Bertie McBoatface Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 On 2/27/2023 at 8:50 AM, Ray S said: I have had the urge to revisit the book, and I got a new Oxford World's Classics edition of Moby Dick the other week. Writing as an ex-librarian and ex-bookseller, I'm delighted to hear that this rambling thread has encouraged you to read Moby Dick again. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~# I have been working on the model throughout the week and making a few notes in preparation for posting an update on Monday. You know what? I have nothing to say. I simply don't want to carry on writing WIPs. So I won't. If I force myself, you won't enjoy the reading any more than I'll enjoy the writing. Since there's already nine pages which might be of interest to readers, I won't ask for this thread to be deleted, but instead I'll amend the first post and the title to warn newcomers that the thread will never be finished. (The boat might one day be finished and may appear as an RFI.) I'm sorry to let you readers down, especially the followers. Alas, there's nothing I can do about it. 'Bertie' has left the building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 I'm sad that you won't continue this thread; I've enjoyed following along. I do hope you finish the model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 On 3/3/2023 at 2:02 PM, dnl42 said: I'm sad that you won't continue this thread; I've enjoyed following along. I do hope you finish the model. Thank you for this feedback, which I have carefully considered and taken to heart. I will continue this thread but all I can manage at this moment is a much less detailed, less digressive and less humorous style. Perhaps that will change, who knows. Actually, the fact that I will change and endlessly contradict myself is the one thing that you may depend on, such is the nature of the beast. This week I completed the overlapping planking of the outside of the hull. I found this very difficult right up to the last couple of planks on each side, by which time I had worked out what I should have been doing right from the keel. The shape of boats and ships makes them very difficult for me to visualise the geometry and what I have to do incrementally to make the imagined shape from the dozens of flat pieces of wood. That was more troublesome here with the laser-cut and shaped planks all being different shapes. This is not a reflection on the models but is simply lack of experience. The fish like shape of boats also makes them difficult to clamp. I discovered a useful tip when using silicone rubber tipped clothes pegs/pins, especially when there's sanding dust in the air. If I lick the rubber surfaces before putting the pegs in place, they don't ping across the room quite so much. That would probably work on plastic too. With the extended ribs trimmed to length, the elegant beauty of the design is apparent. I see the Viking ancestry of the shape very clearly. It appears to be built for speed and maneuverability, rather than for sea-keeping qualities and I now understand why all of the whaleman's memoirs I read make frequent references to ending up in the water. Apart from the shape, I'm delighted with the appearance of the beechwood inner planking which cleaned up very easily with a luthier's oval cabinet scraper and is shown with a sealing coat of thinned yacht varnish. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Gidday Bertie, she has a beautiful shape. The inner planking you've done looks very neat. Regards, Jeff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 She does look good. Very sleek and speedy. 3 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said: rubber tipped clothes pegs/pins Hmm. I'll have to see if I can find such things. I have small rubber-tipped spring clamps, but they're a tad too strong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 3 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said: Gidday Bertie, she has a beautiful shape. The inner planking you've done looks very neat. Regards, Jeff. Close up there are a few faults but if not buried under the thwarts, I hope to hide them beneath stowage. 2 hours ago, dnl42 said: She does look good. Very sleek and speedy. When on a whale the boat needed to be as quick backwards as forwards, hence the two sharp ends, and be capable of turning fast on the spot so the keel is minimal. They also chased whales for considerable distances, sometimes all day long, requiring a low weight, low drag design. The outer cedar planking was only half an inch thick, just one example of weight saving. 2 hours ago, dnl42 said: Hmm. I'll have to see if I can find such things. I have small rubber-tipped spring clamps, but they're a tad too strong. They are very cheaply made and very useful. Look for them in discount shops. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Good to see you're going to keep this thread going. It's a social thing here as much as anything else. It's always great to see how others approach different modelling challenges, but just as important to be a part of the modelling community and support each other when needed. Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Some really graceful lines and you've captured them really well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 On 2/27/2023 at 8:50 AM, Ray S said: Don, this build thread has inspired me to get something I have been wanting for a very long time. Way back when I were a nipper, I read what was presumably an abridged version of Moby Dick. I was about 10 years old at the time, and remembered it as a fantastic read. I have had the urge to revisit the book, and I got a new Oxford World's Classics edition of Moby Dick the other week. A couple of days ago I started to read it, and what a joy it is. There are notations to explain some of the text, and have learnt a lot about Jonah which I did not know! Queequeg has just let Ishmael choose the ship they will sail together on, and Ishmael has boarded the Pequod and is being grilled by the owners at the moment! I just thought you might like to know, and thanks for planting the idea in my bonce! Ray What did you think of the book then, Ray? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitriy1967 Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 You'll laugh, but this is the first time I've ever read Moby Dick. I eliminate the mistake in my life that I have never read this famous book. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 22 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said: What did you think of the book then, Ray? It has been a varied read so far Don, it started off like a 'page turner' as they say, then it settled into some stuff which I found difficult to get through. The language and syntax was old (as is to be expected), then it picked up again. At the moment, Ishmael (or Herman) is telling me all about the various parts of the whale (just about to start reading about the tail), having just lost a whale which sank as they hitched it to the Pequod. Some of the tales they were told when they met up with other ships have been very good. I am very glad I got the shove to get the book, but so far I remember nothing from my original reading of it in 1967 (which, considering my memory, is not a surprise!). Your whaleboat is coming along well, please keep the updates coming but only in your own time, in your own way. All the best, Ray 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 I've read an account of the 1956 film John Huston did with Gregory Peck and various other familiar faces. They used a real whaling ship and, um real whalers from madeira and a few unfortunate whales... Captain Alan Villiers commanded the ship. I've been told they got into some serious weather and it was due to Villiers that they came through OK. The film is generally felt to be accurate to the book. Quite worth watching. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 23 hours ago, Dmitriy1967 said: You'll laugh, but this is the first time I've ever read Moby Dick. I eliminate the mistake in my life that I have never read this famous book. I guess you will be reading it in translation? It's a great and famous book for sure. I hope you enjoy it. 3 hours ago, Ray S said: It has been a varied read so far Don, it started off like a 'page turner' as they say, then it settled into some stuff which I found difficult to get through. It's certainly varied in styles. In my opinion Melville swaps between documentary and novel forms in order that the 'facts' lend verisimilitude to the drama. Imagine the book without the 40 odd chapters of whalemanship training and you'll see what I mean. I think it would be overly melodramatic. In fact, exactly this effect is present in the films. 3 hours ago, Ray S said: The language and syntax was old (as is to be expected), then it picked up again. It's old but it's also very odd. Melville is an equivocator. He tells you both sides of the story, all of the stories, sometimes in the same sentence. He will throw in a couple of double negatives just to make his meaning(s) obscure. He wants you to decide who is good and who is evil, who is mad and who is even madder. Even his original title, 'The Whale' was equivocal as it might have referred to Moby Dick or just as easily to Jonah's whale, which we meet first in the novel. Jonah's whale is another odd fish. It swallows Jonah (bad fish) on the orders of God (good fish). Is Moby Dick a monster? Ahab and all of the crew apart from Starbuck think so. There's a whole chapter on the Whiteness of the Whale which confused me utterly as Melville played with my judgement of good and evil. 3 hours ago, Ray S said: At the moment, Ishmael (or Herman) is telling me all about the various parts of the whale. I wonder how much of Ishmael is Melville. Ishmael is a biblical character against whom all hands were turned, an outcast. That's something a nineteenth century reader would have known instantly. But the character is a friendly, tolerant, well-liked member of the crew. More of Melville's mysteries. I'm beginning to suspect that Melville might have been one of those fractured personalities, the creative manic-depressive, because the two-sided stories aren't confined to this book alone but are all over his writing. In this sense maybe Ishmael and all of the other characters are Melville? 3 hours ago, Ray S said: Your whaleboat is coming along well, Oh no it isn't! (in pantomime voice) see below... 3 hours ago, Ray S said: please keep the updates coming but only in your own time, in your own way. All the best, Ray I'm calmer now. I had to back away (run away and hide) for a while. Then I came back with RULES to protect me from getting obsessed again. Now I'm as normal as I get so I'm writing updates only when I have something to say, or something to reply to, and passing comments on other people's work again, only when I have something to contribute. My posts per week which peaked at 420 😱 are now about 20. Modelmaking is back in its proper place, behind exercise, the dog, the kids, reading, cooking, learning and in front of hoovering, ironing, and so forth. During the winter, modelmaking had become more important to me than almost everything. Kinda reminds me of Ahab... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 17 minutes ago, seadog said: I've read an account of the 1956 film John Huston did with Gregory Peck and various other familiar faces. They used a real whaling ship and, um real whalers from madeira and a few unfortunate whales... Captain Alan Villiers commanded the ship. I've been told they got into some serious weather and it was due to Villiers that they came through OK. The film is generally felt to be accurate to the book. Quite worth watching. Yes, I just mentioned the film in the previous post. On first watching it, I found it a little melodramatic, but there are chapters in the book which are written in play format and that's what we see on the screen. It's almost Shakespearean in the language and the intensity of the acting. Maybe Houston used a real ship and crew to balance that in the same way that Melville used the documentary chapters in the book (see my comments above). That's something that hadn't occured to me until I read your post, so thanks for that insight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 Edit: Photo based post which made no sense once the photos were lost. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 Clinker built is, um, interesting. I have a booklet I bought many years ago at the Maritime Museum which includes printed sheets to cut out to produce a half-model of a work boat in Clinker (or clench, built boat. Very clear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 22 minutes ago, seadog said: Clinker built is, um, interesting. I have a booklet I bought many years ago at the Maritime Museum which includes printed sheets to cut out to produce a half-model of a work boat in Clinker (or clench, built boat. Very clear. My planks were all pre-cut, pre-shaped, very flexible - all very clear right up to the point when I tried to use them. 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitriy1967 Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 4 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said: I guess you will be reading it in translation? It's a great and famous book for sure. I hope you enjoy it. Alas, I read in translation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 35 minutes ago, Dmitriy1967 said: Alas, I read in translation. Not "alas". It's a challenging read to a native English speaker, you are wise to read a translation. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitriy1967 Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 16 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said: Not "alas". It's a challenging read to a native English speaker, you are wise to read a translation. 🙂 I don't know if this is good or bad, but it looks like the translator into Russian tried to preserve the nuances of the original text of Melville. It is not easy to read, there are many unusual constructions of phrases. Everything is as you described above. Sometimes you have to go back to the top of the page and reread it in order to understand the meaning more deeply. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psdavidson Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 @Bertie McBoatface It's good to see you back in better fettle Don I've not read Moby Dick but I have both the book and audiobook and will be starting on one in the near future. I just have to finish something else first I have, however, read others which are contemporary to Melville, and yes, the language of the time can be tricky @Dmitriy1967 I hope you enjoy it 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Smith Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Interesting read but could not open the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 5 hours ago, Noel Smith said: Interesting read but could not open the pictures. Gidday, I'm afraid I can't either, now. On 3/9/2023 at 2:17 AM, psdavidson said: I've not read Moby Dick but I have both the book and audiobook and will be starting on one in the near future. I just have to finish something else first I have, however, read others which are contemporary to Melville, and yes, the language of the time can be tricky My local library got it in for me but I found the 170 year old style of writing too heavy going. The font and small print didn't help either. I couldn't finish it and returned it. Pity, I would have liked to have read it. Regards, Jeff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Smith Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Photo hosting problems probably. Trouble is with having to use those sites to download pictures is that if they suddenly disappear or if previously free to use decide to start charging their users could just simply wipe out complete sets of pictures on forums like this. This has already happened on some forums and the damage to all the input using them all but wiped out the contributors efforts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 7 hours ago, Noel Smith said: Photo hosting problems probably. Trouble is with having to use those sites to download pictures is that if they suddenly disappear or if previously free to use decide to start charging their users could just simply wipe out complete sets of pictures on forums like this. This has already happened on some forums and the damage to all the input using them all but wiped out the contributors efforts. The only time I think that happened was Photob...... which was definitely a pita. I personally spent hours copying my pics to another host site then replacing all the links in every post I'd made. Most of the time it's down to the poster thinking they've posted the pic here when they add the link, then deleting the photo the link leads to, or other similar problems. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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