KevinR

In order for me to understand better the rigging practices for cutters of the 18th Century, I wrote to the National Maritime Museum asking if I could see some of the cutter models they have in storage, now that they no longer have a model display at the Museum in Greenwich.
 
Nick Ball, the Assistant Curator of Ship Models, wrote back very quickly saying that I would be welcome to visit and could see all of the models I had requested which are now stored at the Royal Historic Dockyard in Chatham -- except for one which was stored in another location less accessible to the occasional visitor.
 
He, together with Dave Lindridge the Store Manager, gave me a very generous amount of time to look at and photograph the models that they had taken out for inspection – during which they provided a lively discussion about their jobs and the models they were showing. In fact Nick said he was pleased to show visitors the models because it gave him more of an opportunity to review models in their vast collection.
 
I asked Nick about permission to post my pictures and he told me it was fine as long as I made it clear the pictures were from the NMM collection. He also asked to be provided to the links of the photos as he himself (as a trained naval archaeologist) was very keen on the details and would enjoy any discussion that ensued.
 
I will post the photos of the individual models under different messages, this post deals only with the first of the models.
 
I just need to add that I am enormously grateful to Nick and Dave for their patience and generosity with their time for this visit, which for me was invaluable.
 
1763 cutter NMM ID SLR0510
 
First off is their cutter referenced in the NMM as Object ID SLR0510. It is described there as “a full hull model of a cutter (circa 1763) Scale: 1:48. The vessel measures 53 feet on the main deck by 20 feet in the beam and is armed with twelve 3-pounders. The model was donated unfinished and was completed in the Museum in 1960”.
 

 
For me there were four main points of interest, apart from the fact that it is dated the same year as my Sherbourne.
 
The first is that the fore belaying pins are arranged fore-aft beside the bowsprit. Gregor, Dirk, Kester and I have been trying to figure out how the belaying pins would be set given that the kit of the Sherbourne provides no plans for such a belaying rack. Each of us have provided our own particular possibility – with Dirk going for an arrangement such as that on the AOTS book of the Alert, and Gregor going for a rack right on the stem. I had made a rack that was parallel to the windlass.
 
However, now I have seen the arrangement on the NMM cutter SLR0510, and, as you will see, the 12-gun cutter I saw had the same arrangement, I have changed my own rack accordingly.
 

 

 
The second is that the topmast is fore of the main mast. I had understood that earlier in the century the practice was to place the topmast aft of the main mast. In fact the cutter Hawke (which I also saw at Chatham and whose pictures follow in a subsequent post) was the only one of these models to place the topmast aft of the main mast.
 

 

 
The third point of interest was the windlass. The original NMM plans for the Sherbourne showed this type of windlass, and Gregor has already made one in the same style, and I followed his example – rather than following the type of windlass provided for in the Sherbourne kit.
 

 

 
The fourth point of interest is that, like the Trial that you'll see in a subsequent post, the lower hull is painted up to the wales, and not to a waterline.
 

 
The following were the other pictures I took of the1763 cutter, all of which will have details which will be picked up by those more knowledgeable than I am!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Tony

Both sides attached (not pretty though) and off the jig.
 
 

 
After some clean up, it's not horrible but I did use quite a lot of CA to get everything anchored down. Probably too much in hind sight but I did try to keep it to areas that won't be visible on the completed model.
 
 

 
For example, as I mentioned in a previous post, I added thick CA fillets on the inside of the fore and aft bulkheads for strength. These will be covered by the deck pieces.

Hi Everyone,
I am sorry to keep everyone waiting on an update. I really appreciate all of the comments and advise over past couple of months.
 
Lawrence and Patrick, Thank you for checking up on me and not giving up. All is well I just have run into some issues as I will describe below.
 
Allen, Thank you for your offer. I would love to take that piece of wood and turn it into a model of a skipjack, unfortunately I do not have the proper tools to mill my own lumber at this time. Maybe on a future project. Do you know which skipjack the piece is from?
 
As you may remember, I ran into a problem with the hull shape. When I was building the hull, I made sure that the chin log was correctly shaped, but I just assumed that when I added the side strakes they would follow the chin log with the correct shape. That is not the case. The port side strakes are not flared out as much as the starboard strakes. The difference in dimensions is that the bow area is 6 (scale) inches wider on the starboard side. 6 inches would be hard to hide in the deck planking, but I thought I could joggle a couple planks and hide it with the forward cabin. When I started framing the hold hatch, I realized that the discrepancy  ran all the way back to the midship area. At this point I decided that I would never be happy with how my skipjack would look. I am not ready to through in the towel just yet though. I have learned a lot in the past 10 months, and plan to use what I have learned and start a new scratch build.
 
