main rail. In the next picture the planking down to the planksheer has been installed and the insides of the toptimbers are being faired with a Softsander® pad fitted with 120-grit paper. In the last picture the insides of the toptimbers are being sanded smooth with 220-grit paper. At this stage the upper works were quite strong, the toptimbers sanded smooth and ready for the next step – installation of the inboard parts of the main rail. Ed

Laman, Thanks for your comments on the book. I hope all goes well with your Naiad build. I would have reponded sooner but we have been away and I don't check in as often. Ed

Daniel, Bob Friedman will be at the conference and will be taking orders. I also understand that he will have a limited number of copies there for sale. I expect to be there with both models as well. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 20 – Knightheads The knightheads reinforced the stem on either side and provided a base for securing the hawse timbers that formed the forward hull back to the first cant frames. This detail is shown in the posts for the full framed version of the model. Rising above the top of the sides, the knightheads also provided lateral support to the bowsprit. To accommodate the 36” square section of the bowsprit, additional space was provided between knightheads by additional members, 10” thick stem timbers, bolted to the sides of the stem assembly. The two 10” stem timbers astride the 16” thick stem provided the necessary 36” spacing for the bowsprit. On the POB model only the upper parts of the knightheads and stem timbers were modeled. In the first picture their patterns have been pasted to the correct size stock. As with all of the stock for this demonstration model, ¾” wood was used, allowing all the thicknesses to be cut on a good model circular saw. This was done to allow the model to be made from readily available stock without the need for a thickness sander/planer – a rather expensive tool and not one that beginning scratch builders might have. In the next picture the members have been cut out and given an initial bevel based on the pattern lines. These were cut from hard maple. The knightheads will be exposed on the model but painted black. The members to the right are shown in their relative positions. In the next picture the starboard head timber is being fitted into the space between the stem and the most forward bulkhead. To prepare for this, the pine spacers forward of the first bulkhead were removed by sawing and paring with a straight chisel. These spacers had been installed to protect the forward bulkhead during initial rough fairing of the hull. In the next picture the breadth across the installed head timbers is being checked for the eventual fit of the bowsprit. At 1:96 the breadth needs to be 3/8”. This precise breadth was obtained by sanding the sides of the members after they were glued in. In the next picture the port knighthead is being glued into place. With both knightheads firmly secured they could be faired into the stem rabbet. In the next picture a gouge is being used for this. With the shape roughed out with the gouge, a curved rasp was used to refine it – as shown below - followed by 120-grit sandpaper. With the knightheads in place and faired, the topside planking could begin. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 19 – Planksheer In the angle between the toptimbers and main deck beams, a massive 12” x 11” waterway was fit to reinforce the deck beam connections to the frames and to provide a watertight seal around the outer deck planking. The planksheer was a large member that fit directly on top of the waterway and enclosed the toptimbers. It provided a watertight cap over the hull frames, waterway and outboard planking. It was wide enough to show as a molded rail both outboard and inboard. It was either mortised to fit down over the toptimbers or, more likely, made in two parts that were notched to fit both inside and outside, then bolted through horizontally. On the model, I installed the planksheer as spacers between the toptimbers capped by rails inside and out. Since the planksheer rests on the waterway which in turn rests on the deck beams, I believe the height of the planksheer is most accurately set by fitting the inboard rail first. The height was set using a temporary pine spacer cut to the depth of the waterway. This is shown in the first picture. Why not install the waterway first, then the planksheer? If the model is to be painted, the waterway will be painted blue, the inboard works, including the adjoining inboard planksheer rail white. To avoid having to cut in sharp paint lines after construction, I wanted to paint the white then install the pre-painted blue waterway below it. The natural finish decking would later be installed against the blue waterway. The sequence to accommodate painting is also described in the posts for the 1:72 framed model – as well as in detailed in the book. The inside rails were molded using a scraper and cut to size as described for the larger version. With the inside planksheer rail glued in place to the toptimbers, spacers between toptimbers were cut and fitted – glued to the outboard face of the inner rail and end glued between toptimbers. In the next picture, these spacers have been installed and their outer edges are being faired to the outside of the frames. In the next picture the tops of the spacers are being filed flush with the top of the inside rail. The upper face of the rail is horizontal in the athwartship direction. Before the outer part of the planksheer or any exterior planking could be installed, it was necessary to fit the knightheads. I will describe that work in the next part. Ed

Lovely work, Gianpiero. Ed

The N.C. Wyeth paintings illustrating the book are alone enough to recommend the set - at a much higher price. Ed

