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Bomb Ketch Le Salamandre

I started to build a French type model of a bomb ketch according to the plan of J. Boudriot early in May 2010. I decided that I'll build this model opened in one part to show all bulkhead inside the boat.

I began to carve the particular parts of keel, which I consequently sticked together. I made a supporting frame, in which are lodged single frames exactly on their positions. The separate frames are folded out of segments and each frame piles from two part compound segments. The supporting frame sustains the frame in precise location and holds framework against warping.

Before setting inner parts of the keel I placed two metal nuts for final gripping of a finished model to the stand so it wasn't visible and I started with inner shell planking. The frame body is firmly fixed in a stand and over bed plate bolt by two screws. The frame is set against the twisting enough, until it´s ready for at least a part of outer shell planking for stabilization. The wales are made of ebony. The ebony will be everywhere where the black painting was used on the real boat.

The finalization of outer shell planking and giving a cut to overlaps of single timbers including the plugging of shell planking, the production of inner built-in in under-deck-space in a bow for a rope anchorage with a store surgeon and sailmaker.

The entrance to this room is a hatchway with vertical beam with score before mortar hole. The boarding for mortars is inflicted on the system beams. Further there is a bottom end mainmast with a space for water pumps and a main hold with ballast from stones and by two rows barrels with water and wine laid on row wooden lath. Behind the double bulkhead is a distributing point room of the boatwain and captain´s store. Under these rooms there is a disposal site of mortar 12-inch grapes. The next room is separated from the distributing one by the door and there is situated a food store. Below this space is a gun-powder storage which is accessible by a manhole in the floor. The gun-powder is stored in barrels. There are also the boxes for storage of already repleted powdered cartouches.

The last room which is placed in a stern is used by a fireman.

The complicated construction of supporting beams gun - deck is very well visible which is reinforced by the vertical knees to the sides of the boat.

There are legering deck planks put on supporting beams. The deck is covered by the hatchways into the under-deck and made a shell planking of inner sides up to the beam for fixation of the deck beams for upper deck. In the front part is formed construction for bowsprit combined with a balk blocking anchoring cable. There was a drift pin main deck made, legered supporting beams fore deck with a wall into bow that was built this way for bigger elimination compressive waves after the shot from the mortars. The wall is duplicated for bigger fortress.

I closed a front poop, armoured wood hatchway into fore poop, inner curved wall, side board, hatchway with openings for anchor cables and occupied the breather of smokestack for cook-room. I made all the guns and seated them in place because there wouldn´t be other chance to get into this space later.

There are made the individual supporting beams of the upper deck, knees are placed only in fore - part of the upper deck. On the other hand, in rear parts, where was the captain's room are place thickened timbers. The backside gun-deck separated from other space was made of dismountable wooden partition with the door. This space was consequently separated in its middle part with a canvas board, behind which was a room for captain and his first mate. In from of the canvas board was a space for the naval mates.

After the setting of "waterways" and deck planks (in middle part thickened) I left the deck on port omitted for better view on the embedded guns and other fittings on a gun-deck.

Manufactured and embedded double anchor capstan - lower part on gun-deck and top part on upper deck. If there was also used the lower part, it was necessary to remove the central pillarets that were supporting the beams from the upper deck so the sticks could be seeded into the capstan. Further there are four water pumps made which were embedded around the mainmast. The covered platform of staircase on upper deck had a part of the roof hinged for easier passing.

The railing on the upper deck served also like the bitts. For an easy access on a upper deck from middle space served two mobile ladders. At the rear of upper deck were two low level cabins for the mates, behind the cabin on port was the officer's toilet. The crew went on a bow. The rudder traversed through the backside deck and was ruled by a stick set in to the top part. Under the bottom rudder was fixed an iron spur on a keel, for a safeguard against the interception and resulting the rapture rudder with a submerged rope.

There are outside stepstools and vertical timbers on boards which worked as a safeguard against water waves. In the middle part were the extensible cassettes which were removed during shooting from mortars for the biggest slackening space compressive wave at shooting. The sides were also armoured with iron strips for bigger stronghold. There is installed railing on fore which has a metal column and implemented plate inside of him.

I moved on a bow and began build a stem including his enforcements and ornamental wood carving. The ornamental parts are made of a boxwood.

I gradually made a bench with a space for the hand arms, binnacles, gunport covers, mortars including storage, light construction for wheelman, futtlock shroud benches including placing lower "dead eyes", into fore-part under-deck I placed the anchor cables, I finished all decorations and lamp astern.

The next photo is from Czech Republic championship in Vysoké Mýto and second one is from Europe championship in Italian LaSpezia.

After the return from Italy I started the manufacturing of masts, yards and scroll single ropes. For this purpose I upgraded the mechanism on rope walk and made mechanism on whipping. Closer to these apparatures in the section "tools".

I made both boats. The big boat has a classical planking and the sloop has a clinker planking. The components of boats were equipped with the oars and also masts.

The standing rigging was completed, all yard were hinged, moving ropes installed, five anchors on his seats placed and anchoring cable fixed. The Salamander is completed and will compete on a national competition in Dolní Lutyně.

22. - 30. August 2012 was world championship in Rieka / Croatia and Salamander won a gold medal.