Cap'n Rat Fink

Hi guys, just wanted to share the outcome of the my "experiment" on fixing the bulge on the bulkheads. Here's the half hull mock up I made (pardon the old, worn out ply I used for this project, I wanted to make sure I don't waste any wood if my efforts fail )
 

 
I think the bulge is now gone based on the run of the temporary planks I attached.
 

 
Now it's time to make a new hull using better ply....... on second thought, I think I could live with this dirty old plywood and just attach my spare bulkheads for the starboard side (too lazy to cut new bulkheads again ) Thanks very much again for all the help guys, I appreciate it

Hi guys,
 
Well, after going through nearly all the stages of depression due to my illness, I am slowly getting back on my feet. Thanks first and foremost to the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom I find my strength and salvation, and of course, thanks to all you guys who have given me support in one way or another
 
This ship is included in my bucket list so I figure it's time to devote a bit of time to the shipyard, which as can be seen, needs a bit of tidying up 
 

 
Anyway, I thought I'd share what little I have accomplished these past several months:
 
 
 
First off, I encountered a slight problem brought about by my haste to get the hull done quickly
 
As previously mentioned, my hull is a combination of bulkheads that I made from the NMM draughts as well as from MSW plans.
Below is a printout of my CAD work showing the NMM plan juxtaposed to the MSW centerboard plan to illustrate the problem:
 

 
As can be seen in the close up, MSW bulkheads number 6 and 18 fall directly on gunports:
 

 
I had several options to solve this, but being the lazy guy that I am, I decided on the simplest one and that was to cut off the affected bulkhead extensions and just reposition  new extensions away from the area of the gunports:
 

 
 
I also managed do a bit of planking and used cherry strip to mark the sheer so as to make it easier to position the second planking later on. Cherry was also used to set the upper and lower borders of the gunports since I plan to use this wood for my second planking:
 
                I've also been doing some CAD work for my stern lights and stern fascia:             Once I'm done test fitting/tweaking cardboard printouts of these, I plan to send the files to Chuck for laser cutting. He makes some beautiful laser cut parts as seen in the discussion below  :   http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8923-laser-cut-deck-beams-from-syren-ship-model-company/?hl=%2Blaser+%2Bcut+%2Bdeck+%2Bbeams     Last but not least is the long and excruciating work that I've done during the Christmas holiday, and that was..... drum roll please........                             ....to frame a pair of gun ports       Now I just have to complete 24 gunports on the gundeck and 6 gunports on the quarterdeck, which should be finished in another year or so             That's it for now, thanks again guys                
 
 
 
 
 

Just a wee bit of update guys, the first planking of the lower hull has been finished:
 

 

 

 
So far, the hull shape seems acceptable enough to warrant proceeding to framing the gun ports
 
Sigh, it's times like these that I wish I was building a 4-gun schooner, instead of a 28-gun frigate

Hi Sjors,
 
You're just in time my friend, here are my latest updates 
 
 
While drawing my bulkheads, I've experienced some difficulties tracing the middle-most stations as they have incomplete lines (red boxes):
 
 

 
This caused some head-scratching for some time, until I recalled my previous findings:
 
1. The hull that I currently have has modified aft and fore bulkheads based on the "as proposed" Modified Mermaid Class Body Plan, which upon juxtaposing on CAD, is spot-on with the "as built" Triton Body Plan I am using now.
 
2. The deck levels and overall length of the MSW profile plan, which I used to create my centerboard were also pretty close to the as built plans.
 
To check for accuracy, I printed the fore and aft-most bulkheads that I drew on CAD and compared them with those on my current hull..... law and behold, they were very close indeed with a maximum difference of about 1mm in some areas.
 
These results, plus my hesitance to "guess" the shape of the middle-most bulkheads,prompted me to just continue working on my current hull, which is a mix of NMM-based fore and aft bulkheads and MSW-based bulkheads at the midship area.
 
