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Lady Washington

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  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Lady Washington
Posted by David_K on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:22 AM

Went aboard the Lady Washington for a two-hour evening sail last night!

Super fun, and now I have a better understanding of sailing ships in the 18th century style....I even got to help with the rigging when we set sails...I hauled port sheets for the fore and main!!!  Then I got to coil a lot of ends, I bet the crew gets tired of coiling all the time!

Photo album on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dave.kump.52/media_set?set=a.10151578091471312.1073741827.582946311&type=3

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Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:22 AM

Now I want to see if there's a *similar* model kit available, that I can modify into a Lady Washington....hmmm....

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Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:33 AM

Not familiar with the Lady Washington.  Tell us what kind of vessel it is, and we can be more help.  Ship rigged? Brig? Sounds like it has at least some square sails.  Tonnage?

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:42 AM

Hi Don!

Here's a link to the Historical Seaport that manages her:

historicalseaport.org/.../lady-washington

Or you can just search for Lady Washington on the web...

There some info there, plus a video that documents her construction...plenty of details to see if she compares to anything else available in a kit...but the video is 15 minutes long, and some of it is more historical stuff...if you fast forward to a little way in, it gets to the ship. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks!

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     )_))_))_)
     _!__!__!_         
     (_D_P_K_)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:44 AM

Also, if you've ever seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, you've seen her...she was The Interceptor!

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     _!__!__!_         
     (_D_P_K_)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:49 AM

She appears to be a fairly typical late-eighteenth-century brig.  I'm not aware of a similar brig kit - or anything of the sort in plastic. 

If you want to take the plunge into wood ship modeling, though, she has a lot in common with the Model Shipways Sultana.  Lots of newcomers to wood modeling have cut their teeth on that kit.  And at the moment it's on sale:  http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MS2016 .  At that price it's actually cheaper than most plastic sailing ship kits.  (The bad news:  it's out of stock.  But Model Expo probably will have another batch shortly; it's one of the company's best sellers.)

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    December 2012
Posted by rwiederrich on Saturday, July 20, 2013 10:27 AM

The Lady comes to us every year..and we enjoy her very much.  She sails to many Puget Sound ports during her summer months tour.  I've enjoyed her for many years.  I recall the year she was in Port Orchard with the Bounty(the one that sunk)  :(

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Saturday, July 20, 2013 5:08 PM

John, I agree...the Sultana is comparable in a lot of ways...and I bet it could be modified into a passable Lady Washington...hmmm...still haven't ventured into the realm of wooden kits, but being a solid hull, it might be something a beginner could pull off??  I'll keep it in mind.

Rob, do you live in the NW? I'm in Arlington, WA...

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     )_))_))_)
     _!__!__!_         
     (_D_P_K_)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Saturday, July 20, 2013 5:52 PM

It's an excellent kit for breaking into wood ship modeling.  Solid hull, britannia metal fittings, wood blocks and deadeyes (some people may prefer to replace them with Bluejacket metal ones; it wouldn't take many), good, well-researched plans, and even an online practicum that walks you through the process step-by-step - complete with color photos.  

There also was a Sultana Group Build here in the FSM Forum a few years back.  I'm sure a Forum search on "Sultana" would find it.

One tip (which the author of the online practicum caught):  don't use the American flags that come with the kit.  The Sultana was bought by the British Navy before the Revolution, and spent the Revolutionary War under British colors.  Until 1775 there was no such thing as an American flag - and by that time the ship was the property of the British Navy.  Oops.

Recommended.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    December 2012
Posted by rwiederrich on Sunday, July 21, 2013 12:50 AM

Dude...I live in Port Orchard...

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Sunday, July 21, 2013 10:26 AM

That's funny!  Maybe we'll see each other around sometime!

I have a Model Shipways Katy of Norfolk kit (discontinued)...it seems also to be a pretty easy solid hull wood kit...I might do that one first when I start into wood, but for 45 bucks, the Sultana is a great deal, so it would be a good choice!

Speaking of the HMS Bounty...is there a consensus on a good Bounty kit?  I know Revell has one, and Zvezda has one...has anyone built a Bounty kit who could offer some insight?  I like Zvezda stuff...

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     _~ )_)_~
     )_))_))_)
     _!__!__!_         
     (_D_P_K_)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    June 2012
Posted by arnie60 on Sunday, July 21, 2013 2:24 PM

Well now. I Live in Portland also, and now I am just dying to go have that experience. Can you post some details or a link on how to book passage?

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Sunday, July 21, 2013 3:18 PM

Well, I built a model of the Bounty quite a few years back, based on the Revell kit.  It has a lot of problems - as one would expect in a kit that originally appeared in the mid-fifties.  I wound up keeping the hull halves, the quarter badges, the figurehead, the hull of the launch (which is remarkably accurate), and the wonderful crew figures.  The rest I built from scratch, or made use of the aftermarket (mainly for blocks and deadeyes).  The project took about three years.  I'm not sure whether I'd ever build another model that way.  I figure using the styrene hull may have saved me a couple of weeks.

I just bought a new computer (a desktop Mac - love it), a fresh copy of Photoshop Elements 11, and a set of studio lights.  A nice, new photo backdrop is on the way from Adorama.  When it gets here, I intend to blow a couple of days taking some digital photos of my models.  (The ones I have are all on film.)  I've gotten advice elsewhere here in the Forum on how to post photos.  (The consensus seems to be strongly in favor of Photobucket.)  Within the next couple of weeks, in the unlikely event that anybody's interested, I hope to post those shots here.

