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  • September 18, 2019 12:28 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    As the result of the recent passing of Director Mitch Michelson, the Nautical Research Guild is actively recruiting for a new Director to help lead the NRG now and into the future. You may just be the perfect person to help the NRG remain the premier ship modeling organization in the world.

    We are seeking a motivated individual, in touch with the hobby and with some great ideas who is willing to pitch in and help to improve the Nautical Research Guild and to further advance the hobby of model ship building. The Board has many needs, including help with business administration; conference planning; membership recruitment and promotion; a variety of special projects; and many, many more activities. Currently, our biggest need is an individual with a background in marketing. If you have marketing experience, we need to talk!

    Your relative skill level as a model builder is not a factor in serving as a Director; we only seek motivated individuals who have been a NRG member for a minimum of two years, with a keen interest in the hobby and a commitment to help continually improve the NRG.

    Now, some of you might be saying to yourselves you wouldn’t mind helping the NRG board with one or more of its needs, but you really don’t want to become a Director at this time. And that’s OK. We would welcome your help with one or more special projects without the full commitment of becoming a Director.

    New Directors are mentored and guided, not thrown to the wolves to figure things out on their own. He or she will work with others before being turned loose to head up a project or committee.

    If you are interested in serving the Guild as a Director, or just want more information about this position or other activities the NRG needs help with, please contact the Board Chairman, Kurt Van Dahm no later than October 21st via email at nrgdirector1@gmail.com.

    Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you soon. You won’t regret it!


  • September 02, 2019 12:30 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    This week, we lost a passionate member of the ship modeling community. Mitch Michelson died on Wednesday, August 28 from a massive heart attack. He was 66 years old. His funeral was held on August 30 in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

    Mitch joined the Nautical Research Guild in 1989. He had been a Director since 2009 and served as Chairman of the Board in 2017. Those members who have attended the annual Conference recently will remember Mitch as our humorous emcee.


    In addition to his contributions to the Guild, he was actively involved in Boy Scouts and mentored many young men to achieve Eagle Scout status. He was an avid pipe collector and served on the boards of several business organizations and his synagogue.

    He is survived by three children and three grandchildren.

    Most of all, he was my friend.

    Kurt Van Dahm

    Chairman of the Board

    Nautical Research Guild


  • August 09, 2019 1:13 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    The NRG has teamed up with Chuck Passaro and Syren Ship Modeling Co. to make the plans for Syren's new release of the 1/4-inch scale HMS Winchelsea 1764 available to Model Ship World and NRG members.

    Access to the downloadable plans and the HMS Winchelsea group build section on MSW can be purchased in the NRG store, and provides perpetual access to the downloadable plans on MSW.  See the Syren Ship Modeling Co. web site for complete details about the project and the downloadable monograph.

    The HMS Winchelsea section of the Group Projects banner on MSW has complete instructions on how to gain access.  There are also buttons for additional information about the project and access to the member build logs.

    The downloadable plans include the four large sheets of 1/4-inch scale plans and many 8 ½ x 11 pages which contain the full-size bulkhead drawings and false keel. The large plans will need to be printed on a large format printer while the bulkhead and false keel drawings can be printed on a standard home computer printer.

    One must also be a member at MSW to access the plans - it's completely free and easy to use. 


  • August 04, 2019 12:35 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    The Autumn 2019 edition of the Nautical Research Journal is now available!

    Digital subscribers can access the digital edition here.  Print subscribers will be receiving their copies by mail soon!


    Features

    • Scratch-building a Maine bateau, Part 2 by Dan Brummer
    • The Narvaez Expedition barca by Steve Harris
    • U.S.S. Olympia by Edward E. Quam
    • Tips for tiny carvings by Tony Devroude
    • Neptunia No. 294
    • Scratch building a 1:48-scale Flower-class corvette on a Fleetscale hull, Part 6 by Bruce LeCren

    Columns and Editorials

    • Editorial - Piracy...Again by Paul E. Fontenoy, NRJ Editor
    • Shop Notes, featuring A development of the Harold Hahn building method by John Garnish and Securing rat lines by William E. Sproul
    • Tips and Techniques, featuring Working in tight places by Steve Wheeler and Masking tapes by Kurt Van Dahm
    • Book Reviews


  • August 04, 2019 9:30 AM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    As the NRG's 2019 Conference gets closer, we've got some great updates on speakers, model registration, and more.

    Check out all the updated information on the 2019 NRG Conference Page.


  • May 22, 2019 12:34 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    The Summer 2019 edition of the Nautical Research Journal is now available!

    Digital subscribers can access the digital edition here.  Print subscribers will be receiving their copies by mail soon!



    On Friday, May 31, 2019 we used a new mailing service for the Summer issue of the Journal (64.2) for all mailings outside of the US – except the first-class mailings we made last week. The mailings to Canada should be much quicker as there is a special class of USPS mail that we can now use for Canada. The reliability of the service to all areas outside the US and Canada should be improved and the time to receive the Journals should be shorter.

    We are asking all our non-US members to send an email to us letting us know the date you receive the Summer Issue, 64.2 of the Journal. It is important to do this so we can make sure this service is working as it should so we know if we should keep using it. We have been assured that service should be much better than previously to all areas but especially better to Canada.

    Upon receipt of the Summer, 64.2 issue, please send an email to nrghomeoffice@gmail.com telling us your name and the date you got your Journal. We would appreciate it very much if those getting their Journals by first class mail also respond so we can compare the services.


  • March 12, 2019 1:04 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    Ships in Scale Magazine back issues are finally available.

