Blue Ensign

She is taking shape Richard, definitely a Fifie. 👍 I think you will end up with a good base for the second planking, pay special attention to the planks where they meet the stem and stern posts and fine them down until they lie flush with the posts. This is easier to do before you finally glue the posts in place, but you can use the posts to check progress. B.E.

Thank you Tim, Yes I sanded it by hand, I used one of those foam sanding blocks (medium grade) which happens to be the width of the deck. It took a bit of time to get it down to less than 1mm thick, and I constantly checked the thickness as I went along. The Fifie deck is thinner but as it was a match to the Boxwood strip I was using I didn't need to use it. B.E.

Thanks Guys, ..and Glenn, I think the scots are prepared to defend anything from anyone 😉 I hope so John, but the alternative would be to stand something big over the Fore Hatch which isn't there on Muirneag 🙄 Post 11 Getting down to decking I made the decision to sand down the back of the supplied deck to allow for the thickness of the Boxwood planking. 7334(2) The printed deck therefore becomes a second false deck with the advantage of having the printed layout to follow as a guide. The first task is to lay down the Margin plank. The proper way to do it would be to fit the timberheads and fit sections between them. However, to do it this way would impact on the provided timberhead pieces which were designed to sit on top of the deck, all individually sized and thoughtfully etched by Chris with the line of the Stringers. 7336 I simply can’t be tasked to remake all 98 of these tiny sections so I will follow the kit arrangement. Once the Bulwark stringers are fitted along the timberheads very little remains to be seen of either the timberheads or margin sections, so it’s not something to be overly concerned about at this scale. 7339(2) A fairly simple job to fit the margin, I am using 1.6mm wide strip which bends readily around the bulwark. Only at the stern end does the margin flare a little which is covered by a section of tapered 2.7mm strip. The planking begins each side of the centre line, and I have utilised in part the pre-marked butt shifts on the printed version. One edge of each plank is marked with a waterproof black marker to represent the caulking. I use a broad chisel Pilot marker pen. On this particular layout there is no joggling involved which simplifies things. 7345(2) Nearing completion. 7349(2) Completed but in need of a good scrape. 7358(2) A check to ensure that the Poop deck framing and Mast partners fit. At this point I have also beefed up the support stand, knocked up from bits and pieces but it works. The kit provided stand is a display stand not really suitable to work on the model. 7370(2) This particular hull shape is quite slippery and a stable support is necessary to hold it securely for work on the deck. B.E. 24/09/20

They are not the same as the bulkhead ears Richard, they are position specific Pearwood 'timberheads' included with the kit. They are designed to sit atop the printed deck, or your own planked deck. Their positions are marked on the inside of the Pearwood bulwark pattern. As you say a long length of curved plank fitted around the margin is all that is required. As long as it is wide enough to sit the timberheads on, that is sufficient. It wouldn't be an issue to cut a tangent on the margin plank to aid the curve if required. Regards, B.E.

Hi Richard, When I laid the deck of the Fifie I followed more or less the pattern of the pre-printed deck which had a margin plank into which the plank ends are joggled. However, with the Zulu, in reality there is no margin plank as such, just inserts between the timberheads, and the planks are not joggled. It strikes me that the Fifie would have had exactly the same arrangement with infils between the exposed timberheads, the set up is the same on both boats. There is only a narrow margin on the Zulu kit pre-printed deck onto which the timberhead pieces sit. The planks are simply cut at angles to meet the margin. Were I doing the Fifie again I would have fitted a narrower margin plank (to represent the infills) and simply cut the deck planks to meet it. To answer your question tho’ the joggling cuts can adequately made using a scalpel blade, I use Swann -Morton No 11 blades, but I also have their excellent chisel blades in 1 and 2mm widths which do come in useful for square cuts for the plank ends in margin strips. In practice once the bulwark stringers are fitted along the timberhead faces, there is not much to see of either margin or joggling. Hope this helps rather than confuses. B.E.

