fnick

Hello friends!  Haven`t posted in a while - did some remodeling,cleaned out & got my mother`s house sold, then a few unfortunate things happened(Murphy`s Law has been following me around)......    I have got a couple of things done - made a bunch of rope coils,& got the fore topmast & topgallant yard braces done. Those braces were shown on the belaying plan to  belay BEHIND the main lower sail but that is not possible with the mainsail in place,so I belayed them to the railing at the rear of the forecastle deck.  Also got the fore topgallant backstays done. I hope to get back to work on this more regularly very soon.  As always,thanks for looking in.
 

 

 

 
Mark

I know, I know... I have been so slow... When furnishing my new workshop some things didn't quite came out right, and I need the guy who helped me to come back and fix some things, like the height of my main table. Working in the upper rigging has to be done standing up, and I tire very soon. Ok enough excuses.
Mizzen mast standing rigging is finished, including shrouds and ratlines up to the topmast. 
I am following strictly the order  laid down in the instructions. Not sure if this is the wisest thing to do, but time will tell...\
 
Making a mouse in Chuck's Serv-O-Matic machine

Placement of shrouds

First stay


Tying of deadeyes

Some more rigging done


Mizzen mast finished

 

 
 
Thank you all for visiting!!!
Best regards!!!
 
 

It’s logs like this that made me want to try plastic models.  Incredible job!

A couple of small decorations:
 

OK, I have put together the basic hull structure, and changed a couple of things since my first build. All of the MDF parts are glued together (superglue gel mostly for a 'speed build').
 
Everything has gone together fine, no problems. I have changed the stern lower counter and upper stern board. before, the upper pattern was to be added once planked, but I realised just how fragile those stern frames are, more so since I changed them since my first build, to be less unobtrusive. With this in mind, I now show both the stern counter and stern board glued in place as soon as possible, to give the very light and fragile stern area some rigidity. I have also moved these two parts over from the 1mm wood sheet to the 0.8mm plywood sheet, so they have extra strength. The lower decks are the correct height and also have the correct sheers.
 
I will add another two tabs to the stem post to minimise it splitting.
 
I have also attached a pic of my first build, which is in pear, in the process of being sanded after second planking was complete.

I slowly resumed my work at Amarante.
Two small decorations of the stern framework
 

Hi folks
 
Well, I’ve been a bit impatient lately and started on my next model, Sapphire, before my previous model, Genesis is completely finished.
 
Anyhow, Sapphire is based on an actual mega-yacht called, Okto (https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-43054/okto-yacht-charter-printable.pdf).
 
As is customary with all of my miniature models, the interior accomodation will be fully detailed and viewable through removable decks and superstructure.
 
I hope you can join me on Sapphire’s journey.
 
Cheers. 
 
Patrick
 
 

She is finally finished!  😅 The most difficult and challenging project I have ever attempted. I think she turned out great, even with the many mistakes I made along the way. Some I corrected and others I couldn't. If you look really close you may see some. Almost 5 years in the making and so much fun. I know I improved my skills level immensely because of the difficulty involved. Euromodel definitely produces a quality kit. With the way they set it up, the builder can take the level of detail as far as they like. I believe I could attempt a scratch build now if I desired to do so.
The cost to complete this model including the price of the kit was well over $4000, and that does not include any labor.

I have to give credit to Peter Coward, Keith Julier, Mark T. and the many authors of the numerous text books I used for references along the way.

I will take many detailed photos and post them in the gallery soon.

As soon as I clean up and update my workshop I will start on my next project . It will be the Prince which was the original ship that was rebuilt into the Royal William. It also looks to be a big challenge as well.

Vince P.

Thanks everybody!  We are fully settled in the apartment and had a series of housewarming parties, kid birthdays, vacations and other offtopic activities. 
 
I finally got some time to resume modelling. The longer the pause is, the harder it is to resume. Especially since I am facing is an internal planking, which is a tricky thing if you want it to be neat. And not all mistakes could be hidden by sanding, since a lot of planks have different thickness. D-oh!
 
