Blue Ensign

A fine job you are doing Rick, I'd be more than happy to display your model in my home. I think you will enjoy Cheerful even more, Chuck provides such a great range of projects. B.E.

Post 13 With the hull still inverted and secure on its board I decided this was a good point to add the planking nails. 10lb monofilament line provided in the kit was used. This size line has a given diameter of 0.11” (0.279mm) A #77 drill is indicated for use which has a ø of 0.4572mm. The actual line is close enough to 0.3mm ø I was somewhat puzzled by this, why use a drill that is almost twice the size of the line required to be fitted. I found that a 0.4mm drill was more than sufficient for the task. 0291 Tape was used to mark the frame lines. 0292 A wood strip was used to position the holes top and bottom of the planks. 0294 I used a flexible light behind the hull to reveal the frames. 0295 It is then just a case of dipping in pva and inserting ad nauseum. Can’t really complain as there are only four strakes to do in total. 0297 I don’t think I would have had enough 10lb line to complete a full hull. 0299 0304 0302 A little more fettlin’ before I can turn the hull the right way up and start removing the centres. B.E. 03/03/2023

A sentiment I fully endorse Kevin, I have an aversion to covering up high grade timber with paint. The ingenuity of Chris's design allows for a high level of satisfaction early in a build; it would have been inconceivable a few years ago to have reached that stage in only three days. Great progress.👍 B.E.

Thank you, Haken, Gus, and Bob. @ Haken - certainly not me! @ Gus - Thank you for looking in. @ Bob - I can relate to the fairing issue Bob, I do exactly what you do, and am still left with that niggling thought at the end. With this planking exercise it was the plank I traced myself, using Tamiya tape on the hull, that gave me the least trouble. It was a useful exercise tho' but there is a temptation to think that a tiny bit of tweaking will do the job, when it clearly doesn't, and Chuck's advice to use tick marks reveals that in places more needs to be taken off that first imagined. Regards, B.E.

Post 12 Picking up on an idea used by Jean-Paul, but one that seems natural to me, I decided to form the two upper wale planks over the existing planks. 0277 The planks were first soaked to give flexibility, and once held in place were given the hairdryer treatment. This way much of the stress was taken out of them. 0278 I used Tamiya tape to protect the existing planks. 0271a 0275 I again fitted the sheer planks first using ca for the bow bend, and pva thereafter. The hull was turned the right way up for the process. It is worth checking the frames before gluing; I found several instances where the ca had not fully grabbed the first layer of planks at the top edge. 0274 A side benefit of those little blocks fitted to protect the frames during fairing is that they provide an anchor in a tricky place to hold a clamp during re-gluing. Oh dear, whilst securing the bow wale on the s/b side, the bow plank 13 (third down) snapped along the grain between the bow rabbet and first frame when I inadvertently pressed too hard. Unlucky 13 for me, I have already had one breakage, and both sides were re-cuts. 0279 The one small compensation was that the broken plank came away easily. I left the aft one in place. Am I downhearted, you bet, I am thoroughly annoyed at my ineptitude. 0283 Re-fitting the new plank proved quite a trial taking a long session of sanding and dry fitting before it sat easily without stress. I had already scrapped an earlier one after a fair time having cut it a tad too short to meet the aft plank join. The lower wale planks were attended to next. Starting with the starboard side; Again, I had to do a lot of tweaking to get the bow section (15) to fit. The aft section (16) was also problematic. When tweaked to fit it lay above the joint line of the corresponding plank beneath it, revealing the cheat that belies the wale as one thicker plank. 0288 I re-cut another plank using a Tamiya tape pattern taken from the hull, which covers up the offending joint. The port side went a little easier. 0285 0286 Above – dry fitting the lower wale planks. Overall, I found the planking trickier than I seem to remember from when doing the Royal Barge. Perhaps it’s just as well I went for the open frame version. Movin’ onto a final sanding and finishing of the planking. B.E. 28/02/2023

Worth fettlin' the columns Derek, even if the only ones ultimately visible are those adjacent to the Main ladderway. You've made a nice job of them. B.E.

