Staghound...Extreme clipper 1850 by rwiederrich 1/96

Norgale said:

I should have said Capstan instead of windless. I only want the capstan part on the deck but below deck is inaccessible now. By the way, would a light gray stain on the weather deck look any good? I think I should color the deck some how and not just leave it a bass wood color. Thanks for posting the picture. That machine must be seven feet tall from the floor to the bottom of the capstan. Quite a nice piece of machinery. Maybe some one makesa kit of it. Pete

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The Emerson patent capstan/windless...fit perfectly under the 7.5 to 8 ft tween decks space. I would think some sort of grey weathered wood tone would do nicely on the exposed weather deck.

Rob

rwiederrich said:

Yes, it is true. many ships undergo extensive alterations and modification to their original design and function. This fact provides modelers of said vessels with a cornucopia of options and dates to model their vessel. I have such experience, when my crew and I spent 3 years researching Glory of the Seas with the author Michael Mjelde. One model builder was suited to build Glory of the Seas as Donald McKay had originally designed her, and I chose to go the extra mile and build her at the peak of her career, when she had undergone extensive modifications in Deck structures and rigging. In essence, we were both accurately representing her during our specific time frames....though she looked strikingly different. Separated by nearly 17 years.
However, Staghound, had neither fore or aft cabins as Revell erroneously depicts at any time in her career. Her entrance and cutwater were less rounded as was her later sister Flying Cloud. She was also a bit sharper in entrance and deadrise.

Thanks for following.

Rob

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Again, I apologize for having taken so long to respond but I am dealing with a fresh health issues. I have since broken 7 ribs due to a fall on concrete. It has slowed me down but I am hanging in there.

I used to discuss the issue of kit accuracy with John Tilley before he passed away, having had the opportunity to meet both his wife and he at Mystic Seaport. We often discussed the many problems with the ways that Revell in particular based some of their sailing ship kits inappropriately based some kits on other ships. You mentioned that the Staghound was based on the Flying Cloud kit. Simarly, look at how the 1/96 kit of Thermopylae was based on Cutty Sark even though they had little in common. The same is true of the HMAV Bounty and their kit of Beagle, or CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge. Even Revell takes short cuts!

Well summer activities have surely slowed progress down on Staghound....however, I did get in a bit of time to make one of 3 topsail yard double eye gin blocks for their haulyard system. This tiny metal gin block is roughly an 1/8" in size with 42 LPI chain. It quickly dawned on me that I needed to install all the topgallant cross tree gin blocks prior to full install of the shrouds or I would have to work in extremely tight quarters to do the job if I had waited.
Instead of using the typical Flying Fish topsail yard haulyard the model maker prescribes....my research led me to conclude, a more robust double action system was called for. the single action design, would mean there would be 2 sides, with a port and starboard purchase...requiring 2 separate crews to operate them.

Here are some images of the set up on the model....to include one of the design used and another showing that a single top tie for the chain is needed to attach the parrel wire to...so as to provide equal support for it and the yard truss. The haulyard used on the Flying Fish model provided by manufacturers would not work, since both sides of the haulyard chain are mobile.....making that design unusable. My parrel tie wire will attach to the center chain of my gin block...which is not movable. Again...this all had to be planned out and installed before the shrouds could fully be installed.

Ummm. . . My brain is full. . . .

Seriously-I am truly in awe of your research and attention to detail of your McKay clippers. I hope my Flying Cloud model will adequately reflect some of the work you’ve done.

Thank you
Harvey

capnharv2 said:

Ummm. . . My brain is full. . . .

Seriously-I am truly in awe of your research and attention to detail of your McKay clippers. I hope my Flying Cloud model will adequately reflect some of the work you’ve done.

Thank you
Harvey

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Thanks Harvey. I find nearly as much enjoymet in research as I do in actual construction. If i plan to employ the greatest skill I can muster to create the model...I should at least strive in making it as accurate.

Rob

Rob,

As I've said before, I very much appreciate the fact that you obviously enjoy your research and the construction of the model. However, there is one factor often overlooked but is strongly related to both . . . your execution. I have followed your builds for over a decade and have been impressed every time. Kudos!

