J-class yacht Endeavour 1934 by The Sailor - Amati - 1:35

[The Sailor]

Hello,

today a huge box came in. When the rigging of my Pickle is done I‘ll start with the America‘s Cup yacht Endeavour.

 

The 1/35 scale kit includes laser cutted parts for the deck, keel and frames, limewood and mahogany planking material, brass and wooden fittings, photo etched brass details, cloth, plans, instructions in three languages (Italian, French and English).

 

Endeavour is a 130-foot (40 m) J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Sir Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast. She was launched in 1934 and won many races in her first season including against the J's Velsheda and Shamrock V. She failed in her America's Cup challenge against the American defender Rainbow but came closer to lifting the cup than any other until Australia II succeeded in 1983.

(Wikipedia)

 

 

The box

 

Frames and keel

 

Metal parts

 

Wooden strips for planking and the material for the mast

 

The deck and the wooden fittings

 

The building plans

 

The Amati kit is really impressive. The wooden parts are of good quality, only the sails are not sewn. Anyway, I can‘t wait laying the keel.

[Timothy Wood]

Richard,

 

I believe I'll pull up a chair and watch your build.  I did a half hull of her about a month ago.  I must say she is a beautiful craft, I look forward to watching your build.        

 

Cheers,

Tim

[yvesvidal]

Richard,

 

this is a breath of fresh air! Finally, some changes from the period Ships. I will be following with great interest your Build Log. Please make sure you take a lot of pictures and that you have a small ladder to take care of the rigging....

 

Thank you for doing this kit.

 

Yves

[Jay 1]

Richard, I'm pulling up a chair for your build as well! I also have the Amati kit but won't be starting it for awhile--you're spot on that it's a lovely kit!

 

Jay

[yvesvidal]

Richard,

 

I do not want to take over your Build Log, but this is a picture of the finished result

 

 

Yves

[Børge]

Hi Richard

 

Lovely yacht, i love theese ships. They have beautiful lines.

Will peak in for your progress

 

Børge

[TBlack]

Look at that overhang! It could almost double as a harpoon! The sea is calm and yet the deck is awash.

[The Sailor]

Thank you very nuch for your interest, Tim, Yves, Jay, Børge and TBlack.

Just take a seat. But be patient with me, first I have to finish my Pickle.

Jeff, I just found your half hull build log. It‘s very nice.
Yves, thanks for posting the picture.

[fnkershner]

^{Richard - I just found your log. She is a beautiful ship. I too have this kit on my shelf. I concern is what will the admiral say when she sees how bit it is?!! Did you notice the mast alone is nearly 5 ft tall. this is not likely to fit in a display case.}

[The Sailor]

Hi Floyd, my admiral broke down when she saw the box.

The height of the mast is very impressive but not the problem. Tapering the round timber could be a really tough job.

Edited September 1, 2013 by The Sailor

[captainbob]

Ah, she was such a lovely boat.  It will be nice to see the model.

 

Bob

[fnkershner]

Did you know you can R/C this model? Just saying...

[Jay 1]

Richard, seeing how you taper the mast will be a build highlight--looking forward to learning what you come up with!

 

Jay

[themadchemist]

Wow is that a full size ironing board? This is going to be a huge replica. What's her overall length (and height), my calculations give just under 4 feet long? She should make one really impressive display. I also love seeing the non-period and working vessel builds. There are so many interesting vessels out there and this one is a definite keeper.

 

@ Yves, Nice photo, it really shows the inner beauty of the sail stitching. 

[fnkershner]

When she raced in the Cup she had a crew of 35! Can you imagine being the bow man on that thing?!! She is in the Caribbean now. Her new owner spent over $1M to restore her. I would love a chance to sail on board. Every year there is a classic wooden boat race in the Carib.  

Edited September 3, 2013 by Floyd Kershner

[The Sailor]

Thanks again for your big interest.

Did you know you can R/C this model? Just saying...

I know, Floyd but i‘m short on experience with such things. The other big difficulty could be to waterproof the wooden hull. I think, she lives much longer when I keep her far away from any action of water.

 

Wow is that a full size ironing board?

Yes, it‘s a full size ironing board. The overall length is 115 cm (3,77 ft), the height is 146 cm (4,79 ft). Edited September 3, 2013 by The Sailor

[fnkershner]

Actually I can help you with the R/C part of this.    It is the only way my Admiral will let me build it. I fi just say she will be out in the garage with the other R/C yachts. did I mention I already have 2 of similar size?

