Dutch State Yacht by Billing Boats rebuilt

Again it looks like the statenjacht has a new complete rigging, and again it is only half true. Over the last few days I have tried to draw up a plan of the standing and running rigging, how it could be as similar as possible to the original. This was and is not easy, because the photos from the museum in Amsterdam do not give an exact idea of the course of the ropes, and neither do the photos published by the museum itself. Now, the rigging of a single-masted vessel is not necessarily a closed book, but in detail there are many questions. I therefore decided to start by building a "draft rigging" to check where the individual blocks have to be positioned, where the ropes can be laid and - very important! - which exact dimensions the sails should have. In doing so, I have also drawn on other models of statenjachts from this period, for which there is already significant research, such as the "Utrecht", whose prototype dates from the same period as the Amsterdam model. Unfortunately, I used a light-coloured cotton yarn for the design, which can hardly be seen in the photo below.

43891067eg.jpg


The ropes are not tied
, but are only held taut with clamps so that, for example, the height of the gaff claw and the angle of the gaff can be easily adjusted until the final position of all attachment points is fixed.

43891068jz.jpg


In accordance with this design, I will now set to work on the standing rigging first.

And now a historical addendum. I had approached the great maritime historian Ab Hoving to ask if he knew anything more about the Amsterdam model. In his book about the Utrecht he had printed an apparently older (black and white) photo of the model. He then wrote to me that such models were by no means just toys for children. In fact, in the eighteenth century, entire naval battles were fought with large-scale models on ponds, and the ships even had "working" guns. He also referred me to a book by the Dutch maritime historian Gottfried Crone from 1926, which is dedicated to the multitude of smaller Dutch coastal and inland ships of the 17th and 18th centuries. The black and white photo in question can be found there. Together with the accompanying text, it proves that a restoration of the obviously badly damaged model had already taken place before 1926; in other words: even the present condition of the model can already be considered historical.
I can link the photo in question without violating any rights. It is figure four.



I have translated the relevant part from the description of the model in the text section:

Staatenjacht first half of the 18th century
Plate 4
Here we see a vessel of the type that followed similar vessels from the second half of the 17th century in the 18th century. Comparing it with the yacht of plates 1 and 1a, we notice that the hull is somewhat slimmer, there is no raised steering deck, and the ornaments are oriented towards the taste of the time. This model is one of two perfectly identical ones, both belonging to the Dutch Historical Maritime Museum. The one pictured comes from the estate of W. Six from Hilversum, the other, dated 1736, was in my possession for a few years and came from Friesland. Both are unmistakably made by the same modeller and have the same dimensions, differing only in the ornaments, the one pictured here being purer in style.
The hull was in a dilapidated state, probably a consequence of the fact that the model had served as a "Weiherschiffchen", also nothing of the rigging was preserved, the painting and the gilded ornaments, however, were in good condition, so that the restoration, which was carried out by the museum, could be limited to repairs to the keel and a new rigging. For this, the director made use of the exact data from the shipbuilding archive of the [shipbuilder] van Zwijndregt family [from Rotterdam], which had been donated to the museum by a descendant.


In other words, there was something like serial production. According to Ab Hoving, however, nothing is known about corresponding workshops. Moreover, it seems that the ornaments were actually gilded.


Schmidt
 
Kirill, thank you very much for your literature advice. Jaeger's book is very difficult to get hold of, fortunately I was able to buy a copy at an affordable price some time ago. Jaeger only deals with 17th century state yachts, but you can learn a lot from this book. I was not aware of the Kriegstein collection until now. Let's see if the catalogue is available somewhere.

