Yambo

Thank you all for your considered comments regarding the colour and for all the likes.
 
Preparations are underway for the final painting, I purchased some masking tape for delicate and fresh paint surfaces. I set the roll up on the lathe and created a 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch division in order to deal with the soft curve.
 
The water line was set with the laser light beam then cross checked with a pencil attached to a scribing block.
 

 

 
The tape went on well and tomorrow I will finish the light sanding and if there is no wind I will start the painting.
 
Michael

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 73 – Lower Deck continued
 
Work continues on the lower deck.  In the first picture a forward section of binding strake is being glued in place held by pins. 
 

 
These structural strakes were often let down on the beam by an inch or so, but because this depth is so small at this scale I did not score the beams and merely reduced the depth of the strake by an inch.  As with many details, Young America’s exact configuration is unknown.  The binding strakes are bolted into each beam and horizontally into the waterways. Inside these strakes were margin planking – wider planks that allow the ends of forward planking to be cut into them.  I will not be installing these on the deck – to leave the ends of the lodging knees visible from above.
 
In the next picture the next section of binfding strake is being installed.  Planking on the centerline is in progress.
 
 

 
This planking is 3 ½” thick.  I made these 7” wide.  These are required as bases for the middle deck pillars.  I have not yet decided if any planking beyond the two central strakes will be installed on this deck.  The next picture shows further work near the bow.
 

 
The fore hatchway is complete including its bolts.  Although not very visible due to sanding dust, the treenails and bolts for all this work have been installed.  Next is a picture of the port side forward.  There will be no ladder ways into the hold.  These would probably have been movable and taken up after the cargo was loaded – and before the hatches were sealed for the voyage.
 

 
This gives a pretty good idea of the forward view port.  The unplanked frames will be removed below the middle deck clamp down to the lower futtock heads – when I summon the courage to cut them out.
 
The next picture shows the port side aft.
 

 
The aft view port will only extend from the top of the lower deck clamp to the underside of the middle deck clamp.  Next are two pictures showing most of the hull at its current state – i.e. today.
 

 
 
 
Once the remaining bolts and treenails and the few remaining bits of binding strake and central planking are installed, I can move on the middle deck.
 
 
 Ed

Thank you Greg, Jay, Mark, Bedford, Nils, Grant, John E, Bob, Druxey, Remco, and Mark Taylor for all your positive remarks.
 
"Two things I take from that are that you have a MUCH easier rig to unship than I do"
 
Bedford 5 minutes to de-rig, and 20 to re-rig I found out today at the pavillion.
 
"I asume rigged mast and topsail shall nearly be scratching the room cealing."
 
Nils the ceiling in the living room is 10 foot 3 inches so it will be about 3 feet shy
 
All in all the event was very successful, I had a table set up for children to make paper dorys, most of the visitors were young girls and they built 13 dorys during the afternoon, at the end of the day there was a young boy who came, The photographer came around late in the day, so missed the girls in action building their boats.
 

 
There was a lot of positive feedback regarding the pilot cutter.
 
After the event I went outside because there was a bit of commotion on the beach, seems that a boat had been stranded.
 

 
 
 
 
Close but still dry.
 
 
Now to remove the deck hardware and rigging completely so that I can finish painting the hull. and the rest of the seizings and other rigging details.
 
 
 
 
Michael

Today , While paint was drying on the 12 1/2, I decided to do some tank testing . I used small fishing weights ( the round ones ) filled the bilge where the lead for the Keel is . Then I put her in the water tank ( kitchen sink )  The water line is right on the money, This boat has been a pleasure to build . Here are the results

Please don't apologize, Alan there is a lot of stuff to look at on this site.  I am happy to get the question, especially on this - one of my pet subjects.
 
