HM Schooner Ballahoo by egkb - FINISHED - Caldercraft - 1:64 Scale - First Proper Wood Build

[Edwardkenway]

Doesn't matter how slow you build when you're producing something that nice, Eamonn.

She looks beautiful!

Edited March 27, 2021 by Edwardkenway

[egkb]

Hi Folks ..  At long last I have the Ratlines finished, took a bit longer than I anticipated due to sheer Laziness 🤣 .. Am currently looking at my next steps which should involve identifying the 'proper' run of all lines/ropes etc and belaying them with some nice rope loops laid over..  Then creating 2x Anchor Buoys and securing the Anchors themselves..  Which may/will require a revisit to my Anchor Cables, as they don't seem to want to 'sit down' properly (they are way too stiff) I may have twisted them too tightly on my Rope Walk ..

 

Photo Time !  Woo Hoo 😆

 

All The Very Best Folks and Thanks Again for Looking In and Commenting or Simply Liking !

 

Eamonn

 

[Edwardkenway]

Lovely looking boat🙂😉

Eamonn, cracking job!

[egkb]

Thanks Edward & the Likes ..  She is coming along now for sure..  I see Dr PR (Phil) has a nice Thread on Schooner Rigging etc., I shall be visiting there a lot over the coming weeks I think .. Here's the Link for anyone interested..

All The Very Best Folks, and Thanks again Everyone.

 

Eamonn

 

Eamonn

[egkb]

Hi Gang ..  This morning I got going on the Anchor Buoy (Nun Buoy) ..  I'm only doing one as I plan on leaving an Anchor with its Cable (leading onboard) on the Base Board and the Buoy will be attached to this.. if you follow 🤨

 

Tricky wee devils to do to say the least (kinda glad I only chose to do one lol) but once I thought the process through it got a bit easier (that and a lot of reference work here on MSW not to mention my books)

The first photo shows the lead up work, please note there will be a third line, per side, attached to the pair already shown (each side of the buoy itself) I was originally only going with a pair but it didn't look/feel right !

The wooden buoy itself is a piece of scrap dowel turned on my lathe to this oval and is approx. 1.4mm in length x .75 in width ..  which scales to about 3 feet in length ..Ballahoo is a smaller vessel so this is about 1/3 the size of the Anchor and would come to waist height on a person (give or take) minus the attachments of course..  I painted the buoy black then sanded it to give the somewhat grubby look (a tad like cork in fact 😉)

next job is to tidy things up (get it nice and even in tension and spacing, whip the ends around the eye etc) then attach rope to it.

 

All The Very Best, and as ever Thanks For Stopping By.

 

Eamonn

 

PS if ye ever have any questions please fire away..

 

 

[egkb]

And Finished the Buoy ..

 

 

[tkay11]

Very nice. Tricky thing, but buoys will be buoys.

 

Tony

[egkb]

Thanks Tony .. Tricky For Sure ! Yet rather satisfying to do.. 

 

E

BTW was just over on your latest build .. 1:100 WOW .. Anchor Buoys in that scale .. Aaaaagh I cringe even thinking of it (lucky those boats don't use them .. I assume that is lol)

[georgeband]

Tony,

That is a splendid buoy that you have crafted and photographed well. Here is a picture of a real, cork one at the maritime museum in Toulon. It has split in the middle and reveals pegs that held the cork slabs together. 

 

 

I was on a cruise ship that stopped in Toulon in 2007 and was impressed by the many models they have including one enormous one (15 feet long?) which could tilt from side to side and was used to train crews. Well worth a visit when we are allowed to travel again. 

 

George

 

[egkb]

Hi George .. Thanks for posting the photo.. It is the exact look I was going for..  Was very tempted to show the 'layers' but it became all too obvious, bit like 'tree nailing' subtle is better and at 1:64 they would almost disappear or blend together at normal viewing distances anyhoo.. Love what you are doing with your own Ballier (or should I say Whitier)  too BTW ! She is going to be a Star.

 

I spent this afternoon drawing (poorly I might add) a Deck Plan (and Mast Plan) showing my available Belaying Points .. Proper Research begins tomorrow.

