Jack12477

That really wasn't so bad. In fact, it allowed me to use the same pattern I created to go ahead and cut out the profile frames for the forward bulkheads.
 
Decided to build this as a one piece module that can slide right into place and aligned perfectly with the upper deck surface. The dry fitting was perfect.
 
I think I will go ahead and add the planking to the face before installing.
 

 
Back to work.

Bulkheads are up though considering the amount of contact between them and the keel I suspect movement would be possible without much force (which may prove useful if I knock anything out when sanding the bulkheads, plus there are a couple I am not quite certain if they are exactly where I want them..)
 

 

So I did a cover paint job with the first line, this paint comes easily off.
Saw the line way to low.
This is painted and then adjusted line.

And this with a white base before sanding and painting white color.

 

Thanks for all the input folks. The big tip was from both Mobbsie and Rusty, in actually applying Poly to the test pieces before deciding, so that's exactly what I did: 
 

 
The Admiral was consulted and immediately No.s 2, 4 & 6 were ruled out as being too light, and No. 3 for being too dark. That left No.s 1, 5 & 7:
 

 
There was so little to distinguish between these three, that the choice came down to the method used.  No.7 used Boxwood sawdust mixed with diluted PVA.  No. 1 used a water-based wood filler, straight out of the jar. No. 5 was the same as No.1 but with a touch of Raw Sienna acrylic paint added.
 
No.7 ran the risk of leaving a glue residue on the wood surface.  No. 5 ran the risk of the paint staining the surrounding timber.  No.1 offered no down side, so became the final choice by default.
 
Cardboard templates were made up and drilled with a 0.4mm drill.  The templates were temporarily fixed in place using double sided tape and the holes drilled.
 

 
And here’s the resulting holes awaiting filler:
 

 
Before filling the holes, the hull was removed from the jig and the exterior sanded fair.  I cheated and used an electric “Mouse” sander for this.  I was a bit worried about how the hull would stand up to this, but it was surprisingly solid.  The Mouse made relatively short work of the fairing and did a very good job of it.  I forgot to take photos of the exterior though!     
 
While I was at it, I made up a temporary work stand for the hull using the templates provided in the drawings (intended as the display stand).  I just knocked this up using some scrap 6mm MDF and 6mm square stock for the stringers. I lined the inside with self adhesive felt to protect the hull while it is being worked on.
 
The holes were then filled and the excess filler wiped off with a damp cloth.  The whole of the interior up to and including the Mortar Pit Deck Clamps, was then given two coats of Wipe-On Poly (applied with a brush), with a light rub of steel wool between coats. The end result is faint, but distinguishable treenails - I'm quite pleased with how they turned out.   
 

 

 

 
In the following photo, you can see the temporary work stand:
 

 
And finally, here’s a couple of overall shots of where she’s at now:
 

 

 
Still tossing up about adding bolts to the Deck Clamps……….

Continued work on the fair lines for the port sills.
Today I had trouble attaching the photos in the order I wanted.  (The second picture is the jig I use to hold her while I'm working.)  One strip of wood is glued to the plexiglass base, the other is loose and connected with bolts to tighten the keel in the jig.  Very basic.  The first shot shows two machinist squares being used to make sure the spine is held plumb.  Measurements from side to side are now possible.  I checked the height from the base to the top of the battens at the back side of the fore bulkheads and the front side of the aft bulkheads and made sure the stbd. side matched the port side at every intersection.  Once I was happy with the lay of the battens, a thin pencil line was run across each bulkhead at the top of the batten, creating "modified" upper reference lines.
Maury

I'm still distracting myself from completing installing all the braces, halyards, sheets, etc of which I still have very little idea how to proceed while I study all the info you have sent me as well as many rigging books, .....by building the whole spanker sail rig.  I do this everytime I get stuck not knowing how to proceed. Instead of being paralyzed by the lack of knowledge....I just jump ahead to something I think I can do. It's the only way I've gotten this far. Full speed ahead...dam the lack of skill and knowledge...is my motto!

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

Busy morning in the ship yard....

 
Decks are cut and ready to go next.

When planking the deck I use the Elmer's glue for dark woods - it leaves a nice dark line between planks

BREAKING HISTORIC NEWS!
In my research, I have uncovered a never-before-seen document that will change the history books.
In 1634, at the order of King Charles I, British forces invaded Malaysia for the sole purpose of raiding their harvest of bamboo trees!
 
