Here is a pic I took this last weekend. She got tested in NNE 10-15 mph wind.

That's a great picture! Alex!

Very nice and congratulation for your boat and I'am very happy for you from Slovenija.

LP Marko

I just put up a new website at http://www.orgsites.com/al/americanprivateer/index.html to share with everyone. It is a one stop shop for anything/everything I can find on the ship, crew, her namesake, and the scale model of course. Check it out and let me know what ya think.

Robert

PS...I welcome any and all addtional information on this subject you may have...don't be shy!

Good sailing to ya!

Dang, I love these SC&H models! The big question is, after spending so much money and time building one, how can you just relax and sail the thing on a public lake?

I was sailing my cheapy Nirvana on Sunday, which impressed some little kids enough to want to throw rocks at it! They were really little and I kept my boat well out of their reach, but I would have been much more nervous sailing an SC&H masterpiece.

That's what the cannon are for. Rotten kids.

That is a beautiful boat. You done good.

Hi Robert,
Such a beautiful ship! You have done a great job, I hope my brig turns out as well. I have been refering to your web site for some time. It helped me decide to buy the kit, and has helped with the build too. If we can get enough other people building these, we could all get together each summer and restage Trafalgar! What a sight that would be! SC&H needs to come up with a triple decker next.

I am in the process of painting the hull, but the weather is not cooperating, has turned too cold and windy to paint outside. I must get it done before winter, so I can start the upper work.

Ray C

Great to see her reefed and in the open water, looks like soo much fun.

Wonderful job.

Scott

Originally Posted by GoLikeaFish

I was sailing my cheapy Nirvana on Sunday, which impressed some little kids enough to want to throw rocks at it! They were really little and I kept my boat well out of their reach, but I would have been much more nervous sailing an SC&H masterpiece.

I had something worse happen. About 20 years ago, I was sailing a little Sterling Sunfish around the local pond then all of a sudden it was burried in hail of splashes from the result of a shotgun. a couple of the local kids thought it was cool to blow my boat out of the water with a 12ga.

It sank, I called the sherrif, and they got a few months in detention and lost all rights to firearms until they truned 18. they also paid me back for my boat.

Scott

Originally Posted by Ray C

Hi Robert,
Such a beautiful ship! You have done a great job, I hope my brig turns out as well. I have been refering to your web site for some time. It helped me decide to buy the kit, and has helped with the build too. If we can get enough other people building these, we could all get together each summer and restage Trafalgar! What a sight that would be! SC&H needs to come up with a triple decker next.

I am in the process of painting the hull, but the weather is not cooperating, has turned too cold and windy to paint outside. I must get it done before winter, so I can start the upper work.

Ray C

Ray...thanks for the kind words. You are doing a much better job than I did. I was in a hurry to sail and now am trying to make her look better. One thing you might want to consider doing before it's too late is the scribing of the bulwarks to give a plank appearance. I didn't have any photos to go bye or I would have done that and the deck plank bolts with a pen. Too late for me... All those new pics Philip added to his site are a great help for those building one of these ships.

One huge problem I have now is weight. Even after drilling thirty 1/2" holes in the ballast plate, she still sits 1/4" below the waterline. All the stuff I added is the cause. I am now thinking about a smaller battery in the hull. Since I don't use the squares much, I really don't need that huge gel cell.

The result of the lighter ballast (about 1.5 lbs) is she rolls more realistically, not as crisp. However, I don't know if she would recover from the sails in the water scenario. She has never rolled that far. The surface tension of the water on the canvas may be too much to overcome. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Another problem is she won't tack through the wind. I tried tightening the sheets till I don't dare tighten any more. I tried her with and without the flying jib and the top mast gaff sail. No help. Philip Roberts thinks it's the additional drag created by the holes in the ballast. I had already considered that, but thought the little additional drag would not be a problem considering all the weight and momentum of this ship. So...I will either plug the holes with dowel or liquid stryro or just tape over them. The addtional bouyancy may also solve my weight problem.

It would be way cool if we could sail together. Who knows....maybe it will happen one day!

Don't eat too many weevils!

:d :d :d :d

Robert, thanks for the tips and the great pictures. Scribing the bulwarks sounds like a good idea. What spacing would be appropriate? Did you have the tacking problem before you added so much additional detail?

It is suposed to warm up into the low 70s today, so if the wind doesn't come up, I will be out there putting on the black hull paint. Otherwise I will be out to the pond with my 1m sloop.

Ray C

Originally Posted by Ray C

Robert, thanks for the tips and the great pictures. Scribing the bulwarks sounds like a good idea. What spacing would be appropriate? Did you have the tacking problem before you added so much additional detail?

Ray C

Ray...I would look on the SC&H site for the scribing....I think there is a pic there. No...tacking was not a big deal at first but as I keep drilling the ballast it has slowly gotten worse. I bought some wood dowel to plug the holes and some "crack foam" to try too and will try to find time to work on the Prince. I have to get some house repairs done first.

Robert

BTT (before it gets lost again)