Arrow by jiljilia - Amati - American Gunboat

[jiljilia]

I decided to start my next ship; so far it's coming along fairly good as the instructions are in Italian, but they have English in a separate booklet. What's done is easy, coming up, very intricate and detailed. I'll show progress as I go.

 

Slow process to this point now. Some very small pieces to cut, but so far so good. I'll be placing the deck on next. The bulwark pieces coming up to make are very small and time consuming. I've included more pics and of the kit.

[jwvolz]

Nice to see a build of the "Arrow", as I've been considering this unique vessel for a future build. 

 

Any photos of the kit contents?

Edited April 3, 2014 by Joe V.

[jiljilia]

I got a photo for you Joe of the kit. It's very interesting and the directions aren't too bad. This will take a while though!

[jiljilia]

It took a while to do the deck planking as well as the hull planking as the strips being used are 3mm wide. I like to do hull planking to my own liking as my boats are only on display in my own home. I still have to touch up on the hull and then I will paint the waterline down to the keep white, lacquer the rest with a semi gloss. I still need lots of practice though when it comes to planking. I find it hard to figure out especially on this hull.

 

 

The top view pic shows the rowing benches with foot bars, deck planking,2mm wide, the bulwarks and the building of the stern extension with grating as the plan in the pic shows. Not much for step by step instruction, but it will be done.

 

A close up of the stern extension  being done. I cut out a jig according to plans for where the grating will eventually go, attached the end piece to the extensions, stuck the jig into place and squeezed with my fingers so that the extensions are snug to the jig piece, soaked in water so that the extensions will conform to the jig, wrapped with twine to hold and clamped the rope so that it doesn't come undone. Letting her dry overnight.

[aliluke]

A great subject this model -really unique.Are those angled planks at the bow how it was done? Intrigued and keen to keep up with your model!!

[jiljilia]

They are angled at the stern and bow and were done because I didn't like the way the veneer was sitting if I followed the ship to length. I found I was going to get a step in the veneer if I kept going, So I thought of the angle idea and making a couple of jigs so that the angles would always be the same. I did the angle, then I would do the length and so on until I felt it was enough and then carried on with ship lengths.

[jiljilia]

Just a shot showing that the hull from the waterline down to keel has been painted and some stain added from waterline up to certain planks of the ship

 

Top view, showing the stern with grating; a bit of a job, but accomplished.

 

Close up of the stern with grating, sorry the picture came out a bit fuzzy.

[jiljilia]

First pic showing the keel in place along with the rudder and the hull painted. The rudder copper hinges all had to be made from a thin strip of copper, bent to conform and nailed to rudder and keel. I also wanted to show the stand, painted a hammered silver. There is a company out there that will not include that stand in the kit, you have to buy it separate and the kit itself is more money than what I paid.

 

Second pic showing both canons in place and all the kleets, pins, rings (70) all in place. The front canon shows two copper hold downs, I took them off after I shot the picture, didn't like how it looked, will do something else, maybe just paint them on?

 

Close up of bow canon

 

Close up of stern canon

 

Last pic, not sure if this is allowed, shows what else I do if I get a little tired of ship building. I always do a couple of different jobs at the same time when I build a ship. The starship is a rocket called the "Interceptor" and will fly over 1000ft. If the weather would warm up I could spray paint her up and decal it.

[aliluke]

That is looking great. You are very quick but for no loss of quality. A very sharp build. The comparison with the rocket is appropriate  - they have similar lines! I like this model and your rendition of it!

 

I'm guessing that this boat had massively long oars and many of them. Do you plan to display it with oars out or with oars stowed?

[aliluke]

Just found this picture - you probably have it. I like the canvas awning at the stern.

[jiljilia]

Aliluke, I did wonder why the ship didn't come with oars too as it would have had 28 of them. But no, I won't be adding any oars and to maybe show them stored, there isn't enough room on the ship itself. Your picture is quite neat, but this model doesn't show the awing at the stern. The rigging, even of the canons is intricate and will take some time. The ship is going quite fast, but there are times and processes that I have spent over 8hrs doing straight. I have discovered though, that the steps involved in building this model are not precise in what they show you to do and what it's supposed to have been. I have made some mistakes, but have managed to make it work. Learning process.

[jiljilia]

aliluke, where did you find that picture? I've looked all over the internet trying to find any information on the Arrow and have found nothing and not a picture. The ideas of the oars has intrigued me, so I ordered the oars and rowing cleats. I'm going to see if the oar idea will work, which I hope, for now though I will rig in my canons and start the mast. 

