Thank you guys for the nice comments, much appreciated.
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Good morning Herman. I don’t have any comment Herman. I just view your work with admiration and awe. Cheers Grant
Great work again Herman, that lion looks very good. Your model is worth to be in the former house of de Ruyter but I guess buying that house will keep you away from working on your model 
Hi Herman, very clever way of creating these with a perfect result.
See below actual marking on the wreck of Samuel, crosses and dots on the PS side and Roman numerals on the SB side.
Thank you, Stephan. The lion is firmly wedged between the beams. He can't escape.
Thanks Maarten.Great work again Herman, that lion looks very good. Your model is worth to be in the former house of de Ruyter but I guess buying that house will keep you away from working on your model
I liked the idea of living in a house with such a history, but my wife's initial reaction indicated that I had lost the battle before I even started.
been there...done that...
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Hi Herman. I would get her to watch the De Ruyter movie with you- if that doesn't inspire her, you're in trouble.
We did.. I am in trouble.
.
I think I can guess what specifically put her off, namely the notorious appearance in this movie the replica of the light frigate Shtandart from 1703 in the role of a heavy battleship, and still dating a couple of decades earlier. Many would find this frustrating and uninspiring...
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If you buy such a house, you have another hobby and no time for ship modelling.
The house carries the status of national monument so any renovation will be limited and subject to approval of the authorities. But if I would move there I would like the living room to be decorated in contemporary style and that would become another time consuming hobby. And time is something we all have too little of and I do prefer to spend my free time in the shipyard.
Thank you very much for expressing your appreciation.
This time a somewhat longer post regarding the channels (/shrouds).
Grateful as we are for the contemporary Willem van de Velde's drawings, I must note that some differences can be discovered between the various pen drawings he made of De 7 Provinciën. The number of channels and shrouds per mast and the distribution of the shrouds per channel are not equal on those drawings.
The first drawing depicting the War Council on board De 7 Provinciën I count:
- foremast: probably 1 channel / 9 shrouds, hard to see but I think 2 + 3 + 3 + 1 shroud (counting from stem to stern, interrupted by the gun ports)
- main mast: 3 channels / 10 shrouds, 4 + 4 + 2
- mizzen mast: 1 channel / 5 shrouds (channel above the last gunport?)
The second drawing depicting the De 7 Provinciën (stern view) I count:
- foremast: 1 channel / 9 large deadeyes (/shrouds), distribution of the deadeyes hard to see but the channel seems to end behind the gunport
- main mast: 3 channels / probably 10 large deadeyes (and 1 smaller one) shrouds, 2 + 4 + 4
- mizzen mast: 1 channel / probably 5 deadeyes (one behind the opened gunlid) (channel above the last gunport?)
The third drawing depicting the De 7 Provinciën (front/side view) I count:
- foremast: 1 channel / 8 deadeyes (/shrouds), distribution of the deadeyes 1 + 3 + 3 +1 (the last deadeye behind the gunport)
- main mast: 4 channels / 9 deadeyes 3 + 3 + 2 + 1
- mizzen mast: 1 channel ? / 5 maybe even 6 deadeyes (counting the chain plates) 2 + 3 ? (channel below the last gunport)
I have decided to make 1 channel for the foremast, with 9 deadeyes/shrouds to be distributed 2 + 3 + 3 + 1. With this distribution there is also enough room for the four guns on the upper deck without being hindered by the shrouds:
and 3 channels for the mainmast, distribution 2 + 4 + 4 (also in accordance with the drawings of Otte Blom, despite keeping the upper gunports free will be a challenge):
and 1 channel for the mizzen mast, distribution 3 + 2:
Front view, now with 'wings'
And the total view
Grateful as we are for the contemporary Willem van de Velde's drawings, I must note that some differences can be discovered between the various pen drawings he made of De 7 Provinciën. The number of channels and shrouds per mast and the distribution of the shrouds per channel are not equal on those drawings.
The first drawing depicting the War Council on board De 7 Provinciën I count:
- foremast: probably 1 channel / 9 shrouds, hard to see but I think 2 + 3 + 3 + 1 shroud (counting from stem to stern, interrupted by the gun ports)
- main mast: 3 channels / 10 shrouds, 4 + 4 + 2
- mizzen mast: 1 channel / 5 shrouds (channel above the last gunport?)
The second drawing depicting the De 7 Provinciën (stern view) I count:
- foremast: 1 channel / 9 large deadeyes (/shrouds), distribution of the deadeyes hard to see but the channel seems to end behind the gunport
- main mast: 3 channels / probably 10 large deadeyes (and 1 smaller one) shrouds, 2 + 4 + 4
- mizzen mast: 1 channel / probably 5 deadeyes (one behind the opened gunlid) (channel above the last gunport?)
The third drawing depicting the De 7 Provinciën (front/side view) I count:
- foremast: 1 channel / 8 deadeyes (/shrouds), distribution of the deadeyes 1 + 3 + 3 +1 (the last deadeye behind the gunport)
- main mast: 4 channels / 9 deadeyes 3 + 3 + 2 + 1
- mizzen mast: 1 channel ? / 5 maybe even 6 deadeyes (counting the chain plates) 2 + 3 ? (channel below the last gunport)
I have decided to make 1 channel for the foremast, with 9 deadeyes/shrouds to be distributed 2 + 3 + 3 + 1. With this distribution there is also enough room for the four guns on the upper deck without being hindered by the shrouds:
and 3 channels for the mainmast, distribution 2 + 4 + 4 (also in accordance with the drawings of Otte Blom, despite keeping the upper gunports free will be a challenge):
and 1 channel for the mizzen mast, distribution 3 + 2:
Front view, now with 'wings'
And the total view
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In the drawings from vd Velde you can’t see the difference between shroud or staytackle (zijtakels). Those cables have the same thickness and don't see the upper dead eye eigther. I would follow Blom. Because nobody knows exact how many shrouds where installed. There is no evidence and that’s why you can’t do it wrong. I love Dutch ships and their rigging. But your approch by looking in vd Velde drawings for the rigging is the best way to find out.
Length of the 7 Provincien 165 feet (by recollection)? Rule: For a 100 feet length 6 deadeyes and for every 15 or 16 feet more 1 deadeye extra. I would go for 10 for the main mast, 9 for the fore mast and 5 for the mizzen.
Thank you Mirek.
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I wasn't familiar with this rule, AB. Is this a rule from Yk or Witsen? Or is it based on existing drawings and models? It's correct for the Hohenzollern model, but not for the Prins Willem. That ship is 181 feet long and should therefore have 11 to 12 dead eyes.