Newsletter. Work in Progress April 15, 2015 Reporter: Dave Yotter. Contacts. Volume 42, Number 5, May 2015

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1 1 Newsletter Volume 42, Number 5, May 2015 Contacts President: Bill Schultheis (714) Vice President: Don Dressel (909) Secretary: Paul Payne (310) Treasurer: Mike DiCerbo (714) Ocaso Ave, #DD204, La Mirada, CA Editor, Don Dressel (909) W. 22 nd Street Upland, CA Web Manager: Doug Tolbert: (949) Web Site Work in Progress April 15, 2015 Reporter: Dave Yotter Your editor wishes to thank those who took his place while he went to visit the ROPE and attend the ROPE 40 th Symposium and Exposition in Tokyo, Japan. In particular, Bill Russell, who took all the pictures included with this Work in Progress report. Thank you, Bill. IAAC Yacht USA 76 Hank Tober Meeting Wed., May 20, 7 PM, Red Cross Building, 1207 N. Lemon, Fullerton, CA Officers meeting Wed., June 3, 2015, 7 PM, Bob Beech s house, 130 Clove Pl., Brea, CA (714) USA 76 is an American International America s Cup Class yacht. It was used by the Oracle BMW Racing Team in their preparations to challenge for the 2003 America s Cup held in Auckland, New Zealand. ORACLE would go through to the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series final and come up against the formidable Team Alinghi from Switzerland. Alinghi, ultimately won the Cup after an impressive performance. In September 2003, ORACLE arranged for a rematch to be held against Alinghi in San Francisco. Both pro and owner driver

2 2 series scheduled, it was an opportunity to showcase America s Cup sailing on the Bay, and allow the Golden Gate Yacht Club representatives a chance to regain pride after their defeat in Auckland. Again the competition was tough, especially in the windy confines of San Francisco s city front. ORACLE and USA 76, with a little more time to prepare and local honor at stake, won both events. USA 76 is now berthed at Pier 39, and has been in charter operation since June Typical parameters of an IACC yacht were: length: 82 ft; weight: 24 tons; height of the mast: 115 ft; weight of the bulb: 19 tons; sail surface area: 389 sq. yd upwind, 900 sq. yd downwind; crew: th man. Considering the model is 336 long that yields a scale of approximately 1:27. Hank s model is Oracle BMW USA 76 is built from a Kyosho kit. It is equipped with a 2.4 GHz R/C system for control of sail trim and rudder. He noted that his experience in sailing models began early as a boy in Holland. His fist efforts included a walnut shell boat, a wooden shoe and a peapod (rather like a No. 10 mail envelope propped apart in the middle). His is interested in the Mayflower of 1620 noting that many Dutch were aboard on the initial trip and that they were initially headed for New Amsterdam, now New York. Monterey Fishing Boats David Okamura The Monterey Clipper has long been considered part of the local fishing fleet to the San Francisco Bay Area, the Monterey Bay Area and east to the Sacramento delta. Italians introduced the original hull design into the area in the late 1860 s. The design came from Genoese lateen-rigged sailboats, known as silenas, and then later referred to as San Francisco feluccas. The Monterey clipper came into being with industrialization around The boat was improved with a small single-cylinder gasoline engine and amenities such that, it could engage in multiple types of fishing and spend several days at sea. All total, around this period, about 500 of the small fishing boats were based in San Francisco. Companies like the Beviaqua yard and the Genoa Boat Works were instrumental in adding to the fleet. By the 1930 s, the local sardine industry came alive with more canneries built in San Francisco and Monterey. The Monterey Clipper was key in the development of this industry. This continued until the early 1950 s when the production and the exploitation of the fishery peaked. David is working on his fleet of Monterey fishermen. When finished, the boats will be moored in a 1:48 scale harbor scene depicting a North-Central Coast of California fishing village circa 1890 to This harbor scene will be one module in a 1:48 narrow gauge railroad. David started with three resin hulls supplied by the fellow model railroader Dennis

