USRC Ranger 1819 by Cathead – FINISHED – Corel – Scale 1:64

[Cathead]

Yes, Carl, you're right; I bought the kit with the full intention of making do with what it contained, and learning what that was like. I think it's been a good experience teaching me more about different wood types and quality, which can only be learned by experience, really.

[Cathead]

I have been working on the deck fittings.Below, you see the deck with all holes drilled for the metal fittings (rings, bits, etc.):

 

 

And here you see most of the fittings test-placed (unglued) to get a sense of the deck's layout. Many of these will have small blocks; I'm trying to decide whether I should tie those in before gluing down the fittings, or afterward.

 

 

Another source of annoyance in this kit: these metal fittings have "pins" meant to fit into the deck holes, but many of them are too thick or long. For example, the stanchions which will hold safety lines have pins nearly the width of the rails, as shown in the blurry photo below. I've drilled smaller pilots holes, but am reluctant to drill any wider for fear of splitting the rail. So I may have to file down all these tiny parts to fit proper holes.

 

 

I've also had this problem with the plates and other hull fittings; their pins are so long that holes drilled in the rails would go right through. As it is, I've been desperately careful drilling pilot holes sideways through these rails without poking through. So I've been spending lots of time filing down the pins on these fittings to be narrower and pointier so I can drive them into the wood and have them hold more securely.

 

It's been very fiddly work but I think it'll come out ok. As this is the first rigged ship I've ever attempted, I don't know if this kind of thing or normal, or unique to the Corel kit. 

 

Are there any thoughts on whether to pre-rig blocks to the rings, or do it after gluing the rings in? Anything else I should be considering at this stage?

[cog]

It depends on the accessability of the rings. If you can do it afterwards, I would go for that option for the blocks won't bother you while mounting the rings. If it is very difficult to attach the blocks after gluing the rings, I would try mounting them beforehand

 

When drilling through the rail, it just depends on the visibility of the underside. If it is merely a question of the pins protruding underneath, cut the pins to the required length ... I cannot imagine  the opening in the underside of the rail to be visible ...

 

It is after all a model, so you've got some leeway with these things

Edited November 6, 2016 by cog

[Cathead]

I've been working on rigging the first blocks to the deck fittings; I decided it would be better overall to do this before installing the rings. It's been easy to hold each ring in a clamp, tie the block on & glue it in place, then insert the ring into the deck. This way if I make a mistake it isn't already attached to the model. Below are the first six block/ring assemblies in place around the foremast's hole. These will be in tension vertically once rigged, so I don't care how they lay about for now.

 

 

I also assembled and installed the channels, which led to an unresolved problem. Each channel has a regular deadeye attached to a chainplate, then a block that's supposed to be tied to the channel. See below.

 

 

The problem is,  the instructions just say to tie this block to the channel, and show what looks like some kind of small stopper knot beneath that would hold the block in place. But the hole in the channel is way too large for this; the size knot it would take to keep this block in place under tension would be almost as big as the block itself, and would look ridiculous.

 

So my problem is, how do I fix this block in place? Do I somehow tie a small scrap of wood onto the line to act as a stopper? Do I try to CA the line to the underside of the channel? I've been having trouble searching for an answer to this on MSW and elsewhere, as the search terms are so vague. Any ideas?

[cog]

Maybe this:

 

[mattsayers148]

Just getting caught up on things after(and still) a very busy year. Thanks for the kind plug by the way.

 

You are on a great path with this build by adapting things with a less than helpful instruction list. I had to rely on learning from others and my own errors, tossing the instructions to the wayside. I ended up taking a look at as many USRC's as possible, regardless of the tonnage, to get a 'feel' of what was done during this period. Then I made things to 'look and feel' right.

 

My hat goes off to you to use what's provided in the kit. The castings were, well, crude and not to scale. I found it easier to use real dimensions for each item and scratch build them all. Today with the use of computers, the dimensions often are different in real life than from the plans. So I would imagine back then as well, shipbuilders made it work and changed things here and there.

 

I would suggest to not glue the rings in yet. When you start rigging it's easier to hold the blocks and loosely run the rigging through them. Then they can be glued down and tighten the rigging once they're set. I like cog's drawing of attaching with a baton, another way could be to whip the rope to the underside of the channel. This should make it large enough to hold it in place and not look too bulky.

 

Excellent job!

[Cathead]

Made some nice progress this weekend, lots of photos below.

