Flying Fish by Jared - Model Shipways - 1:96

[Jared]

Thank you. 

[Jared]

Another quick update.  Between other summer distractions I continue to work away on the  construction of the lower masts and Lower Mast platforms.  The following 4 images show the recent progress.  The metal plates on the platforms were cut & ground to shape from sheet brass and chemically blackened.  

 

[Jared]

I tackled the spencer jackstays on the lower main and fore masts this week, which I had been putting off for some time due to unwarranted fears of getting them right.  The smallest eyebolts in the kit seemed too large to use here so I decided to make my own using the 0.22 ga. brass wire in the kit.  They were then blackened and glued into small holes I drilled into the aft side of the masts.  A blackened straightened section of wire was then fed through the loops and secured in a few spots with glue.  See attached photos.  Overall the construction was much easier than what I had feared. 

[gak1965]

Looks good! The ironwork on the top is really nice; I just faked it with some 24 gauge wire. Before you permanently mount the lower masts, you might want to drill the holes (but not necessarily install either the bolts or tackles) for the top and topgallant sheet and course lift tackles. The area inside of the fife rails becomes hard to get to once the mast is in place, particularly for a pin vise, although preinstalling the tackles (as I did) didn't work all that well.

 

FWIW, I found I could fit 24 gauge wire into the small jackstay eyebolts supplied with the kit, but your bolts look like they worked a charm. One thing I am not sure of is what the diameter of the real jackstays on the yards were. 24 gauge wire is pretty thin, but it's 2 inches at scale, I wonder if we should use finer wire, particularly on the mizzen yards.

 

Regards,

George 

[Jared]

Thanks as always for your recommendations George.

As to making eyebolts & jackstays from thinner wire, I found a very interesting technique described by Michael Costangliola on page 177 of Ship Modeler's shop notes II that is worth looking into.   See accompanying photo. 

[MikeR]

Jared

This is how I made the backstays for my Flying Fish.  I used .010 wire which cut in about 1" lengths and bent the wire in half.  For the holes in the yard I used a .6mm drill bit.

Mike R

[MikeR]

Jared

I used the same wire (.010") to pass through the eye bolts. I think it looks pretty close to scale.  But my scale is 3/16 to1  not 1/8 to 1

Mike R

[Jared]

Thanks Mike.  Yours look like they would anchor very well with lots of surface area for the glue to grip.

 

For mine I used long nose pliers that I ground down to make the tip end thinner.  All of the wire  bending was by hand.  It's tricky at first to get consistency but with practice it is achieved.  I think your method would be much better with thinner wire.  Thanks. 

[Rick310]

Jared. You are doing a great job,  your masts are really well done!!.

when I did the eyebolts for the shackles on the forecastle of my flying fish, I use the technique that EdT used on the Young America except I modified it to my needs. I took a micro drill that was approximately the thickness of the inside diameter that I wanted, and then used 28 gauge copper wire, because it’s softer than brass looped in parallel pliers, placed the loop over the drill, bed held in a vice, and then just hand, twisted the eye, this was easy to do and fast. When I finally get to making the yards in the mass, I intend to place the eyebolts through the holes in the mast. This will elevate the jackstay rod slightly above the yard which should be close to scale.

Rick

 

[Jared]

Thanks Rick

[Jared]

A quick update.  Finally got around to securing the the 3 ship' boats on the cabin top.  This was my introduction to the coming rigging on the Flying Fish and to the difficulties in securing ropes in such small spaces (see Photo below).

 

As I now contemplate the final construction of the lower masts with the futtocks shrouds and attaching various blocks and eye bolts, and look ahead at the complex rigging diagrams on the plans, I have come to appreciate George's advice that the construction of the masts has to be planned well ahead to ensure that all the holes are predrilled and fittings for the rigging attached before the masts are fully assembled and secured to the deck.  In truth, the rigging diagrams at first sight seem rather overwhelming to me.  My previous model build was a whaler (Charles Morgan), whose rigging plans are far less complex than that of a clipper ship.  I have therefore decided to pause for a bit and refresh my understanding of ship's rigging, before proceeding any further.  This week I started reading my way through Harold Underhill's classic book "Masting & Rigging the Clipper Ship & Ocean Carrier", which is a masterful resource.

 

My plan at this stage is to complete my Flying Fish with the standing rigging and some of the key running rigging, but not to put sails on her.

[ClipperFan]

Hi Jared,

It's been a long time since I've been able to look in on your impressive build. You're doing beautiful work. As I've been working on an article describing the rigging of Glory of the Seas, I've gained an appreciation of Rob Wiederrich's systemic and consistent rigginng approach. I encourage you to review his build post and ask him for any input you might like. Meanwhile, I've attached an image of the lubber holes of Glory, which are longer and larger than we first suspected. It will make shroud rigging easier too.