Coppering looks good, and it does hide a multitude of sins, I was glad of it on my Pegasus build. If you want to add a degree of authenticity the rudder straps and pintles on copper hulls were made of a cuprous alloy, iron doesn't work with copper. Painting them a coppery/bronze colour would be more accurate. B.E.

In 1771 Britain's most famous Naval hero, Nelson, first put to sea at the age of twelve under the patronage of his uncle, Maurice Suckling, a Royal Navy Captain. A boy had to grow up quickly in those days. B.E.

Enjoy your new adventure Derek, it's a great kit to build. You'll have one advantage over me in that you will be able to furnish the Great cabin, Chris's furniture arrived to late for me, I couldn't get the stuff between the beams. A lot of the mods I made to Sphinx were addressed by Chris on his Indy kit, especially the Quarter galleries, which is perhaps the trickiest change I made on Sphinx. B.E.

Thank you Ryland and Bob, it's good to have your respective works to refer to. 👍 Post 11 The three required strakes of this version are now fitted, but not fully fettled. I found that the planks altho’ pre-spiled did require a fair amount of tweaking to get them to fit. 0270 0267 0263 The second strake below the sheer (plank15) proved trickier to fit. Starting with the port side, once around the bow curve it did not readily sit down against the sheer plank. Repeated bending and some sanding was required to get the plank into position. 0266 The aft section (plank16) was a little easier but did require some sanding and bevelling along the section between frame 8 and the transom. Mid way along a slight curve was induced, and from frame 8 a slight twist is also required where the plank starts to curve beneath the transom. 0265 The forward plank on the Starboard side also required similar treatment. The aft section (16) proved problematic, I just couldn’t get rid of an annoying gap, so the plank was scrapped and a replacement cut which went on with minimal sanding and bevelling. The third strake bow plank (13) is a long plank near 70% of the overall hull length. 0262 An almost instant disaster the end of the plank split along the grain where it fits into the bow rabbet, just where you don’t want it – under pressure at the bow. Fortunately, there is sufficient sheet to cut replacements which is easily done using just a scalpel. Based on the trial fitting of the now replaced plank, the new plank can be tweaked before cutting to allow a little extra material for better sanding to fit. 0264 Both sides of plank (13) were re-cuts and it took me some time to get anywhere close to a tight fit. 0268 The same applied to the aft section where both planks (14) were re-fits. 0269 The one comforting thought is that the first and second strakes are covered by an extra layer of duplicate planks which form the wale, so there are in effect two chances to get it right. This will be the next step. B.E. 22/02/2023

A great looking model Andrew, full of interest, and those sails are excellent. Well done! B.E.

Post 10 Planking begins. The sheer line plank at the bow begins with Plank 17. 0235 As you can see this is the port side and this short section has a downward curve, which at first sight may seem counter-intuitive, but it is correct to keep the line right as it bends around the bow frames. 0237 I use water and heat to perform the bend around a large circumference tube. Not having used Alaskan Cedar in a build I was a little nervous of using heat only in case the strip snapped at the bend point. 0238 0239 Several bending sessions were required to get a stress-free lie around the bow, plus a small twist at the bow end so the plank sat square within the rabbet. 0243 I have re-inserted the balsa spacer blocks to help support the frames during fitting of the planks. 0247 I opted to use ca to glue the first plank, apart from any other consideration it is always tricky to clamp planks around the curve of the bow, and it is useful to hold the plank at the exact level for an instant grab. 0248 Dry fitting the aft plank, this piece needed no adjustment for fit. The aft section of the sheer plank is a lengthy piece for which I will again use ca, progressing two frames at a time. 0249 At the transom a piece of 1/16th strip was used to allow for the capping rail which sits beneath the transom wings. With first sheer strakes glued into place the hull is again inverted for the next two strakes to be fitted. 0251 0255 0258A I do seem to have a slight variance in a couple of the frame tops above the sheer planks port and Starboard, towards the stern, but otherwise the application went quite smoothly. The next two planks are likely to prove more of a challenge to get a tight fit against the sheer plank, but at least I now have a plank to work against. B.E. 14/02/2023

Very nice work, I can only hope my efforts achieve close to your result. B.E.

