Very good work - so I hope to see more photos of the final work and the finished model
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Thanks Daniel. I will post pictures of how I secured the ship for transport.
Nice work! Looking forward to seeing more.
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Picking up where I left off. At this stage, most of the work on the deck and hull is finished. The next phase of my build will focus on prepping the masts and yards, and mounting as many of the blocks, pulleys and rope work as possible.
The kit came with round-shaped blocks, a bit oversized in my opinion. They didn't have pre-drilled holes. So I had to drill the holes myself.
Following the illustrations on the instructions, I attached the blocks to various spots on the masts using the s-shaped technique. This gives the blocks a clean, taut look. Please note...the pictures below show beige colored rope. Later on, I decided to change this to black rope.
Fashioned some eyebolts for the mast caps.
The instructions called for double blocks but the kit does not include them. So i dug into my stash again and found some small single blocks and glued them together to make doubles.
Single blocks were also attached in various spots.
The kit came with round-shaped blocks, a bit oversized in my opinion. They didn't have pre-drilled holes. So I had to drill the holes myself.
Following the illustrations on the instructions, I attached the blocks to various spots on the masts using the s-shaped technique. This gives the blocks a clean, taut look. Please note...the pictures below show beige colored rope. Later on, I decided to change this to black rope.
Fashioned some eyebolts for the mast caps.
The instructions called for double blocks but the kit does not include them. So i dug into my stash again and found some small single blocks and glued them together to make doubles.
Single blocks were also attached in various spots.
Nicely done, Reggie. Good improvisation!
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The instructions did not include provisions for the crows feet. So I had to DIY my own euphroes as well as drill the holes on the side of the mast top.
I probably could have done a better job lining up the holes...lol.
The following pictures show how I rigged the crows feet.
First the euphroe is connected to a lower block using the "s-shaped" technique.
Below the lower block, I threaded a beige colored rope and seized it using black rope. This beige rope will later be run through another block below.
Sorry, I cringe whenever I see the crooked line of holes on the euphroe. Probably should have just redid them.
I then threaded a very long beige rope to the top of the euphroe. This will in turn be threaded through the holes in the mast tops, thus forming the crows feet.
Here are the finished products.
That's it for now....thanks for dropping by.
I probably could have done a better job lining up the holes...lol.
The following pictures show how I rigged the crows feet.
First the euphroe is connected to a lower block using the "s-shaped" technique.
Below the lower block, I threaded a beige colored rope and seized it using black rope. This beige rope will later be run through another block below.
Sorry, I cringe whenever I see the crooked line of holes on the euphroe. Probably should have just redid them.
I then threaded a very long beige rope to the top of the euphroe. This will in turn be threaded through the holes in the mast tops, thus forming the crows feet.
Here are the finished products.
That's it for now....thanks for dropping by.
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I forgot to mention...I did a shortcut when I seized the beige rope to the block...I think the correct way of seizing them would be to fashion some kind of loop below the block and run the rope through the loop. But at this scale, it will hardly be noticed. I allowed myself a bit of laziness here.
Nobody will ever know if the holes are straight. Good job of improvisation.
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At this point, I think I have done all that I can prior to transporting the ship across the Pacific. By that I mean all the work that I can do without mounting the masts and yards onto the deck.
Substantially all the deck and hull pieces are complete. The blocks and pulleys are prepped. The standing and running rigging are tied, and pre-measured in anticipation of where they will be attached later on.
This is what the model looks like at this point, just prior to packing. Lots of rope hanging down. The masts are temporarily mounted on the deck just for illustration(they will be removed prior to shipping). Just a seemingly absolute mess at first glance.But trust me, there's a method to all this madness.
My next post will show how I packed it for transport.
Substantially all the deck and hull pieces are complete. The blocks and pulleys are prepped. The standing and running rigging are tied, and pre-measured in anticipation of where they will be attached later on.
This is what the model looks like at this point, just prior to packing. Lots of rope hanging down. The masts are temporarily mounted on the deck just for illustration(they will be removed prior to shipping). Just a seemingly absolute mess at first glance.But trust me, there's a method to all this madness.
My next post will show how I packed it for transport.
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Alright..... time to pack this thing that I've spent 11 months to do. I decided to pack it in a standard sized Samsonite checked-in luggage. It will travel with us from Manila, a layover in Tokyo and then finally to Los Angeles.
