Enterprise Maryland 1799 1:51 [COMPLETED BUILD]

Yeahhhh...about the guns. Depending on what source..and refit..she either had 14 6pd long guns...or a mix of cannonades and long guns. That said, the armament that came with mine seem to be BOTH...14 of....something. I set all of those aside and ordered the Syren Co cannon kit..they look pretty good! How do you plan to rig the large recoil rope?
 
Well thank you for the uplifting comments, even the wife was impressed with the changes I made.

I hope just wrapping the large coil rope around the end of cannon works. The cannon has a cut out area where the rope should wrap once nicely.

20200629_161549.jpg
 
Started the process of installing some block and tackle on the poop deck.
One set of block and tackle attach at the stern of the poop deck and route to the aft-spanker over the poop deck.
However, I have not installed the main mast let alone the aft-spanker on that mast.

It would be difficult to rig those blocks on the poop deck if I waited till I attached the masts.
Try doing this when the block is attached to the deck.
DSC01523.JPG
So, I just made the mast setup temporary, to allow the rigging.
Using tape to hold the aft-spanker in place I was able to rig the blocks and then attach them to the stern of the poop deck.

DSC01527.JPG

DSC01524.JPGDSC01525.JPGDSC01526.JPG

I then removed all the masts and taped the rigging to the stern until I'm ready to use them.

On another note, I mentioned earlier in a post that I ran out of grating for one of the deck features.
Here's how I solved the problem.
Milled a piece of wood to the correct width, then measured and marked the length of each grating.
Ran it over the table saw, the blade barely protruding, to make the cuts..
DSC01514.JPG

Trimmed the wood into the number of pieces I needed.
DSC01513.JPG

Glued tops and bottom pieces together, picture a little blurry.
DSC01516.JPG

Finally I trimmed the edges and wrapped in some sepelli wood.
DSC01518.JPG

Next post I'll show work on my cannon carriages and some more deck features.

Rowboat out.
 

Attachments

  • DSC01528.JPG
    DSC01528.JPG
    185 KB · Views: 5
With little fan fair I bring to you my cannon carriage build process.
Here's a picture of the end goal though it still needs some cleaning up.
DSC01533.JPG

I marked off the design on a piece of lumber that had been milled down to a width 2.3mm and height of approximately 6mm.
DSC01539.JPG

Using my table top jig saw I cut out each piece.
As well I cut out the rectangle bases for the carriage.
DSC01541.JPG DSC01542.JPG

Next, glue the pieces together....
DSC01543.JPG

On to cutting out the areas for axles and the cannon arms.
DSC01544.JPG DSC01546.JPG

Test fitting ....
DSC01547.JPG

I used some square 1.5mm by 1.5mm wood for the axles.
Cut to size , rounded the ends to fit the wheels holes...
DSC01551.JPG

DSC01553.JPG

DSC01556.JPG


Stopping here as I do not have the back wheels.
Also I want to add a darker stain to the carriage.

So, stay on your seat's edge as there is more to come in the next post!

Too much fun, Rowboat.
 
Completing the cannons and readying for mounting.......

Tried various rope thicknesses and ended up liking these the best.
For the block and tackle I used 0.45mm rope ordered from Syren model ship company.
DSC01652.JPG

For the rope that wraps around the cannon I used a thicker 0.88mm rope.
I like the heavyness of the rope and will use it for the anchor as well.
DSC01653.JPG

I came upon a "learning lesson" when running ropes through the blocks.
I started with the build on the right but if you look close you can see that on the double hole block, the rope goes the wrong way.
The image on the left is the one I ended up with after 3 attempts, I like how the rope now runs through and follows the holes on the tackle.
DSC01649.JPG

These little buggers are quite small and this was the first time my eyes and fingers got a workout.
Finally resorted to using a magnifying lens for running the rope.
I was quite "fumbly" with the pieces and dropped them numerous times.

I added the wheels and attached the block and tackle, also stained the wood.
DSC01650.JPG
DSC01651.JPG

The carriage cuts are not precise but I like the look. Makes it look more timber like, in my opinion, up close.

Test fitting on the ship:
DSC01655.JPGDSC01657.JPGDSC01658.JPG

I tried to use CA glue but it dries dark so I switched back to my wood glue.
I read about that in other posts but had forgotten. That was 1 of the 3 failed attempts.

I've leave everyone with a few more close ups.
By the way, I used two separate ropes for the block and tackle.
I cut one piece 100mm in length for weaving through the blocks.
I cut another 150mm in length for the "frapping" process.
The "frapping" rope could be cut shorter (100mm) but is not workable for with my fingers.
DSC01661.JPG

DSC01660.JPG

I'm making about 2 of these at a sitting, which is a couple of hours.
Do not hurry this process.

So, here is the kit's cannon compared to my first ever cannon build.
DSC01163.JPGDSC01662.JPG

Any thoughts before I attach these to the ship?
Is now the right time to attach them or will they be in the way ?
Should I glue the wheels to the ship?

Rowboat out...
 

