catopower

Hello Wefalck,
 
Yes, damage to models is a great deterrent to club meetings. Much safer to blog about them. But, I'm trying to help keep the local clubs going, so I try to take things if I can. Still, I do have models that I simply won't bring to certain meetings due to their locations, distance from parking spot, complexity of model, etc.
 
Thanks for the link. I'm actually in regular contact with two members of The Rope Tokyo that went to Rochefort. One of them has been helping me obtain information from Japan and to make contacts. I did some online research once and found an obscure Excel spreadsheet, in Japanese. I recognized some of the information on it and translated enough of it to discover that it was an old list of museum model dispositions.
 
I found several models listed in a regional city museum and asked my Rope contact about it. Next thing I knew, he had contacted the museum, found that the models were in storage, and he and two other members arranged to take photos of the models. I felt pretty good in being able to help them dig up some things they weren't aware of. 
 
He has since helped me many more times, visiting museum models that I've discovered, and sending me information, photos, and help me establish contacts. VERY helpful. 
 
I hope I can visit one of their annual model exhibits, which usually take place in the Spring. It's yet one of many things on my list of visits to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Hi Pat,
 
It's a good question. The answer is really that I can't say for sure. I'm not aware of any archaeological evidence, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Might be in a museum somewhere. Mostly, all I have to go by are modern models and some old paintings. The paintings don't show this level of detail, and I don't know where the knowledge of the model builders comes from. I've seen nothing written about the subject, but my access to the information is extremely limited.
 
As far as I'm aware, there is nothing for the oars to come "loose" from. The ropes serve to keep the oars in place and double as full-time "retainers".
 
Note that on sculling oars that appear later on, boats do not use any form of rope retainer. The oar has a small hole that fits over a ro-gui, which is a rounded metal knob. The only rope is one that holds the handle of the oar in a proper position for sculling.
 
You can see such a rope on the model below. If used correctly, it would also serve to keep the oar from getting away, should it become dislodged and fall overboard.
 

 
This is a model of a water taxi, called a chokibune. A similar boat is detailed in Douglas Brooks' book Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding.
 
 
 

Hello Wefalck,
 
Yes, damage to models is a great deterrent to club meetings. Much safer to blog about them. But, I'm trying to help keep the local clubs going, so I try to take things if I can. Still, I do have models that I simply won't bring to certain meetings due to their locations, distance from parking spot, complexity of model, etc.
 
Thanks for the link. I'm actually in regular contact with two members of The Rope Tokyo that went to Rochefort. One of them has been helping me obtain information from Japan and to make contacts. I did some online research once and found an obscure Excel spreadsheet, in Japanese. I recognized some of the information on it and translated enough of it to discover that it was an old list of museum model dispositions.
 
I found several models listed in a regional city museum and asked my Rope contact about it. Next thing I knew, he had contacted the museum, found that the models were in storage, and he and two other members arranged to take photos of the models. I felt pretty good in being able to help them dig up some things they weren't aware of. 
 
He has since helped me many more times, visiting museum models that I've discovered, and sending me information, photos, and help me establish contacts. VERY helpful. 
 
I hope I can visit one of their annual model exhibits, which usually take place in the Spring. It's yet one of many things on my list of visits to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Hello Wefalck,
 
Yes, damage to models is a great deterrent to club meetings. Much safer to blog about them. But, I'm trying to help keep the local clubs going, so I try to take things if I can. Still, I do have models that I simply won't bring to certain meetings due to their locations, distance from parking spot, complexity of model, etc.
 
Thanks for the link. I'm actually in regular contact with two members of The Rope Tokyo that went to Rochefort. One of them has been helping me obtain information from Japan and to make contacts. I did some online research once and found an obscure Excel spreadsheet, in Japanese. I recognized some of the information on it and translated enough of it to discover that it was an old list of museum model dispositions.
 
I found several models listed in a regional city museum and asked my Rope contact about it. Next thing I knew, he had contacted the museum, found that the models were in storage, and he and two other members arranged to take photos of the models. I felt pretty good in being able to help them dig up some things they weren't aware of. 
 
He has since helped me many more times, visiting museum models that I've discovered, and sending me information, photos, and help me establish contacts. VERY helpful. 
 
