scrubbyj427

Very nice Dusan and the metal work looks really good. How did you get that elliptical countersink in there?

Thanks for looking in Guy. Yes I do plan to fully plank this hull. The design is in place for a framed version and I have some parts here to test it. Long story but I was going to partially frame this one until I couldn’t come up with enough AYC to cut remaining frames I needed, so I then ordered pearwood from Vahur and it was stolen by my lovely neighbors. So I just cut the remaining bulkheads and decided to build this version planked. I will eventually show how the framed version will work with a test mid section. JJ

Thank you Ron.

Hi Allan, thank you for the compliments. This thing has the bar set high. I intend to park it right next to my Winchelsea when they are both complete. So I can’t afford to leave out any details. As for a kit, yes I do intend to offer it, just not quite yet, I’ve got to get quite far advanced in the build before I can release it. I’m hoping in a years time I’ll be able to offer the first two chapters.

Once the gun port frames are complete we can move on to some final structural elements of the hull, there are a series of hance pieces and fairing caps that need to be added. these are quite simple and really just need to be checked for fit and adjusted if needed. Some of the frames are cut short and or at an angle for the hance pieces to rest on, for example the one seen below, aft of the waist. Both of these sit at an angle to minimize shaping. After all the hance pieces are installed then we can move onto all the fairing caps. The two forward caps are laser cut and before they get glued down, the forward bulkhead needs to be temporarily installed to make sure everything is aligned. There are a series of laser cut pieces that make up the beak head bulkhead assembly, begin with the lower beam that will support the bulkhead carefully glue the lower pieces on as seen in the photo above, the lower pieces will hang off about 1/4”, they act as a stop against the frame as well as a landing for the sundeck and later on, the grating assembly. once this is together it can be placed on the forward most frame, there are slots there to receive the beam once the beam is in place then go ahead and slide the top one in, it’s orientation isn’t important now but the slots for the timber heads faces aft, if the forward hance pieces were placed correctly then the upper forcastle fairing cap will fit perfectly into the notches in the beak head bulkhead and protrude about 1/32. Do not glue the beak head assembly together yet, it all needs to come out so we can fair in inside of the hull first. The sub deck assembly can be tested too, it should drop right in. you can see the beak head bulkhead has a larger cut for the bowsprit than the beam behind it, this is basically establishing a fairing line to clear the bowsprit. Will detail further as we approach that part of the build. The hull is now ready for some fairing, the MDF Sands down pretty easy. I got about 1/4 of the stbd side completed last night. Now there are some more structural parts that make up the stern, that need to added after the sides are faired up, I will cover those soon….after a few more days of sanding. Thanks for looking in, JJ

Very nice Chuck. Are you using a different red than what was used on Winnie? Looks a bit more burnt.

Another incredible model Siggi, I will be studying your Dragon build as well. So many similar elements to the Portland class. Well done. JJ

As always, great job Siggi. Very inspiring build. The Parquet floor is becoming very interesting to me, I’d like to do something similar on Portland. Have you found a good source of other examples elsewhere? JJ

Very sorry to hear Keith, wishing a quick and full recovery to Maggie.

Spectacular job Dusan! I really like the contrasting bulkheads.

Looks really good.

Beautiful work Chuck! How are you getting the beams in with that Plank above the clamp? Carefully bending them into the notches? JJ

Beautiful work Siggi. Is there an example of that floor From a contemporary model or source that you are using? JJ

Very Nice Fred. I like how you pulled up all your fittings. I wish I had taken that route, I spent an incredible amount of time trying to carefully sand around the deck fittings. One easy block sanding and you’re all set now. Great job on the fixed blocks as well. JJ

No need to be, but the finish line is in sight. Sure wish I could finish mine while glue drys on Portland.

Looks really nice Glenn, so many nice details on the QD and with the gun deck below it really brings it to life. You’re almost there. JJ

Very impressive.

Nice job cutting those bulkheads! What ply did you use?

Very nice Siggi, it’s important to keep the captain happy.

Allan, for scantlings I found that the deck plans were a great source. The resolution of the scans really allowed me to zoom in quite far in CAD and produce accurate copies. They also worked well in correlation with the inboard profile of Portland. I kept the dimensions of the Timbers very close to the original drawings (keeping modeling and wood production in mind), I ended up with a good representation of what the drawings show.

As the guy designing Portland, I’m really hoping he didn’t make it up lol. I suppose we can look at his other works and compare them to their existing contemporary models and or their existing drawings and come to conclusions on how reliable Marshall’s work really was. Since that series of paintings was ordered by King George himself, I’m betting Marshall did some of his best work, I know I would have. 😂

That looks very nice, Ron. Well done

It is certainly possible that some license was used. But I would have to think that a drawing similar to Bristol side profile (ZAZ1749) would have existed for Portland as she was the lead of class, that would have given an accurate example of her carvings and friezes, but who knows, it was 250 years ago that the paintings were made. Who knows what was lost in that time or what is yet to be discovered.

Thank you Brain. More to come soon!

Hi Allan, thank you for the compliment, I’m glad you like the project So far. So to answer your question, in short, I used a lot of sources. Yes you are correct, I did lean on the IB profile (ZAZ1720) for much of my deck layouts, but I also used this as a springboard into the deck plans for Bristol (ZAZ1751 and ZAZ1750) which without I don’t think I could have pulled this off. As stated in the beginning, I took a keen interest in the two marshal paintings, Chuck had advised me to research a subject that had a contemporary model still in existence but as far as I know there is no model of Portland, at least one hasn’t surfaced yet, however I felt that between the paintings and the available drawings for the class, that if I did my homework I could come up with a solid representation of what Portland looked like and I think I have. If you take what we have of Portland starting with ZAZ1718, ZAZ1720 and ZAZ1719 you can get a pretty good idea of her layout compared with the deck plans for Bristol (ZAZ1750,51), I also used Bristol and Isis profiles, both very detailed (ZAZ1749 and ZAZ1831) and compared with Portland IB profile. From here you can start to spot differences between the three ships. Luckily Bristol was built in the same yard as Portland and right afterwards so they are very close so I was able to borrow a lot from not only the plans but also the contemporary model (what I could see of it). Also if you really start to study the paintings and compare it with ZAZ1718 you’ll see a lot of consistencies which to me, really validated the paintings which also made me very confident in using the paintings as a guide for the friezes and all the sculptures as well as topside details…that I can see. You can also see some similarities between the Bristol model and Portland paintings this led me to conclude that at some point there was and possibly still is a contemporary model of Portland for which these paintings were based on, and likely built just before the Bristol model, by George Stockwell. Also I have to note that the diagrams of Leopard in Winfields book were very helpful, and again, they compared really nicely to the Bristol drawings, which helped me arrive at cabin arrangements. Could things have been different on Portland than Bristol regarding her deck layouts? Of course, but if they were I don’t believe it would be a significant difference. I was able to find some differences in the QD bulkhead arrangements between Bristol and Portland by using the painting, ZAZ1718 and ZAZ1749, this is represented in the 3D model and will show up on the prototype. Should new discoveries be made, which I have found a few since beginning the design, I will modify and implement into the design/build. Until additional drawings or a contemporary model surfaces I feel confident in saying that I have a pretty good representation of what Portland looked like especially her outside appearance. JJ