A Dutch Fluyt in shell first, reconstructing the "Ghost ship" scale 1:36

@Ab Hoving
For the garboard strake I made blocks which I had seen on Witsens drawings.
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The angles are taken from my Delftship model lines plan.
These give me the shape of the garboard strake and the correct curvature of the plank.
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When the floor is finished they will be removed.
 
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Maarten said:
You mean this plank and the 5 that will be next to it?
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Yes that one, I believe that they where supported from the top with a floor timber. When I place myself in a real build of such a ship I see a lot of bears on the road to get that in the right way.
 
Steef66 said:
Yes that one, I believe that they where supported from the top with a floor timber. When I place myself in a real build of such a ship I see a lot of bears on the road to get that in the right way.
Click to expand...
I can imagine, but most probably this high in the bow there is no floor timber but a cant frame which will be placed after the shell is finished.
 
I'm having so much fun learning from you guys...

I'm pretty good at 3D imaging in my head (professional skillset) so I think I'm tracking with the conversation fairly well. How fun to attempt this type of build! I have already learned a ton on my current POF build (so much so that if I had the materials I would start over) - and look forward to following your inspirational builds. My respect to you both.
 
Starting the second row of planks at the stern.
The garboard strake is 10 mm wide, this one is 13 mm. I will use different sizes of planks as I have also seen in the different wrecks I have been investigating. The planking pattern will be at random using some guidence of the Samuel wreck of which I have the planking pattern on PS and SB side.
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We often discuss planks are maximum 6-8 mtrs in length, but on the Samuel you see planks even over 10 mtrs in lenght. Very long planks but also very short planks of just 2-3 mtrs. Different widths are also common.

So my second row will be 13mm and to determine the shape I simply use a piece of paper folding it along the hull and copying the shape of the adjacent plank.
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Then I cut along the line and have my template ready after double checking it on the hull.
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Copy the shape to my pearwood and cut out the plank. You now see the plank is not straight but curved due to the shape it has to follow along the hull.
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After roughly steaming and bending the plank on my heat plate I dry fit it on the hull and you see it fits without any tension.
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I check the correct flow of the plank with my waterline templates and I see some fine tuning is needed on the fwd side.
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Next time fitting it and copy the shape to the SB side.
 
Before fitting the plank I decided to make the contemporary tools to fit the.
First the "boeitang" or "houten klaas" which translate to something like pincers. It is a big wooden pliers and it looks like this as drawn by Witsen and my copy of it.
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Using it on the model it works but offers far less pressure then Stephans alternative, this is caused by the matter of scale.
Here applied on the ship.
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Secondly I made two pieces of "de hel", this is a chain and hook system used in combination with a crowbar or crane.
I have made these from some small pieces of chain and hooks from annealed wire.
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These are suprizingly effective, especially when pulling down the plank and put the chain around the keel. Then pinning down the chain with a needle, works perfect.
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The planks is now fitted with brown glue on the edges.
Then checked with my gauges.
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The boeitangen could work, but you need a square piece of very hard wood. These planks you use will bent. My first set was made of beech. That didn't work. Could not fasten enough to hold on. On scale they slip off. That's why I use sandpaper on the clamp and pokhout. I like these clamps of you, mine can only be used straight. These can also used under an angle.
Do the chains leaf marks in the wood? The Japanese jerre joints I sometimes use do. That's why I made those wooden ones. Difficult to clamp a plank in this way of building. Took me a few days to find the solution on my scale and still not 100% satisfied. Maybe for you something to fit to your building jig. The iron bar in a hole and the chain to pull the bar against the plank. Succes, I like your approch.
 
Steef66 said:
The boeitangen could work, but you need a square piece of very hard wood. These planks you use will bent. My first set was made of beech. That didn't work. Could not fasten enough to hold on. On scale they slip off. That's why I use sandpaper on the clamp and pokhout. I like these clamps of you, mine can only be used straight. These can also used under an angle.
Do the chains leaf marks in the wood? The Japanese jerre joints I sometimes use do. That's why I made those wooden ones. Difficult to clamp a plank in this way of building. Took me a few days to find the solution on my scale and still not 100% satisfied. Maybe for you something to fit to your building jig. The iron bar in a hole and the chain to pull the bar against the plank. Succes, I like your approch.
Click to expand...
I am still using the approach that it is only used to keep it in place, I do not put planks under tension so the forces are minimum.
Sawing the planks in the correct curvature followed by water en heat is 90% of the equation, the hel and boeitangen are for the remaining 10%. Hardwood will certainly provide more tension, maybe I also make some of oak when needed. These are from pear.
But it is interesting to see how it worked 400 years ago.
 