I hope I can visit one of their annual model exhibits, which usually take place in the Spring. It's yet one of many things on my list of visits to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Hello Wefalck,
 
Yes, damage to models is a great deterrent to club meetings. Much safer to blog about them. But, I'm trying to help keep the local clubs going, so I try to take things if I can. Still, I do have models that I simply won't bring to certain meetings due to their locations, distance from parking spot, complexity of model, etc.
 
Thanks for the link. I'm actually in regular contact with two members of The Rope Tokyo that went to Rochefort. One of them has been helping me obtain information from Japan and to make contacts. I did some online research once and found an obscure Excel spreadsheet, in Japanese. I recognized some of the information on it and translated enough of it to discover that it was an old list of museum model dispositions.
 
I found several models listed in a regional city museum and asked my Rope contact about it. Next thing I knew, he had contacted the museum, found that the models were in storage, and he and two other members arranged to take photos of the models. I felt pretty good in being able to help them dig up some things they weren't aware of. 
 
He has since helped me many more times, visiting museum models that I've discovered, and sending me information, photos, and help me establish contacts. VERY helpful. 
 
I hope I can visit one of their annual model exhibits, which usually take place in the Spring. It's yet one of many things on my list of visits to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Thanks everyone for your concern and good wishes!
 
All is well. My insurance company took good care of me and paid out for the car. I feel sorry for the guy who rear-ended me, as he damaged his own truck as well as my car and my insurance company is going to be wanting to recover their money. Turns out he did have an insurance company, but he didn't have the truck he was driving on his policy. Don't know if it was an error on his part or what.
 
I lost a reliable, tough little car, and had to go through the process of getting a new one – and it's a process I HATE. But, the insurance company paid out very quickly. Only now, I have car payments. But, I like the car. So, all is well.
 
Work-wise, I've just been a bit too busy, so decided to try to slow down a bit and to try to make some modeling progress. Took some time out today, as I'm feeling really worn out. But, made a little progress on the trade boat and other things.
 
 
You may recall that this boat has one large sail. I don't know if I will mount a sail on it or not. I find it rather interesting how the lowered mast is stowed. I think I have a method for creating the sail, which was made from rice-straw matting, not cloth. But, I will have other opportunities to make that, and it would probably be simpler and more realistic at a larger scale.
 
In any case, I also have the full set of oars I made. I've decided that even though the museum models I've seen show the boat equipped for sculling, that my interpretation of early scroll paintings suggest they were rowed and not sculled. Also, I started to thinking about the side-to-side motion involved in sculling, and I see only rope bindings on these oars in all cases (museum models).
 

 
I can't see how rope bindings would be able to take the amount of side-to-side pressure without loosing very quickly. If rowed, the binding would simply be to hold the oar and keep it from slipping. All the force of propulsion from the oars are taken by the beam extensions of the ship. 
 
So the next issue was how these would tie into place. Nothing too special there, except that you can't simply tie it the oar to the beam, as you'd have a hard time moving it. You need to tie a rope securely around the oar and then that rope needs to be tied to the beam. Does this difference make sense? There needs to be some freedom of movement for the oar, so the rope itself becomes something of a pivot.
 
So, I started by tying a length of line around each rope at the pivot point. I used pencil marks for measurement. I didn't feel this needed to be exact. There is an extra pencil mark, as I realized I wanted the pivot point just a little higher up on the handle. Thread cutter and pencil included for size reference.
 

 
After I tied all of the oars like this, I realized I needed more of a lashing, so I wrapped the thread around the oar and tied a second knot.
 

 
Tying the rope then onto the model, I kept the knot-side against the beam. I can't quite explain the final wrapping, as I kind of figured it out as I went. Something like wrapping both ends under the beam, over the top a couple times, making sure to stay on the opposite sides of the oar, then tying a final knot around the rope in between the oar and the beam. This turned out to be as challenging as rigging blocks on a square rigger.
 

 
Another difference between my model and modern museum models and their sculling oars is that sculling oars have a handle near the end of the oar and a line tied down to the rail or beam wraps over that to help hold the oar in place while sculling. Such lines seemed to have no purpose with this type of oar, so I didn't include them.
 

 
In this side view you can see how the oars look once they're all on the model, though I still have to add them onto the other side. I made the base just a tad too short, causing the aft-most oar to hang down just a little too much.
 