Clamping jig to the table is very convenient, I am glad I added a vice to make it possible, can recommend!

First boxwood pieces on the model! Future limber streaks. Planing during a sunset is very relaxing.

Made a mill fixture to route a rabbet into that boards.

 
It works, but the cut is not very smooth. Overall, this boxwood tends to chip a bit when you mill it freehand of when you scrape it. That is unusual after pear that scrapes smooth. So I need to rely more on files and planes, using scraping for finishing touches, not for shaping

 
I haven't faired the internal part of the hull in delicate areas, so now I am repaying that debt by fairing it now, trying not to scratch the keelson. And hey, it's 21st century, moving pictures are a thing!  

Frames are scratched with a diamond file to improve glue adhesion and break down the surface patina layer.

Final fit is checked with a test plank next to it. Of course, the bottom of the plank is shaped to follow the curvature, and underside edges are broken to simplify the fit with the next plank.

After the glue-up, some final blending is done with fine sandpaper and scraping:

 
And the end result is "hoorray, I installed the first plank in a few years"  
Now it's just a matter of adding the rest of the planks. 

It's so great to be back!  

1:64 H.M. Cutter Alert 1777
Vanguard Models
Catalogue # VM-01
Available from Vanguard Models for £180
 

 
 
The Alert, built in Dover by Henry Ladd and launched on 24th June 1777, was the largest class of cutter in the Royal Navy. Alert originally carried ten four-pounder carriage guns and six to twelve half-pounder swivel guns. She was one of fifteen cutters built for the Royal navy between 1777 and 1778. Smaller cutters were often purchased or built by private yards and then purchased by the Navy, but Alert was purpose built from the keel up.
 
In February 1778, Alert docked at Plymouth for an overhaul, to which some alterations were made to her hull and the ten four pounder carriage guns were replaced with twelve six pounder guns, raising her broadside weight by 30%. The guns were changed because six-pounder shot was more commonly available and, of course, they were more effective. Because of the increase in ordnance, the crew of the Alert was increased from sixty to eighty men, and recommissioned under a new commander, Lieutenant William George Fairfax. In May 1778, Fairfax was promoted to Commander and Alert was re-classed as a sloop to comply with Admiralty requirements. (Although always remained cutter rigged)
 
On 17th June 1778, the Alert, in company with the frigate Arethusa, spotted and intercepted the French frigate Belle Poule and the armed lugger Coureur, with the latter overhauled by the Alert and surrendered, returning to Spithead after the action with her prize. On 8th July of the same year, whilst on an independent deployment, searching for the enemy fleet, Alert was taken by surprise and captured by the French frigate Junon. Alert is reported as lost without trace on 15th December 1779. Alerts sister, Rattlesnake lasted a little longer, being wrecked on the island of Trinidad on 11th October 1781.

The model kit of the Alert is depicted after her refit with twelve six-pounder guns and a full complement of twelve half-pounder swivel guns, giving an ordnance total of twenty-four guns. Although not stated in the records when researching, it is possible that the upper bulwarks were fully planked, rather than having the open drift. The decoration that adorns the upper sides and stern is optional, as it is unlikely that the original vessel, when in service, would have had such decoration. This is inspired by the two paintings of the vessel by Joseph Marshall, which formed part of the George III collection of ship model paintings. It is possible the decoration would have been painted on during launch day, or if a prominent (Royal) figure visited to review the fleet.
 
The kit


H.M. Cutter Alert 1777 is the very first kit from Chris Watton’s own brand label, ‘Vanguard Models’. Of course, you will have heard of Chris’s name from kits released under the Amati (Victory Models) and Caldercraft/JoTika companies, as well as some magazine part-work stuff etc. I’ve bbeen watching this project come together both on and off Model Ship World, and the sort of effort that goes into producing a model kit. Vanguard’s new kit comes in a reasonably large box which is adorned with photos of the completed model, and some profile illustration too. Guess what? I got kit #001!! I’ll not claim any preferential treatment though! Lifting the lid and the first layer of bubble-wrap reveals a personalised customer letter and also a MASSIVE A3-size instruction manual which is spiral bound. We’ll look at this again a little later. 
 
