Sloop Speedwell 1752 by Chuck - Ketch Rigged Sloop - POF - prototype build

[Chuck]

Speaking of simulated bolts...someone was asking about them.

 

Here is the capstan which I am literally finishing up this afternoon.  So I figured its a good time to show the bolts in progress. It is all yellow cedar.  It has many bolts which add so much to its look when finished.   In this case I am using 20lb blk fishing line.  I just cut some sort lengths and stick them into some pre drilled holes.  Nothing difficult here.  They need to be a press fit so no glue is needed.  I am using a #73 bit for the holes.  Then just slice them off so they are slightly proud of the surface.  That is it.

 

 

I will have a step - by - step for the capstan later today hopefully.  The capstan is painted red on the contemporary model....sooo  I have yet another decision.  

 

But it turned out well.

 

 

Chuck

[Chuck]

The step - by - step...

 

The capstan is built almost exactly like the one for the Winnie.  The main difference is the center drum.  That added a bit of tedium to this task.  With the 3D printer however it can be made in one piece and perfectly shaped.  The benefit is that it saves so much time and it is so precise.  It will also not be seen at all when the capstan is completed.

 

You need to cut a 3/32" x 3/32" strip to use as the registration for the other layers.  Its a little big initially by design.  You need to sand it so the pieces are a nice press fit when you slide them on.   But dont force the layers onto the strip because you could break the thinner layers.  You can see some of the layers in the photo below.  The two at the top have had the laser char cleaned from the sides.  I used a sanding stick.  Dont worry about the three at the bottom yet.

 

Those are next...slide them onto the strip (or use an entirely different strip) gluing the three layers together.  But dont glue it to the strip as you will want to remove it.

See below

 

To make it easier to remove the char from these assemblies, you can place them onto a 3/32" strip as long as its a tight fit...otherwise it will fly off.  But then chock it in your hand drill and have at it.  Use a fine grit sanding stick.  Its soft wood so be careful.  This is a later process when most of the drum is  glued up in layers and being sanded. But I wanted to show you that you didnt have to sand them by hand.

 

You need to do that to the three center layers with the square holes first.  Then glue that on top of the slightly larger disc with the square etched onto it for reference. Then glue the top on and sand it as shown in the photo above with the drill.  I also sanded a slight dome shape into the top side of the drum while on the drill.   This makes the sides a bit thinner and gives the top a nice shape.  But keep the center area flat for the last small top layer.  I thinned the top this way until the side edge was 3/64" thick or close to it.

 

I am not sure if you can see the top shaped like a dome or rounded off but now that last small disc can be added.   But first go ahead and glue the drum assembly to the 3D printed center first.  Then snip off any excess 3/32" strip sticking out above the center and sand it flush.

Then glue the little disc on top and center it with the etched circle that should help you do just that.  Then its time for the whelps.   There are plenty of extra provided.  But sand them free of laser char and glue them to each face of the 3D printed center.   Make sure you but them flush against the bottom edge of the drum.  Note the laser etched mortices on both side of each whelp.  These are for the chocks.  Take a look at them before you glue them in position and flatten them out if need be with a small file.  Sometimes the etched surface isnt perfect and needs a little cleaning up.  A few swipes with a file should do the trick.

With the whelps all finished...start adding the chocks.  These will take some time.  The thicker chocks are the bottom row.  You will most likely have to sand both sides of the pie pieces and test them in position.  Make sure they fit tight in the mortices of the whelps.  Dont rush this as a clean tight fit is what makes the capstan look so good.   The sand the outside edge concave or convex with a curve depending on if it is the top or bottom row of chocks.

 

The chocks are over-sized so you will be shaping and testing and repeating the process.  Plan on spending an entire day building this capstan with care.

Then add the simulated bolts with some 20lb blk fishing line.  There are also bolts on the top of the drum.  The holes along the outside of the drum are for the pins that hold the capstan bars.  They are not for bolts and should remain as holes.  All the other laser cut holes around the center of the drum were places there for your simulated bolts.  So add those as well.

