Prologue.

Hello everyone, my name is Sergey, but in the ship modeling world I'm better known as serikoff.

I am concurrently building two scale models of the Naval Cutter Alert [1777].

The 1st model is a PoF hull: a framework with partial planking based on a kit by Trident Model. However, only the frames, keel, and deck substructure were used from the kit (which, in fact, accurately replicate the hull characteristics from the Anatomy of the Ship book). All other details, planking, and metal components were scratch-built. This model will remain a hull-only skeleton without masts or rigging.

The 2nd model is completely scratch-built, featuring masts, rigging, and sails. I scanned the fully assembled 1st hull using a 3D scanner and printed it on a 3D printer; the 2nd hull is based on this printed frame. Additionally, I scanned the "Anatomy of the Ship" for this vessel and calibrated the drawings to match the hull dimensions from the 1:48 scale kit. All further construction will rely exclusively on the drawings I created from the Anatomy. The model will be executed in a museum-quality style with a weathered effect achieved using Bitumen.

Materials used in construction:

• Wood: Pearwood (6 distinct shades), Black and Blue Hornbeam, Yellow Boxwood, (+cherry in 1st hull).

• Metal: Copper, Brass, Steel + Copper electroplating of 3D-printed plastic and chemical blackening.

• Thread: Amann 100% polyester thread + oil paint tinting; Percale fabric + bitumen weathering.

• Finish: Tung / Danish Oil + weathering with Bitumen.

The project started in January 2025. Here, I will post summary logs with cross-links to my personal (non-commercial) website. If anyone is interested in exploring all the processes in greater detail, you can follow those links. I document every stage thoroughly, but time doesn't allow me to duplicate every single post here. Once I catch up to the current stage of the build, all updates will be posted here in full detail.

Table of Contents.

1. Creating CAD drawings based on the ship's Anatomy book.

2. Creating a comprehensive rigging guide for this cutter.

3. Building the 1st PoF hull using the Trident Model kit as a base.

4. 3D scanning and producing a duplicate hull. Planking of the 2nd hull, deck laying.

5. Scratch-building all deck furniture and hull fittings in two distinct variants.

6. 3D modeling and 3D printing of parts intended for copper plating.

7. Fabricating metal components via electroplating (copper plating of 3D-printed plastic).

8. Finishing wood surfaces with various oils and weathering with Bitumen.

9. Making and dyeing rigging lines. DIY ropewalk construction.

Sister ships for visual reference to show how this cutter will look.

Working on drawings.

1. I scanned the plans included with the Trident kit and enlarged them by 5%, as they didn't match the kit parts at 1:1 scale.
2. I scanned the entire anatomy of Goodwin's Cutter Alert 1777.
3. In Photoshop, I calibrated the hull and parts from the anatomy to match the kit plans, and then created my own drawing.
4. I also created plans for the masts and rigging in a similar manner. But that's a separate topic, and I'll cover it in the next section—the Cutter Alert rigging.

This is what 1:1 drawings at 48th scale look like, printed on A0 format (841 x 1189 mm).

Now, let's take a closer look at the hull drawings and all the parts on it (not including the masts and rigging, which will be covered in the next article).

So, why did I create my own drawings? It's logical that models aren't built from anatomy alone, and accurate, full-size paper drawings are needed. Since I had a hull drawing from a kit (which fairly accurately followed the ship's contours), I needed to scale all the parts and the hull itself from the anatomy scans to the dimensions of my hull from the kit drawings. This was necessary to have precise dimensions and sizes for all the elements on the hull and deck, since I'll be making them from scratch. Incidentally, I'll be making most of these parts for the kit hull as well, so I'll be making two sets at once, which is convenient.
This might also be useful to you if you're building this model. So, if you have a Trident Model kit and want to add planking and some improvements, my work will definitely be useful. And if you'd like to make rigging and sails, the next post contains instructions and drawings for all of this.

Below is a sample A0 sheet...

...and since this format cannot be posted here in its entirety, you can download the original from Google Drive using this link >>>.