This time I will be working from a set of plans. I will also be using forms (just like the Willie Bennett kit) to ensure the correct shape of the hull.  I thought about building the Kathyrn or the E.C. Collier, since I already have their plans. The Kathyrn is fore and aft planked and is a framed hull. I would have had to loft the frames and I decided that I was not ready for that just yet. The E.C. Collier I got as for as cutting the keelson and decided that there was just to much uncertainty in the plans.  When the Collier was surveyed, she was suffering from some severe hogging and had spent a lifetime of hard work and make-do repairs. As the notes on the plans stated there was nothing square on the whole boat. I felt that to do it justice I would need to get more information on the E.C. Collier and with the boat still existing there would be no end of the research to get it correct.
 
So what other plans were available? I have Howard Chapelle's "Notes on Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks" which has some additional plans and information.  (Great book and can be ordered from the publisher here http://www.tillerbooks.com/Notes_on_Chesapeake_Bay_Skipjacks.php.)
 
I first selected the Hand Dredger Louise. The Louise was only 32' and I wanted something a little larger.

 
There were a couple of Three Sail Bateaus that caught my eye, but I had started on building a Two Sail Bateau and figured I needed to stay with that.
 
So I finally settled on the Skipjack Albatross. Albatross also has a Counter-Stern which adds a twist to the build. There is limited information on the Albatross. In some ways this is great. What is not in the plans and notes I will just have to make do and do my best. There is less wondering about whether I did it correctly since there is no surviving boat to compare it to.
 

Length bet. perps....44'-2"
Beam .....................15'-10"
Draft........................2'-9"
 
What made me choose the Albatross was that there are two versions. The As she was built (1899) and the after being modified for gas powered winders and push boat (1911~). I was looking forward to building the gas powered winders and the push boat, but she looks so much cleaner as she was built. I also like the more historical aspect of the as built plan.  I have chosen to build the As Built version of the albatross.
 
I ordered the plans for Albatross and Louise from the Smithsonian Institute and currently waiting for the delivery. Once they arrive I will be closing this build log and starting a new one.
 
 

Hi Everyone,
I am sorry to keep everyone waiting on an update. I really appreciate all of the comments and advise over past couple of months.
 
Lawrence and Patrick, Thank you for checking up on me and not giving up. All is well I just have run into some issues as I will describe below.
 
Allen, Thank you for your offer. I would love to take that piece of wood and turn it into a model of a skipjack, unfortunately I do not have the proper tools to mill my own lumber at this time. Maybe on a future project. Do you know which skipjack the piece is from?
 
As you may remember, I ran into a problem with the hull shape. When I was building the hull, I made sure that the chin log was correctly shaped, but I just assumed that when I added the side strakes they would follow the chin log with the correct shape. That is not the case. The port side strakes are not flared out as much as the starboard strakes. The difference in dimensions is that the bow area is 6 (scale) inches wider on the starboard side. 6 inches would be hard to hide in the deck planking, but I thought I could joggle a couple planks and hide it with the forward cabin. When I started framing the hold hatch, I realized that the discrepancy  ran all the way back to the midship area. At this point I decided that I would never be happy with how my skipjack would look. I am not ready to through in the towel just yet though. I have learned a lot in the past 10 months, and plan to use what I have learned and start a new scratch build.
 
This time I will be working from a set of plans. I will also be using forms (just like the Willie Bennett kit) to ensure the correct shape of the hull.  I thought about building the Kathyrn or the E.C. Collier, since I already have their plans. The Kathyrn is fore and aft planked and is a framed hull. I would have had to loft the frames and I decided that I was not ready for that just yet. The E.C. Collier I got as for as cutting the keelson and decided that there was just to much uncertainty in the plans.  When the Collier was surveyed, she was suffering from some severe hogging and had spent a lifetime of hard work and make-do repairs. As the notes on the plans stated there was nothing square on the whole boat. I felt that to do it justice I would need to get more information on the E.C. Collier and with the boat still existing there would be no end of the research to get it correct.
 
So what other plans were available? I have Howard Chapelle's "Notes on Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks" which has some additional plans and information.  (Great book and can be ordered from the publisher here http://www.tillerbooks.com/Notes_on_Chesapeake_Bay_Skipjacks.php.)
 