[aliluke]

Hi jiljilia

I can't paste the link for some reason - Google "Amati American Gunboat Arrow ifokus" (the link should be at the bottom of the results - there aren't very many). This will take you to build log of your gunboat on a model site in Sweden! I have no idea how I got there but I did. I don't think it will help very much as it doesn't explain the image source. I don't speak Swedish so I have no idea how to even turn the pages on this log...

 

I think the idea of adding oars is an excellent one. It will give a whole other dimension to the model and emphasise it's need for stealth. Gunboats like this were sneaky and many others - not the Amati Arrow version necessarily - made as models show the oars laid out as if it was about to be rowed.

 

I wish someone else here would chime in - a great subject, a good model and already very well made.

 

I'll stay in touch with your build.

[jiljilia]

Hey Aliluka: Thanks for the info on the Arrow, I checked that site out. I like the colors that person is using. But really there isn't much on Arrow to get a feel of what the ship was actually like in it's day, too bad!

[aliluke]

And suddenly I see you are finished! Great work - it is superb model and you've done a great job. Congratulations!

[catopower]

Hello Jiljilia, sorry I missed following your build log. It was so quick!

 

I've always like the look of Amati's Arrow gunboat and I even purchased a set of plans for it. 

 

I like your photo of the boat next to the Interceptor. I built one of those and flew it a LONG time ago. Was a lot of fun, though it lost a wing pod on the first flight. On it's last flight, I guess there was a lot of wind up off the ground. It went straight up then made a sudden 90-degree course change and I had to go hunt it down. Was a neat flight though – I remember it well, though it was...35 years ago... Wow!

 

That painting of the gunboats, being Swedish, is more likely of the F.H. Chapman designed Swedish gunboats rather than the American gunboat Arrow. 

 

Anyway, nice job on the Arrow!

 

Clare

[SawdustDave]

Hi Clare:

Great to see another one of my old friends from the old group.

Just getting back to my shop after taking a much needed two year break.

Great looking gunboat. I love the contrasting colors. Nice job!

Dave

[jiljilia]

Clare, Sawdust Dave:

 

I haven't flown my Interceptor rocket yet, actually haven't finished building yet as once the summer hits I get pretty darn busy with things around the home, so time for building is nil at the moment. I do realize the building of the Arrow was quick, but I did have the time to spend hour upon hour building the ship.

 

I hope your going to start a ship, Dave; two year break must mean you rested up and ready to build!! Thanks for your comment, means much.

 

Myself, am resting now from building, but come fall I'll be at it again. Won't be quick though as I am now a full time worker again. Come fall I will be starting: " The Thermopylae - 1868 English Clipper". This ship will require lots of patients and careful skill as to get it right.

 

Thanks again for the comments on the "Arrow", have a great summer!!

 

Jiljilia, (Dave)

[musky]

Hello Jiljilia.

This is my first post on this website. I was hoping to find a member who had completed the American gunboat 'Arrow' and was pleased to see your thread.

It looks like not many people have built this model.

I recently purchased this kit but was a little surprised to see the planking was only 3mm wide. Did you complete your planking using this width or did you opt to increase it to 5mm wide?

It would make it a lot easier to plank I would think.

Just curious

 

Thank you

Donald

[musky]

Hi Aliluke,

I found the Swedish website with their build of the Arrow. Looking closer at the picture of the ship with the awning, I see a 'structure' on the port side that looks like a stabiliser of sorts or something similar. Any ideas what that could be?

Thanks

Donald

[Chuck Seiler]

aliluke, where did you find that picture? I've looked all over the internet trying to find any information on the Arrow and have found nothing and not a picture. The ideas of the oars has intrigued me, so I ordered the oars and rowing cleats. I'm going to see if the oar idea will work, which I hope, for now though I will rig in my canons and start the mast. 

I was just browsing your log and found this...sorry for a belated response.

 

I believe that the "Arrow" is a fictitious vessel.  However, I think it is patterned after the gunboat "ALLEN".  I have the kit (and still have not built it), so I was somewhat aware of the kit when I heard a presentation in 2001 or 2002 by Dr. Kevin Cristman from Texas A&M University on the "ALLEN" and it's recovery from Lake Champlain.  In a side discussion he was talking to somebody about how the ALLEN and kit ARROW differed, but I don't recall the details...but it is close.

[musky]

That is very interesting concerning the ALLEN. Following on from that I found this article after a web search

 

http://www.lcmm.org/shipwrecks_history/shipwrecks/war_1812_wrecks.htm