ATTENTION! This drawing (like all the drawings in the next post) is constantly being developed and revised, so the final version will only be available at the end of construction. For now, this is a preliminary sample and may contain errors. Any complaints against me will be unfounded, as it's up to you to decide whether to blindly believe everything in this, verify all the data, or do everything yourself. Constructive criticism and comments are welcome.

Full Rigging (masts, yards, and sails) of the Naval Cutter Alert 1777 by serikoff

I spent a long time studying the anatomy of this ship and other books on rigging...

...and created my own manual and drawings for constructing masts and all rigging (including sails). I did this for myself, relying on various sources, as the anatomy is full of errors, typos, and inaccuracies... and even more omissions! I will write about all of this in future posts, justifying all the corrections and proposed implementations of various components. You can download all of the material from this link on Google Drive. Rigging Alert 1777 by Serikoff.

But I repeat! The drawings and diagrams are a work in progress and are not a finished product. By the time of publication, I had already made many revisions. Therefore, all the completed drawings and diagrams will be available only at the end of construction!

Here is an example of what the first two sketches look like, which are done at a scale of 1:48! A0 format (841 x 1189 mm).

 

Below are diagrams of the rigging and sails. I've also recalculated all the rope and cable diameters at 1:48 scale. When I work on the rigging on the model, I'll check and make any changes to this guide. Ultimately, I hope to create the most comprehensive guide to rigging English cutters of the period (at least, that's what I hope).

Update: The first version has been removed and replaced with the second one. 

 

2.0 version of my rigging guide for the cutter Alert 1777.

Previously, I wrote that I used many rigging books (listed above), about 15 volumes of Ship Anatomies from that period, and used 2 artificial intelligences to cross-check the data. This took more than 80 hours of work, I hope you appreciate it...

What was done:

• Several rigging nodes were drastically changed, as a cutter is a unique vessel and it is not enough to simply take the forward rigging from a 3-masted ship ahead of the foremast and connect it with the aft rigging abaft the mizenmast—it doesn't work that way here! Plus, everything is complicated by the fact that this cutter does not have proper bulwarks with pinrails, making everything even more difficult. One could, of course, not bother and just wing it, but I decided to dig out the truth, and I hope I succeeded.

• Anatomy errors were corrected, of which there are quite a few, but most importantly...

• Many nodes omitted in the Anatomy were added, without which no vessel can function. Among the most significant:

1. Spreadyard lifts (topenants), without which the entire structure simply could not be horizontally stable.

2. Heavy burton pendants were added (as every vessel needed to load items into the hold or handle the ship's boat).

3. Indicated which rigging was served/wormed and what kind of seizing was used where.

4. Dead connections were replaced in places where they should be quick-release setups—which is practically everywhere, since this is a cutter.

5. Indicated how the sails were bent and how the running ends of the entire rigging were led (which is completely absent in the Anatomy).

6. Added the mainsail reef tackle system, which no cutter could do without.

7. Indicated how the gaff blocks were rigged so as not to interfere with housing the topgallant mast.

8. Provided alternative options for rigging and joining nodes (you can choose).

9. Added a shroud pinrail on the shrouds and described its appearance.

10. Detailed the sail corners, connections, and how they were bent to the yards.

11. Detailed the working principle of the anchor gear and added rigging for securing the ship's boat.

12. Added footropes on the spreadyard, as it was from there that the square sail was reefed.

13. Added the flying sail traveler system on the spreadyard and detailed its mechanism.

14. Calculated the diameters of every single rigging rope and cable.

15. Updated the belaying plan for the running ends of all rigging... and much more.

16. Made text annotations to explain the nodes.

17. At the end of the post, I provided a definition for each rigging term to make it easier to understand what line was responsible for what.

*If you open the image in a new tab, it will be in its original quality.
You can also download all the diagrams via a direct link from Google Drive. Rigging Alert 1777 by Serikoff

Please note: I could be wrong, so I'm not asking anyone to take my word for it. I'm simply sharing all the information I've gathered bit by bit and showing how I'll be doing it. Since the rigging is still a long way off, changes may be made along the way. At the very end, after I've completed all the rigging on my model, I'll post the final version.