Thank you all for these very supportive comments and for the interest expressed in the book. The clipper era and the extraordinary ships themselves provide fascinating subjects for study and modeling. I hope the book will introduce many to this somewhat neglected ship modeling area. As for the NRG conference that some have mentioned, I plan to be there with both Young America model versions, completed to the extent described in Volume I. Bob Friedman will also attend and will take orders for all Sea Watch Books. I believe he plans to bring a limited number of copies of my book for direct sale. I will be happy to add my unintelligible script to these. Robin, it is good to hear from you. I have been a fan of Derek Gardner's work for many years and have two of his watercolor prints hanging over my desk. I was delighted to discover his painting of Young America and even more excited that we could obtain rights to use it on the dust jacket. The painting certainly captures the essence of the clipper ship under sail and well depicts Young America in her early career with her massive single topsails. Ed

Thanks, Allan. In your picture I'm trying to figure out which one of you got caught. Ed

The Book is out! Sea Watch Books and I are very proud to announce the publication of Modeling the extreme Clipper Young America 1853, Volume I. I think you will find that the book is unique in its description of a fully-framed extreme American clipper - as well as a smaller plank-on-bulkhead version. As with the Naiad books, the focus of this work is on modeling processes - covered in detail with many photos and drawings. Eight full sized drawings are included for the two versions as well as a CD containing patterns, detail sheets and other data. A second volume covering fitting out, masting and rigging is planned. My contribution to the book has included almost three years of research, drafting,modelbuilding, taking a few thousand photos and, of course, writing. I will let Bob Friedman comment on the effort required by Sea Watch and its various subcontrators. However, apart from this initial announcement, the purpose of this topic is to collect comments, questions, and opinions on the book. Bob Friedman and I will pay attention to these as the book rolls out and address questions or issues that may arise. I will use this topic to post any addenda to the work that may become necessary or even just useful. There are plenty of people to thank for help with an effort like this and I hope I have adequately expressed appreciation in the beginning of the book. The late Bill Crothers (1912-2015) tops my list and therefore deserves additional mention here. His exhaustive work on the structures of the American clipper ship were a primary resource for me and neither the model nor the book would exist but for his many years of effort and his excellent books. It was my honor and pleasure to meet with Bill with the framed version of the model in its earlier stages and to discuss various topics by phone on a number of occasions. I regret that he is not here to see the either the current model or the book. So, comments and questions are most welcome. Ed The book can be found at: http://www.seawatchbooks.com/NewsForthcomingBooks.htm

The Book is out! I hope I may be permitted some euphoria over the publication of Modeling the Extreme Clipper Young America, Volume I. It took a lot of effort by Sea Watch Books and me to get this to market this year. There were times early in the year when the amount of modeling and writing required to meet this deadline seemed insurmountable. All the generous and supportive responses to the two build logs on this site helped us keep our nose to the grindstone. The picture below of the book and its supplementary material hardly does justice to Derek Gardeners beautiful rendering of Young America on the Irish Sea on a winter’s morning as she approaches Liverpool – but it does serve as proof that the book is in print. I have examined every inch of this first copy and am delighted with the result. We hope you will be as well. As I did with the Naiad books, I will start a topic in the book review section for comments, questions, addenda, and what I hope will be very few corrections. In the meantime, this posting on each of the two build logs will at least serve notice that the book is out. Thanks again for all your support. Ed

The Book is out! I hope I may be permitted some euphoria over the publication of Modeling the Extreme Clipper Young America, Volume I. It took a lot of effort by Sea Watch Books and me to get this to market this year. There were times early in the year when the amount of modeling and writing required to meet this deadline seemed insurmountable. All the generous and supportive responses to the two build logs on this site helped us keep our nose to the grindstone. The picture below of the book and its supplementary material hardly does justice to Derek Gardeners beautiful rendering of Young America on the Irish Sea on a winter’s morning as she approaches Liverpool – but it does serve as proof that the book is in print. I have examined every inch of this first copy and am delighted with the result. We hope you will be as well. As I did with the Naiad books, I will start a topic in the book review section for comments, questions, addenda, and what I hope will be very few corrections. In the meantime, this posting on each of the two build logs will at least serve notice that the book is out. Thanks again for all your support. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 18 – Fairing the Upper Works When the hull was faired earlier, in the inverted position, little attention was paid to the upper works, so the outside of the toptimbers needed some work. The sanding required to fair the outside of these was light. The first picture shows this in progress using 220-grit paper on a Softsander® foam pad. In the next picture the fairness is being checked with a pine batten. The toptimbers were molded 6” at the top. In the next picture this is being checked with calipers. You can see from the reading that they are still oversized somewhat at .076”. They would later be faired to the final 6” (.0625”) by sanding the insides – but only after some reinforcing outer planking was in place. However, it was necessary at this stage to fair the deck “beams” accurately – as shown in the next photo. Fairing of the deck was particularly important to avoid waviness in the thin deck planking that would be added later. In the next picture this is being checked during the sanding process using a pine batten. When this work was being done, I did not expect to take this model to much further and consequently spent less time getting the deck line faired than I should have. I will show the final deck planking later. While acceptable, more attention at this stage would have yielded a truly beautiful installation of the long, spacious open main deck.. With this work completed, the construction of the topside planking and rails could begin. Ed

