HM Bark Endeavour by dashi - Caldercraft - scale 1:64 - 1768-71 - bashed kit

[DaveRow]

Hi Dashi,

Good to see you've crept back into the build log. I've been away a lot and not done much to cross the finish line with my build.

Your build is coming along very nice I must say. Esp. the 4 small craft. Very impressive they all are.

 

 

[dashi]

Thanks Dave.

 

Update: Yards 

 

Here's some pics of the stages of making the yards up to painting. I've basically followed the method laid out by Steel https://www.hnsa.org/resources/manuals-documents/age-of-sail/the-elements-and-practice-of-rigging-and-seamanship/page-1/ while using the measurements given by Woolwich Dockyard 1771 http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/86385.html. As I don't have a lath I've just used the plane and sandpaper. It took a while to set the plane blade to the right depth so my first practice attempts were on cheap dowel until I got it right. First I planed the dowel square to the required width, then down to octagonal and finally divided each half into quarters and progressively shaved one layer off per each of the outer 3/4s , tapering to the ends leaving the middle quarters octagonal (see  pic). Then sanded the outer 3/4s to 16 sides and sanded to round. There maybe other methods which work better but I'm happy with the results.

 

After shaping I cut the battens from spare 3x.05 mm in the kit, trimmed to width and rounded the ends, then applied to the octagonals using white glue. When dry I carefully duck billed the ends using a craft knife with curved blade. (not mentioned in the kit)

 

For the the cleats, farrell's, rings and boom irons I used the kit supplied parts and referred to Steel for respective positioning and shaping. Then painted the first coat and gave a light 400 grit sanding before applying the second coat to give a relatively smooth finish.

 

Next will be fitting the horses and blocks etc to the yards.

 

Edit: I wasn't happy with the kit gaff jaws so carved out a replacement.

Edited November 14, 2018 by dashi
see edit added information

[dashi]

Stirrups and horses first attempt:

 

First set dry fitted on the main yard. The wire will be replaced by lashing at final fitting and the horse can be pulled through the thimbles on the stirrups then removed from the yard so I can make it's partner to the same length and the yard is clear when fitting its various blocks. The thimble on the end of the horse has been set with diluted white glue so it can be eased through the stirrup thimbles. At final fitting the stirrups and horses will be wetted and set using diluted white glue, the nails will be painted black and the stirrup lashings set and loose ends trimmed.

 

The horse thimble is made by forming a loop and whipping around a small brass rod then fixed with ca glue but not allowed to stick to the rod. The stirrups are made using a small jig so I can insert the nail through the weave exactly 3ft to scale from the thimble while the thimble is held held so its eye will be in line parallel to the yard and then the nail is carefully set in place with a little ca glue. I found by dampening the small spot where the nail penetrates the weave with a drop of diluted white glue helps it separate the weave in the middle of the stirrup cord.

 

I might add a photo of the jig a bit later but for now wanted to get this uploaded to check if it all looks ok?  

[DaveRow]

Yards coming along very fine Dashi.

 

[dashi]

Jeers: Please help me if I've got this wrong. Taking a Bark to be classified as a small ship and cross referencing Steel's discription of rigging the lower yard jeers with his tables of running rigging for a 400 to 450 ton ship appears to indicate the use of 3 x 20 inch single jeer blocks. 1 on the yard and 2 lashed to the head according to the following excerpt:

 

https://maritime.org/doc/steel/tables/pages/112-ShipOf22-20Guns.htm

 

https://archive.hnsa.org/doc/steel/part7.htm#pg201

 

Quote

JEARS, in merchant-ships, and small ships in the navy, have two single blocks lashed on each side the mast-head, as above, and another, the same size, in the middle of the yard. The tye, which connects with these blocks, reeves through one of the blocks at the mast-head, then through the block on the yard, and afterwards through the block on the other side the mast-head. In the lower ends of the tye is spliced a double-block, which is connected by its fall to a treble-block, that hooks to an eye-bolt in the deck, close to the mast, on each side. By this the power of the tackles below is communicated to the tye, which, connecting with the block upon the yard, easily sways it up, or lowers it down

This appears to be at odds with KM's AOTS and the kit which seem to rig the jeers for a large ship from 677 tons upwards according to the size and number of jeer blocks stated in the aforementioned tables along with Steel's discription of rigging the lower yards on large ships. 

