How beautiful! I hope you were able to see these cities.
Monreale is a small town but has a very important and famous basilica.

My grandmother was from Naples and my grandfather was from Monreale (Palermo), Sicily. They came over when they were young.
😉

What a perfect Italian!
Are you from Florence, Naples or Rome? Hahahaha.
Thanks so much Jumpugly.

Pazienza e perseveranza in mostra!!!
😊😉

Thank you very much Doogle.

Great job Alessandro 👍.

Good evening everyone.

I resined the inside of all four boats as planned.
They don't have to be waterproof (even though they are perfectly waterproof) because they don't have to go in the water, but now they are very resistant. I'm satisfied with this.
I'm not satisfied with the paint at all. I chose blue below the waterline and white above.
It was nicer before with the exposed wood. However, I'm terrible at painting.
I don't like this white.
Anyway, I continued. Now I'm making the cover sheets for the side lifeboats and removing some color smudges along the waterline.
The central lifeboats will not have cover sheets so I will have to take care of the interior fittings.

Hahahaha, thank you so much Jumpugly. I'd like to make bigger hulls (I enjoy building them, in fact it's the job I like most in naval modeling) but I don't have space once they're finished. I am content with making the hulls of the lifeboats. It's true they require more effort and are more difficult but they give less satisfaction than a ship's hull. Yet they would be very useful for me to do tests with motors and accessories that I don't use.

Bravo! 👍😊

And you are doing this without the aid of an electron microscope!
😉

Thanks so much Doogle!

Alessandro, what can I say. Very impressed, bravo 👏 👍 .

Thanks so much Wolle!

An incredible achievement.
I take my hat off👍👍👍

In this message you can see the completion stages of the second planking with 2 x 0.5 mm walnut strips.
This time I drew the waterline before painting the hull.

The next works will consist of the internal resining of all the hulls of the four lifeboats.

Hello everyone, here are some pictures of the developments of the fourth lifeboat.
I am satisfied with the shape and dimensions so I will certainly continue the construction.

In this message you can see the completion of the first planking with 2 x 1 mm walnut strips.

Happy Sunday, I started a little late but I hope to finish the first planking today (walnut strips 2 x 1 mm).

Hello everyone and merry Christmas again.

I started building again taking advantage of a few days off.
I have started the fourth lifeboat, the one that can be seen in message 414 of this topic.
I'll update you on the progress of the work with photos. Sorry for the slowness but, as already said, I have little time to dedicate to this hobby.

The proportions of this lifeboat satisfy me.
I think I'll redesign the third one instead.

Hi Mike, we talked about it months ago in private, don't you remember?
However the program is called "Rhinoceros".
If you want to design from scratch, keep in mind that it is only an aid, you need to know how to draw the hulls (or at least know the problems) without software, otherwise you risk being very disappointed thinking that the software solves this.
However, if you have already designed hulls from scratch yourself in pencil, this software will be infinitely useful to you.

Hello Alessandro,
Can you tell me what programme you are using to draw this?
As always, every tip is worth its weight in gold,
Thank you, Michel-C.

Good evening everyone, this is the project for the fourth and final lifeboat.

If it turns out better than the third, I will opt to make two identical ones in the middle of the ship.


Perhaps, with the third prototype (the first amidships) I lingered too much on the width in proportion to the length.

Thank you very much for your comments and likes.
To RossM: I am one hundred percent satisfied with the rudder.
Instead of the rudder pintle I am quite satisfied, not completely; but I couldn't do better than they are too small for the tools I own.

Awesome work 👏

Fantastic Alessandro!!!

The rudder pintle looks fantastic😀 Are you pleased with it?

Hi everyone.

I have completed the hull of the third lifeboat (one of the two central ones).
I've given it four coats of exterior paint and am happy with the shape and design.
There are no errors or inconsistencies and therefore I can give the drawing to RossM and friends of the forum if they want it.
As already mentioned, this is a work lifeboat, therefore very displacing, which we call a "barcaccia", (I don't know how to translate the term correctly).
It is very different from the boats called "baleniere" in Italian, characterized by a very elongated shape and with very similar bow and stern.

In this regard, I intend to open a new topic on the subject of lifeboats which seems very interesting to me.

I also finished the rudder with the hinges, then I will decide whether to place it behind or on board.
In any case this will not be upside down and will not be covered by the cloth, so I will have to take care of all the internal details (flooring, benches, oars, etc. etc.)

I went very slowly because I wasted a lot of time drawing the fourth lifeboat.
The previous drawings didn't completely convince me and I'm constantly making changes. Today I think I have found the right proportions.