Ed

Looks very much like the Midwest Sakonnet daysailer, Pete. 
 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 67 – Lower deck framing continued
 
I had my small camera in the shop so I took this first picture with it.  It shows one of my more important tools.  No one would design this contraption this way from scratch.  It was first just a simple fixture to allow me to take overhead sequential shots during Naiad’s magazine construction.  It has since evolved into the adjustable mount shown below.  You can get seasick looking at some of the pictures taken with this but they can easily be rotated in post processing.  I take very many pictures including lots of in-hull close-ups and could not do without this thing. 
 

 
I take all the photos in available light using aperture priority so the camera is stopped down to increase depth of field.  Thus, the shutter speeds are quite slow requiring a mount.  Most of the pictures are still taken using an almost-normal tripod.
 
Pardon the digression, but I thought it might be of interest, since we cannot build ships any more without photography.
 
Back to the work.  In the next picture the beams are progressing forward.
 

 
The large opening is for the larger of the two rectangular, vertical fresh water tanks.  The half-beams and headers are pinned in place at this point.  The next picture shows a hanging knee glued to one of the half-beams. 
 

 
This knee was fit before the knee on the beam forward was in the way, but it will be glued in after that beam is installed.  The difficulty in holding these knees under the beams for fitting dictates some preplanning.
 
In the next picture all is installed on the starboard side and a pillar assembly is being marked for sizing under the beam.
 

 
In the next picture both pillars with their knees have been installed on the starboard side.
 

 
Next is a picture of the same area from further back.
 

 
In the next picture the beam forward of the smaller water tank has been glued in and the headers on either side are being installed with the help of a clamp.. 
 

 
The pillars on the port side have also been installed in this picture.  These last three beams all require lodging knees and ledges.  The last picture shows the current status of the framing.
 

 
Two full beams and two pair of half-beams remain to be installed to fill the void.
 
 
 Ed

Thank you Rick , Here is what she looks like after the Final coat, for a total of 4 coats of Epiphanes Varnish
 
Best Regards,
Pete

Since that last view was popular, I will have to take some more. Without the use of mirrors or other micro devices this has to be done while the camera will still fit down in he hull. The picture was taken with a 2 1/2" x 4" Canon Powershot set down onthe keelson. The photo was then cropped. The Powershot is not the smallest of cameras, but it is a lot smaller than the slr I use for most of the pictures. The light from above plays tricks with the colors. I could have done a better job with the post-processing. The picture is a bit light. Here is a better version.
 

 
Ed

Looks very much like the Midwest Sakonnet daysailer, Pete. 
 
 

Update. Finished the deck... For now at least.

Real bolt ropes are sewn on in a particular way to get the most strength via surface contact.  They aren't hanging on the edge of the cloth, but are laid on the cloth on one side of the sail and stitched between two strands of the rope and through a third strand.
 

 
On my sails, I cheat a little.  I use a bead of fabric glue to reenforce the attachment of the bolt rope to the sail and though it's stitched in the same manner, I skip 2 or 3 strands each stitch.  The fabric glue lets you get away with this, and the stiches almost disappear into the bolt rope's strands.
 
   
 
The sail itself is anchored at one end with a weighted line off the other end.  This keeps the edge taught without stretching the sail and allows you to work without it flopping all around uncontrollably.  I put about a 2 inch bead of glue down and stitch that much.  Nice thing is you can leave this, take a break, and come back to it later.  Yes, it is tedious, and I am not known for my patience.  Being able to walk away now and then got me through 7 sails so far on Constellation (10 more to go) and 8 sails on Pride without getting myself on the evening news.
 
 
 
I use DuPont Supplex cloth for sails.  It's made for outdoor wear and is water and UV resistant.  It's very light and forms nicely on the model.  It doesn't shrink or stretch excessively and is stain resistant.  A very nice thing about using a synthetic fabric is it melts.  I used a pointed soldering iron tip to make grommets for reef points, lacing holes, and any other holes needed in the sail.  This makes nice sealed edge holes that won't open up or cause a run in the sail.
 
