HIGH HOPES, WILD MEN AND THE DEVIL’S JAW - Willem Barentsz Kolderstok 1:50

Heinrich said:
OK so the front filler blocks have been sanded to shape and are finished.

View attachment 274248

View attachment 274249

View attachment 274250

View attachment 274253
Note the wood fray. When I do the fairing I don't play around - 80 grit sandpaper, so it really devours the Balsa wood.

View attachment 274254

With that done, I have also changed my rectangular mast hole to a round one ... and test fitted the main mast.

View attachment 274255

View attachment 274256
The mast is in its predesignated notch sitting at the correct angle.

View attachment 274257
Note the cross-curvature of the deck as discussed previously. And now, it's time to take a breather my friends.

Please let me hear your thoughts - your likes, dislikes, critique or just "a hello". They are all cherished and much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Hello... my knowledge is not suffice to critique what seems to a brilliant job. My only comment is what you have done is good advice and anyone starting a build must spend the same quality time you have in this process. Something I did not and I can see from yours and others how this effects the ease and quality of the planking later.
 
Heinrich said:
@RDN1954 Johan yes - I would go as far to say that building a Dutch ship is a humbling experience.

In the past I have pestered Ab Hoving for definitive plans about certain Dutch warships. The more he explained that there is no such thing as a plan of a particular warship, (such as the Aemelia, the Brederode etc.), the more I still tried to pin a design down to a particular specimen. Eventually, Ab must have gotten up fed with me who kept asking the same questions and in a very nice way, gave me this answer.

I quote him verbatim:

If you want to do a Dutch ship, get used to the fact that there is no absolute truth. These vessels usually lasted 20 years or more. They were battered and bruised, [some were] shot to pieces and repaired, [others] underwent changes in design during their life time so stop thinking there is just one image of a ship and that's it. It is far better to study the ways how ships worked, how they were build, how they were managed, how the sailing system worked and so on, than thinking that there is only one way the ship should look. Look at De 7 Provincien. There is hardly a ship in out 17th century history that was depicted more often than that. Still, I can show you at least three reconstructions of the vessel, all based on sources according to their creators, and all are different. You have to look at these things from a broader perspective and then you will find out that a model is only a side product of a way of looking at things.

A lesson well learnt!
Click to expand...
Thanks again for sharing, Heinrich.
It's interesting to see that humankind went from building (almost) by heart and experience to the current status, where every little detail has it's own definition, every step in the production process is described and tons of paperwork is generated to proof the design meets all its requirements. (And this is a very incomplete summary!) My respect for those shipwrights of these days is growing by the day.
 
Last edited:
Hello Everyone.

Earlier today I said to @RDN1954 Johan that building a Dutch ship is a humbling experience - and none more so than the planking.

Requirements/Brief: Lay the first plank on both sides so that you remain at all times between 10 double lines, end up with a perfectly square stern and where both bow planks meet at each other at the same curve at the bow. While doing this, make sure that the planks meet the full face of the bulkheads and that there are no bumps, indentation or kinks in the plank. The fact that staying between the lines result in a curvature that will make the most experienced rollercoaster rider, nauseous, is not mentioned! :(

Final Result: 2 Planks successfully laid / Time taken: The Whole Day / Number of times it was redone: x 3 with BOTH Planks (Total number of re-dos: 6)

微信图片_20211209231452.jpg

Starboard Side: Thumbsup

微信图片_20211209231452 - 副本.jpg
Starboard Side Curvature: I couldn't even get the yellow line to follow the full extent of the curvature.

微信图片_20211209231435.jpg

Port Side: Thumbsup

微信图片_20211209231435 - 副本.jpg

微信图片_20211209231435 - 副本.jpgPort Side Curvature: Here I followed the curve correctly with the yellow line.

微信图片_20211209231507.jpg

Joining of Planks at the bow. Thumbsup

微信图片_20211209231441.jpg

Level at the Stern. Thumbsup

And how do our planks lie against the bulkheads? Are they absolutely flat and do they join up with the full face of the bulkhead?

