Le Coureur

[John Wagenseil]

Try your public library and see if they can track down a copy through their interlibrary loan service.
Also try some of the other online book sellers like bookfinder, abe, addall, alibris, and stop by your local used bookstore and put in an order, since they might subscribe to some data bases, us ordinary people can not access.
Karl Heinz Marquardt, 18th century rigs and rigging, Phoenix Publications has a brief but very nice description of a lugger and a rigging diagram. A big library should have this and if you really get into ship modeling this is one you will want to own.
Search this forum for my posting on where you can download Falconer's dictionary and David Steel's book on shipbuilding.Steel shows you how to build a ship in 1:1scale.

I think you will like this page even if viewing it is wierd:
Warship; French; Lugger; 8 guns - National Maritime Museum

and

Eclair (1795) - National Maritime Museum

This site has plans for sale, they are expensive, but you can view a preview page of. L'Coureur . Paris Marine Museum Ship Plans 1882

My French is not good enough to search the "Musee de Marine" web site, the French National Maritime Museum, but you might be able to some material on Luggers using Google Translator, search for "lougre" .
There are several native French speakers who are members of this forum, if you are diplomatic to them perhaps one might be willing to search the French internet for you, no?

Finally if you are really adventurous search for the Japanese model ship club called "the rope" and see if any one there built a Le Coureur model and posted pictures.

[Papercut]

Hello John
Man you are a great researcher. I was on the web for over 2 hours looking up anything I thought might ref a Lugger or the Le Coureur. I am a advid fan of this type hull design, 17th century ships, French war ships all ages, and the story of the Alert vs the Le Coureur tells of the bravery
of the commander on this French vessel. Though after the British capture her, it gets abit fuzzy as too what happened to the Le Coureur.
I am thinking of ordering a set of the plans, but as you pointed out, they are pricey. Again, thanks so very much for your help. I want to get it right with what Shipyard has provided, but I believe more can be done to really bring the model to life and after much study of the rigging and from what I have found of it, it is not correct as given in the kit.
The drawing/hull plan from Eclair 1795 National Maritime Museum, will allow me to check the hull shape against that of the kits and see if they got it correct.
One of the things I love about as much as building is the detective work for researching a subjets correctness as kitted./
Rick

[Papercut]

Very old drawing of a French Lougre, 1795.
I found it interesting that guns are show @ the bow and stern locations.
The more I research, I may not build as a period subject ie: Le Coureur, but may build as a French Lougre w/addtional detail as I have found in drawings/plans/built models for this type clinker built vessel.
This same type was also used by Pirates too, interesting.

2nd drawing: Coureur 1778,
a captured French lugger as modified to a 8-gun Schooner. Signed, John Henslow (Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1775-1784).

Interesting note: dates 1775-1778
a captured French Lugger
who was this ship captured from, the British of course, that answers a question about what happened to her, but what after that?
Offical Drawing f/the time as Signed by a Master Shipwright, located Plymouth Dockyard. Is this where this vessel would end up to be pressed into service by the then new American Navy?
Looks like more digging is needed.
Rick

[Papercut]

2nd set of drawings as signed off from John Henslow Master Shipwright.

[Papercut]

I checked the shape of the hull with the hull lines and was very surprised to find whoever designed this model was concerned with getting the lines of the hull right. And amazing as it may seem, 13 hull lines are shown in the drawing and the same number make up the model. And from what I can tell, she scales out correctly too. Says alot about Shipyard.

So with that said, what you see in the drawing is what you get in the kit, mind you not all details are the same, but I do believe if you pay attention to the drawing, one could in fact build a very accurate model of this vessel.
Now the rigging details?

[Papercut]

Dry fit of the laser cut frame/hull.

[glounsbury]

Looks like the cameera did not warp anything! time to warm up the glue pot.
George

[John Wagenseil]

The hull plans are a great find.
You are to be congratulated for tracking them down.
It is amazing to realize that we are looking at a copy of a drawing made by a man who laid hands on the real ship over 200 years ago , when he took the lines off her.

[Nh3ave2009]

I think U have The best resource available to you!!!... Doris! She is the Godiss Of Papercraft Shipbuilding.

[Papercut]

Hello all. thanks for the comments fellas.
glounbury I am a Duco man, I use it and UHU for most of my building, and sometimes, thin CA. Say glue pot around the ole nag and she will look sideways as she swipes her tail.
John Wagenseil, thanks too you was I able to find the drawings, again thanks for your help. Yes it is awesome to look @ the drawing and know it was drawn 120 years ago. And the guy was present to look the vessel over to touch her and measure/draft her out.
Nh3ave2009, Doris, in a league all her own, if only I could attain her results. But you are right, she would help anyway she could.
Next step is to prep deck parts w/base coat of cream paint.
Rick