First two frames cut out.
February 1999 |
First two frames cut out. |
All frames stood up.
2/17/99 |
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Frames and keel. |
The book that sent me off on a tangent! |
Brown paper packing tape. |
Battens going on.
2/22/99 |
Round stern taking shape. |
Wooden Boat
Constellation issue.
2/27/99 |
Battening continues.
2/28/99 |
Battens complete.
3/4/99 |
Tape going on. |
Taping viewed from the stern. |
A layer of tape cut to imply planking from the waterline up. |
Waterline and gunstripe marked. |
Work Resumes!
11/16/08. |
The plug is cut down to the waterways.
1/5/09 |
Cut down plug. |
Masts stepped in plug.
3/12/09 |
In the plug looking aft. |
An idea of the space available in the hull. |
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Cross-trees & tresle-trees and a cradle to hold things up.
3/14/09 |
Masts as of 3/16/09. |
3/20/09. |
3/29/09. |
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Shaped and tapered the billet head and opened the bow for the bowsprit. |
At this point I scrapped the plan to make a fiberglass mold and made the plug itself the models hull
4/4/09. |
Polyester resin. |
Port side glassed with 4oz cloth. |
Starboard side glassed. |
Sanded.
4/6/09 |
Second coat of resin rolled on. |
All the old forms pulled out.
4/8/09 |
The hull with clear insides looking aft. |
Inside a fingerprint. |
Inside the hull looking forward. |
Fiberglass mat laid in on port side.
4/9/09 |
Fiberglass mat laid in on starboard side.
4/10/09 |
Putting in deck clamps. |
Sub-deck fitted. |
Sub-deck. |
Stern close-up. |
Me and the hull. |
Laying out the deck arrangement.
4/11/09 |
Deck layout based on Chapelle's plan
from Lenthall drawings
actual ship & photos from 1880s-1940s. |
Mast positions located. |
Framing the new permanent quarter galleries.
4/26/09 |
Framing the new permanent quarter galleries.
4/27/09 |
Checking fit. |
Sheathing central portion in basswood. |
Sheathing central portion in basswood. |
Quarter galleries fitted and
printed medallions applied. |
New quarter galleries compared to old.
5/1/09 |
Applying moldings. |
.Molding scraper |
Salt & pepper shakers.
5/2/09 |
More finish carpentry. |
Almost final deck plan.
5/6/09 |
Some deck beams going in. |
Subdeck ripped into 2" strips
to take camber
and sheer. |
More deck beams going in. |
1/2" rudder head hole drilled in stern.
5/10/09 |
Servo deck beams going in.
one glued in,
#2 being fitted |
3rd servo deck beam going in. |
Rudder tube epoxied in place.
5/11/09 |
Rudder tube epoxied in place. |
Test tiller and tiller ropes. |
Servo deck beams. |
5.5" x 14" main hatch. |
Servo deck screwed down,
temporary mast steps.
5/12/09 |
Mast partners being installed. |
Main mast partners. |
Mizzen mast stepped on after deck.
5/13/09 |
Mast steps made of live-oak from the actual ship. |
Main mast step fastened to it's deck.
5/16/09 |
Aft keel tube fitted.
5/18/09 |
Hole drilled in keel for forward tube and new deck beam fitted. |
Forward keel tube fitted. |
Hull with keel tubes fitted. |
Where the aft tube is in relation to the aft hatch. |
Where tubes come through the sub-deck. |
Main hatch framing fitted, fore-n-aft bracing added for keel tubes.
5/20/09 |
Main hatch combing. |
Cap screw and coupling nut on the keel end of the keel rod.
5/25/09 |
50 pounds of lead shot for ballast. |
Wooden mock-up of ballast keel.
5/27/09 |
Blocking added for thru-deck fittings.
5/31/09 |
Stella's new plumbing
a 4" female threaded connector and cap.
6/5/09 |
Some trial cuts on the bandsaw, table saw, mini-table saw, etc.
Table saw gave the best results. |
The two gun hatches all cut and ready to install. |
Battery deck installed.
6/7/09 |
Rudder servo mount installed. |
Quarter blocking for main brace fair leads.
6/13/09 |
Mock-up of hammock rail for size.
6/14/09 |
Tossed the battery box, now Velco tabs hold the battery. |
Scale side pieces bring the rudder's width up to scale and reenforce where the drifts go in.
7/4/09 |
07/10/09 |
Tossed the subdeck, guns, and sticks in for a photo.
07/10/09 |
Setting the 5/16" id tube inside the 1/2" id tube with JB Weld. The smaller tube and goop was set a little high -
it gets cut off flush with the top of the 1/2" tube to make a flat surface. It all stops about 3/16" short of the bottom
of the 1/2" tube to form a socket for the rudder head. |
The tiller made by silver soldering a collar onto a piece of heavy copper sheet.
07/11/09 |
The gudgeon plate. More sheet copper with brass screws. |
The rudder post cut to it's final length. |
The rudder nears completion.
07/19/09 |
Trying out plan A for rudder control.
8/7/09 |
Seems to work ok.
3.7 meg WMV |
Pintle straps on rudder.
8/16/09 |
8/22/09 |
42 pound ballast torpedo
9/16/09 |
Ballast torpedo attached to hull |
Heel and gudgeon plates of copper with brass screws.
9/19/09 |
Water-proofing with epoxy. |
Plates and rudder attached |
First touch of water.
10/4/09 |
Shoving it down to the waterline. |
When you take your boat for a walk, she'll want to go sniff the pilings. |
Somebody forgot the rods to hold the ballast on. |
Float test take two ~ with ballast this time.
10/7/09 |
With c.40 pounds of ballast, battery, lower masts, running gear, and a couple of wrenches,she's still about 2" high. |
Float Test 2.
4 meg WMV |
Low angle shot. |
Took on a little water seeping in around the rod tubes. |
Framing the head.
11/8/09 |
Adding details to the quarter galleries.
12/18/09 |
Planking up the the head.
1/2/10 |
Port side covered and gunstripe marked.
some filling and sanding needed yet.
1/3/10 |
Top view. |
Pattern for stern decorations laid on hull.
1/8/10 |
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Molding going on.
1/8/10 |
Stern moldings being applied. |
Stern moldings applied. |
Quarter gallery window mullions. |
Head moldings.
1/10/10 |
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A touch of paint.
5/29/10 |
Bottom painted.
5/31/10 |
Profile shot with sticks in. |
Stern with quarter galleries. |
1888 Deck plan modified, scaled to 1:36, and laid on the model.
7/27/10 |
On display at the
Naval Academy model shop.
8/12/10 |