Fittings

A neat little labelled box contains all of the fittings for Alert, carefully kept in one place, and very professional-looking too. Cutting the tape tab reveals a series of labelled bags. Everything in this kit is also labelled in the same way and easily cross referenced against both the parts inventory and during construction. It really does appear to have been made as intuitive and easy to follow as humanly possible.

The fittings are generally a mix of either resin or white metal. In the first pack we have the large winch which is cast in resin. This was originally intended to be white metal, but the quality of the parts was poor, so a new part was 3D designed and cast in light grey resin. Only a little clean-up is required to push this into service on Alert. Also in resin is the smaller windlass for the topsail bitts. The anchors are cast in white metal, and these look great. Very little preparation will be needed before they can be used.

More white metal fittings are supplied for the twelve 6-pounder cannon and the twelve half-pounder swivel guns. I would give these a clean-up with a file and some steel wool. Another pouch is supplied for the cannon shot.

One of the next packs contain steel pins for assisting with the first layer of planking. These look very nicely made and are sharp, with nothing malformed. It could be an idea to pilot drill the plank before using these, so as not to split any of the MDF frames or the planks themselves. The next two packs contain deadeyes and deadeye sheaves. The quality of these is very good, and definitely some of the nicest I’ve seen recently.

Three more packets contain two sizes of single block and one size of double block. Again, quality is evident here.

In the last three packets in the fittings box, you’ll find triple blocks, parrel beads and also the mainstay ‘mouse’.

 
Rigging

A zip-lock wallet contains six spools of very high-quality rigging cord in natural and black colours, as well as a sleeve of thicker natural thread which I think is for the anchor cables. This latter is handmade by Syren in the US, so you can be assured of its standards. Also note how each spool is labelled and inventoried so you won’t accidentally use the wrong cord when rigging.


 
Timber strip
Onto the timber strip. This initial release of Alert contains boxwood for the deck planking and pearwood for the hull. This sort of timber isn’t normally found in kits, with the recent exception of Master Korabel’s Avos kit’s XS Edition. It certainly is very welcome to see, and the standard of timber is excellent. I do believe that Chris will be releasing a slightly cheaper version of Alert with Tanganyika instead of pearwood and boxwood. Chris hopes this will retail for around £155 and is actually the same as he used in the prototype model you can see on the box lid and the photos in this review. All timber strip is packed into thick, sealed plastic sleeves, and clearly labelled so you can cross reference with the inventory to make sure you are indeed using the correct wood for the specific task.










Timber standards are high with a nice uniform colour per batch, no coarse grain or split ends and fuzziness. 
 
Sail cloth is supplied too, just in case you do indeed want to display in this manner. The material is provided as sheet, and you will need to use the drawings to draw out the shapes on the cloth and cut/sew. Sails aren’t really for me, but the option is there, should you want to display her in all her sheets to the wind glory!


 
Sheet material

Now we come to the sheet material. There are two thick, clear sleeves containing laser-cut material. This first sleeve holds all of the main constructional elements plus something rather unusual for a kit like this, and that’s a clear acrylic display base! 


The base is a simple but attractive slot-together affair whose parts just need to be gently removed from the sheet. They are also covered in a protective film that makes it look dull in my photo. Rest assured that the material underneath is crystal clear. To assemble this, you could either use an acrylic cement such as Tensol, or an epoxy that will also dry clear. One such product that comes to mind is from HpH Models in the Czech Republic. You can of course use Cyano glue, but make sure it’s the odourless variety so it won’t cloud the clear plastic.






The constructional stuff here comes in two sheets of 3mm MDF and one sheet of 2mm timber, all nice and warp-free. On the MDF, you’ll find the false keel, bulkheads, inner and outer bow patterns, stern planking and securing patterns, and the ship’s stove flue. The timber sheet contains the lower deck pattern (constructional element), and stern frames (middle, inner, outer). Laser-cutting is nice and neat with almost no localised scorching. It wouldn’t really matter either way though as these parts will be either hidden or bevelled. 