I did some final tweaking to all my modified bulkheads using the cardboard cut outs of my CAD drawings then proceeded to drawing the stern frames. I decided to make only the innermost (green) and outermost timbers (blue)... a lazy shortcut I adapted from most of the kits I have built 
 

 
With the time consuming drawing-work finally done, it was time to make some wood dust in the workshop 
 
Of course, since this is an "experimental hull", I decided that I will double-plank her, starting with an initial layer of lime planks at the lower hull just to see how fair she would be.
Furthermore, since this is only the first planking, I will not strictly follow all the "planking rules" and just accept the "pointy" plank ends for now 
If the hull shapes up nicely, I will give it a decent second planking, if not.... well, let's just say that there will be a lot of extra wood for cooking barbecue 
 
As a review on why I went through all the above intricacies, here is the "bulge" in the lower hull that had me worried hence my decision to modify my bulkheads:
 

 
 
Here now is my "haphazard first planking" to show how the hull is shaping up... so far no bulge is rearing its head but I'll know for sure once I'm finished
 

 
I made the extensions of the bulkheads and stern frames thicker for strength... I will trim them down to proper size once I'm finished with the planking:
 

 
Here is my "kit-inspired" stern with only four stern timbers reminiscent of my Caldercraft and Amati kits..... note also my violation of planking rules giving rise to numerous "pointy" stealers 
 

 
 
 
Sigh... each time I see my NMM Plan alongside my model, I realize that I have a loooong way to go before she even starts to look like a ship
 

 
I thought I'd also make a size-comparison with my 1/64 Amati Pegasus Sloop:
 
They seem to be almost the same size.....
 

 
 
.... well, maybe not exactly the same size
 

 
 
That's it for now, my next update will be upon completion of the lower hull first planking, during which, I will decide if the hull shape is acceptable enough to warrant some decent second planking or if it is better suited as kindling for the barbecue grill

Thanks Christian, I'm pleased to know that you plan to correct the offending frames on Triton, that'll be of great help to all builders of this beautiful ship. Also if by some chance you decide to re-trace the Profile, Half-breadth and Body plan of Triton on CAD, and correct the distortions, I hope you won't mind sharing them as they would be of great help in making a more accurate centerboard and set of bulkheads 
 
 
Thanks Fam, CAD is indeed the most accurate method for re-drafting new bulkheads 24 and 18, it's included in my priority list of "things to learn"
 
For now however, given my zero knowledge on CAD, I came up with a low-tech approach to correcting all involved bulkheads without any re-drafting. This was to make a new centerboard with no open slots then mark the stations of the draught directly onto the centerboard:
 

 
 
This basically allowed me to use the provided sections in the draught to make "half bulkheads" and stick these directly to their corresponding stations in the centerboard:
 

 
 

 

 
 
As seen in the pic below of the front bulkheads, I basically disregarded the bulkhead slots in the centerboard and just attached the new bulkheads traced from the draught onto their corresponding stations:
 

 
 
A downside to this is the stations are pretty close together so I have to use thinner bulkheads to avoid fouling the gunports.
 
Another major limitation is that I have to choose my bulkheads carefully, making sure I don't use the distorted ones (encircled)
 
 
 
 
Knowledge on CAD would have been very helpful in correcting all these distortions thereby allowing me a wider selection of bulkheads to choose from... of course, if anyone knowledgeable on CAD is willing to volunteer retracing my new draught when it arrives, and correcting all the distortions, I'm just a PM away 
 
 
 

Thank you very much for the kind words, Christian and Fam, I appreciate it
 
Fam, before answering your questions, let me first clarify that these modifications are just based on my very limited understanding of nautical matters and only serve as an alternative approach to building this ship. The provided plans are more than enough to produce a beautiful model, and I just decided to do things a bit differently. Furthermore, let me add a disclaimer that my draughts were purchased way back when NMM allowed us to choose the level of resolution that we will buy, and being the cheapskate that I am, I bought the smallest sized plans, which of course would give fairly limited details. The plans I am using are about the same size as this HMS Pegasus draught that I got at about the same time:
 

 
I have purchased a much higher resolution "as built" profile/lines drawing of Triton this week, and my modifications may change depending on what I see in this more detailed draught.
 
Now that I've clarified these matters, here are the answers to your questions:
 
 
Presently no, because I used the inboard profile for the Modified Mermaid Class, which appears to have the least amount of distortion, for my profile comparison. As such, the bowsprit height provided in that profile may not be specific for Triton. As previously stated I purchased a high resolution as built draught of Triton and it is this that I will use for getting the bowsprit height since this is more specific to her.
 