3 3 Ivison. Since the hulls are all molded the same and they are all to be moored essentially together, David wanted to have them more properly represent the typical diversity of the Monterey Fisherman. So the three hulls now have cardstock mock-ups of different arrangements of deckhouses, hatches, engine exhaust stacks and fishing gear. David also brought in a vintage paper model of an unknown liner. He reports: I did a little more research after the SMA meeting, and discovered that my unidentified vintage paper model is the MS Berlin ( ), formerly the MS Gripsholm (launched 1924). Also found the Hapag-Lloyd website (MS Berlin was operated by Norddeutscher Lloyd prior to the 1970 merger with Hapag/Hamburg-American Line). After reviewing the history of these two competing, yet cooperating, shipping companies, I m amazed how they both survived two World Wars and continued to this day as a single entity. It s truly a remarkable timeline mirroring Germany s rise, downfalls and recoveries. Schooner Carmen Bob Fallon Bob brought in his model of Carmen, a schooner kit from Constructo in 1:80 scale. The hull is of plank on bulkhead construction and the model appears to be nearly complete. This model represents his first build and it has taken him about eight months so far. The standing rigging is on as is all the deck furniture. Both gaffs have been sent aloft and he is working on the booms. Once that is complete he will be ready to tackle the sails. From what you editor can see, it looks like a very fine model and an excellent job, very cleanly done. My Ideal House John Simmons John has turned, temporarily we hope; from designing racing sail craft and prototype military airships along with an exhaustive collection of cutters, sandbaggers and other sailing warships. His latest prototype is the home he would like to build that includes all that he could wish for in a custom house. His name for the style of architecture he has created is American Cotswold and the model is scaled 1:48. Design features include over sized dormers,

4 4 a slate roof with copper caps and a standing seam copper roof over the family room. There are only two sizes of windows, larger on the ground floor and smaller on the upper. He has included arch detailed windows and French doors on the rear Master Bed Room balcony. The two-story house includes a basement and a three-car garage. Originally he planned for a three-story house but the final design was limited to two. Does that make the house a raze, John? Materials for the model include model railroad and architectural details such as the slate roof, windows, trees and bricks. Wood sheeting was used as the main construction material. The copper roof was handmade. John did not mention it in his presentation but we must assume that the design includes a great hall for display of the above mentioned model collection. SS Oriana Burt Goldstein SS Oriana was the last of the Orient Steam Navigation Company s ocean liners. She was built at Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow-in- Furness, Cambria, England and launched on 3 November 1959 by Princess Alexandra. Originally resplendent with her owners traditional corn colored hull, Oriana appeared as an Orient Line ship until 1966, when that company was fully absorbed into the P&O group. Faced with unprofitable around the world passenger routes, the P&O white-hulled Oriana was operated as a full-time cruise ship from Between 1981 and her retirement from service five years later, Oriana was based at Sydney, Australia, operating to Pacific Ocean and South-East Asian ports. Deemed surplus to P&O s requirements in early 1986, the vessel was sold to become a floating hotel and tourist attraction, first in Japan and later in China. As a result of damage sustained from a severe storm whilst in the port of Dalian in 2004, SS Oriana was finally sold to local breakers in Her main characteristics were: Tonnage: 41,910 tons; Length: 804 ft; Beam: 97.1 feet; Draught: 32 feet; Installed power: 80,000 horsepower and with capacity for more than 2,000 passengers in two classes (first and tourist). Burt built the smaller of the two models of SS Oriana in 2003 from a 2002 model kit in 1:400. Recently he recopied the kit in the larger 1:200 scale, built it and added a base to the display. As a result of coping in the larger scale the colors turned out less saturated and therefore made a more realistic looking model. Next month, hopefully, we will have more models to discuss as well as a presentation of some of the ship models that our sister club, the ROPE, put on display at the recent ROPE 40 th Symposium and Exhibition held in Tokyo, Japan.