Thanks friends! Fortunately, I was uninjured, but my car was totaled and the other person was effectively uninsured, so it took a while to resolve. Then, after having to work more hours, dealing with the car rentals, getting paid, finding a new car, dealing with new payments, etc., it took my remaining free time.
 
I still am working more hours, so it has affected my ship modeling time, but at least the other issues are behind me. Mostly...
 
Clare

Hi All,
 
Finally a post!
 
As if my work wasn't coming along slowly enough, a car accident and heavier work load managed to bring my ship modeling of all types to a standstill.
 
After nearly two months of making no progress on anything, I finally found myself in a position to move forward again on the Umibune. I didn't managed to figure out too much regarding the making of scale figures for the model, but I did finish tying the bindings on the rails. I also decided on how I wanted to finish the aft deckhouse, or yakata.
 
I basically returned to the idea of installing only lower panels on the sides of the structure. There seem to be a multitude of ways that artists and model makers have interpreted this design, so I just went with something I recall seeing in a painting. Is it accurate? There really doesn't appear to be any way to know for sure. But, it seems reasonable. In the photos below, you can see the panels before installation, as well as how they look in place on the model. I originally built these slightly oversized, allowing me to adjust them to fit.
 

 

 
As you can see from the photos, I also attached the rudder. The rudder on larger Japanese boats are fit through a hole in the back edge of a heavy beam at the stern. The Japanese did not use gudgeon straps and pintles to hold the rudder in place, but instead, rudders were held up by a rope lifting system, like Chinese boats, which allowed the rudder to be raised or lowered as needed. The hole in the large beam provided the necessary lateral support.
 
The lifting rope is attached to a hole in the top of the rudder blade and runs through a block, which is attached to the aft-most roof beam. The design of the block was not described anywhere, so I based it on a block that appeared in Woody Joe's Higakikaisen kit. This is a teardrop shaped block that apparently contains no wheel, unlike a modern-style block.
I was motivated to use this based on a comment that was made to me while visiting the Hacchoro fishing boats of Yaizu in 2016. While showing me some of the features of the Hacchoro,
 
Mr. Hiroyuki Kobayashi, one of the people who are responsible for the Hacchoro boats, told me that while the Hacchoro replicas use a standard wooden blocks in their sail gear, the Japanese didn't originally have such blocks.
 

Modern blocks on the modern Hacchoro replica.
 
He didn't elaborate, but seeing the wheel-less blocks on the Higakikaisen model suggested to me that this was the design that the Japanese originally used and is what Mr. Kobayashi was referring to. Unfortunately, I can't find any photos of that type of block, but here's the one that I made.
 

 
This type of block would most certainly have too much friction with the rope passing through it to be very efficient. But, it's very possible that its function is more to help support the rudder than to lift it up. Possibly, a few strong sailors would physically haul up on the rudder and tiller as someone hauled on the rope to take up slack and to help support the rudder's weight until the rope was tied off to beam at the stern.
 

 
In any case, I glued the stropping rope around the block and siezed it into place. The ends of the rope were simply run over the top of the beam and tied off underneath a crossbeam. I have no idea how the original was attached. Probably just passed around the beam, the way a block is fastened around the yard arm on a Western sailing ship.
 
The rudder was put into place with a rope seized through the hole in the rudder blade and rigged. To help hold the rudder in place, as it's too light to simply hang from the support rope, a hole was drilled through the rudder post and into the great beam and a pin pass through. This allowed me to keep the lifting rope taught, while keeping the rudder nicely in position.
 
More on oars and the very unusual anchors next time.
 
Clare

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Well, tragedy struck when I took my model to one of the local club meetings. I don't know how it happened, but I had the model in a travel box to help keep it from getting damaged. It made it just fine through a 114 mile round trip to one meeting. The next meeting, more like 30 miles one-way, I'm pretty sure it survived just fine. It wasn't until it was sitting in the box in our model shop (I tried to keep it out of harm's way), that it looks to me like someone leaned on the box and broke up the aft structure.
 
It's not the first time that taking a model to a meeting, particularly one stored in a box to protect it, appears to have been damaged in this way. I have one model that I just never got around to repairing.
 
Fortunately, when I got it home, I found that most of the damage was done to various glue joints. No wood was actually broken. So, I had a small stack of puzzle pieces to fit back together. But, all in all, I was able to make the repairs pretty quickly, and with visible signs of the damage. 
 