 
Yes, the bulkheads were compared to the plans, but like I said before, my current plans don't have a very high resolution and thus my work may undergo further modification once I get my hands on the high resolution plans. 
 
 
 
 

Did you find if the error is here or there?
Might you provide a comparison of the new re-drawn profiles with those provided for the community built?
 
Thank you so much
Fam
 
 
I took some pics with my phone to illustrate my answers here (sorry for the pic quality)
 
Comparison of the POB plans with the draught posed quite a challenge as not all the bulkheads corresponded to a particular station (see below):
 

 
As seen above only the aftmost stations numbered 1, 4, and 7 corresponded with bulkheads 27, 21 and 15 respectively so comparison was only possible among these. Here are the comparison results:
 
1. Bulkhead 27 versus 1st aftmost station: the discrepancy is pretty clear here.
 

 
2. Bulkhead 21 versus 4th aftmost station: the discrepancy does not seem very pronounced.
 

 
BUT juxtaposing the bulkhead with the station shows the discrepancy more clearly:
 

 
 
3. The same was true for Bulkhead 15 versus aftmost station number 7:
 

 

 
 
 
So, based on the pics above, it would appear that the bulkheads 15, 21 and 27 are not very consistent with the stations corresponding to them. Of course, changing these three bulkheads to correspond to their respective stations would also require modifications of the bulkheads in between them (bulkheads 18 and 24). So far, this is only what I've accomplished with this primitive little experiment.
 
I do have a very encouraging finding: As you go towards the waist, the discrepancy becomes less and I've noted that the middle-most bulkhead in the provided plans and the middle-most station in the draught (bulkhead/station 0) are spot on to one another, thus giving me hope that majority of the bulkheads at the waist are faithful to the draught  
 
I have yet to work on the other bulkheads and of course, my bulkheads are still open to further changes based on what I see in the high resolution plans, as well as additional feedback/tips/corrections that you, or our other members may provide  One thing is sure, I really have to learn CAD as doing these corrections manually is starting to feel a bit tedious

Hi guys,
 
Just a wee bit of update on what I've accomplished with my Triton.
 
First, I thought I'd share the modifications that I planned to do to my ship's center board, in the hope of decreasing the amount of detailing that I have to do and also to provide slots that will allow me to easily secure the masts/bowsprit with their proper rake (see picture below):

 

 

 

 
 
The modified centerboard proved fairly easy to do, however, I came upon some problems when I made the bulkheads as some of them, particularly the aft-most ones gave some odd looking shape to the hull when test planks were temporarily attached. A detailed discussion on this can be seen in the link below:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1929-question-regarding-lines-of-hms-triton-1771/
 
I decided to compare the provided plans with the original draughts rescaled to 1/64. The original inboard profile proved to be pretty much spot on with the provided plans (save for the height of the bowsprit):
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
The bulkheads on the other hand, posed some challenges as some of them were not very close to the originals. I finally decided to make some new bulkheads using some of the stations in the original draughts.
 

 
 
 
Well, that's it for now, just need to make about 3 more bulkheads for the stern section then I can move on to adding the stern timbers
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the kind words, Pete, Mark, Daniel, Grant, Christian and Guy, I appreciate it
 
Mark, thanks for the tips on how to minimize wood wastage, I'll give them a try
Daniel, thanks for those tips on marking the different keel parts with a knife and pencil, it'll come in really handy
 
Just a bit of update guys, I'm finally done cutting the keel pieces. It's a very simplified version with only a few pieces (5 to be exact)... a testament to my laziness
I made the keel slightly longer than recommended so as to allow some room for tweaking, if needed later on
 




 
I was pretty surprised to see just how big this ship really is.... at 1/96 scale, she's almost as long as my 1/64 Swan Class Sloop so I could imagine just how big she would be if I made her in 1/64 scale

 
Well, that's it for now, time to drop a line at the "access request page" so I can start cracking on those bulkheads
 

Hi to all,
 
Newbie here, respectfully requesting permission to join this elite group of HMS Triton builders, Sir! 
This is my first attempt at doing a scratchbuild so I hope you guys would bare with my insufficient knowledge on nautical stuff   Having very limited experience in wooden ships, I will opt for a POB build and will probably simplify most of the details as much as possible. For now, I will settle for a 1/96 scale project, using lime as my timber to minimize expense and wood wastage
 
Starting with the stem pieces, I will follow the path taken by most kit manufacturers, representing this as a single piece (well perhaps I could make the gripe and bobstay piece as separate parts if my tools and skills will allow). 
 

