by ab hoving - thenrg.org · 212 vol. 61, no 3 fall 2016 the second reason we were not sat-isfied...

Introduction

Nicolaes Witsen’s book Aeloude enHedendaegse Scheepsbouw en Bestier (An-cient and Modern Shipbuilding and Man-agement) of 1671 is a surprising andinexhaustible source of useful knowledge ofold time Dutch ships. The reliability of whathe wrote was proven a long time ago in mywork on the 134-foot pinas (the ship he de-scribed in detail as an example of Dutchshipbuilding), published in the InternationalJournal of Nautical Archaeology and theNautical Research Journal. But how about

NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL 209

A Paper Fluit. . . . .

by Ab Hoving

the rest of his material, like his freehandsketches and drawings of other ship types?They served as a basis for several models ofrelatively simple vessels, like the flat-bot-tomed fishing boat, the pink, and thesmalschip (narrow-ship), all described in17th Century Dutch Merchant Ships by CorEmke and myself

In this article I will try my hand at amore intricate, often depicted, but still enig-matic vessel: the fluit. The project waspartly triggered by the fact that I discoveredpaper and cardboard as materials to make areasonable ship model in very little time. It

Figure 1. Paper model of a 134-foot long pinas. All images by the author unless otherwise indicated.

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is nothing new to use these materials—many were there before me—but for me,having worked in wood almost all of my life,it opened new possibilities, such as the pro-duction of a set of vessels in the same scalewithin just a few months to judge and com-pare them to each other and, possibly, turnthem into a scenic model.

Paper as a construction material isnot entirely new to me. As a lover of card-board kits, especially aircraft and militaryvehicles, I made many such models as anunpretentious, but most rewarding pastimealongside my professional work as a shipmodel conservator. Like all hobbies, this onehas a popular internet site: www.papermod-elers.com. I do not remember how I gotthere, but it opened my eyes for new ship-building possibilities.

Preparations

My first serious shipbuilding effort inpaper was Witsen’s pinas to 1:77 scale. (Fig-ure 1) I will not go into much detail aboutthat model, but, as a first attempt, it gaveme reason to continue on my newly-discov-ered path. In particular, the fact that I was

able to finish the hull within a month gaveme food for thought. The rigging—donemore or less conventionally in wood, ropeand cloth—took more time, but once thetraditional way to make a model was aban-doned, I did discover some tricks that, al-though they were not historical at, alsosaved a lot of construction time.

The building of the hull was muchsimplified by the fact that I worked togetherwith my Belgium friend, Rene Hendrickx,for several years to make an intricate virtual3D model of the ship intended to give theinternet user the possibility to watch itbeing built, to navigate around and insidethe hull, to highlight construction elementsto obtain information, and, possibly, somefurther features. The Rijksdienst voor hetCultureel Erfgoed (Netherlands CulturalHeritage Agency) is working on its transferfrom the free program, DELFTship, in whichthe virtual pinas was created, into a programthat makes internet use possible withoutdownloading large files. See: https://mari-tiemprogramma.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/studenten-maken-digitaal-3d-model-17e-eeuws-schip-online-toegankelijk/ (Once theprogram is operational I will write a properintroduction.)

Figure 2. Plate LX from Witsen's book Aeloude en hedendaegse Scheepsbouw en Bestier (1671).


After the pinas we made a second vir-tual model, Witsen’s fluit, which, as said,was great help during the build of the papermodel. The creation of the virtual model ofthe pinas was characterized by experimentsand research into useful systems and mate-rials that prepared the way for building ofthe fluit, the subject of this article.

First Steps

The basis for the model was Witsen’sdrawing LX. (Figure 2) In reality, he neverintended this sketch as the starting point fora design but, instead, just as a comparisonof the ungainly lines of the fluit with whathe calls a ‘normal’ ship. Therefore, he drewa side plan of a ship in which he indicatesseveral frames, showing the fluit’s frames ascomplete lines and the ‘normal’ ship’sframes as dotted. Figures 3A and 3B com-pare the frames.