However, this did keep me from finishing the oars before I had to leave for the NRG Conference. So, I simply took it with me, along with some tools, glue, etc. Since I was driving there anyway, taking the extra things was no problem. I got to the location in the evening and took the model up to my room, added the remaining oars, and it was on display the next morning!
 
Here was the model the night before the accident, displayed at the meeting of the South Bay Model Shipwrights at the Los Altos Public Library. It is shown here next to a model of a club model of a Viking ship in the same scale.

 
The model was one of three scratch built Japanese "wasen" models that I brought to the NRG Conference. That's the Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding book by Douglas Brooks, which I used for the Urayasu Bekabune model in the center. On the left is my Hozu river boat.

 
And, finally, the completed Kamakura period Sea Boat...
 

 
鎌倉時代の海船
 
 
After seeing the model on display at the conference, I decided to officially call this project complete. Being that this is part of an ongoing research project, I'll always be adding some small details to it. I could either leave it as permanently incomplete, or simply call it "done" and sneak little additions to it over time. So, I'm opting for the latter option.
 
I did feel that the model was a bit small for this display. At 1/50-scale, it's 21-1/2" long. If I make another, which is very likely, I think I'll opt for something like 1/30-scale, making it up to 35" long. Of course, the larger the scale, the more details I'll need to add, and the better job I'll have to do. 
 
In any case, this has been a test bed for reconstructing this type of boat. I think my next step is to get a first-hand look at a couple of the Japanese museum models built of this type of boat. That's going to take some savings and fundraising again to make the next trip to Japan!
 
 

Hello!
 
Thanks for the likes!
 
Just a quick update:
I haven't had much time for the model the last couple of weeks (Just sold a vacation home and busy cleaning it out!)
 
I finished the slots for the upper deck supports on one side and I am starting the left side now.
When I finish the slots, i'll be moving back to the underside and starting the planking of the hull.
 


(I don't know why I'm getting the phantom grey lines on the bottom of the photos. I hope my camera is okay!!)
 
Thanks,
Frank

Hello,
 
I've finished up the planking on the main deck.
I am holding off on the tree nails until later (when i finish building the deck hatches and pinpoint where they will be located on the deck)
 




 
Later, after I install the tree nails, I will be staining the deck with an oak stain, so it will be much darker.

 
Now I have started cutting out the slots for the upper deck support.

 
Thanks,
 
Frank
 

Hello,
 
I have been able to make more progress on my build!
 
Here, I added the two stern pieces that rise up at an angle towards the stern. The first row of planking will sit right underneath these pieces.
 


 
Starting the deck planking now. 
I decided to discard the kit wood and I will be using Eastern White Pine that I have in my wood stash.
I like this wood. It is fairly light colored and later when I'm ready, it will take an oak stain nicely, to darken the deck.
I rough cut the pine about 3" wide (the width that my thickness sander will take).

 
Using my thickness sander, I grind the thickness down to the width of the planks that I want to use (I will be using 4 mm and 5 mm widths)
Then I glue some black paper on one side to simulate the caulking.


Now I rough cut the wood into strips, using my table saw, then run it thru the thickness sander to obtain my final thickness of about 0.6 MM

 
I experimented on various red paints, including the nice "Gory Red" that Mark is using in his log, but I finally decided on a red paint called "Imperial Red".
The photos of the red might not be a perfect representation, due to the lighting in my workroom!
 


 
Now I am starting on the deck planking.
The Corel plans show all the planking to be 4 mm wide and all the planking is laid out straight from bow to stern.
I decided to have some fun and I will use the planking method from Gerard's book on the "Fleur di Lis".
His plans call for 2 rows of planking, along the outer edges of the deck to be curved, following the deck curve. His plans also seem to show that these 2 rows of planking are wider than the straight pieces. So I made the 2 rows 5 mm wide.
 



 
Now I will begin to lay in the straight pieces, using the smaller width (4 mm) pieces.
 
Thanks for visiting!
 
Frank
 
 

Hello,
 
Another small update on my build.
 
Finished slots on the port side of the model.
 

