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HMS Unicorn kit - started

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 11 Nov 2021, 00:50

Mods please move this if in the wrong section as it's not really a proper wood project. There's no point in doing a WIP in any detail so I'll just post pics over time if anyone's interested that is.

Anyway I've made a start when I'll finish is anyone's guess though. This is the easy bit but there was a surprising amount of adjustments required to make the parts fit before I could glue up ribs to keel and the lower deck all of which need a fair bit of further refinement before I can get first the deck planked followed by the hull which will be double planked.
The keel is around 2 ft long and overall finished length will be roughly 34"

I wonder if the missus noticed half of her clothes pegs are missing. :lol:
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Andyp » 11 Nov 2021, 07:54

Looks like proper wood to me. :)
No problem with it remaining here and I will be watching with interest as I remember well the various stages of construction when my father built a similar ship.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Mike G » 11 Nov 2021, 08:17

Interesting hull shape. There is some "tumblehome" to the top of the hull below the sheer line, then it straightens up again. Anyway, I'm watching with interest, and suggest you get in an early eye test and glasses upgrade! Things are going to get small pretty soon. :lol: :lol:
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Woodbloke » 11 Nov 2021, 08:22

Mike G wrote:Interesting hull shape. There is some "tumblehome" to the top of the hull below the sheer line, then it straightens up again. Anyway, I'm watching with interest, and suggest you get in an early eye test and glasses upgrade! Things are going to get small pretty soon. :lol: :lol:

French vessels apparently, had a much greater degree of 'tumblehome' than their English counterparts. During the latter part of the 19th century, they still built their ironclads with a very significant slope to the hull sides. Agree, this is going to be a very interesting project to follow - Rob
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 11 Nov 2021, 08:49

I'll keep posting then as long as there's interest though there will be various time gaps as I'm not going to rush it. I've got a large magnifying glass on a flexi arm Mike so hopefully that will help as some of the parts are indeed tiny, that said I must be due an eye test.
It's interesting about the hull shape as The Unicorn was a British ship I believe. I had to google "tumblehome" btw so that's something else I've learned.

As an aside, considering the amount of time spent on building a kit plus the initial cost I was shocked to see a completed large sailing ship in very good condition for sale on facebook this week for the princely sum of £30. I guess someone clearing out after a death perhaps.

A good day today for a bit of fly fishing so I'm off into the wilds to do some trout bashing (I put them back), then have to sweep up a mountain of leaves in the garden so the ship will sit there on my desk, my wife just shuts the door on it and mutters under her breath, I've put the clothes pegs back and she hasn't said a word - yet! :eusa-whistle:
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Alf » 11 Nov 2021, 09:54

Lons wrote:It's interesting about the hull shape as The Unicorn was a British ship I believe.

The kit, however, doesn't seem to jive with any of the frigates named Unicorn, so I wouldn't read anything into her lines at all. I think artistic licence may be involved.

Looking good. I see the old adage of never having enough clamps stands in smaller scale boatbuilding too.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby AJB Temple » 11 Nov 2021, 10:24

Well. Tumblehome is a completely new word to me and I too had to google it. There seem to be a number of explanations for the design, including deck projections not hitting the quay side. The shape does seem to have been used a lot in galleons of old, so I would have thought there must be a seafaring stability reason at the heart of it?

Anyway interesting project.

Ship models were regarded as sought after and valuable when I was young. They now sell for very little in auctions. I always wanted one of naval architecture quality. They have lots in the maritime museum in Amsterdam near where we used to live.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Dr.Al » 11 Nov 2021, 10:36

This will be interesting to watch. About 20 years ago I signed up to a magazine subscription thing called "Build the Victory" and started making a model of that boat. I got part way through the planking and then ground to a halt (to be honest, I don't think I did a very good job of fairing the bulkheads as I didn't know what I was doing and that made planking much harder). There's a picture of what it looks like at the moment (and what it's looked like for more than 10 years now) here:

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/metalwork/miscellaneous/boatvice

To be honest, I'm really not convinced it'll get any further than that (and if it does, I might start again by taking all the planks off and re-fairing the hull). It was a nice way for me to be able to work with wood while I was living in a flat with no workshop, but I tend to be much more tempted to do bigger scale stuff now.