    We have just added the digital archive issues of Seaway’s Ships in Scale Magazine to the NRG Store, again on both disc and flash drive. These back issues are named “The Early Years 1983-1999” and “The Middle Years 2000-2009”. These were sold by Seaways as “The First 105 Issues 1983-199” and “The New Millennium Edition 2000-2009” respectively. The digital archives of the years from 2010 to 2018, when the magazine ceased publication, will hopefully be available before the end of the year.

    We have also added the complete series of digital back issues of Model Ship Builder Magazine on disc or flash drive. Seaways sold these digital back issues as Volume I, Volume II and the combined “The Complete History”. We have decided to offer only “The Complete History” which includes both Vol. I & II.

    We are now also offering popular practicum reprints by Clayton E. Feldmann, MD. The first, “Building the Continental Navy Brig LEXINGTON – A Practicum” is now available. The classic “Progressive Scratch Building in Ship Modeling” is also available. Both are sold on disc or flash drive.

    We now have all the digital archive back issues of the Nautical Research Journal available at the NRG Store on either CD/DVD and flash drives.

    Go to the NRG Store to order. Remember, NRG Members get a 20% discount on the price shown. Email the NRG Office at nrghomeoffice@gmail.com with your name and town to get the discount code (you would be surprised how many NRG members share names so we need to be able to tell you apart).


  • February 15, 2019 1:25 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    Karl Heinz Marquardt passed away on January 31, 2019 at the age of 92. He was a noted author, model builder and marine artist. A very complete biography and listings of his work can be found on his website - http://karl-heinz-marquardt.com/karl-heinz-marquardt

    In addition to many articles he authored the following books:

    • Anatomy of the Ship Books
    • The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides'
    • HMS Beagle: Survey Ship Extraordinary
    • Captain Cook's Endeavour

    Other Books

    • The Global Schooner: Origins, Development, Design and Construction, 1695-1845
    • Schooners of the Global Seas
    • Eighteenth-Century Rigs and Rigging


  • February 15, 2019 1:19 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    Longtime member Roger Cole passed peacefully on Friday January 11, 2019 in his 82nd year after a short illness. Reunited with his beloved wife Jean Cole (nee Roberts). Lovingly remembered by his daughter Wendy (Jeff), his son David (Debbie), his daughter Heather, and his son Brian (Shelly). Much adored "Grandpa" of Andrew, Brendan, Sarah, Mackenzie, Jessica, Matthew and Nickolas. Funeral Service were held on Wednesday, January 16th. Donations to The Scott Mission or Covenant House would be appreciated by the family.

    Roger, as he was known to all in the NRG, joined the NRG in 1976 and during his 43 years of membership he wrote numerous articles for the Nautical Research Journal and spoke at many Guild conferences and symposiums.

    I first became aware of Roger through his writing for Model Ship Builder magazine and Ships in Scale magazine when he was a regular contributor to both magazines. Roger wrote a 14-part series in Model Ship Builder on building the Lizzie J. Cox a Chesapeake Bay Bugeye that concluded in the N/D 1988 issue. Roger authored approximately eighty-five articles in the Nautical Research Journal, Model Shipbuilder Magazine, Ships in Scale Magazine and others.

    Roger and Jean were a sort of unofficial welcoming team who sought out NRG members attending their first conference, which was easy to do – look for the startled deer look in the newbies eyes when exposed to their first NRG conference. Roger and Jean would “adopt” the newbie and take them around making introductions and making them feel at home and accepted. This was repeated conference after conference and the friendships made at previous conferences were brought up to date. Those who were “adoptees” in most cases became their life-long friends. We know of many who tell their story about being “adopted” by Roger and Jean. Three who were “adopted” went on to become NRG Directors. Bill Maxwell, Mitch Michelson and Kurt Van Dahm are the referenced three but there were many others fortunate enough to have experienced the team of Roger and Jean “adopting” them and making their introduction to the NRG so memorable.

    Roger’s modeling skills were world class. He is a featured model builder in the on-line Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad, CA established by The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship (Sherline’s founder). https://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Cole.htm

    As a member of the Nautical Research Guild's Technical Assistance Network (TAN) Roger answered many questions for the Guild. He also answered questions for individuals that far outnumbered the TAN replies. Many NRG members have related that asking a question of Roger led to a long-time personal relationship. Freely offering his expertise, Roger spoke at NRG Conferences in 1985, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2005 and 2010.

    Roger’s health kept him from attending conferences after 2010 but he was always willing to share his knowledge with others. Several times he assisted us in providing information an NRG member needed. I could always call Roger and explain the problem and he would invariably say “give him my phone number, I will be glad to help”. He was a tremendous asset to the Guild, a good friend to me and many other NRG members and he will be missed.

    The following is a listing of articles Roger wrote in the Journal:

    • NRJ Vol 23 - Shop notes on planking vise
    • NRJ Vol 23 - Shop notes on chart on scale conversion
    • NRJ Vol 23 - Shop notes on table of decimal equivalents
    • NRJ Vol 24 - Shop notes on Turning Square Stock in a Three-Jaw Chuck
    • NRJ Vol 24 - Shop notes on Wood for the Model Builder
    • NRJ Vol 26 - Model: BENJAMIN W. LATHAM
    • NRJ Vol 43 Despite All Odds: Flower-Class Corvettes and Temptress-Class Gunboats 
    • NRJ Vol 44 - Clenched-Lap Planking over a Framed Hull: Building the Naval Cutter Alert
    • NRJ Vol 44 - Despite All Odds: Flower-Class Corvettes and Temptress-Class Gunboats
    • NRJ Vol 45 - Proportions and Sizes of Blocks


  • November 20, 2018 1:30 PM | David Eddy (Administrator)

    Though lightly attended the 2018 Conference received good reviews from those who attended.  Read the entire recap and view photos from the event on the 2018 NRG Conference page.

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