Please don't tell anyone that working on a large scale model is easier than working on a small one. Well, those whose eyes are no longer the very best may have problems with models in 1:150 when it comes to the details. But in recent weeks I have had to make the rather painful experience that even large models on which you can "see everything very easily" have their pitfalls. They take up a lot of space, after half an hour the workbench is overflowing with tools and materials, paint is no longer mixed in pots but in buckets, for large-scale gluing you need a lot of special jigs etc. etc. One of the many problems I didn't know about has now come up. I can easily take my small models with me in the evening to watch TV in the living room or to have dinner in the dining room. I then set them up at different distances and for different viewing angles, look at them every now and then - and see things and circumstances that I didn't see in the craft room. Some swing is wrong, a transition, an ornamental line, a colour etc. etc. But now, for half a year, I have only ever seen my Staatenjacht from a close distance and with the view from above. What therefore had to happen logically: After a few days with her test rigging on the fireplace in the living room, I noticed something: The distance between the two whales is a bit too big.
I know, the Billing hull has somewhat different dimensions than that of the prototype in Amsterdam. But I never wanted to make it historically super-correct, but I did want it to be very similar in appearance. What could I do now? Remove the lower whales and move it? That might have severely damaged the hull, but in any case it would have upset the architecture of the ornamentation at the stern. After a close look at the prototype photos, I finally decided to widen the lower whale. Even in the original it is significantly wider than the upper one, visually it slides upwards. I managed the widening with a bending strip of two millimetres edge length, as far as possible without collateral damage. (In retrospect, I was surprised at my own foolhardiness. But you know how it is: you can't go on building if something disturbs you).

43903670pj.jpg


Here again the prototype, the first version and the second version. The nailing and a final colour treatment are still missing.

43903667wa.jpg

43903668yv.jpg

43903669bq.jpg


I realise that the waterline is lower on the Amsterdam model - but I don't know if I should dare to go there again either. I'm afraid that after a partial sanding, white paint would remain in the fine grooves of the planking wood and could not be removed there.
Schmidt
 
Good day Schmidt,
Nice job with Lower whale - looks right at place with width!!!
By my opinion, better don't touch under water line paint... it looks well proportionaly to the rest of the hull... and why need to find "good from good" ? :)))
Wish You all the best and will continue watch your building with great interest!
There is a link to the Kriegstain collection book for your "familiarisation" before purchasing...
 
Thank you for the beautiful pictures of the Utrecht. Five years ago I made a day trip with it together with a number of modellers from a German forum. That was an unforgettable experience!

The widening of the lower whaless has now set me back quite a bit. In addition, I unfortunately have to realise that there are still construction sites on the model that I have neglected so far. It starts with the masthead, which is an elaborate part on the original, probably made on a lathe. I don't have one of those, and my attempts with a drill failed miserably.

43925412rj.jpg


So I went a different way, bought beads in different sizes and threaded them onto a sturdy wire. It looked terrible at first.

43925364lv.jpg


But I didn't let myself be put off, I smoothed out the transitions a bit and formed a point. All in gold, maybe the part can at least serve until someone else makes me something nicer on the lathe.

43925365xc.jpg


Then it was time for the blocks. With the large scale, they should be a bit more detailed than I am used to. I didn't like the first attempt with a series product. Too angular, the hook made of twisted wire too thick.

43925366zb.jpg


Here is the same initial product, sanded a little rounder and cast. The hook is inserted separately. Certainly better - but

43925367qt.jpg


- not the best. Here is the original model of one half of the block, which I made from a photo of original parts from the book about the (contemporaneous) "Utrecht". I am thinking of a serial production of semi-finished parts. Let's see if that works.

43925368ph.jpg


And finally, here is a guessing picture: Who recognises the missing part? Correct, it is indeed the animal ornament on the starboard side, through which the anchor rope runs. Rarely, perhaps never before, have I lost such a large part in an area of two square metres in the workshop without being able to find it again after several intensive searches. And funny: it is one of the very few parts of which I have not made a mould.