 

 
 
I will use these two strips of lime to represent the single lengths of the keel and false keel. I know this approach may make some cringe, but, like I said, it's a simplified build 
 

 
I plan to cut the stem and stern post at the level of the rabet (pencilled area), then add a "rabbet strip" later to allow easier planking:
 

 
All is set and it's time to start cutting:
 

 
That's it for now, comments and advice are very much welcome. This is my first scratchbuild attempt and I will need all the help I can get
 
 
EDIT: I now realize after seeing the complete set of plans that 1/96 scale would result to about 1mm thickness of the frames/bulkhead extensions       Due to this, I've decided to enlarge my scale to 1/64

Here is another way to use a clamp or hemostats to hold the block while attaching a line around it. The video is primarily intended to show what seizings are all about but it also shows how I hold the block. I have five of these clamps (some with a curved end) and have adjusted the gap by carefully bending one of the handles using a vise. That way I can clamp parts of various thicknesses. Shop around and you can find them at lots of different places for a couple dollars each.
 

Thanks to everyone for all the likes.
 
So I finished my rigging...I think. I spent too much time think, so I grabbed my rope and let the squirrels out. As seen, I went with connecting lower corners of sail to a double block on the mast.
 
Then I ran the lines through two sets of single blocks and back to the rear mast thwart. I may change around the pulley setup a bit, but for now I think that's it.
 
Matt

Thanks to everyone for the likes.
 
After getting my 3.25X glasses, I was able to do the turning much better. After I did the five chisels, the three large slicks I had previously made looked like crap. So I remade them and gave them their own pouch. Also, I finished whipping my tiller, and yes, that's it for the whipping.
 
I'm currently working on the oarlocks(rowlocks), barrels and more tools.

I decided to reef the sails...for now. They're high for now so I have a better view of the inside of the boat. There's something floating around in my head, just don't know what yet. At least now it's I'm my face all the time while I move on.

Thanks for looking in, everyone.
 
Port side, first three strakes.  Not too bad to my eye and I'm happy.  The pics, though tell me that I'll have to do some sanding and shaping still around the joints and also to fair and smooth things out a bit.  The big challenge here is the where the plank thickness changed and also where the hull shape changed due to the tumblehome.  I'll fix things with some sanding and then finally scraping to get the ebony dust out of the Swiss pear grain.
 
Onto the starboard side....

 

Update.. we ain't dead in the water yet..!!!
 
After milling my wood, I spent a fair amount of time sorting out how to put this together.. the wales.  There's 12 strakes that start off a 3/32" thick and as they go down to the main hull planking, they thin to 1/16" which is the "normal" planking thickness.  Above the main wales, the upper works planking is 1/32" thick. 
 
After much experimentation and sorting things out, my approach is below. 
 
First two pics are how I clamp things down...

 
This one shows the actual planking...  hang with me, there's issues that I know have to be resolved due to some gaps.
 
1) is the second strake of wales. Solid swiss pear.
2) is the underlayment of 1/32" thick Swiss Pear. This is for the top strake of wales.
3) is the first of the planking for the upper works.  Forward of the first port will be heavier planking going from the wales upward
(last photo which is from Karl's build of Bohomme Richard.)
4) Ebony for the top wale.  It's 1/16" thick to make it easier to bend than the full thickness of the strake. 
 

 
The issues are the end of the ebony needs adjusting. For some reason it drooped while getting it into place.  And there's piece near the stem on the second wale where pear split.   I'm not overly concerned about it as the bolster for the hawse pipes goes over that.  The whole thing will need sanding and smoothing but for now, I'm going to continue on and finish running these to the stern and then get the other side done.  I'm also still sorting out clamps. Seems I broke two frames in the process of getting things glue up.  I have to not put so much force on those clamps.
 
