USS Constitution by Glen McGuire - BlueJacket Bicentennial Edition - 1/96 - Repair and Complete Construction

[Glen McGuire]

Thanks for the well wishes on the Hawaii trip.  We had an amazing time.  Beaches, sunsets, mai tais.........ahhhhhh.

 

Time to get back to work.  The first thing I did upon return was finish seizing the mizzen shrouds and threading the deadeyes.  Still managing to keep the deadeyes aligned fairly well.

 

 

 

Next up was the forward stays and preventer stays.  These are looped around each mast with an eye and mouse.

 

 

I made my mice with a 3/16" dowel, sanding to a conical shape and drilling out the center for the stay to pass through.

 

 

 

One more thing to make before installing all the stays - the two U-shaped collars that the fore stay and fore preventer stay attach to at the base of the jib boom.  I carved these out of 1/8" thick basswood.

 

 

 

Here's a good look at the attachment points.   The fore stay and fore preventer stay are in the foreground with the U-shaped collars.  In the background you can see the main stay and main preventer stay using lanyards anchored at the base of the bow pinrail.

 

 

 

 

And here's a look at the whole thing.  That was a lot of work to string only 6 dang lines!!

  

[Knocklouder]

Glad your back my friend. Carson ship is looking  fantastic  he must be impressed with each post as we all are. Nice work on the bow, I am just starting mine.

  Pile says hello 👋      

Bob &crew

[Keith Black]

 Yes, welcome home. Did the cows miss you? 

 

 The Connie is looking right smart, Glen.  Fine job you're doing. 

[Glen McGuire]

17 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Pile says hello

Right back at him!  And tell him I hope he's enjoying his long rest, but he needs to get back to work ASAP!  That pile of kits in your workshop ain't gonna build themselves!  

 

9 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Yes, welcome home. Did the cows miss you?

Thanks, Keith.  Yes, they were quite happy when I got back and gave them their cow candy!

 

 

Edited November 21 by Glen McGuire

[FriedClams]

Good to hear you had an enjoyable get-away, Glen.  Nice progress on the Constitution!

 

Gary

[Glen McGuire]

More progress the last couple of days.  First was adding the mast top deadeyes.

 

 

 

Next was snaking the fore stay and main stay.

 

 

 

Then I snugged up the lower shroud deadeyes and added sheer poles.  

 

 

 

 

I went outside yesterday morning and there was something in the air.  Took me a few minutes, but I finally realized it was the smell of ratlines.  That dang north wind blew it all the way down from @Knocklouder's workshop in Canada to Austin.  I don't see any way out of it, so I started by making some templates.  Only 1700 knots.  If I can average 30 seconds per knot, that's only about 14 hours of fun and frolic!!  Or maybe I should send Bob a plane ticket and have him fly down here and knock 'em out for me!

 

  

[GrandpaPhil]

Glen,

 

The Constitution is looking good!
 

A set of ratlines usually takes me a week or two on a warship.

 

I may or may not have been known to take a week of vacation specifically for tying ratlines, lol.

Edited November 23 by GrandpaPhil

[Knocklouder]

Wow 1700 clove hitches,  I would be in Heaven. You know if you sing the ratline song it go's by fast.

 99 ratlines on the wall. 99 ratlines on the wall  etc......   Do that 17 times you'll  be done in no time.17 sounds better than 1700 lol. Enjoy, they say ratlines are therapeutic, I need therapy.  Lol

 The ship is looking fantastic  Glen    Bob M & crew !!

[Keith Black]

 Seventeen hundred clove hitches?!  That's why I use the weave method. 

[Glen McGuire]

850 knots down and 850 to go, on the lower shrouds anyway!  I haven't estimated a number for the uppers yet, but at least it won't be near as many.  I kept waiting for Bob to get here and help but I guess PFC Pile would not give him a weekend pass.  Mini-Dimples did show up to supervise.  Unfortunately, she was not much help.

  

 

 

 

As tedious as those ratlines are, the ship really starts coming to life visually when they are added.  For me, they are a defining aspect of the look and feel of the large age of sail ships.  My goal when I got back from Hawaii was to get the lower starboard side complete before I head out of town for Thanksgiving.  Mission accomplished!  After the holiday, I will take a break from the Constitution here and swing back over to the Flying Dutchman/Black Pearl SIB to have a go at making the whirlpool.  Yikes!!

 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, one of the things I'm thankful for is all of the incredible people that make up the MSW community.  As I've said many times before, y'all make all of my work better and so much more enjoyable.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!   

 

 

Edited November 27 by Glen McGuire

[Knocklouder]

Glen the flight is canceled, snow? Ice, plus Pile said  NAY .   So 850, They do go by fast. Did that song help lol.Looking great my freind. The best part about finishing the ratlines?  is there not many lines left to do.   fantastic work,she sure is shaping up  nicely. 

 Bob  M.

PFC GP. 

Goober

Edited November 27 by Knocklouder
Typos

[Keith Black]

 Glen, the ratlines look fantastic. And a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. 

Edited November 27 by Keith Black