微信图片_20211209233714.jpg

At the Bow: Check Thumbsup

微信图片_20211209233721.jpg

From Bow to Midships: Check Thumbsup

微信图片_20211209233707.jpg

Midships to Stern: Check Thumbsup

微信图片_20211209233731.jpg

At the Stern: Check Thumbsup

So there you go - two planks laid. Goodness knows how many more to do. And each and every one will be laid with the same attention to detail as these.

Until next time - Enjoy your model building, cherish your loved ones and families and take care!

H
 
Kurt Konrath said:
It is your great attention to detail, and explaining to us the issues involved that make your ship work stand out as excellent.

The on ship work and the instruction are both of highest quality as usual from you. :)
:eek:
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the very kind words Kurt. So often, it is taken for granted that someone knows something or knows how to do something. It is easy to say "taper the planks", but if you have no idea how to do it, the advice is meaningless. I will attempt to show as much (or as little :D) what I know to make it easier for aspirant builders of these wonderful models.
 
Dean62 said:
Success! You are off to a great start on the planking! ;)
Click to expand...
Thank you Dean. The first plank (on both sides) is absolutely critical as it determines the curvature of every single plank in the future. From this wale upwards, there is a predetermined number of planks that has to follow. If you get the position of this plank wrong and you will end at the top with a non-symmetrical hull.
 
Heinrich said:
Thank you Dean. The first plank (on both sides) is absolutely critical as it determines the curvature of every single plank in the future. From this wale upwards, there is a predetermined number of planks that has to follow. If you get the position of this plank wrong and you will end at the top with a non-symmetrical hull.
Click to expand...
My plan exactly! The deck curvature on the NL increases at the bow. Fun is sure to follow! ;)
 
Nice job Heinrich! And a very educational description of the process.
In my innocence (yeah right) I assumed the planks would follow a more natural curvature, where the whale/wale (?) would follow the curvature of the deck, but this is something else.
 
RDN1954 said:
Nice job Heinrich! And a very educational description of the process.
In my innocence (yeah right) I assumed the planks would follow a more natural curvature, where the whale/wale (?) would follow the curvature of the deck, but this is something else.
Click to expand...

Thank you Johan! Yes the wale does not follow the curvature of the deck at all. Hans from @Kolderstok explained it very well on the Dutch Modelbouwforum site.

"The Dutch ships had a marked curvature in their structure which makes it of course difficult for the model builder to plank. In real life, the issue was further compounded in that the planks were not straight, but had a definite rounding of their own. Also looking at the model of the Halve Maen which was built by the then curator of the Rijksmuseum, F. Baay, it shows the same severe curvature. The exact angle of this, remains somewhat speculative, but the fact is that it was present.

This was all done in the interests of the structural rigidity and strength of these ships. Shipwrights wanted to prevent the ship from getting a "kattenrug" (cat's back) where the hull would start sagging from the middle towards the bow and the stern. By giving the ship a strong "banana'shaped" form, they believed they would radically reduce the risk of this."
 
Hello Heinrich, every time I see each of your works, I admire you more and feel envy, since I would like to have only half the knowledge and skills to do these works that are museum works, thank you for sharing your wisdom with to people like you learn a little more every day, thanks again Heinrich.
 
Lologaditano said:
Hello Heinrich, every time I see each of your works, I admire you more and feel envy, since I would like to have only half the knowledge and skills to do these works that are museum works, thank you for sharing your wisdom with to people like you learn a little more every day, thanks again Heinrich.
Click to expand...
I am totally humbled by your response. All I can do is to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! Rest assured, I envy your skills just as much - I still say your Royal Caroline is one of the neatest and brilliantly executed model ships I have seen.

And - before I forget - a big welcome to the build! :)
 
Hello Heinrich,

Your first planks are following the bulkheads nicely, good work. Thumbsup
At the bow, the running of the boards are a bit too steep upwards, and need to curve downwards, see blue lines...