As always, feel free to click on the pics to enlarge and criticism, different ideas, etc. are always welcome.  I'm still learning this stuff.

This past week didst see our Hero complete a task which hath weighed most heavily, indeedeth, upon his mind.
 
Whence last we did leaveth him, CaptainSteve had finished the sewing of his sails and was deep in contemplation.
“Specifically, I be most concerned with matters of colouration,” he didst try to explain, as if that never happens.
 
But firstly, there be the matter o’ what wouldst be a-holding his sails unto the Sticks.
“Err, I be meanin’, the Spars,” he didst quickly interject.
 
And the answer to this question was to be found in CaptainSteve's vast collection of beads, bits, pieces and left-over kit parts.

 
These actually be the very same bead what 'as been used previously fer the cutlass pommels. To fit the beads, CaptainSteve didst taketh up his knife and hacketh gaping (2mm) holes into his sails.

 
"The beads be coated in two-part epoxy glue 'afore being set into place ..." he said.
 
But, this didst leaveth a glue stain ...
... which didst only help to confirm my idea !!!
 
And, hence, a guinea pig was required, soeth that a test couldst be undertaken:

"I doth assure ye," CaptainSteve muttered, "There was MANY tests!!"
 

 
Now, many of you shalt be pleased to learn that CaptainSteve hath since forgone earlier plans to rend a mighty rip unto his sails. For, since completing some readings into the whole Mutiny saga (and publishing his learnings here), Our Hero hath gone cold on the idea.
 
“I’ve gone cold uponeth that whole idea,” he did sayeth. “Indeedeth, despite numerous references to the fiercest of weather, there be nought in Bligh’s log that doest give any indication as to sail damage throughout their journey.”
 
Indeed, verily, though it was a most goodly thought, even the patches will no longer be making an appearance.
 
“Now, beforeth I doth move forth with the pictures,” Our Hero was heard to say, “I shouldst like ye to consider that everything in the foreground o' this next picture didst be used to achieveth the final look.”

 
“As to the look upon which I was to eventually settle,” CaptainSteve explained. “Twice were I to findeth in Bligh’s scribblings, notes which didst help maketh up my mind fer me ..."
 
"Firstly, rains didst cometh down almost constantly throughout the journey, making the Loyalists cold, wet and miserable for a large portion of the time.

 
“And, secondly,” he didst continue, “there were a LOT of sea-birds about !!”
 
This, of course, doth raiseth that old, philosophical conundrum:
                 'If a potato chip doth fall-eth upon a beach, and there be-eth no sea-gull to swoop upon it, then didst it indeed fall-eth ??'
(... sound of crickets chirping away in the background ... )
 
"But, I doest digress ..." stated CaptainSteve, perhaps somewhat unnecessarily.
 
For, verily, this was all done with dry-brushing ...

 
Except for the bird-poop ...
 

 
“Strictly in order to maintaineth authenticity (and texture),“ Our Hero added, most helpfully, “didst I applieth that wet.”

 
“I be a-figurin’,” CaptainSteve didst begineth to wind this whole thing up-eth, “that gannet/booby/noddy poop wouldst be-eth of a thicker viscosity than that of leeching, rust-stained rain-water a-running down me sails.”
 
And one final photograph showing them laid out, this time upon the plans.
“At a short distance, they actually be lookin’ quite fine, methinks,” he didst concludeth.

 
Happy New Year to each an' every one o' you !!!

This past week, Our Hero be working his way thru the list he didst draw-up of the detail items to be a-going into his Launch.
“There be precious little to be a-telling ye about,” CaptainSteve did begineth. “This past seven-day, I be mocking up some buckets and piggins.”
 
Indeedeth, the info provided by Buck as a reference was most goodly and of great help. However, CaptainSteve’s buckets be bearin’ only a passing similarity to Googled images.
 
“I … err … that is, I was a-tryin’ to make ‘em appear battered and beaten,” he stammered. “Yea !! Verily, that be it. I was a-tryin' to be making 'em look weathered !!”
 
Arrr. Indeedeth, CaptainSteve.
 
