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[Mark T]

Hi Ray - I cut it on a band saw from a piece of solid wood and then just sat there with it on my lap sanding it into its final shape.  Its one of the nicest parts to make as you can just take your time and be anywhere in the house too!

[Mark T]

Another update from me     I promise to get this finished in 2026 


I started the main hatches with a small error  - see the picture below 





So here is the smaller main hatch with the notches on the correct side!





Next was to make and fit the metal braces for the hatches








The the covers were made - these are quite tricky to get them to match the bases








The covers then required strengthening  - the small notches now make sense








Further strengthening was added and I managed to glue these is the wrong place due to mis-reading the drawings yet again!!!!





And finally the the lifting handles were added





So next I need to add all of the necessary nails to the main hatches and then get them installed on the main deck.


Cheers Mark

[Mark T]

Hi All


I made a few alterations this weekend as I was unhappy with the triangular ring bolts.  I also didn't like the way the main hatches looked once on the hull.  They seemed out of keeping with the open format I've been following throughout this build..............so I cut them in half 








I also remade the ringbolts and I'm much happier with the results this time.  I also put all of the relevant nails in too.





Here are the hatches now permanently installed in the hull














I'm going to finish the planking around the bow as my next job


Cheers Mark

[Footski]

Magnificent Mark. Just a thought..........insurance. I do hope you have some for it. It is almost certainly worth more than you think....

[SailorGreg]

Lovely work as usual Mark, and a good call to cut the hatches in half - it matches the style of your build well.  And as for finishing in 2026 - no rush, we are enjoying the build and will miss it when it finishes.  (Unless of course you plan to start another one immediately?  )

Greg

[Mark T]

Magnificent Mark. Just a thought..........insurance. I do hope you have some for it. It is almost certainly worth more than you think....

Hi Footski - I never thought of that!!!  I'll check my home insurance and add it on if I need too.  Thanks very much for the advice 

Lovely work as usual Mark, and a good call to cut the hatches in half - it matches the style of your build well.  And as for finishing in 2026 - no rush, we are enjoying the build and will miss it when it finishes.  (Unless of course you plan to start another one immediately?  )

Greg

Hi Greg and thanks for your comments     My next ship will possibly be L' Aurore built in 1748     She was a French slave ship and was 1 of 3 built by the French during this period of history.  The hull is a blend of a merchant ship and a fighting frigate.  She was designed to be lightly armed and swift to be able to get out of harms way if necessary.  The plans I have are very old and smell musty and are also slightly distorted by poor storage and time.  This will cause significant work for me should I decided to build her.  Here's a few pictures of her below.











She's 1/36th scale and the hull comes in at just over 900mm long so its slightly bigger than Le Rochefort.


Mark 

[Footski]

Beautiful. The French certainly did build beautiful ships in those days..

[JimG]

Is trhis from one of Jean Boudriot's books?
Jim

[Mark T]

Beautiful. The French certainly did build beautiful ships in those days..

They sure did!

Is trhis from one of Jean Boudriot's books?
Jim

Hi Jim yes it is and is available on the Ancre website.

[DBS88]

Mark re your next build, its always of interest to understand the inspiration/desire to build a particular boat, so I am curious as to the story behind the boat, why a particular boat, for example, why your amazing steam tug? why your current project? what other options are you considering for the next one?


Keep up the amazing work, I have learned a lot from you, so really do appreciate the time and energy that you put into your builds and to reporting them here on the forum, thank you

[Mark T]

Hi DBS88 - the reason for possibly choosing this ship for next build is easy to explain. Firstly and most importantly I like the look of it which usually means it will get finished as it’s something that I would like to build.  From a technical standpoint it’s actually quite similar to my current build but with more complexity.  It only has a few cannon so not too many gun ports to cut but the bow is more complex.  I also know that if I was to try and build a first rate ship of the line I would probably find it overwhelming.  So this ship does fit the criteria but I need to go thoroughly through the plans before deciding.

[Mark T]

Just a little update from me.......Ive been working on the moulded rail around the very top of the bow.  I cheated a little as I made it from one piece instead of two separate planks.





I have also shaped the four remaining timber heads which are an extension of the frames.  The curved part of the rail requires some more detail and I'm unsure of how to do this yet but I'm sure it will come to me how to do it at some point.





I really like this picture of the bow





My next jobs are the final two planks around the bow and then the cap rail


Cheers Mark