robdurant

Time to revisit this thread... I haven't stalled, but I have been spending lots of time thinking, reading and revisiting how I've approached this. I've gone right back to scratch with all I've learned, and redone the drawings from the plans, and I'm much more happy with the results (shown below)... they're all works in progress, but reconciling the profile, half-breadth and body plan, suggest that the fairing process is going well so far. Plotting the buttock lines went perfectly with no changes required, which was very satisfying indeed. I'm indebted to Wayne Kempson for his article on this site (Drafting Ship Plans in CAD) - it's been a massive help.
 
So - initial lines... There are decks, the two wales, buttock lines, and the rabbet line at the stern... As the plan stands, I'm now hoping to build this as a fully framed model without any planking, except possible the wales, much like a model (I think of Centurion?) I saw in Chatham a few weeks ago...  (Apologies for the quality of the photo)
 

 

Beginnings of a frame plan... (this will need redoing, but it gives some idea of the flow of the frames)

And the body plan... 
 

My next step is to confirm the heights of the caprails...

What a stunning model, George. A wonderful achievement!

Yes, I also own a copy. I've been working from that for the framing plan. It pretty much lays neatly over the Bristol side profile plan, although the caprail height towards the stern is considerably different (raised higher in Bristol), and the transom posts are at a slightly different height, even though the quartergalleries are at the same height... Considering the complexity of these drawings, they really are magnificent achievements in themselves.
 
Thank you for the prompt, though. I also received this in the post today, which I'm expecting to be very helpful... It was £4.50 on AbeBooks, and only £2.50 postage, so an absolute no-brainer!

Much happy reading is in store!
 
Rob

Time to revisit this thread... I haven't stalled, but I have been spending lots of time thinking, reading and revisiting how I've approached this. I've gone right back to scratch with all I've learned, and redone the drawings from the plans, and I'm much more happy with the results (shown below)... they're all works in progress, but reconciling the profile, half-breadth and body plan, suggest that the fairing process is going well so far. Plotting the buttock lines went perfectly with no changes required, which was very satisfying indeed. I'm indebted to Wayne Kempson for his article on this site (Drafting Ship Plans in CAD) - it's been a massive help.
 
So - initial lines... There are decks, the two wales, buttock lines, and the rabbet line at the stern... As the plan stands, I'm now hoping to build this as a fully framed model without any planking, except possible the wales, much like a model (I think of Centurion?) I saw in Chatham a few weeks ago...  (Apologies for the quality of the photo)
 

 

Beginnings of a frame plan... (this will need redoing, but it gives some idea of the flow of the frames)

And the body plan... 
 

My next step is to confirm the heights of the caprails...

When you get to that stage, don't forget to run a  couple of 'proof diagonals' to check that all fairs out!

I've spent a little time working on the stern of Bristol to see how it all shapes up... here's my progress. The stern structure was drawn out from the plans, taking care to note how the balcony and accompanying cabin walls fitted, and then the transom was stretched vertically by a factor of 1/Cos(14.2) to make it fit when it was at an angle.
 
Here's the stretched outline... 
 

 
And the part cut out in two parts and glued back to back - the recessed cornice over the cutout was removed on the outer layer, creating a 3d effect - this will be bevelled as well on the final 1:64 model, but as a proof of concept it works.  It's also confirmed that the upper deck (third down in the photo below) comes too far back, and will interfere with the stern upper counter as it is.

 
Happy building to you all
 
Rob
 
 

Progress on the 1:128 mockup from my CAD drawings. I've finished cutting out the stations and added the quarterdeck, fo'csle and poop. It's been a helpful exercise in seeing the lines of the vessel, any conflicts in terms of masts / deck cutouts / etc... Now, it's helping me think through how the stern will be constructed. I'm pleased to say that none of the frames look particularly out, except for one (frame 5) where I suspect I probably cut over the line a little... But now I can go back and take a look at this before I move onto the 1:64 scale version!
 