Post Nine After a short delay back to the lining off. 0207a This time the tick strips match both sides. 0227 I had a dabble with the tape fully in the knowledge that the pre-spiled planks obviate any need for the process. As an exercise to gain an appreciation of how Chuck arrives at his end result it is useful, particularly how the aft three and foremost three frames were not initially tick marked, but the run being eyeballed to the stem and Transom. One has to bear in mind that Chuck won’t always be there to pre -spile planks for you. 0228 This I found easier said than done with the tape reluctant to stick at the bow; doesn’t bode well for leisurely sighting and tweaking of the line, but I get the idea. So, I will now move onto the planking… Even though a fully planked model gives more modelling for your money I have made the decision to complete her with open frames, and only plank the top three strakes. This will match the style of the Queen Anne Barge that I completed in 2021. In some ways this is more of a tricky build than a fully planked model, where one starts with the Garboard planks and works up the hull sequentially. I will be starting at the seventh strake and need to ensure that I use the correct planks at the correct level. Rustyj Dsc0048 numbered. Jpr62 HULL3 03 numbered To this end I have borrowed a couple of photos from the builds by Rusty and Jean-Paul on which to mark the plank numbers. I have started by playing around using card replicates of the planks to give me a feel for the job. 0229 0230 I’m pleased to note that the sheer planks pretty much hit the tick marks for the upper strake. 0231 0232 0233 0234 I have decided to start from the sheer rail with the hull the right way up. Here, the frame tops, stem rabbet, and transom wings provide a guide. (Making allowance for the capping rail that will fit beneath the wings) B.E. 11/02/2023

Having built both Fifie and Zulu, I would say that the Zulu is slightly more tricky to plank than the Fifie, but both represent excellent starter builds, but also provide the opportunity for enhancement. I don't think you would be disappointed by either. B.E.

Hi Gus, the one you show is a resin hull already completed apart from the internal fittings. This won't really advance you very far in wooden ship building. The one I was referring to is the Fife 'Lady Eleanor' specifically designed for Novice builders.. B.E.

Thank you for your kind words Gus, These boats are quite tricky to assemble, and I agree with Vanguards rating of ‘experienced’. I don’t think the 36’ barge is currently on sale, but the 32’ version is. The boats are quite delicate, at least until they are planked. ‘Soft’ hands and a gentle approach is needed to avoid breakages in areas like the stem and stern during the fairing and planking process. These small boats aren’t the best candidates for a start in ship modelling, but all you have to lose apart from your temper is the cost of the kit. The danger is that frustration and failure may put you off the hobby for life. Something like the Vanguard Fishing boat range, The Fifie perhaps, is an excellent choice for someone new to ship modelling, with a high chance of a good result and a desire for more. I wish you well in whatever you decide. Regards, B.E.

Thanks Jason, Without redo's you can't advance in model ship building; it's the 'that'll do' approach that blocks improvements in build quality. I don't always succeed but as I grow older I'm far less forgiving of myself in terms of 'what'll' do. Cheers, B.E.