Our second sleeve of parts are all laser-cut from timber, with no MDF. Here, we have a combination of 3mm, 1.5mm and 1mm sheet material, containing parts for absolutely everything else timber-related on Alert, from gun carriages, hatch coamings, keep parts, cap rails, transom rails, tiller arm, trestle trees etc. You name it, it’s here. There are a few parts on the 1mm sheet which are hanging by only a few tabs due to the relative fragility of the tabs on a thin sheet, but all parts are perfectly fine. This material isn’t too rigid either, so those parts that need to be curved, such as the transom, will do so without any problem whatsoever. 






 
Photo-etch

The inclusion of photo-etch in models these days is almost de rigueur, and Alert is no exception. Three frets are included in 0.2mm, 0,4mm, and 0.6mm bare brass, and all as good as any such material that I’ve used in any of my magazine and book work over the last 10yrs. As well as the obvious and intricate outer hull scrollwork embellishments, you’ll find metalwork here for the bowsprit and masting, cleats, windlass parts, stanchions, rudder gudgeon and pintle brace, eyebolt rings, deck grating, anchor ring, rigging components, and even a neat nameplate for the clear acrylic stand. All parts should be nice and easy to remove with them being held with thin, narrow tabs. A jeweller’s file will be needed to clean up any nibs remaining from the tabs. 










 
Instruction book

This is epic in size! Printed in colour on thick paper stock in A3 size, the manual us spiral-bound instead of just being stapled. This means it will be easy to turn pages over, and the size is good for the eyes for those of us of whose youth has long since slipped away. The manual is 56 pages and begins with a side and upper elevation drawing of Alert, followed by a history and building tips/suggested tools and materials list. A full inventory is then supplied, along with images of the various sheets and PE frets. As the timber elements aren’t numbered on the sheets, you are advised to number each yourself before removal from the sheet. 


 
 
Construction sequences are given in photographic form with crystal clear English explaining everything along the way. All illustrations are also clearly annotated where required. The photographs are interspersed with more drawings of the vessel in various profiles, clearly showing the task at hand. A good example of how comprehensive the instructions are is the inclusion of a deck plank showing the planking format and the shift between the planks.



 
When it comes to masting, drawings are supplied for this with accompanying dimensions and diameters. As I always find masting the most frustrating task, the drawings are a big help and clearly mark out the plan of attack. Excellent rigging illustrations are also supplied, showing everything clearly, including seizing, ratlines etc. A guide to exactly which rigging block to use is also provided. No guessing like on many of the legacy kits that got so many of us started in this hobby. As also mentioned, sail plans are supplied so you can make and add these from the cloth that’s provided.


 
Conclusion
What a great start to Chris’s new venture, Vanguard Models. He does keep telling me that he’s learnt so much from this that he will change in future releases, but he does sell himself short, dramatically. If you know of Chris’s work from his previous designs with Amati and Caldercraft, then you will know his own personal style comes through in attention to detail and design approach. This is a gorgeous kit that will present many hours of fulfilling bench time. Materials quality is what what we have come to expect from high-end kits. All in all, a fantastic package!

 

 
My sincere thanks to Chris Watton for getting this out so quickly for me to feature as a review here on Model Ship World. To purchase directly, click this link at the top of the article.
 

 
 
 

Hello friends,
thanks a lot for the nice comments and the LIKES.

On my rope walk I made the shrouds as hawser laid rope.


The dimensions for the shrouds I take from Information from the monograph by J. Bourdriot and made a list.


The first shrouds on the main mast are set.
It is important that the distance between the dead eyes is usually 2 x distance dead eyes.

Morning everyone
Small amount of progress. First cannon build. Got a smaller one to do and I can start drilling the round gunnports.

