Carving an 18th century ship's launch at 1/8th scale.

After the rowlocks for the launch were applied to the little launch model, it was time to add some oars by creating the blades and the shafts for these oars.

The shafts for the oars were made by using a steel drawplate to pull 1\8th wood dowels down to 5/64th inch in diameter, then attaching eight blads to eight shafts after the shafts had been cut to size.

Here are all the oars aliened to the completed launch. These oars are not glued in place, but just positioned for the picture.

The completed oars are now glued in place as positioned when stowed inside the launch. The cradle that will be placed on the bottom of the launch to hold the launch in place inside the frigate well, is seen beside the launch in this picture.

Here is the launch on top of a larger pinnace of my incompleted scratch built model of the French frigate LA RENOMMEE, later HMS RENOWN, after her capture by the English in 1757.

This NOT my completed scratch built model of the LA RENOMMEE, but rather a picture I copied off the internet. If this were to be my completed model, this is how the pinnace and launch would be stowed inside the frigate well. Unfortunately, I became bored and turned to other projects. In the near future, I will continue to complete the LA RENOMMEE model.

LA RENOMMEE was a 30 gun frigate built at Brest, France in 1744. Captured by the Royal Navy while on patrol on the Caribbean Sea, on September 27, 1747. Taken to England the ex-RENOMMEE, then renamed RENOWN, was extensively surveyed and found to be a fast sailor under the right wind conditions. Her under hull contour was copied as a prototype for future English frigates. After serving for almost 25 years in the Royal Navy, HMS RENOWN was broken up at Woolwich in May 1771.

This completes my thread for making a launch, a necessary addition to any 17th and 18th century warship model.

Happy modeling      Crackers  

The floor boards and grating is added to the bottom of the launch. The purpose is to keep passenger and boat crew feet dry should there be bilge water accumulation in the bottom of the launch. The grating is made from my wife's plastic canvas grid material, which is perfect for this requirement. A piece of this plastic is seen at the left of the launch model.

For those who are unfamiliar with the plastic canvas hobby, it is craft material of lightweight plastic with spaced holes in a grid pattern used as a foundation for needle point embroidery with knitting wool string. A finished example of plastic canvas work, is a rowboat my wife made with photo pictures of our pets.

The rowing seats have been added with a forward location for a boat crew member to manage and tie up the launch on a side of a ship, or pier. The after cockpit is for the seating of any important individuals.

To be contunued  Happy modeling    Crackers    

After the clinker strips of the outside hull was completed and painted by acrylic white, the launch was turned over to prepare for the positioning of the ribs. Thin wood sections were first attempted, but after repeated failures, cardboard was then cut out and used, avoiding the frustration of splitting and breaking when fitted to the interion of the hull. After this task was finished, the insuide of the hull was painter with ocher yellow.

A thin stip of wood was positioned for the eventual placement of the seats ( thwarts). From cardboard strips, the gunwales were cut out, painted the outboard blue and the inboard red and held in place with paper clips and small wooden clothes pins.

After the clips were removed and minor touchups with the blue and red paint, the end result was ready for the next addition to the hull.

The next addition will be gratings on the bow and stern, plus floor boards on the bottom of the launch to keep the feet of the rowers dry should there be bilge water on the inside the launch.  To be continued.

Happy modeling.     Crackers    

The keel ,cutwater and stern stem have been added to the finished carved launch. Next, the simulated clinker planking will be added to the outside hull.

First, the defination of what clinker planking is on a boat hull. Carvel planking is the most common form of outside boat planking. The planks are fixed to the boat ribs with the plank edges butted against its neighbor. Clinker built (also known as lapstrake) hull is where each plank edge is overlaped with its bottom neighbor and fastened to this bottom plank starting from the keel to the gunwhale. The main advantage of clinker over carvel is that clinker build gives a stronger hull. First developed in Northern Europe by the Vikings on their long ships, this type of planking is usually preferred on launches because of the heavy duties the launches often performed. The launches had to be stronger built because of their varied tasks.

To simulate a clinker built hull on the model launch, thin computer paper 1/8' in width were cut with a hobby knife along the edge of a metal ruler. The strips were trimmed with a scissors and glued with wood glue to the launch hull. The starboard side is completed, while the port side is yet to be added.

Happy modeling    Crackers  

Architectural scale.

Def: why architects drink too much.

I had the great benefit of being educated in part, and working in countries with metric systems.

I'm currently building a ship model on 1/144 scale. 1" = 12'-0".

Go figure.

Thanks CapnMac82. I based my scale on my architectural ruler which I believed to be correct. That scale seemed to be the accurate for a model of a French frigate that has been put aside while other project are works in progress.

Happy modeling    Crackers

I sued to think in terms of which edge of the scale I was using, but, once AutoCAD took over the industry, that faded away.
Spend 20-something years modeling things at 1:1 and only setting them to scale in Paperspace also have an effect. 
Side effct of that is that I more think of things in their display scale, e.g., 1/96 or the like rather than "eightn." per se.

Vive l'difference.

I was wondering the same thingCapn, Mac. I worked in what I always called 1/8" scale & 1/4" scale when drawing house plans, so I sort of knew what he was talking about. My finished plans were always 1/4" = 1' 0", & sketches were 1/8".  

   My yellow racer picture is a hand carved 1911 Indy Winner the Marmon Wasp.I got the plans at Indy & hand carved it from Bass wood with plastic & metal details & O ring tires. Bass wood is much easier to carve, without all the grain.

  I do like what you are doing with the ships boat. I think a boat is harder to carve than an old race car with straight lines. 

Oh, you mean 1/8" = 1'-0" scale.

That's 1/96 scale.

I was boggling a bit at what "carving" would be needed at 1 1/2" = 1'-0"--1/8 scale.

A 40' ship's launch would be 60" long at 1/8 scale.  Rather different than the 5" at 1/96.

Ewart Freeson in Model Open Boats, describes a technique similar to the above.  The nain different is that the master block is split at the keel line to give more access while shaping the hull form.  The two halves thus created are mated to a profile of the keel for final finish.