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The photos you show of various steps are clear and instructive.  Thank you.  I can see now how drilling fairleads nearer to the lubber hole of the main top will assure that control lines from above will pass behind the point where the main shrouds (heading toward to the lubber hole) cross the lines from the lower deadeyes on the periphery of the top as they head down to the mast below.  That way the route up the ratlines will be free of any other lines that might get in the way.

[Jared]

To err is human!  In reading through the chapter on masts and spars of wooden vessels (Chap. III in Underhill referenced earlier), I discovered several errors in the construction of the tops on my lower masts.   These are highlighted in the first two photos below.  These mostly resulted from my lack of close enough attention and understanding of the fine details of the model plans, many of which are less than obvious.  I failed to notice that the thickness of cheeks should taper off towards the heel and that the cheeks fit flush with the mast in stops cut into the the port and starboard sides and "dressed down to  make a flat seating and stop for the cheeks" (Underhill pg. 65).  Underhill goes on to state that the joint between the cheek and stop is covered by the futtock band, not above it the way shown in the kit plans. 

 

In my efforts to scratch build the iron plates on the top platforms, I didn't pay enough attention to where I drilled to holes in the plate - which should have line up with the cross trees so the futtock shrouds are correctly placed.  They did not. 

And finally, something I cannot find in the  Flying Fish plans is any reference to cross member spacers which sit between the the fore ends of the trestle trees to confine the fore side of the topmast heel (as illustrated by the drawings from books by Underhill and Mastini, in photo 1 below).

 

I point these out for the benefit of any builder of the kit who is following my log, so that they don't fall into the same holes.

 

Photos 3 and 4 show the reworked lower masts on my model as they now stand (to be further sanded and painted).

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Jared
typo

[ClipperFan]

Jared,

Here are two historic pictures of Donald McKay's final medium clipper Glory of the Seas. She's in her last dry dock, according to as Michael Mjelde, author of 3 books on her. Ongoing, since 2021, Michael has been generously sharing these rare images, a result of his six decades of research into this specific ship. Looking at her lubber holes, you'll see the ones on the real vessel are much wider and longer than portrayed on Flying Fish plans. It makes sense when you think about the fact that all thick shrouds pass through this opening while still leaving enough room for climbing sailors to get through too.

The last two images are of the fighting top on USS Constitution "Old Ironsides." Here you can see the crossbrace that would normally be there is omitted to accomodate the large lubberhole.  I've read in more than one article that McKay's clippers featured solid tops similar to those found on men-o-war. So comparing these two ships gives a much clearer idea of how this area actually was constructed. 

[Jared]

Interesting photos for sure.   I do worry about how small the lubber holes are on the FF model.  The cap bases in the kit are all supplied laser cut so that set the sizes of the lubber holes. I won't be surprised if I have to enlarge them later to accommodate all the rigging, especially on the mizzen mast. 

[ClipperFan]

Jared,

It seems like these kits were made with a myriad of little mistakes. To be generous, the manufacturers didn't have access to these historically accurate photos that Michael Mjelde has so generously shared with Rob's group. Items like the uniquely different McKay bow, highly ornately carved bulkheads, the rear coach house which conforms to the rear hull and even solid tops with generous lubber holes have all now been proven with irrefutable photographic evidence. In the case of lubber holes, it will definitely make your life easier to have much larger ones to rig through. It's never my goal to critique the amazing creative talents of you or any of your fellow model ship builders. What you guys build from scratch is simply amazing. But I do try to contribute the most accurate information to assist in recreating the most historically accurate replicas. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by ClipperFan
grammar correction

[Jared]

Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge ClipperFan.  The photos are very helpful.

[ClipperFan]

Jared,

While I appreciate compliments as much as the next guy, author Michael Mjeled is our real source for wealth of knowledge on McKay clipper ships. He's gathered a treasure trove of pics over 60 years of research. To see a lot more rare images, got to Rob Wiederrich's scratch built 1:96 scale Glory of the Seas log. 

[ClipperFan]

On 8/29/2023 at 3:46 PM, Jared said:

To err is human!  In reading through the chapter on masts and spars of wooden vessels (Chap. III in Underhill referenced earlier), I discovered several errors in the construction of the tops on my lower masts.   These are highlighted in the first two photos below.  These mostly resulted from my lack of close enough attention and understanding of the fine details of the model plans, many of which are less than obvious.  I failed to notice that the thickness of cheeks should taper off towards the heel and that the cheeks fit flush with the mast in stops cut into the the port and starboard sides and "dressed down to  make a flat seating and stop for the cheeks" (Underhill pg. 65).  Underhill goes on to state that the joint between the cheek and stop is covered by the futtock band, not above it the way shown in the kit plans. 

 

In my efforts to scratch build the iron plates on the top platforms, I didn't pay enough attention to where I drilled to holes in the plate - which should have line up with the cross trees so the futtock shrouds are correctly placed.  They did not. 

