Medway Longboat 1742 by Chuck - FINISHED - 1/2" scale

[shipmodel]

Hi Chuck - 

 

Beautiful work, as always.  Those rudder gudgeons and pintles are a great solution to a tricky problem.

 

I hate to pick a nit, but I don't like the grapnel.  Judging by the shape of the laser cut pieces, the flukes on your grapnel arms are set perpendicular to the shaft, making the points stick straight out, rather than pointing up toward the top of the shaft.  Here is a photo of a modern grapnel. 

Other illustrations confirm the alignment.  If you think about how the grapnel works, you can see how having flukes that stick out would actually get in the way of the point biting in and holding.

 

I'm sure you can change this with a little adjustment of the ends of the arms.

 

Looking forward to watching the group build.

 

Dan

[Chuck]

Its easy enough to change that......I will make a slight adjustment.  Its easy enough for folks to change if they want to as well.  They just have to change the angle of the flukes if they want.  

 

 

Chuck

[Chuck]

The photo below shows the thole pins on the contemporary model.  There is a discrepancy between this model and the other contemporary model.  This one has an extra row or two more pairs of thole pins than the other model.  I opted to go with fewer.  I made my thole pins from boxwood but you guys can easily replace with wire if you wanted.  I took a 3/64" x 3/64" strip and rounded it off in my Dremel.  I dont like the way the wire takes paint and because of this large scale I opted for wood instead, but this means you must also round off your stock in a Dremel as well.  If that is too much of a hassle though then wire can be used in its place....probably 16 gauge or 18 gauge. 

 

I drilled holes along the cap rail with a #55 drill bit and glued them in place.  Then they were painted red.  But you could leave them natural too....if you use the boxwood that comes with the kit.

 

 

THIS COMPLETES THE HULL!!!  Except for the oars but I will do that after I rig it......So let the masting and rigging begin.

[JeffT]

Nice work Chuck, I hope mine will look as nice. Where do you get the red paint you are using?

[Jim T]

What is the diameter and length of the thole pins Chuck?  I'd like to see if I can turn them on my Sherline lathe as an educational exercise. 

 

Thanks, Jim

[Chuck]

That might be tough but they are very small.  They are about 1/4" long and 1/32" diameter.   So I place a short length of square boxwood 3/64" into my dremel and have it stick out about 5/8 ".   Then I round it off with a sanding stick.  Each one is good for a pair of Thole pins and takes just a minute or two to make.  

 

Chuck

[shipmodel]

Hi Chuck - 

 

Beautiful work, as always.  Your color choices and contrasts are strikingly beautiful.

 

I would put in the last set of thole pins.  You have eight thwarts, so there should be eight sets of pins.  They may not all have been used all the time, but you would want to have them available if you needed additional oarsmen for speed or power.   

 

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Dan

 

[Chuck]

Thanks guys....

 

Working on making a simple stand/cradle.  This isnt a small model especially after its rigged so I want it to be sturdy.  These will be added to the masting and rigging kit when its made available.  Toying around with trying to lasercut them in plexi but as it stands now they will be cherry.  I may also paint them black but wanted to see if they were less obtrusive the same color as my baseboard....not included.

 

 

Chuck

[Rustyj]

Hi Chuck. Very nice design. For myself I like the natural wood color look best. 

[Trussben]

She’s a beauty Chuck, are you going to add a full rig and sails to this one??

 

ben

[Chuck]

Indeed she will be fully rigged.....first with no sails, because that is probably what most will do.  Then I will rig it again with sails.

 

VERSION TWO of the stand.  In yellow cedar.  I like this one better.

 

 

 

[KenW]

The stand looks great.  What are the dimensions of the base, and what kind of wood?

Thanks

[Chuck]

Ken the baseboard is a piece of MDF I think.  Then it had a veneer glued to it.  Lastly some quarter round molding was glued all around it and painted black.  I have to measure it...but I think its just 4 x 12" before the quarter round was added.  Mike made that for me and I will bring it on Tuesday.

 

Chuck

[Tigersteve]

Would the baseboard in cedar be too soft?