 

Quote

JEARS, in large ships, are two large tackle. The hanging blocks at the mast-head are hove up close on each side, by the top-burton-tackles, and lashed. A broad elm cleat is nailed on each side the mast-head, above the blocks, as a stop for the lashing. Every turn of lashing is alternately passed through the strap of the block, and over the cleat on the opposite side, and the ends of the lashing are well stopt. The other two blocks are strapt with a double strap to the size of the yard, with a long and a short leg. They lash on each side of the middle or slings, within the cleats. The long leg of the strap goes down the aftside of the yard, and meets the bight of the short leg on the foreside, and lashes, every turn passing alternately through each bight, rose fashion. The blocks, at the mast-head and on the yard, are connected by their falls, which lead upon deck

 

https://maritime.org/doc/steel/tables/pages/082-ShipOf32Guns.htm

 

Am I reading this wrong and if so then please correct me?

 

Cheers dashi

Edited December 7, 2018 by dashi

[dashi]

(cheers Dave)

 

Another question regarding the driver or spanker boom which is not indicated in the Woolwich yard draught of 1771: (see edit below)

 

 http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/86385.html

 

However the driver boom washed overboard according to Cook's log entry of 16 Feb 1769 

Quote

Thursday, \6th.—The first part of this day had fresh Gales and
Cloudy ; in the night thick hazey weather with heavy squalls of wind and rain, which obliged us to close-reef our Topsails, in the morning and all thp forenoon had strong gales and cloudy weather, and very heavy Seas from the S.S.W., one of which broke upon the Quarter and carried away the Driver Boom. Wind N.W., W., and S. ; course N. 74° W. ; distance 97 m. ; lat. 48° o' S., long. 94° 25' W.

The driver/spanker boom is clearly evident in Samuel Atkins water colour of Endeavour off the coast of New Holland possibly painted in 1794.

 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135273911/view

 

Edit... Excerpt from D Steel 1794 which defines the proportions of a driver boom agrees with the driver boom depicted in Atkins water colour mentioned above. Also because it is the same length as the main topsail yard and diameter of the fore topsail yard then there might be no need to mention it on the Woolwich draught of 1771?

 

Quote

PROPORTIONAL LENGTHS OF BOOMS.

Lower studding-sail booms, 5/9 of the main-yard.
Top studding-sail booms, 1/2 the length of the yards they go on.
Flying jib boom, 5/7 of the bowsprit.
Driver boom, the same length as the main-topsail-yard.

PROPORTIONAL DIAMETERS OF BOOMS.

Studding-sail booms, one inch to every five feet in the length.
Flying jib booms, 7/8 of an inch to every yard in the length.
Driver boom, the same as the fore-topsail-yard.

PROPORTIONAL LENGTHS OF GAFFS.

Length of the gaffs, 5/8 of their respective booms.
Diameter of the gaffs, the same as their booms.

https://archive.hnsa.org/doc/steel/part1.htm#pg40

 

The AOTS seems to be at odds with the above evidence and indicates a different interpretation on p 113 which shows a separate sail as the driver hung from a small yard at the gaff peak after the mizen stay sail and stretched by short booms lashed to the rail at it's foot which KM interprets as the driver booms.

 

A later entry in the log when masts and a steering boom were lost Cook states they were easily replaced by others (spares).

Quote

Feb. 1770. Off Otago Middle Island, New Zealand. P 201

...carried away the Maintop Gallant Mast and Foretopmast Steering Sail Boom; but these were soon replaced by others.

So after reviewing the above evidence, should we assume the driver boom was replaced with a spare (simplest option), or the AOTS interpretation of a driver boom and mizzen course which are at odds with Steel's discription and Atkins painting?

 

Edited December 9, 2018 by dashi
Added information see Edit...

[BANYAN]

Hi Dashi, sorry I don't have sufficient knowledge in these things to provide a definitive response for you. 

