FRENCH AN IX 'ESPINGOLE' ?

[fernando]

Originally Posted by kronckew

i will NOT mention the XXX joke about why the camel is called the 'ship of the desert'. it will get me banned. i leave that to your fertile imaginations.

English pun; no sense in portuguese

Originally Posted by kronckew

...nice barca, fernando..

It is called a lancha (from the malay lancharam ... go figure), in a version exclusive from my fishing home town.

Originally Posted by kronckew

...you might want to beef up the gunwales* a tad, they look a bit flimsey for that coffee grinder...

Wrong angle. This may be a replica but its total length is almost 80 cms ( 31" in your lingo), and its 'amuradas' are thick enough to bear a couple coffee grinders like the one posted by Richmond .

Originally Posted by kronckew

...sadly, you would need to drill a rather large hole in a horse to mount this swivel gun. which kind of defeats the purpose as the horse would not like that.

The hole is already there; the swivel gun position would be an odd one, though. Ah, now comes the ban

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by fernando

...
The hole is already there; the swivel gun position would be an odd one, though. Ah, now comes the ban

i never considered it from that angle.

maybe as a mobile anti-aircraft weapon?

after all, leonardo invented the airplane back in the 15/16c., 300 or so yrs earlier, so they must have thought of a defence by 1812.



p.s. - googling lanch poviera brought up some images of slightly larger ones, nice looking boats. well capable of mounting his find.

[fernando]

You got it Wayne. When a kid, i used to play inside the last of them, when ashore (during the fifties).
Pity the whole fleet has disappeared. The present one is just for fun