Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[Chuck]

Looks like a fantastic start although I know you have been a busy man with all of the planning and preparing up to this point.  

 

Chuck

[rwiederrich]

Oh boy..and a front row seat to.   I'm enjoying this fully.

 

Great start Ed.

 

Rob

[EdT]

Thanks for the comments and the overwhelming reception for the first build pictures. It relief to get stated again after a lot preliminaries. Now I can resume my exercise of running up and down the stairs a dozen times a day between the workbench and the computer.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Oh..Ed you have to get a computer or at least a lap top in your shop....I couldn't get by with out mine right there in the shop...so I can reference and double check resources.  Not to mention so I can take images and down load them as soon as possible.

 

My lathes and mills are just out in the next building..not more then 5 steps away......Steps!  No way.

 

Well getting your cardio and ship work done all in one fell swoop is a blessing I guess.

 

Rob

[dvm27]

Congratulations on the laying of the keel, Ed. I'm really looking forward to this build.

[tarbrush]

oh boy, it's exciting that the build has begun.  I am really looking forward to this!!

[allanyed]

Ed

You know that this build of yours will take hours away from the rest of our own builds as we keep checking your progress and studying the photos closely.  And a big THANK YOU for doing so!!!

Allan

[CWG]

Any chance your efforts will lead to a kit by some manufacturer?  1/96 clipper ship kits are just too small.  They should be at least 1/72.

 

(Or a book with frame outlines and plans included?)

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

I surely wish they would.....and an American Clipper at that.

 

I began to build a plank on frame scratch... Clipper Lightning 30 years ago that was five feet long from stem to stern.  She never got past the weather deck stage...when she got destroyed in a mishap ..

 

Rob

[NenadM]

Very interesting topic. I follow

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone for the comments and interest.  I hope you all realize that you are putting pressure on me.

 

Allan, you are quite welcome.  I hope reading this won't cut into your golf time.

 

Ed,  I wouldn't hold your breath on a kit coming from this.

 

I should be posting Part 6 tomorrow or Monday.

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

Edited September 14, 2013 by EdT

[rwiederrich]

Sorry the peanut crew...is putting the full court press on you.........We're just so impressed.

 

Ok.............Go.

 

Rob

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 6 – Keel Rabbet and Waterstops
The keel rabbet provided a seat for the garboard strakes – the strakes of bottom planking next to the keel.  These strakes were 9” thick and were bolted through the outside edge into the keel as well as into the frames.  The v-notch of the rabbet on these ships was slightly different than the 60 degree triangle of 18C RN ships.  It was less sharp and deep. 

 

(Note:  Having just finished an 18th Century Royal Navy vessel and knowing there is a large following for these types on the forum, I will try to point out differences in structural design that may be of interest.  To do this I will use the abbreviation "18C RN" for the earlier types.)

 

To form the rabbet,  I used a scraper cut from a piece of stainless plate.  I have a lot of these small pieces lying around and they have been useful for this.  The first picture shows the scraper being roughed out with a jeweler’s saw.

 

 

The picture below shows the final filed out shape of the scraper.  The cutting edge is left square - but with sharp cutting corners on both faces.

 

 

 

 

The scraper is dimensioned to ride along the bottom of the keel.  The cut is finished when the scraper bottoms on the side.  Both these rubbing surfaces were rounded over and smoothed to avoid marring the sides and bottom of the keel.

 

The next picture shows one of the first passes on the keel

 

 

The next picture shows the keel with the finished rabbet.  Actually, I did not go all the way to the sharp edge at this stage.  I can use this cutter later, after the frames are set to finish the rabbet – when that sharp upper corner is more protected.

 

 

 

 

I may have mentioned earlier, that these ships had no rising wood (or hogg) over the keel.  Generally the frames were bolted directly to the keel with long through bolts.  Because of this, waterstops were needed to prevent leakage through the joints in the keel into the hull.  The rising wood effectively blocked this path in the earlier ships.   Although the garboard strakes would be caulked along the rabbet, this did not seal off the keel itself.  To eliminate this leakage, holes were bored through the keel at the inside of the rabbet and plugged with long fir dowels, effectively sealing off the top lip of the scarph.  I decide to install these.

