Staghound...Extreme clipper 1850 by rwiederrich 1/96

[rwiederrich]

I should have said Capstan instead of windless. I only want the capstan part on the deck but below deck is inaccessible now. By the way, would a light gray stain on the weather deck look any good? I think I should color the deck some how and not just leave it a bass wood color. Thanks for posting the picture. That machine must be seven feet tall from the floor to the bottom of the capstan. Quite a nice piece of machinery. Maybe some one makesa kit of it. Pete

The Emerson patent capstan/windless...fit perfectly under the 7.5 to 8 ft tween decks space. I would think some sort of grey weathered wood tone would do nicely on the exposed weather deck.

Rob

 

[WilliamM]

Yes, it is true. many ships undergo extensive alterations and modification to their original design and function. This fact provides modelers of said vessels with a cornucopia of options and dates to model their vessel. I have such experience, when my crew and I spent 3 years researching Glory of the Seas with the author Michael Mjelde. One model builder was suited to build Glory of the Seas as Donald McKay had originally designed her, and I chose to go the extra mile and build her at the peak of her career, when she had undergone extensive modifications in Deck structures and rigging. In essence, we were both accurately representing her during our specific time frames....though she looked strikingly different. Separated by nearly 17 years.
However, Staghound, had neither fore or aft cabins as Revell erroneously depicts at any time in her career. Her entrance and cutwater were less rounded as was her later sister Flying Cloud. She was also a bit sharper in entrance and deadrise.

Thanks for following.

Rob

Again, I apologize for having taken so long to respond but I am dealing with a fresh health issues. I have since broken 7 ribs due to a fall on concrete. It has slowed me down but I am hanging in there.

I used to discuss the issue of kit accuracy with John Tilley before he passed away, having had the opportunity to meet both his wife and he at Mystic Seaport. We often discussed the many problems with the ways that Revell in particular based some of their sailing ship kits inappropriately based some kits on other ships. You mentioned that the Staghound was based on the Flying Cloud kit. Simarly, look at how the 1/96 kit of Thermopylae was based on Cutty Sark even though they had little in common. The same is true of the HMAV Bounty and their kit of Beagle, or CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge. Even Revell takes short cuts!

 

[rwiederrich]

Well summer activities have surely slowed progress down on Staghound....however, I did get in a bit of time to make one of 3 topsail yard double eye gin blocks for their haulyard system. This tiny metal gin block is roughly an 1/8" in size with 42 LPI chain. It quickly dawned on me that I needed to install all the topgallant cross tree gin blocks prior to full install of the shrouds or I would have to work in extremely tight quarters to do the job if I had waited.
Instead of using the typical Flying Fish topsail yard haulyard the model maker prescribes....my research led me to conclude, a more robust double action system was called for. the single action design, would mean there would be 2 sides, with a port and starboard purchase...requiring 2 separate crews to operate them.

Here are some images of the set up on the model....to include one of the design used and another showing that a single top tie for the chain is needed to attach the parrel wire to...so as to provide equal support for it and the yard truss. The haulyard used on the Flying Fish model provided by manufacturers would not work, since both sides of the haulyard chain are mobile.....making that design unusable. My parrel tie wire will attach to the center chain of my gin block...which is not movable. Again...this all had to be planned out and installed before the shrouds could fully be installed.

 

[capnharv2]

Ummm. . . My brain is full. . . .

Seriously-I am truly in awe of your research and attention to detail of your McKay clippers. I hope my Flying Cloud model will adequately reflect some of the work you’ve done.

Thank you
Harvey