 

Time to revisit this thread... I haven't stalled, but I have been spending lots of time thinking, reading and revisiting how I've approached this. I've gone right back to scratch with all I've learned, and redone the drawings from the plans, and I'm much more happy with the results (shown below)... they're all works in progress, but reconciling the profile, half-breadth and body plan, suggest that the fairing process is going well so far. Plotting the buttock lines went perfectly with no changes required, which was very satisfying indeed. I'm indebted to Wayne Kempson for his article on this site (Drafting Ship Plans in CAD) - it's been a massive help.
 
So - initial lines... There are decks, the two wales, buttock lines, and the rabbet line at the stern... As the plan stands, I'm now hoping to build this as a fully framed model without any planking, except possible the wales, much like a model (I think of Centurion?) I saw in Chatham a few weeks ago...  (Apologies for the quality of the photo)
 

 

Beginnings of a frame plan... (this will need redoing, but it gives some idea of the flow of the frames)

And the body plan... 
 

My next step is to confirm the heights of the caprails...

Time to revisit this thread... I haven't stalled, but I have been spending lots of time thinking, reading and revisiting how I've approached this. I've gone right back to scratch with all I've learned, and redone the drawings from the plans, and I'm much more happy with the results (shown below)... they're all works in progress, but reconciling the profile, half-breadth and body plan, suggest that the fairing process is going well so far. Plotting the buttock lines went perfectly with no changes required, which was very satisfying indeed. I'm indebted to Wayne Kempson for his article on this site (Drafting Ship Plans in CAD) - it's been a massive help.
 
So - initial lines... There are decks, the two wales, buttock lines, and the rabbet line at the stern... As the plan stands, I'm now hoping to build this as a fully framed model without any planking, except possible the wales, much like a model (I think of Centurion?) I saw in Chatham a few weeks ago...  (Apologies for the quality of the photo)
 

 

Beginnings of a frame plan... (this will need redoing, but it gives some idea of the flow of the frames)

And the body plan... 
 

My next step is to confirm the heights of the caprails...

Time to revisit this thread... I haven't stalled, but I have been spending lots of time thinking, reading and revisiting how I've approached this. I've gone right back to scratch with all I've learned, and redone the drawings from the plans, and I'm much more happy with the results (shown below)... they're all works in progress, but reconciling the profile, half-breadth and body plan, suggest that the fairing process is going well so far. Plotting the buttock lines went perfectly with no changes required, which was very satisfying indeed. I'm indebted to Wayne Kempson for his article on this site (Drafting Ship Plans in CAD) - it's been a massive help.
 
So - initial lines... There are decks, the two wales, buttock lines, and the rabbet line at the stern... As the plan stands, I'm now hoping to build this as a fully framed model without any planking, except possible the wales, much like a model (I think of Centurion?) I saw in Chatham a few weeks ago...  (Apologies for the quality of the photo)
 

 

Beginnings of a frame plan... (this will need redoing, but it gives some idea of the flow of the frames)

And the body plan... 
 

My next step is to confirm the heights of the caprails...

Back to the Shipyard
 
So, after a six month diversion into the world of radio control while building the SEGUIN, followed by an extended road trip out to the West Coast, it’s finally time to get going again with the ALFRED.
 
Before starting on the masting and rigging I wanted to do 2 things.
 
First up was fixing the upper head rails.  My first attempt left them pretty straight without any of the “swoop” normally seen on the headrails of period ships (swoop being my term for vertical curvature):
 

 
So I removed them (the lower headrails had to be left alone since they conform to the outer edge of the PE grating) and replaced them with the same mix of Brittania metal from BlueJacket faced with plastic channel pieces  from Stripstyrene; I’m much happier with the re-do:
 

 

 
The other thing I wanted to do was to mount the model on its pedestals and display board because it would be a real nightmare trying to do it with all the masts and rigging in place. Since the masting and rigging should not require placing any serious pressure on the hull I think now is the time to do it:
 

 

 
Now I can put the hull on the shelf and work on the upper masts.

I've been moving right along on the aft cant frames. Just like the fore cants, there is a long span between the upper and lower attachments which results in some flexing. To stiffen things up I placed chocks between the frames. This will help greatly to keep the frames from breaking loose while fairing. The chocks were placed in the area between upper wale and the lower planking strake. They will be completely hidden.