 

 

Below I've broken down all the rigging on this ship and explained in detail what it does:

STANDING RIGGING

Main stay (Fore stay)

• Lanyard - The primary heavy rope preventing the mast from falling aft. The lanyard is a thinner line reeved through deadeyes or hearts to provide powerful tension to this stay.

• Seizings - Small lines wound tightly around the turned-back end of the stay to securely bind it in place and form the eye.

• Worming - Spiraling a fine line (spunyarn) along the lay between the strands of the rope to smooth its surface before parceling and serving, protecting it from internal moisture.

Main Preventer stay

• Lanyards - A redundant, auxiliary stay running parallel to the main stay to support the mast in action. It is tensioned using its own separate lanyards.

• Seizing

• Worming

Main Shrouds

• Deadeye lanyard - Heavy ropes supporting the mast from the sides to prevent lateral swaying. The deadeye lanyard is the running line laced through the three holes of a pair of deadeyes to set up and tension the shrouds.

• Seizings - Strong rope bindings that secure the shrouds at their eyes over the masthead and around the upper deadeyes.

• Ratline - Small tarred lines hitched horizontally across the shrouds at regular intervals, serving as the steps of a rope ladder for climbing aloft.

Running Backstays

• standing end of RBs - Movable rigging supporting the mast from abaft. The standing end is the long, fixed section of the rope leading from the mast head, passing through a block, and ending in a tackle block.

• tackles falls - The running ends of the ropes reeved through the backstay tackle blocks, used by the crew to haul the weather backstay taut or ease the lee one.

Bowsprit Shrouds

• tackle - Heavy ropes securing the outboard end of the bowsprit to the vessel's bows for lateral support. The tackles allow their tension to be adjusted as the spars flex.

Topgallant

• Fore stay

  • tackles

  • A thin stay supporting the topgallant mast from forward. It leads down to the jibboom end, returns through a block toward the hull, and is tensioned via tackles.

• Backstays

  • tackles

  • Long, light ropes leading from the topgallant masthead down to the channels to support the spar from abaft, set up taut with small tackles.

RUNNING RIGGING

Foresail

• Foresail halyard

  • tackle

  • The line and blocks utilized by the crew to hoist the head (upper corner) of the foresail up along the stay.

• Foresail downhauler

  • A running line secured to the head of the foresail and leading down to the deck; used to forcibly haul the sail down during heavy weather.

• Foresail sheet tackle

  • A tackle system secured to the aft lower corner (clew) of the foresail to control its trim and position relative to the wind. These tackles are fixed to an iron travel-ring that slides automatically across an iron horse bolted athwartships to the deck beams.

• Foresail tack

  • A line or tack-piece holding the lower forward corner (tack) of the sail firmly down near the stemhead.

Jib

• Jib halyard

  • tackle

  • A tackle and block system used to hoist the jib up into its working position.

• Jib sheet

  • tackle

  • The running line and tackles holding the clew of the jib to regulate its trim from the quarterdeck or main deck.

• Jib tack

  • A short strop or line securing the lower forward corner of the jib to the movable traveler ring on the bowsprit.

• Jip travelling inhauler

  • A line used to haul the traveler ring (jib traveler) back inboard toward the stem when dousing or furling the sail.

• Jip travelling outhauler

  • A line passing through a sheave at the bowsprit end used to haul the traveler ring with the sail outboard along the bowsprit.

Flying jib

• Flying jib halyard

  • A light running line used to hoist the head of the flying jib to the topmast head.

• Flying jib tack

  • A line securing the tack of the flying jib to the outermost end of the bowsprit or jibboom.

• Flying jib sheet

  • The running rigging line used to control and trim the aft clew of the flying jib.

Mainsail

• Mainsail sheet

  • Rigging designed to extend the foot of the sail and adjust the belly of the mainsail along the boom.

• Mainsail reef pendants

  • tackle

  • Heavy lines passed through the reef points and cringles of the sail to shorten its area step by step in high winds, hauled taut via reef tackles.