 

Thanks Again For Stopping By.. Goes For All Commenters and Likes Too 😃

 

Eamonn

[egkb]

Hi Gang ..  Belaying Diagram Complete ...  I attach a copy for your amusement (NMM at Greenwich are welcome to archive it ..🤣🤣)

 

It was constructed from referencing 'Topsail Schooner Sail Plans & Rigging' by Dr Pr (see post #871 at top of page) and Petersons 'Rigging Period Fore & Aft Craft' and with care I adapted both to suit Ballahoo (I allow that Ballahoo was (probably/most likely) a Topsail Schooner, but I depict her with 'struck' top-mast, but the belaying points would still be there)

 

Next Up .. Copious Rope Coils and Follow my Belaying Pattern.

 

As usual, if any of you see a glaring error or have any questions please do fire away!

 

All The Very Best

 

Eamonn

 

 

[SardonicMeow]

I've been spending a little while looking at your diagram.  The only major issue I see is the foresail sheet.  Perhaps you intended to assign that to the aft pinrails, but put it on the fore pinrails by mistake?  Also, I don't see what a foresail halyard would do, as the foresail can be raised and lowered with the gaff peak / throat halyards.

 

[egkb]

Hi Peter .. The Fore-Sail Halyard refers to the 'triangular' sail in front of the mast (similar to a Jib) not to the Fore Mast Sail (attached to the Foremast and Gaff)  the Sheet in question is also for this afore-mentioned Fore Sail 😃  The Sheet's for the Mast/Gaff Attached Fore Sail go to the aft pin rail probably where the Fore Gaff Vang/Pendant are (I may move the Pendant/Vang's down one ) I was looking at this on my diagram after I posted it lol ..

 

I hope all that makes sense .. Schooners and their Fore Sails must have been fun .. (I guess they called them different names as per Fore Sail -v- Fore Course on square rigs)

 

Eamonn

[Landlubber Mike]

Great buoy Eamonn!  Really nice job!

[egkb]

Thanks Mike .. Deffo not the easiest thing to do LOL

 

E

[SardonicMeow]

Thanks for clarifying, Eamonn.  I think the right name for the sail you're describing is the fore staysail.  Looking at your (really lovely) pictures of the Ballahoo in profile, there is a very short distance between the fore mast and fore stay, so I assumed there would be no fore staysail.  But it's certainly possible.

 

As always, I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[egkb]

Hi again Peter .. You have it nailed ! Fore Staysail it is indeed. . 😃  You are also correct that there is little room to fly it  in the gap 'tween Stay and Foremast, but I still would suspect it was flown there.

Thanks Again Peter for the questions, they keep me on track !  It is all too easy to become 'blinkered' and miss things.

 

Eamonn

[egkb]

Hi Folks.. Well it has been a few weeks since my last update, but I haven't been slacking off !  I have completed my Rope Coils and fitted them..

The general 'feel' of my Ballahoo build is not the 'formal just off the builders blocks' look, where all ropes and trim are near perfect, instead She has a look of being just out of a 'refit' where the running rigging isn't all in place yet and the ropes are being made ready for use.. A slightly informal look if you will ..

 

And on that note Ballier is just about Finished ! 😊😊  I just have to fit the Anchors and order the Glass Case (I rang my local glass company a while back and asked if they can do it.. I asked for something like a smallish Fish Tank and they said they can do it.. cheap too!, as I already have the Base sorted.. you can see it in older photos above)

You may remember from a few posts ago I was having trouble with my Home Made Anchor Cable (it being very stiff & inflexible) but my Wife Karen suggested soaking the cables in Fabric Softener .. well I can report it seems to have worked a treat..  simply hot water in a small container with some of the Softener poured in (enough to 'discolour the water' as Karen phrased it) Pop the rope in and leave for a few mins.. dry overnight and Presto much more flexible rope ..  I have rinsed the rope in water to remove the Softener, as I have no idea what the long term effects would be, but the floral scent from the rope is enough to make me do it ..🤣

 

Today I added an Anchor Cable Stopper on the Port Side and the bare Ring/Eye on the Stbd Side as this Anchor will be stowed on the rail.

(You cab just about make them out in the photos attached)

 

As Always, Thank You All for Liking and Commenting on my Ballahoo..

 

Eamonn

 

[Gregory]

That really looks a cut above the box art for Ballahoo..   Nice work!

[ccoyle]

That is indeed looking very, very nice.

 

4 minutes ago, Gregory said:

That really looks a cut above the box art for Ballahoo..   Nice work!

