Grants Xebec 1:60 (using Jabeque Cazador Occre1:60 kit)

[GrantTyler]

Good afternoon
I am going to build a Xebec. Originally I was going to build the Jabeque Cazador from OcCre 1:60 scale, however as I will show I am going to change this up a little.

The kit :
As with most reasonably affordable kits there is nothing exotic about the Cazador from OcCre.

When my kit arrived the parts box had broken open and plenty tiny parts were strewn all over- I’m sure I did not achieve a 100% recovery- time will tell


The wood is mostly lime (L)(not my favorite) which is easily cut and sanded. It is a porous wood and difficult to get a realistic finish. I am going to have to research staining and wood finishing.

Certain parts e.g. the false keel, is African Walnut (Aw) which does not finish as good as the European Walnut however it is cool.

The second planking layer is veneer which looks good and easy to use. It Does limit certain details e.g. caulking and the treenail effect is different.

As with all modern kits in this price range many of the parts and decorations are molded metal where it would be so much better to have these wood. I guess a lot of scratch part building is in my near future. Going be fun.


The cannons are simply kak. (An Afrikaans word - translation obvious ).The blocks and thread (which is a strange shade of green) will be replaced with the good stuff from Drydock. Pretty much stock standard for kits.

Occre got the instructions so good. Clear, concise and there is no confusion. Wow so different from my Mantua Victory ones.

Next up some history, ship research and Grants plans for a Xebec.

Cheers Grant

 

[dockattner]

Can't wait! (and apparently you can't either ). These ships are lovely and I'm confident you will build this simple kit into something wonderful.

 

[Uwek]

Good, that the box was once more covered and secured with this blister folio, otherwise much more of these small parts were lost - I am crossing the fingers, that you have most of the important parts.
Anyhow - several things you will change anyhow
Good luck - I am looking forward to see your progress on this interesting model

 

[Martin555.]

Hi Grant,
Compared to your Victory I think you will find this a lot easer.
However I will be following this build.

 

[Bill-R]

Hello Grant,

I will be following along with great interest to see how your work will come along. I am sure it will turn out great.

Bill

 

[Heinrich]

FANTASTIC! I will join my partners in crime and chirp lots from the peanut gallery! Seriously though Grant, congratulations with the start of your new project and I wish you all the success and enjoyment (and frustration sometimes) that our hobby can bring.

 

[Ptèr]

Hi Grant, there she is. I see some small differences compared to my kit, some for the good and others not so much. The thing I like from your kit is that the plate with the keel and stem is solid wood and not stained plywood. So this is een very nice upgrade OcCre did. On the other hand, the cannons are of less quality especially the swivel guns. They look much less refined.

The box has a lot of metal parts, from pumps, colums, oar attachments and more. To me this is "kak" as well. (Being Dutch I understand this perfectly)
You can replace the parts if you reconstruct them out of solid wood. Looks much better.

So in the end I want to wish you lot's of fun building this very nice kit and I'm following to see what your plans with her will be.

One more thing. This kit has a lot of lasercut plywood parts and some of them will be shown on the ship, so you have to paint of stain them or replace it with solid wood to get it to look nice.

Good luck my friend!
Peter

 

[Heinrich]

Hi Grant. I have had this plan for quite a while of the Xebec Boberach which was captured from Algiers. Maybe you can use some of the ideas with regards to gun layout and decorations.

 

[Gilbertm]

Good afternoon
I am going to build a Xebec. Originally I was going to build the Jabeque Cazador from OcCre 1:60 scale, however as I will show I am going to change this up a little.

The kit :
As with most reasonably affordable kits there is nothing exotic about the Cazador from OcCre.

When my kit arrived the parts box had broken open and plenty tiny parts were strewn all over- I’m sure I did not achieve a 100% recovery- time will tell
View attachment 351990View attachment 351991View attachment 351992

The wood is mostly lime (L)(not my favorite) which is easily cut and sanded. It is a porous wood and difficult to get a realistic finish. I am going to have to research staining and wood finishing.

Certain parts e.g. the false keel, is African Walnut (Aw) which does not finish as good as the European Walnut however it is cool.

The second planking layer is veneer which looks good and easy to use. It Does limit certain details e.g. caulking and the treenail effect is different.
View attachment 351993
As with all modern kits in this price range many of the parts and decorations are molded metal where it would be so much better to have these wood. I guess a lot of scratch part building is in my near future. Going be fun.

View attachment 351995
The cannons are simply kak. (An Afrikaans word - translation obvious ).The blocks and thread (which is a strange shade of green) will be replaced with the good stuff from Drydock. Pretty much stock standard for kits.

Occre got the instructions so good. Clear, concise and there is no confusion. Wow so different from my Mantua Victory ones.

Next up some history, ship research and Grants plans for a Xebec.

Cheers Grant

View attachment 351994

Hi Grant
Good luck on your new build

 

[kidsgalore]

Good luck Grant, it very interesting build

 

[Jack Jäger]

Looking forward to it Grant.
All the best JJ..