Steve

[Chuck]

Not if your careful. But i think that would be too much of the light wood visually speaking.  At least for my tastes, but this is a very personal thing based on your own tastes.

[MESSIS]

Πολύ ωραίο! Grossartig! Fine work!

Edited November 22, 2018 by MESSIS

[thibaultron]

In reading about the history of the British navy, there was one Admiral who was, both extreemly egotisical and sadistic, his favorite tactic was to call captain to his ship, while keeping it under full sail. It could take hours for the Captian's longboat to reach his ship! Perhaps the contemperary model with the extra thole pins were a response to adding extra rowers for this situation.

 

By the way he is also the person who, when he became a Lord, fired all the elderly workers at the Navy dockyards, putting them pennyless onto the streets, as a cost saving measure. In the past the workers had been given small or light tasks, when they became to fraile with age or illness, after they had worked the heavy labor at the yards for years.

[shipshaper]

Hi Chuck,

Your work is incredible! You are using Alaskan Yellow Cedar and I would very much like to try using this on my next project but find it somewhat difficult to find and when I have VERY expensive to have shipped ($40.00 for handling and $69.00 UPS for a 24" piece of 2" x 6" clear). Can you give any direction on where to go to purchase? Is your model all AYC or are you using other species as well (sorry if I missed something).

[Chuck]

Thats pretty normal for shipping wood actually. Although the handling charge is crazy.   It doesnt matter what the species.  I am fortunate to have a local source for my Cedar and just drive to pick it up.  I would recommend that you try and find such a source.  You would be surprised by what your local lumberyards carry. In addition please keep calling different places.....you will find a place that doesnt rip you off on shipping.  There are dozens of such suppliers.  My local guy doesnt ship at all.  He just supplies local builders.  Its pick-up only.

 

Chuck

[Jim Rogers]

15 hours ago, shipshaper said:

Hi Chuck,

Your work is incredible! You are using Alaskan Yellow Cedar and I would very much like to try using this on my next project but find it somewhat difficult to find and when I have VERY expensive to have shipped ($40.00 for handling and $69.00 UPS for a 24" piece of 2" x 6" clear). Can you give any direction on where to go to purchase? Is your model all AYC or are you using other species as well (sorry if I missed something).

Try going to your local woodworking store and ask where they source their wood. You can also check with local artist associations they will know where to get cheap wood locally.

[shipshaper]

Chuck and Jim,

Thanks for the advise, I will check with the local guys (just looked on the internet thinking if they had it I would find it there). 

Appreciate your help!

Have a great Sunday!

Mike (Shipshaper)

[Chuck Seiler]

17 hours ago, shipshaper said:

Hi Chuck,

Your work is incredible! You are using Alaskan Yellow Cedar and I would very much like to try using this on my next project but find it somewhat difficult to find and when I have VERY expensive to have shipped ($40.00 for handling and $69.00 UPS for a 24" piece of 2" x 6" clear). Can you give any direction on where to go to purchase? Is your model all AYC or are you using other species as well (sorry if I missed something).

What is your next project?  If you can live with a smaller amount of pre milled sheets, get it from Chuck (Syren).

[shipshaper]

Hi Chuck,

I have several ships/boats waiting for me. I am finishing up the rigging on an old Aristo-Craft Baltimore Clipper (1815) and when I'm done I want to work on something different. I have a Panart Whaleboat, Model Shipways New Bedford Whaleboat, HMS Bounty Launch and the 18th Century Long Boat. I have built five kits in the past and found myself remaking 85 ~ 90% of the kit material (I love the look of natural woods so most I have rebuilt with Walnut, Cherry, Maple and Oak) and the AYC sounds like a great fit for any of the boats I choose to work on. I have recently purchased a Byrnes table saw and thickness planner and I'm dying to start a project to use them (in the past I have just purchased what milled lumber I needed, gets expensive). Sounds like you do quite a bit of scratch builds yourself (I've decided no more kit buying for me)😊! I hope I can try to get close to your skill level, the Gunboat looks Awesome!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Mike

 

[Chuck Seiler]

Mike,

 

    Thank you for your kind words. 

