Jim Eggers, a Sun City resident, has always been passionate about ships and architecture.Ā He recently completed building a historically accurate replica of the Yacht Mary.
Eggers said, āI started this project 40 years ago.Ā I purchased this kit, which was a replica of the Yacht Mary.Ā It is 1/54 scale of the original, a gift from Amsterdam for King Charles II. It was not a fighting ship. It was a pleasure ship.ā
Jim Eggers shows off his completed model of Yacht Mary, which heās worked on for forty years. (Photo by Christine Such/My Sun Day News)
The Yacht Mary was the forerunner of pleasure yachts owned by Charles II. The ship had a very shallow draft and needed leeboards instead of a deep keel. The leeboards could be raised and lowered depending on the point of sailing. A leeboard is a form of pivoting keel commonly used by a sailboat. Yacht Mary was used to transport diplomats. She sank in 1675 after hitting rocks off the coast of England.
Eggers said, āKids came along, and I didnāt have time to work on it until I retired.Ā Nancy, my wife, supported my project, and for two hours most days, I dedicated my time to completing the model. It took me about 1000 hours to complete it.Ā The last piece was put in place on May 27.ā
The kit came from Italy and contained extensive blueprints for building the ship.Ā It contained high-precision, laser-cut board parts, maple, oak, and walnut hardwoods. In addition, cotton threads, brass parts, and nails. The canons are also brass.
Eggers said, āI had to soak the wood strips to bend it.Ā I started with building the framework; the hull was made from oak strips, again soaked and bent to the shape needed.Ā The deck was maple and needed tiny brass nails to anchor the strips. The tiny holes were drilled, and the nails were pushed in. The captainās deck was made of Walnut. The thread was provided for the ratlines.Ā They were not premade.ā
Ratlines are thin lines tied between the shrouds of a sailing ship to form a ladder. They are found on boats whose crews must go aloft to stow the sails.
āI made the two rat lines on this ship with the help of tweezers.Ā The cotton thread was provided. I started at the bottom and tied each line.Ā I made 288 knots.ā
The model Yacht Mary boasts some flags.Ā Eggers painted the flags with a mixture of glue and water, similar to decoupage, holding the material in place, making them appear waving in the wind.
Yacht Mary was the first Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy. The ship struck rocks off Anglesey in thick fog on March 25, 1675. The boat was discovered by SCUBA divers in 1971.
Eggers said, āThere is a large Facebook community of hobbyists with the same passion for ship building. Model Expo at modelexpo-online.com/ carries a variety of historically accurate wooden model kits. I also need a lighted head magnifier to be able to complete the detailed work.ā
Eggers is now reviewing the kits available and has decided on his next project.
āI am looking to take on the challenge of building the Bounty; it has three masts,ā he said. āI enjoyed the process of building and have a sense of accomplishment when it is done.ā
The Bounty was a British merchant ship that the Royal Navy purchased in 1787 for a botanical mission. The ship was 90 feet 10 inches long with a beam of 24 feet 4 inches. Her three masts varied in height from 48 to 59 feet.
Anyone who wants more info on theĀ ship-building hobby can contact Jim Eggers at jim.eggers13390@gmail.com.
