Our picnic is on August 17th, instead of our regular meeting. Spouses are encouraged to join us. This event will start at 11am on August 17th with burgers and brauts provided by the club. Soft drinks and bottled water will also be available.
If you plan to attend, please bring a side dish to share with the club members. Also know that glass bottles are not permitted at the park and that the restrooms are a LONG way from the BBQ area.
UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who came. A good time and good conversation were had by all.
A scratch-built model of the Great Lakes schooner, Lizzie Metzner by Ralph Buckwalter
Modeler’s Name: Ralph Buckwalter Period: 1888 Scale: 7/64 in. per ft. Type of Model: scratch built solid hull Build Time: not estimated
Build Materials: No plans were available for this ship. Based on the plans for a similar ship which was 46 ft longer than the Lizzie I reduced the plans so the overall length was equivalent to the 81 ft of the Luzzie. I built the hull based on these plans modifying the hull based on the photos I had of the Lizzie. . The hull was done using the bread and butter method which consists of multiple thin lifts of wood cut to lines taken from the plans . I was intrigued by the triangular sail on the fore mast. I sewed all of the sails and bent them on as shown in the photos.
Ship’s Story: The Lizzie Metzner was a typical Great Lakes Schooner which was used to carry various cargos on the great lakes. She was built in 1888 Rand and Burger in Manitowoc Wisc. for the firm of Mashek and Metzner of Kewaunee Wisc., who owned the south pier in Manitowoc. Wisc. The Lizzie Metzner was 81 ft. in length, had a beam of 21ft 8 in. and a depth of 6ft 9 in. Her gross tonnage was 77. She was built from blue oak and cost $1200 when delivered. The Lizzie Mitzner had a shallow draft,less than 3 ft.,and had a centerboard that could be used to take advantage of this shallow draft. She had a Raffee sail, a triangular top sail, on the foremast. These Raffee sails were the trademark of many Great Lake schooners.
Modeler’s Bio: Ralph Buckwalter, a retired Mechanical Engineer has been modeling for about 14 years. He joined the Rocky Mountain Shipwrights in 2000. His first model was a pirate ship.
A kit of the Le Hussard was modified and constructed by Ralph Buckwalter
Modeler’s Name: Ralph Buckwalter Period: 1845 Scale: ¼” = 1’ Type of Model: modified plank on bulkhead kit Build Time: not estimated
Build Materials: Build Materials: This model was built from an Artesania Latina kit that has been modified to more closely represent the description listed in the “Global Schooner”. I also used some information from “Souvenirs De Marine” by Admiral Paris which had better details than those of the kit. This included rigging and deck furniture. All sails were hand machine sewn and not the ones supplied with the kit. I also used a product named “Quicken” to stiffen and shape the sails.
Ship’s Story: Le Hussard is identified as a French Brigantine built in 1845 in the kit, although she is described in the “Global Schooner” by Karl Heinz as a French Schooner. She was larger than her American and British counterparts. She has the following measurements: L – 98’ 6”, W – 27’ 11”, Depth in hold 9’ 2”. Her main feature was her armament. She carried two rotating carronades, 18 pounders, one in the bow and one in the stern. These rotating carronades were supposed to make Le Hussard a foe to fear but I don’t think this was the case. The bow panels would drop down so the carronade could be aimed at vessels low in the water close to the ship.
Modeler’s Bio: Ralph Buckwalter, a retired Mechanical Engineer has been modeling for about 14 years. He joined the Rocky Mountain Shipwrights in 2000. His first model was a pirate ship, Black Falcon
Martin Jelsema modified this vintage kit to represent a detailed and relatively accurate rigging plan.
Martin Jelsema took a vintage kit and modified it to better represent the real ship which resides at Mystic Seaport, CN. It’s a solid hull model from the early 1970’s. Other materials include balsa and basswood, fine wire, thread and metal fittings. Rigging was derived from photos and published materials about whaling ship construction, rigging and operation. Martin spent 9-months on this project of which 2-months involved research and drawing plans for the rigging.
The Charles W. Morgan still exists. It is a major fixture at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. It is the only surviving American wooden whaling ship. The Morgan was launched in 1841, and during her 80-year career at sea she made 37 voyages, several lasting four or more years while hunting whales from the arctic circle to the south seas.
Period: last half of the 19th-Century Model length: 16” Height: 13” Scale: 1:128