I first selected the Hand Dredger Louise. The Louise was only 32' and I wanted something a little larger.

 
There were a couple of Three Sail Bateaus that caught my eye, but I had started on building a Two Sail Bateau and figured I needed to stay with that.
 
So I finally settled on the Skipjack Albatross. Albatross also has a Counter-Stern which adds a twist to the build. There is limited information on the Albatross. In some ways this is great. What is not in the plans and notes I will just have to make do and do my best. There is less wondering about whether I did it correctly since there is no surviving boat to compare it to.
 

Length bet. perps....44'-2"
Beam .....................15'-10"
Draft........................2'-9"
 
What made me choose the Albatross was that there are two versions. The As she was built (1899) and the after being modified for gas powered winders and push boat (1911~). I was looking forward to building the gas powered winders and the push boat, but she looks so much cleaner as she was built. I also like the more historical aspect of the as built plan.  I have chosen to build the As Built version of the albatross.
 
I ordered the plans for Albatross and Louise from the Smithsonian Institute and currently waiting for the delivery. Once they arrive I will be closing this build log and starting a new one.
 
 

About the choice of the bottle…
So, though to the end of construction there is a lot of time, but it is already necessary to make a final choice of a bottle for model. I consider 6 bottles which I can use for this model.
The bottle 4 is still filled with vodka therefore I exclude it from the list)).
The sizes of a bottle 2 leave not enough space for a support.
Bottle 5 … It seems to me that the form of this bottle more is suitable for model of the old sailing ship.
Bottle 1 … I have some ideas about a stopper of this bottle, but I am still not ready to carry out them.
So, there are only 2 bottles for a choice…
They are pleasant to me both, but the bottle 3 is verticall, and the bottle 6 is horizontal.
Besides, I am going to use the bottle 6 for one of my next projects – schooners SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL.
So, the choice is almost made))
 
Bottle 1
 
Bottle 2
 
Bottle 3
 
Bottle 4
 
Bottle 5
 
Bottle 6

I tried to make one of boats for the Atlantic, but it turned out 4-5 mm longer, than it is necessary for me ((:

Hi all,
Many thanks for likes and words of approval!
Now I continue to build my model of Atlantic, but who can know that will be further... Maybe one more interesting small bottle will fall into hands to me )))
I don't know perhaps to make it even less or not. I think that the main problem not how to make the small boat. It is possible to make the boat for example 10 or 5 mm long, but it will demand absolutely small bottle and absolutely small diameter of a throat of a bottle. And in it I see the main problem.
 
Best Regards!
Igor.

On the internet I found this picture of Igor, boat in hand, very elegant boat in bottle

Now it is completed

I still can return everything back in this moment

 
Now I can't return it back

 
Now it is necessary to make a stopper

Hi Bob,
Yes and it seems the volume of this bottle of 5 ml.
 
Tests:
 
Best Regards!
Igor.

The little boat for yacht:

Building of Atlantic keeps its course.
I decided a little to distract and try to make something of small and simple.This yacht has no name and I drew the easy drawing.
Here that I managed to make today:
 
 
Beat Regards!
Igor.

Hi Everyone,
I am sorry to keep everyone waiting on an update. I really appreciate all of the comments and advise over past couple of months.
 
Lawrence and Patrick, Thank you for checking up on me and not giving up. All is well I just have run into some issues as I will describe below.
 
Allen, Thank you for your offer. I would love to take that piece of wood and turn it into a model of a skipjack, unfortunately I do not have the proper tools to mill my own lumber at this time. Maybe on a future project. Do you know which skipjack the piece is from?
 
As you may remember, I ran into a problem with the hull shape. When I was building the hull, I made sure that the chin log was correctly shaped, but I just assumed that when I added the side strakes they would follow the chin log with the correct shape. That is not the case. The port side strakes are not flared out as much as the starboard strakes. The difference in dimensions is that the bow area is 6 (scale) inches wider on the starboard side. 6 inches would be hard to hide in the deck planking, but I thought I could joggle a couple planks and hide it with the forward cabin. When I started framing the hold hatch, I realized that the discrepancy  ran all the way back to the midship area. At this point I decided that I would never be happy with how my skipjack would look. I am not ready to through in the towel just yet though. I have learned a lot in the past 10 months, and plan to use what I have learned and start a new scratch build.
 