Only when the hull of the fourth and final lifeboat is finished will I be able to resinate the interiors of all four and bring them to completion.
This is because I intend to prepare the two-part epoxy resin only once.

A short boat will be able to spin on its own axis - oars on one side row normally, the other side in reverse. The same principle can apply to a longer boat to help sharp turns, but it it very unlikely to ever spin on its own axis, unless the bow and stern are well clear of the water, thereby reducing drag. Imagine a little rowing boat with your kids on a public lake, these little boats are very manoeuverable, but a sculls four is designed for straight line speed, NOT easy turning. Most lifeboats do not need extreme manoeuverability, they just need great safety, stability, bouyancy, and ability to get away from danger.

Perhaps I can answer some of the confusion about rowed ship's launches. As part of being involved in US Civil War (naval 1861-5) reenacting a number of us went through boat drills. The launch one we learned oarsmanship on (an old WW2 period wood lifeboat painted to replicate a CW launch) had six men pulling oars and the boat commander on the rudder.

In order for the oarsmen to coordinate movements there were commands for every movement. Most would not know the complexity of this. Every set of men would have a number starting from the bow (1, 2, 3, etc). Also in each set one man would be port and the other starboard. So there would be port 1, starboard 1, port 2, etc. This way the boat captain could command each man or group of men to row, hold water, reverse, etc.

Now that I have mentioned this you can see how the launch can be maneuvered via the oars.

Now, about the rudder. Whe you drive a car down the road you very often correct the direction to some degree by moving the steering wheel. Same with a rudder. Unless making a sharp change in direction you need to keep the oarsmen in synch and the boat moving.

I hope that you find this interesting. However, not as much as being there and doing it yourself.

Lew
Florida ⛱️, USA ❤️

Hello Alessandro,

In my very long way I am asking how many oars does your boat have?

4 oars has 3 crew (2 rowers and helmsman)
2 oars has 1 crew, a rower

sorry for the confusion, but I do like a challenge!😁

Let me first say that I'm glad this topic caught Colin's attention.
How nice to hear your participation in the forum again.
I completely agree with Hermank on this.

For Ross.
I don't understand why you put the question mark. Are your opinions, statements or questions?
I believe, from what little I know, that a short boat steers more easily than a very long and slender one, with only oars (even without a rudder).
They can all turn by rowing on one side only but if the curvature becomes too large then it is no longer of any use and it is mandatory to use a rudder.
On the other hand, if you can steer tight only with the oars, then you can do without the rudder.
In my opinion it depends on the shape. However, I wanted your opinion.
In short, Ross, I wanted answers, not more questions.

Not exactly a regular rowboat, but 4 pairs of oars and a helmsman. If there is only 1 pair of oars is it easier to turn with just the oars? 2 to 4 pairs of oars takes co-ordination of the crew to turn without a rudder.

Then with 2 to 4 pairs of oars a rudder IS needed??

Hi Alessandro, yes still here and willing to offer advice or comments.
Times are still difficult for my family, but I feel much better when reading the posts on here.
I would love to get back to my modelling but caring for family comes first.
Cheers Colin.

Colin H a good evening
Good to read your remarks. It means that you are. every now and then on the forum again👍👍😍
I hope life is treating you better as in the recent times. I hope you and your family are back on track . I wish you and your loved ones all the best

Following this blog I feel I must add a comment about the use of oars to turn a boat.
It doesn't matter how many pairs of oars you have, you can always turn the boat without the need for a rudder, by dipping on the side of the turn direction, and continue to row on the opposite side.
Cheers Colin.

I didn't understand Ross, sorry, explain better.
I already managed to easily turn a lifeboat (without rudder) with just two oars. I'm referring to the real one.
I pushed on one side and simultaneously pulled on the other and the vessel turned at a very narrow angle.
Maybe you mean that with more than one pair of oars it's not possible?
You can't turn the lifeboat without a rudder, is that what you mean?

Alessandro

Silly question, how many pairs of oarlocks would this boat have?

Would a small enough boat with one pair of oarlocks be able to turn by oars? Would a boat with 2 pairs of oarlocks NEED a TILLERMAN?(HELMSMAN, A COXSWAIN)

I warmly thank luckyduck and RossM, you have been very useful to me.

Yes Ross, I confirm that it is a rudder controlled by a simple tiller.
You can see it in the attached drawing (first image) of message 389 of this topic.