 

Matt, thanks for the kind words! You probably actually think I'm nuts for sticking with the kit materials, but it's an interesting challenge to my way of thinking. Plus, I don't have anywhere near the metal-working skills you do (yes, I know there's only one way to change that). It's too late on the rings, I already glued them in, so we'll just see how that goes. Also, I did use Cog's advice and knotted some small strips beneath the channel blocks; seems to have worked nicely.

 

Building the cabin,  you guessed it, involved overcoming flaws in the kit. First, the kit only provides fore and aft bulkheads to build the cabin around, with only very thin planking to wall it in. That seemed like a bad idea to me. So I added longitudinal bulkheads to provide a solid surface all the way round.

 

 

The same problem exists for the roof, which again they expect you to plank in with no support. Uh uh. So I added some roof braces.

 

 

Of course, the height of the shoulders on the kit-original bulkheads didn't match, so that the fore bulkhead was higher than the after bulkhead. So I sanded a camber into the fore bulkhead to accomodate this, figuring it was probably a realistic choice anyway. I also started adding windows and planking.

 

 

After some trial and error I got the whole cabin built and planked. So little extra wood is given in this kit that I literally finished this with nothing to spare. I couldn't have afforded to break one single piece. I think it came out nicely, although one part of the roof planking is slightly cockeyed. It's only visible to the camera lens under harsh light, though. I like how the color balance came out, I wanted to cabin darker than the deck so it would stand out.

 

 

Now for another kit problem. The pre-cast mounting ring for the carronade has two pegs underneath that are meant for holes in the deck. No problem, right? After all, those holes are pre-drilled in the plywood underdeck, so all you have to do is plank over them, file them open, and mount the ring. Yeah, no. I didn't think to pre-test the fit of the ring until now, and sure enough one of the holes was way off. One hole was right where it should be to mount the ring dead-center on the deck; the other was over a diameter too far outboard. I had to measure and drill a new mounting hole. Below left,  you see the ring mounted properly, with the original factory-drilled hole in its horribly visible location. Below right, you see how I decided to handle this: I just filed a couple of wood scraps to look like some kind of step or brace against the ring. They'll vanish into the clutter of the deck once the model is complete, and only a serious naval historian would wonder what the heck they're for (and that person would already realize that this model is not museum-quality).

 

 

Finally, I mounted the rudder. More CA glue leaked around the edges of the iron bands than I would have liked, under the right light there's some annoying glistening along the edges. But under most conditions it's not noticeable and I think the rudder looks nice overall. I also mounted the tiller. The kit-drilled tiller hole didn't come close to matching up with the angle of the rudder, so I just cut off the rudder post and shaped a new tiller post that I glued to the top of the deck instead. No one will ever now but you, gentle readers.

 

 

I have to say, it's been really fun adding all the deck detail, this thing is starting to feel like a real ship build. I hadn't intended it to turn out as it has so far, but now I'm liking the shades of bare wood and the simple black iron fittings. I've given up on trying to match this to any specific plans or ship, it's evolved to just become a fun personal model. Thanks for reading.

[cog]

Nicely done, Ken. Good addition those braces on the cabin. It would have been hard to get that roof flush and a tight fit

[mattsayers148]

Excellent job CH! It looks really nice with the natural wood color. I was actually surprised when I rigged mine that the instructions weren't too bad. I color coded the rigging to keep each size separate. Of course I referred to the Young Sea Oficer's Sheet Anchor as the authority over Corel's instructions. When rigging I also soaked the thread tip with CA. When it dried I cut a sharp angle to it, essentially making it a firm needle.

[ggrieco]

Looking good Cathead! I really like the lines of this vessel and the planking looks great! Looks like a lot of fun to build!

[Cathead]

I'm facing a challenge, which I hope one of you more experienced sorts can advise me on.

 

This kit has finally broken my desire to stick with the supplied materials. Both the blocks and belaying pins are near worthless, and the rigging line seems cheap. So I've decided to bite the bullet and order better stuff from Syren or an equivalent quality provider. But here's my dilemma: I don't know what size rigging line to order. Nowhere in the Corel instructions can I find a listing of the three line thicknesses they provide. And what really makes me paranoid is, I don't know how large the holes are in, say, the Syren blocks. So how do I determine what size line to buy, so that it's right and fits through good blocks? Any suggestions?