Mike

Outstanding model, Rob!

Hi everyone,
 
Three weeks later, and I've had another good day to work on Stefano. I finally made and died some more .5mm rope for the standing rigging, which allowed me to complete the backstays. I've also got some more work done on the yards, adding eyelets, blocks, and bending the forecourse to the main yard on the foremast. Again, this has caused the model to take up significantly more space on my desk, but it feels like we're on the home straight now as we move towards running rigging. I counted, and I think I have 8 sails left to bend to yards / stunsail yards. There's a lot of tidying up to do with rope ends fixed with watered down PVA (a big advantage of making your own rope with DMC cordonnet thread, as it's natural, not synthetic), and trimmed to make them neat.
 
Thank you so much to all of you who've hung in there through what has proved to be a lengthy build
 
Here are a few shots of how she stands right now.  




Happy building
 
Rob

Hi everyone,
 
Three weeks later, and I've had another good day to work on Stefano. I finally made and died some more .5mm rope for the standing rigging, which allowed me to complete the backstays. I've also got some more work done on the yards, adding eyelets, blocks, and bending the forecourse to the main yard on the foremast. Again, this has caused the model to take up significantly more space on my desk, but it feels like we're on the home straight now as we move towards running rigging. I counted, and I think I have 8 sails left to bend to yards / stunsail yards. There's a lot of tidying up to do with rope ends fixed with watered down PVA (a big advantage of making your own rope with DMC cordonnet thread, as it's natural, not synthetic), and trimmed to make them neat.
 
Thank you so much to all of you who've hung in there through what has proved to be a lengthy build
 
Here are a few shots of how she stands right now.  




Happy building
 
Rob

Hi everyone,
 
Three weeks later, and I've had another good day to work on Stefano. I finally made and died some more .5mm rope for the standing rigging, which allowed me to complete the backstays. I've also got some more work done on the yards, adding eyelets, blocks, and bending the forecourse to the main yard on the foremast. Again, this has caused the model to take up significantly more space on my desk, but it feels like we're on the home straight now as we move towards running rigging. I counted, and I think I have 8 sails left to bend to yards / stunsail yards. There's a lot of tidying up to do with rope ends fixed with watered down PVA (a big advantage of making your own rope with DMC cordonnet thread, as it's natural, not synthetic), and trimmed to make them neat.
 
Thank you so much to all of you who've hung in there through what has proved to be a lengthy build
 
Here are a few shots of how she stands right now.  




Happy building
 
Rob

Thanks Rick! I look at yours to see how I should have done it.
 
I've been working on the stuns'l booms. The yard mounted ones are all shaped, stained, and 8 of them are mounted. I'll post some photos once they are all mounted and the ties are in place. In the interim, I was hoping someone might have some insight about the location of the of the davits. (I've started prepping them for installation) The China Trade painting and the Buttersworth painting both show black davits (so that is clear) and the forward davit mounted just aft of the mainmast channels but one shows the after davit mounted between the 3rd and 4th mizzen shroud (counting from the forward end) and the other shows it between the mizzen shrouds and the mizzen lower backstays. If anyone has any insight from other McKay clippers (or wherever) I would appreciate it.
 
The practical answer would seem to be to put it between the shrouds, (a) because there seems to be more room there to drill a hole and the shrouds are a little more out of the way than the backstays (plus there is currently a block from one of the halyards there) and (b) because it would seem to separate the fore and aft davits much longer than the apparent length of the boats. I'm actually not going to mount the ships boats (they are off on business somewhere), mainly because the castings are so bad, so it won't matter in that sense, but I would prefer to do this properly.
 
Any insights appreciated.
 
Regards,
George

Today I complete the topgallant masts.  The second photo show a side view of the model, with the various masts loosely attached.  I still have more to do on them, including installing fids, eyebolts, and blocks.

Looking magnificent!