Druxey, Actually, I was referring to the thickness of the planks, not their widths. The width of the planking on these ships was usually about 6" - rather narrow compared to what most of us are used to. I used a common width of 8" below the wale. I do not intend to actually sheath this demo model or paint it below the waterline, so 8" seemed a reasonable compromise. I take your point though. It was a lot of work - even with no treenails. I also left the port side unplanked from somewhat below the top of the wale - to display the bulkheads and spacers. I am planning to bring this model - and big sister - to the NRG conf. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 17 – Bottom Planking I have mentioned a number of times that the 1:96 POB version shown in these posts was constructed as a demonstration model for the book (now available from SeaWatch). After reaching this stage in the build, the text in the book applies equally to both models and the same methods apply to complete either model. For all of that subsequent work, the 1:72 model was used in the descriptive photos to avoid confusion and the excessive space requirements to show both. Although I believe the book describes both versions well, I thought that anyone wanting to build the POB version would find the many pictures I was taking useful and interesting. For that reason (and because I was having fun with this version) I decided to take it to a further state of completion and post pictures of that work here. There is no bottom planking on the fully framed model, but this version would clearly require full planking to cover the bulkheads and spacers. The first picture shows the first several strakes above the thick garboard being installed. I used hard maple for all this planking. The picture shows typical clamping. Thumb tacks proved very useful and easy to use on this work. The soft pine spacers between bulkheads allowed these to be pushed in by hand but some required tapping with a hammer. The clamps were used to close the planking joints in the very lowest strakes. The next picture shows the planking being levelled off next to the thicker garboard using a flat #0 cut riffler, one of my favorite tools for this kind of work. The bottom planking is 4” thick above the garboard. I ripped the planks to 5” to allow for some smoothing out and some finish sanding. Since all of the planking on this model would likely be painted or metal sheathed, I dispensed with pre-painting the edges of the planks and the use of dark glue. The next picture shows some work near midship. Drawing pins also work well in the pine substructure as shown in the next picture, but in general I used thumb tacks. The type with plastic covered heads are best. With the tapping in and prying out the attrition rate on thumb tacks was high. The clamp shown at the stem applies quite a lot of pressure to hold the “hooding ends” tight in the rabbet. As planking begins to proceed upward, additional strakes need to be cut in at the ends so that the planking will eventually match the sheer of the wale above. I began inserting these - as shown in the following pictures – when the lines of planking began to appear drooped at the ends when viewed from the side. In the first picture the cutting in point is being marked. In the next picture the installed plank is being pared back to one-half its width while preserving a fair line forward. In the next picture the partial strake has been fitted and is, itself, being marked for another cut in strake. In the next picture that strake is being glued in place. Although difficult to see in this last picture, the same process was applying at the stern. At about this point, work on the lower planking was discontinued until later and the focus shifted to the upper works where much work awaited. Ed

My purpose in the note was to ensure people were not left with the impression that the white main rail was wrong or that there is any real question about deck heights. Ed

Thank you, David. I hope the book measures up. And thanks for all the likes on this log. I have intended it to be a useful supplement to the POB related text and pictures in the book. I feel I have been neglecting the full framed "big sister" for the past couple months but hope to be back posting on that log soon. Rob, you are right about changes in service and painting would seem to be the most likely to vary. I would not be too quick to judge Bill Crothers wrong on this - the paint scheme of the original ship. He was generally very meticulous about his sources. The two known photos showing the black main rail were taken years after the launch as indicated by the single stick upper masts that were not in the original design or even in the configuration of 1854 when the Howes double topsails were added. On the levels of the deck relative to the topside, I spent some time looking at this when drafting the plans for YA, because the poop rail seems very low relative t the deck height. However I soon found that Webb's initial offsets are quite definitive as is one of the photos that clearly shows men standing on the poop at the level of the fancy rail. The height of the poop rail may also be measured from this photo. The heights of the planksheer rail given on the original offsets, coupled with the known depth of the main deck waterway, leave little doubt as to the correct deck heights. So I guess you could say that Webb himself has the last word on this question - in what seems to be his own fine hand. Cheers, Ed

Actually, I find that I have seen pictures of the model before. Here is another I found in my file: Ed