• Mainsail bralls

  • Four distinct lines (two on each side) used to gather and haul the aft leech of the mainsail forward to the mast when brailing up or lowering the gaff, preventing the sail from billowing out board when the gaff is dropped.

• Mainsail Gaff lacing

  • A line passed through the eyelets of the head of the sail and wound spirally around the gaff to secure the sail upper edge to the spar.

Peak halyard

• tackle

  • A system of ropes and blocks used to hoist, support, and adjust the outer end (peak) of the gaff at the correct angle.

• Gaff Span

  • A wire or heavy rope span fitted with eyes, fixed permanently at both ends along the timber of the gaff, serving as a secure traveler or attachment point for the peak halyard blocks.

Gaff Jeers

• Heavy, powerful tackles used to vertically hoist, support, and lower the throat of the gaff at the mast.

Boom topping lift

• tackle

  • A line running from the masthead down to the outboard end (nock) of the boom. It supports the weight of the boom, preventing it from crashing onto the deck when the mainsail is lowered or being reefed.

Boom sheet tackle

• Heavy lower tackles that rigidly control and secure the angle of the boom relative to the vessel's stern, preventing dangerous swinging.

Square sail

• Square sail yard tie

  • A heavy rope or tye by which the square sail yard itself is suspended and hoisted up the mast.

• Square sail reef

  • Lines or points used to reduce the height and area of the square sail as the wind freshens.

• Square sail sheet

  • A line securing the lower aft corner of the square sail and leading inboard to the vessel's side.

• Square sail tack

  • A rope hauling the lower forward corner of the square sail down and forward to keep the weather edge taut.

• Square sail bowline

  • A line attached to the vertical leech of the square sail to haul it forward into the wind, preventing the weather edge from curling back.

• Squaresail lacing

  • A spiral lacing line used to quickly secure the head of this temporary sail to its yard, allowing it to be easily detached and stowed below.

Topsail

• Spreadyard tie

  • A tye line used for the vertical hoisting of the spreadyard up the mast.

• Spreadyard brace

  • Lines attached to the yardarms to swing and wheel the yard horizontally to face the wind.

• Spreadyard lift

  • Lines supporting the ends (yardarms) of the yard to keep it strictly horizontal.

• Topsail yard tie

  • The tye line designed to hoist the upper topsail yard along the topmast.

• Topsail yard brace

  • Running lines secured to the topsail yardarms to control its horizontal angles relative to the wind.

• Topsail sheet

  • Lines that extend and sheet home the lower corners of the topsail out to the ends of the spreadyard below it.

• Topsail clewline

  • Lines that haul the lower corners (clews) of the topsail up to its own yard for rapid spilling and furling.

• Topsail bowline

  • Lines used to haul the weather leeches of the topsail forward when sailing close to the wind.

• Topsail truss

  • A parrel or collar holding the topsail yard close to the mast, preventing it from swinging away forward.

• Footrope

  • Ropes slung loosely beneath the yards for the crew to stand upon while working aloft to furl or reef the sails.

• Topsail robands

  • Small braided rope-bands or yarn ties that lash the head of the topsail securely to the topsail yard.

Topgallant sail

• Topgallant tie

  • tackle

  • A line fitted with small tackles used to hoist the topgallant yard to the topgallant masthead.

• Topgallant sheet

  • Thin lines extending the lower corners of the topgallant sail out to the yardarms of the topsail yard below it.

• Topgallant yard lacing

  • A spiral lacing line for temporary attachment of the topgallant sail to its yard, allowing rapid deployment and removal.

Top rope

• A heavy, strong line used to hoist or sway up and lower the topmast through the cap and trestletrees during rigging setup or dismantling.

NECESSARY ROPES

• Cat-fall

  • A heavy rope reeved through cat-blocks by which the anchor is hoisted from the water's surface up to the cathead using the windlass.

• Fish tackle pendent

  • A heavy rope pendant equipped with a large iron hook, lowered from the fish davit to catch the fluke of the anchor when lifting it onto the gunwale.