The bases haveth been sliced from a spare piece of 10mm dowel. The edges o’ each Our Hero didst file to maketh the angle for the sides.

 
“I didst cutteth a great number of slats, and thence taper and spileth each …” he continued.

 
The slats were laideth out upon masking tape …

 
… and thence folded into a circle, using the end of a pen to help formeth the shape.

(A white colouration in the bottom o' me buckets doth giveth away me secret: a generous drop of PVA after the circular base hath been fitted doth hold all in place.)
 
“Thinly sliced strips o’ masking tape (painted black), and rope handles I didst addeth to me buckets,” Our Hero didst explaineth. 

 
And, finally, The List as it currently stands …

A-fore he be heading back to work for the week, Our Hero didst spendeth a little time this weekend a-wroughting.
 
“Here be me grapnel which I didst make using the Kit-Basher’s example by GSM,” CaptainSteve didst sayeth. “This is the second one I were to maketh, for the first were not to successfully pass through Quality Control.”
 
The Liver of Sulphur only gave the brass a very light tinge o’ colouration …

“Those wi' a keen eye,” Our Hero was heard to intone, “may notice one o’ the grapnel tines doth be remiss. This actually be-eth in accordance wi’ Bligh’s log entry which be dated 3rd May, 1789,” he were to explain. "This didst occureth shortly after the party fled the island of Tofoa under native attack."
 
And here be the grapnel after a little touch-up dry-brushing using matt black and dark brown …

“Next to me blackened anchor,” CaptainSteve didst pointeth out, “be the kit supplied version.”
 
Our Hero still be yet to add a rope unto the anchor …
“I wish to serve-eth me anchor cable,” he were to add. But, forsooth, although he didst searcheth both High and Low, he was to discovereth that he hath run out of thin black thread !!
 
“Never fear !!! An order didst I placeth with the fine folks at the Syren Ship Company,” CaptainSteve didst concludeth.
“It shall be here any day now, o' that I be sure !!”

Cathead,
   My process was totally opposite of your process. I decided to stain after the hull was plank. The reason for this is because glue does not adhere very well to stain. I did have a few small gaps. I do not dilute my white glue. I just squirt a little where  the gap is and let stand a bit till tacky. Then I sand a bit which in turn seals the small gap. With the glue thick it tends not to seep thru into the inside of the hull. If it does and it has at times. it was very little. But this rarely happens because I leave the thickness of the glue alone. I do not thin it. This is what works for me.
    The stain was not effected by the glue in anyway. I used a combo of Golden Oak and Dark Walnut to get the look I wanted.
 
Here is a couple of pictures for you. I pulled them from my build log.
 
YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB ON YOUR LAUNCH!!!
 
 

Cathead,
   My process was totally opposite of your process. I decided to stain after the hull was plank. The reason for this is because glue does not adhere very well to stain. I did have a few small gaps. I do not dilute my white glue. I just squirt a little where  the gap is and let stand a bit till tacky. Then I sand a bit which in turn seals the small gap. With the glue thick it tends not to seep thru into the inside of the hull. If it does and it has at times. it was very little. But this rarely happens because I leave the thickness of the glue alone. I do not thin it. This is what works for me.
    The stain was not effected by the glue in anyway. I used a combo of Golden Oak and Dark Walnut to get the look I wanted.
 
Here is a couple of pictures for you. I pulled them from my build log.
 
YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB ON YOUR LAUNCH!!!
 
 

Cathead,
   My process was totally opposite of your process. I decided to stain after the hull was plank. The reason for this is because glue does not adhere very well to stain. I did have a few small gaps. I do not dilute my white glue. I just squirt a little where  the gap is and let stand a bit till tacky. Then I sand a bit which in turn seals the small gap. With the glue thick it tends not to seep thru into the inside of the hull. If it does and it has at times. it was very little. But this rarely happens because I leave the thickness of the glue alone. I do not thin it. This is what works for me.
    The stain was not effected by the glue in anyway. I used a combo of Golden Oak and Dark Walnut to get the look I wanted.
 
Here is a couple of pictures for you. I pulled them from my build log.
 
YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB ON YOUR LAUNCH!!!
 