Post Eight. Armed with Chuck’s good advice and with better heart I sallied forth to re-fix the bow section frames. What testy business, once I’d got frames 1 and 2 at the bow spot on centred, attempts to centre the frames along the keel instantly threw them out. I decided to centre and glue the foremost bow frames H and G into the keel and let them set. I figured that I could still remove the forward Build board section and then refit it for centring the remainder, noting those which presented difficulty. 0198 I eased the frames a little to allow the keel notches to slip a little easier across the frames. It seemed to work, and the remainder were re-fitted and glued. There was time to check the measurements both sides of the frames which are now matching. 0199 0195 0203A 0206 0204 Hopefully back on track, now where did I put those tick strips. B.E. 03/02/2023

Postscript to previous . Chuck has identified the likely cause of the issue as the keel not being fully centred on the forward framing section, plus a slight keel bend that I couldn't detect. Round two coming up, I must try to do better. Given how busy Chuck must be, what a great service he provides. Thank you Chuck. B.E.

My latest purchase. 0189 Ordered 29th January received 2nd February, excellent service from Seawatch Books. I enjoy reading Greg and David's books for their own sake, but I may just have secondary reason for buying. B.E.

Post Seven And it was all going so fine. When I came to do the tick strips I quickly found that there was a variance between the overall length of frame edges port and starboard. 0179 The eight aftermost rear frames were fine, but ten of the forward ones were out between 2-4mm. The port side (with the hull inverted) were all shorter than the starboard side, suggesting that the frames are not centred. 0181 You can see here marked in pencil on the frames the length difference between the keel rabbet and edge of the floor timbers on the opposing side. 0182 There is no wriggle room laterally in the frames they fit tight against the board slots, and the two halves of the board are squarely joined. The keel looks straight but as it stands, I can’t proceed on this basis. 0184 Nothing for it but to disassemble the forward half of the keel and re-set, hopefully with better results, but at least the fairing has been achieved. 0186 Fortunately, the keel separated from the frames fairly easily without any damage, but I’m still left with the issue of how to centre the keel without lateral movement in any of the frames. It looks like I need to shave a fraction off the board slots relative to the offending frames to allow a degree of lateral movement. This would be easier and less risky than messing with the frame centres. Before I proceed, any thoughts from those who have gone through this process? B.E. 02/02/2023

Post Six I always have a niggle of doubt completing this element of a build; is this the right point to stop, is it as good as I can get it? After several more hours, I think (hope) the fairing is complete. Running my test plank across all frames from Garboard to sheer indicates a fair lie as far as I can see. 0164 0166 0167 0168 0170 0171 0173 0174 0175 I did not experience any traumas with the frames; with the tips from Chuck they held good, and the balsa blocks between the frames helped, along with repeating the mantra – soft hands, keep it easy, to myself. To get the most benefit from this project, even tho’ it’s not strictly necessary, I will follow Chuck’s plan of lining off the hull for planking. Time to move to the next stage. B.E. 01/02/2023

Thanks Mike, The board is an integral part of the kit, and has been well designed by Chuck, but it can be disposed of once the planking is completed. I will modify it to hold the hull in the upright position once that stage is reached. B,E,

Post Five Preparations are made for the fairing process. I will be using 320 grit aluminium oxide fabric backed sandpaper, which I buy on rolls. I also have some 240 grit sheets. 0154 Many will be familiar with Model Craft finger sanders, the main drawback being replacing the sanding bands which cost around £9.00 for three, comprising a coarse, medium, and fine grade which for this job means two of the three aren’t of much use for the fairing process. 0152A I make my own replacements using 320 grit off the roll with the ends joined together using ca and heavy duty parcel tape. (The same stuff used for securing the two halves of the building board.) A lot cheaper than the replacement bands, and the exact grit grade required can be used. You will all have heard of range anxiety in relation to electric cars, well I suffer from frame anxiety in relation to model ships.🙄 0156 Overkill maybe but I added small blocks of balsa between the frames to reduce flex. 0160 Fairing in progress. Cedar is a fairly soft wood, so the 320 grit is sufficient for the purpose. 0161 At this point I have probably spent a couple of hours fairing, but I’m not done yet. 0157 0163 I use a thin planking strip to regularly check the run across the frames. More than enough of that for today, tomorrow with fresh eyes I will use the strip to check across all frames at different levels. B.E. 30/01/2023