Hi everyone,
 
Three weeks later, and I've had another good day to work on Stefano. I finally made and died some more .5mm rope for the standing rigging, which allowed me to complete the backstays. I've also got some more work done on the yards, adding eyelets, blocks, and bending the forecourse to the main yard on the foremast. Again, this has caused the model to take up significantly more space on my desk, but it feels like we're on the home straight now as we move towards running rigging. I counted, and I think I have 8 sails left to bend to yards / stunsail yards. There's a lot of tidying up to do with rope ends fixed with watered down PVA (a big advantage of making your own rope with DMC cordonnet thread, as it's natural, not synthetic), and trimmed to make them neat.
 
Thank you so much to all of you who've hung in there through what has proved to be a lengthy build
 
Here are a few shots of how she stands right now.  




Happy building
 
Rob

That's some cool looking stuff you've got there, Ian... and that book looks great, too. I've been really enjoying watching your progress with your Roman warship. A magnum opus, to be sure!
 
Okay - so here's the plan for waterproofing... Having sanded the hull some more the other day, I noticed that when I hold the hull up to the sun, I can see not only thin areas where the planking had gaps, but more than that, I can see pinholes where the planks and the filler haven't completely bonded...  Suffice it to say, if I were to try and float this boat right now, the water would be getting in right away... So... I've had a bit of a look around, and this is the plan.

It's called Eze-Kote, and it's designed specifically as a finishing resin, but it's water based, so clean up is easy, and it's low odour - it's a much nicer chemical to be dealing with. In addition, I've bought the lightweight glass fibre they recommend to go with it. I wanted something very light weight, so that it forms round the hull shape nice and easily, and is relatively smooth out of the box. 
 
Last time I used fibreglass resin, I used automotive stuff, and both the results (I used fibreglass mat, not knowing that was a disaster in the making), and the resulting headache and rough breathing for a few hours after were enough to tell me I hadn't taken enough / appropriate precautions, so I'm hoping this experience will be far less unpleasant.
 
I'll let you know how I get on, but there's a little more prep to be done first round the prop shaft and rudder post. I'm working on the assumption that good prep is always time well spent.
 
Thanks for looking in, and for the advice and encouragement.
 
Rob

That's some cool looking stuff you've got there, Ian... and that book looks great, too. I've been really enjoying watching your progress with your Roman warship. A magnum opus, to be sure!
 
Okay - so here's the plan for waterproofing... Having sanded the hull some more the other day, I noticed that when I hold the hull up to the sun, I can see not only thin areas where the planking had gaps, but more than that, I can see pinholes where the planks and the filler haven't completely bonded...  Suffice it to say, if I were to try and float this boat right now, the water would be getting in right away... So... I've had a bit of a look around, and this is the plan.

It's called Eze-Kote, and it's designed specifically as a finishing resin, but it's water based, so clean up is easy, and it's low odour - it's a much nicer chemical to be dealing with. In addition, I've bought the lightweight glass fibre they recommend to go with it. I wanted something very light weight, so that it forms round the hull shape nice and easily, and is relatively smooth out of the box. 
 
Last time I used fibreglass resin, I used automotive stuff, and both the results (I used fibreglass mat, not knowing that was a disaster in the making), and the resulting headache and rough breathing for a few hours after were enough to tell me I hadn't taken enough / appropriate precautions, so I'm hoping this experience will be far less unpleasant.
 
I'll let you know how I get on, but there's a little more prep to be done first round the prop shaft and rudder post. I'm working on the assumption that good prep is always time well spent.
 
Thanks for looking in, and for the advice and encouragement.
 
Rob

That's some cool looking stuff you've got there, Ian... and that book looks great, too. I've been really enjoying watching your progress with your Roman warship. A magnum opus, to be sure!
 
Okay - so here's the plan for waterproofing... Having sanded the hull some more the other day, I noticed that when I hold the hull up to the sun, I can see not only thin areas where the planking had gaps, but more than that, I can see pinholes where the planks and the filler haven't completely bonded...  Suffice it to say, if I were to try and float this boat right now, the water would be getting in right away... So... I've had a bit of a look around, and this is the plan.

It's called Eze-Kote, and it's designed specifically as a finishing resin, but it's water based, so clean up is easy, and it's low odour - it's a much nicer chemical to be dealing with. In addition, I've bought the lightweight glass fibre they recommend to go with it. I wanted something very light weight, so that it forms round the hull shape nice and easily, and is relatively smooth out of the box. 
 