 

The first picture shows the keel being drilled through the rabbet to accept a three inch waterstop cylinder.

 

 

The next picture shows a drawn 3" dowel being test fit.

 

 

These were actually driven in with a touch of wood glue.  The excess was then clipped off and the V of the rabbet formed at the ends with a razor blade.

 

The last picture is one of those close-ups that make me cringe, showing a scarph joint,  the central wedge and the waterstop under the upper lip.  This picture also shows the joint line left using the dark glue.

 

 

 

The slightly flat edge, left – for now - at the top of the rabbet can be seen in this picture.  The picture also gives a pretty good idea of the finish left by the scraper.  The rabbet has not been sanded – nor should it be – to avoid rounding over the corners.

 

These waterstops are a nice little detail.  Of course no one will ever see them without having very good eyesight and knowing where to look.  they went rather quickly, however, so the cost was small.

 

I guess the next work will be either the stem or the stern post.

 

Ed

[trippwj]

Nice touch, Ed.  Definitely adds to the accuracy!

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic...purist approach.....no detail is over looked.

 

Rob

[Maury S]

Ed,  So the water stops only appear the the scarf joint?

Maury

[EdT]

Hello Maury,

 

Crothers shows these in his book and it took me sometime to figure out how they worked.  It starts with the assumption that water will migrate into the scarph joints of the keel.  Given that these would be 20' or so below water, there would clearly be pressure pushing the water into the hull - bypassing the caulking of the garboard strake.  So, these are placed at the center of the rabbet at the bottom of the lip on the upper tier of the keel.  Caulking would rech their ends here, providing a seal across the joint.    The tight fit of the cylinder would block water in the joint.  Neat detail.  There are a few more in the stem and sternpost below the waterline,  serving the same purpose. 

 

It seems to me that more attention was given to the problem of water in the hold on these ships than the 18C RN where stowage in the hold was generally in casks and where water through the gratings of the hatches and other entry points seemed to be tolerated - or perhaps just accepted as inevitable.  This would not be acceptable for the high value, unsealed cargo carried in these ships.  No one likes salty tea or waterstained silks.  I am sure there will be more to be said about this later in construction - for example, having limber channels between the outer planking and the frames as opposed to letting it drain over the frames in the limber channel of earlier ships.  Suction pumps that could reach the outer planking at the bottom also helped.

 

Hope this answers your question.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Good analysis and description.....grain was carried in large bags and items like tea and dried goods needed to be dry.  I recall reading that the Clipper Dreadnought lost nearly a quarter of a grain shipment due to a sprung keel seal.  Many clippers suffered with dry rot in their old age.

 

Rob

[druxey]

Waterstops and wedged scarphs: very nice details, Ed! You are out-doing yourself this time around.

[Trussben]

That's some interesting stuff that I've never even heard of before Ed, thanks for the enlightenment.

 

Ben

[gjdale]

Just found your log on this one Ed. Like many others, I enjoyed and learned so much from your Naiad log that I will be sure to follow this one through as well.

[rwiederrich]

Ed does the YA have a 3 tier keel and a shoe as well?  And if the outside planking engages the rabbet in the upper tier.....who's gonna see all that fancy stopwater plug work?  

 

Rob(So impressed I'm not sure what question to ask first)

[Jim Lad]

Ed,

 

The water stops are an interesting detail, but seem almost excessive given that most wooden ships leaked to some extent due to the hull working in a seaway.  The cargo wouldn't be stowed directly on the frames or planks, but on dunnage laid over the ship's structure.  The ship would also be pumped regularly to keep her dry.

 

A very interesting example of 19th century craftmen's almost constructional overkill.

 

John

[rwiederrich]

I just happen to have these passage posters in my collection.

Edited September 16, 2013 by rwiederrich

[bhermann]

Ed -

 

I have been following along in the Crothers book as you go.  I purchased it a couple of years ago in preparation for my next build.  I have to say, with the explanations you are providing, it is making more sense to me than it did at the first read-through.  You are almost inspiring me to do things like put extra bulkheads into the kit keel to make fairing go more smoothly .  I will be following every detail of this one!

