So these gunports had hinged lids? If so, did all the gunports?
In my opinion not all cutters had lids - some yes and some not
There are several contemporary models existing showing armed cutters (10 or 12 guns) without any lids at the gunports
f.e.
Scale: 1:32. A full hull model of a 10-gun cutter (circa 1800). The model is decked, equipped and rigged, with sails set. Cutters emerged around the middle of the 18th century as small, fast craft with a single mast. Originally used by smugglers, they were taken up by the revenue services and the Royal Navy. The earliest ones were clinker-built with overlapping planks, as in this example. A cutter usually had a very tall rig, with both fore and aft and square sails to use in different wind conditions. The model shows nearly all sails set, including the square topsail and topgallant and one topsail studding sail, which extends the sail area outward in light winds. It is not likely that they would all have been set at once in real life. The beam of the model is unusually narrow for a ship that would have to sail well with the wind on the beam. This suggests that the design was never executed, or that an amateur who did not have access to plans made it.
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The storage of the guns was a problem very often, due to the fact, that the available space on deck was limited.
If you have lids, you have to pull back the complete gun and store it on deck - only with this you have the possibility to close the lids.
Without lids, the guns were often pulled out (like ready for action) and fixed in this position (the muzzle was closed and secured against seawater with a cork
There were also hybrid lids possible - take a look at this contemporary model -> you can see here also the cork at the end of the muzzle
Scale: 1:24. A contemporary full hull plank on frame model of the armed cutter ‘Harriet’ (1843). The model is fully rigged with mast and spars, and the laid wooden deck complete with a windlass, a wheel carved from bone and stern davits. Measuring 61 feet in length by 19 feet in the beam, this vessel represents a design that would have been built during the late-18th century, as it is clinker built and still carrying the square topsail. Although the name ‘Harriet’ appears on the stern, the only vessel that appears to be similar is a revenue cutter, which operated from 1843 to 1860 and would have been carvel built.
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BTW: Interesting to read here this sentence as part of the complete description of this model
The hull is pierced to carry 14 guns although there is only enough room on deck to operate 12 due to the position of the windlass and bowsprit forward.
Scale: 1:72. A contemporary full hull model of an armed cutter dating from about 1822. The hull is carved from a solid piece of wood which has then been gauged out internally and decked over. The presence of a lead ballast keel would suggest that this model was made to float either as a design concept model for the lines, or as a sailing model for pleasure. It is complete with a variety of fittings including deck hatches, skylights and a companionway towards the after end of the stern to provide access to a cabin below. The hull is pierced to carry 14 guns although there is only enough room on deck to operate 12 due to the position of the windlass and bowsprit forward. At this scale, the length overall would be 68 feet by 24 feet in the beam. In the past and due the decoration on the stern, this model has been associated with a number of named vessels such as ‘Pelican’, ‘Dolphin’ and ‘Grecian’ but none of these match the dimensions of the hull. The date of 1822 is by no means certain although the carvel hull and the lack of a square topsail would suggest a date no earlier than 1820. Vessels of this type were operated both by the Royal Navy and the Revenue Service as they were very fast and could be handled by a relatively small crew.
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