We fed the fluit frames into the com-puter, using the DELFTship program, andended up with a shape that was not to oursatisfaction as characteristic for a fluit fortwo reasons. The first was that Witsen drew

both forward frames of the two comparedships at the same location. It was customaryto draw this first frame at the joint of thestem and the keel. As Witsen gave the fluita stem with much less rake than a ‘normal’ship, his first frame should be shifted for-ward to the extremity of the keel, which wasabout twelve feet. (Figure 4)

Figure 4. The front frame of the fluit was replaced as a resultof the lengthening if the keel.

Figure 3a. Frame plan of a “normal” ship. Figure 3b. Frame plan of a fluit.

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The second reason we were not sat-isfied was that the DELFTship program is sogood that it made the lines in the extremi-ties, fore and aft, too sophisticated. It tooksome pushing and pulling but, in the end,we had the right shape without changinganything in Witsen’s drawn frames andlines, and the 3D fluit proved comparable topaintings of such vessels. (Figure 5)

We discovered the remarkable factthat, in this ship, the main frame was notthe widest part of the vessel. In the sectionon the left side of the drawing a dotted lineshows how the aft part, where the skipper’scabin was located, protruded beyond themain frame. (Figure 6)

The Hull

The 3D image of the ship readily fa-cilitated the printing of a lines plan, includ-ing the location of the decks, and the firststep was to cut a longitudinal midship ele-ment, into which the frames were inserted.It was made of two layers of 1-millimetercardboard, glued together with 1-millimeterstrips on both sides of the keel and stem and

stern to shape therabbet into whichthe outside plank-ing fitted. Theframes were cut tothe level of the topof the bulwarksfrom 1-millimetercardboard stockand I perforatedthem at theheight where Iplanned to showthe decks. (Figure7) After all frameswere aligned andglued, a horizon-tal stringer was

inserted into the frames at waterline level tokeep the keel straight and the frames in line.(Figure 8) Next, the sides, made of 0.5 mil-limeter cardboard, were glued to the upperparts of the frames (above the waterline). Onthe inside, I reinforced this skin with anextra layer of 1-millimeter cardboard snuglyfitting between the frames. After that, theframe parts above deck level were easily re-moved thanks to the previously-made per-

Figure 5. Digital design of the fluit by Rene Hendrickx.

Figure 7. All basic parts of the fluit are cut from cardboard.

Figure 6. Section atwidest point.


forations. The remaining gaps in the insidelayer, left by removing the frames, were filledwith narrow cardboard strips. Thus, theupper sides of the model were kept in shapewithout the aid of the frames. (Figure 9) A

great aid to keep the shape of the sides of theship as wanted was acrylic varnish, whichstiffened the cardboard.

The visible decks were inserted andpainted with Humbrol 94 Brown-Yellow

Figure 8. The frames are lined and fixed with a waterline stringer. Note the comparison to the model of the pinas.

Figure 9.

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Figure 10. The decks are inserted and below the waterline the frames are reinforced.

Figure 11. Plate LXI from Witsen's book, showing three steps in the upper deck.

matt paint. The lines of the planking werescribed on with a black fine-liner. (Figure 10)

I somewhat changed the original in-ternal layout for the model. Witsen showeda very short horizontal deck aft, where theskipper’s cabin was located. I enlarged thiszone to provide a horizontal floor for thesteering stand in front of the cabin. Thisalso created room for two guns on each side,as we often see on pictures. This changeadded more detail to the model, but I wasnot satisfied. Another Witsen drawingshows us the top view of a fluit. (Figure 11)There are three steps in the deck aft. I raisedthe deck level to make a compartment tohouse the crew, and as an entrance to thesteering stand right in front of the skipper’scabin. The steersman was given a view ofthe sails through small windows in the sec-ond step. These ships probably were steered

by tackles, connected to the tiller, which en-tered the ship just above the skipper’s cabinand below the floor of the cabin above. (Fig-ures 12A and 12B)

