KenW

Great work on the deck furniture. Where did you get the bell? Cheers.

Thanks Russ and the 'likes'. So Russ, what is your next project. I enjoy following you modeling. Cheers.

There is also a mention of an Independence in Edgar Stanton Maclay's, "A History of American Privateers" published in 1899. On page 71 he states, "The 6-gun schooner Independence, Captain Nichols, in September, 1776, captured six vessels; ". No mention of where it sailed from. Apparently, there were a lot of privateers with non-unique names at that time.

Here is a quick update. As per Jon’s recommendation, I added some of the deck furniture (the pumps and large gallows) as well as the coils for the jeer tackle. However, I don’t think I’ll be mounting the ship’s boat until the sheet is tied off; and the platforms will be the last to be installed. I’d like to point out that the main lower yard is not pinned. It is held in place only by the truss and jeers. So if it looks out of alignment, it will be corrected when I get to the lifts and braces.

Great work Bob. I really like how those crows feet stand out within all that rigging. All I can say is, "WOW!" Cheers.

Thanks Jon. So far, I think I'm O.K. I'm worried about the tackles for the ship's boat, but I have a plan. Time will tell.

Thanks Jon. And yes, all the furniture has been made. Now that the truss and jeers tackles have been completed, I will be installing the bilge pumps and gallows soon. I have made the extra fore top mast to hold the ship's boat, but not the fore topmast yard yet. The extended platform and stairs are also ready to go. I'm trying to work form the center out; and I was especially concerned about that small deck space around the main mast. Cheers.

Thanks Russ and E.J. as well as the 'likes'. And I agree, eventually there will be no "open work space". Cheers.

Well, I made the main lower yard and crossed it to the main mast. At this point, I think doing the lower yards now was a good idea. Those buntlines and leech lines were easily rigged and I don’t foresee any problems. So I’ll do the lower fore yard next. As for the details – the first step was to construct the main lower yard. All the blocks have been added as well as the horse and stirrups. Notice that the jeer block is double stropped, as per antscherl. I want to show the model with sails furled. So, the next step was to make the sail along with its lines, etc. Then the sail was bent to the yard. Notice that I included the head cringles and earings before lashing the sail. Next the yard was crossed to the mast and the truss and jeers were rigged. These lines were tied off permanently. The various lines (bunt and leech and clue) were belayed to their pins. These lines are not permanent. I did redo the port side leech line so that it passed between the catharpins after the photo was taken. Belaying pins were added to the main breast rail above the buckets since I am short of tying off points. Notice I still need to add rope coils where the jeer ties tie off to their cleat. I’m thinking that before adding the top masts, I should also do the crowsfeet, and the spritsail yard first as well.

Thanks for the kind words Eddie.

Can you make a traveler ring for those of us working on 1/64 scale? I feel it should have a 3/16 inside diameter.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season and that 2017 is a whole lot better than 2016. Cheers

I should add that there was at least one other privateer called the Rattlesnake during the American revolution. One other was reported in a Philiadelphia newspaper and that ship was run aground in 1779 or 1780 and burnt. The MS kit is based on the lines taken off the ship that was built in and captured off Boston as per the website above.

WOW! Excellent work! It seems that perhaps the secret is that the crowsfeet are pulling at the same angle as the stay, rather than against the stay. It has the look like it belongs. Amazing.

I must add my congratulations on a terrific build. She will be the 'belle of the ball' at the regatta in July. I have a question for you: I've noticed that several boats like yours have a topsail that extends below the gaff. Will the extended portion of the sail be somehow move to the other side when the boat changes tack? Or does is it always on one side regardless of the tack? Also, what is the method for furling that main topsail? Are there blocks, etc. specifically for that? Thanks and cheers.

Thanks Russ, EJ and Dave; as well as the 'likes'. Fortunately (or unfortunately) an American privateer was not obligated to follow the British Admiralty conventions. I can pretty much do whatever I want, but there's no way to know how the boat really looked. Cheers.

Great work, as usual. I really like the way all the shrouds line up on the masthead. Superb!

It’s been a whole month since my last post. In that time, I’ve been making many changes to my work. I added the tops and the lower topmast dead eyes. However, the futtock plates tails appear to be too long. So I removed the deadeyes and redid the plates. They were added to the mizzen top only; and their futtock shrouds were installed and ratted down. I’ve been following Antcherls’s book, and I notice differences in the rigging plans for a sixth-rate (which includes a 20 gun ship) and the plans drawn by Campbell and Hahn. So I have to decide which plans, or combination of plans, to use. In the end I made the following changes: 1. I added the mizzen lower yard sling to the mizzen masthead. All of my books state that there are no jeers on the cross-jack. The cross-jack will be suspended by a sling using thimbles (Antscherl, pg. 107 & 105). 2. The mizzen topmast stay attaches to the main top masthead by a thimble instead of a block (Antscherl, pg. 72). I also added the jeer blocks and their tye lashings. The block has the recommended double strop. 3. I added a main topmast preventer stay. It just didn’t seem right that there is a fore topmast preventer stay but no main topmast preventer stay. The main topmast stay’s block was moved down to just above the shrouds and a block for the preventer stay was added just below the hounds (Lees, pg. 56). I also added a main topgallant stay span with a thimble seized into the foremast trestle trees (Antscherl, pg.84) The cross-jack top with futtock shrouds and a sling with thimble: The main top with jeers blocks lashed and mizzen topmast stay thimbles: The fore top with jeers blocks lashed, plus the main stay and preventer stay blocks and main topgallant stay span with thimble: I’m sure there will be more modifications to the MS kit rigging plans as work progresses. While making all these changes, I couldn’t help but notice how wide open the space under the fore and main tops is. It seems that it will be easy, at this stage, to add the main lower yard and tie its truss and rig its jeers. Also, the bunt and leech line blocks are easily accessible. So I’m considering, at this point, making the main lower yard and then experimenting. None of the lines would be permanently tied off. And I will be able to remove anything if it turns out that my idea doesn’t work out and something is in the way. It should be interesting. If it all works out, I’ll add the fore yard (and probably the cross-jack yard) as well.

Congratulations! Your model looks like you can almost "taste" its completion. Shouldn't take much longer. It looks like an outstanding model. Be happy; be proud. Cheers.

Hey Mike. Nice, beautiful clean work. I wish I could do the same. Great model. See you Tuesday, hopefully. Cheers.

Thanks Russ. Thanks.

The fore shrouds were completed so I finally have all the lower shrouds on the ship. Again, there are no sheer poles as per Antcherl’s book. Catharpins were also added; and I used the same method of constructing them as on the main mast. It only took 7 tries this time to get four catharpins the same length. And, finally, the fore stays were installed. Following Antcherls’s book, my next task is to make and add the tops.

WOW! Thanks guys. I like all of these suggestions; and will try them out. Thanks again.

Tribarltron - I ordered this tool as well. I'll see which can handle the very small dowels I'm using. Thanks.

Thanks Prowe. This tool is cheap enough so I will try it out. My only concern is that I want to find the center of very small (1/32 or 1/16) dowels. Thanks also to Thibarltron. I will research this tool.