• Cat-Stoppers

  • Strong, secure chains or ropes (the cat-stopper for the ring and the shank-painter for the fluke) used to lash the anchor tightly to the hull for sea-going storage.

• rope

  • The thickest, heaviest cable of the vessel, bent to the anchor ring to hold the ship fast when riding at anchor.

• Flag halliard

  • Light, thin lines used to hoist flags, pennants, and signals to the masthead or gaff peak.

• Boat Gripes

  • lanyards

  • Wide, heavy canvas or rope lashings passed over the hull of the ship's boat. Their lanyards are laced through small deadeyes or hearts to deck rings, clamping the boat rigidly to the deck during heavy weather.

I will try to make all the changes as they come in, but the original source of this article is here >>>

Welcome to DDM! Hope your log migration would go smooth 😊 Looking forward to the realtime part of the log!

11 minutes ago, Mike Y said:

Welcome to DDM! Hope your log migration would go smooth 😊 Looking forward to the realtime part of the log!

Thanks for the invitation and hospitality. I see you're the administrator here, that's awesome. 😎 I remember the days when I was an administrator too... well, I actually owned a similar forum (one of the largest in Ukraine), but with the start of the war, it died due to a hosting and domain conflict, and one day, absolutely all the photos from the forum disappeared. But the past is the past... I like to share my experience and knowledge (I also gained it from various similar forums back in the day). So, if there's activity and interest from the local residents, I'm ready to show the entire construction process in as much detail as possible. 🫡

Hallo Sergej,

Nice Tomate you at DDM. I follow your Alert project for a long time and I am really impressed from your work.

2 hours ago, AnobiumPunctatum said:

Hallo Sergej,

Nice Tomate you at DDM. I follow your Alert project for a long time and I am really impressed from your work.

Thank you! I'm glad to see you here as the founder. 😎 I'm also thrilled with your work milling perfect parts. I'd love to have this technology, and maybe someday it will happen. In the meantime, I'll continue to make my models on my knee.🤣

Cutter Alert 1777 Trident Model's Kit Review 1:48 (from AliExpress)

There are many reviews of this kit on online forums, including mine.

So, if you're interested in its components, quality, and dimensions, you can check out my detailed review of this kit on my website>>>.

In short, the kit is very good. For complete beginners, it may be a bit more challenging than I'd like, but anyone who's built at least one model will definitely appreciate its quality.

The frame kit is excellent, as are the decks. For beginners, all the other parts, both wooden and metal, will be an excellent base for a good model. However, for those looking to take things to the next level, I recommend a few modifications. All of them are described in detail in my build review. While I have no issues with the hull (it follows the contours of the anatomy drawings very well), I have some concerns with the deck parts, as well as the metal parts. As with any kit, there are some scale errors, simplifications, and inaccuracies. But I repeat, for the first, second and even 3rd model this set is excellent!

VOLUME 1. PoF 1st HULL

Chapter 1. Frames.

PREPARATION:

1. Cleaning – Removing sawdust left by the CNC router to minimize mess later.

2. Numbering – Marking each part with its respective number.

3. Sorting – Extracting and organizing each frame’s parts into separate bags for structured storage.

4. Trimming – Removing milling tabs and ensuring 90-degree angles in rounded router-cut corners.

CONSTRUCTION:

5. Gluing – Assembling frame parts using dedicated jigs.

6. Sanding - removing glue and polishing the surface.

7. Shaping – Refining the frames to achieve the correct geometry.

8. Simulating bolts that join the frame parts.

You can read a detailed report on the work done with the frames, with a detailed analysis of all manipulations, at this link. >>>

Chapter 2. The Keel

2.1 preparation (removal, removal of racks)
2.2 fitting, reworking of defects
2.3 first gluing (parts of false keel and parts of keel)
2.4 profiling, grinding and fitting of frames
2.5 rework (grooves, holes and XVIII)
2.6 lodgements for front and rear frames

You can read a detailed report on the work done with the keel, with a detailed analysis of all manipulations, at this link. >>>

11 hours ago, serikoff said:

While I have no issues with the hull (it follows the contours of the anatomy drawings very well), I have some concerns with the deck parts, as well as the metal parts.

