Le Requin-Zebec-1750 POF 1:48 (ZHL)

[Daniel20]

Its Saturday and good morning to all. I've just a little progress to show from my last post. First a recap of my efforts to install these difficult frame extensions. I have filed, broken, filed in the wrong direction, sanded and cussed these little darlings. It finally dawned on me to make a couple of templates as a guide which has really helped. OK, I'm a little slow to learn.



Here I've pre sanded and paired up the ones left to do.



In-between each set of frame extensions there is a gun deck support system which requires a dove tail connection that allows for a slight slope further challenging my soft touch filing abilities, but I like this challenge to see how close and tight a fit I can get.





Now on the gun deck itself I glued in the kit furnished grates that go in between each canon location. This gun deck sheet is made up of laser-cut deck boards, and the gap is sub millimeter the same as the main deck was. On the main deck I had separated each bord before glue down but on this gun deck I am not doing that because it would have made the grate installation much more difficult as I feel sure I would have lost the smooth built in curvature.



Lastly my first attempt at applying black ink (acrylic) to the on deck cross beam. I had my doubts on how to apply it until I experimented with it on some scrap wood and it's just like applying thin paint with a brush.

Well, that's it for now, I sure thank you all for checking in.

 

[Steef66]

Still love this build.

 

[Corsair]

Coming along very nicely !

 

[dockattner]

Those frame extensions are strange birds - is that how a real zebec/xebec was built? Or an accommodation for a kit?

 

[Pathfinder65]

Aha, massive donations to the "Swear Jar".

Good recovery.

Jan

 

[Daniel20]

Still love this build.

Coming along very nicely !

Thank you Stephen and Jeff, this kit does make you work for your progress.

 

[Daniel20]

Aha, massive donations to the "Swear Jar".

Good recovery.

Jan

Thanks Jan, every so often I can hear the Admirals muffled word "language"!

 

[Daniel20]

Those frame extensions are strange birds - is that how a real zebec/xebec was built? Or an accommodation for a kit?

What I called frame extensions are actually called standards which are fore and aft of each canon opening. There are actual frame extensions as well from underneath which along with the standards form the bulwarks. Apparently, this is how the real ships were constructed according to Jean Boudriot's monograph.
Here is picture from the book.



Another interesting footnote about the Zebec/ Xebec is when I received the kit from ZHL and began this log I inadvertently spelled this ship as Zebec.
Looking it up in Wikipedia I found this: Xebec is also written as xebeck, xebe(c)que, zebec(k), zebecque, chebec(k), shebeck (/ʃɪˈbɛk/); from (Catalan: xabec, French:
So, I just stayed with Zebec which to me is phonetically better than X bec.

 

[dockattner]

What I called frame extensions are actually called standards which are fore and aft of each canon opening. There are actual frame extensions as well from underneath which along with the standards form the bulwarks. Apparently, this is how the real ships were constructed according to Jean Boudriot's monograph.
Here is picture from the book.

View attachment 585763

Another interesting footnote about the Zebec/ Xebec is when I received the kit from ZHL and began this log I inadvertently spelled this ship as Zebec.
Looking it up in Wikipedia I found this: Xebec is also written as xebeck, xebe(c)que, zebec(k), zebecque, chebec(k), shebeck (/ʃɪˈbɛk/); from (Catalan: xabec, French:
So, I just stayed with Zebec which to me is phonetically better than X bec.

One man's X is another man's Z. It's all Greek to me.

Whatever we call those wood bits - they are rather curious - and at the end of the day they look like trip hazards to me .

I might even have to build one of these strange looking things one day.

 

[Daniel20]

Whatever we call those wood bits - they are rather curious - and at the end of the day they look like trip hazards to me

Yes, trip hazards for sure, fortunately for those sailors the horizontal part was covered with the gun deck, I even set the grating flush with the deck. Waves and rainwater drained into the grates then was let out by drains in the hull which I will place as well.