 

 

Thats it...it will take some time to do a decent job.  But remember that there are fewer deck fittings on this little sloop and therefor it is even more important to do a respectable job on them.  They will all be front and center and a focus point when anyone views the model.  You can pint it red or leave natural.  The contemporary model is painted red.   I havent decided yet.  What do you guys think?

 

There are also two pawls that were used to stop the capstan from turning.  Only one side was engaged at a time.  One goes to port and the other to starboard.  See the plans.  These were made from scrap 1/16" x 1/16" strips and glued into position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rustyj]

Fantastic work Chuck. I so look forward to the fall/winter so I can get back to work on the Speedwell!

[scrubbyj427]

Very nice Chuck!

[Chuck]

Thanks…Im on a roll for a change.  At the expense of my inventory but this is too much fun to stop now.  Next up will be the breastrail at the fore side of the Poop deck.  Last there will be the rudder head box.  That will complete all the deck fittings.  Sadly I wish there more…but then I can complete all the exterior work to finish off the hull.  

[dvm27]

Lovely capstan Chuck. Personally, I'd go for the red. The natural color ghosts out against the background. The red would pop like the other fittings along the centerline of the ship.

Edited Monday at 03:33 PM by dvm27

[Chuck]

12 minutes ago, dvm27 said:

Lovely capstan Chuck. Personally, I'd go for the red.

Im leaning that way also Greg.   I have gone this far replicating the colors used on the contemporary model.  

 

Chuck

[Chuck]

OK well here a few pictures of the capstan painted red.  At least folks will be able to see both choices and the decision will be easier for them.

 

I do like it better red...what do you guys think?

 

 

 

 

[Jack12477]

I agree ! Red looks better.  

[mgatrost]

On 8/10/2025 at 2:58 PM, Chuck said:

The step - by - step...

 

The capstan is built almost exactly like the one for the Winnie.  The main difference is the center drum.  That added a bit of tedium to this task.  With the 3D printer however it can be made in one piece and perfectly shaped.  The benefit is that it saves so much time and it is so precise.  It will also not be seen at all when the capstan is completed.

 

You need to cut a 3/32" x 3/32" strip to use as the registration for the other layers.  Its a little big initially by design.  You need to sand it so the pieces are a nice press fit when you slide them on.   But dont force the layers onto the strip because you could break the thinner layers.  You can see some of the layers in the photo below.  The two at the top have had the laser char cleaned from the sides.  I used a sanding stick.  Dont worry about the three at the bottom yet.

 

Those are next...slide them onto the strip (or use an entirely different strip) gluing the three layers together.  But dont glue it to the strip as you will want to remove it.

See below

 

To make it easier to remove the char from these assemblies, you can place them onto a 3/32" strip as long as its a tight fit...otherwise it will fly off.  But then chock it in your hand drill and have at it.  Use a fine grit sanding stick.  Its soft wood so be careful.  This is a later process when most of the drum is  glued up in layers and being sanded. But I wanted to show you that you didnt have to sand them by hand.

 

You need to do that to the three center layers with the square holes first.  Then glue that on top of the slightly larger disc with the square etched onto it for reference. Then glue the top on and sand it as shown in the photo above with the drill.  I also sanded a slight dome shape into the top side of the drum while on the drill.   This makes the sides a bit thinner and gives the top a nice shape.  But keep the center area flat for the last small top layer.  I thinned the top this way until the side edge was 3/64" thick or close to it.

 

I am not sure if you can see the top shaped like a dome or rounded off but now that last small disc can be added.   But first go ahead and glue the drum assembly to the 3D printed center first.  Then snip off any excess 3/32" strip sticking out above the center and sand it flush.

Then glue the little disc on top and center it with the etched circle that should help you do just that.  Then its time for the whelps.   There are plenty of extra provided.  But sand them free of laser char and glue them to each face of the 3D printed center.   Make sure you but them flush against the bottom edge of the drum.  Note the laser etched mortices on both side of each whelp.  These are for the chocks.  Take a look at them before you glue them in position and flatten them out if need be with a small file.  Sometimes the etched surface isnt perfect and needs a little cleaning up.  A few swipes with a file should do the trick.