 

However, your research results appear to be fairly categorical in the absence of the supporting evidence used by Marquardt for the AOTS.  There may, or may not, have been a good reason for his choices.  I would recommend an email to the Replica guys to see what they did and why also;that may assist in resolving your dilemma?  I must admit, I simply followed the AOTS.

 

I agree with your assumptions though that these smaller spars were relatively easy to replace with onboard spares with minimal shaping to adapt them for a specific purpose.  When used, a suitable blank spar timber replacement could have been sourced in many of the places he visited including NZ.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[dashi]

Thanks Pat. Looking into this further I think if the driver boom were lost and both a driver boom sail and mizzen course we're carried then swap the driver sail out with the mizzen course, in which case exhibiting either sail configuration with or without the driver boom as described by Steel wouldn't be at odds. So either a copper sheet to stop jaw chafing or iorn band with hook for a driver boom as Steel describes needs to be fitted to the mizen mast and possibly the driver boom stowed or fitted accordingly.

 

Cheers☺

 

 

[dashi]

Driver boom and gaff:

 

Have bashed the driver boom and dry rigged it and the gaff to ensure belay points and clear rope runs (lost count of how many attemts and corrections it took, dry assembling and taking down to redo).

 

I used the following resources as the basis of the construction of the driver boom and rigging: The Art of Rigging by D Steel 1806, The Elements and Practice of Rigging And Seamanship, 1794, by David Steel, and The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor by Darcy Lever 1835 which although later has some wonderful illustrations and discriptions; and of course the aforementioned painting by Atkins and log entry by Cook. It's worth noting that when using Steel I needed to cross reference his tables for the sizes of rope and blocks etc for each part as they can change relative to the ships tonnage.

 

It wasn't easy as there are several ways and combinations of rigging the mizen, each being correct given the situation whilst following certain criteria. For example you can rig a square cut mizen course without the driver boom, or with a driver boom to stretch the foot; the square cut course furled with the driver boom, and full driver sail temporarily rigged using halyards and a short yard at the gaff peak laced to the driver sail; the driver boom with driver sail laced to the gaff replacing the square mizen course completely (spanker?); and even a narrow temporary driver sail laced to a short yard at the gaff peak abaft of the square mizen course with a short footing boom going from the square mizen clue and projecting abaft over the tafferel as illustrated by Lever and which I think is what the AOTS mizen driver might be attempting or interpreting?

 

As to the different ways of running the rigging there were many and where possible I have followed Steel except for the run of the sheet and the luff tackle cats clawed to it which instead of hooking to the tafferel, is hooked into an eye bolt through the boom abaft the it's goose neck and opposite it's belay cleat on the boom because of the light on the tafferel. This illustrated by Lever and functions as an outhauler but without an inhauler. Also Lever states that if a driver boom be fitted the the gaff should traverse up and down the mast, but this appears to be contradicted in one of his illustrations. I've run the sheet from the luff tackle up through a sheave in the end of the boom and temporarily made fast around the boom forward of the inner cleat. 

 

There were 2 options for attaching the driver boom to the mast: with jaws and parrel like the  gaff resting on a timber abaft the mast around 6 to 7 ft off the deck or goose neck to an eye bolt banded around the mast which I've gone with 7 ft off the deck which clears everything with a slight upward angle. 

 

I discovered that the hooks are to long to fit the gutter eyebolts if they are fitted lengthwise, so I'm needing to twist each eyebolt 90 degs to the gutter or opject it might be close to.

 

Having said and done all that, this of course is just my amateurish interpretation and so there are numerous other ways as I've mentioned and most likely some I don't know about yet of rigging the mizen.

 

So much for a short discription but since this isn't described in the kit I wanted to share as much information I could.

 

cheers Dashi

 

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by dashi
Typos

[BANYAN]

Coming along very nicely Dashi, your research will pay big dividends.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited December 17, 2018 by BANYAN

[dashi]

Thanks Pat

 

Bowsprit: Time to take a closer look at my rigging and make corrections according to contemporary sources.