Last time I used fibreglass resin, I used automotive stuff, and both the results (I used fibreglass mat, not knowing that was a disaster in the making), and the resulting headache and rough breathing for a few hours after were enough to tell me I hadn't taken enough / appropriate precautions, so I'm hoping this experience will be far less unpleasant.
 
I'll let you know how I get on, but there's a little more prep to be done first round the prop shaft and rudder post. I'm working on the assumption that good prep is always time well spent.
 
Thanks for looking in, and for the advice and encouragement.
 
Rob

That's some cool looking stuff you've got there, Ian... and that book looks great, too. I've been really enjoying watching your progress with your Roman warship. A magnum opus, to be sure!
 
Okay - so here's the plan for waterproofing... Having sanded the hull some more the other day, I noticed that when I hold the hull up to the sun, I can see not only thin areas where the planking had gaps, but more than that, I can see pinholes where the planks and the filler haven't completely bonded...  Suffice it to say, if I were to try and float this boat right now, the water would be getting in right away... So... I've had a bit of a look around, and this is the plan.

It's called Eze-Kote, and it's designed specifically as a finishing resin, but it's water based, so clean up is easy, and it's low odour - it's a much nicer chemical to be dealing with. In addition, I've bought the lightweight glass fibre they recommend to go with it. I wanted something very light weight, so that it forms round the hull shape nice and easily, and is relatively smooth out of the box. 
 
Last time I used fibreglass resin, I used automotive stuff, and both the results (I used fibreglass mat, not knowing that was a disaster in the making), and the resulting headache and rough breathing for a few hours after were enough to tell me I hadn't taken enough / appropriate precautions, so I'm hoping this experience will be far less unpleasant.
 
I'll let you know how I get on, but there's a little more prep to be done first round the prop shaft and rudder post. I'm working on the assumption that good prep is always time well spent.
 
Thanks for looking in, and for the advice and encouragement.
 
Rob

As I near the completion of Barque Stefano, I had a hankering to build something that was simple, where I could just follow the instructions, straight out of the box. Time will tell how closely I manage to do that, but having looked longingly at Nordkap as a teenager, she was the vessel I settled upon.
 
Here's a picture of what she's meant to end up looking like
 

 
Nordkap builds up into an 81cm l.o.a, 21cm beam vessel - so there'll be loads of room in the hull for all the radio gubbins. She's also small enough not to be too cumbersome to move around when building. I bought a new building board, and set about separating the laser cut frames from the "sprues".
 
Then I looked at the plans and noticed some strange discrepancies... There are two sets of measurements on plan 1 - the first shows the gaps between the forward extents of the frames (4-7) - this should measure up to 159mm. A second set of measurements show the filler blocks that will sit on top of the keel - these are 48mm, 50mm and 50mm - 148mm, leaving only 11mm for three frames - but the frames are 4mm at the least - closer to 5mm in fact... The instructions simply say that the frames are "quite vertical" and then leave the builder to work it out. Instead of guessing, I decided that using the deck would be a neat way of ensuring that the frames were essentially in the right position, so this part was cut out as well and used as a guide to get the frames in the right place. So... so far I've fitted the frames, and added the blocks in between - which have all turned out to be around the 48mm mark. This _may_ come back and bite me later, but I feel much more confident knowing that the deck fits with the frames in their locations, than simply hoping for the best.

The observant among you may notice a curvature of the keel (higher in the middle than at bow and stern - it's around 4mm, although it looks worse, perhaps because of lens distortion in this photo) - ironically, having cut the keel parts to be 55cm and 52cm respectively, I now realise that these are perhaps slightly short for the deck... removing the deck after gluing the frames in place got rid of this curvature entirely, and so I probably will need to modify the deck a little down the line, but that's fine - it'll be millimetres here and there, not centimetres, and the hull will be the right shape. The next step is to add the stringers along the bulkhead tops, and as I do that I can ensure the keel is straight. I'm not worried about modifying the deck to fit, I just wanted everything to be in the right ballpark.
 
I've also added the doublers that create something of a rabbet at bow and stern. 
 
More soon
 
Rob