Bill

August 25th, 2025 I was given permission by MIT to share this emailed watermarked copy of original 1850 Staghound plans drawn by Donald McKay's son Cornelius. These are the most accurate blueprints produced of this vessel as described by Cornelius himself. He wrote that in his 1898 letter to Captain Arthur Clark that this builder's drawing was done using dimensions of the ship taken from the molding loft as the vessel herself was under construction. I have clear copies too but no authorization to share those yet. I delayed even sharing this since I plan to trace this full scale (1:96th) and incorporate missing navel hood, cutwater, stag hound figurehead, bowsprit, monkey and splash rails. Delays make me realize too much time is passing. It took me a year to finally reach the right source which had this print in their holdings. Another year's delay to finally share this here. That makes it over two years now. Since this print hasn't been seen since 1898, that makes it 126 years since then and 176 years since its creation. FYI: The first 2 images are of the original, the rest are enhanced to make it more visible. Note that the drawing is in 2 colors, look closely you'll see the lines are in dark blue and red. I've reversed & flipped some to make it easier to create fully realized model construction plans.

ClipperFan said:

August 25th, 2025 I was given permission by MIT to share this emailed watermarked copy of original 1850 Staghound plans drawn by Donald McKay's son Cornelius. These are the most accurate blueprints produced of this vessel as described by Cornelius himself. He wrote that in his 1898 letter to Captain Arthur Clark that this builder's drawing was done using dimensions of the ship taken from the molding loft as the vessel herself was under construction. I have clear copies too but no authorization to share those yet. I delayed even sharing this since I plan to trace this full scale (1:96th) and incorporate missing navel hood, cutwater, stag hound figurehead, bowsprit, monkey and splash rails. Delays make me realize too much time is passing. It took me a year to finally reach the right source which had this print in their holdings. Another year's delay to finally share this here. That makes it over two years now. Since this print hasn't been seen since 1898, that makes it 126 years since then and 176 years since its creation. FYI: The first 2 images are of the original, the rest are enhanced to make it more visible. Note that the drawing is in 2 colors, look closely you'll see the lines are in dark blue and red. I've reversed & flipped some to make it easier to create fully realized model construction plans.

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Thank you for providing these images! I am converting the old inaccurate Revell kit of the Stag Hound and have been using Rob's model as a guide for changing the deck and its details. I had assumed that the hull was going to be the weak point of my conversion but these drawings show that it is not as inaccurate as I had thought. Granted, it's not perfect but it is workable within the scope of my project. Thank you!

WilliamM said:

Thank you for providing these images! I am converting the old inaccurate Revell kit of the Stag Hound and have been using Rob's model as a guide for changing the deck and its details. I had assumed that the hull was going to be the weak point of my conversion but these drawings show that it is not as inaccurate as I had thought. Granted, it's not perfect but it is workable within the scope of my project. Thank you!

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@WilliamM
To modify that relatively tiny Revell Stag Hound model is quite an ambitious goal. I have that exact 1961 model too. I love the John Steel box top artwork. Pay particular attention to her lofty rigging and ultra long bowsprit, jibboom, flying jibboom as well. Please share progress pics when available.

ClipperFan said:

@WilliamM
To modify that relatively tiny Revell Stag Hound model is quite an ambitious goal. I have that exact 1961 model too. I love the John Steel box top artwork. Pay particular attention to her lofty rigging and ultra long bowsprit, jibboom, flying jibboom as well. Please share progress pics when available.

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Rob has provided great inspiration over the years. I'm dedicating my Staghound to him.

WilliamM said:

Rob has provided great inspiration over the years. I'm dedicating my Staghound to him.

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Great idea! Rob is crafting another highly detailed museum quality McKay California Fleet clipper ship. Stag Hound is a great choice as she's never been correctly modeled before. We now have historically correct documentation to finally realize the spectacular look of Donald McKay's inaugural extreme clipper. I used an app on my phone to revise the look of a recent photo of the 4' 1:48th scale Cornelius McKay model to more closely approximate the look if she was taken straight on. Second pic is the original shot. While Revell's Flying Cloud rework to represent Stag Hound is wildly inaccurate, artist John Steel has produced a lovely depiction of her.

I agree that the box art is really nice, it does show the vary incorrect arrangement of deck houses. Rob does a great job of dispelling that arrangement. That will be one focus of my project.