 

Moved the collars and sprityard sling cleat as they were too close in toward the bow and placed them in order as best to my interpretation of Steel. The new positions give a straighter line on the fore top stay and fore stay and a little more space for the spritsail. 

 

The size in Steels tables for the shroud hearts or dead eyes is 7 inch so 3mm which I think looks more to scale. So replaced the kit supplied 7mm hearts  to 3mm deadeyes as there seem to be plenty spare in the kit and according to Steel both hearts or dead eyes can be used here.

 

Doubled the bobstays inline with Steel and contemporary Navy regs, and replaced the bobstay hearts to 5mm dble and sing blocks with the falls made fast to timber heads as can be seen in the pics. This is according Lever who states in The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor:

 

Quote

"Ships which carry no Figure Head, such as Coasters, whose Cat-heads are in general very forward, have their Bobstays led through a hole in the Stem, like Fig 159. They have a double Block turned into the Collar (a): and a single one (b), is seized in the Bobstay. The reason why they have not Dead Eyes, is, because, when the Anchor is hove up, the Bobstay laying so near the Bows, the Stock is apt to get foul of them. They are therefore let go occasionally: and the Bights of the Bobstay are triced up to the Bowsprit, as in the Figure.

Boomkins: added 2 inch thimbles to the shrouds inline with Steel.

 

The brass forward of the slingcleat should be lead to protect the bowsprit from wear from the sprityard sling.

 

Cheers Dashi

 

PS. Forgot to mention at this scale to make thimbles I simply seize the cord around a rod of the size thimble I require and set it with ca glue and sometimes finish it with a little black paint. 

Edited December 21, 2018 by dashi
added more info

[DaveRow]

Hi Dashi,

I have caught up with your recent log entries, read through re: Driver Boom. I believe you are definitely onto something overlooked in AoTS.

I am of 2 minds to add a Driver Boom in now, at this late stage or ???

 

 

[dashi]

Thanks for the likes and for checking out the driver boom Dave. I must admit I was in 2 minds about installing the driver boom. What tipped my hand was that Endeavour did actually have one according to contemporary accounts, which to my limited knowledge I haven't seen fitted before so was curious and wanted to show it. As to the sail it carried there seems to be several options of which I'm yet to decide. 😀

[dashi]

Yards:

 

Here's a pic of all the yards complete with blocks and parrels showing the relationship to each other in their respective order from driver boom/left to top sprit yard/right. Since this pic I've increased the length of the brace pendants slightly using Steel's length formula for each yard which is a fraction of the given yard in feet then converted to fathoms. If 2 pendants then divide that number by two which allows enough length for strapping of the block and thimble around the yard. As per a previous post the jeer and tye blocks are according to Steel's description and tables for a ship of 400 to 450 tons. The topmast tye blocks should be 6 mm so have trimmed two doubles for the yard and ordered more along with more 3 mm blocks which I need to complete the build.

 

Parrels are of 4 different types according to Steel, changing in size respective to their yards, it seems there is some lee way especially regarding the top gallants which can either be truck and rib or rope. Because according to Seel's tables the size of the gallant parrels are so small at only 8 inch which translates at 1/64 scale to 3mm I decided to opt for rope parrels. I would have done the same for the top sprit yard but it seems they are farely insistent that this be truck and rib so have used the kit supplied parts even though they are slightly over sized as I couldn't find or make anything smaller. Because the mizen top yard is on a pole it seems to be treated much the same as a gallant so am in 2 minds as to the parrel type, the size should be 11 inch which at 1/64 scale = 4.5 mm, the kit ribs are 7 mm so for now have gone with a rope parrel in keeping with the gallants. 

 

Standing Rigging: I've re done the collars on the lower masts to bring it all inline with Steel as I did for the bowsprit. The fore mast shrouds, stays and futtoc staffs are fitted. The futtoc staff is made from .75 black cord put on the stretch and painted. These are then lashed below shrouds to where the catharpins will be lashed, the same distance below the top of the cross trees to the bottom of the cap. The futtoc staff does not extend to the fore most shroud due to it being abreast the mast and consequently not catherpinned. The fore most catharpin looks like it will chaff the mast and pull the shroud out of line so I might cross the first two catharpins so they clear the mast, however I can't find any reference to this being done!