Anticipating that it will be tossed around, manhandled, stacked upon and suffer all kinds of abuse in transit, I had to make sure that it's protected from all sides, especially the vulnerable top and bottom soft panels of the suitcase.
The hull barely fits in the suitcase. The most vulnerable part was the lanterns so I made sure that they had ample protection using Styrofoam.
The other deck pieces were similarly reinforced with Styrofoam and bubble wrap.
I found some old memory foam pillows that seemed perfect to protect the top and bottom of the ship. The foam provided just the right amount of firmness and give.
The next part is the most critical. Anticipating that heavy loads can potentially be stacked on top of the suitcase in the plane's cargo hold, I had to make sure that the suitcase can withstand the weight.
I found some very stiff cardboard pieces that was used for packing my new washing machine. I measured and cut them, yielding 4 pieces as shown.
These were positioned around the ship, and were just tall enough to fit inside the suitcase when it's closed. They will provide the necessary counter pressure in case a heavy load is put on top, and will bear the brunt of any force, before it harms the ship.
I packed my tools, supplies, materials and other stuff around the ship to prevent it from moving. The masts and yards needed special handling as well. Using the same stiff cardboard material from my washing machine, I packed them as shown below.
And with that, I crossed my fingers and hoped that my RC will survive its journey across the Pacific.
Anticipating that it will be tossed around, manhandled, stacked upon and suffer all kinds of abuse in transit, I had to make sure that it's protected from all sides, especially the vulnerable top and bottom soft panels of the suitcase.
The hull barely fits in the suitcase. The most vulnerable part was the lanterns so I made sure that they had ample protection using Styrofoam.
The other deck pieces were similarly reinforced with Styrofoam and bubble wrap.
I found some old memory foam pillows that seemed perfect to protect the top and bottom of the ship. The foam provided just the right amount of firmness and give.
The next part is the most critical. Anticipating that heavy loads can potentially be stacked on top of the suitcase in the plane's cargo hold, I had to make sure that the suitcase can withstand the weight.
I found some very stiff cardboard pieces that was used for packing my new washing machine. I measured and cut them, yielding 4 pieces as shown.
These were positioned around the ship, and were just tall enough to fit inside the suitcase when it's closed. They will provide the necessary counter pressure in case a heavy load is put on top, and will bear the brunt of any force, before it harms the ship.
I packed my tools, supplies, materials and other stuff around the ship to prevent it from moving. The masts and yards needed special handling as well. Using the same stiff cardboard material from my washing machine, I packed them as shown below.
And with that, I crossed my fingers and hoped that my RC will survive its journey across the Pacific.
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Packing the ship was a building project in and of itself! I hope it arrives in LA with no damage.
Reggie, that was more work than building the ship!
The lanterns are the last things I put on anymore. They're just too delicate. I had some break off even before I moved the boat to Omaha. Your lanterns look similar to the ones I had on my Soleil Royale.
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Thanks for the comments. I am sorry if I wasn't too clear earlier.... This post was made after I had already successfully made the trip to LA last November-December. I am happy to report that the ship made the voyage without even a scratch. While there, I completed the remaining pieces and will share that journey in my next posts.
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As mentioned previously, my RC survived the journey across the Pacific without any damage. I arrived in Woodland Hills,Calif last November and immediately started the finishing works on the ship. Here's some photos of the ship upon arrival.
I mounted the masts with all the pre-rigged ropes. A lot of rope hanging down from the masts, but they will be cleared one step at a time.
After the masts were stepped, I started working on the lower shrouds.
Next were the ratlines. As I did with the upper shrouds, I used my simple jig to help make the spacing consistent.
That's it for now. Thanks again for stopping by.
I mounted the masts with all the pre-rigged ropes. A lot of rope hanging down from the masts, but they will be cleared one step at a time.
After the masts were stepped, I started working on the lower shrouds.
Next were the ratlines. As I did with the upper shrouds, I used my simple jig to help make the spacing consistent.
That's it for now. Thanks again for stopping by.
Last edited:
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I am sorry...kinda got ahead of myself. Before I rigged the lower shrouds, I attached the yards to the masts and did as much of the running rigging as I could... tying the ropes to the belay pins on the deck as I went along. Finished them off by putting some hanks.
Good morning. I love these WIP pictures of your rigging. Shows a true working build process. She is looking great BTW. Cheers Grant