keelhauled

Hi JP,

Thanks for the comments.  the wheel did come with the kit.  Not too happy with it.  Not sure what I'll end up doing with replacing it.  I'm open to suggestions.  If anyone has tutorials on building a wheel let me know.  I couldn't find one on the site.  I'm sure it is here in a build somewhere.

Thanks

Marc

Hi Nenad,

Concerning the mystery fitting on the stern.

To me it does look like a fitting for a flag, however, I couldn't find any photos old or new with a flag in that position.

I have a book that has a photo of the cutty in dry dock in 1872 with her jury-rigged rudder.  It doens't look like she has that fitting.  However, it wasn't the greatest photo.  Maybe someone else has a better version it is: Greenwich Maritime Museum Negative 7795.

I did find it being in place before the restoration.  The full photo shows that ship below the waterline with the old dry dock.

You do have an eye for detail!  I never noticed it before, it wasn't on the photos that I took when I was there in 1990 and 2003.

I'll keep looking

Marc

Thanks Luca!

I'm planning on setting about half of her sails and no stunsuls.  I previously rigged my Constitution with all of the sails set (including stunsuls) and it ended up being too many lines and sails covered up most of the yard and mast work.  I think that having her only set with the lower top sails, fore course, lower stay sails, and most of the rest furled will give her a nice shape while not hiding all of the beauty of the rigging and masts.

Thanks

Marc

Very nice work, indeed!  I also don't think that I will ever glue thousands of tiles onto a hull again after seeing your work with the tape!

Thanks!!

An unbelievable build!

The photos outside are stunning. I wish that I could build so well.

Marc

As promised photos of the foot ropes and stirrups.

Here are photos of the main course and lower top sail yards

Main course

main lower top yard

I glued the stirrups with Elmer's white glue and attached weights to the stirrup loops so that they hung correctly.

I waxed and glued the foot ropes.  The wax did a good job helping the ropes to hang correctly. I then applied Elmer's white glue to where the ropes met the stirrups to lock the ropes into place with the stirrups.  I used Elmer's white glue on all of my blocks as well.  It holds them all well while allowing the lines to be still soft and pliable, unlike the CA / superglue that makes the lines stiff and changes the color.

Thanks Popeye and Bob!

I've been working on the main fife rails.  I turned the legs, carved the tops, and drilled and carved the seave pullies.  I need to finish staining the lower part of the curved legs

I also worked on the mizzen fife rails.  These just had to be turned.  I'm doing all of the shapes by hand and eye.  I need to learn how to make a form to ensure that they are all exactly alike.

This was the hobby lathe attachment for a micro mark rotary tool.  It's not too bad.  I had to make a longer bed for it to do the masts.

Bob and Nenad,

I'm sorry that I missed your rudder builds.  So I felt that I needed to include photos of mine.  Nenad, I feel embarrassed that i forgot the gasket.  The sea is going to poor into my stern 

One more photo..

I decided to add the removable bulwark on each side for the ladder access.  Pulled out the very fine saw and went to work on the bulwark and then reinstalled.

You can also see where I had to plug the rail from incorrectly locating the davit.  I'll have to re-drill the holes.  Such is life.  One step forward.. two back

Nenad,

Here are some photos .

I mounted the pump onto the WC

 I also tried creating a crew member.  He didn't come out as nice as I would hope, but it's a start.

Before I started traveling I was working on getting the blocks onto the masts.

What a pain!  The tiny mizzen blocks at  1mm tried my patience. 

I'll get the camera out and shoot the foot ropes on the yards.

Also  before all the traveling I made casks before putting my hobby lathe away to make more room to work

Thanks

Marc

Bob,

hope you feel better!!

Marc

Nenad,

I found the whole anchoring process fascinating and spent a lot of time researching and speaking to people about it.  Especially how the anchor is let out  or dropped while the chain is wrapped around the windlass. After discussions with a captain that used a similar windlass on his boat, I went home and made a mock up to prove the operation to my self.  It worked exactly as he explained.

I try to spend time on a sailing tall ship every vacation I can, even if it's just for a short cruise.  I always learn so much watching sailors actually working a tall ship.  I used to have questions about the Cutty and her anchor stowed inboard.  For example in old  photos of the Cutty with the anchor stowed inboard, I always wondered how the anchor stock ended up under the deck rail with the chain still attached.  I was on a tall-ship cruise and was telling a sailor about the question.  He took me forward and showed me that the rail on his tall ship is removable.  They lift the rail out of the sockets to bring the anchor in-board and then put the rail back after the anchor is secured.  Simple solution.  I then found a photo of the Cutty being towed and the rail had been removed just as the sailor had explained. 

At sea, the anchors would be stowed inboard and the chains unshackled and stored in the chain locker.  I'm not doing this because I think it would look unfinished.  So I think that I'm going to have one anchor catted with the fluke secured and the other anchor in the process of being taken inboard with the fish tackle and anchor davit raising the anchor onto focsle.

Happy to pass on any of the knowledge I have in this area. 

Marc

Finally back in the shop tonight!!

Working on making stirrups and foot ropes for the yards.  Two yards done.  I'll post them this weekend.