With the whelps all finished...start adding the chocks.  These will take some time.  The thicker chocks are the bottom row.  You will most likely have to sand both sides of the pie pieces and test them in position.  Make sure they fit tight in the mortices of the whelps.  Dont rush this as a clean tight fit is what makes the capstan look so good.   The sand the outside edge concave or convex with a curve depending on if it is the top or bottom row of chocks.

 

The chocks are over-sized so you will be shaping and testing and repeating the process.  Plan on spending an entire day building this capstan with care.

Then add the simulated bolts with some 20lb blk fishing line.  There are also bolts on the top of the drum.  The holes along the outside of the drum are for the pins that hold the capstan bars.  They are not for bolts and should remain as holes.  All the other laser cut holes around the center of the drum were places there for your simulated bolts.  So add those as well.

 

 

Thats it...it will take some time to do a decent job.  But remember that there are fewer deck fittings on this little sloop and therefor it is even more important to do a respectable job on them.  They will all be front and center and a focus point when anyone views the model.  You can pint it red or leave natural.  The contemporary model is painted red.   I havent decided yet.  What do you guys think?

 

There are also two pawls that were used to stop the capstan from turning.  Only one side was engaged at a time.  One goes to port and the other to starboard.  See the plans.  These were made from scrap 1/16" x 1/16" strips and glued into position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting the capstan red would tie in with the other red fittings and carry the eye further aft for a balanced look.

[Pirate adam]

I think the red is the way to go. It looks good and seems more logical.

 

Adam

[Freebird]

Love it!

 

Best Regards … Rick

[KentM]

Red is great. Looks good with AYC and if it works with the contemporary model even better.  It is definitely your trademark. 

[Chuck]

I hope my fellow Speedwell builders will allow me this indulgence.   The breast rail at the fore end of the poop deck is actually quite plain on the contemporary model.  I usually try to faithfully keep my models to historically correct details but I couldnt resist.  The original draft for the Sloop Fly which is her sister has a very detailed and fancy rail quite different than the plain one on Speedwell.  I have decided to go with that rendition.  It is made in the usual fashion for my fittings.  Nothing earth shattering.  They are just laser cut pieces in layers.  The top rail for example is made by sandwiching 3 thin layers together.  The top and bottom layers are just .025 thick.  The center layer is a robust 1/32" thick.  I still thinned down the top and bottom layers even more after gluing them up as a sandwich.   

 

The only thing that is really important here is to make sure that the two outer columns are lined up with their partners below on the bulkhead between the windows.  I also had had to take care in forming the curve on the column next to the dome roof.  It had to be sanded to fit nicely around that curve and sit flush against it.  The close-ups are brutal and yes I have a lot of paint touch up in my future.

 

The top of the rail is painted black as was done on the contemporary model while the remaining areas are painted red.  Only one fitting remains and that is the rudder trunk cover.   I will make that next.  I will add a binnacle as well, but leave that for the next chapter after the rudder is installed.   

 

 

 

 

[Matt D]

That looks fantastic, Chuck! I think you made the right choice.

[scrubbyj427]

Beautiful! 

[Chuck]

What I am gonna shoot for with color scheme and rig.  Furled sails.  Only not 3” long.  
 

Getting close to rigging so I must create my vision board of inspiration.

[dvm27]

That model inspired me as well Chuck. I look forward to your take on furling sails. Are you going to add that cutter? I believe I'm going to retrofit one after my current project is over. It's sitting on a couple spare topmasts I believe.

[Chuck]

I am going to see how feasible that is.   But that looks like a tight fit for those topmasts.  

[dvm27]

For anyone else enchanted by this lovely model feel free to check out this video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPCAArQ7APY. It depicts both of the Phil Reed's Speedwell models (Chuck's version and a Speedwell on a roiling sea). Notice the lovely catenary of the rigging, something I believe you can only do with wire rigging.

[yvesvidal]

Great video and incredible models, in that scale. Thank you for the link.

 

Yves

Edited 7 hours ago by yvesvidal