43925369tn.jpg


Schmidt wishes you a nice, sunny Sunday
 
For over ten years I have been building models of sailing ships in asmall scale (1:150). This scale brings some limitations, but has the advantage that I can accommodate a larger amount of models in my apartment. Lately, I've been building mostly waterline models that I arrange for photos against natural backgrounds. I have already shown a few of my models here on the forum. However, I also have a wooden past. Among others I have built the Norske Löwe from Billing Boats and the yacht Mary from Mamoli. I have a special interest in Dutch state yachts, and for a long time there has been a plan to build a large scale model of one by Billings Boats. A great incentive is that the High Admiralty has released a particularly prestigious place in our living room for it. Unfortunately, I am very reluctant to build hulls, so I waited a long time until late last year when I found a completed model whose hull was good enough to rebuild. I was able to remove all ornaments and attachments from the hull with little effort. For two months now, I have been busy replacing the manufacturer's very crude parts with new builds. In doing so, I do not have to rely on my imagination alone. On the contrary. The model for this model kit is a model of a state yacht, which is kept in the Amsterdam Maritime Museum. It is a very large scale model which, according to the museum, was used as a toy for children at the time of its creation (around 1750). A very elaborate and certainly very expensive toy, about 180 centimeters long and high and with fully functional rigging. There are a few studio shots of the model that the museum has posted on the web. I myself was able to take a few dozen photos of my own during a visit to Amsterdam, which I am now using as a template for the redesign. I show below a few photos of the Amsterdam model, the billing Boats modeal as I bought it and of the current state of it. The ornaments are mostly formed from modeling clay (Magic Sculp) and partly molded and cast several times. At the moment they are all still loosely attached. Some of them will soon be scanned in three dimensions and then printed laterally reversed.

The Amsterdam Model
42923727ii.jpg


the great cabin
Amsterdam
42727569xb.jpg


Billing Boats
42727568ib.jpg


mine
43110128yg.jpg

43110124he.jpg


the bow
Amsterdam
43032610kv.jpg


Billing Boats
43032611hq.jpg


mine
43110125cz.jpg


the cabin front
Amsterdam
43091399qz.jpg


Billing Boats
43091398mv.jpg


mine
43110127mz.jpg


to be continued
Schmidt
Hallo @Schmidt
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
For over ten years I have been building models of sailing ships in asmall scale (1:150). This scale brings some limitations, but has the advantage that I can accommodate a larger amount of models in my apartment. Lately, I've been building mostly waterline models that I arrange for photos against natural backgrounds. I have already shown a few of my models here on the forum. However, I also have a wooden past. Among others I have built the Norske Löwe from Billing Boats and the yacht Mary from Mamoli. I have a special interest in Dutch state yachts, and for a long time there has been a plan to build a large scale model of one by Billings Boats. A great incentive is that the High Admiralty has released a particularly prestigious place in our living room for it. Unfortunately, I am very reluctant to build hulls, so I waited a long time until late last year when I found a completed model whose hull was good enough to rebuild. I was able to remove all ornaments and attachments from the hull with little effort. For two months now, I have been busy replacing the manufacturer's very crude parts with new builds. In doing so, I do not have to rely on my imagination alone. On the contrary. The model for this model kit is a model of a state yacht, which is kept in the Amsterdam Maritime Museum. It is a very large scale model which, according to the museum, was used as a toy for children at the time of its creation (around 1750). A very elaborate and certainly very expensive toy, about 180 centimeters long and high and with fully functional rigging. There are a few studio shots of the model that the museum has posted on the web. I myself was able to take a few dozen photos of my own during a visit to Amsterdam, which I am now using as a template for the redesign. I show below a few photos of the Amsterdam model, the billing Boats modeal as I bought it and of the current state of it. The ornaments are mostly formed from modeling clay (Magic Sculp) and partly molded and cast several times. At the moment they are all still loosely attached. Some of them will soon be scanned in three dimensions and then printed laterally reversed.

The Amsterdam Model
42923727ii.jpg


the great cabin
Amsterdam
42727569xb.jpg


Billing Boats
42727568ib.jpg


mine
43110128yg.jpg

43110124he.jpg


the bow
Amsterdam
43032610kv.jpg


Billing Boats
43032611hq.jpg


mine
43110125cz.jpg


the cabin front
Amsterdam
43091399qz.jpg


Billing Boats
43091398mv.jpg


mine
43110127mz.jpg


to be continued
Schmidt
Hallo @Schmidt
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
amazing work! I just bought a completed model, with some of the decorations missing, the bowsprit broken, and a spar detached. I'm not going to do as much work as you did on it, but it is great to see such an inspirational example. Keep up the good work!
 
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