Next came planking the part of thehull below deck level. In preparation, theopenings between the frames were filledwith tightly fitting pieces of cardboard to re-ceive the planking and prevent the ship’ssides sinking between the frames. The edgesof the frames were first covered with piecesof 0.5-millimeter cardboard to provide afirm base for the 1-millimeter planking. Thecomputer-based layout of the planking wasa wonderful aid in this process. Polyesterfiller was used on places where the seamsbetween the sections showed. With two lay-ers of planking, the hull was remarkablysturdy for its paper construction. (Figure 13)

To make the hull look like wood I


Figure 13. The hull below the waterline has been planked, treated with filler and sanded. Masts are prepared.

Figure 12a. Original internal arrangement with a short steer-ing stand.

Figure 12b. Improved internal arrangement with a longersteering stand and a crew's compartment.

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Figure 14. The hull covered with strips of self-adhesive film.

Figure 15. The plastic film painted and treated with dark brown.


used a method shamelessly copied from ourEastern European paper modeler friends: Ibought some self-adhesive plastic film witha wood imprint. There is great variety ofwoodprints available, and I tried several ofthem, but nothing was to my liking; alllooking too ‘plastic’. In the end I used whitefilm with an imprint of wood grain (Figure14), which I painted Humbrol 63 Ochreabove the waterline. After letting it dry for afew days, I brushed on a dark brown paintcalled Van Dyke Brown (Rembrandt Artists’Oil Paint 070). With a rag, I immediatelywiped off the dark brown paint and whatwas left of it in the grooves of the imprintgave a very nice wood impression. Weather-ing was very easy with this material andgave the model a natural look. Learned fromexperiences with the pinas model, I gave theplastic film a coat of primer from a rattle canbeforehand to make sure the paint wouldnot wear off during handling. (Figure 15)

The decorations were made from anepoxy material called ‘kneadable steel’. This

comes in a tube-like shape, blue on the out-side and white on the inside. One slices offa suitable amount and kneads it until it isuniformly light blue, after which one hasfive minutes to form the shape one wants.After hardening, the material can be cut andshaped, and small pieces can be added as itadheres well to the foundation. The decora-tions, therefore, can be executed in situ,which works well and is fast. The materialalso takes paint very well. (Figure 16)

Working with paper and cardboardproved to be an easy and quick job. I suc-ceeded in finishing the hull within a month,about 150 hours of work (as a retiree I canspend most of my day modeling). The costswere negligible.

The rigging

There are no real time-saving tricksto making as intricate an element as the rig-ging of a sailing ship, only a few short cuts.

Figure 16. The decorations done with kneadable steel. Thecolors will get a light brown wash to get more defined.

Figure 17. Preparing the masts before fitting can save a lot oftime.

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Basically, it might be possible to make papermasts and spars, but I am not a purist. I amonly interested in a reasonable, quickly fab-ricated model, so I made them out of wood,except for the tops, the dead-eyes and theflags, which were all made out of paper.

One way to shorten the time neededfor the rigging was to prepare the masts andsails together off the ship. Holding a mast

in a vice allows working without bendingoneself into impossible attitudes or wearingout ones arms by working too high for toolong a long time. (Figure 17)

While working on the masts I no-ticed that the ropes tended to fold andstretch the carefully-shaped sails out of po-sition, so I applied a drop of glue to the linesrunning through each block, thus prevent-ing the sails to be deformed while handling.Belaying the ropes after stepping the mastswas a very simple job after this precaution.