5 5 IAAC Yacht USA 76 Hank Tober Schooner Carmen Bob Fallon Monterey Fishing Boats David Okamura My Ideal House John Simmons SS Oriana Burt Goldstein

6 6 By Don Dressel Old Salts in Port: John Bakker, Steve Jones, Don Dressel, Don Leyman, Doug Tolbert. Visitors: Yas Komorita, Bill Russell Ship in Port: Reale De France, Cutty Sark, HMS Pegasus, USS Essex, Halifax. It was another nice day at John Bakker s residence with lots of coffee and cookies to go around to all who attended. As indicated above, we had a couple of visitors to the Mayflower Group who only stayed a short time, but it was nice to see them. Bill had a few comments to make about the past experiences with the Queen Mary Conference and Exhibits and it was nice to see Yas, who your reporter spent a splendid time with in Japan. John Bakker was first up and discussed first his ESSEX and the many problems he is having with the Model Expo kit of that vessel. He showed us the frames that were originally received with the first kit and the same frame that was supplied with the re done kit (see photo). The top frame is the one supplied originally in the first kit, while the bottom frame is the replacement frame in the new kit. You can see there is quite a difference between the frames. According to John, the remade kit (now selling for more money) has as many problems as the old, original kit. There also appears to be a problem with the fairing of the hull, as the port side does not look the same as the starboard side when viewed from the bow or stern. The windows (lights) in the stern still do not fit properly. Frame templates were also supplied to John from Model Expo, but they are apparently the wrong templates they do not match the keel assembly at all. Don Leyman discussed his Pegasus, which is a labor of love, I think. He has completed the top deck and is now working on installing the waterways port & starboard. Don has had some problems with the posts for the bitts, which stick up above the deck and get in the way of his efforts to install the waterways. Also, they were too short at first and had to be lengthened,

7 7 a process he described in detail. The chain pumps and hand pumps have yet to be installed, but Don thinks that the waterways should be installed first and the bulwarks planked. He has obtained some more wood from the new supplier, since Jeff (HobbyMill) has retired. The new wood supplier is Crown Timberyard and the wood appears to be good, according to Don. Don did indicate that he is having a good time working on this ship and solving all the inherit problems that seem to come along while building it. He had broken off the stop of the bitts after installing them and will not re install them until he finishes the waterways and maybe the planking the bulwarks also. It is fun to discuss the building of the ship with Don and get a first hand lesson on some of the pitfalls. John Bakker then again took center stage and talked about his Cutty Sark and the current difficulties he is having with the model. He claimed that he had not done much work on the model, but then presented a lot of things he had done which indicated to me that he had in fact done a lot of work on the model. His current problem is with the standards along the bulwark (52 of them) which have to be installed, followed by the pieces that have to be installed to support the deadeyes. A lot of discussion took place with regard to his problems and some solutions were offered. Included are some photos of the Cutty Sark, which is now painted, by the way, along with other photo s of the pieces assembled that fit on the deck, where John HAS done a lot of work. The first photo shows the stern cabin with lights that function (open) along with the stern steering wheel in its housing. Note the railings and companionway which are very neatly done. Also shown on the next page are the work John did on the forecastle housings and other details

8 8 along with a front view of the stern cabin (pictures say a lot more than a verbal presentation). Doug Tolbert was the next presenter and showed the Mayflower Group some wonderful research work on the HMS BUCKINGHAM, which I hope to include in this newsletter. Doug indicated that you have to know your way around to find many of the documents on ships that existed in the 17 th and 18 th century. The methods Doug used for the HMS BUCKINGHAM can be used for any British sailing ship assuming you know the name of the ship and the precise date of her construction. A good source to identify the specific ship you are interested in is the series of books British Ships in the Age of Sail by Winfield. There are three volumes covering the periods from 1603 to As an example, there were four (4) HMS BUCKINHAM ships at different periods. You have to know which one you are going to make a model of. Don Dressel then gave a short talk on his Halifax including the last details he completed on the model prior to taking it to Japan. The anchors and final carvings were completed. The instructions supplied by Mr. Hunt indicated belaying pins and racks, but these were not on the Halifax, so were not installed. The photo shows the model as it was transported to Japan with a velum band around the case for extra security. The box on the lower right holds the figurehead of the HMS Roebuck which was also put on display at the ROPE 40 th Symposium and Exhibition in Tokyo. Don hopes to eventually fully mast and rig the model complete with sails. An appropriate final base and stand will also be constructed prior to putting the model in a case. The current case is a travel case only (just the correct size for airplane travel).