The barrel was already as shown above but I used birchwood brass blacken on the trunnion. Worked really well. Quick and easy to use ( I have no affiliation with the company by the way).
Gun lines up pretty well with the existing gun port. Phew! 😀

Thanks for visiting
 
Nick

The rudder is an awkward little project.  Here are the steps others may find useful.
First the rudder was mounted on a piece of strip to keep it in position,  and the positions of the gudgeons marked on tape.

Once the gudgeons were fitted, the rudder was mounted.

 

Tape was then used as a guide for the straps.
 

While some of this was going on, the side decorations were completed.  It's unfortunate that there is no record of the correct colours, and it is certainly highly unlikely that my colours are remotely accurate. However the bronze at least is closer to the colour of the mythical phoenix than white. Anyway, I thought I would use a little more of the bronze paint to prevent it going to waste.  This photo shows up every little imperfection.  In the flesh, they look quite good.
 

 
 

Hi Mates,
 
Been away from the shipyard for a couple of weeks. Added a few minor bits – but first
 
Dave: thanks very much as an avid follower of your cross-section – very touching - thanks again
 
Federicoaa: I looked briefly at the rigging sheets some time ago, as I am close to adding pinrails and blocks to the deck (no rigging at this point). Yes, you are right some lines do not have locations noted – My solution is in the last photo. This build will not go into any competition haha- so line locations are not SO important. That said somehow someway the Admiral will notice any line/pin errors hahaha
 
Ferit: I think that you posted a question about how hull stairs could be climbed. That has been a question for me as well. Found very little at “Google University” – but there are apparently two methods – one of which I photographed from the 74 Gun ship bible  book 2 (Jean Boudroit)
 
With regard to stair alignments – Chose, the easier of the two solutions. well it is what it is.
 
E.J.  from your log - great idea for side skid contours.
 
Cheers,
 

Yes that is common practice.   You are absolutely correct.   Just to let you know,  we (myself included) have opened up dialogue with many of the Chinese manufacturers.   Rather than just beat the drum and continue to lock horns with these folks, we are reaching out and trying to encourage the development of new and original works.  I would even go as far as to say, that I personally am trying to bridge the gaps between us and work together with some of these guys to encourage new and original designs like this kit.   AND to start fresh with new brands in order to highlight the new original stuff is a great start.  I know some of these designers first hand and I will tell you that they would rather design stuff that is exciting and fresh and "original" .   When I speak with them it is like talking to any kit designer in the west and we have much in common.  
 
I am very excited about this kit in particular and even more so with the other new designs in the pipeline from the handful of designers and brands I am trying to work with.   Please welcome Trident as one of the more ambitious and hopefully gracious MFGs from China who is actually working hard ...but change is hard.....and I am going to encourage them as much as I can to continue along this path.  I will end with one final thought...I abhor the theft of intellectual property and designs and always will.   I will do everything I can to bring that practice to an end.  Encouraging and developing relationships with designers all over the world will be a positive step in that direction.   Promoting these original projects is an important part of that.
 

Hello all,
I just put one of the most difficult, most fidgety things you will ever do with PE.  I had to take a break because I thought I would explode because I have to make another one! The PE is so incredibly fragile that just breathing on it just about bends it! (exaggerating). There is hardly any surface contact at all. Now, back to the next one

All of the gunports and guns are finished. I also added the spears to the transom figures.
 
Next up is to construct and fish the anchors, complete the course rigging lines and touch her up.
 
She will then be completed! Maybe 2 more weeks at most. I will have 5-1/2 years into her. 😁
 
Vince P. 

***Royal Caroline 1749 - Panart / Mantua Models***
 
Hello my friends!!

It has been a while, a few months actually after completing my Santa Maria project. It was a joy to build and a honour to receive all those warm responses! I hope not to let you guys / galls down with this new project! 
During my absense I moved to a new house and I have been busy to make it a home. My last house was a temp. rental and the place had limited space. Due to the limited space I had to build my SM in the kitchen at the kitchentable. 
Our new house has enough space to have my own buildingplace, but I desided not to move to a seperate room. I liked working in the kitchen which is close to my family members in the house and so I'm not so isolated. Having small kids, this suits my family best.
I do not use powertools, so I can easily clean up my workplace after working on the ship. 

