Do I need a rabbet for an admiralty or open frame build?

[isali]

I am getting ready to start rattlesnake, I Dave at the lumberyard sent me the most incredible wood package imaginable so the questions begin. I am taking photos to hopefully start a log soon.

 

Anyway, I am marking the rabbet when it occurred to me that if I make this open frame at least to the wales, do I need a rabbet?

 

Maybe I will do more of a cutaway look than pure admiralty, ie planking at the bow and stern for a few inches then left open.

 

Any thoughts and any logs to look at are welcome

 

 

Thanks

 

Ira

[Jay 1]

While it's your choice to either include or not include the rabbet, Ira, I think including it in (even if you don't plank) will give your build greater authenticity--they were very much a part of a wooden ship. Perhaps looking at some of the great scratch logs on the forum will help with your decision and choice.

 

Cheers,

Jay

[Jim Lad]

Ira,

 

If you look at photographs of the original Admiralty models, you'll see that they usually had the rabbet cut in.

 

John

[isali]

Thanks Guys,

 

I am leaning in the direction of cuting the Rabbet so I have theflexibility to add planks later, either for the right look or in case I build something that looks better covered   

 

I have been going through the scratch built frame models trying to find some good images and good logs at the begining of the process.  

 

Any recomendations are appreciated.

[Jay 1]

Ira, here's an excellent example from Dan Vedas' HMS Vulture log: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/230-hms-vulture-by-dan-vadas-1776-148-scale-16-gun-swan-class-sloop-from-tffm-plans/#entry5141

 

Here's another example from Ed Tosti's Young America log: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/3453-young-america-by-edt-extreme-clipper-1853/?view=findpost&p=109904

 

In a scratch log, go to the 1st log page and type in rabbet in the search box at the top of that page and you should get all mentions of rabbet in the log.

 

Cheers,

Jay