This time I will be working from a set of plans. I will also be using forms (just like the Willie Bennett kit) to ensure the correct shape of the hull.  I thought about building the Kathyrn or the E.C. Collier, since I already have their plans. The Kathyrn is fore and aft planked and is a framed hull. I would have had to loft the frames and I decided that I was not ready for that just yet. The E.C. Collier I got as for as cutting the keelson and decided that there was just to much uncertainty in the plans.  When the Collier was surveyed, she was suffering from some severe hogging and had spent a lifetime of hard work and make-do repairs. As the notes on the plans stated there was nothing square on the whole boat. I felt that to do it justice I would need to get more information on the E.C. Collier and with the boat still existing there would be no end of the research to get it correct.
 
So what other plans were available? I have Howard Chapelle's "Notes on Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks" which has some additional plans and information.  (Great book and can be ordered from the publisher here http://www.tillerbooks.com/Notes_on_Chesapeake_Bay_Skipjacks.php.)
 
I first selected the Hand Dredger Louise. The Louise was only 32' and I wanted something a little larger.

 
There were a couple of Three Sail Bateaus that caught my eye, but I had started on building a Two Sail Bateau and figured I needed to stay with that.
 
So I finally settled on the Skipjack Albatross. Albatross also has a Counter-Stern which adds a twist to the build. There is limited information on the Albatross. In some ways this is great. What is not in the plans and notes I will just have to make do and do my best. There is less wondering about whether I did it correctly since there is no surviving boat to compare it to.
 

Length bet. perps....44'-2"
Beam .....................15'-10"
Draft........................2'-9"
 
What made me choose the Albatross was that there are two versions. The As she was built (1899) and the after being modified for gas powered winders and push boat (1911~). I was looking forward to building the gas powered winders and the push boat, but she looks so much cleaner as she was built. I also like the more historical aspect of the as built plan.  I have chosen to build the As Built version of the albatross.
 
I ordered the plans for Albatross and Louise from the Smithsonian Institute and currently waiting for the delivery. Once they arrive I will be closing this build log and starting a new one.
 
 

I have been focused on the stern framing this week. Rather than box it in solidly I wanted to frame it like it might have been done. Since none of this actually survived on the wreck, this framing is conjecture. We know there were no cant frames in the stern so everything aft of the fashion frame are counter timbers. There are two gun ports out the stern which need framing.
I first worked up a method for framing which was straight forward. Given the speed which this ship was built, they did not go for complexity when simplicity would do. 

The first task was to design the sternmost deck beam. This beam is notched into both the fashion frame and the outermost counter timbers. I cut this with the camber the deck would have and used the top of this as the guide for mounting it to the ship. The inboard profile provided the height this beam should have on the centerline. Once this was established it was a simple process to use the gantry frame to align the beam and clamp it in place for glue up.

I started lofting the counter timbers using the inboard profile. Then once I had that I cut two counter timbers to mount either side of the sternpost deadwood. These provided the planes needed to cut the other timbers. Since the stern of the ship is flat I had to maintain the angle of the counter timbers above the main deck beam. Below the beam the angle would change allowing the timber to meet the fashion frame.

I notched each of these for the beam. This provided the two points the timbers were attached to the hull. They were also attached to each other with carlings which stiffened them and framed in the gun ports. I planned on having four sets of counter timbers. I waited to cut the last set until the other sets were installed on the stern since the outer timbers were rather complex angles and would require extensive shaping to the hull.

Below are the first three sets of counter timbers. Notice the upper arms of each are the same. The angles change at the notch allowing them to hit the frame.
 

 
I found the easiest method for installing the timbers was to use a spring clip to attach a flat beam across the upper stern. This gave me a third point for the timber to be clipped to when installing. The brass bar clamps recommended by Wayne have come in very handy here!
 

 
The carlings were all glued in then sanded down to the ship's stern planes once the glue was dry.
Lastly, I trimmed the ends of the deck beam and prepared the outer counter timbers. These were notched to fit over the end of the deck beam. I left these to dry over night.

In preparation for trimming the counter timbers, I printed out the stern elevation. I also made note of the height of the center below the handrail.
 
With the stern elevation and the height of the timber tops on centerline it was a snap to set the gantry at the appropriate height and mark the tops of the two center timbers. Then I carefully placed a cut out of the stern elevation across the timbers using the centerline and the top line as the guides.

 
By placing the top of the cutout on my previous marks, then aligning the bottom with the center of the keel, I traced the outline on the other timbers. Then it was a matter of cutting and sanding the stern to the profile.
Once this was done, I did some final cleanup of the glue squeeze outs, then drilled the holes for the pinning and glued the brass into them with heavy CA. I trimmed these off and sanded smooth. I did one final faring of the stern with the frames then wiped the entire assembly with mineral oil to remove all dust. I touched up the keel assembly with stain where needed.