Nevertheless, I think I'll enjoy reading about your exploits and I've no doubt that you'll get much further than I managed!
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Woodbloke » 11 Nov 2021, 10:38

AJB Temple wrote:Well. Tumblehome is a completely new word to me and I too had to google it.

The French ironclad 'Formidable':

Warship,_Algiers,_Algeria-LCCN2001697826.jpg
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You can see quite clearly the way the hull slopes at the waterline - Rob
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 11 Nov 2021, 20:50

That's a seriously impressive vice! Now stop it, I don't have time to try to copy that. :eusa-naughty:
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 11 Nov 2021, 20:58

Alf wrote:
Lons wrote:It's interesting about the hull shape as The Unicorn was a British ship I believe.

The kit, however, doesn't seem to jive with any of the frigates named Unicorn, so I wouldn't read anything into her lines at all. I think artistic licence may be involved.


You're probably right, Italian kit manufacturer says it all I guess. The surviving Unicorn frigate berthed at Dundee has a little bit of a flare to it's hull though.
It has to be on my list to visit now as Dundee isn't so far away for me.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Alf » 11 Nov 2021, 22:34

Probably also worth a trip to see Trincomalee in Hartlepool, being her sister ship. Especially when it comes to the rigging.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 11 Nov 2021, 23:32

That's an excellent suggestion Alf, I have seen it though not close up and I'd forgotten, I hadn't realised it's a sister ship thanks for that.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby SamQ aka Ah! Q! » 12 Nov 2021, 13:48

suggest you get in an early eye test and glasses upgrade! Things are going to get small pretty soon. :lol: :lol:


Mike, I visited Lons last week and I have to say, you are spot on. The little cast cannons are about one inch long (in old money) and I suspect Bob will be into number drills to find one that he can use to drill holes for the pivots. But...the rigging...O.M.G. the rigging.... :shock:.... the full size plans for same would put any serious knitter into a terminal paroxysm...
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Alf » 12 Nov 2021, 14:40

Lons wrote:That's an excellent suggestion Alf, I have seen it though not close up and I'd forgotten, I hadn't realised it's a sister ship thanks for that.

Well, I say sister ship - same class, at least. Given that one was built in Chatham and the other in Mumbai, there may be a few differences...

Never done a model sailing ship, being more an Airfix Rodney or Belfast kinda gal (couldn't get enough of all those little Carley floats), but I assume the rigging is best approached in the same way it would be rigged in real life. Certainly it'll help a lot to understand how it works, I would think, and know your standing from your running. But you're a bit of a ways off that one yet; not even past Bishop's Rock, never mind round the Horn!
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby novocaine » 12 Nov 2021, 14:46

I think that once it's fared and blanked the tumblehome will not appear quite to apparent.

just to add that tumblehome is one of my favorite words that doesn't get used much. right up there with defenestration. :)
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Andyp » 12 Nov 2021, 15:32

Don't you just love learning new words.

I can see me quite easily slipping one of those into a conversation this evening. :)
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 13 Nov 2021, 21:22

A little more progress. Roughly shaped the blocks on the bow and glued the planking on to the lower deck, I can't believe it took me most of this afternoon. :shock: There's a hell of a lot of planking to fit, next step the rough first layer of softwood planking base to the hull.

The planking looks gapped, it isn't. Instructions said blacken the edges before fitting so it will all blend in once scraped and sanded - I hope. Front and back ends are covered. It seems a waste of time as 75% of the lower deck won't be seen.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Eric the Viking » 13 Nov 2021, 22:24

That's one heck of a lot of lolly sticks!

Sir wants to find a copy of Harland & Myers's Seamanship in the Age of Sail.

