I started a thread on the
Macedonian here, but that models has been set aside for the moment as I try to complete another. The other, being a schooner, and therefore simpler in rig and it's amount of detail than a frigate, I hope I would have a chance to complete - and sail. I also live near Baltimore and it's the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 in which Baltimore played a prominent role. In consideration of the readership here, I won't dwell on that unfortunate spat between cousins.
This model is of a boat whose construction I worked on in late 1976, then crewed on in 1981. For the bicentennial of the Battle of Yorktown I was specifically hired because I had square rig experience
and black powder cannon experience. I acquired a copy of the plans in 1982 from the designer, and started a 1:32 scale model back then, but that was destroyed in one of many moves. This model began in earnest in September of 2011, actually started before
Macedonian. It is 1:20 scale giving it the following dimensions:
- Hull length: 54" (137.16cm)
- Length on deck: 48" (121.9cm)
- Length on waterline w/o rudder: 46.75" (118.75cm)
- Length over the rig: 81.5" (207cm)
- Beam: 13.625" (34.6cm)
- Draft without ballast keel: 5.875" (14.9cm)
- Total height (top of jack-yard to bottom of keel): 61.6" (156.5cm)
- Total Sail area: 2,049.13 square inches in 7 sails as shown above, 2,205.13 with the flying jib.
The real vessel was lost in a squall North of Puerto Rico in May of 1986 taking her captain and three of her crew with her. This model is something of a memorial to them. I can't see it without remembering them, and I hope that will be true for others that knew them and the boat.
November 2010: The plans were scaled up to 1:20. The patterns were drawn in Paintshop Pro v.7 and printed on the plotter. These were pasted to 3/16" plywood and stood on the build-board.
October 2011:: After letting the forms season for a year,
a keel was cut and planking began. The model is planked in 1/8" thick white pine.
November 2011:: The planking was completed by Halloween. An attempt to take a glass hull off this one as a male-mold was botch. The forms were removed and the inside coated with resin. Then the outside got a layer of 3oz glass cloth.
March 2012:: The prop notch was cut in sternpost and a daggerboard trunk for fin keel was installed. The fin is 1/8" aluminum sheet that will get a lead bulb of about 12-15 pounds attached.
April 2012: Installed the wales. Made the motor mount bulkhead. Installed the deck beams and the inner cabin trunk. Put on the fashion pieces on the quaters and then the stern's "fancy pieces." Some paint. The rudder was made of 5/16" Plexiglass with a 3/16 brass rod rudder post drifted to the rudder with 1/16" rods. A copper heel plate is threaded to receive 2 screws that hold the gudgeon plate to the keel. A brass tube goes through the counter to make the top bearing for the rudder post. The lid portion of the cabin trunk was made.
May 2012: Four sets of bitts were made along with hatch coamings, the period bilge pumps, and the bowsprit. A mount was made for the rudder servo and speed control in the cabin.
The masts were made of white cedar using the Bird's Mouth method. They got fitted with cross-trees, caps, topmasts, and mast hoops.
The tiller will be used to steer the model as there's no room for linkages, etc, below. A heavy copper tiller was soldered to a collar that attached to the rudder post. The scale wooden tiller covers the copper tiller.
June 2012: The rudder fairleads that will guide the rudder cables through the sud-deck were installed.
The sails were cut from Dupont Supplex, marked with panel lines, patches, cloths, and tabling glued on with fabric glue; bolt-ropes sewn on, and reef points made.
The gaffs, boom, and other spars were made. "Iron" work for stuns'l booms, ringtail, and the clew iron of the mains'l were made.
Two spools of Dacron sailthread were bought and used to make rope in three diameters to be used on the model.
July 2012: Began making and installing blocks and other rigging such as foot-ropes on the yards.
So that's where I am so far. The model is to be displayed at a visitor's center in Baltimore on July 22nd as part of those War of 1812 festivities. July 22nd, it seems, is when the first 7 letter-of-marque boats sailed from Baltimore. She won't be completed by then, but I'm working on getting her somewhat presentable.
The RC side of this is a little in the air. I planned on a continuous loop trolly sort of set up as found in models like Robbe's
Valdivia, but I have two notions for handing all this over lapping sail I want to experiment with. Besides that, there's running back-stays on both masts, and running fore-stays on the main mast I want to be operational; plus yard bracing - and there's not really much room inside this hull, which is why I made her 1:20 scale. I wanted her to be 1:36 to fit in with
Constellation and
Macedonian, but there just wasn't enough room in her at that scale.
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Topic: A Baltimore Clipper schooner (Read 21241 times)