 

I found the line-size chart on Syren's website, which is nice, but it doesn't help me determine what will fit properly in different blocks. Help a newbie, please!

[Chuck]

If you click on each size of my Syren blocks it will tell you which size rope is best for those sizes of blocks.

[Cathead]

Well, would you look at that, now. I'd been all over the site but never thought to click on the actual blocks. Thank you, sir. Do you have an alert set up for your name or something? I thought of pming you but didn't want to waste your time with such a newbie question. An order will be forthcoming.

[Chuck]

No I like to pop in and look at as many builds as possible when time permits.   I might not say much but I enjoy watching everyones progress.  You are doing a fine job.

[mattsayers148]

Hey CH, I had to look back in my notes to find this one. The shrouds(standing rigging) is 0,8mm, the running rigging is 0,5mm and the lanyards are 0,25mm. Hope that helps. If you or Mrs. CH have sewing, knitting or crochet thread, or know someone who does, here are the thread sizes: 0,8mm = size 3 / 0,5mm = size 10 / 0,25mm = size 30. I use these exclusively, mostly since my other hobby is fine thread crochet. Six cord mercerized is a must. These can all be acquired on eBay or Etsy for pretty cheap. A DMC cordonnet special size 30 has 216yds so it goes a long way. Sorry Chuck, don't mean to step on your toes.

[Cathead]

Thanks to both of you. It's too bad I already did the deck blocks, but I also tended to choose the best of the lot for that job, so even after re-inspection I think they'll serve. Or I suppose I could cut 'em off and try my hand at attaching new ones straight to the rings. Hmmm. Anyway, it's the support network and the presence of actual builders/sellers like Chuck and other small businesses on here that make this such a great place (and yes, my membership in NRG is up-to-date so I'm not just saying that!).

 

While I wait for all this new stuff, I'll probably work on shaping the masts and rebuilding the cross-trees from scratch (another crappy metal piece I've given up on, and they should be wood anyway).

 

Matt, is M-E's rigging line any good? I ask because I have an unused credit there and budget is always a concern for me. I'm definitely ordering blocks from Syren.

[FriedClams]

Hello Cathead,

 

Your Ranger is looking good - the hull planking is very neatly done. Nice.

 

Gary

[mattsayers148]

Not sure on that CH. I haven't used any supplied rope yet.

[Cathead]

Well, no worries, I've done my orders and now eagerly await better stuff to work with. In the meantime I have a busy work week and a spousal birthday on Saturday, so not much will likely get done soon anyway.

[CaptainSteve]

 

Matt, is M-E's rigging line any good? I ask because I have an unused credit there and budget is always a concern for me. I'm definitely ordering blocks from Syren.

 

CH, I wasn't at all impressed with the ME line in the Bounty Launch kit, and replaced all of it with Chuck's Syren rope. I plan on doing the same with my MS Constitution build, and have already laid in one order with Chuck for both rope and blocks.

 

I think you will notice a vast difference with the Syren stuff.

[Cathead]

Well, good thing I ordered both blocks and line from Syren today! I had recalled the same experience from the two MS boat kits I've done and decided to spend my credit there on other stuff. Thanks for the feedback, sir.

[Cathead]

I've been quietly working on various details, while neglecting this build log. This time of year I mostly model after dark, so photography conditions aren't very good, and as I'm also doing a lot of writing & editing work it's less attractive to spend my down time also working with words. But a month seems more than enough neglect, so here's what I've been up to.

 

 

I'm not at all happy with many of the metal castings in this kit, so decided to remake some. The cross-trees are trash; the arms aren't even square and several of the cast-in rings broke when I tried to drill them out (they were cast solid). So I made new ones from wood with brass eyerings. It took three tries to get a version I was happy with. I also didn't care for the cast anchor stocks, so again made my own. All these parts should be wood, anyway. I stained everything and wrapped the anchor stocks with blackened brass strip, touched up with paint.

 

 

I've also been working on the masts, booms, yards, and so on. Typically at this point, the diameter dowels supplied with the kit didn't fit the metal hardware, such as the various boom rings and crutches, that are supposed to fit on the masts. I had to do quite a bit of custom-sanding and filing of the metal parts to get everything right. The rings aren't even the same size, so on the mizzenmast, where two different rings are supposed to sit near one another, those two rings have very different diameters such that by the time you sand the mast down enough to make the smaller one fit, the larger one is too large. Sigh. It'll all work well enough. Overall I think these parts came out well.

