Just having started building wooden ships and being a Campbell my goal is to eventually being good enough to build the JF Campbell Class Revenue Cutter. Has anyone built the Blue Jacket kit. Was there an actual Campbell ship? Where do I find more info on the class? Jerry Campbell

Saw your query on the form and thought I would answer it since I have an interest on the topsail schooner and particularly the Campbell class Baltimore Clipper. I received Bluejacket Shipcrafters kit (Us Revenue Cutter Jefferson Davis) as a gift some years ago. In studying the plans I found it would not be worth the time and effort to build it because the model used a flawed representation of the frames. Since then I have researched it off and on and recently have had a renewed interest.

But first, yes, there was a Campbell class cutter. As I recall there were 18 built around 1820s - 1850s. Joe Lane and Jefferson Davis are two that come to mind. The Campbell class Baltimore Clipper is the end of a long line of development of the coastal schooner starting in the Northeast and Bermuda in the early 1700s (actually I think the design started before that). Some of the info I have comes from a book that accompanies the above mentioned kit.

Currently the Spirit of Baltimore sails and was built form the earlier cutters.

The fault with the kit is, as I see it, is the frames. The manufacturer carved a hull with the grain running lengthwise, then sliced it like a loaf of bread. Alternately numbering or lettering every other frame. Thus they provide frames for two kits, neither of which is accurate. The grain is perpendicular to the real thing. In actual ship construction, the frames are built up of two layers with overlaying pieces to form the shape and this shape varies with each frame. Further, each frame should have a printed layout which the kit does not especially if a builder wanted to built the frames accurately .

Other than that the kit is a good quality kit. The lumber and fittings are good and the instructions that comes with the kt is good.

In the future, after some more research on the hull construction (room & space, number of frames and cant frames) I intend to loft the frames as they were actually done.

Good luck on your ship modeling. Rick