Mike Dowling

Here we are again !!
 
Louise now has a layer of planking on her hull. The wood used was 2 x 5mm sapele which in my humble opinion was too thick for a boat of this size. It was difficult to bend and much prefers to return to being straight. What I thought would be a problem was in as much as I couldn't glue the planks to most of the frames because they have to be removed and even trying to glue the plank edges meant missing out the areas of the frames.
Anyway she has been sanded and sealed but, if I leave her as she is she will still be sanded again and have at least two coats of clear gloss varnish eventually. I am hopeful that that would make the lines between some of the planks less noticeable.
 
My question is does she need planking again with veneer or is she OK as is ?
 
 
 
 

I would not cover planking that looks that good with another layer.
 
Bob

Good start , enjoy 

Louise is a nice looking boat.  It will probably be a fun build.
 
Bob

So, I have made a start. The hull frames are cut in half which means that each side has to be attached to the false keel separately. A rather strange and unnecessary complication to my mind and very difficult to line up squarely. Three of the frames had to be planked and varnished prior to attachment as they will show from the top of the boat and there is no access once the deck is on.
 
The added complication of this build is that five of the frames have to removed after planking so they are only there as guides and cannot be glued to. This has proved to bit a bit of a nightmare. Once the frames were attached a 'ribband' had to be run along the length of the hull but only attached to the non-removable frames making it hard to glue bendy pieces of wood. Anyway, once on the deck had to be cut out and glued onto the ribbands and fixed frames. The sheet containing the deck was poorly cut with the laser which had failed to cut right through the sheer so some delicate knife work was required to remove the parts.
 
Finally achieved the deck has now been fixed on and I have faired the hull ready for planking with 2 x 5mm sapele planks.
 
One rather good thing about the kit is that a set of veneer is included for those who want to double plank the hull. I think in view of the construction this may well be required but it is nice to know it's there in case.
 
 
 
  

Hi everyone.
 
Thought you might like to see my next build.
 
This one is to tide me over until I start another big build. Louise is a small Victorian steam launch, the kit from Constructo who I have never had anything to do with before.
 
The kit arrived in a nicely packed box with various bits and pieces in numbered bags that are referred to in the parts list. The build instructions are in a booklet in about a zillion languages including English accompanied by a booklet of photographs at various stages of the build. There is also a 1/1 plan sheet showing side elevations and various parts of the build including the boiler construction and that of the cabin.
 
The only laser cut parts are for the deck and the hull frames. The rest of the kit is various sizes of five different types of wood which seem to be of good quality.
 
 
 
 
 

The last six months have not been wasted.  Just haven't had time I guess to update this log.  So I will skip all the gory details of how I've managed to get to where I am today and just post some pictures.  All I'll say is thanks to Mike D. for his almost daily support and advice without whom this would not be possible.  Mike says I'm an anorak.  In the context I have taken that as a compliment.

You lost me there Mike , that don,t sound like something i would ever say ????

What happened to 'if I can do it then so can you' !!!

Hi folks,
 
May I say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the trouble to send a post on both my log and my gallery. I am really flattered and grateful that you consider the work of a novice builder to be worthy of such praise.
 
I am not thinking of making a case for her as it would cost almost as much as the original build. I realise that she will gather dust but eventually that should 'age' her nicely and provide a home for the odd spider or two.
 
Sadly in a way not that many people will ever see her so her preservation is not so important. For me the joy is in the making and a satisfactory end result which I imagine applies to many of the MSW members.
 
I am going to have a brief sabbatical and make a horse drawn taxi next to keep me occupied but fear not, I shall return with a new build when I have decided which paddle steamer I am going to do. I have done one, the Spirit of the Mississippi (another OcCre kit) but I want her to have a companion so I have big hopes for Christmas. 
 
Thank you all again for your very kind comments.

Kit Review
 
The Amati kit is a quality kit and with a couple of exceptions noted in the log the materials are very good.  Quantities of timber etc. were quite adequate.  I actually have eight metal doors remaining and I wondered for a while if I had missed anything!  The instructions are very clear but as usual they tell you what to do but not how to do it and they do not identify any checks regarding alignment etc. that should be made as you progress.  For example despite components being laser cut they may still require work to get them to the correct shape/size etc.
 
It may look like the model goes together like a meccano set but don’t be fooled, it is not as easy as that.  The scale of 1:150 means that you are dealing with small items and any minor misalignment stands out like the proverbial.  It certainly tested my patience.  As an example I have never before had to use tweezers as much as I did on this model!  The balustrades and railings were the biggest challenge and I had to substitute styrene for the timber provided to get the job done.  One attraction was the minimum amount of rigging but what there is was small and fiddly.   I used CA extensively in the construction, where PVA was inappropriate and epoxy far too slow, more so than on any of my earlier models.
 
According to this log I have been working on the RE Lee for 10 months and that seems a long time.   However I am a part time modeler and I am guessing that I spent the equivalent of a full day and half each week working on it.   Well worth the time I reckon.

Very cool looking model, Mike! Great work
hamilton

Greetings,
 
After 8 months my OcCre Bounty is finally finished.
 
It has been a huge learning experience and mostly a great deal of fun. I didn't expect the hull planking to be so hard and likewise the rigging. In the end I am glad I gave her sails, as someone said a sailing ship should have them and I guess they were right.
 
Before I let you see the pictures, in true Hollywood style I would like to say a few thanks.
 
Firstly to those on MSW who gave me such a warm welcome in the first place and some who continued to follow my log.
 
To Capt.Al who has shared his build with mine, been a huge help with research and companionship.
 
To Dan Vadas who, despite being an experienced ship builder has always found time to help a novice.
 
To Cannon Fodder who tried so hard to teach me hull planking.
 
To Shihawk who kept watching and boosted my flagging ego.
 
To Fifthace who gave friendly criticism and a lot of advice 
 
and to Bindy for her amazing enthusiasm, her sense of humour, her bravery and her friendship.
 
And now Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Bounty, may God bless her and all who sail in her.

congrats Mike,
 
a beautiful build indeed...
 
Nils

Masterful job.  I hereby promote you from lieutenant to first lieutenant even though I have no authority to do so.  There is a lot more interior detail than you even told me about doing.  I'm not jealous that I did not put greenery into my pots.  I thought we both agreed that our Bountys would be outward bound models.  Everything about the build is fantastic.  Thanks for sharing it all with me for the past year. 

Well done Mike, she looks the goods .
 
  Danny

Very nice work  Mike - Chapeau.
 
You should spend her a case to prevent the beauty from dirty old ugly dust
 
Cheerio
 
Max

Looking great Mike , will you be making a display case ??

You have made a beautiful model there Mike.
Next ship?

Nice work. Plants in the hold, holy cow.

Fantastic looking ship, congratulations.  I'm sure it will be admired for years to come, wherever you display it.