After seeing a pre-printed lifeboat on Wolle's build I had doubts. Since that lifeboat had no rudder I thought that perhaps it wasn't necessary.
I imagined that some types of lifeboats could turn quite easily using oars alone. Especially those that are very wide compared to the length (in short, not very slender).
Saving the rudder work wouldn't be bad for me but that's not the main problem. The problem is that the rudder mounted on the lifeboats amidships can give me problems with the sheet.
In fact, it could easily get caught on the rudder.
I too had thought that the rudder could only be applied in case of necessity but I wasn't sure, you have removed my doubt. Yet I have seen some lifeboats with the rudder already attached.
Perhaps not all of them were thrown into the water abruptly but lowered gradually. However now I can place it on the deck without a rudder.
However, there remains the curiosity (just curiosity) to know if some lifeboat did not have a rudder at all, being able to rely exclusively on oars.

Beautifully made Alessandro - for most lifeboats launched from a ship, either sail or steam, they had their rudders inside the lifeboat, often with the tiller pre-attached, depending on whether it was being rowed, sailed or motor driven. If sailed, which was seldom, the tiller would be seperate, otherwise it was attached. The rudder was not 'shipped' until the lifeboat was in the water, as when the lifeboat was 'dropped' from its davits, the rudder would either have been unshipped with the force of hitting the water, or it would have snapped.

Alessandro,
My instincts would say that the rudder would be stored with the boat and quickly mounted on the boat when needed. The rudder and tiller might be stored under a seat inside the boat while the boat is stored upside down on the vessel. I am assuming it would be a rudder & tiller, and not more complicated than that.

Thanks Jumpugly. The hull isn't finished yet, I have to complete the keel and paint, not to mention the internal part. Furthermore, I am undecided whether to put the rudder or not. In fact, in this regard I would like to ask a question to all the users of the forum.

Beautiful!!!!!!!

Here are the images of the second planking, as I anticipated in the previous message.
This time the slats used have a thickness of 0.5 mm.
It's not finished yet but almost.

Good morning to all ship modelers on this website.
I attach photos of the update of the first planking.
This time I chose 1 mm thick strips (still 2 mm wide) instead of 0.5 mm. This allowed me to sand easily.
The hull came without imperfections already on the first planking but I preferred to also do the second one (which I will show in the next message).

Hi everyone.

I discovered that the terms: warp and warping have many meanings in English and are used in many areas.

This is the correct interpretation of the term:
The "warping" is the movement of the vessel when a crew member on board exerts a force on a cable or line fixed to the ground (which may be connected to an anchor, a dead body or a bollard).

So what does it have to do with the lifeboat with good displacement, capable of carrying the ship's large anchor?

Well, in the event that the ship had run aground on a sandbank, in addition to lightening it, as well as causing movements on board to create oscillations, it may be useful to bring the anchors to a certain distance and warping.

I don't know if I was clear.

Sorry, the correct term for the word "tonneggio" I think is "warping". I hope it's clear now what I meant. The word "tonnage" was incorrect and misleading.
For us Italians tonnage means "tonnellagio" (i.e. how many tons and it has nothing to do with it).

As I had anticipated, the previous projects did not completely convince me.

I found some time to redesign a lifeboat from scratch.
After various corrections I found the right and consistent water lines for the hull.
As usual, I reported the drawing of the keel and the frames on an A4 sheet in PDF format, for the subsequent cutting of the wood.

In the photos you can see some steps and the current state.

For this lifeboat I thought of a shorter but wider shape. I couldn't make it longer (like the side ones for example) due to space problems. I wanted it wider to allow greater displacement.
I imagined that at least one lifeboat of this type would be useful on board.
I thought it would be useful for the commander to have a lifeboat available to carry an anchor.
Do you think it was useful? Question of the day without AI.
I think it could prove useful for tonnage the ship. Did I use the right term? Does anyone understand what I mean by tonnage?
Maybe that's not the correct translation.

Good evening to all ship model builders.

I have finished the hulls of the two test boats (made of cardboard).
The models are not well finished, they were made quickly just to have a rough idea of ​​any errors.
The second boat has several small errors, frame no. 5 must definitely be completely eliminated.
I am not convinced yet, I think I will start drawing again to find something that convinces me more in shape.
As for dimensions, however, I think they are fine. At most a centimeter and a half centimeter shorter.

ALESSANDRO
the pleasure is all mine!!!!!

Thank you so much Hermank, I'm glad you like it.

Alessandro amigo italiano
Que belloooooooo!
Madre madonna 👍

Yes Ross, it's brass.
I also use electronics cutters.

The problem was that tweezers don't exist (or I've never found them) smaller than a millimeter and they can't make bends under a millimeter. I couldn't shape them as I wanted.