Ed, I wanted to say that your work is incredible. I am in love with CUTTY SARK and clippers in general so I look forward to your YOUNG AMERICA build progressing. I want to see the finished model but the problem is that once it's finished, it's finished with nothing to look forward to. Not a terrible dilema.
I am a professional mariner who has a very keen interest in sailing ships. Reading your build log over the past few days (At work, don't tell the boss) I have noticed that model builders seem to have a disconnect from the sailors, knowlege wise. The function or operation of certain parts of a ship that may seem straightforward or obvious to a sailor seem to slip by a model builder un-noticed. Terminology as well. The thing that struck me as most glaring was your use of the term "Roundup" of a deck. I suspect what you meant was the curvature of the deck up toward the centerline of the vessel. This is correctly known as "camber". A deck is cambered to assist in the removal of water but also to help provide strength. It hit me over and over as I read it. Other things were less obvious and I can't think of them at this time.
All in all I can't wait to follow YA as you build her up. I beg you to rig her. Plank her with perhaps a 3 or 4 inch swath of planking missing from around the waterline on one side and perhaps a few inches of planking missing from the decks. Just so we can see what you've got going on inside.
Cheers,
Daniel
Can't wait to see what's next. Your work is awe inspiring.
