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Working on deck houses. I think the cabin wall planking needs more attention. The deck camber is just about visible. I've added some curved strips to the top of the quarterdeck for the quarterdeck camber. I couldnt resist adding a few interior details to represent a cabin. The left-hand facing door led into the chartroom/Darwin's cabin which had several book cases and the large chart table. In the kit, this area is bisected by the false keel, but it was fun to do.
From the Marquardt book, it is clear the openings of the deck house doors were raised above deck level, which I guess was standard practice to reduce water flooding below decks in rough weather. This must have been particularly important for Cherokee-class brigs like Beagle, given the amount of water they were prone to ship? Darwin talks about the deck being flooded with several inches of water, but doesnt mention his cabin being flooded, In this light, I couldn't believe the cabin doors opened flush with the deck, and decided to give them a 'step'. I plan to continue the waterway across the cabin walls below the doors. I also wanted the doors to be recessed in a frame - they opened inwards.
Meantime, slowly working on the deck houses and companionways. I wish I had a mini table saw and a sander... maybe next time. I think my angle cutting could be better but its a learning exercise. I'm waiting for some brass black to arrive before adding window bars, hinges etc.
Aaaaargh! OK, now I'm feeling really frustrated. The Marquardt AOTS book is great, but it's also very annoying! For the deck houses, he has a nice 3D view on page 83(marked as not to scale) showing the chart room and gun/mess room skylights with 5 windows on the long sides. Thats what I went with, although I struggled with the small windows. This morning I was looking at the Occre instructions and then went through the book again. On page 81, he has a 3D drawing of the same chartroom skylight with only 3 windows on the long side, and In all the plans/ side elevations in the book, he shows the skylights with 3 larger windows per long side, which is also what the Orre kit has. Unfortunately I think I am going to have to remake the skylights 
. That will mean larger windows. Then I'm worried they will look out of proportion to the Companionway/captains skylight which was the most complex to make. (Marquardt doesn't show any windows in the walls of the companionway unlike the Occre kit, and most other pics of other ships companionways don't seem to have windows).
. That will mean larger windows. Then I'm worried they will look out of proportion to the Companionway/captains skylight which was the most complex to make. (Marquardt doesn't show any windows in the walls of the companionway unlike the Occre kit, and most other pics of other ships companionways don't seem to have windows).
I received the Birchwood Casey brass blackener finally. It took me quite a while making loops out of copper wire. I found the window bars the most time consuming. Idealistically, I obtained some thin glass coverslips for microscope slides, wanting to use them for the windows, but they kept breaking when I tried to cut them! I settled for acetate in the end. I think the deck houses are finally ready. I'm thinking I have to add the wheel and the two lower/maindeck binnacles for glueing the quarterdeck in place. I saw some gorgeous turned brass binnacles and wooden ships wheel on a scratch-built Beagle on the other (ill-fated) site. Also some beautiful 3D-printed deck fittings. Sadly I don't have a lathe or 3D printer. Anyway, once these are in place I'll attach and plank the raised decks fore and aft, and can then attach the bulwarks 
.
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Now that was a challenge. I used cocktail sticks for the spokes, trying to get them similar in size to the kit. It wasn't too bad carving with knife blade, then filing down while rotating between finger and thumb. I used one of the cannon wheels as a hub. It was as good as I could get it by hand, and it will be partially hidden anyway under the quarterdeck.
Kurt Konrath
Kurt Konrath
Great looking stand in for ships wheel, if you hadn't said something, most would never know.
Thanks so much. I'll try to avoid any more breakages. It does get a bit addictive, trying to find ways of duplicating the moulded parts. During her second voyage, Captain Fitzroy took two binnacles rather than the one provided in the kit. That will be an interesting problem!
I finally finished the deck planking. Joggling the planks on the forecastle was the most difficult thing I've done so far. Strangely, I didnt notice the centre planks were darker! A bit frustrating, I haven't decided whether to just leave them. I suppose they will be partially covered by the carronade in due course. The last pic has everything I've done so far with the 26' yawl over the hatches. I was relieved that they fit with hatches open!! Tomorrow some sanding, then the bulwarks
The bulwarks on the kit have been bugging me for some time. I suppose I do get a bit obsessed with the background research... hence my slow progress! I'm planning to make some changes to the bulwarks and would be very interested in anybodies views on all this. In the kit, the lower part of the hammock rail is incorporated into the bulkhead plywood sections. The upper part has the simulated white hammocks. The upright pieces on the inner and outer aspects of the bulkhead simulate parts of the individual hammock rail stanchions. The diamond shapes are decorations on the inner aspect of the hammock rail.
I want to try making the hammock rail. The long horizontal strip just above the gun ports repesents the gunwale. I'm planning to cut the bulhead at this point, just above the gunports. Then add a new hammock rail above this as per Marquardt's illustrations, as close as I can!
This brings me to a big question about the hammock rails themselves. Marquardt shows them boarded over, in effect raising the height of the bulwark. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any good contemporary evidence on whether Cherokee/Cadmus class brigs had hammock rails that were boarded, or left with simple netting. John Chancellor, the maritime artist and historian, contrary to Marqurdt, is convinced they were not boarded over. He says the hammock nets were often covered with tarred or black painted canvas which would look like solid boards from a distance. I'm tempted to go with Chancellors view.
Then we come to the diamond-shaped decorations. They puzzle me a lot. All the accounts say that these brigs were fairly plain ships, with few frills. Minimal stern decoration, and some even doubt the presence of a carved beagle on the prow! Why then would they take the trouble to add all those carved diamond decorations? Were diamond decorations used on any other Royal Navy ships? I haven't found a single example yet (but stand to be corrected). The only example I have come across is a contemporary model of the Belle Poule (which returned the body of Napoleon) in the wonderful Paris Maritime Museum. Admittedly, PG King's rough sketch of the Beagle's deck does show faint diamonds below the hammocks, but drawing was from memory in 1897, 62 years after he served as a midshipman on the Beagle. I cant believe that HMS Beagle alone in the Royal Navy had diamonds on the hammock rails. I'm drifting towards adding soft netting (probably black painted fabric), rather than boarding, and omitting the diamond decorations. Feedback/opinions welcome.
Then we come to the diamond-shaped decorations. They puzzle me a lot. All the accounts say that these brigs were fairly plain ships, with few frills. Minimal stern decoration, and some even doubt the presence of a carved beagle on the prow! Why then would they take the trouble to add all those carved diamond decorations? Were diamond decorations used on any other Royal Navy ships? I haven't found a single example yet (but stand to be corrected). The only example I have come across is a contemporary model of the Belle Poule (which returned the body of Napoleon) in the wonderful Paris Maritime Museum. Admittedly, PG King's rough sketch of the Beagle's deck does show faint diamonds below the hammocks, but drawing was from memory in 1897, 62 years after he served as a midshipman on the Beagle. I cant believe that HMS Beagle alone in the Royal Navy had diamonds on the hammock rails. I'm drifting towards adding soft netting (probably black painted fabric), rather than boarding, and omitting the diamond decorations. Feedback/opinions welcome.