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| Building Robert Hunt’s Kitbashed Mamoli’s American Privateer Rattlesnake | ||
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| Author | Post | ||
| Jonathan G |
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  Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | Balsa Filler Blocks In order to facilitate the planking operation Mr. Hunt suggested using balsa wood filler blocks between the bulkheads. This effectively turns the bulkhead frame into a solid hull which eases planking and strengthens the model walls. You will notice there are small gaps between some of the bulkheads and the balsa. I felt tight fit of the balsa to the bulkheads either through custom fitting or wood filler wasn’t really necessary because first, the use of the balsa was optional to begin with, second they are just an aid for shaping the hull, and lastly all open spaces were going to covered by planking. But, based on my vast knowledge of ship building (Ha!), I could be wrong.     | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | The Stern Transom Now it starts to get interesting. The practicum allows you to follow the original kit plan or jump off the deep end and start to perform major surgery from which there is no return and you are duly warned. So I took a deep breath and took the plunge. The first thing I had to do was remove the stern bulkhead #12 You can see the squarish U-shape part I cut off to the right  | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | The next thing was to shorten is Part 22.  | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | Then the hard blocks in the counter had to be slightly modified to conform to the Hahn plans. This got a little confusing and I must have done something wrong somewhere in all this but did not know it at the time. I only realized that things were a bit off when I went to figure where the rudder post came through the deck. I talk about that later. Anyway, at this time I thought everything was hunky-dory and was ready to take on the transom. The practicum requires that I purchase some 1/64” plywood. I didn’t even know they could make plywood that thin and its 3-ply! The practicum has you use the Hahn plan’s image of the transom as a template to cut out the overall shape of the transom from the plywood. It would seem to be a straight forward operation.  | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | The head on image of the transom is not what a draftsman would call a “true view.” The top the transom is angle forward to the viewer and therefore the image is foreshortened. If I were to just cut the image out and paste it on the plywood it wouldn't be wide enough. So I scanned the image and based on the true width from the side view which looks at the transom on edge, I stretched the full view so that the height had the same dimension as the side view and then printed it. My high school mechanical drawing classes finally came in handy. It doesn't hurt to have a degree in Civil Engineering either.  | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | Next came the transom timbers which were cut to size. You will notice that the outer timbers are not uniform in width, but taper starting about ½” from the bottom.    | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | The transom timbers became part of the frame for the window openings. Again, the location of the transom windows is based on the Hahn plans. The practicum then instructs you install the transom to the stern before the start of the window construction. Contrary to this, I created window openings while the transom was off the model. I felt I could make cleaner cuts and manipulate the transom easier. In most models of the Rattlesnake there are four windows and a center panel. Mr. Hunt elected not to create the center panel for this model. | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | Now I glued the transom to the stern. As I mentioned earlier I ran into a problem later on when I was determining where the rudder stem came through the decks. I’m not sure, but this is where I may have made my mistake and given the transom an improper angle thus shortening the deck. By the time I realized it, I had to make some compromises which I will discuss then. | ||
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| Jonathan G |
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| Registered Member #4155 Joined: Thu Mar 14 2013, 09:01pmPosts: 900 | Using a piece of 7/16” x 1/32” swiss pear you are instructed to create a cap that goes across the top of the interior timbers which I did. It was to be trimmed at a later time. I was never really content with this but kept it on until it was inadvertently knocked off. I didn't bother to put it on again till I felt I needed it. This concludes Chapter 1. Will post the next chapter as soon as I write it up. Presently I am building to Chapter 8 of 9. Then there are a number of chapters of rigging!! | ||
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| catopower |
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 Registered Member #247 Joined: Tue Aug 25 2009, 01:57amPosts: 213 | Very nicely done Jonathan. I'm looking forward to the next chapters. Clare | ||
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