Saturday, April 23, 2016

The Last Stand Boat Yard

Well its been a while since I have had a chance to blog out to you.  Got a little sick there for about a month but I am back!  lol.

I wanted to let you know what I have been up to preparing to go to Recon in Orlando next week.  This will be my first time and thought it a good idea to build some boats to take with me in case anyone was interested in one.

So these new Dhows that I have built from the ground up I think you will find interesting.  I don't boast that these are "scale" models at all.  These are built by a Wargamer for Wargamer's so I really simplified the design.  Meaning that when using boats in any game rules you usually have to tack and jibe your boats taking into consideration wind direction and current.  So you will see in the pictures below how I handled tacking a lateen sail.

Additionally, the boats you see here are all pretty much my prototypes.  They are primarily basswood but used various thicknesses.  I have decided after all these builds that the thicker wood works best for the rails and structures and the thin pieces for the decks.  You might notice that the Dhow sail plans are all a little bit different.  A little longer, some fuller, one even has a different cut completely. So I think I like that because these boats were built with many different methods.  I will keep to a basic design and let imperfections remain as in any hand built project.  I will get better at this.

I hope you enjoy the blog,  I will report on Recon 2016 in a couple of weeks.  Mr. Bill Daniel (Bill's Gamer Garage) and I are driving down from Denver.

Can't wait, hope to see you there, it's going to be fun.

Last Stand Dan





































7 comments:

Mad Guru said...

Anchors Away indeed. This post is off the dock-hook, Dan!

One question: when you "come about" and change tacks by switching magnets... how is the boom secured to the mast and how do you switch the boom so it's clear of the mast & stays on the other side & able to unfurl...?

Last Stand Dan said...

Boom is secured using an eyelet and a ring. The boom and mast both have eyelets that are connected by a ring. It all just flops over when you "come about." Good question.
LSD

Furt said...

Excellent post. Just love all your boat actions!
How do you shape the wood so well around the prows without having it snap?

Frank
http://adventuresinlead.blogspot.com.au/

Last Stand Dan said...

I soak the wood for about an hour then using a lego base to put the hull in place I clamp and rubber band it together. Here is the blog for the Giza Gunboat. You can see how I did it there. LSD

http://laststanddan.blogspot.com/2015/10/gunboat-and-dhows-pt-ii-giza-mods.html

Unlucky General said...

Great read. Enjoyed your step-by-step 'how to' very much. Thanks.

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Fantastic... what a valuable resource for a Colonial wargamer..

Last Stand Dan said...

Ah Frank, further note on your question. The prow in the case of a pointed bow is where I join the starboard and port hull strips. I pinch them tight between lego blocks and use clamps and rubber bands until it drys. Then if I have any gaps I use wood filler and sand it smooth after it sits. But the more rounded bow and stern shapes are strips of wood where I band them around a coffee cup or can and set it all in water to get the basic shape. Then without glue I clamp them on the hull and let them dry in place to get the shape. Then the wood glue and clamps again. Sorry got a little long winded there...LSD