   
 
I made cringles and eyes in the bolt rope by taking a turn around a round wooden toothpick to hold the eye open as I stitch past it.  Every eye is tightly lashed in it's opening and on either side as the bolt rope is stitched on.
 

 
I opted to draw on the sail cloth panel seams on my sails with a .003 permanent ink pen, so I'm not beyond cutting corners myself 

Victor Yancovitch also used Supplex for his sails on Royal William and sewed the panel seams.  It took a lot of trial and error over a couple of weeks, with a lot of wasted cloth before he and his wife finally got it sorted out.  He also machine stitched on his bolt ropes, and after the model was sailed he found several places where the bolt-rope had slipped through the stitching and had to be hand seized in various placed to prevent that happening again.
 

 
Again, I only offer you a view of the road some have been down already - the route you take is up to you.

To maintain historical accuracy you should contract the work out Ed!  
 
I'm following this all very closely by the way. I learn something from every post it seems. Thank you.

To maintain historical accuracy you should contract the work out Ed!  
 
I'm following this all very closely by the way. I learn something from every post it seems. Thank you.

To maintain historical accuracy you should contract the work out Ed!  
 
I'm following this all very closely by the way. I learn something from every post it seems. Thank you.

Have a look, bound to be something suitable!
 
http://www.shop4glue.com/applicators-nozzles-bottles-sprays-and-caps-38-c.asp

Thank you everyone for the very kind remarks. and thank you to all of you who added the likes.
 
Owen Welcome and I look forward to some pictures of your build, Do you have any pictures of your grandfathers boat?
 
This evening I started to frame up the companionway and decided to add doors instead of hatch boards.
 
The stops have been glued inplace, tomorrow i will notch out for the hinges and make them as well.
 
also while looking at the compass I wondered about the location and then it came to me in a flash.... a little bit of cutting both wood and metal and this is the configuration, I am much happier with the location, it just did not look right sitting on the deck.
 

 

 

 

 
The block of mahogany is just sitting there at the moment, I am thinking that a couple of curved doors so that there is some access under the binnacle it seems logical, I will think on it while I make the companionway doors.
 
Michael

Today I finished off the cap rail and gave it a coat of Tung oil
 
the first picture shows the continuation of the joints at the corners.
 

 
I used the old pencil lines trick to line things up
 

 
All the pieces glued and doweled.
 

 
Placed back on the boat
 

 

 

 
tomorrow I will get back to the cabin hatch boards.
 
Michael

Companion Top
 
The aft Companion has a clerestory-style top fitted to it. Cutting the 2mm x 3mm holes for the Lights was a challenge . I cut them with a #11 Xacto and a tiny chisel, and bevelled their outer edges :
 

 
I "glazed" the lights with strips of very thin acrylic sheet, glued in with PVA. The corners of the four sections have been bevelled for a knife-edge fit :
 

 

 
A roof was cut from a piece of 0.6mm thick Castello and glued to the sides :
 

 
The assembly fitted to the deck :
 

 

 
  Danny

I received shipment of the Le Renommee kit directly from the Italian  manufacturer EuroModel in quick fashion......actually took only a couple days to reach my hometown. A glitch with the local couriers delayed things a few more days (partly because of a weekend) but I can now present the contents to anyone interested. I hope to start construction and a log as soon as my WVH (by Corel) is done....(I've made solemn vows with her).
   While costly, the EuroModel kit is superb with respect to the quality of components and the plans are detailed and comprehensive. A major effort is underway by the manufacturer  to lessen the burden with the language barrier and provide direct  translations of ship related terminology. Also, "interpretive files" and references for the various ships available thru Euromodel are available at the website. I hope to mimic the achievements of one particular build represented in the customer galleries, also found at the website...just like any kit or scratchbuild, the effort and time invested is generally revealed later when viewed by those who express some interest.th
   Images with comments to follow.....
 
 
A safe and secure package
No lack of plans here!
 

I had posted this last night but....
 