 

Agree, but I do like the fact that the box art version shows an out-of-the-box build, which is what box art should be. The customer should be able to see exactly what he is getting for his money. Sadly, this is not the case for all manufacturers everywhere, as we are all well aware.

[Dowmer]

Absolutely well done. A great looking ship and one to be proud of for sure.  
 It was very entertaining following the build. 

[egkb]

Thanks Guys .. I installed the Starboard Anchor a few mins ago .. Port side is still drying from the Fabric Softener & Rinse Cycle ..

 

Agreed re the Out Of The Box expectations, essentially my Ballier is still the same as the box art, in that I didn't play with the hull shape or over-all feel of the Caldercraft Kit .. it did take a serious 'Bashing' in places though and I pretty much researched every piece of extra trim and rigging before adding it.. I also had a darn good think about things also, in a 'does this feel right' kinda way as I'm around boats of all types most of my life from working sailing vessels to historic boatyards (Arklow was famous for Schooners right up to the late 60's in fact, bit before my time but the photos & stories endure)  MSW and it's members have been invaluable as a resource and I've been through many many build logs, particularly those featuring smaller vessels, cutters etc.. to ensure I'm not making any (or too many at least) glaring errors  (this is one of the reasons it took sooooo long, the others are Home Improvements, Getting Married and the fact that I'm a slow builder .. 😉 )  .. For Instance, one of the things I kept reviewing was Ballahoos (out of the box I mean) absence of a Windlass .. I was toying with adding one but reminded myself that Ballahoo was a very very small vessel with a large crew.. and that not all vessels this size had them.. Block and Tackle's were used instead.

 

Hopefully this Ballahoo Build Log will prove useful to someone who wishes to take on a rather nice wee schooner.. Remember it really doesn't need to take 7 years to complete .. the box indicates 1 Month or some such 😉 🤣

 

Might get a chance to do the Port Anchor tomorrow then it's trim any sticking out lines etc, clean up and place her onto the stand proper..

 

Thanks Again Folks for following this journey to its near completion .. The Finish Line is in sight (Yup.. this is where I drop her isn't it.. 🙄)

 

Eamonn

[egkb]

Good Afternoon Folks .. Well Ballier Is Just About Finished...    I just have a few trimmings to complete (still haven't cleaned her properly nor trimmed off excess rope etc) and the Anchor Cable has to be set into a more pleasing 'swoop'.. That said she is 99.9% Complete .. 😊

 

I have taken a load (for me that is) photos of her for you to get a proper looksie (see how nice I am 😉😆)

 

As usual if you have any questions please fire away..

 

Cheers

 

Eamonn

 

 

[Edwardkenway]

Beautiful ship Eamonn, very crisp and clean! 

Congratulations on a job well done 👏😉😊

[egkb]

Thanks Edward .. Took my sweet time though .. 🤣🤣

 

E

[WalrusGuy]

The model looks great, Eamonn!! I love the looks of this schooner. Everything is just perfect from the woodwork and small detail work to the tidy and crisp rigging. The display stand is awesome too!! 😃

 

Is it just the flags that are left?

[egkb]

Hi W.. Cheers for that ! Those kinds of compliments form builders such as yourselves is high praise !

 

I'm weirdly not a fan of flags so I will be leaving them off.. That said they do set a model off though !  Little bit of trimming on ropes/knots and a friend (very accomplished builder) suggested I look at the Rudder Chains and put some rope from the ends leading onboard .. So I will take a looksie at that .. Suffice to say I'm reaching out to break the finish line tape, just not quiet over the line LOL

 

Thanks To Ye All For Looking In.. Likes Too BTW, always appreciated

 

Eamonn

[Landlubber Mike]

Eamonn, well done!  One of the nicest models on this board.  Congratulations!

 

Sorry if I missed it, but did you say what you’re building next?

 

[egkb]

Hi Mike .. Cheers for that compliment Mate!

 

Next up will be Sherbourne.. I have the box open on my bench and the original NMM plans are up on my board ..  Won't be tooo long before I begin.. then another 7 years to complete 😉   (Should be a bit quicker as I have a lot more information available to hand for her.. famous last words right there)

 

Eamonn

[allanyed]

Your build is super.   There is bashing, and then there is bashing.  The fact that you went out of your way to get the NMM plans for Sherbourne is fantastic.  Can't remember other kit builders doing this, but if they did, kudos to you and to them as well.   

Allan