Thanks John and Dave, 👍 @Dave, mention of sweep ports, gives me the yips, getting them to look good is the bane of my life.🙄 Post 10 Thinking about the deck I naturally tried the provided pre-printed deck, and was pleased to see it fitted perfectly without any need for adjustment. 7331(2) The scaling of the planking looks spot on, the Muirneag’s deck comprises 6” boards which scale to 2.25mm 7316(2) It certainly looks good in place and it caters for all the major required fittings one would expect to find on a Zulu deck. 7319(2)ps I note particularly the coal bunker hatch, the pump deck plate, the fore tack hooks, Warp hatch rollers, and the distinctive Horizontal wheel fitted on Zulu’s. Perhaps the most striking deck fitting is the steam capstan, also supplied with the Fifie kit. I was tempted to use the deck which for reasons I can’t fathom seems to suit the Zulu better than the one provided with the Fifie. However, the deck also has a cut-out for a Fore Hatch which unfortunately Muirneag did not have in this location and would be difficult to mask. Many Zulu’s, and indeed Fifie’s had Fore hatches, The Zulu Fidelity of 1904 had one in the same place. On Muirneag the ladderway was apparently placed inside the aft end of the mast partners. This seems an odd arrangement given that the mast when lowered would appear to restrict access to the ladder, but that’s where it is shown on the Underhill plans. So, on the basis that I am building Muirneag rather than any old generic Zulu, deck planking it must be. 7329(2) I will be planking the deck using 0.7mm x 2.7mm boxwood strip which is a good fit. The margin plank which usually runs along the bulwarks in scarfed strips differs on a Zulu. Here the margin consists of inserts between the exposed timberheads. I won’t actually be doing this, I will use the timberhead ‘extensions’ provided with the kit to sit atop a margin plank fitted around the bulwark. These are both handed and position specific to take account of the sheer of the bulwark. One annoying aspect I need to settle is that the printed deck is thicker than my planking, and this has a relationship to the timberhead extension lengths, I need to sort this before I start. I didn’t have this problem with the Fifie build as the provided printed deck was thinner, an exact match to the planking thickness, so there was no issue with the timberhead extensions. 7325(2) This is also a good point the test how the Poop deck carcase fits in relation to the deck planking. A little more head scratching before I begin I think.🤔 B.E. 21/09/20

Post 8 Completing the planking. After a week of fairly concerted effort I am happy that my least liked aspect of assembly, the hull planking, is completed. 7183(2) With nine strakes to go I added two strakes above the Garboard Plank. From this point on it is simply a question of working the planks both upwards from the keel and down from the waterline. The aim is to get the inevitable (in my case) final less regular shaped plank to sit on the underside of the hull curve. 7194(2) One more to go. During these last few strakes I re-check the planking runs and re-mark the tick strips several times. 7197(2) The completed hull prior to sanding Overall the supplied planking was satisfactory; a fair number of the planks did have an element of feathering on one edge, and some inconsistency in thickness along the length, but nothing that the sanding won’t sort out. 7206(2) 7207(2) I use Pearwood dust sprinkled over pva to seal any slight gaps between the planking strakes. 7210(2) 7212 Starting to look better, but some fettlin’ still to go before I move onto the deck and the areas that interest me most on a build. B.E. 19/09/2020

Thanks for your supportive comments guys. So back from glorious Devonshire, and a fine week of weather. Enjoyed a day out at Charlestown across the border in Cornwall, always good to have a look around old sailing vessels. 4861(2) The shipyard is now back in operation, and planking resumes. B.E.

Beautifully clean work, she's going to be a fine model. Great effect achieved on the hatch flooring.👍 B.E.

I agree Derek, my Silver solder kit is one of my most useful tools when it comes to the 'ironwork' The paste comes in different melting points which is useful when it comes to joining more than one item to one piece.. Envious of your Whitby trip, we should have been around there in July, but covid got in the way. B.E.

Looks about right to my eye Tim, it's hard to believe how small these fittings are, and they look so much better at normal viewing distance. Even so the detail of the line, the frapping, the hooks, can all be seen, and in my view it's worth making the effort. 🙂 B.E.

Innovative and beautifully executed work Antony, a very fine model. Well done. B.E.

That is one impressive looking hull Bob, and a great colour combination. 👍 Very nice work. B.E.

Thanks Bob, Rusty, and Glenn, the hull planking is a little more complex than the Fifie around the stern, but nothing like the complexity of bluff bowed vessels. There is some variation in the thickness of the planks, but nothing that the sanding won't take care of. Post 7 Planking continues. I have calculated that 15 strakes remain at Midships, and tick strips were used to determine the degree of taper required at the forward and aft bulkheads. Each plank from this point onwards will require both tapering and edge bending, the edge bending being related to the stern areas. Progress is slower now with each plank requiring several stages of operation. I start at the stern, cut the stern post angle, and from midships mark where the taper begins. 6981li With the taper cut, the degree of edge bend is determined. 6969 A combination of water and heat to make the bend. 6972 Test fit of the aft taper and bend. 6974 The plank can now be held in place, run along the hull, and the bow cut marked. I don’t try to cut the exact line at this point and leave it a fraction long. 6977 From midships forward I work out the length and degree of taper at the stem post. The natural inclination of the plank to rise upwards is evident. 6979li The plank is still wet from cutting the taper in this shot. Note - the start of the taper now lies fairly well back along the hull. A final dry fit to check that the plank fully meets both stem and stern post. A little bevelling may be required depending how the planks meet up. I do this using a scalpel blade on the top back edge of the plank. I start at the bow and use ca to fix the first 50mm or so of plank and then pva up to a similar distance or so from the stern where I again use ca. Drawing pins are used to hold the plank in place. I keep one formed plank as a template to check the following planks as I work down the hull. One advantage of the Zulu sharply angled stern is that if an error is made in plank length, it can be used further down the hull. 6982(2) One strake shy of the waterline at this point. Looking a little rough at this stage but nothing that final sanding won’t sort out. 🤞 6985(2) The sharp upward sweep of the stern planking. 6988(2) One more strake and I will re-do the tick strip to take account of any shift in the taper requirements. The shipyard is now closing for a week. Having deferred four holidays this year due to covid we are risking a trip to enjoy the delights of Devonshire. 🙂 🤞 B.E. 05/09/2020