What to choose...
So, I had some difficulties to make a choice of a model for my next project. I narrowed my search to go for an Italian manufacturer like Amati, Corel or Mantua / Sergal / Panart, Euromodel. I had a specific budget for my next model as well, so that narrowed my search again. At last I desided to go for a English, Dutch or French 17th or 18th century. By this a few model ships were left on the list and I choose Royal Caroline of Panart, which is part of Mantua Models.
 

 


The history of HMY Royal Caroline 1750
HMY Royal Caroline was a ship-rigged royal yacht. She was ordered in 1749 to replace HMY Carolina as Britain's principal royal yacht. She was built at Deptford Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright John Hollond to a design by Surveyor of the Navy Joseph Allin. She was launched on 29 January 1750 and was broken up 70 years later, in 1820.
 
Service
Royal Caroline was first commissioned under Captain Sir Charles Molloy, who commanded her until 1753. Captain Sir Piercy Brett took over in 1754, and in August 1761 she became the flagship of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Anson, with Captain Peter Denis as his flag-captain. Anson had orders to convey Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from Cuxhaven, Kiel to marry George III. Accompanying the yacht, renamed HMY Royal Charlotte in honour of the occasion, was a squadron of warships and four other royal yachts, HMY Mary, Katherine, Augusta and Fubbs. During the return voyage the squadron was three times blown over to the Norwegian coast by westerly gales and took ten days to reach Harwich, which it did on 6 September 1761.
Royal Charlotte was commissioned under Peter Denis in December 1763, and remained under his command until 1770. Denis was succeeded by Captain John Campbell that year, and Campbell remained in command until his promotion to rear-admiral in 1777.[1] Royal Charlotte was recommissioned under Captain William Cornwallis in March 1783, and he was succeeded in turn by Captain Sir Hyde Parker in 1788. The yacht was briefly recommissioned in December 1792, but was paid off the following year.
 
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
She continued to be used for official occasions during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with King George III making frequent trips in his yachts to welcome returning fleets and to conduct fleet reviews. The King embarked on Royal Charlotte in 1797 to visit the fleet at the Nore after the Battle of Camperdown, in order to honour Admiral Adam Duncan. Contrary winds however prevented the ship from reaching the mouth of the Thames, and instead the King was blown back up river to Greenwich. Royal Charlotte recommissioned again in May 1801 under Captain Sir Harry Neale, though by February 1804 Captain George Grey was in command. Grey was succeeded later in 1804 by Captain George Henry Towry, and he in turn in 1805 by Captain Edward Foote. By this time Royal Charlotte had been succeeded as the principal royal yacht by the introduction of the slightly larger HMY Royal Sovereign in 1804. Captain Foote commanded the yacht until 1812, when Captain Thomas Eyles took over command, and in June 1814 Captain George Scott became her commander. Royal Charlotte continued in service until July 1820, when she was finally broken up.
 
source: Wikipedia

The ins and outs of the box
The box itself is made of cardboard. The typical standard in boxland. Shape of the box is long and narrow to hold wooden and metal parts. The boxart and artistic layout of colorfull images on the box scream "buy me and build me" Also a common standard in boxland!
 

 

 


Everthing is neatly organized and sealed. The small ornaments and metal parts does look very good.
 

 

 

 
After a look at the drawings however I recognize the Italian "style" of organized "chaos"....
 

 

 
I will have a handfull on the poor drawings and poor instructions....
 

 
So, the wood looks nice doh...
 

 
The pre-cut laser parts look good as well....just make sure I'll sand off the burn of the laser for a good fix between the wooden parts....
 

 

 

 
In a nutshell does the kit look very promising and a joy to build for sure. I'm not sure about some details, alternations and colorscheme yet, but this will become clear during my log of this build.

Technical specifications and size
Lengte: 830 mm
Hoogte: 600 mm
Schaal: 1:47
Part no: MM750
 
 
The build begins!
Sheet 1 figure 1: it begins, bulkheads and "false" keel
To start the build, first I have to number all the bulkhead parts and also the false keel. Preperation is everything they say...
 