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Maarten said:
Before fitting the plank I decided to make the contemporary tools to fit the.
First the "boeitang" or "houten klaas" which translate to something like pincers. It is a big wooden pliers and it looks like this as drawn by Witsen and my copy of it.
View attachment 378423

Using it on the model it works but offers far less pressure then Stephans alternative, this is caused by the matter of scale.
Here applied on the ship.
View attachment 378424

Secondly I made two pieces of "de hel", this is a chain and hook system used in combination with a crowbar or crane.
I have made these from some small pieces of chain and hooks from annealed wire.
View attachment 378425

These are suprizingly effective, especially when pulling down the plank and put the chain around the keel. Then pinning down the chain with a needle, works perfect.
View attachment 378464

The planks is now fitted with brown glue on the edges.
Then checked with my gauges.
View attachment 378427
View attachment 378428
Click to expand...
Nice to see you use the old fashion techniques in scale, Maarten. It's a learning curve that will pay off.
Regards, Peter
 
Peter Voogt said:
Nice to see you use the old fashion techniques in scale, Maarten. It's a learning curve that will pay off.
Regards, Peter
Click to expand...
Hi Peter,

It is fun to do and see what would have been the best method to use. This hell works perfect I have now again added a plank and using the hell to pull it against the previous plank. The boeitang then positions it in line with the previous fitted plank.

Back to the build.
I have added a center rope to control the center line of my hull. From the stern post to the stem post then over it and belayed on the stem post support. It perfectly maintains the center line and can be shifted upwards during progress of the build.
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The planks in this stage need a serious curvature, bended by hand with water and heat plate.
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The best way to work with the hell is to pull it down the keel and back over the hull, I have put a row of two poles along the ship to belay the hell ropes to to create the tension needed during fixating the planks.
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You can even add tackles if needed. I can imagine it was used like this in the 17th century because it works in scale.
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After removal of the tools it is amazing how strong this contruction already is, and the lines are beautiful.
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Checking with my gauges before starting the next planks.
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True. This reconstruction is a particularly interesting undertaking. Thanks for showing it. My only fear is that I may not even live to see the bilge strakes laid down, let alone the rest of the ship. Quite the opposite of the Dutch masters breaking speed records in real life... ???

:)

.​
 
- Waldemar - said:
.​

True. This reconstruction is a particularly interesting undertaking. Thanks for showing it. My only fear is that I may not even live to see the bilge strakes laid down, let alone the rest of the ship. Quite the opposite of the Dutch masters breaking speed records in real life... ???

:)

.​
Click to expand...
Hi Waldermar,

Of course I don t have a prognosis on your lifespan but I will promise you the bilge planks will fillow in a few weeks. I am speeding up from now 8-)
 
Work continues with the second row of planking of the floor.
The planks are supported under the ship by little poles. I use these poles to glue the plank on with a little drop of CA, gravity in scale doesn't work.
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These planks run completely flat so I use a floor timber to check these.
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On SB the same process, fitting the last plank supported on poles.
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Pull it towards the previous plank and directly pull it down with the use of the hell.
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Even on the curved plank on the stern section I have used a supportive pole.
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The floor at the bow is taking shape, this is trimmed when the bilge is started.
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A status overview of the build sofar, 2 of the 6 floor planks are fitted.

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You can see I do not use a planking pattern, 3 planks in a row on PS, 4 on SB. Differences in joints etc. This way of building I have seen on multiple wrecks so incorporated into my model.
 
Last edited:
Maarten said:
Before fitting the plank I decided to make the contemporary tools to fit the.
First the "boeitang" or "houten klaas" which translate to something like pincers. It is a big wooden pliers and it looks like this as drawn by Witsen and my copy of it.
View attachment 378423

Using it on the model it works but offers far less pressure then Stephans alternative, this is caused by the matter of scale.
Here applied on the ship.
View attachment 378424

Secondly I made two pieces of "de hel", this is a chain and hook system used in combination with a crowbar or crane.
I have made these from some small pieces of chain and hooks from annealed wire.
View attachment 378425

These are suprizingly effective, especially when pulling down the plank and put the chain around the keel. Then pinning down the chain with a needle, works perfect.
View attachment 378464

The planks is now fitted with brown glue on the edges.
Then checked with my gauges.
View attachment 378427
View attachment 378428
Click to expand...
With this level of detail, Ab, you could have built it 1:1 scale! :D
 
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