 

Thanks,

Bob

[Wintergreen]

Ed -

 

I have been following along in the Crothers book as you go.  I purchased it a couple of years ago in preparation for my next build.  I have to say, with the explanations you are providing, it is making more sense to me than it did at the first read-through.  You are almost inspiring me to do things like put extra bulkheads into the kit keel to make fairing go more smoothly .  I will be following every detail of this one!

 

Thanks,

Bob

That's the thing with a great tutor. Even if you read it yourself a couple of times it's not until someone puts it into reference that you fully understand.

(just got the whole width of stopwaters myself...).

[Alex M]

Hi Ed, very good start with incredible details! I will follow your build with interest!

 

Alex

[patrickmil]

It's these little details you put into your models that make your work into true masterpieces. Just like you said... most won't know the waterstops are there, but it's cool that you still take the time to put them in. Your scarf joint is already a work of art.

[EdT]

Thanks everyone for the comments and interest.

 

Rob, thanks for posting the posters also for the comment on the grain spoilage.  I think that with competition opening up during the period, that merchants could and did demand better shipping performance, not just on passage times, but on protection of the cargo - some of which was very high value goods.  To answer your question, Young America had a two-tier keel plus shoe.  I will be leaving at least one side of the model without planking, so the rabbet of the keel will be exposed on at least one side.  Those joint details will still be very hard to discern, but perhaps the waterstops at the stem and sternpost will be more visible.

 

As far as the need for waterstops, in ships without a rising wood to cover the top of the keel and seal off the joints, those joints were exposed to the inside of the hull.  Waterstop plugs were certainly a cheap and apparently effective solution, one that persisted into the twentieth century on wooden ships - at least in this country.

 

I have just gotten a very interesting book reprint, Wooden Shipbuilding (ca 1919) , written by Charles Desmond, which describes wooden shipbuilding in America in extreme detail.  It covers a later period, but apart from some tool inventions, it is very relevant to earlier (mid-late 19th C) practices and designs.  Of course, I immediately looked up waterstops, and there they were, with an explanation of their importance.  There are also many shipyard photos that are fascinating.  There are two pictures of separate instances showing crews setting the first keel timbers while the just-launched previous ship is still visible at the end of the ways.  The book is listed in Crothers bibliography and may have been his source for the stops.

 

Thanks again for your comments.  YA's stem and false stem are now joined to the keel - should have a posting in a day or two.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 7 – Stem and False Stem
I decided to do the stem next because I still have some checking to do on the drawings of the sternpost.

The first picture shows the four pieces involved.  They are all sided 16" - same as the keel.



In this picture the gripe and the false stem have already been assembled. Once the pieces were cut out and trimmed to their final shapes, the patterns were removed to permit close fitting of the joint. The two stem pieces in this picture have been cut to “almost” final shape and still have their patterns attached. Once the assembled forward assembly is fit and attached to the keel the stem pieces will be added – lower stem first then upper stem.

The next picture shows the connection to the keel assembly – not yet fit up.



The desired result in fitting this joint is that the false stem adheres to the line on the underlying drawing, and of course, that the joint gripe/keel assembly seams are tight.  The unfinished end of the keel rabbet can be seen in this picture.

The CAD patterns are extremely accurate. On these pieces I cut up to the 1-pixel line before final fitting. I use a disk sander where possible to keep the edges square. The final adjustment of the joint faces was done with a #0 barrette file with many test fitting. Some adjustment is being made in the next picture.

.



In the next picture the back face (port side) of the joint is being checked for fit. The joint will be visible from both sides.



In the next picture the assembly is being glued to the keel while aligned on the drawing. Waxed paper is being used under the glue joints to protect the drawing..



Once the glue has dried and the assembly has been cleaned up, the lower stem is fit into place on the drawing to assure final alignment - as shown below.




The next picture shows the lower stem permanently attached and the upper stem being fitted. Again, patterns have been removed to be able to see the final joint line.




The last picture shows the finished assembly.







The forward edge of the rabbet runs along the joint between the stem and the false stem. Forward of the rabbet the false stem and the gripe taper to a smaller thickness forward – roughly in line with the planking. The rabbet should probably be at least partially cut at this stage.

It is also time to start thinking about bolts.


Ed