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Le Requin-Zebec-1750 POF 1:48 (ZHL)

Its Saturday and good morning to all. I've just a little progress to show from my last post. First a recap of my efforts to install these difficult frame extensions. I have filed, broken, filed in the wrong direction, sanded and cussed these little darlings. It finally dawned on me to make a couple of templates as a guide which has really helped. OK, I'm a little slow to learn.

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Here I've pre sanded and paired up the ones left to do.

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In-between each set of frame extensions there is a gun deck support system which requires a dove tail connection that allows for a slight slope further challenging my soft touch filing abilities, but I like this challenge to see how close and tight a fit I can get.

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Now on the gun deck itself I glued in the kit furnished grates that go in between each canon location. This gun deck sheet is made up of laser-cut deck boards, and the gap is sub millimeter the same as the main deck was. On the main deck I had separated each bord before glue down but on this gun deck I am not doing that because it would have made the grate installation much more difficult as I feel sure I would have lost the smooth built in curvature.

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Lastly my first attempt at applying black ink (acrylic) to the on deck cross beam. I had my doubts on how to apply it until I experimented with it on some scrap wood and it's just like applying thin paint with a brush.IMG_1684.jpegIMG_1683.jpeg

Well, that's it for now, I sure thank you all for checking in.

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dockattner said:
Those frame extensions are strange birds - is that how a real zebec/xebec was built? Or an accommodation for a kit?
Click to expand...
What I called frame extensions are actually called standards which are fore and aft of each canon opening. There are actual frame extensions as well from underneath which along with the standards form the bulwarks. Apparently, this is how the real ships were constructed according to Jean Boudriot's monograph.
Here is picture from the book.

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Another interesting footnote about the Zebec/ Xebec is when I received the kit from ZHL and began this log I inadvertently spelled this ship as Zebec.
Looking it up in Wikipedia I found this: Xebec is also written as xebeck, xebe(c)que, zebec(k), zebecque, chebec(k), shebeck (/ʃɪˈbɛk/); from (Catalan: xabec, French:
So, I just stayed with Zebec which to me is phonetically better than X bec.
 
Daniel20 said:
What I called frame extensions are actually called standards which are fore and aft of each canon opening. There are actual frame extensions as well from underneath which along with the standards form the bulwarks. Apparently, this is how the real ships were constructed according to Jean Boudriot's monograph.
Here is picture from the book.

View attachment 585763

Another interesting footnote about the Zebec/ Xebec is when I received the kit from ZHL and began this log I inadvertently spelled this ship as Zebec.
Looking it up in Wikipedia I found this: Xebec is also written as xebeck, xebe(c)que, zebec(k), zebecque, chebec(k), shebeck (/ʃɪˈbɛk/); from (Catalan: xabec, French:
So, I just stayed with Zebec which to me is phonetically better than X bec.
Click to expand...
One man's X is another man's Z. It's all Greek to me.

Whatever we call those wood bits - they are rather curious - and at the end of the day they look like trip hazards to me :).

I might even have to build one of these strange looking things one day.
 
dockattner said:
Whatever we call those wood bits - they are rather curious - and at the end of the day they look like trip hazards to me
Click to expand...
Yes, trip hazards for sure, fortunately for those sailors the horizontal part was covered with the gun deck, I even set the grating flush with the deck. Waves and rainwater drained into the grates then was let out by drains in the hull which I will place as well.
 
Good morning Daniel. Wow, I’m getting buyers remorse looking at your build. I love these ships which make for cool looking models. Paul calls them strange I like sleek, sexy beautiful. Although knowing Paul he is probably referring to the engineering and build aspects;).

The grating came out brilliantly and definitely flush with the deck - good call. Some challenging work wonderfully achieved. What I love is how busy the area between each standard gets with the guns and rigging.

Great work as always Daniel. Cheers Grant
 
GrantTyler said:
Good morning Daniel. Wow, I’m getting buyers remorse looking at your build. I love these ships which make for cool looking models. Paul calls them strange I like sleek, sexy beautiful. Although knowing Paul he is probably referring to the engineering and build aspects;).

The grating came out brilliantly and definitely flush with the deck - good call. Some challenging work wonderfully achieved. What I love is how busy the area between each standard gets with the guns and rigging.

Great work as always Daniel. Cheers Grant
Click to expand...
Thanks Grant, in my mind the bulwarks (busy area) on your Xebec set the standard I will try for. You wouldn't believe how many do-overs I've done on the first two standards.
 
Here is a little more progress with the gun-deck support system. With each repetition it seems to progress a little quicker. First, I set the canon port standards then the gun deck support beams which have the dove tail slot at the bulwarks. These beams will get trimmed along a line that creates the deck stepdown, but I first have to install all of them in order to know exactly where to trim by setting the prefabbed decking with grates on them then marking the cut line. The template they provided DOES NOT match the decking profile, again no surprise there. Check it out.

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Where the gun deck support beams marked 1s,2s, etc. cross the bulwark standards I have to trim out a notch where they lay flat onto the main deck. For now those members are just dry fit until I determine where to cut them off. Next a close in shot where I expose my limited abilities at joinery.

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Hope you all find this informative and thanks for stopping in to take a look.

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