 
After numbering the parts, It's time to release them from their imprisonment!
 

 
To clean up the parts, I use a 80grid sandpaper to sand off the burn of the laser.
 

 
It's time to try a dry-fit of the parts. And I was very impressed with the overall fit of the parts. It didn't need to much adjustment at all and all fitted nicely.
 

 


After this I will glue the parts into place, but that will be for the next update. The log and build has started and I hope you guys will follow me allong the way.

See yah!
Peter

Hi folks
 
Well, as Genesis is nearing completion...Guess what?  It’s time for Genesis to meet the other ships in the fleet, (well, not the full fleet, but some of them, anyway).
 
Enjoy!
 
Have a great week, folks!
 
Cheers. 
 
Patrick

Hi folks
 
Thanks for all the Likes and comments!
 
Well, as the journey is coming to an end soon, with a little bit of imagination, I can close my eyes and picture Genesis’ proud owner standing at the dock, admiring his magnificent boat.  Ahhh, the power of imagination, I guess.
 
Anyhow, I digress.  I’ve added the propellers and rudders to the hull.  I’ve also been playing around with a few ideas of how to display Genesis.  I’ve decided to go for a minimalist approach, using three brass rods to rest her on.  I’ll sand and stain the baseboard later.  
 
The other good thing about seeing Genesis on the display stand (as opposed to the building board), is that for the first time, I’ve been able to really reflect upon just how unusual a hull Genesis has.  She really challenges the norms, I guess.  
 
Now, just a few touch ups on the paint, here and there...
 
Have a great week, folks.
 
Cheers. 
 
Patrick
 
 

Well. it would be an understatement to say I am overwhelmed by all these most generous comments.  It is also nice to hear from those who have been regular but silent followers.  I wish I could individually  thank everyone for the more than 35 comments and 50+ likes after the last post.  Every one of them is well appreciated.  Perhaps one more photo would not be amiss.
 

Thanks again, everyone, for all your support throughout the project.
 
Ed
 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 323 – Wrapping Up
 
Finally, 99.999% means complete.  Since the last post it has been a lot of little chores: snipping rope ends, the last few rope coils, touching up with paint, waxing standing rigging lines, clean up, etc.  Some of the "major" chores are described below.
 
The first picture shows the final disposition of the crojack sheets and tacks.  These were simply allowed to hang free from the clue garnet blocks with their full lengths coiled on deck.  They were tied down to one of the beams under the pile of rope coils to keep them vertical and straight..
 

 
The main braces could finally be run, since access was no longer needed to the deck area between the main and mizzen masts.  The next picture shows the starboard brace pendant shackled to the outer boomkin eye.
 

 
The fall of the brace runs from the yard pendant through the lead block on the rail in the center of the picture, then to a deck cleat.  The other blocks on the boomkin are the upper and lower main topsail braces.  Two missing eyebolts still need to be fitted on the rail. The picture also shows the completion of another chore left over from the volume II work, fitting chains to support the boomkins.  The next picture shows both of these.
 

 
The next picture shows the starboard swinging boom, the lower studding sail boom,  being lashed to the fore channel brackets. 
 
 
The alternative would be to store these on the skid beams over the cabin, but this seemed more appropriate, since in port these were often used to moor ships' boats.
 
The next picture shows the model with the dust case removed in the relatively cleaned-up workshop.
 

 
Finally, launch.
 

Please excuse the amateur artwork.  Couldn't resist.
 
Ed

Good morning.

Cleaned up and dyed the oarlocks and then installed them.  Also made the cannon (let's call them "popguns" ) mounts and installed them.  The only thing left is the sheave and supports on the stern.  The catch is I'm tad undecided as there's three distinct types... there's a sheave on top of the stern, or a sheave hanging off the stern to the rear (not onto) or there's no sheave.   I'll ponder this a bit longer while I work on the chocks for putting this boat into the hull.   I'm also working and tweaking the plans for the barge which is smaller, unarmed (no cannon mounts) and looks essentially like the barge.  I put a dime and Pierre into the second picture to give a sense of scale.
 