Learning that bamboo is the strongest and most enduring wood product in the world, superior in strength and resilience to other natural fibrous building materials, with a higher compressive strength than wood, brick or concrete and a tensile strength that rivals steel.... King Chuck decided his Sovereign of the Seas MUST be planked with laminated bamboo. He also discovered there was no bamboo in England.
 
That's right mates, after all these years, I have just discovered that the entire hull of SOS was planked with bamboo!
 
Now isn't that a crazy coincidence, since I just this very day happened to pick up another bamboo serving tray at Wal-Mart.
Crazy world huh?
 
OK, I was kidding about King Chuck invading Malaysia?
But.... if he had known about bamboo at the time....who knows?

When planking the deck I use the Elmer's glue for dark woods - it leaves a nice dark line between planks

When planking the deck I use the Elmer's glue for dark woods - it leaves a nice dark line between planks

Hello all,
 
Pulled the longboat out of mothballs, and started working on it again.  Although all the thwarts are finished, I'm going to leave those off that are on either side of the windlass until after the windlass is installed.

I noticed that the cockpit seats on NMM longboats have scribing all the way around their inner edge, so I thought I'd try it.

This caused the thwart at the forward end of the cockpit to have a rather strange shape, which took a while to configure.

The scribed lines didn't line up perfectly, but I really didn't want to do them over again.

I decided to embellish the support straps that hold the mast bracket in place.  I drilled three #80 holes in each strap, and inserted pieces of brass wire to simulate mounting bolts.  Since they are so small, I decided to leave them bright, so they could be seen.

I still need to mount the belaying pins, so this thwart has not been glued in place.

When planking the deck I use the Elmer's glue for dark woods - it leaves a nice dark line between planks

When planking the deck I use the Elmer's glue for dark woods - it leaves a nice dark line between planks

When planking the deck I use the Elmer's glue for dark woods - it leaves a nice dark line between planks

Bob, Row, Denis thanks for your great comments, and for all the likes recently.
 
 
I had to go back an measure it, it is set to be .047" I might need to change that, I don't know at this point. but the design will enable me to make a change if I need to.
 

 
spark plug.pdf
 
I will be making a small short sleeve at the bottom end of the plug that will thread in this will be then notched to creat a short stub to act as the ground for the plug so that the spark jumps from steel to steel.
 
Michael

I've got the jibstays half done. I knocked my model crooked in its cradle so it looks like she's charging on a larboard tack.

And here's the finished board.... five perfectly caulked planks in one piece.

Since one of the early tasks, along with getting the first layer of planks onto the hull, is planking the decks, I have been playing around with trying something new (for me). I like the initial results and thought I would share it this morning.
I have always liked basswood planking, using the jumbo craft sticks (1" x 8"). It takes a nice edge and stains up quite nicely.

 
I also like to use black fishing line as caulking between each plank, as opposed to paper, or simply drawing in with a pencil. So the question became....
How can planking be done without fitting each and every single plank individually, and improve the technique of applying the caulking lines.
Here's what I came up with....
Created a rip fence jig for my mini table saw with a spacer shim.... the jig is set at a height to give me a perfect slot cut on each edge without passing through the thickness of the board.

Removing the shim allows me to get a second, perfectly spaced slot on each edge....

The result looks like this....

It's not a problem for me Rich, but because of size and copyright issues I couldn't put the entire thing up. Those are some good looking sails.

I'm stopping rigging the square sails while I rectify the Constructo omission of not telling me I needed jibstays. I should have known better since I sailed for several decades on modern fore & aft rigged boats. They all had jibstays.
 
I placed a rubber absorbent mat under my work area to "catch" fallen tiny hanks. I dropped most of them and it caught all but one. Goodness knows where all these little dropped parts disappear to.
 
Now that the brass hanks are on the jibs...I shall attempt to install jibstays.

Rich I use these to get into the small spaces especially the belaying pins http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MS111-A I find the a great help

The jib sails are fastened to the stays with hanks or loops through the edge of the sail so they can slide up and down the stay. I can't explain it as well as a picture can.

Well, finally making progress.  Mast, boom & gaff installed and rigged. Took apart a scrap piece of rail molding and used the posts as supports, used an old wood plague for the base, put a coat of MinWax English Chestnut stain on everything.  Mounted the boat temporarily for picture purposes. 
 
Now on to the deadeyes and shrouds.