Remember my way of looking at things - I'm interested in historical accuracy.  I got sent an Airfix Bounty to review for a magazine when the kit was new (in the late seventies).  Airfix was having serious financial problems at the time, and the kit shows it.  In terms of accuracy, to put it extremely bluntly, it stinks.  The most glaring problem concerns the deck.  It's mounted on a pronounced slope (down toward the bow), and looks utterly ridiculous.  Lots of the deck fittings and spars are screwed up, and in general the level of detail is below that of the old Revell competition. 

I haven't seen the Zvezda kit in the flesh, but I did find some in-the-box photos of it on the web ( http://www.hobby.dn.ua/the-british-ship-bounty-187-p-785.html?language=en ).  It's quite obviously a reboxing of the Airfix kit.

Shortly after releasing that kit, Airfix filed for bankruptcy.  I'm pretty sure the Bounty was the last sailing ship the company produced.  The new, revived Airfix now seems to be in excellent health, and is issuing a stream of newly tooled aircraft and a few warships, all of which are getting excellent reviews.  But no sign of a new sailing ship.  I've always been a fan of Airfix.  The best of its sailing ships can compete with almost anything on the market.  But the Bounty was a real dud.  It's a shame that was how (apparently) the company made its exit from the field.

So I guess my recommendation for a plastic Bounty kit has to be the Revell one - with pretty strong reservations.  When it was new, it represented the state of the art.  It doesn't today, but a decent modeler could turn it into an impressive model - especially if said modeler doesn't care too much about accuracy.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Monterey Bay, CA
Posted by schoonerbumm on Sunday, July 21, 2013 11:21 PM

Having looked at a variety of kits for this project, the closest that I found was the old Pyro(?) bomb ketch - if I recall - came out to ~ 1/150th - consistent with Lindberg's La Flore and Heller's 74s.

Commercial wood kits like Sultana could be used but would have to be built to an "off" scale since the Lady's keel is about the same length as Sultana's hull.

There is a commercial built up wooden Lady Washington for about $200 and who knows how much shipping and insurance.

The best approach may be to carve your own hull and go with commercial fittings.  The Gray's Harbor Historical Seaport printed an 18 X 24 sheet with Ray Wallace's preliminary layout (including lines) and a 16 X 20 waterline hull and rigging sheet.   There was also a six part series on the construction of the Lady by Richard Miles in "Seaways" magazine throughout 1990, with lines plans, photos of construction and some detail drawings. Check with Gray's Harbor...  

Ray Wallace designed the Disneyland Columbia and was hired in the 80s to do a seaworthy version - but  economics dictated a build of the smaller Lady Washington, instead. The Lady's hull was supposedly patterned as a 2/3 scale replica of a late 18th century, deep draft "clump" similar to Vancouver's supply brig, Chatham. This accomodated the installation of diesels, prop shaft, watertight compartments, etc required to meet Coast Guard requirements.  When the original Lady rounded Cape Horn in the late 1780s, she was rigged as a sloop - a very impractical rig for inexperienced, volunteer crews - so Ray designed her replica in the Lady's brig configuration that she carried in the late 1790s.  

A more historically correct design was reconstructed by Hewitt Jackson (NOT the tax guy) and the plans are on file at the Oregon Historical Society. For her role as a trading consort for the Columbia, the orginial Lady would have been a sloop with a very shallow draft - much different than today's Lady. The plans for a similar sloop, that Hewitt also reconstructed, can be found in the book, Log of the Union, John Boit's Remarkable Voyage to the Northwest Coast and Around the World, 1794 - 1796, by Edmund Hayes - available through addall dot com's used book page for less than 10 bucks. This book is well worth the money if you have an interest in the Lady and the northwest coast maritime fur trade.

The story of the Columbia and Lady Washington can be found in Columbia's River, by J. Richard Nokes, also available for less than a trip to Starbucks on addall.

As an aside, the Lady's film credits will be soon expanded - I was involved in the shooting of several scenes aboard her under sail, flying the old Spanish ensign (for which my patient wife had to sacrifice a queen size bedsheet) for a documentary on the colonization of California and the founding of the California Missions. The Lady is nearly identical in length and close in rig to the snow San Antonio, which carried Father Junipero Serra to Monterey in 1770.  The five part series will air the third week of November to commemorate his 300th birthday. This is the first time Spanish Alta California's maritime history is getting air time.

 

 

Alan

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Benjamin Franklin

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Monday, July 22, 2013 6:15 PM

Arnie, here's their calendar page, showing where they'll be and when...you can scroll through the months to see if any events are close enough for you....looks like they'll be in Tacoma next month...not too far for a Portlander...

historicalseaport.org/.../exact_date:1372662000

I'm glad to know some of the ship modelers here on the West Coast....it would be fun to meet up at some event!

John, I'm always excited to see pics of other people's work, please keep us informed once you get some shots uploaded on the site!  They have made a few changes to the *insert pics* function during my time on this forum, but it's not difficult, it just takes a few steps.

Schoonerbumm, you definitely have some knowledge about the Lady Washington...thanks for the info!  

Now to see if I can get some deck parts detailed for the Kogge, maybe get some wash on tomorrow...I love starting a new kit!  :)  

        _~
     _~ )_)_~
     )_))_))_)
     _!__!__!_         
     (_D_P_K_)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Marysville, WA
Posted by David_K on Monday, July 22, 2013 6:21 PM

 Here's a pic of me *hauling the main port sheet*...

        _~
     _~ )_)_~
     )_))_))_)
     _!__!__!_         
     (_D_P_K_)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Project:  Imai/ERTL Spanish Galleon #2

Recently Finished: Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark

Next Up:  ???

 

  • Member since
    June 2012
Posted by arnie60 on Monday, July 22, 2013 6:41 PM

I'm totally in for a get together. Be nice to chat w/ modelers who don't just do game figurines (a local hobby shop club)

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