 

[GrantTyler]

Good morning

A quick Historical summary from some of the articles I have read :


The name is derived from the Arabic sabaca. This racy sleek vessel is often associated with Mediterranean Barbary Pirates who caused a bit of havoc along the Southern coast of Europe raiding merchant ships at the beginning of the renaissance.
The close association with the Barbary Pirates to the Xebec leads Maritime Historians to believe that they may have been the first to developed this type of ship.
The design appears to be a derivative of the Galley, Caravel and the Pink. The Pink was a sailing boat in the Mediterranean at the time. Caravel in right picture and Pink lower left.

In the late 17th Century the “Western “nations around the Mediterranean, who were tired of these fast little ships causing chaos, adopted the Xebec design and built their own. Not only did the “Western” Mediterranean nations use this ship but the design extended further East and North.

For example in the battle of Svensksund in 1790, in the gulf of Finland, the Swedish gunboats Pojama, Turuma and Udema were of similar structure to that of a Xebec. Catherine of Russia,Inspired by Peter the Great, also called on Spanish shipwrights to build Xebecs. These new designed Xebecs were more maneuverable than the Heavy Swedish gunboats. Clearly this did not help Catherine as The Swedes caught the Russians napping and gave them a good hiding. A famous naval victory was achieved.

The Stockholm Museum models of the Pojama (1776) and the Turuma (1771) show the resemblance:


Countries which used the Xebec/ Jabeque/Chebec /Sciabecco with some names of those Victorious in battle:

Spain :
Andalus 30 guns, Africa 18 guns, Atrevido 20 guns, Aventurero 30 guns, Muciana 16 guns,
San Antonio

France :
Ruse 18 guns, Serpent 18 guns, Requin 24 guns -( Probably the most well known and most documented.),Indiscret 24 guns.

British:
Dart and Arrow
Of course, the British Brig sloop, Speedy’s
defeat of the Spanish El Gamo on 6th May 1801 is a well known story and one of the most famous Victory’s in Naval history.

America:
There are reports of the Xebec being used in the North America and in the great lakes during the American revolution and the 1812 war (Repulse and Champion)

Denmark:
After Horatio Nelson bombed Copenhagen in 1801, Denmark decided to build 12 Xebecs .

Portugal and some of the Italian states are known to have had these ships.

Characteristics;
The Xebec is known for its sleek and sexy (well I think so) design with beautiful underwater lines together with Lateen sails and oars.

They were small ships with the largest having a displacement of around 200 tons, around 40m long and 10m wide, and some carried up to 300 men. On the larger Xebecs 36 men would combine for the rudder operation. Relative to that time, they were considered highly manoeuvrable and had the ability to sail close to the wind and in shallow water.

In the late 18th century Xebec frigates appeared. The hulls were similar to the Arabian Xebecs however had 3 or 4 square sails on the main and foremasts with a significantly larger mizzen lateen.

Other styles included square sails only on the foremast and Jib sails on the bowsprit. E.g. The Polacre.



Jabeque Cazador
There is very little known about the Jabeque Cazador. What is known is that it was built in the mid 18th century at the Cartagena shipyard with 3 other xebecs (Galgo,Liebre and Volante) . Initially she was to be sent with the 3 other Xebecs to support Septentrion to America leaving the Tigre, Reynawith and 4 Xebecs (Ibicenco, Mallorquin, Valenciano, and Catalan) to cruise the Mediterranean.

With Algerian privateers being increasingly active in the Mediterranean the Cazador was never sent to America and the fleet was sent to the Mediterranean to support the Fuerte, Marte and Glaga.

Spain was conflicted with Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers and Morocco during this time. There is no documented (well that I can find) evidence showing which activities the Cazador participated in. A Noticeable offensive attack during this time was the attack on Algiers 1775. The ships with the Cazador is known to have bolstered the defensive position of the Spanish fleet in the Mediterranean during this time.


There is common thought that the Occre Jabeque Cazador does not reflect the design of the Spanish Xebec during this period. The Spanish Xebecs built at Cartagena were more like the Tipo Jorge Juan, beautifully built by Ramon Olivenza , and the Atrevido (1756) model at the Naval Museum in Cartagena :


1. Tipo Jorge Juan


2. Atrevido


Cheers Grant

 

[Dean62]

Hey Grant, this is actually a decent kit with very good rigging instructions. But it is simple compared to a square rigged ship!
Some of the parts will need to be replaced, but you are already familiar with that…it’s a kit!
This was actually my second ship build and first build log on SOS. Looking forward to Grants version.

 

[Pathfinder65]

Hi Grant, looking forward to your interpretation of this little ship.

 

[dockattner]

Nice history Grant. It has been my observation (well, over the short time I have been interested in historic ships) that ships of this 'style' (xebec and whatever they are called in other languages) often look wildly different to the extent that it all seemed random (and helplessly confusing). Your summary captured some of the variations I have seen. I enjoyed the learning.

