Wow, I haven't seen this thread for a looong time! It does not seem that long ago when we were all contributing to this thread. A really cool experience building these ships and exchanging ideas and techniques. Sailing together was fantastic!

Pierre,
Hello again! Nice to see you back and the progress on 025! I really enjoyed ropemaking - it becomes a hobby in itself. Your rigging looks great!
Best,
Dan

Pierre,

Congratulations - your level of detail is remarkable, you must have the patience of a saint!

Philip

This years meeting showed an impressive armada of all kind of scale historic sailing ships. From colorful boats with latin sails to different kinds of fishing boats and ships. Fast pilot schooners, wooden yachts and costal merchant ships from Holland. The Banterer an english sloop of war made her maiden voyage, unfortunately I came too late to take pictures of this event. Another impressive sight was the four masted german merchant vessel Pamir.

Saturday was a rainy day and only a few models ships were sailed on this nice lake in the southern part of Germany. Blue sky, warm temperatures and strong winds made almost perfect conditions for sailing on sunday.

Have fun with building and sailing.

B_Wave

B_Wave,

Absolutely excellent photos - I am so glad Sunday gave you the weather you needed!

SCH is now getting ready for closure - we are putting the kits into their boxes of all the remaining hulls and keels we have. We will end up with about 8 HMS Surprises, 6 Cruiser Class brigs and 6 Prince de Neufchatels. Once these are gone we will close the company.

Your ship looks absolutely wonderful!

Philip

Wow now that is sad news :-/ very sorry to hear philip

another nail in the coffin of creativity ....also very sorry.......wonderful images though..thanks!

Philip,
That is sad news. SC&H provide really great R/C models. I know from sailing the models with Ray (Paratrooper) and Don (beneteau), that they provide really great fun for us and for the crowds of observers the models always draw. Thanks very much for that.
SC&H will be missed.
Best regards,
Dan
The brig Syren

Dan, last chance on that Surprise i know you want

or maybe the Cruiser for a HMS Snake Build

This forum needs another build and sail thread!

Great photos of beautiful models! Love seeing them on the water.

Phillip, sorry to hear that news. I'll tell my brother that he better get his MHS Surprise while he can!

I'm really happy to have one of your kits.

A very satisfied customer,
Tim

Philip, I am stunned! Just assumed that SC&H would carry on indefinitely. I feel fortunate to have one of your ships, and all of the excellent experiences that go with it. She sails often, and continues to be a joy. Best regards, and hope you are not giving up seagoing adventures!

Philip,

I had recalled one day when I was about 10 or so, sitting on Lake Minnewaska near Glenwood MN and day dreaming of how wonderful it would be to sail a square rigged ship on that lake.

I remember the night I was hold up in a motel in Mobile Mississippi while on a construction project there and I searched to find if anyone had kits for an operational model of a square rigger.

I found the SC&H web site and I called you. We talked about some of the construction. You told me that if I could build model railroad equipment, I could build one of your ships. If I recall correctly I talked with my wife and called you back a few days later to order my model of HMS Surprise 021.

When it arrived I got stuck into building it since being recently retired I had about 10-12 hours a day to work on it. It arrived in early January if I remember correctly and we had it on the lake near here learning to sail in April of that same year. I had a peddle boat chase boat and it only took one trip of towing the ship back to learn that something else was sorely needed. We got a bass baby boat and a Minnkota electric trolling motor. Of course we then needed a different trailer to haul it around, one with a toidy in it. We got a Forest River toy hauler, then discovered that our truck wasn't stout enough to pull it. Off to the Dodge dealer for a new truck.

This is the woeful story of a hole in the water into which one pours money. But we had so much enjoyment with all that stuff and we are not one bit sorry in our investments of our boat captain days.

That ship brought a lot of pleasure sailing on the local lakes but even more when we discovered that Dan and Don up in Minnesota had models of the same scale.

Once I became acquainted with Dan, he helped me beyond my limited capability as well as designing working carronades for my ship. We had several fleet sail operations in several states as well as some serious gun fights. I have a lot of memories. A bunch of photos and videos of those ships at sea. I sailed Surprise in Lakes Superior and Michigan as well as a dozen other places.

Fleet sail 17 September 09 (2 min 42 sec)

A few days--like today--I remember how it was and how enjoyable it was to be at a lake in weather like it is here.

I am grateful for having had opportunity to build one of your magnificent kits and the sailors I met in this hobby. The new captain of Surprise in San Francisco is having fun with the ship now so it is still operational.

Thank you for your engineering and design. You are one of a very few kit designers who made it possible for non-scratch builders such as me to have had the experience of sailing a square rigger single handedly.

R Grosser
Airborne all the way!

Anyone building one of these lately??

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