For making the deadeyes I used avery handy set of punches that I purchasedfrom a small Belgium company(mailto:[email protected]). Two layersof 0.5-millimeter cardboard sandwichingone 1-millimeter thick disk of slightlysmaller diameter quickly produced accept-able deadeyes, which I stropped with a thinmetal loop, using a jig for the long shackleto mount the twisted part into the channels

Figure 18. A set of punches to make the dead-eyes.

Figure 19. Preparing the sails.


and the end into a small hole drilled in theship’s sides. A drop of cyanoacrylate gluekept them perfectly in place, even when thetension on the deadeyes was considerable.(Figure 18)

The small blocks were made out ofstrips of dense wood from old rulers. For thethicker ropes I used Irish linen, spun up ona home-made rope-walk in a variety of diam-eters from 0.8 to 2.5 millimeters. The thin-ner lines came from spools of thin, waxedshoemakers thread.

The sails were cut from very thin un-bleached cotton, which was dyed in strongtea. Boltropes were glued on with white PVAglue, after which the lines of the cloths weredrawn on with pencil. Then the sail wasstretched in a frame and sprayed with laun-dry starch from a spray can, after which mywife’s hair dryer produced the appropriatebillowing. (Figure 19)

I like billowing sails, but in this caseI wanted to do something more atmospheric,by depicting the fore topsail lowered halfwayand flapping in the breeze and clewing up thefore sail. The main topsail and the mizzenhave caught the wind, while the main andthe spritsail were furled on their yards. I took

my inspiration for this arrangement from adrawing by Willem van de Velde depictingsome whaling fluits. (Figure 20)

Figure 21. Lieve Verschuier, whaling fluit off Rotterdam(detail).

Figure 20. Willem van de Velde, Whaling fluits.

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As for the flags: at the stern we seethe Dutch flag (red-white-blue). Usually theflag of the skipper’s home town was flownfrom the mizzenmast, in this case, the flagof my present town, Alkmaar. The flag ofthe Noordsche Compagnie (Northern Com-pany) flies from the mainmast; this cartelhad a monopoly on Dutch whaling. At thefore mast flies a double Dutch flag, usuallyseen on men-of-war, and on the bowsprit isthe flag of the County of Holland. Most ofthese flags were copied from a painting inmy modest archive by the Dutch artist,Lieve Verschuier, depicting a whaling fluit offRotterdam. (Figure 21)

Turning the Fluit Into a Whaler

Shipbuilding was a flourishing busi-ness in Holland, especially in the Zaan area,north of Amsterdam, where thousands ofships were built. In 1707, someone counted308 ships on the stocks on one day. Theshipbuilders did not wait for customers.They built their ships and left the hull wait-ing for a buyer, after which the vessel wasfinished according to his wishes. If no buyerturned up, the shipbuilders equipped theirships as whalers to participate in one or twofishing seasons off Spitsbergen, after whichthe ships were sold to be used as traders.

Halfway the project I decided to turnmy fluit into a whaler to enliven the modelmore. Fenders were nailed to the hull, toprevent the walvissloepen (whaleboats)fromdamaging the ship when hoisted aboard. Tofacilitate hoisting the whaleboats at thestern of the ship a strong beam with blockswas attached over the poop deck. Also, usu-ally the mainmast was a little larger in di-ameter than normal, and a doubling at thebow below the waterline gave some extraprotection against the ice.

There were no major problems with

Figure 22. Abraham Storck, whalers (detail).

Figure 23. A vacuum box was used to make the whaleboats.


these adaptations, but theconstruction of the whale-boats was a different story.We do not know muchabout them, because noth-ing is written about themin the literature. We knowthey were of different con-struction than the usualsloops and boats.

On Verschuier’s paint-ing we see a whaler beingunloaded. We can see acask filled with whale-oilbeing shipped into asmaller vessel, a smalschip(narrow ship). The fluit isof the same size as the oneWitsen drew. There is,however, one difference:Witsen’s fluit did not have

Figure 24.

Figure 25. Figure 26.