Now I will move forward with the remaining half frames.

Here are photos of the stern as it sits in the gantry.
 
 
 

Hi Everyone,
I am sorry to keep everyone waiting on an update. I really appreciate all of the comments and advise over past couple of months.
 
Lawrence and Patrick, Thank you for checking up on me and not giving up. All is well I just have run into some issues as I will describe below.
 
Allen, Thank you for your offer. I would love to take that piece of wood and turn it into a model of a skipjack, unfortunately I do not have the proper tools to mill my own lumber at this time. Maybe on a future project. Do you know which skipjack the piece is from?
 
As you may remember, I ran into a problem with the hull shape. When I was building the hull, I made sure that the chin log was correctly shaped, but I just assumed that when I added the side strakes they would follow the chin log with the correct shape. That is not the case. The port side strakes are not flared out as much as the starboard strakes. The difference in dimensions is that the bow area is 6 (scale) inches wider on the starboard side. 6 inches would be hard to hide in the deck planking, but I thought I could joggle a couple planks and hide it with the forward cabin. When I started framing the hold hatch, I realized that the discrepancy  ran all the way back to the midship area. At this point I decided that I would never be happy with how my skipjack would look. I am not ready to through in the towel just yet though. I have learned a lot in the past 10 months, and plan to use what I have learned and start a new scratch build.
 
This time I will be working from a set of plans. I will also be using forms (just like the Willie Bennett kit) to ensure the correct shape of the hull.  I thought about building the Kathyrn or the E.C. Collier, since I already have their plans. The Kathyrn is fore and aft planked and is a framed hull. I would have had to loft the frames and I decided that I was not ready for that just yet. The E.C. Collier I got as for as cutting the keelson and decided that there was just to much uncertainty in the plans.  When the Collier was surveyed, she was suffering from some severe hogging and had spent a lifetime of hard work and make-do repairs. As the notes on the plans stated there was nothing square on the whole boat. I felt that to do it justice I would need to get more information on the E.C. Collier and with the boat still existing there would be no end of the research to get it correct.
 
So what other plans were available? I have Howard Chapelle's "Notes on Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks" which has some additional plans and information.  (Great book and can be ordered from the publisher here http://www.tillerbooks.com/Notes_on_Chesapeake_Bay_Skipjacks.php.)
 
I first selected the Hand Dredger Louise. The Louise was only 32' and I wanted something a little larger.

 
There were a couple of Three Sail Bateaus that caught my eye, but I had started on building a Two Sail Bateau and figured I needed to stay with that.
 
So I finally settled on the Skipjack Albatross. Albatross also has a Counter-Stern which adds a twist to the build. There is limited information on the Albatross. In some ways this is great. What is not in the plans and notes I will just have to make do and do my best. There is less wondering about whether I did it correctly since there is no surviving boat to compare it to.
 

Length bet. perps....44'-2"
Beam .....................15'-10"
Draft........................2'-9"
 
What made me choose the Albatross was that there are two versions. The As she was built (1899) and the after being modified for gas powered winders and push boat (1911~). I was looking forward to building the gas powered winders and the push boat, but she looks so much cleaner as she was built. I also like the more historical aspect of the as built plan.  I have chosen to build the As Built version of the albatross.
 
I ordered the plans for Albatross and Louise from the Smithsonian Institute and currently waiting for the delivery. Once they arrive I will be closing this build log and starting a new one.
 
 

Hi Kevin
 
I, too, have also been patiently hanging out to see where you're at.
 
Hope all's well.
 
See you when you're next ready for an update.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

The Albatross Looks like a fine boat.  I'll be waiting to see it built.
 
Bob

Patrick,
Thank you for stopping by and for your kind works. This being my first scratch build I am happy with how the planking has turned out. But the pictures do not show everything, there are gaps at the edges and some of the planks did not lay as flat as they should. The plank thicknesses are not uniform, so I have had to soften the edges of some with a chisel blade or else they would be trip hazard.
 
I am also working at 1:24 scale, not the small scale you work at. Patrick, your planking on that scale is amazing. 1:24 scale has some advantages. I believe the gaps are not as obvious as they are in smaller scales. The drawback I am finding, is that a lot of the detail that can be omitted at the smaller scale, would be noticed if missing at 1:24 scale. When I started I figured I could get this done in about a year. I have been working on this for 7 months (I did take 2 months off over the summer, so say 5 months actual working). I think I will be doing good to have started the deck planking when 1 year rolls around.
 