 

 

Here are some detailed views of the current status. The bowsprit/jib-boom assembly is installed and gammoned, the anchors are done, the pin-racks are made, and the carronade is finished and rigged. Sharp eyes may notice that I've replaced all the blocks, everywhere, with better ones from Syren. It took a few days to work up the courage for cutting out all the blocks I'd already carefully fitted onto the various deck eyerings, but I did it and it was worth it. I'm also happy with how the rope coils turned out for the carronade and anchor lines. The light in these last few photos is still a little odd; I took it outdoors late in the afternoon, and the white background produced an odd color balance. Oh well.

 

I should mention a few mistakes made along the way. I rigged the whole carronade assembly off the model, then installed it, tying the outer-four blocks to their respective eyerings (pre-glued into the deck). Only after completion did I notice that I'd rigged the port side backwards; the forward tackle is supposed to go over the aftward tackle on both sides, but I'd done the it the wrong way on the port side. Much cursing ensued, as the gun was already glued down and I didn't think I could re-rig it in place because of tight clearances. Finally I used a pair of small pliers to work the whole eyebolt out of the deck, slid the entire tackle assembly out from under the rear tackle, and re-inserted the eyering once the rest of the tackle was on top. I don't know if anyone could follow that, but in the photo above it's now rigged properly.

 

I also managed to glue the crosstrees onto the masts backwards the first time, but managed to get them off without breaking anything. Then I filed away the glue and re-installed them properly. Only then did I realize that I should have tied on all the blocks to the rings beforehand; now I have to do it up on top the masts. Oh well, that I can handle. I'll put equal blame on me for not thinking far enough ahead, and the instructions for being nearly completely useless.

 

 

And here she is now, with an insert showing one of the hand-made crosstrees (as luck would have it, the less-good one which I didn't notice through the lens). The masts are glued in, with the proper rake established using a cardboard pattern traced from the plans and various temporary rigging lines. It's amazing what a few dowels can do to transform a hull into a ship. Of course, I now have to be extra-careful because I've gotten used to reaching around and over the hull to grab something, and now there are delicate bits sticking up into my arm-space.

 

So that's how this revenue cutter enters the New Year. I'm about to have to start deciphering rigging diagrams, something that is equally fascinating and terrifying to me. Because I want to rig this model with sails, I may start with those first. Thanks for reading and for all your support in this very educational project. Happy New Year!

Edited December 31, 2016 by Cathead

[Cathead]

I've spent much of the last week experimenting with sail design, finishing a topsail last night that I'm pretty happy with:

 

 

I posted details about the design approach to this sail over on this thread on realistic sail-making, so won't duplicate that content here. Quick version, the out-of-scale boltropes are intentional, choosing function and an artistic look over strict accuracy. The sail is made of bond paper, with individual panels following real sail-making practice. What do you all think?

 

 

I've also slowly moved forward on rigging. I started with the bowsprit assembly, since it's an isolated area that I can complete while getting my head around certain skills and methods. Now I need to move forward on the regular rigging, and have been studying the plans and other references obsessively to try and assemble a sensible plan that will minimize the need to reach around rigging to do other rigging. Certainly one first step is to make the rest of the sails and bend them to their respective booms/yards.

 

I find rigging both fascinating and infuriating, so this should be an interesting time coming up. Of course, I have lots of time this weekend as we're under threat of an ice storm here in Missouri, so I won't be distracted by outdoor activities. On the other hand, if the power goes out, I may be working on this by candlelight just like the old-timers. What could go wrong?

[ggrieco]

She's looking beautiful. Nice job with the topsail, very authentic look!

[mattsayers148]

Awesome job CH! From what I remember, the supplied rigging diagrams are fairly accurate. They are, however, not the order best to follow. It's way easier to do the standing rigging first. This way all of the serving is out of the way for the most part, and these heavier lines help stabilize the masts. Onward!

[Cathead]

Thanks, Glenn, and all the Likers. Matt, I've been taking lots of time to study the rigging diagrams and agree that they're better than they seem at first, once you learn how to use them. I agree that I don't want to follow their order of steps, but I'm leaning toward adding the sails/booms/yards first as that means a lot of work right up against the masts, where the standing rigging would get in the way. Then, once all that weight is on the masts, I'll add the standing rigging and get it all straight. Then add the rest of the running rigging. That's the idea right now, anyway. I'm making the rest of the sails now, which gives me more time to think about and plan all this.