 
 Removed the model from the fixture and finished adding the spacer blocks that I had previously left off (for the clamping of the model to the fixture)
 
 
 
I gave some more thought as to whether or not to add the keel before or after the planking (see our discussions earlier in the build log)
I decided to add the keel frame in the bow and along the bottom, before starting the planking.
I did, however, leave off the keel piece on the stern, The planking near the stern will have some severe bending, and I feel it will be easier to bend and clamp in place without the piece installed. 


 
Now I will start the first layer of planking!
 
Thanks for visiting,
 
Frank
 

Hi,
Small update:
I took the time to make sure that the slots on both sides of the false deck were the same distance from the rear bulkhead frame. They were pretty close. After I finish the deck planking, I will have to re-slot thru the planking and can correct any errors.

There are two main ribs running most of the length of the deck that had to be installed before the deck planking.
I made up some temporary filler blocks, the correct width, to make sure the pieces stayed parallel to each other and glued the pieces.



I also installed the upper false deck near the stern.

I primed the two long ribs, in preparation for the final coat of red.
Currently, I'm experimenting with different shades of red, and I have to finalize which I will use. (a lot of the deck pieces will be painted red, so I hope to get it right!) I want to get these two ribs painted before starting the deck planking.I have also just received Gerard Delacroix's fabulous monograph on the construction of a similar ship called "La Fleur de Lis".
I hope to use his plans and illustrations as a guide and a "Cross Reference" to making sure that the Corel kit is somewhat accurate. I've already spotted areas of my build that I can make more detailed than what the Corel plans offer. We'll see how it goes as I progress.
 
Thanks,
 
Frank
 

Hello,
The instruction sheet on the Reale recommended that I dry fit a few of the pieces, before gluing the false deck.
I'm glad I did. Most of the pieces around the false deck needed some tweaking!
 
Checking the fit of the pieces around the deck area, which is held on by pins. (Not glued yet)

I turned my attention to the last bulkhead near the stern.
This piece had a couple of compound angles and curves to it.
The hull planks will have to wrap around the half rounds and blend into the stern stem.

Glued onto the stern

My next step will be to glue the false deck onto the frame.
 
Thanks,
 
Frank
 

Hello,
 
The Corel kit designed the internal keel, or spine, of the ship using 6 pieces.
2 pieces for the middle keel, 2 pieces on the left side and 2 on the right.
In this photo, you can see the pieces from the kit.

The total length of each 2 piece section is about 36 inches long.
The Corel instruction sheet says that the triple keel design was produced this way to keep the keel straight throughout it's entire length.
I was still worried that if I didn't get these pieces perfectly straight, It would show up later in the build.
So with the help of a friend, I built a steel fixture to keep the spine perfectly straight throughout it's 36 inch length (which I felt was critical to the build) and I added vertical supports to keep the ribs perpendicular.
Maybe overkill, but with the ship model being so long, I figured any warpage would be easy to spot.
 
Photo with 6 piece keel on Fixture

Keels all glued together

After the glued pieces dried, I sanded the bottom side flat and inserted filler wood where necessary.

Then with the keel back in the fixture, I sanded the curved keel (and filled with filler wood where necessary) and I filed the slots even to accept the bulkheads.

 
Now to start on the cross sections!
 
Frank

Hello,
 
After finishing my Corel Vasa build in January 2017. I took the year off to help my wife with projects for the wedding of our daughter. (Of course, I did take the time to build a model of a Concord Stagecoach on the side!!)
Back in January of this year, I purchased a Corel kit of the Real De France from the very nice people at Ages of Sail, with the intention of starting it right away. However, due to frozen pipes at my elderly parents home, I have spent the last few months with contractors, getting their house put back together.
So now I am finally to get back into my hobby room!

 
Here are some photos from the opening of the kit


A couple of things I noticed about the kit.
On the box cover, it says that the scale is 1:24, but in the instruction notes, it references the correct scale 1:60.
The material in the kit seems to be of good quality. There is some plywood pieces included, so I might change these pieces out with some other wood for areas of the model that won't be painted.
There are many pages of nicely detailed plans, which should make the build easier. The translations into English of the instruction booklet is not easy for me to follow, but re-reading it a few times brings things into focus!
 
I don't know much about the Real De France, so I can't comment on how accurate the Corel plans are. 
If anybody can steer me to some other references or publications about the real ship, that would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks,
Frank