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| Hudson River Sloop 'Wasp' (1840s) 1:48 scratch | ||
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Moderators: Winston, aew
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| Author | Post | ||
| Gene Bodnar |
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  Registered Member #126 Joined: Tue Jul 21 2009, 11:20amPosts: 1778 | This POF will be built for the Stony Creek Museum in Stony Creek, Connecticut. They have requested a vessel similar to the Victorine but with some modifications to meet their requirements. The modifications will be discussed shortly with the local historian.
The plans I will be using are those drawn by Portia Takakjian found in a series of articles that appeared in the Model Ship Builder Magazine back in 1986. The plans are developed for a solid-hull model, and I am currently converting them to an admiralty-style POF, without sails, as requested by the client.
As usual, the vessel will be built almost exclusively of basswood, with a mix of stain and acrylic paint for finishing. The framing will consist of double frames one foot wide, with 6" spaces between each frame, as was typical of these sloops.
I will notify my client that he is welcome to join MSB to watch the build and to make any comments he may desire right on this thread, which should make for a very interesting build in progress.
The pictures give you a general idea of the plans I will be using. At the top of the first picture is the building jig layout. The framing has been plotted on all the plans, and a few of the frames are ready to cut out.
Gene [ Edited Sun Jan 31 2016, 05:32pm ] | ||
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| Gary M |
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| Registered Member #4198 Joined: Tue May 07 2013, 10:50pmPosts: 904 | Great start, Gene. That pool table has certaintly seen a a fleet or two sail over it. G | ||
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| bensid54 |
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 Registered Member #2957 Joined: Wed Jun 13 2012, 05:43amPosts: 1011 | Looking forward to watching this build. | ||
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| Gene Bodnar |
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| Registered Member #126 Joined: Tue Jul 21 2009, 11:20amPosts: 1778 | I have learned much in the past week. First of all, I will be specifically modeling a Hudson River sloop named "Wasp," which was built in 1813 by Russell Armington in his shipyard located in Lansingburgh. It was 69 feet in length and nearly 6 feet deep. Its main importance to the museum is that it was used to move granite blocks from quarries in the Connecticut Valley to various points in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Most notably, it transported pink granite that was used to create the base pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty was set. The last of the pink granite was moved into the pedestal on April 22, 1886. Unfortunately, the Wasp fell into disuse and decay and was taken out of service in 1902. The plans for the Wasp are very similar to those of the Victorine, another Hudson River sloop. I will be using the Victorine plans, with some modifications, which will be described as the build progresses. The most notable difference is that the Wasp has a square stern immediately perpendicular to the keel. Neal Robison is my contact person with the museum, and he has joined MSB and is watching the build. I invite him to add comments, make corrections, and/or suggestions at any point he so desires. Gene | ||
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| Gene Bodnar |
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| Registered Member #126 Joined: Tue Jul 21 2009, 11:20amPosts: 1778 | It is customary in museum models to portray them at the time of their launch date. The Wasp was launched in 1813. At the time of its launch, the Wasp undoubtedly did not possess a centerboard. The centerboard was patented in 1811 but did not become introduced into new vessels until about 1816. Most, if not all, Hudson River sloops were built or converted to centerboard sloops by 1836. Based on the above information, I plan on building the Wasp as of the date of its launch (1813), when it had no centerboard. If there are any differences of opinion, please let me know as soon as possible. I have already begun building the keel assembly and the building jig. Gene | ||
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| Ethan |
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  Registered Member #4530 Joined: Thu Dec 04 2014, 03:10amPosts: 8 | ill keep a close eye on this. i have been thinking about building one of these for the past few days. good luck! | ||
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| Gene Bodnar |
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| Registered Member #126 Joined: Tue Jul 21 2009, 11:20amPosts: 1778 | KEEL ASSEMBLY AND BUILDING JIG The keel assembly consists of the keel itself, the stem, the sternpost, the rabbet for planking, and the deadwood at fore and aft upon which rests half frames and cant frames. The keel is constructed of basswood (as is most every else unless otherwise specified) with a sided dimension of 3/16" and a molded dimension of 1/4". It extends the full length of the vessel. The extra additional lengths will be cut off after the frames have been installed. The stem and the sternpost are cut from basswood using the plans for the Victorine. Both pieces are doweled to the keel with tiny bamboo dowels (trenails). Instead of cutting the rabbet for the planking, I glued a 1/16"-thick by 1/8" wide pieces of basswood all the way down the length of the keel, stem, and sternpost. At the bow and stern, the deadwood has been sanded smooth with a slight angle to allow for the proper placement of planking at these points. The deadwood at the stem and sternpost are both cut to shape to allow for half and cant frames. They, too, are glued and doweled (trenailed) to the keel. The building jig is built using the load waterline as a reference point for all frames. It consists of two pieces of 1/4" Masonite, with the bottom piece being a solid rectangle and the top piece being cut out to the same shape as that of the LWL. The load waterline is 7/16" above the base of the keel, which corresponds to the top edge of the upper piece of Masonite. The purpose of the building jig is to allow the precise placement of all frames such that the finished model will be perfectly symmetrical. The Keel Assembly is placed into the Building Jig and aligned so that the assembly is perfectly perpendicular to the base of the jig. Small blocks of wood are placed against the keel, stem, and sternpost to prevent any movement of the assembly during construction. The next step is to begin construction of the frames.     [ Edited Mon Feb 01 2016, 06:28pm ] | ||
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| Gary M |
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| Registered Member #4198 Joined: Tue May 07 2013, 10:50pmPosts: 904 | Hi Gene, your mention of pink granite brings back memories. When I was little, our house had a fireplace made from it. Supposedly, the only place you could get it was from the Stony Creek Quary. BTW, I once got worms from swimming in that quary... Looking great! G [ Edited Mon Feb 01 2016, 08:19pm ] | ||
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| Gene Bodnar |
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| Registered Member #126 Joined: Tue Jul 21 2009, 11:20amPosts: 1778 | Gary, Yes, I forgot to mention that the pink granite is only found at Stony Creek. Museum personnel will be sending me a few pieces to include in the ship's hold. Gene | ||
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| Gary M |
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| Registered Member #4198 Joined: Tue May 07 2013, 10:50pmPosts: 904 | Gene, it truly is a small world! G | ||
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