 

Because I'm following the 'As fitted draft of 1768' Greenwich National Maritime Museum zaz7844, then the size and number of deadeyes on the channels differs from the kit and AOTS. The last two dead eyes on the fore and main channels I've reserved for the top mast back stays following Steels drawings; in the case of the fore mast my interpretation is: 2 pair of shrouds and one swifter per side; the main 3 pair of shrouds per side and the futtoc staff not extending to the aft most shroud as it has 4 catharpins and 6 shrouds. 

 

Hope this makes sense as it took a lot to nut out but once I got my eye in reading Steel's descriptions and tables then for the most part it started to make sense. I still might have overlooked or misinterpreted something for which I apologize in advance.

 

Cheers dashi

Edited January 14, 2019 by dashi
typos and missing information

[BANYAN]

You're making very good progress Dashi; those yards look good.  The boats look great nicely 'stowed' on deck and still leaves plenty of room to work around them.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[dashi]

Thanks for the likes and thanks Pat, yes just enough room to fire those guns and slide the boat skids in and out I think.

 

Lower standing rigging: Shrouds, stays and futtoc staffs all fitted. Since I'm following the rigging tables from Steel 1794 I've had to deviate from the kit for the Mizen. The kits Mizen shrouds were 0.75 mm which at 1/64 scale would be just under 6 inches and the stay the same. According to Steel the shrouds are 4.5 inches @ 1/64 = 0.56 mm and the stay 5.5 inches so as per the kit. This correction also applies to the fore and main top mast shrouds and consequently reduces the gallant and mizen top mast shrouds from the kit which uses 0.70 mm for the mizen and 0.5mm for the gallants. According to Steel the gallant shrouds are 2.5 inch and the mizen top mast shrouds 3 inch, so down to approx 0.35 mm cord from the kits 0.5 mm cord. I bought a roll of caldercraft 0.25 black cord for the job as non is supplied in the kit, and which under magnifying glass looks to be more like 0.35 mm so should be good and look more to scale.

 

So here's some pics of where I'm at, as can be seen the mizen shrouds are well clear of the rail and swivel gun. At this stage Steel says to do the ratlings, but I don't want to limit my tweezer access to the deck so might leave those for later. I might carry on with with the fore and main jeer block pendants, catharpins, tops, futtoc shrouds and any other collars or blocks I need to fit to the lower heads, then rig the top masts (subject to change). Also I might change out the buoy cord on the anchors since I now have more caldercraft cord as what I've used doesn't look right.

 

Cheers dashi

[DaveRow]

Great work there Dashi.

The rate your going, you'll catch up to me before I finish ?

 

[RGL]

I remember all this now! Looks fantastic 

[Thunder]

Hi, just catching up with this build and got so far to page 4. Never have I read such an exceptional build from both the builder point of view and for all the support and discussions. This is an example of how this website works at its best. I had this kit brought me for Christmas and this topic could not be better, even it was a practicum, due to the discussion and research involved.

[dashi]

Thanks for the likes and kind comments. For me it's very much 2 steps forward and 1 step backward because not only am I making more mistakes (like accidentally cutting my main stay in half... eyes not so good some days) It's a very steep learning curve for me also as I'm slowly getting familiar with Steel and Lever and having to re do a lot of my earlier work.

 

So Dave I think you might cross the finish before me and Thunder that's very kind of you, but please don't take what I've done or written to be correct as I may have mistakenly misinterpreted, or overlooked something.

 

Currently I'm redoing the blocks that hang under the tops inline with the replica top photo Dave provided on his build log, which accords with Steel's discriptions. And whilst looking at the replica and Victory tops noticed I had the stays wrong around the head's so a simple fix to correct.

 

I'll post some pics soon I hope. Cheers dashi

Edited January 25, 2019 by dashi
Typos

[SIDEWAYS SAM]

Hi Dashi,

My current build is HMS Bounty at 1:48 scale so I am using your post for inspiration.

I would have trouble getting anywhere near your results at 1:64 scale.