Again thanks for all the positive comments and for the likes.
 
Yesterday I finished up the deck part of the main sheet tackle. first I used some rubber like insulation from some heavy wire.
 

 
I slipped about 3/4 of an inch onto some 1/8th inch diameter brass rod and parted it off into some 1/4 inch long sections.
 

 
then made the small sliding part after grinding up a form milling cutter. after fitting it up I spent the rest of the day making the two single blocks and fitting them to the deck.
 

 
I swung out the boom to finish threading the rope plus I wanted to see how much rope I would need it turned out to be almost 18 feet, with about 1 foot laying on each side of the cockpit as part of that distance.
 

 

 
All I need to do to finish the main sheet control now is to add either a couple of cleats to the deck or to set in some bits and also to fit a proper bit of hardware to the boom.
 

 
I have also been looking at the whole way the rudder assembly is fitted and the way it penetrates the deck. The tiller attachment area is a bit small and I don't like the fact that it is fixed.
 
Michael

Thanks Bob.
 
I finished up the triple block today.
The first picture shows the beginning of the second set of strapping for the outside of the three sheaves the inside one is already installed, these were bent up using some drill bits clamped in the vice to get the correct curves.
 

 
the next one shows the way I formed the second bend by reversing the direction this allowed me to bend the strip until the outside leg was parallel to the side of the block. a little tweaking was needed to get the exact width for it to slide easily into the slots.
 

 
The next one shows the set up for drilling through the rest of the wood and the brass bars after clamping the block to the wood table snug packing pieces of soft spruce were wedged into the sheave slots to prevent the drill from buckling the brass bars.
 

 
The next shows the code numbering on the spacers so that I could get them sanded and returned to the same locations within the stack.
 

 
Next the spacers were sanded to a consistent dimension using a simple jig, one for the top spacers and at the opposite end for the bottom spacers.
 

 
I checked that there was enough room for the 7/8ths rope.
 

 
The assembly was then glued together and given some final sanding and shaping.
The next picture shows how I made the cover plate for the shaft for the sheaves.
 

 
The brass shim-stock is .0015" the pencil is a 9H I drew the image in Corel draw full size at 1/4 inch diameter then mirror imaged it so that I could follow the lettering on the brass. the 9H is hard enough and because it is graphite there is a built in lubricant. it took a few tries scribbling the letters in reverse to get an acceptable rendition, (where's Leonardo when you need him?).
 

 

 
Now to make the bottom block which is a double, and then two singles to complete the main sheet primary tackle.
 
Michael
 
 

found a chunk of cherry that looked promising.
 

 

 
After slabbing it up, and tracing out the top curves
 

 
This took a while but I am happy with the way the joint looks
 

 

 
I like the proportions better and think this will work out.
 

 
I did do another test though using Ed's suggestion of adding the glue during the initial forming.
 

 
I think though for this cockpit I will be using the curved grain pieces that came from around the knot in the wood.
 
 
Michael

The deed is done.
 

 
The square cherry for the straight sections. The colour is closer to the mahogany but will still provide some contrast.
 

 
A series of short pieces soaked for a short time and wrapped around the form.
 

 
The rest of the cherry will soak overnight.
 
Michael
 
 

Thank you all for the really positive comments it really means  great deal. and for all the likes.
 
The things that we are pleased with seem to be countered sometimes by those that we are not.
 
The fittings for the ropes through the bulwarks will be fine using copper.
 

 
The cap rail of the cockpit however is a different story, I am not happy with the way this has turned out. after sanding it to profile it was treated with Tung oil. the joints are way too obvious and the contrast is much greater than I anticipated. I will see what it looks like when the oil has dried but my guess is that I will still be disappointed. In that event I will sand it off and do it over using some slightly different steps.
 

 

 
The first thing will be to use solid material for the straight parts and re laminate some new corners. I think I will use either Maple Birch or Cherry, I will look at how each laminate up on the tight radius first.
 
Michael