My copy is 37 years old now and I intend to pass it on to my grandson in due course. Not only does it explain the rigging in detail, it's an excellent read, and has how-tos about really entertaining things like clubhauling, which is in essence doing a handbrake turn (in a ship of the line) in the middle of battle.

I note there seems to be a new edition out, as of last year:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seamanship-Age ... 472982371/

And of course Christmas is coming... my copy was a present from my (then new) wife!
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 14 Nov 2021, 10:56

That book looks very interesting Eric, there's a hardback copy on ebay, brand new for £33.57 posted, I've used the books seller a couple of times without any issues. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373618395142 ... gLU2PD_BwE

Much later era but I have a tatty copy of Jane's Fighting ships 1943-4 which I dig out and browse through occasionally, the first 70 pages are adverts which are as interesting as the ships themselves. The book is older than me so I guess it has every reason to have been well thumbed. :eusa-whistle:
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby AndyT » 20 Nov 2021, 17:05

Eric the Viking wrote:That's one heck of a lot of lolly sticks!

Sir wants to find a copy of Harland & Myers's Seamanship in the Age of Sail.

My copy is 37 years old now and I intend to pass it on to my grandson in due course. Not only does it explain the rigging in detail, it's an excellent read, and has how-tos about really entertaining things like clubhauling, which is in essence doing a handbrake turn (in a ship of the line) in the middle of battle.

I note there seems to be a new edition out, as of last year:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seamanship-Age ... 472982371/

And of course Christmas is coming... my copy was a present from my (then new) wife!


On the strength of Eric's suggestion, I've got a copy of this on loan from the library, so I can confirm the following:

- the 2015 edition is a straight reprint of the 1984 book but by a new publisher, so there's no need to trade-in an older copy;
- it is a VERY thorough and detailed work, distilled from years of research, with hundreds of superb illustrations;
- if you can think of a question about sailing ships that is not answered there, you deserve some sort of medal!
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Lons » 07 Dec 2021, 15:38

Update.

Now at the stage where all the initial under planking is fixed and roughly sanded with just a little filling and sanding before it's ready for hardwood strips to be fitted. It was a bit of a pain, very slow and there was nowhere near enough strips provided so I had to cut a lot of softwood into 600 long x 6mm wide x 1.5mm thick to finish it, I don't think there's enough hardwood either.

Small steps and I've only been working on it intermittently.

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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Dr.Al » 07 Dec 2021, 16:47

Lons wrote:Update.

Now at the stage where all the initial under planking is fixed and roughly sanded with just a little filling and sanding before it's ready for hardwood strips to be fitted. It was a bit of a pain, very slow and there was nowhere near enough strips provided so I had to cut a lot of softwood into 600 long x 6mm wide x 1.5mm thick to finish it, I don't think there's enough hardwood either.

Small steps and I've only been working on it intermittently.


You've done more in a month than I've managed in about 20 years! Looking good.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby novocaine » 07 Dec 2021, 16:55

Eric the Viking wrote: and has how-tos about really entertaining things like clubhauling, which is in essence doing a handbrake turn (in a ship of the line) in the middle of battle.


Chucking the bow anchor at the same time as tacking. also know as the fasted way to remove the forecastle.
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Re: HMS Unicorn kit - started

Postby Woodbloke » 08 Dec 2021, 14:10

When I was into SiB's, a chap in Wimborne let me borrow his hand written manual on sailing ships, taken from a book by Harold A Underhill:

IMG_6297.jpeg
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It's literally a 'cut n'paste' notebook and contains a wealth of info on sailing vessels and their rigging:

IMG_6298.jpeg
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IMG_6299.jpeg
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IMG_6300.jpeg
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The last image gives details of the 'Preussen', built in 1902 and was the only five masted, fully rigged ship ever built. I certainly wouldn't like to try and get a model of that inside a whisky bottle :(

Unfortunately, I lost contact with the chap and was never able to return his book, so it sits upstairs in a closed box well away from the light- Rob
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