 

    Don't give up completely on kits.  They can be the source of some great kit-bashing.  ...and there are some VERY NICE kits on the market and about to come out from smaller businesses such as MSW sponsors.

 

    When I refer to 'milled' I am not referring to individual planks.  I was referring to sheets.  Chuck (Syren Ship Model Company) has Alaskan Yellow Cedar, boxwood, Swiss pear and others.  Crown also has boxwood, cherry, maple and others.  I get various thicknesses of sheet, then use my Byrnes to cut, using for planking, structural and other pieces parts (deck furniture, gratings, etc).  For me, that is more cost effective and easier than getting a larger board and cutting it down to sheets.

[shipshaper]

Good point Chuck,

I will definitely check into that. FYI, my other hobby is wood working (my Dad was a cabinet maker) so I have the table saws, band saw (for re-sawing), thickness plainer, 16/32" drum sander, etc. so it's pretty easy for me to get larger pieces down to a manageable size for the Byrnes tools but the other issue is time.  Do I want to spend the time on something I can purchase and use that time on my modeling? Hmmmm, you make a REALLY good point!

I need to check into these new kit manufacturers like MSW. They sound interesting, I'll see if I can find them on the web.

Thanks again for your VERY good input! I have more checking to do.

Take care,

Mike

[Chuck Seiler]

You are on MSW (Model Ship World).  I was referring to the sponsors on the front page.  Includes models, books, wood, etc.

[shipshaper]

Chuck, I realized that about 2 minutes after I sent my email...…………...DAAAAAAH! 

[Chuck]

Started on the main mast.  Because it is best to use the same wood as the rest of the project, a 3/8" x 3/8" square strip of cedar is being used.  You could obviously replace this with a dowel of another wood already rounded off but the difference in wood texture and color would really stick out.  Most of the mast and boom and gaff etc will NOT be painted.   Its a good thing to try if you havent done so...rounding off a square strip like this.

 

First I used the template provided to line out the strip with a 7/10/7 ratio.  Just transfer the tick marks for the two center lines every four of five inches down each side of the mast.  Using a 7/10/7 ratio will create a perfect octagon after the corners are shaved away.  This is being done to make it easier to turn this in a lathe or chocked in a hand drill.  The strip is 20" long and its much longer than you will need so there is plenty of meat on either side to chock this in your hand drill.

 

 

Then connect you lines with a sharp pencil so you have a guide when slicing and planing off the four corners.  I used a sharp #11 blade to shave and whittle off the corners almost down to the lines.  It doesnt have to be perfect.....then I ran a sanding stick across the flats created.

 

Then drill the holes that will be needed for the sheaves you will simulate on the mast later.  There are three.  It is easier to do this now while the strip is square.

 

 

This is what my mast looks like after I shaved off the corners.  Its ready for me to chock in my hand drill and taper it.  This will take a while to do and be sure you use a mask because it makes a lot of dust.

 

Here is a photo of how I do it in my hand drill.....this is from another project.  I believe this is the lower mast for Cheerful.  Or if you are lucky enough to own a lathe, that would be a good choice.  I didnt worry about creating the small shoulder or stepped portion of the mast for the longboat.  I will do that by hand once I create the general taper.  In the end the lower part of the mast turned out slightly smaller than 3/8" which is just perfect.

 

Then finally,  I was able to finish up those sheaves so they looked good.  To simulate the sheaves I used a #11 blade and some round needle files....you can use whatever you feel most comfortable with.  Here is the final results.  This was done after I created the stepped portion or "shoulder in the mast as you can see.  This was just done by hand.  The cedar worked very well for this operation and I was happy with the results.  More to follow....

 

 

[Chuck]

Today I finished the base and stand.  I used yellow cedar around the base after applying a sheet of burled veneer which was darker.  The hope was to make the boat stand out against the dark contrasting base.  I added some lettering around the base so now I dont have to make a nameplate.  Next time I will make the letters just a bit smaller but I am going to go ahead and use this one.

 

 

Chuck

[Bob Cleek]

How did you do the lettering, Chuck? It's beautiful and I think it's much classier than a brass plate. I can't tell from the photo if it was laser-etched or what.