1639133748432.png

I added some pictures of the replica which is being build in Harlingen The Netherlands, look at the running of the wales at the bow.


1639134020024.png

1639134178674.png
source: https://www.debarentsz.nl/

I'll sincerely hope this helps a bit.
Pter
 
Last edited:
@Ptèr Dear Peter. First off, let me start by saying THANK YOU for this great posting and for the wonderful photographs of the construction in Haarlingen. The Willem Barentsz build indeed seems to be the build log, where we can get right down to the nitty-gritty technical stuff - I just love it! Let me say that you are RIGHT and WRONG! :D You are 100% correct with regards to the REPLICA that is being built in Haarlingen.

Again, I quote @Kolderstok Hans:

There are not that much modern drawings available regarding the form of such a ship. In the book about the ship of Willem Barentsz there are two drawings showing the lines and shape of the hull - one by Ab Hoving and Cor Emke, and one by Gerald de Weerdt. Which one to follow when you make the laser cut drawings? I decided to follow the Hoving/Emke lines. The Dutch ship builders didn't use drawings (there were no drawings) and it was mainly the experience and the eye of the shipyards' master, combined with the available timber which would determine the form of the hull.

As you well know, Gerald de Weerdt is the shipwright of the replica that is being built in Haarlingen - therefore it makes perfect sense that the replica follows his drawings. That is where you are right! However, the Kolderstok model follows the plans of Ab Hoving and Cor Emke and NOT those of Gerald De Weerdt. My build follows Hans's instructions to perfection. As illustration you can also see the build of @pietsan Piet Sanders - exactly the same as mine.

JPG_0881_5918_bewerkt-1.jpg

So ... in a nutshell ... all is good, but what a brilliant observation Peter. Thank you for that and keep it coming! Thumbsup
 
And again we're back to this great guy named AL-FI. The way I understand all that's been going back and forth, is that essentially all our efforts are based on interpretations of the little data we have available of that period. With respect to the expertise of Ab Hoving, Cor Emke, Gerald de Weerdt and all experts on SOS, all building details are at best a "best educated guess", backed up by experience and accumulated knowledge of the shipbuilding process. That implies that we cannot in all honesty say that Kolderstok's- or the Harlingen builders are correct. For both applies that it is their interpretation and either configuration could be the historical correct one.
As for the "kattenrug" phenomenon, our present day approach could be to build a sag in the other direction and than let mechanics take its course. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that this is common practice for contemporary ships.
 
RDN1954 said:
And again we're back to this great guy named AL-FI. The way I understand all that's been going back and forth, is that essentially all our efforts are based on interpretations of the little data we have available of that period. With respect to the expertise of Ab Hoving, Cor Emke, Gerald de Weerdt and all experts on SOS, all building details are at best a "best educated guess", backed up by experience and accumulated knowledge of the shipbuilding process. That implies that we cannot in all honesty say that Kolderstok's- or the Harlingen builders are correct. For both applies that it is their interpretation and either configuration could be the historical correct one.
As for the "kattenrug" phenomenon, our present day approach could be to build a sag in the other direction and than let mechanics take its course. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that this is common practice for contemporary ships.
Click to expand...
You have nailed it Johan by saying that what we do is based on interpretations of what little factual knowledge we have. "Educated guesses" seem to be on most occasions the best we have. And as to which interpretation is correct and which one is wrong - you are 100% right in saying that no one can tell. That is why the best we can do is to decide beforehand which interpretation we are going to follow. In this case, Hans has chosen to follow Ab and Cor Emke (I would have done the same) and based the Kolderstok model on their drawings. Hence me building the Kolderstok model, I inadvertently and indirectly, also follow Messrs Hoving and Emke.
 
Wow, what a wonderful presentation and informative set of posts. Makes a “novice” like me start wondering if there is enough of a skill set in his build tool box to even start a build like this. Keep the information coming, I’m reading, re-reading and reading again your build log trying to absorb all the nuisances and hopefully follow in your footsteps.

Jan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top