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Torrens670 viewsThe lovely "Torrens" was the crack ship on the Australian passenger run. She was the favorite ship of the author Joseph Conrad.
This fine model, a family heirloom, was badly damaged in a house fire. We re-planked three large holes in the hull, cleaned off all traces of charring, and refurbished all the deck fittings.
Due to pressure of time in our own workshop, we contracted out the re-rigging to a local expert. He re-rigged the mizzen mast, which had survived the fire. The fore and main masts were charred stumps, so he replaced them in their entirety. He did a lovely job.
Throughout the entire restoration, it is hard to tell where the old ends and the new begins. This is one of the most sensitive aspects of restoration, and one in which we take great pride. It is a difficult balance, taking great judgement. One has to restore a model to its former glory, without incorpotating so much new material that it loses that lovely patina of age. We feel we succeeded here, and are proud to offer this illustration for your consideration.
(model by unknown builder, circa 1947, hull restoration by John Davies, re-rigged by John Hatchett)
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Cutty Sark669 viewsHere is the first of three pictures of a model of the famous clipper ship, built all in wood.
This model was built several years ago, and despite the exquisite detail she incorporates, she was part of our learning curve. If we were building her again today, we would definitely do something different about the sails. The stitching is perhaps too prominent here. In any case, sails are very difficult to represent well at a small scale, as even the thinnest material scales out around the weight of a very thick hairy blanket. Most of our sailing ship models are shown with the naked elegance of the plain spars, and in my opinion look all the better for it.
At least nine out of ten clipper ship models represent "Cutty Sark". Would you like a model of "Ariel", of "Falcon," which was the first of Steele's ships to astonish the sailing world, and a quiet design revolution in her way, or of his lovely "Titania"? How about "Fiery Cross", which won more tea races than any other ship? We have the plans, we have made a particular study of these lovliest of all ships, and we can promise you a truly excellent model.
(model by Frank Hasted)
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HMS Victory666 viewsI hope you will agree that this example is exquisite, and shows our work at its very best. Everything, down to the last knot in the ratlines, is painstakingly made by hand.
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Arun 52-01 half model.663 viewsThis was the original Arun, the boat that revolutionised the RNLI's fleet. We created this half model for one of her coxswains, on his retirement.
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HMS Bounty (detail)661 viewsDetail of Frank Hasted's model of HMS Bounty, with deck cut away to show interior detail.
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Clinker Punt.658 viewsHere is something a bit unusual. This little rowing boat faithfully reproduces the construction of a full-sized clinker dinghy. She is only twelve inches long, but she is faithfully planked up with individual strakes, and where there is a rib or a knee in the real boat, there is in the model too.
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Small Colin Archer; Port Quarter view.657 viewsBuilt to a tight deadline for a wedding present, she makes a pretty picture.
(Model by John Davies)
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America654 viewsThe first race also initiated a tradition which has bedeviled Cup races to this day. There has seldom been an Americas Cup series which was not spoiled by controversy and accusations of deliberate bending of the rules. To this day, the lawyers can be as important as the sailors. There is still controversy about "America"s victory in 1851. Did she sail the proper course? Was she unduly favoured by rule changes designed to allow her to compete? What might have happened if the foremost British yacht had not broken her bowsprit?
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Nobby653 viewsNot all display models are large and expensive. Here is a Manx Nobby. These little fishing boats were close cousins of the Morecambe Bay Prawners. Their lines are graceful and slippery, almost more like a yacht than a working fishing boat. Indeed, amny of them were converted to yachts, although the lack of headroom in that slim shallow hull could be a problem. While many working craft were tarred a utilitarian black, the nobbies were usually colourfully painted. This model captures the essence of these pretty little boats. It will make a lovely ornament, it is not at all demanding of display space, and it can be built to a very attractive price.
(model by Frank Hasted)
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Arun 52-23 half model.651 viewsWe created this half model for one of her coxswains, on his retirement.
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Paragon.649 viewsOccasionally I get asked to work on something really special. This west-country schooner model, "Paragon", was over one hundred and fifty years old, when I was asked to carry out a light restoration. As you can see, she is a big model. The topmasts had to be housed, to fit her into her display space. Imagine her with her full spread of sail set, including two big topsails to give her that bit of extra drive in light airs.
She is historically fascinating, and poses some really interesting questions. She was built to take part in a seven-mile offshore model sailing race, which was a local tradition on the coast of Cornwall in the nineteenth century. She won, comprehensively.
Before the year of her building, most coastal trading vessels had broad, blunt, apple-bowed lines. Afterwards, the sharper clipper lines began to develop, especially in Cornwall, which always had a name for fast clipper schooners. Did this model perhaps influence the design of the full-sized vessels? Or does she simply represent a design change which was happening at the time in any case? Dr Basil Greenhill, who wrote the standard work on the Merchant Schooners, has said he finds the model very interesting, but as a cautious researcher, felt unable to commit himself without more evidence. Probably we will never know exactly what happened in St Ives all those years ago, but I treasure the memory of working on her as one of the finest models ever to pass though my hands.
(model by local nineteenth-century builder, light restoration by John Davies)
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Rainbow (J Class)646 viewsShe nearly failed to be selected as defender. Just as with the challenge of 1930, Vanderbilt faced stiff opposition from other American J boats. In this case, it was "Yankee" which posed the main danger. Always a fast boat in stiff breezes, she had been modified so as to retain all her speed in strong winds, while becoming much faster in light airs. She gave "Rainbow" a very hard time in the selection trials. To this day, partisans for "Yankee" claim she was robbed. In 1935, "Yankee" came over to British waters, the only American J boat to do so, and posed a stiff challenge to "Endeavour"s supremacy in her home waters. There is little doubt that she could have been as effective a defender as "Rainbow".
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