Attachments

  • DSC01656.JPG
    DSC01656.JPG
    181.1 KB · Views: 3
Last edited:
I’d glue the guns to the deck, because you’ll be turning the hull in every conceivable direction while working on the rigging.

Jan
 
This was my first model I built about 15 years ago, it's just fun to see how you progress in it. Well done for the impressive construction process as reflected in the blog and photos you attach, I will continue to follow Thumbsup :)
 
The cannons are mounted on the ship !
It has been quite an experience, mounting was only slightly less difficult than building the cannons.
Decided to "frap" one side of the ropes that wrap around each cannon to secure it on deck. Originally I had just put a loop around and eyelet piece on the hull.
This is how the manual shows it, using the frapping technique.

Used CA glue to hold the eyelets to the hull. Seems to work so far.
Here are some pics of the completed work.
DSC01667.thumb.JPG.360b8a86548a84433c8b5fb1fad8340a.JPG


Some of the ropes are not hanging correctly, something I'll address later.
Overall I'm very pleased, thanks for all those who offered suggestions and to those whose build logs I've been using to improve my build.
Friends who have seen the ship are amazed at the work, and it's not even finished !

DSC01668.thumb.JPG.17fe362339a75a80352876100a72d302.JPG


From this view the poop deck rigging (below) now looks "weak" to me.
Initially when I first built the rigging I was quite happy with it. Now though, it seems lackluster to me.
How did that happen? I was perfectly content with the poop deck rigging.

I'll take a hard look at it before changing anything.
Any thoughts on the rigging?

Now that the deck is starting to fill up some of my concerns earlier on the deck planking are fading away.
Issues with nail holes, plank line marks and stuff I complained about earlier in this build log.DSC01673.thumb.JPG.fdbd059c3dbc6860ea0de85759d4606d.JPG


For builders interested, drilling the holes in the hull for the eye bolts requires a steady hand.
A few times I ended up going right through the hull. The holes are small so hardly noticeable.
There's less than 4mm to drill into, if even that in some places due to sanding the planks earlier in the build.

Funny thing, while writing this I did notice a small hole under the last aft cannon.
Turns out I had a small piece of lint on the laptop screen, wiped it away and the hole is gone ..... magic

DSC01669.thumb.JPG.2c2ebb20089dcd7c871a08f163c0d0f3.JPG


Some up close images of the cannons ... probably to up close .
For those with a keen eye, you may have noticed I have 2 different colored ropes used on the cannons.
Started with the tan color and ran out after doing half the cannons.
Had some of the dark color that I previously ordered and used that.
I rotated the colors so there will be tan, black,tan,black,etc....

DSC01671.thumb.JPG.93e5cfd32273ea01a7060567c38a8f2d.JPG

DSC01672.thumb.JPG.6c52bb91c2d522ca3a629e130f9eaa04.JPG

Still haven't decided if I want to paint the hinges for the cannon axle.

Rowboat out ......
 

Attachments

  • DSC01667.JPG
    DSC01667.JPG
    186.8 KB · Views: 1
  • DSC01668.JPG
    DSC01668.JPG
    222.5 KB · Views: 2
  • DSC01669.JPG
    DSC01669.JPG
    125.5 KB · Views: 2
  • DSC01671.JPG
    DSC01671.JPG
    189.9 KB · Views: 2
  • DSC01672.JPG
    DSC01672.JPG
    193.5 KB · Views: 1
  • DSC01673.JPG
    DSC01673.JPG
    171 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Thanks for the encouragement fellow modelers :).

I cannot believe how well the ship is turning out.
If you go back to the start of this log the Build shows many issues.
Comparing those images to the current ones is night and day.

It amazes me how the model is transforming from the Ugly Duckling to a Golden Goose.

.... Rowboat .....
 
I had never given model ship building any thought. My primary hobby or so I thought was Model Railroading. My 1799 Enterprise was a surprise Birthday present. I dived right in, bumbling my way through, making mistake after mistake, getting frustrated time after time. The Forum was a great find and I found that the help and encouragement of the members helped immensely.

I guess you could say I’m ”HOOKED”, since I’m working on my fourth build. :D

So keep on building, inventing and general enjoy your build.

I’ve been delighted that in some small measure I could give you some help. But without the Forum and Donnie, Uwe, Zoly and the rest of the Forum Staff and members we probably would be looking at two Enterprise Kits sitting on a shelf.

Jan
I started but never complete the 1799 Enterprise. I believe I have all the parts, but need the booklet with instructions to construct the model. Would you share a copy of the booklet?
Thanks,
Russell Haynes
805-710-4813
 
I started but never complete the 1799 Enterprise. I believe I have all the parts, but need the booklet with instructions to construct the model. Would you share a copy of the booklet?
Thanks,
Russell Haynes
805-710-4813
Hi Russell,

You might want to send a PM to “rowboat”, he is building an earlier “1799 Enterprise”. I send him my versions instruction book sometime back. I still have the plans, ie. rigging and construction views, your welcome to those.

My 1799 Enterprise build log.

Jan
 
Last edited:
Back
Top