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Thanks for all the tips on building the next hull, guys. We'll see what I end up doing after this. I'm primarily a wood ship modeler and I do a fair amount of scratch building. When I build a kit, it's mostly so I don't have to do a whole lot of research. Also, I build kits to study them and write about the experience, since I do some work in the industry. So, I'll plan on sticking with kits here for now, unless I get too frustrated with their design.
Of course, that doesn't mean I can't make modifications, as long as they aren't too complicated. I do that with wooden ship model kits all the time.
Ab, I'm curious about your gratings comments. Given that this model has 8 cannons on the lower deck, wouldn't they need some additional ventilation to clear out the smoke during battle? Of course, if gratings were never used, it would make sense to replace them. Then, how did they deal with the lack of light and ventilation below the main deck during combat?
Thank you both for the comments on the chesstrees. I think the term is appropriate. The kit is made to represent them with sheaves. But, there's no reason I have to make them this way. In fact, it's far easier to make each with a simple hole than to try to include a simulated sheave.
Bob, I really didn't have any trouble with the hull of the Alert. I think the extra layer of clinker planking really made a big difference in that build. Here are some photos of mine. I really enjoyed this build. Again, the kit isn't perfect, but the model seemed to turn out quite nicely. I used brass barrels for the cannons and Swiss pear blocks. I had the model on display at a ship model conference, and everyone kept asking me what kind of wood I used to build the model.
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