And finally, something I cannot find in the  Flying Fish plans is any reference to cross member spacers which sit between the the fore ends of the trestle trees to confine the fore side of the topmast heel (as illustrated by the drawings from books by Underhill and Mastini, in photo 1 below).

 

I point these out for the benefit of any builder of the kit who is following my log, so that they don't fall into the same holes.

 

Photos 3 and 4 show the reworked lower masts on my model as they now stand (to be further sanded and painted).

 

Jared,

I have good news and bad news. Good news is that I have more definitive proof to thoroughly and accurately recreate a McKay top. The bad news is it means you would have to rework your tops one last time. Here's the low down. The "Mastini" top illustration is wrong, at least for a McKay clipper. The actual foretop on Glory of the Seas shows that the trestle tree blends in neatly with the semi-circular top, it does not jut out awkwardly like the "Mastini" sketch incorrectly shows. In addition, on the real ship, crosstrees are cut out to create a very generous "lubber's hole" which goes clear across the inside of the top. As opposed to the interrupted little squares as drawn in the "Mastini" sketch. That too is wrong. Besides Glory of the Seas and USS Constitution the Whaler Charles W Morgan also share these very similar strucural features. Getting this right has been an ongoing challenge to Rob Wiederrich, Vladimir who both had to revise their tops, yourself and possibly others who are now building Flying Fish. This should be the definitive answer. It also should make it a lot easier to rig this area too.

[Jared]

Back to the cutting board to fix the front side of the top.    As to the lubberholes,  I am going to leave them as is, as it will require a complete rebuild of the under top supports.  The cross tree design under the Glory's tops are very different from what the FF plans show.  

 

Thanks for posting the Glory images. 

[Jared]

Today's activities were reworking the front of the tops thanks per the information ClipperFan provided above based on the Glory of the Seas.  This was a simple fix.  (See first Photo below). I then tackled the futtocks shrouds on the foremast, which might have been simple if I were an orthodontist, which I am not.  The brass wire I started working with turned out to be too thick and stiff to work with.  After completing 2 of the shrouds I switched to a thinner brass wire and the work proceed much better.  All of the brass was blackened before assembly.

[ClipperFan]

7 hours ago, Jared said:

Back to the cutting board to fix the front side of the top.    As to the lubberholes,  I am going to leave them as is, as it will require a complete rebuild of the under top supports.  The cross tree design under the Glory's tops are very different from what the FF plans show.  

 

Thanks for posting the Glory images. 

Jared,

You're welcome for the information. I just wish I could have supplied it to you sooner. Just for the record, I believe the Flying Fish plans are inaccurate. It's most likely due to a lack of available  accurate information. Then again, both the Frigate USS Constitution and Whaler Charles W Morgan also share much larger lubber holes and they've been around for decades. Regardless,  I'm glad you were able to fix the front of your solid top.

[Jared]

Have now completed the futtock shrouds on the lower main mast and mizzen mast.  The work on these went much easier and faster than those on the foremast.  Put it down to experience 😀.  Much easier to do once you have worked it all out.  Nowhere as difficult as what I implied earlier. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Jared
Added photo

[ClipperFan]

Jared,

Very nicely done!

[Rick310]

Looking good!!!

Tick

[Jared]

Forgive my ignorance about the standing rigging on the Flying Fish.  From the drawings and instruction book, it looks like the standing rigging is to be made from dark thread, meant to simulate tarred hemp. 

 

UNDERHILL states in his book on clipper ship masting & rigging that "By the beginning of our period ( i.e.clipper period) wire had to a large extent superseded hemp for all forms of standing rigging".

 

Should I be making the standIng rigging from blackened brass wire?  Thanks. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Jared
Typo

[gak1965]

40 minutes ago, Jared said:

UNDERHILL states in his book on clipper ship masting & rigging that "By the beginning of our period ( i.e.clipper period) wire had to a large extent superseded hemp for all forms of standing rigging".

 

From the Boston Daily Atlas (underline mine):

Her heavy standing rigging is of four stranded, patent rope, made to order of the best Russian hemp, and varies from 10½ to 8 inch. The running rigging is principally of Manila hemp. Her iron work is the same as that in general use, but stout in proportion to the other details of her rig. She has chain topsail sheets and ties, and iron trusses and futtock rigging.

 

Looks like you are good to go.

[Rick310]

Jared,

As far as I know, the Flying Fish was launched before widespread use of wire for the standing rigging.  I recommend using thread/cord for all rigging, both standing and running.  That is what I am going to use.

From what I understand, Underhill’s book really relates more to the later Downeasters and vessels built around the third quarter of the 1800’s.

See the note in the instruction manual on typical iron work for the time period of the FF

Rick

 

[Jared]

Thanks George and Rick for your quick, helpful  responses.   It will certainly be much easier adjusting the rigging made with the thread/cord rather than with stiffer wire. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by Jared