I cannot agree with your assessment. It is true that the kit follows the AotS reference exclusively. However, this very fact is the kit’s greatest drawback. The first edition of the book is now around 40 years old. The underlying documentation appears to be even older. Knowledge evolves, and this is not taken into account in the kit.

The weaknesses of the AotS volume have been carried over into the kit.

• Construction of the bow

• Frame design

• Deadwoods

In my view, the kit’s designer also failed to understand the construction of the stern on the original. This last point was the reason I decided not to buy the kit a few years ago.

You can build a really beautiful model with this kit – no question about it – but as a model-maker, you then have to live with the limitations.

1 hour ago, AnobiumPunctatum said:

I cannot agree with your assessment. It is true that the kit follows the AotS reference exclusively. However, this very fact is the kit’s greatest drawback. The first edition of the book is now around 40 years old. The underlying documentation appears to be even older. Knowledge evolves, and this is not taken into account in the kit.

The weaknesses of the AotS volume have been carried over into the kit.

• Construction of the bow

• Frame design

• Deadwoods

In my view, the kit’s designer also failed to understand the construction of the stern on the original. This last point was the reason I decided not to buy the kit a few years ago.

You can build a really beautiful model with this kit – no question about it – but as a model-maker, you then have to live with the limitations.

I completely agree. There are so many errors in the anatomy that it's hard to count them, and they're all repeated in the kit, plus it's full of its own mistakes. But overall, if you adapt and correct it as much as possible, you can achieve the most acceptable appearance, and that's exactly what I do. It might be easier to start from scratch, but the answer is definitely not easier. For this model, it was easiest and quickest to do what I did—adapt the anatomy drawings to the kit. Doing it from scratch would have taken a lot of time and preparation, and I don't have a CNC machine to make that many parts, so the choice was obvious. I also duplicated the hull, which opened up the possibility of quickly producing a second model. But I completely agree with you; it's a shame there aren't any proper drawings of this cutter.

Chapter 3. Carcass Assembly

keel (rework and gluing of keel),
stern (gluing the rear of the ship),

Assembly of the Slipway.

Keel.

For the second model, I made the keel from scratch, and I regret not doing the same for the first (this) model. I recommend redoing the keel, as the joints and holes are incorrect. I'll demonstrate how to do this using the second hull as an example later in the review.

You can find detailed information about how I carried out all these manipulations with a step-by-step report and explanations here >>>

If you're not a beginner, I recommend repurposing the keel from the kit and making it without any simplifications. I'll cover this in future parts.

Chapter 4. Assembly: Frames

Front frames.

Stern.

Middle frames.

You can find detailed information about how I carried out all these manipulations with a step-by-step report and explanations here >>>

I'll be following this log with keen interest. Very generous of you to share the results of your research and careful work.

I have the AotS for the Alert and have thought about giving it a try. These resources will make a huge difference!

2 hours ago, Griphos said:

I'll be following this log with keen interest. Very generous of you to share the results of your research and careful work.

I have the AotS for the Alert and have thought about giving it a try. These resources will make a huge difference!

Thanks for the review. I'll be going over this build in detail, so if you're thinking about building something similar, I think you'll definitely find this helpful.😉

Chapter 5. Interior Planking.

Sanding of ship hull inner surface.

Interior Planking.

You can find detailed information about how I carried out all these manipulations with a step-by-step report and explanations here >>>

Chapter 6. Lower Deck p.1

Sanding the outer surface of the hull.

Lower Deck.

You can find detailed information about how I carried out all these manipulations with a step-by-step report and explanations here >>>

Very nice framing work!! That’s going to look really good with a finish on it.

Chapter 7. Lower Deck p.2

Keel.

The result immediately after applying Tung Oil:

You can find detailed information about how I carried out all these manipulations with a step-by-step report and explanations here >>>

That concludes Volume 1!

I then scanned this corpus and made a duplicate, but that will be in the next volume.

Thank you for your views, comments, and feedback.

I'll be happy to help if anyone has any questions.

Peace to all!