 

To water proof the hull on this kit all you need is a layer of West systems Epoxy. And the electronics is not hard either. am I tempting you? Hmmm?

 

Actually the biggest challenge would be the ballasting.

[The Sailor]

Ladies and gentlemen, ...

... and this is the official start of my build log.

Oh my God! In 1/35 scale Endeavour‘s parts are only big! Anyway, let‘s have a look at the first pictures. At this time all the parts are dry-fitted.

Here are the bow and the stern:

 

The midship frames and some more parts:

 

 

The building slip for the ship‘s boat:

 

And the dry-fitted hull:

 

 

 

[fnkershner]

Oh boy I am so going to be getting into trouble with the Admiral.   I might just have to dig my kit out. Are going to have the drop keel exposed?

[Timothy Wood]

I like everything I see already!  Keep the photos coming in!

 

Tim

[Q A's Revenge]

Really looking forward to your progress on this as the smaller 1:80 version is high on my list.

[hamilton]

Hi Richard:

 

No sooner is the Pickle done than this beauty emerges off the shelf?!?! I looked long and hard at this kit during my annual "kit acquisition season" but the size put me off - the Admiral does want to move to a bigger place, but I'm not sure this is the reason she had in mind!!

 

Looking forward to following this one

hamilton

[Jeff-E]

Hi Richard,

 

I just been reading your log, Nearly missed the starters gun  

 

It looks like a high quality kit going by your photos and she is going to be big, I should think it will be a nice change for you  to work on a larger scale model and not have to deal with those smaller parts you had on the Pickle.  I will follow your progress with interest

 

You are off to a great start keep the please pictures coming

Edited October 13, 2013 by Jeff-E

[Q A's Revenge]

Looking at your pictures again, some of the small ribs seem to be shy of the keel whilst a couple of the larger ones are proud. Looking forward to see how you deal with this!

[The Sailor]

Thank you very much Floyd, Tim, Q A‘s Revenge, Hamilton and Jeff.

 

 

Oh boy I am so going to be getting into trouble with the Admiral.   I might just have to dig my kit out. Are going to have the drop keel exposed?

This can get you in trouble, Floyd. Don‘t mess with the Admiral.

 I‘m not sure about an exposed drop keel. I think, it looks strange. But the drop keel is free to move.

 

 

 

Really looking forward to your progress on this as the smaller 1:80 version is high on my list.

 

 but the size put me off -

 

Well, the length is a minor problem. The real problem is the height of the mast. For all I know, Amati‘s Endeavour is available in three different sizes: 1:80, 1:50 and 1:35.

Edited October 13, 2013 by The Sailor

[Q A's Revenge]

I‘m not sure about an exposed drop keel. I think, it looks strange. But the drop keel is free to move.

 

Personal thing I guess but for what it's worth I agree it does look a little strange.

 

This is the little one that's on my list. It's available as resin hull or plank on frame. Which one I buy depends on how easy you make the hull planking look!

 

http://www.westbourne-model.co.uk/acatalog/Endeavour-314-ext.html

Edited October 13, 2013 by Q A's Revenge

[hamilton]

I think the drop keel looks strange in the present context but might look more appropriate when the hull is fully planked - a matter of taste I suppose. Anyway, it will be nice to see one of these beautiful hulls in a nice large format, drop keel or not!

hamilton

[yvesvidal]

I agree with you all about the retractable keel. I would not show it on the finished model, although it would be cool to have some kind of mechanism (spring or others) that allows you to pull it out, with automatic retraction inside the hull. This could be a nice feature on a static model.

 

The lines of the hull are so pure that the lower keel would break the incredible beauty of the J class.

 

As for the height of the mast, unless you place the model on the floor, you will need a ladder to work on the top of it. I cannot wait to see more progress and pictures.

 

Yves

Edited October 14, 2013 by yvesvidal

[fnkershner]

If you were to R/C this boat you could have a 3rd channel for the drop keel. It would help you when pointing upwind.

[pete48]

looks good, I have always liked Americas Cup boats , Do they make kits for the modern 12 meter Boats ? ( Ive been looking and have not found any other than plastic ones) thought about buying plans and doing a scatch build, I saw some model plans for the America3 boats (just to new of a boat)

Best Regards,

Pete