Here's the pictures.  Not perfect but I'm pretty happy with it.  So unless I get a sudden "ah-hah.. I can do this better" moment, on the next barge.
 

 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 322 – Running Rigging Home Stretch
 
After almost 6 years living and breathing Young America, I can finally see the end in sight.  Another day or two should see the last lines run and, thankfully, the last rope coils hung.  From there it is just a matter of tidying up. 
 
Rigging the yard braces has been interesting and enjoyable work.  The first picture shows the bracing of the lower three yards on the foremast completed.
 

 Braces for the double topsail sails and the fore course were added once there was no further need to get my hands in the space over the cabin – at least that is what I thought.  Braces were installed working from top to bottom to keep the lower deck area open – the opposite sequence to all other yard rigging.  The falls for these braces run through lead blocks on the main rail amidships as shown in the next picture. 
 
 
The lines are then belayed on the main rail.  This opening in the main rail, that replaced the original small entryway, was probably added a year or so after launch when the double topsails were adopted.  The entryway was moved aft.
 
Aft of the mainmast things begin to get more interesting.  The next picture may be a clue.
 
 
Upper main braces run aft to lead blocks on the mizzen, while all the mizzen braces run forward to the mainmast before descending to the deck.  This is a bit of an access nightmare.  The next picture shows the area behind the main masthead where the mizzen topsail braces converge, the uppers to pendants shackled to eyebolts in the cap, the lowers to eyebolts and blocks under the top.
 
 
Unfortunately I had neglected to install the shackled eyebolts in the cap, so the cap and band had to be drilled and the shackled eyebolts inserted between all this rigging.  I hate to admit this.
 
The main upper and lower topsail braces presented an interesting problem that took me about a week to resolve.  These and the main braces run aft to blocks on the boomkin and thence to the poop deck.  This is pretty much standard clipper practice, and quite evident in the two YA photos.  These lines each consist of a yard pendant, a running part that runs from the throat of the mizzen topmast stay through the pendant block, the running end of this is seized to a single block.  The falls run through this block to lead blocks on the boomkin.  This arrangement is fairly straightforward, except that there is major interference between these lines and the lower mizzen braces that run forward from their yardarms to the main mast.  These would also interfere with the mizzen lower sail when set – a lesser problem.  Various arrangements were tested.  I finally settled on the solution Underhill describes in his book, which involves moving the mizzen lower braces inboard on the yard,  allowing the main topsail braces to run clear outboard of these. The relocated crojack braces may be seen in the next photo.
 
 
The main topsail yards are in the upper right corner but the lines are hard to follow in this picture.  The next picture may help.
 
 
The arrows U and L point to the blocks at the end of the brace running parts for the upper and lower yards respectively.  The arrow at the yard points to the relocated crojack brace block.  The eye for this has to be on top of the yard so the block will be over the jackstay where it will not interfere with the sail.  The arrow at the lower left points to the standing end of the lower brace fall where it is seized to #4 chainplate.  The upper fall is seized to chainplate #1 to the right.  The next picture shows the lead blocks for the two braces at the boomkin and their belaying cleats on deck.  The fall of the main brace will run through a third block at the outer end of the boomkin.
 
 
The next picture shows the falls running to the boomkin blocks on the port side. 
 
 
This solution is consistent with the photos of the ship and has some documentary support, so I am quite comfortable with it.  It leaves the issue of interference with a lower mizzen sail, but I suspect that could be tolerated or circumvented when that sail was used.
 
The last picture shows the cutter slung inboard on the davits, finally, after 3 years in a box. 
 
 
The picture shows the next, and perhaps the last remaining rigging riddle: what to do with the crojack, sheets, tacks and lazy tacks.  In the picture the latter two are belayed under the boat, awaiting a more acceptable solution for these idled lines.  Next time for that – and for the main yard braces that are still left off for access.  Then tidying up.
 
 
Ed