Marc

Hi

The ports are called clearing ports.  they allow the water to flow out when the ship is in heavy weather and the water is crashing over the bulwarks onto the deck.

Nice build

Marc

Keith,

your making the rest of us look bad with the speed that your are building.  Of course I'm building so slow that I'm almost going backwards... stupid job and travel for work.

Build is looking good!

Marc 

Welcome aboard!

I'm looking forward to your build!

Marc

Grant,

Congratulations on a beautiful ship!!!  Truly inspiring!  I remember when you decided to completely redo the stern.  I was captivated at your determination for detail. Thanks for allowing us to share the journey and thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Take care,

Marc

Hi Bob,

Don't know if your hinges are already glued, but you might want to bend them back the other way toward the rudder and then intall.  I see that they are bowed out away from the rudder.  I don't know how thick your hinges are, but I had trouble with mine (which were also curved out) wanting to pull away and had gaps between the hinge and the rudder even when nailed.  I ended up removing them and bending them so that they bent toward the rudder and had to be wedged on.  They ended up staying in place with no issues. I added epoxy as I slid them into place.  I then nailed into place.

by the way spent the evening catching up on Nenad's and your builds.  Nice work!

Take care,

marc

Hi Nenad,

Spent quite a bit of my Friday night catching up on your build.  Thanks for sharing!!!  So many impressive accomplishments. 

By the way, Your billboard looks good.  You might be right about the thickness, but I wouldn't take too much off. The ones that I've seen on actual ships are typically a sheet of steel over wood.  I was just on a tall ship this week for a 3 hour visit.  They were replacing the wood cap above the billboard because the anchor had chewed up the cap from being stowed at sea.  The billboard was dented up pretty good.  typically the flukes come in contact with  the billboards.  I got to talk with a crewman about catting and stowing the anchor.  I've been thinking of showing the Cutty as she is pulling the anchor inboard.

Take care

Marc

Very nice portholes!  Very  creative solution to the problem.

I wouldn't worry too much about the color.  The first time I visited the Cutty they were painted black.

I can't tell from the old photos if they were polished brass back during her wool years.  I guess that they are back to polishing the brass from your photos.

awesome work!!

101 pages of posts!!  My I have been away a long time.  But you also build like a madman.   I'm glad to see that you placed the ring around the top of the rudder.  I was worried about the sea water getting in to hull when the ship gets pooped at sea!   Nice detail!

Look forward to checking out your progress over the past 6 months when I get home from my continued travels next week.

Hi Nenad!!!

I feel off the face of the earth, or so it seems to everyone that I know.

Back in March I changed jobs.  The new job has involved a great deal of travel.  Since May I've been on traveling almost continuously (all over the US and overseas) with only being home one day a weekend (if I'm home during the weekend).  Since I'm out of the office so much I've been working late the one week a month that I'm home. So all my Saturdays have been doing all of the work around the house that should have been done during the week and packing for the next trip.  I also seem to be too tired to build if I do find a moment.  I think that my body is trying to stabilize from the different in time zones.

However, great news is that my travel should decrease after next week.  The job was supposed to have some travel, but not like it has been.  So, I'm hoping to get into the shop next weekend for the first time since May or June!!

I can't wait to read through your posts since last May!  You're probably done at the rate you build!

Look forward to getting to see your build on a regular basis.

Take care,

Marc

The Ship is looking great!  Your attention to detail is awesome.  I also liked the pig for the pen!

One day (soon) I hope to get back to my build. 

Take care

Marc

Johnroy,

The easiest way to plank the deck is to run the planking continuously under the deck houses.  I didn't do this because I wanted the 45 degree miters that were on the deck around the deck houses when I photographed the Cutty back in 1991.  You can buy extra planking from various suppliers including Model Expo.  There are several good suppliers listed on this site under that section.

Good luck!

Marc

She's looking good!  I could see myself walking that deck, soaking up the sunshine and breathing in the salt air!

The color looks great.  I also like that it's not all uniform.  I went for the same look.  I think it looks more natural. Looks like Cutty teak to me!

Hi John. 

My plans only have English (along with French, Portuguese, German, Italian, etc). in the legends.  Everything else is just numbers.  I do have instructions (2-3 pages) that are in English.  They are about useless, but if you'd like to have them I'm happy to scan and send them to you.

What I would suggest is looking at the info on this sight.  There are great tutorials on here.  Chuck has amazing pointers.  Also Hubert Sicard is a great teacher and has a great sight at  www.shipmodeling.ca.  We'll worth the membership. 

I'll help you any way that I can.  Have patience with me.  I'm only able to check the site once a week, typically. 

Just  one word of caution.  Take your time with aligning the bulwarks and the keel.  If it isn't right, you can't go back and fix it later.  Everything else you can rip back off and do it again until it's correct. You can even correct the edge of a bulkhead, but not it's alignment.   Laying the bulwarks and keel is one shot.  Check it over and over again,  Then go away and come back check it again and then glue.  Don't rush the 1st step.  I only glued one bulkhead a day.  Made sure that it was dead on. Might be overboard, probably is.  But since you'll spend years building this, a few weeks isn't so long to the backbone straight.

Marc