Please keep the photo's coming.

 

Regards,

Sam

[dashi]

Thanks for the likes, and thanks Sam, do you have a build log for your Bounty?

 

Updates: Jeer blocks and Corrections.

 

Jeer blocks: Here are the photos showing the re run of the stays around the head [as stated in previous post] along with the first jeer block lashed to the head. The strapping for the jeer block according to Steel is 5" so used 0.75 black thread doubled and made it's length 1 fathom [6ft] so the blocks sit at a nice height below the stays and above the yard. The lashing around the mast is 3" and 28 fathoms long or 14 fathoms per side until it's used up and well stopped, so used 0.25 caldercraft black cord which wasn't supplied in the kit. I basically clamped the jeer block in position with the strapping eye touch the base of the jeer cleat and held the lashing in place above the opposite cleat with my finger as I passed the cord around keeping it pulled firm and even. I will fix it all in place with diluted white glue when done.

 

Corrections: A major oversight of mine early on was to have the main stay collar too close in to the fore bits which resulted in the preventer stay collar around the fore mast being below the height of the stowed boats which would fowl the mid/main stay sail if used. So moved the main stay collar up the bowsprit to give enough clearance for the preventor stay and mid stay sail. Where the main stay passes the fore mast was exactly on the preventor collar cleat so filed an angle groove for the stay to rest in. Fortunately I used white glue for the collar cleats so used water to soften the glue and cleanly removed them from the mast for repositioning.

 

Main and fore shrouds: Before adding the jeer blocks I thought it best to review my lower rigging as I don't want to be removing them. I wasn't comfortable with the first top mast standing back stay on a large dead eye and the after standing back stay on a small dead eye on the channels, when they are both the same size rope. It seems more likely with the dead eye configuration that there was only one pair of standing back stays for the top masts on the small dead eye at the aft end of the channel, because in addition to these on the topmasts there are the breast back stay and shifting or 'weather back stay' as Cook refers to it, which still leaves 3 pair of top mast back stays. Endeavour did have problems with the top mast back stays. The sheer plan of the 'Wasp 1812 in the National Maritime Museum' http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/84386.html which is close in size to Endeavour, seems to bear this configuration out with one pair of standing back stays for the topmasts and two pair of standing back stays to thimbles for the top gallant masts [which I will do]. So have added the extra shrouds to the fore and main masts on the large deadeyes as can be seen. 

 

Cheers dashi

[DaveRow]

Hi Dashi,

Nice work mate. Check and doublecheck.

Lots of steps to consider eh!

Just the beginning, to where I was, what seems a long time ago.

 

 

[BANYAN]

Nice work indeed.  Looking forward to seeing her as she progresses through the rigging fitout.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[dashi]

Thanks for the likes and comments.

 

Update: Standing rigging completed and now onto fitting the yards.

 

To keep the ratlines level and even I used 5mm graph paper which I pegged and leveled to the shrouds. 5mm works out to about the 13inch gap required. Also I interpreted Steel as having the upper and lower 6 ratlines only tied to the shrouds that are futtocked (the futtock staves being only across the lower shrouds for the above futtock shrouds) then the ratlines are tied to all the shrouds in between.

Edited June 6, 2019 by dashi
typo

[BANYAN]

Some nice progress there Dashi, just catching up after a month away - wil have a closer look later.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[DaveRow]

Dashi. Coming along very nice.

[dashi]

Thanks for the likes and looking in, and Pat and Dave for your comments.

 

Sprit yard and top sprit yards rigged (except sail rigging) as per my interpretation of Steel 1794.

 

Fore and Main lower yard tyes and truss pendants rigged as per my interpretation of Steel 1794.

[Cabbie]

Morning Dash

Catching up your Endeavour she is looking very grand indeed. There seems to be a huge amount of rigging

on her, looks to be almost more work than the rest of the build. But finished off she will look the real ship.

I will be coming back here to learn what to do when i get on to mine again.

Which just got put back because I bought a new kit☺️😏.

Cheers Chris

[DaveRow]

More ropes & blocks and more ropes & blocks. Getting very busy Dashi and looking great.