Thanks, everyone for all the likes and the comments. That certainly is a beautiful model, Rob. I do not believe I have seen it before. I note the black main rail, which is evident in the two existing photosof the actual ship. I followed Bill Crothers advice on paint and made mine white and that introduced some complexities into the build to avoid having to paint that line after construction. The black looks so good I am not sure it was worth the effort. Bill certainly had access to the photos before recommending the paint scheme, but his source is not clear - at least I have not turned it up yet. I also note in the model picture that the fancy rail along the top of the side is also painted black and that the top of the side rises above the poop deck and is therefore higher along the other decks as well. This may not be correct and differs from the design I used. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 16 – Garboard Strake The planking of the lower hull begins at the keel with the installation of the garboard strake, heavy (7” X 18”) members, bolted through the deadwood and edge bolted into the keel. At the ends of the ship the garboard strake is expanded into two strakes to begin the upward sheer of the bottom planking and to further strengthen to narrow deadwood at these points. In the first picture the aft section of the garboard has been fitted against the post and is being marked for the insertion of the second strake “stealer”. In the next picture the strake was cut to receive the second section and is being held in place to check the final fit.. This strake members were then glued in place as shown below and over the entire length of the hull with a similar joint for a second strake at the bow. Because this strake twists to fay against the curving hull, a lot of clamps were needed. The next picture shows the aft section after the piece of second strake was installed. I did not use dark glue for any of the hull planking since the intention is to paint and sheath the hull later. Hard maple was used for all of this planking. The last picture shows the forward part of the garboard, with the joint lines emphasized on the image to show the configuration. In this picture, it can be seen that the line of the rabbet runs just aft of the joint line between the stem and false stem. Note that in the last two pictures the garboard thins down to match the depth of the rabbet in the stem and sternpost. The garboard was, of course, installed on both sides of the hull at this stage. Since it is intended to sheath this lower hull, I did not install any of the bolts, as I would have done on the fully framed version – if I had installed the garboard on that model. Above the garboard, the planking thickness drops to 4”. The beginning of that work will be shown in the next part. Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96 Part 15 – Final Hull Fairing Once the keel/stem/sternpost assembly was installed, the final fairing of the hull into the rabbet could be done. Along the stem and keel the joint with the hull is on the bearding line, so the first step was to fair the hull along this line to meet the thickness of the stem/keel (16”), which is the hull breadth at that line. In the first picture the “hump” on the hull spine is being pared back to match the width of the keel. In the next picture a riffler is being used to produce the final faired surface at the stem. At the stem the area outside of the bearding line must be further pared back smoothly into the stem rabbet that was cut before assembly. In the next picture that is being done with a shallow gouge. In the next picture the fairness in this area is being checked with a strip of planking. The same process was repeated at the stern – and of course on both sides. The hump along the keel at the stern is being removed in the next picture. Sanding is always the final step. The final sanding of the hull was done using 120-grit paper. With the hull now fully faired the bevels on the aft face of the sternpost were filed off as shown below, while the model was inverted. The post bevels allowed the rudder to swing over its full arc without being obstructed by the post. After this work, the lower hull was ready to be planked. And by the way, thanks again for all the likes and especially the nice comments. Ed

Taoism, Thanks for your interest in the Naiad posts. Its starting to seem like the distant past to me and I am glad to see that the thread can still be found in the long list of build logs on MSW. I cannot explain why the images in parts 170 and 171 are not loading. I cannot get them either. Perhaps the moderators can address this or tell me how I can reload the photos if necessary. The Naiad model is a fully framed structural replica of the original ship – a time consuming project. Yes, three years was about right. Naiad was my second model. My first model, Victory, is also covered in an MSW build log. My current models of the American extreme clipper Young America are also described in two build logs on MSW and are the subject of another how-to-do-it book forthcoming shortly from SeawatchBooks (see below). On to your questions: Very hard woods are used in the model, mainly swiss pear, castelo and European boxwood. This requires pin holes to be predrilled for a tight or sliding fit as required. Where these holes would show on the final model, as was the case with most, they were placed where bolts or treenails would eventually be inserted. The tool in the first photo you showed is a Sherline milling machine fitted with a screw slotting saw blade with the spindle rotated to the vertical position. Sherline makes high quality, small scale machinery. The table saw in the next photo is a Preac 2 ¼” diameter circular saw – my most used power tool for this work. Sadly this machine is no longer available new, but perhaps may be found on ebay. There are a variety of similar good quality model saws available, however. The drawings for the Naiad model were based on the original Admiralty plans for the ship and other contemporary data. Plans for most Royal Navy ships may be obtained from the National Maritime Museum in London. The Naiad drawings were made using a now extinct version of Visio – a 2D CAD application. I am now using TurboCad for this work and all of the drawings for the current Young America project were made using TurboCad. I am not sure what the term “building record” refers to. Two books were published describing the Naiad construction in full detail, including all of the drawings patterns and substantial other information – including a thorough discussion of drafting methods and toolmaking. These books and many other fine books on shipmodeling may be obtained from SeawatchBooks.com. Here is a link: http://www.seawatchbooks.com/ Good luck with your entry into this fascinating craft. Ed