Shazmira

Ha, Aaron, I am so glad that you are learning from my mistakes instead of repeating them
I am happy to know I serve a purpose here lol

Thanks for the comments of support guys! This site really is the best. I am pretty sure if it had not been for the words of encouragement I really would have at the very least shelved the ship. When I realized my mistake last night it took all the wind right out of my sails (pun intended), I know it is silly but I felt defeated by this bundle of sticks
Did not sleep well at all, brain was trying to work it out all night, got up this morning and looked it over; hoping I could force the strakes where I needed them to go...alas, no. I was about a half inch too high on my ports.
Saw a forum today about correcting common mistakes and felt a bit better to know even the pros goof up sometimes. And the most important thing they all had to say was to take a positive attitude about it, figure out how to fix it, and move on.
Then I got all these words of encouragement from people here and my attitude has improved
I have been unsuccessful removing my second layer of planking. I used 99% isopropyl to dissolve the glue, and it worked fine for removing larger pieces like the strakes and false keel but I had no success on the planking. I found I was chewing up the first layer too much trying to pry things loose.
So I have filled my port holes with glue and balsa blocks, let that set up and dry and then used 60 grit sandpaper to sand that second layer waaay down.
So here I am again replanking the whole ship....but I am sure I will be happier with the results this time! It was a good thing I found that 25 year old Charles Morgan in the basement, also very good that it has the correct thickness mahogany strips and apple wood strips . Guess I wont be building them side by side now, but at least I am not on hold waiting for Hobby Mills to fire back up in March

Sam,love your mock up, thank you very much for the visual aid...I always learn better when I can see it. After I posted my question I sat down at the table and scratched my head for a bit while looking at the parts. Knowing the concept was one thing, putting that knowledge into something that works was something else lol. I ended up doing pretty much what you said, only I glued the bottom half since the instructions put both parts of the hinge on the rudder, and the second loose side of the hinge to be nailed to the ship...hope that makes sense.
 
First I opened up the hinges flat so I could get a sharp bend.

 
Then I slid the "pin" in the channel and crimped it with a pair of wire cutters...very gently so as not to cut the soft material

 
That seemed to give me a much tighter channel to hold the pin, so I tried attaching the first hinge, with the aid of a drop of CA glue to hold the bottom of the pin in the lower hinge half

 
Seemed to work so I did the other two hinges in the same manner

 
Carved down the tip of the rudder a bit in order to get the handle on...will need to paint that...but not sure what color

 

Spent today cutting in the gun ports on both sides,and a bit more sanding of the hull. Have now begun the lining of the inside of the bulwarks.
 
Steve, tell your female friend she should try again, and this time not to get overwhelmed by the instructions, but to give them a complete look over then to take each step as it comes. I'm sure of course you will have her check out MSW and all the build logs here that are of much more benefit than the instructions anyway.
 
Thanks to Crackers, Russ and everyone else chiming in as well. Honestly it is you guys that are keeping me building, even though I know that compared to some logs on here mine pales in comparison. But I intend to see this through and learn from each of my mistakes, I expect the next build to look better
 

The ship itself when completed is beautiful, just look at Vulcanbomber's completed log.
I am currently building this kit, as are a few others. Luckily I had time to read (on the old site) all the issues and problems with the kit while I waited for mine to arrive.
By the time I got mine, I was pleased to see that AL had addressed and fixed some of the major issues and complaints about the kit. The newest version has better cannons, AL replaced the die cast gun carriages, gratings, ladders, and created a better die cast version of the lifeboat (a hybrid version, requiring some wood installation as well). Unfortunately, although they give you all wooden parts to correct the old die cast deficiencies, they did not update the instructions. My version of instructions are still written for installation of die cast parts so they do not give you any info how to assemble the wooden parts at all. However, I don't feel anything is too difficult to figure out.
The biggest complaint is that it is a single planked kit, and the thick mahogany is near impossible to work with. A few have single planked it as designed and managed to achieve a respectable build. Myself, and many others new to the hobby have opted to double plank, as that seems to be the easier way for a first build.
Since you already have a build behind you, you may be well suited to choosing only to single plank, and achieve awesome results.
In all, I am pretty pleased with the kit and the quality of the parts. I do believe that AL has addressed and corrected most of the earlier deficiencies.