 

Cathead,
   My process was totally opposite of your process. I decided to stain after the hull was plank. The reason for this is because glue does not adhere very well to stain. I did have a few small gaps. I do not dilute my white glue. I just squirt a little where  the gap is and let stand a bit till tacky. Then I sand a bit which in turn seals the small gap. With the glue thick it tends not to seep thru into the inside of the hull. If it does and it has at times. it was very little. But this rarely happens because I leave the thickness of the glue alone. I do not thin it. This is what works for me.
    The stain was not effected by the glue in anyway. I used a combo of Golden Oak and Dark Walnut to get the look I wanted.
 
Here is a couple of pictures for you. I pulled them from my build log.
 
YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB ON YOUR LAUNCH!!!
 
 

Hull planking has been finished in good time. Both sides came out quite similar, requiring only a thin stealer between planks 6 & 7. This is shown above being test-fitted; I subsequently pre-stained it before gluing. One mistake: I stained only the outside of the stealers, not the inside, which meant an annoyingly fiddly job of staining the narrow inside band without too much spillover onto other planks. There are some gaps between planks that need filling, but overall this came together more cleanly than I expected. 
 

 
I did a first round of shaping & sanding before filling gaps, in order to better approximate the final hull shape. The image above shows:
 
1) Bow before (left) and after (right) first sanding. The pre-staining is especially useful here, as the dark/light contrast really helps guide where sanding is needed and how the shaping is coming along. As in previous steps, I find it a very useful guide for the work.
2) Bow after both sides are sanded.
3) Bow after wood filler has been liberally applied to gaps.
 

 
Here are the tools I find useful for hull shaping. The colored blocks are foam-cored sanding blocks of specific grit (150 & 320 in this case) that I found at a hardware store. They are delightful for sanding curves and other odd shapes as the block wraps beautifully around the material. Otherwise I have multiple grades of sandpaper wrapped around scrap cedar, and several files. The pointed file in particular is helpful for working in tight quarters along the stem & rabbet.
 
Not shown is a chisel, because I had no intention of using one. However, it seems I was too liberal with the wood putty and it would have taken a week to sand it all off. Misfortune turned to opportunity, though, when I hit upon using a sharp, broad chisel to plane off much of the hardened putty. This worked beautifully for smoothing edges where planks had not sat quite properly against each other; again the pre-staining guided this marvelously. If I could run a broad chisel along a seam and not produce white wood on both sides, it needed more work. 
 
I am very happy with the extra shaping allowed by the chisel, though I was a mite aggressive in a few places and left a few gouges. The instructions remind us that the launch was a working boat, and I will leave these to appear as various scars of a working life.
 

 
Now we see the launch with gaps filled, seams chiseled, and the entire hull sanded down to 150 grit. I am trying to decide whether, upon further staining, the "streakiness" of the remaining first stain will come out as an odd appearance or whether it will all blend in. In other words, do I need to sand the whole hull to a uniform finish or let the current variation show through gently for more texture? I am using the Model Shipways brand of stain, which is quite thick in the bottle and requires thinning. So I must decide how much to thin for the final coat and how to apply it most evenly.
 

 
And here she is off the forms and proper side up, having popped out just as advertised with no bother. I had actually tested the removal earlier, but placed the hull back on the forms for sanding as it provides a very solid base for the handling and pressure of sanding. I may put it back on the forms for a final fine sanding and staining before proceeding with further additions.
 
I was taken aback by how light and fragile she feels once off the forms; I had gotten used to this solid, heavy shape under my hands and I am reminded of what delicate things are boats. I find myself holding and handling her for no particular reason, other than that the results so far fascinate me. I have built other wooden maritime models so far, but nothing like this ethereal space defined by the thinnest of shaped planks. To this point it looks better than I expected I could achieve, and I am most inspired to finish her off. 
 
This really is a well-thought-out kit, and I will have a hard time wanting to buy anyone else's after the positive experience I have had with Model Shipways so far.

Jay,
   I prefer Loctite. Better price. I use the gel and thin. I have use M.E. Zap. Don't care for them what so ever. More expensive and don't work to good for me.
 
Mario

Your windlass looks outstanding. Good craftsmanship!
 
mario