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a beak-head and this one does. For our proj-ect that is not a problem. On the same pic-ture to the right we see the characteristiclines of another whaling-fluit without abeakhead; both variations were used in thetrade.

We see the underside of a whaleboat

well enough to get a fair image of the shapeand, in another painting by AbrahamStorck, we see how they were used: six orseven men rowing single-banked. The frontman was the one who threw the harpoononce the whaleboat was close enough to thewhale, the aftermost acted as the steersman,

Figure 27.


using his oar as a side rudder, while the fourin the middle were still rowing. (Figure 22)

I copied the shape of the boat Ver-schuier depicted as well as possible andmade a wooden plug. To make the threewhaleboat hulls, I used a home-made vac-uum-forming box, a simple apparatus madefrom a wooden box with a perforated topand a connection for a vacuum cleaner. Withtape, I fastened a plastic sheet in a framethat fitted the top of the box. Then I heatedthe plastic with a paint heat gun and, whenthe sheet began to sag over the plug, I turnedon the vacuum cleaner, which caused theplastic to be sucked down onto the plug. Imade three shells, and glued planks to theoutsides, and ribs, clamps and benches onthe insides. (Figure 23)

One sloop was to be stowed on deck,one to be suspended at the stern of the ship,and one was to be depicted in the process ofbeing hoisted aboard. Additional blocks,therefore, were attached to the ends of thetwo lower yards. The whaleboats were

hoisted aboard using rope slings attached tostem and stern. Every whaleboat had awhite shield painted on the bow with a letter(probably the first letter of the name of themothership) and a number, to distinguishthe boats of each whaler. For one of theboats I made a harpoon with a rope attachedto it, coiled down in a tub. (Figures 24 to 29)

Conclusion

This is not the first time the reliabil-ity of Witsen’s book on shipbuilding hasbeen proven. Besides shipbuilding, Witsenhad another interest: mapping Russia, thecountry he visited when he was young. Sci-entists who studied the information he col-lected about the country discovered exactlythe same thing: Witsen as a source is uniqueand most trustworthy.

The fluit as a ship type may lookbizarre, with its narrow decks and bulboushull, but the logic of the design shows in

Figure 28.

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A little known collection of ship portraits: the work of JosephBrichet (c.1860-1870)By Jean-Pierre Mélis

Bicentenary of the birth of Dupuy de Lôme (1816-1885); creatorof the first ironcladBy Michel Mantin and Yann Gateclou-Marest

Early photographs of Toulon shipyard: the Lentilhac collection,exhibited at the musée de la MarineBy Bernard Cros

The maritime collections of the Koç museum (Istanbul)By Patrice Decencière

Traditional Japanese fishing craft, as represented in classicalprints of the Edo eraBy Jean-Pierre Mélis

Building a model of the battleship Fuso (part 3)By Michel Mantin

NeptuniaNo. 283 (September 2016) Table of Contents

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REVUE ÉDITÉE PAR LES AMIS DU MUSÉE NATIONAL DE LA MARINE Prix : 11 €

NEPTUNIAHistoire du patrimoine maritime

this reconstruction. The popularity of thevessel is well-known and it continued beingbuilt up into the nineteenth century.

Paper and cardboard as materials forbuilding ship models are very useful, andallow the builder to produce a model in a rel-atively short time. This model was finishedafter about 400 hours of work, which is re-markably short for a complicated subjectlike this. I am most interested to find outhow long a model made of these materialswill last.

This model was bases on a thread I postedon papermodelers.com. See: http://www.pa-permodelers.com/forum/ships-water-craft/35441-17th-century-dutch-fluit.html Many thanks to Rene Hendrickx for his dig-ital support. Interested readers can contactme to obtain a pdf of the linesplan of thisfluit. [email protected]

Figure 29. Photoshop image by Emiel Hoving.

by ab hoving - thenrg.org · 212 vol. 61, no 3 fall 2016 the second reason we were not sat-isfied...

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