Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[GLakie]

Hope you and yours have a great Holiday also Ed!  

 

Cheers 

[usedtosail]

Happy Holidays, Ed. I am hoping to get something with your name on it under the tree tomorrow. I left enough hints, I think.

[Elia]

Ed,

 

I hope you and your family have a very warm holiday.

 

I didn't know that any photos of Young America existed! What year was that taken? (Or estimated?)

 

Cheers

 

Elia

[jaerschen]

I love this class of ships, these elegant lines. My first sail model were the Cutty Sark from Revel.

I can't wait your Young America finished Ed.

Edited December 25, 2014 by jaerschen

[EdT]

Thanks, again, everyone.

 

Elia, there are actually two photos.  I don't know the dates - 1860's/70's I would guess.  Snow courtesy of Paintshop Pro.

 

Ed

[druxey]

Snow is very convincing, Ed! Is there nothing you can't do? A very merry Christmas to you.

[jaerschen]

Oh sorry Ed, I'm inconsolable to forgot this. I wish you also a Merry Christmas

[Mahuna]

Hi Ed:

 

Just received notice from Seawatch Books that they are hoping to publish Young America sometime in the fall - this news is a great Christmas present and I thank you!  I'll be looking forward to it.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Frank

[rwiederrich]

I for one will be getting that book for my collection.

 

Rob

[EdT]

Thank you for the support for the upcoming book(s).  We have a lot of work to do to get it ready by fall.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 102 – Planking and Wales continued

 

With the announcement of the forthcoming book(s) on this model, I’ve got to keep my nose to the grindstone – giving up some of the leisure I enjoyed before making the book decision.  So much to do, so little time.

 

In the first picture the wale upper strake around the stern has been installed.

 

 

All of the wale planks are 6” x 6”.  This first strake transitions in thickness from the 4” common plank thickness.  In the next picture the first full thickness wale plank has been fitted around the stern and is being levelled off with a file.

 

 

Some of this levelling was required on all planking but especially around these curves.  The planks were slightly oversized to allow for this.  This wale plank borders right on the “knuckle” – a transition point in the aft hull shape.  Planking below this will butt into this strake as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The two strakes shown above will be pared down to half width after gluing.  There are chocks between the stern timbers to allow the ends of the lower strakes to be bolted.  Lacking documented practice, I have assumed that these planks would be cut into the last circumferential wale plank as shown below.

 

 

This was the common practice for the ends of planks that butted into another plank where the angle would require excessive tapering of the planks.  Maintaining a minimum of one-half the width and cutting into the margin plank as shown above would permit these joints to be caulked.  This could not be done with a full taper on the planks.

 

Additional planks have been added in the next picture.

 

 

In this picture the surface is being sanded with 220-grit paper in preparation for treenailing.  In the next picture additional strakes on either side have been boiled and clamped in place to dry.

 

 

These planks do not have the extreme curvature of the circumferential planks but do curve up at the ends and twist to follow the hull shape.

 

The last picture shows the starboard planking while the ship was uprighted for some dimensional checks – and for inspection by Christmas visitors.

 

 

A lot of exterior planking remains to be done – down below the waterline on this side and a few strakes below the channels on the port side.  There are about 20 strakes in the wale itself plus some diminishing strakes and common plank below that on this side.

 

  

Ed

 

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Really wonderful pictures Ed. I will also by a copy of this book. I like the Tea Clippers and your model will be a fantastic possibility to build one in the future

[GLakie]

Absolutely beautiful work Ed.

 

Cheers and

Have a Happy New Year

[Remcohe]

Very nice planking Ed!

 

Remco

[michael mott]

Fantastic work as always Ed I am enjoying your build immensely. i am glad that you made the decision to prepare a book about it.

 

A happy and prosperous new year to you and your family.

 

Michael

[druxey]

Congratulations on both the upcoming book and completing that very tricky piece of planking work at the stern. Beautifully executed! Every best wish for the coming year, Ed.

[dgbot]

I will be waiting for your book and a nicely done on a tricky piece of planking.  I will have to write it down so I do not forget.  Whenever I look into your log I am always prepared to learn something new.

David B

[DORIS]

Amazing work, the level of realism, how you make and assemble the hull, is just awesome.
Have a great time and Happy New Year
Doris

[EdT]

Thank you, everyone for all of the comments, "likes" and New Year wishes.  I am most appreciative.

 

The work on the stern planking has been very interesting.  I have worried for some time about how it would all fit together, but as the structure developed the clarity of the original design emerged.  It was simple and elegant and not too hard to model - just time consuming with the one step a day process of boiling, bending, clamping, drying, gluing, pinning and then leveling.  It should be finished by the next post.

 

I should probably say a few words about the new book.  Many of you have mentioned it in the past.  Perhaps in the next YA post.

 

Doris, I am happy to hear of your new job.  You must not let it interfere too much with your remarkable modeling work.  We would all be devastated without your posts.

 

Ed

[jaerschen]

I admire this excellent quality of the planking at the Stern. Wonderful work Ed.

[Walter Biles]

Wonderful job, Ed

I'm dying to see how you close the planking in around the rudder and make the transition planking into the sides of the hull near the rudder.  At what stage will the rudder post hole be done? I am anxiously waiting.

Walter Biles

Edited January 2, 2015 by Walter Biles

[EdT]

Thanks, again everyone.

 

Walter, the work you asked about was going on as I got your post, so there will be something in the next part.  Thanks for the question.

 

Ed

[SJSoane]

 

Ed,

I was taken by your comment that the clarity of the design emerged as you put it together. I think it is one of the joys of scratch building a complex design, to suddenly discover in the making of something how it was logically put together in the first place. It always gives me a deeper appreciation of our ancestors, and the deep design traditions in which they worked.

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[EdT]

Great point, Mark.  Knowing that the builders would have found a way to make it all fit together properly allows you to proceed with some faith - assuming of course that the underlying work is done as intended.  This was certainly the case in the YA stern planking.  The solution became fairly obvious - not necessarily easy - but pretty obvious.

 

Ed

[druxey]

That is an interesting phenomenon, Mark and Ed. I've had a number of those 'ah-ha' moments over the years as what seemed to be a particular construction oddity  suddenly makes perfect sense. Satisfying feeling, isn't it?

[von stetina]

Looking awesome Ed! The stern looks great, I had the same things happen with Lightning's stern planking. The moldings were especially challenging. I'll bet you can wait to carve that stern eagle and decorations on there. She had some of the prettiest hull decoration of any clipper. I think YA and Red Jacket were the best decorated. Although it's awefull hard to beat lady Lightning with her lightning bolt....

 

Bruce

[Mirabell61]

Ed,

 

fantastic work !

 

Nils

[allanyed]

Hi Ed,

 

Magnificent work as always.  I  was overjoyed to see you using spring clamps.  I thought that was my own dirty little secret that would be too  embarrassing to share.  They have their place in my opinion, but I have had more pinch injuries with these over the years than the occasional cut from an Xacto blade.  As always, safe and slow is the way to go.

 

Enough with the books already.  Between you,  Antscherl,  Endsor, my Christmas list is always taken up before I can think of other things that would be fun to get.

 

 

Allan

 

 

[EdT]

Thanks, as always.

 

Yes Allan, spring clamps must sometimes be resorted to.  They don't look as nice in pictures but sometimes they are needed.  Christmas is a long way off, so don't despair.  I do know the feeling.

 

Ed

[Kevin]

Terrific work