[Cathead]

After several weeks of work, the mainsail is rigged, and I have a confusing question about the standing rigging. First, the good stuff.

 

 

Here's how she looks overall. I'm quite happy with my paper sail-making methods; the color and texture really seem to fit into the all-wood appearance. All the running rigging for the mainsail is in place, though no knots are glued down yet. I want the option to tighten and adjust for a little while longer, so there are lots of loose ends and a few lines look baggy. As I intend to display the port side, I'm planning to have both the main and fore sails trimmed to starboard, with the forecourse and foretopsail (the two square sails on the foremast) trimmed to starboard as well, as if she were on a broad reach. Here's a few closeup photos:

 

 

I should have been taking progress photos this whole time, but haven't. I don't know if there's really anything to be learned from all this; the rigging is just a matter of thinking through steps carefully. The plans' rigging diagrams are good to follow once you understand their format, but their order of operations is terrible. Any given mast or sail's rigging is spread over multiple pages, and often something you'll want to do first is three pages later. I've spent so much time obsessively rereading the rigging plans to make sure I don't forget anything I'll regret later. So far, so good.

 

My plan is to continue working from the inside-out: make and rig the foresail next, then the standing rigging on both masts, then the forecourse and foretopsail.

 

Now for the question: looking ahead to the standing rigging, the plan of this model confuses me. It only calls for one lateral stay per mast, each leading down to a single set of deadeyes on a channel. Then there are two smaller lines that lead from the masthead, pass through the two arms of the crosstrees, and connect to blocks either on deck or on the channel. I can't understand this; here's a visual diagram that I hope makes sense:

 

 

In this rigging setup, there can be no ratlines because there's only one stay. How would sailors get up to the crosstrees to handle the upper sails, effect repairs, or do anything else? And what's the point of the other two lines, which aren't listed as stays but don't do anything else? I've looked at a variety of images and plans for topsail schooners like this, and most show two stays and deadeyes on the foremast with ratlines, but even they only show one stay and deadeyes on the mainmast, which I don't understand. And none show the other two random lines.

 

This is definitely an accurate rendition of the kit plans, but I don't understand how or why this would work in real life. I like to understand what I'm doing when I model, so I hope someone can either explain this to me, or offer advice for a more realistic setup. It seems to me that there should be two sets of deadeyes on each channel, with stays running up to the top of the lower mast at the crosstrees, so that each mast could have ratlines rigged. Anyone?

[mattsayers148]

First off, you're doing an incredible job. I seem to remember wondering why no rat lines. I still am not sure exactly why not. There was discussion about the possibility of rope chairs like this....

 

 

There wasn't much room for living quarters so I'd be inclined to think that the rigging would accommodate a smaller crew.

[Cathead]

The foresail is made and rigged. This was essentially a repeat of the mainsail, so there's really nothing new to report. If you happen to notice that the fore- and mainmasts aren't at the same angle (spreading apart as they rise), that's a temporary mistake. I hadn't noticed it at first, but when I was experimenting with tightening down all the running rigging on the mainsail, I apparently overdid it and pulled the mainmast aft (no standing rigging is installed yet). It'll be fixed once I start installing more standing rigging.

Apologies for doing such a terrible job of updating this log. Among a variety of factors, I've been super-busy lately with my editing work over the last month, along with taking some online classes, meaning that sitting down on evenings or weekends to spend more time working with words on the computer for MSW hasn't really been high on my "fun" list. I also took a long-delayed trip to Kansas City, Missouri to revisit the Steamboat Arabia museum to research my next model project, another Missouri River steamboat along the same lines as my Bertrand but a sidewheeler from ten years earlier. I have a wealth of photos and measurements of the boat's salvaged equipment, stern, and cargo to pore over and write up, which has also been distracting me.

 

But I haven't given up on this ship! I'm also still working through my uncertainties about the standing rigging, and recently ordered some deadeye kits from Syren. Next up, I'll make and rig the remaining sails, then start in on the standing rigging. I hope to update again before another month goes past. Thank you all for sticking with me on this; it's nice to have even a small audience to keep me going as my brain wanders toward my beloved riverboats again.

 

[Captain Cutter]

I just bought this kit. My first ship ever. I was hoping you can tell me about the lathe to the Keel. Did you use the 1.5X3X320 (mm) dark wood piece? 

 

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Captain Cutter