I am trying to plan out long term, so I will not have to rush to get supplies when I need them. There are several items that will need to scratch built.
Windlass Stove Coffee Pot ( You can't go to sea without Coffee) Winder (Dredging Winch) Dredge Rollers Oyster Dredge Dredge A-Frame Steering Mechanism 2 Lanterns Running Lights I have been on the look out for Items that would be useful in building those parts. I believe my best find was some decorative gears at the local Michaels Craft Store. I have picked up 2 sizes of wooden barrels, fish hooks with straight shanks and some assorted brass.

Hopefully I can use some of the gears in the winder and the windlass.

Hi everyone, especially Piet, Bob and Igor and everyone else that 'Liked' Rainbow's progress so far.
 
Well, tonight a major milestone has been reached!  Earlier today I went to the local Art Supplies store.  I showed them all the info and advice that I received from Igor, Leo-zd, Row, Piet, Dennis, Michael, etc about the coloured pencils.  They agreed that the 6H graphite pencil was indeed the best to use for the lines and the 2B graphite was best for the shading.  I was glad and promptly bought the pencils.  I also bought some drafting film to draw the templates for the sails.
 
A short while ago, using the graphite pencils, I drew the templates of the sails onto the drafting film.  The results are shown in the photos.  Doesn't look too bad, I must admit.  
 
I'm still eagerly awaiting Igor's packing film, but in the meantime, at least I've got the temporary templates done.  I'll still experiment with Leo-zd's and Dennis' methods in the meantime. 
 
Anyhow, here're the photos of the temporary templates.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick
 
 

Kevin
 
It is probably a bit late, but I have a pretty nice piece of keel from one of the skipjacks that was rebuilt at St. Michaels about 10 years ago or so.  If you or anyone else interested would like a chunk to cut up for pieces of a future "Jack"  model, PM me.  
 
Allan

Hi everyone and thanks especially for all your Advice, Likes and compliments.
 
I've progressed a little bit on the rigging (my favourite bit...not!!). The latest photos are provided below. Admittedly, the rigging looks really messy at the moment because it's all pretty much temporary. Still lots of work to go.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

I have completed the planking on the Skipjack this evening.





I still have a lot of sanding to smooth out the planks and shape the blocks at the bow. The planks were purchased from National Balsa. The dimensions of the bass wood strips are not consistent and leave a lot to be desired. You get what you pay for.
 

I purchased the Model Shipway Roger B. Taney kit that I found on Ebay. The price was to good to pass up. I was more interested in the plans than in the kit itself. I have included some pictures of the kit content if anyone is interested.


Lots of tiny parts. Metal belaying pins, wood blocks. The deadeys are either metal or a hard plastic.

Anyone have an idea of what type of wood the hull is?


One discrepancy I noticed is the steering. According to Chepelle, Morris Class Revenue Cutters (Roger Taney was of the this class) were the first government vessels fitted with geared steering wheels. He gives a pretty good description in "The History of the American Sailing Navy".

The scale is 1' = 5/32". If I did my math correctly that is 1:77.
The second descrepency is the length is listed as 73' 4". This tells me the plans are not for the Cutter Roger B. Taney. The plans are for either the Cutters Morris, Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gallatin or the Andrew Jackson.  The Cutter Roger Taney was based off of the plans for the Cutter Morris, but was 74' 6" in length.

The instructions are all of 4 pages.

 
Over all I believe the kit would create a nice model. There are some inaccurate details. The Cutter Roger Taney was based off of the Cutter Morris, but it was 1' 2" longer. At this scale it would be hard to tell the difference. The steering is the big issue. In "The History of the American Sailing Navy" Chapelle describes the geared steering mechanism yet in his plans "Inboard arrangement for Morris and class", he shows the barrel type steering.
 
So which type of steering did the Revenue Cutter Roger B. Taney have?
 
If anyone has any opinions, insight, more or better information please chime in.
 
Till next time, see Ya!

Deck planking complete
 
Well after some diversions and much procrastination, I have finally finished the new deck planking. I spent way too much time in the last few months thinking about my next project.
 

 
Overall I'm please with the result and I'm NOT going to redo it just because I can see some imperfections  .
 
I have some deck fittings and fixtures to complete and then I can get onto rigging (scary for me).
 
Onward and upward!
 
Richard.