9 9 SMA Visit to the ROPE The SMA visit to the ROPE 40 th Symposium and Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan was the fifth time members of the SMA have had the opportunity to visit Japan and exhibit their models as part of the exceptional ship model display conducted every year for the past 40 years. An additional treat was to be able to participate in the symposium attended by over 100 Japanese modelers. Presenters were Don Dressel on Rigging, Gus Agustin on how he constructed his miniature models and Michel Mantin on modeling in France and Europe. Following the symposium, there was a very fine party hosted by the ROPE with a lot of fine Japanese food along with refreshments including beer, wine and SAKE. A good time was had by all. At the model exposition, which started on Sunday, the day after the symposium, there was one model displayed by Gus Agustin (the same model he gave the talk on, HMS Royal William in 1/192 scale), one model displayed by Michel Mantin (the Sacolevag, 1835) and two models by Don Dressel (Halifax in 1:48 and the figurehead of HMS ROEBUCK). There were 64 fine ship models on display along with an additional 7 models of the Charles Royal Yacht. The ROPE president, Mr. Tanaka, and all the ROPE members welcomed the SMA members Yas and Cleo Komorita, Gus and Barb Agustin, Michel Mantin and Don Dressel. The Exhibit was again held, for the third time, in the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan building next to the Tokyo rail station for one week. The first two days, Monday and Tuesday, were free days again and a lot of time was spent at the exhibit. Japanese lunches and dinners were experienced and were a lot of fun as well as the food being great. On Monday evening Gus, Barb and Don went to a Robot Show which was very entertaining and a real treat to see. The Robot show had to be seen to be appreciated and believed. The Robots were both radio controlled, very large, and in some cases a person was inside the robot. And, of course, there were a lot of female companions along with the robots. It was a little rainy while we were there, but it did not dampen our enthusiasm or the fun we had. On Wednesday members of the ROPE took us again to a ROPE members home, this time to Mr. Masani Sekiguchi s home. His work shop was something to see with lots and lots of tools and woodworking machines. His workshop was also specially soundproofed and had a full dust collecting system (see photo). Note the Unimat lathe set up on his work table as well as part of the dust

10 10 collecting system. He also had a wonderful setup for his books on a rotating system which I admired very much. In the front of his house there was a wonderful little garden that added a special patch of color to the surroundings. Below is a photo of his book shelf, which closes, as well as a picture of Gus and Barb Agustin in his garden. After visiting his home, the ROPE treated the SMA attendees to a tour of the train museum for several of us and the Nippon Maru and Yokohama Maritime Museum for Michel. Pictured below is the banner welcoming the SMA to the ROPE 40 th Exhibition. Also shown are the models brought by the members of the SMA to the ROPE exhibit by Michel, Gus and Don. The Rope Exhibition itself was done in a first class way. Much to the surprise of many western people, there were no cases or protection for the ship models on display and there was very heavy attendance for the show. Throughout the entire show, there was no damage to any of the models even though there were large crowds that came to see the show. It was with great difficulty that I was able to take photos of the ship model display in the two rooms that made up the exhibition. Every model had its full description and details noted on a placard in front of each model which also identified the name of the model and the builder. In most cases, the scale of the model was also indicated. A full brochure was also available for anyone who wanted one for me, it was in Japanese, but I still obtained one because the ships name and builder were in English. The ship models on display were composed of both

11 11 kit models and scratch built models, all of which were very well done. Please see the photo s on this page, since pictures are worth a thousand words. In addition to all the ship models on display, there were also a number of wooden ship kits on display as well as a live ongoing demonstration of wooden ship model construction being done by one of the ROPE members. I would be remising if I did not acknowledge our three honorary SMA members, who are also members of the ROPE. They are Mr. Taketoshi Tanaka, who built a wonderful model of the Willie L. Bennett, Mr. Msahiro Ando, who built a great half model of the HMS Victory, and Mr. Katsuji Tsuchiya, who built a scratch model of Le Francois plank on frame style. I have included pictures of these three ship models shown on the next page. It was a wonderful and very enjoyable trip to Tokyo, Japan to visit all my friends and see the great craftsmanship they display in their exhibition. It was a great deal of fun to spent time with Yas and Cleo in the mornings and Gus and Barb In the evenings, with the many Japanese friends I have made during the day. For those SMA members who have never attended any of the ROPE exhibitions I hope they will consider doing so in the future. It is time well spent and you will come home with many found memories. There were even still a few cherry blossoms visible while we were there.

