seadog Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 (edited) I admit it i'm a sucker for fast Schooners, and this one is a peach, famous too. She had a claim to being the first true Clipper, as opposed to the Baltimore clippers which were a very different hull shape from the Clippers of the 40s and onward. Having spent the last few weeks slavin' over a hot computle trying to produce drawings I can us for building from a not very big illo in David MacGregor's book "Fast Sailing Ships" I've decided that I've come to a point where I've got enough drawings to get on with it, actually I reached this point about ten days ago, but was somewhat reluctant to start a log till I felt reasonably confident that I would at least get a hull out of it! The work is proving challenging as I settled on 1/8" to the foot which is about 3 mm.. Anyway, some pics: I cut sections from 4mm ply, as I had some in stock. I then infilled with balsa, which is not a good wood for this purpose, but all I could get at the time.. having got a solid hull-ish shape to work on, (same as I did with the Fair Rosamund, and no, I haven't given up on that build, just having a break, sort of) The shaping comences. The stern is horribly tricky. One of the difficult bits about working in a smaller scale is the size of the timbers you have to work with, the stern stanchions are about 2mmx2mm. I cut them out of Beech for strength... Which brings me up to the present. Today was spent assembling a screen door kit...joy. Edited August 14, 2013 by seadog 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Nice start seadog matey. I could never get into all them ribs, but you have cracked it. Looking foreward to the next installment. Cheers foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Bulheads, not ribs! in fact if you have the patience, doing plank on frame is a much better, more accurate way to go that what I'm doing, but the hours....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Oops, yep they be Bulheads . Am going into the bilges to contemplate a fatal mistake I do have somethings to learn on the below deck terminolagy. Yep you are right again on the Bulhead ribs that take up so much time, maybe thats why I have not tried it. Cheers foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Oops, yep they be Bulheads . Am going into the bilges to contemplate a fatal mistake I do have somethings to learn on the below deck terminolagy. Yep you are right again on the Bulhead ribs that take up so much time, maybe thats why I have not tried it. Cheers foxy Bulheads... I be hittin the rum a bit hard....Bulkheads fer wossit sake. I built a Plank On Frame (p.O.F) hull once. A model Shipways kit of a fishing smack - 'Emma'. Learned a lot, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Oh Yes !! I'm going to be watching you on this build, what a beautiful looking schooner ... I'm going to enjoy this, please continue One small point, I would question the description 'Clipper', as far as I'm aware the definition of clipper is ' three or more masts, square rigged. Have you seen this site, might give you some inspiration http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/maid.html Regards Kev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 One small point, I would question the description 'Clipper', as far as I'm aware the definition of clipper is ' three or more masts, square rigged.Have you seen this site, might give you some inspiration http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/maid.html Regards Kev OK, in answer to your comment. Howard I Chapell defines a clipper as any fine/lined, fast sailing vessel irrespective of rig. Clipper Schooners were nothing new. The famous, or infamous, depending upon whose side you were, Baltimore Clippers of the War of 1812 which led the Royal Navy a few merry chases across the Atlantic, were very different in hull form from Scottish Maid and her descendantsin that the latter could carry a better load. Alexander Hall & Sons probably never referred to Scottish Maid as a clipper, but I'll bet the Shipping company did. When you look at her lines, they foreshadow everything that followed in the design of fast sailing ships. Hope that clears things up a bit I've seen Ian Lawrence's build and he did a lovely job of building a rather cranky kit. He did fill in the stern where the MacGregor drawings, taken from the half model, show a gap. Not sure why, not that it matters much. Anyway, I'll do my best with this one... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Not my usual thing but as I live in Aberdeen I thought I would have a peek. It looks like she's off to a fine start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Hi Seadog, I hang my head in shame, you are quite correct! Teach me to do more research before opening mouth !! I hope you don't mind me posting this link from Aberdeen City Council, I think it gives a fascinating insight into ship building , particularly your Scottish Maid. http://www.aberdeenships.com/single.asp?index=100020 Beautifully shaped bow and that lovely wine glass mid ships section of the fast craft, similar to the Azores fruit trade schooners Regards Kev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 No sweat! I've been hung up on clipper schooners since I was a kid and saw a picture of a Baltimore clipper. Always thought Tops'l Schooners were really elegant. The most elegant of them all were the Opium Clippers. Nasty trade, gorgeous ships. White's of Cowes built quite a few. They were kitted out and finished like yachts - they could afford to be. Sadly no plans remain due to White's taking a pounding in WWII. The plans office, like a lot of the other shipyards went up in smoke... Ta for the link, by the way, one I'd missed. Really informative. Best F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 Okay...some progress. The deck. Cutting the waterways - the outboard planks - with their notches for the bulwark stanchions proved a tad challenging Nibbing the deck planks into the nibbing strakes at the bow and stern isn't as hard as it looks...just takes patience and a lot of care as those planks are only 2mm wide. Plays hell with your neck. The basic planking took all day today - not including the waterways... Now that the Basic deck is down I need to work out the run of the butts. For simplicity I laid whole planks, end to end. In real life that wasn't likely...there are arcane rules about how many planks between buts (plank ends). Now I'm going to go have a drink! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 That's lovely work, I really admire the planking joints at the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Hi Seadog, Nice bit of joggling if I may say so Seriously, that's some amazing work! Couple of questions for you........... What wood are you using for the deck? What's the overall dimensions of the hull? Regards Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 Cheers! Great word, Joggling, my ageing brain had left it in a corner somewhere... The deck is 2mm x 1mm Lime. Holly or Box would be better, but aren't available - or affordable. The length on deck of the ship was somewhere around 92 - 93' and the model, at 1/96th is 11 3/4" a bit under 300mm. I'm also using beech for timbers, good tough wood. I got a whole box of 3 x 25mm x 250mm strips in a hardware shop in Prague while we were living there.So I have lots! The next task, and it's a bugger, will be cutting bulwark stanchions. They'll be about 2x2..but will need shaping as the hull has a bit of tumblehome towards the stern... F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 11 3/4 " long ....that puts it in perspective ! I'm going to show this to a mate of mine who is grumbling about joggling on his 36' boat, scale 1:1 Don't envy you doing the stanchions. Watching your progress with interest Cheers Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 Joggling planks is a hell of a lot easier on larger scales! There are certainly some trying times ahead, I reckon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Lovely bit of work there seadog. Like the planking, did you paint the deck of as it comes. Cheers foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forlornhope Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Thats some real nice wood work there, never had the skilss myself. looking forward to seeing this come together Cal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 Thanks. Foxy: The deck is natural wood, it'll probably get a coat of matt varnish. Cal: I didn't have the skills when I did my first wooden ship, bought a kit, did a load of research and kept wanting to make it better..what skills I have were learned over a few years of trial and (lots of) error. It's mostly about perserverance and not accepting less than the best you can do at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 20, 2013 Author Share Posted August 20, 2013 Hot again this week, so it's a good time to hide out in the barn and muck about with bits of wood - though part of this morning will be spent hacking back the vegetation in out reservoir.....it's so overgrown with reeds, water Hyacinth and Lily pads you can't see the water. Anyway.... Made a bit more progress yesterday, more finessing of the deck and a start on the deck furniture, best to get this stuff sorted before I work on the bulwarks - tis all about accessability... So she now has a pair of bowsprit bitts and a pawl post. The pawl post provides a stop for the bowsprit which gets keyed into it and also has the pawl mounted on it's aft side for the windlass...which I've also started on. It's an old-fashioned 'log windlass'and the 'log' lies across the deck. In this scale it's 30 mm long Can't find a picture of one on google so if anyone wants to know I'll post a sketch...don't think I'll have mine finished today, somehow. here's the start of the windlass. F 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Hi seadog, just had a thought ! Did you use anything to represent the caulking? What you've done looks right at this scale. Your 'log windlass'.... is this the same type This from the Kathleen & May, three mast topsail schooner. Keep those pics coming, enjoying your work Cheers Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 20, 2013 Author Share Posted August 20, 2013 Hi Kev, For caulking I ran a 2B pencil down the sides of the planks, then wiped of any excess with a paper towel...otherwise it gets all over younice clean deck...I suppose one could varnish all the planks first... The windlass your pic shows is a slightly later 'Patent' windlass. you stick a couple of long sort of spade handles into the green jobbie on top...and start pumping! I've just come in from clearing the reservoir and rather need a shower I'll post a pic of the type mine has shortly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 20, 2013 Author Share Posted August 20, 2013 Here's an illo from Wolfram Zu Mondfeld's Book 'Historic Ship Models' a very useful book. Allegedly, Scottish Maid was built with one of these. It may have been updated later and here's my start on the windlass. Haven't figured out what I'll do about the 'cog' wheel in the middle, yet. All at the moment is dry fitted - the stick is merely standing in for the bowsprit...just in case you thought I was totally losing it... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louiex2 Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Nice progess. For the windlass cog check the model RR sectiolocomotor LHS- locomotive drivetrains use lots of different sized gears and cogs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted August 20, 2013 Author Share Posted August 20, 2013 Ta,...about 4mm in width... I will try and scratch it first, before buying one in. My goal is buy nothing except wood and line and a shed load of new tools... F 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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