I masked the paintwork off to apply the poly. B.E.

This is the arrangement I went with based on published sources. This shot of Victory shows the 18' cutter to the rear, the Pinnace ahead of it, and the Admirals Barge to the right. The empty chocks are for the Launch which is displayed along the dockside. B.E.

Impressive package, that building frame is a work of art in its own right. Be interesting to see how things progress. B.E.

Great progress Glenn, your Hull is a thing of beauty, very nice work. It’s nice to have a facsimile of the original plans of the models we make, the NMM do produce very nice copies. B.E.

Post 6. Second Planking. This begins with the pre cut Garboard planks, another excellent idea from Chris.👍 Head scratching over the Garboard shape and extent of its length is something that happens to a lot of modellers, me included, and I’m grateful for its inclusion. 6959 The supplied patterns are a perfect fit requiring only a slight bevel to the keel edge. I also heat induced a slight twist to the plank to suit the hull shape along the keel. 6938 I used pva to fix these planks as I limit my use of ca to the minimum. Moving onto the Pearwood planking. It may be that Chris has already amended the manual but for those following it literally there is a narrative error in instruction 14. That may cause confusion. 6902 References to the planking starting at the main wale position markings, which are shown on the gunport patterns, obviously relates to another model. The planking I assume starts along the top line of the bulwark pattern as with the Fifie model, and this is where I will start. I sorted thro’ the stock of Pearwood strip and picked out the best strips matched for uniformity and colour. I am primarily concerned with the planking down to the waterline about twelve strakes each side, as this will be simply sealed with wipe-on-poly. In the end I decided to go with the supplied planking for my Cutter Alert Kit (which I didn’t use) and which has overall more consistent milling and a richer colour tone. 6944 The first three strakes down were fitted without taper, the Pearwood strip easily followed the sheer line, getting a close fit at the stem and stern posts is the main consideration. 6942 Below the second strake and my normal peg clamps don’t work, and the third strake is the limit of my modified peg clamps. 6945 The fourth strake down required a little edge bending towards the stern, but no tapering, and thanks to the large hatchway there is purchase to use the larger clamps. 6950 The fifth plank down requires both edge bend and taper at the stern. 6956 Beyond this point the option of clamps is removed so a degree of ca will be introduced at the bow and stern. 6955 The pre-formed Garboard plank can be seen running along the keel line. 6953 6965 Pre-fitting I do fine down the ends of the planks at the bow to reduce final sanding. 6960 With five strakes completed I will stop here and use the tick trip method to work out the remaining planking requirements before I continue. B.E. 02.09/2020

My only experience thus far is with my Fifie build. I only used two coats of wipe-on. This is the effect, the richness of the Pearwood is brought out, there is a very slight natural sheen but it is enhanced here by the artificial light used for the photo. Hope this helps. B.E.

Thank you PJG, I do intend to include the net platforms, nets, and floats in the hold, which is as much as can be done with this type of pob build. You've got a better chance of making herring at 1:32 scale, around 12mm in length, and their torpedo shape make for a simple design. I will be interested to see how they turn out. Regards, B.E.

Thank you Thomas, the outer planking is Pearwood including the bulwark pattern because the inboard side is on show. I think the richness of Pearwood really suits this type of vessel, particularly once treated with a wipe-on-poly. Cherry would also suit it very well. 🙂 B.E.

I understand that Fake relates to ropes on a deck, whereas Flake relates to the laying out of a chain anchor for inspection. According to the Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea Flake is also an old maritime name for a cradle or stage suspended over a ships side. Learn something new everyday 🙂 B.E.

Hi Ian, Looking at your splendid Victory, it didn't strike me that the Gaff was slung too low, but things can look different from different angles. Here's a possible get out of jail card. You can see here that the Gaff is slung below the Catharpins. Personally I would leave things as is, or at least think very long and hard about re-visiting at this stage. Regards, B.E.

Very nicely done Glenn, cutters make such great models. Love the colour combination of dark and light woods below and above the wale. Some useful ‘how to’ tips in the narrative.👍 that other forums loss is certainly MSW’s gain. Regards, B.E.