Steve, gee, what a way to burst a girl's bubble
I was not thinking about the glue not holding if I stained and clearcoated first. So thank you for throwing your 2 cents in,  I think you just saved me a major headache down the road.
According to your post it is ok to apply the stain as long as it is not a sealant? If I am understanding that correctly then I will go ahead and apply the stain once I have the port holes cut, but I will NOT apply the clear coat,
Aaron, I am not sure I like being your guinea pig lol, as for snow days...after having 2 of them I am feeling a little cabin fever begin to set in And I have to admit, living out in the country relying only on a wood stove for heat definitely has its drawbacks! It took only a couple trips, in the middle of the blizzard, to the woodpile to keep the fire roaring and warming for me to stop enjoying that romantic notion.

Still sanding away to get rid of the dark streaks in the wood so I can restain again. Tonight though I am marking and cutting the other 22 lower gun ports. I thought I would wait, but I am intending to stain and poly the hull before I start adding pieces to it. I think I will achieve a nicer finish to the hull that way. So I am cutting the gun ports now so I dont mess up the finish later. At least that is my plan, hopefully it all goes according to plan. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

Wow, thanks for the replies...my own frugal mind hates the thought of throwing her away...and I still love the lines of the ship itself...guess as soon as I finish planking my San Fran, I will start the Morgan, and build the two side by side.
Maybe I am a gluten for punishment, but I am also a bit impatient and am not sure I can keep plodding away on one while knowing the other is just sitting there waiting for some love and attention

25 years ago I intended to start this wonderful hobby and I bought myself an AL Charles Morgan kit. I remember beginning to plank the hull and found I did not have the skill, nor was there a site like this to teach a new person how to do it correctly, and at that time I don't even think I owned my first computer yet.
Anyway to make a long story short, the model went on a back shelf somewhere and was forgotten.
12 years ago I had a house fire and everything was a total loss, except for a couple old dusty boxes stored in the garage.
Since that time I have survived 5 more moves, a divorce, recieved my BA and my Masters, raised my son to adulthood, witnessed the birth of 2 beautiful grandaughters, begun a new chapter in my life with a new job, new fiancee, and basically a new life.
Anyway, last night I was rummaging around in the basement, looking for some sandpaper I knew I had stored in a plastic tote, when lo and behold, in the middle of a tote I discovered the hull (partially planked) of my Charles Morgan. I was surprised as heck to find I still had this 25 year-old relic, assuming it had been lost in the fire. I quickly dug through the rest of the contents of the tote, and there at the bottom lay the instructions, the unopened plastic containers of all the fittings, and two tightly bound bundles of "sticks"!! Everything is there except the box it came in, and it all appears to be in pristine condition.
 
Questions. After this many years, will the wood supplied with the kit still be usable, or will it all be too dried out and brittle? Ddoes anyone know anything about this particular kit from the 80's?
Is it worth my time, sweat, blood, and bother...or should I look for something newer and better to purchase?

Wow, thanks for the replies...my own frugal mind hates the thought of throwing her away...and I still love the lines of the ship itself...guess as soon as I finish planking my San Fran, I will start the Morgan, and build the two side by side.
Maybe I am a gluten for punishment, but I am also a bit impatient and am not sure I can keep plodding away on one while knowing the other is just sitting there waiting for some love and attention

Look at Vulcanbombers build log for her San Fran I, she built a new wooden rowboat because she did not like the metal one that came with the kit.
You boat is coming along great!, Wood filler and sandpaper will make all those trouble spots fade away, not to mention that many will be covered by other things yet to be attached to the hull.

Reposting previous and continuation of my build log.
 
I know a little OCD with my organization, but it works for me and keeps everything safe and away from my herd of dogs mouths.
 
Robbyn