12 12 Mr. Tanaka s model of the Willie L. Bennett showing the entire model and detail of the stern. Mr. Ando s model of the HMS Victory, completed on one side and cut to show the interior on the other side. Note the figurehead. Mr. Tsuchiya s model of the Le Francos. Not the fine carving detail.

13 13 Swan IV, Sail Making Supplement Review by Don Dressel For those who have Volume IV of the book The Fully Framed Model, Rigging a Sixth Rate Sloop of by David Antscherl this review is important because it is a supplement to that volume and contains both additional material on making sail as well as some revised material already contained in the volume. For those who have not purchased Volume IV, you will want to purchase the revised addition of the volume. Both the supplement and the revised Volume IV are available from Sea Watch Books, this review concentrating on the supplement, which is available for a modest $7.00 plus $5.00 for shipping and handling. This supplement is well worth the money for those who are even thinking about making sails for their models very strongly recommended. David first points out several items in the original volume which had to be revised and expanded. These referred to topgallant masts, the blackening of the masts and yards, fore and main shrouds, the fore topmast preventer stay and the spritsail, which occupies the first one and ½ pages of the supplement. The rest of the supplement concentrates on the making of sails. The supplement is 16 pages of great material. David starts out with a full description including a monograph of the building frame which is used to make the sail. He then uses Silkspan for the actual sail. Details are given on preparing the Silkspan and just how to utilize the building frame, followed by methods of coloring the Silkspan. The hard part in the sail making procedure is the use of a bow pen. You have to be familiar with the use of a bow pen, which is found on older drafting sets. David does explain the very positive benefits of use this tool, which makes the sail appear more realistic to scale. Just how to apply the acrylic paint, both to the bow pen and then how to apply it to the Silkspan material is covered in detail.

14 14 Following this, the reinforcing pieces have to be applied to the sail. Any problems that you may encounter performing this task is fully covered as well, since David has pioneered this procedure and made the sails himself thus a professional modeler (and artist) is providing ship modelers with the best advice to achieve the best results. Following the reinforcing pieces of the sail, the head and boltropes are installed, followed by the grommets of the sail. The next step is the reef points on the sail, followed by the exact process for freeing the sail from the building frame. The frame has to be cleaned, of course, before using it again to make the next sail. Then bending the sail to the yard along with the lines controlling the sails is fully described. He also describes the best way to furl the sails, if that is what the shipwright desires to do. The final part of the supplement on sails shows the model sails, to scale, alongside the real thing. You can see through the sails just like the real thing. This little pamphlet is highly recommended and well worth the money. There are no color pictures in the pamphlet (they are all black and white), but that makes no difference in the quality of the product or the fine techniques and information contained therein. Unfortunately, my scanner if putting a little color into the photo s on this page the sail making supplement is black and white.

15 15 SMA Collection of Ships Plans As many members of the SMA know, Bill Wicks was the keeper of the collection of Ships Plans that belonged to the Club. When Bill passed away, Bob Beech volunteered to take over the storage of these plans, which he has done since Bill passed away. Unfortunately, Bob is no longer able to perform this, so the SMA is now in need of a volunteer to take over the project of storing all the ships plans in our possession. Please contact any of the officers of the club if you would like to volunteer for the job of storing and loaning out, as required, the existing ships plans, which are now in Bob Beech s home. NRG Conference to be held in Mystic this year Look for details on the upcoming NRG Conference in Mystic, Connecticut this coming October. It should be a great conference. The is some preliminary information on the NRG website. Potential location for upcoming SMA Show As the announcement was made at the January meeting, it is past time for the SMA to put on a ship modeling show and demonstration, possibly with the assistance of other clubs in the Southern California area. Please inform any officer if you have any suggestions for a venue for such an event. Treasurer s Report Mike DiCerbo reports that there is $2, in the SMA account for the end of April. Web Manager s Report The Webmaster, Doug Tolbert, is pleased to announce that there are now 480 SMA Newsletters of the past on line in pdf format on the SMA website. The issues go back to The latest 12 issues are restricted to SMA members only. Chart of the hits experienced by our SMA web page through the end of Mar. 2015

16 16 SS Oriana Burt Goldstein Donald C. Dressel 908 W. 22 nd Street, Upland, CA Next meeting Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 PM, Hillcrest Park Red Cross Building