 

[GrantTyler]

Can't wait! (and apparently you can't either ). These ships are lovely and I'm confident you will build this simple kit into something wonderful.

Good morning Paul. I love the shape and lateen sails look on these vessel. The kit is very basic so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do. No ideas yet.

Good, that the box was once more covered and secured with this blister folio, otherwise much more of these small parts were lost - I am crossing the fingers, that you have most of the important parts.
Anyhow - several things you will change anyhow
Good luck - I am looking forward to see your progress on this interesting model

Thanks Uwek. Glad to have you looking in. I enjoy your advice and expertise in this hobby and will appreciate your thoughts as I go along with this build.

Hi Grant,
Compared to your Victory I think you will find this a lot easer.
However I will be following this build.

Good morning Martin. Ah yes smaller, simpler and way sexier than my Victory. I am looking forward to this.

Hello Grant,

I will be following along with great interest to see how your work will come along. I am sure it will turn out great.

Bill

Good morning Bill. Thanks. I am wary as I think I will be changing loads with this kit. Anyway let’s see.

FANTASTIC! I will join my partners in crime and chirp lots from the peanut gallery! Seriously though Grant, congratulations with the start of your new project and I wish you all the success and enjoyment (and frustration sometimes) that our hobby can bring.

Good morning Heinrich. I truely love all the chirping you can give. . I really appreciate your support and friendship. Love your involvement.

Hi Grant, there she is. I see some small differences compared to my kit, some for the good and others not so much. The thing I like from your kit is that the plate with the keel and stem is solid wood and not stained plywood. So this is een very nice upgrade OcCre did. On the other hand, the cannons are of less quality especially the swivel guns. They look much less refined.

The box has a lot of metal parts, from pumps, colums, oar attachments and more. To me this is "kak" as well. (Being Dutch I understand this perfectly)
You can replace the parts if you reconstruct them out of solid wood. Looks much better.

So in the end I want to wish you lot's of fun building this very nice kit and I'm following to see what your plans with her will be.

One more thing. This kit has a lot of lasercut plywood parts and some of them will be shown on the ship, so you have to paint of stain them or replace it with solid wood to get it to look nice.

Good luck my friend!
Peter

Good morning Peter. I can see why you replaced so much of your wood. Luckily my keel and one or two parts are solid African Walnut so will save me a little.

Your build is the standard with this model - no doubt! The decorations worry me as I cannot carve as beautifully as you (in fact my carving is pure rubbish). I’m going to have to think of something here.

I have not thought what look I’m going for yet, wether I paint some or do the more wood approach like yourself.

Cheers Grant

Hi Grant. I have had this plan for quite a while of the Xebec Boberach which was captured from Algiers. Maybe you can use some of the ideas with regards to gun layout and decorations.

View attachment 352130

AH yes. I have looked at the Boberach design and it is an interesting one. The deck pattern follows the Arabian way, which is unusual for European Xebecs and the gun configuration with 4 full cannons facing forward. I like the hull lines on her. Thanks for this.

Hi Grant
Good luck on your new build

Good morning Gilbert. Thank you

Good luck Grant, it very interesting build

Good morning. From they gentleman building the magnificent Le Requin……Thank you. Now the Le Requin is in my opinion the most beautiful Xebec .

Looking forward to it Grant.
All the best JJ..

Thank you Jack. Your detail work and realism on your models has inspired me to attempt more detail on my Cazador. Who knows what I can achieve but thanks for checking in.

Cheers Grant

 

[GrantTyler]

Hi Grant, looking forward to your interpretation of this little ship.

Good morning Jan. That is awesome. I appreciated you checking out my progress. It’s going to be fun. I know I will change up the kit a lot- just don’t know how yet. Cheers Grant

 

[GrantTyler]

Nice history Grant. It has been my observation (well, over the short time I have been interested in historic ships) that ships of this 'style' (xebec and whatever they are called in other languages) often look wildly different to the extent that it all seemed random (and helplessly confusing). Your summary captured some of the variations I have seen. I enjoyed the learning.

Good morning Paul. Thanks. You are 100% about the randomness of these vessels. Even those documented and built by the same nation have marked differences. I think many were refitted after capture so they resemble the country of origin. They are all just very good looking ships. Cheers Grant

 

[GrantTyler]

Hey Grant, this is actually a decent kit with very good rigging instructions. But it is simple compared to a square rigged ship!
Some of the parts will need to be replaced, but you are already familiar with that…it’s a kit!
This was actually my second ship build and first build log on SOS. Looking forward to Grants version.

Good morning Dean. I agree the Occre kit looks decent- clearly loads to build from scratch. I have checked out your log on many occasions and I certainly will be borrowing some of your ideas. You built a really cool Cazador. Cheers Grant

 

[Tobias]

Hi Grant a really great project you have chosen. I personally love this ship and hope to build it one day. Great historical research and have fun and success building your Xebec. I will follow your build report with high interest.