BlueJacket Shipcrafters West Coast Lumber Schooner kit

[alross2]

I'm developing the next BlueJacket kit - a 1/96 scale West Coast Lumber Schooner. The format follows that of the last few sailing vessel kits I've developed. It is a plank on bulkhead model and includes a lot of lasered parts, the usual britannia metal fittings, and full size plans. Perhaps one of the more unique features are the laser-cut timberheads which will save the builder a lot of tedious measuring, cutting, and fitting. . Here are some photos of what's been done so far.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Al,
Great to see you introducing kits that don’t repeat the usual Nelson era “rows of cannons” vessels! Ships like your lumber schooner were instrumental in building our remarkable national economy. I wish you much success with your new offering.

I am interested in the extent to which West Coast shipbuilders were influenced by those from the Great Lakes. In the mid 1970’s I had reason to make a number of trips to San Francisco on business and took the opportunity to visit the ships at the foot of Hyde Street. This included the lumber schooner C.A. Thayer. I have a book about her that I bought then. It mentions that Scandinavian immigrant shipbuilders moved from the Great Lakes to the West Coast as the Midwest White Pine lumber trade declined.

Best wishes,

Roger

 

[Jerome]

Love those timber heads being premade.
That will save a huge amount of fiddling time.

 

[Bob Cleek]

This included the lumber schooner C.A. Thayer. I have a book about her that I bought then. It mentions that Scandinavian immigrant shipbuilders moved from the Great Lakes to the West Coast as the Midwest White Pine lumber trade declined.

Known locally at the time as "squareheads." Lots of them settled here, perhaps because they were used to the cold summers!

The C.A.Thayer has been surveyed and recorded in the Historic American Engineering Record ("HAER"). Extensive lines drawings and construction details are available online and can be downloaded in TIFF format which permits considerable enlarging for copying without corresponding line widening, so they're very easy to enlarge to any scale for modeling use without the need for redrawing and fairing usually encountered with enlarged JPEG files.

See: https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ca1506.sheet/?sp=1&st=gallery

 

[MikeC]

Building the Fannie Gorham, a 3 masted Maine built lumber schooner from Bluejacket Shipcrafters. It’s complete except for rigging….. I’m hung up on that part.

 

[MikeC]

I'm developing the next BlueJacket kit - a 1/96 scale West Coast Lumber Schooner. The format follows that of the last few sailing vessel kits I've developed. It is a plank on bulkhead model and includes a lot of lasered parts, the usual britannia metal fittings, and full size plans. Perhaps one of the more unique features are the laser-cut timberheads which will save the builder a lot of tedious measuring, cutting, and fitting. . Here are some photos of what's been done so far.

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[alross2]

Here are the two ladders to the quarterdeck. The rails are .035" and the treads are .015" laserboard. The first tread is a bit tricky to attach, the other three not so much.

 

[alross2]

Yesterday, I added the cap rails, chock rails, buffalo rails, windlass, and anchor chains. The latter two had to be attached prior to fitting the forecastle deck

 

[AllanKP69]

I agree with Roger's post, it is nice to see a kit coming out that is different so we all have additional choices.
Thanks!

Allan

 

[alross2]

Current status - hull painted, houses and hatches set (but not glued) in their approximate locations. Still lots to do.

 

[alross2]

What a difference in size - WYOMING and the West Coast Lumber Schooner - same scale (1/96)

 

[alross2]

Lasers are wonderful creations that make my life a whole lot easier. This is one side of the forward house. The top piece is .015" laserboard and has the mullions for the windows. It will be laminated to the inside of the bottom piece which is 1/32" basswood. The square and rectangle on the bottom piece are the window frames which are .015" laserboard. When the house is completely built and painted, .010" clear styrene with its back side painted black will be glued to the inside of the inner lamination. Both houses will be built this way

 

[Darryl]

I'm developing the next BlueJacket kit - a 1/96 scale West Coast Lumber Schooner. The format follows that of the last few sailing vessel kits I've developed. It is a plank on bulkhead model and includes a lot of lasered parts, the usual britannia metal fittings, and full size plans. Perhaps one of the more unique features are the laser-cut timberheads which will save the builder a lot of tedious measuring, cutting, and fitting. . Here are some photos of what's been done so far.

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Nice kit choice Al to work on, most people have little or no knowledge of how raw & cut lumber was transported from North West lumber mills. I'm also a model railroader and have logging camp steam engines & rolling stock on my layout. Growing up on the Arthur Kill River in New Jersey during the 1960's there were rotted-out beached coal barges that the Lehigh Valley RR shipped to New England years before by sail vessels and steam tug tows. Your model is a similar example of I what I remember. I also prefer work boat kits over "Man of War" ships. Darryl

 

[alross2]

Part of the kit development process is making sure everything fits, so I often do a "dry fit" of mostly completed/completed assemblies. This was today's "dry fit".

 

[alross2]

This is the mostly complete aft house. It needs a little clean-up and some more parts, but you get the idea. There are over 40 individual pieces in it so far, most of those being lasered.

 

[alross2]

The basic "sticks" are done. Each mast has a dozen mast hoops from .015" laserboard. Boom and gaff jaws are lasered .015" laserboard. At the moment, I'm stropping blocks with twisted wire.