The revised bow hard area and windows fit well, so I was able to glue the ribs, sub-deck, deck, and keel together tonight. In addition, I got the railing installed.
Mast are done and I'm almost out of parts. Here's all the mast parts. Assembled I need a better way of attaching the platforms, so a couple new parts are in the works.
I may have found my new Sexiest Ship... I'm dressing her with my eyes, imagining the yards and rigging and sails. I haven't even gotten to the paint she'll wear or the ornate decorations of her stern galleries. I get the feeling I may be a little too excited for this ship...
The more I get done on the Constitution, the more eager I am to see it on the water. Unfortunately, I've had to put it aside for this week while I work on getting my ships ready for the battle this weekend. The 3D printer is continuing in the background to make some accessories like the ballast tube end caps (multiple fails) and these cannon ends to dress up the gun barrels.
So Carl took a look at this thread and had some time to think about masts and yards. Basically, wooden doweling may not be strong enough if using scale sizes. Having masts and yardarms flex or break while sailing would not be good. Have you considered using different materials or going to a larger, non-scale size?
Did you see my 1/4" and 3/8" yards and 1/2" and 3/8" masts, Gascan? I thought they were alright, and the cost of carbon fiber if one went that way...
This is absolutely wonderful. I'd heard discussions of combat sailing ships, but I've never seen one executed. I grew up racing sailboats and sailing ships of all kind hold a special place in my heart. You do beautiful work. Can I ask a few questions? Are there any tutorials available for plotting hulls for CAD? I have some hulls I'd love to build from wood, but I seem to be challenged when it comes to a steady hand with a scroll saw. Also, I love the idea of being able to mock up the design before cutting expensive wood. Is there a software package you recommend? Thanks and I look forward to seeing your progress and videos of her under sail.
How close are we to a run? It looks like a good framing run is almost there. I am so wanting a couple runs of this hull kit before we have to go to NATS if we can. Having an example, even the frames, for some to see may drum up a few more interested captains.
@McSpuds - I'm thinking that I would place the order about 13 June, with a 1-2 weeks to get them cut. So I'm not sure that you could get the kits, let alone build them up before Nats. However, we don't live too far apart and I'm open to loaning you the prototype to display at Nats if you want. @ProfessorChaos - I use Rhino 3D as my CAD program. It works well, but is pretty expensive unless you are a student. It would be quite a lot of work to learn CAD and then draw up a ship. It might be cheaper to hire a scroll saw monkey to do your rib cutting. The wooden masts are pretty strong at the base, I think with minimal shrouds and stays that they would work pretty well. I could increase the upper sections some: For the bowsprit I'll change the front 3/16" section to 1/4" For the main and fore: 5/8" > 7/16" > 5/16" ? For the mizzen: 7/16" > 3/8" >1/4" ? Also, keep in mind that with the way the sections of the mast overlap, they don't have a long bending moment. For instance, the middle section of the main mast is only 3/8" for 8". I'm most concerned with the size of the top section of each mast, which is 13" tall on the main mast. The yards don't have any laser cut parts to interface to, so it is not as important to determine all those sizes right now. We can wait and do some tests to see which is best.
Sketchup isn't as versatile as Rhino, but it's free and pretty intuitive. I use it for all my 3D printing files.
Wohoo! Just got a few hours for internet again. Words cannot describe how amazing this project is. I must get one of my own. I would recommend, if possible, making the masts able to survive normal usage without any standing rigging whatsoever. Rigging may be removed for transport, shot away, or forgotten during pond-side assembly, so it cannot be relied upon. And it just feels wrong, somehow, to build a famous ship from an era literally named for its tall wooden masts, and use a material other than wood for its masts and yards. So yes, thicker masts will definitely be useful. Keep in mind that these ships may be knocked over 30 degrees or more during strong gusts, and remember that it is the masts, yards, and sails which apply those forces to the ship. For masts, thicker is better. Definitely nothing less than 1/4". For yards, again nothing less than 1/4". For the longer yards on the courses and topsails, consider 5/16" or even 3/8". Any thoughts on cannon installation, or is that up to the individual builders?
I have a plan and parts for the cannon installation, 6 on each side. I need to get the time to assemble it and see if it will work, then I'll share.
As soon as you have the kit ready to run, let me know.... I can send you the funds now if you need. I need two kits.
Yesterday I took a closer look at Minerva and the oak masts Clark was planning on using. We could only find the 1/2" oak dowels he was going to use for the lower section, but I was impressed by the strength. More important than the material is the strength. As long as the mast and keel can handle the bending moment from getting knocked flat by the wind, it should be fine. I wouldn't rely on standing rigging though, because that may get shot away in combat.
