usedtosail

Wow, I guess I haven't updated this in a while. I gave the port side wale planks an initial sanding before moving onto the starboard side. I thinned down the bottom three wale planks so the wales will flow into the rest of the hull planking. I also thinned the wale planks at the stem to be flush with the planks above. I will sand these all some more when I do the final sanding of the whole hull before painting and coppering. I turned the hull around and started adding the two remaining planks between the gun ports and the wales on this side. It took me over a month to get the port side where it is from this point, but hopefully I will have more time to work the starboard side so it won't take as long. We will see...

That is an excellent rigging job. I had the same problem with the belaying pins on the rail. Good solution. Rope coils are one of those things that take time and practice to get to look right. After 6 models I am still not there, but I have a feeling yours will look great.

So true, Scott. Welcome back Wes. Sorry for your loss. I need more inspiration from your fabulous build.

I don't think so Mundie. I think that was just how they were drafted.

Thanks Rich for the tips on the hammock nets. They look great. I will use that same method when I get to them (in a year or two or three).

You are welcome Richard. And if you ever need to loosen CA glue, acetone works well.

Oh my, that looks very delicate at this stage.

Nice hammock stanchions and rope coils.

Thanks Wayne. That description fits the references.

The Age of Fighting Sail, C. S. Forester - War of 1812. One reference was to chopping the topgallant forcastle up with axes to lighten the ship, so I know it was not a stay. I don't have the book here with me, but I could find the specific reference later.

I saw this term referenced twice in a book I just finished. Is it a second level on the forecastle? The reference was to British ships in the 1814 era.

Did you try isopropyl alcohol? It should loosen the wood glue. But, wood filler works too. Nice progress so far.

Model Shipways provides one of the kits. You can get it in the US from Model Expo. I think they ship to Australia, too, but it is probably expensive. I think OcCre provides the other kit, and I know they are quite different. For instance, the OcCre kit has a bowsprit and the MS kit does not.

Glad you got it fixed, Sal. I won't tell you how I know to try that method...

Sal, Nice idea with the compass to cut your boom rest. I remember having a lot of trouble with that step and ended up using a metal washer that was the right size. For your missing mast hoops, you might try making them around the top mast, using some masking tape wrapped around the topmast to get the right diameter and keep glue off the mast.

I'll be happy to send copies, but I realize that I can't attach an Excel spreadsheet to a PM, so whomever would like a copy, please PM me your email address and I will send it to you that way. Also, if you are using an older version of Excel, let me know and I will send you an version that will work with that version.

Tim - your Pinky Schooner is really coming out nicely, so your Constitution should be great too when you can start on it in your new house. Richard - not sure design is the right word, but it is my own doing. As spreadsheets go, it is really very simple. I would be happy to make it available to anyone that wanted it, though. It would need some modification for each kit, though, based on number of bulkheads and planking bands, but that is simple cut and paste stuff.

Thanks Tim and Richard, and all the likers. Richard, the spreadsheet looks like this. This is the start of one row representing the planking band between the top and bottom of the wales, so all the wale planks, and columns for the first three bulkheads. There are other rows for the other bands and other columns for the rest of bulkheads. I first establish each planking band, using a batten to check the run of the planks at the top and bottom of the band. I then mark the locations of the top and bottom of the band off the battens, and measure the gap between them at each bulkhead, which goes in the first row labeled "Gap". I then measure the width of the planks I want to use across that gap, and the number of planks to fill that gap, which go in the next two rows. The bottom row is calculated from the above information, which is the width of each of the planks to fill that gap using that number of planks. I can play with different starting widths and different # of planks to make sure I get all positive numbers in the bottom row and that I am not taking too much off each plank near the ends, which would call for stealers or dropped planks. It doesn't do all the work for me, but helps me visualize what the planking will look like before I start adding planks.

There she blows - the waling (whaling, wailing) continues... Here are some shots after a few of the wale planks were added to the port side. I started from the stern and worked my way forward. These first few planks were not too difficult, with just some tapering to do near the ends. At the bow, I just had to soak and bend the planks to the hull. Here are two planks being bent at the same time. I found that if I bent these just to the bulkheads, I was getting a flat spot right after the bow filler piece, so I wrapped these around the wale above to get continuous support along the length of the plank. Now things are getting more wonky. The rest of the stern wale planks bend up under the counter. I trimmed the ends of the stern planks so I could see what I was doing, then bent the next one under. I am going to need some filler here, don't you think. I have no idea how you guys that single plank and leave your wood natural do it. Someday, someday... And here are some of the center planks being glued in. I used the larger clamps to butt the new planks up against the previous planks. These wale planks are pretty thick, so I also beveled the back edges to get a better fit along the front edges. In that last picture you can see the Excel spreadsheet I made up to calculate and keep track of the plank widths at each bulkhead for each belt. I also made this jig to hep hold the planks while tapering them, out of some aluminum angle: I should be able to finish this side in a few days and give it an initial sanding. I'll have more pictures then.

Yes, I sanded with the frames for the final fairing, testing with a batten as I went.

Those frames look fantastic. Nice job.

To make Hans' (rottger) point, check out this video, especially right at the end...

Thanks for the plan, Bill. I might try building one for my Connie.

Oh thanks for showing those, Steve. Another product to avoid.

Captain Steve, I am not sure what the MS planking clamps are, but I have a bunch of stuff that I bought that is pretty useless to me too. Live and learn, I guess, but it is pretty amazing how many times the answer is simpler than we think. I will try to not steer you down the wrong path for your build, but at least it should be pretty obvious if it happens.