Piet

thanks for the likes all......the cabin structure was a really fun part of the model to assemble.   but it does seem to steer me off the direction I was going......this part wasn't done till a lot later.   this is where the bulk of the modifications are...I couldn't wait to get into it    I got back to it last night and fitted the rest of the portholes.   the drill and the sandpaper dowel didn't work out.........during the procedure,  it broke a couple of times,  so I ended up doing it by hand the rest of the way.   they still came out alright.



I really should get back to planking the bulwarks and get that done.   then I can fit the margins and do a few things around the deck.   I've also been beginning to sort through the fittings.......earlier I showed the differences between the old and new fittings kit,  and what was added to the new fittings kit from the kit part sheets.   there will be more of these comparisons peppered in here,  for those who have the Nordkap kit and need reference in building it.   the similarities between these two kit should be helpful enough,  but a little more couldn't hurt    from the brass parts,  I assembled the radar and the searchlight,  waiting for paint before they can be seen as finished.

I will have more soon  

I have a bit more to update.........I finished cementing that first bulwark plank in place,  for one thing.   secondly,  I removed and sanded the cabin structure.........bottom and top.

....and with that done,  the second level deck platform was cemented in place.   I centered it and marked where it was to locate........here is what it looks like now.

the centers for all the portholes were marked and drilled with a smaller bit.   good thing too........the dry wood really didn't like that very much.   so I drilled them out with a larger bit,  enough to run a sandpaper dowel through them,  and I enlarged them this way.   as I did this,  I was keen to remove all the splintered wood that the bits kicked up.  I used the hand drill to enlarge the holes.......does a very nice job  

while I was doing this,  I broke up the manotany by sorting out the brass parts,  and put them in medicine bottles.   some assembly was required for a few of the different fittings.  these are a lot nicer than the plastic portholes I got for the Nordkap model.....this is from the updated Nordkap fittings kit I got.  as I showed in the earlier thread about the Nordkap,  the materials used in this fittings kit,  are very different than what was supplied in the earlier ones {I had two of them}.   the winch,  with the exception of the anchor winch,  sports the frame being made of wood......the boat crane is plastic,  but I also have the wooden one from the kit.......I will make them both.  for the Nordkap model,  I changed this crane.......I motorized it.......it was supposed to be a hand operated crane.   there is an irony though.......I'll have to look again,  but off the top of my head,  I don't think I even need it.  ahhhh.....but one never knows  

I got busy early this morning.........5:30 AM.   I woke up with a bad case of crazy leg.........had to get up and walk around    we've already said goodbye to warmer days,  so I put the heat on to take the chill off and got the coffee brewing.  in the closet,  I have two more sheets of the 1/16 x 6 x 24 basswood........I was hoping that it would be wide enough to do the job.   it was,  with 1/8 inch to trim off.

the first double dotted line marks off the back wall for the helm room........the smaller double dotted off square,  is for the aft cabin.  the single dotted square marks off the funnel area.   the cut will be made at the back wall of the aft cabin.

...would have been good if I got to use this one,  but a bad cut later,  and I had to redo it.   not to worry......the other piece won't go to waste........it just turned into a smaller sheet of flat stock      once the edges were sanded,  it was dry fitted on the lower cabin assembly.


next was to frame up the fore cabin in prep for cementing on the deck platform.

to help further with the warp issue,  I put corner brackets and center support bar to the assembly.   I'd have gotten technical with it,  but none of this will be seen,  so I didn't bother to follow a pattern.

with this part of the structure assembled,  I see no reason why I shouldn't start the planking.   trimming the first plank on the starboard side to fit the bow stem,  I found that there isn't a lot of flex to make the curve of the bulwark.....10 mm wide is a bit hard to bend in this manner.   I have most of it in place,  but I think that I will soak the others, so that it might offer a bit more flex. 

I made up these brackets to hold the hull frame in place on the slip a couple of weeks ago.   it sits in the slip pretty good now......it won't be needing it much longer anyways.  I still need to add the two long strips along the keel spine.......gonna try and hold off until I do the garboard planks.  by this time,  I've taken to working on two projects,  together at the same time.   I'm working on the windows for the T.D.  I'll post again when I have more   

yea.....it's not a huge bit of progress.........but it's something.  working on the front of the lower cabin structure,  the bottom fascia frame part had already been cemented in place.  I had it sitting on the deck for the time being,  getting a sense of how much warp there was.   using rubber bands,  I centered the structure in it's place on the deck,  and tied it down {in a sense}.   I will add the rest of the fascia parts with it in place on the deck,  and this should take some of the warp out of it........at least,  I hoping so.   there isn't a lot......most of it lies in sanding the bottom, so that it will sit flush to the deck.  
    when I plank the deck,  I will leave the cabin area open, and plank around it.....this will create a 'well' for the structure to sit in.   I've done this to most of my models.......very few {if any},  I haven't done this way.  I'm also juggling in my mind,   which method I want to use in regards to the planking.  it's still up in the air.......I want to get the hull planked first.   so,  after I tied down the structure,  cut a couple spacers to keep the walls spread apart,  the top fascia frame part was cemented in place.

I was going to add a couple strip parts along the side walls,  but to have them jutting out from the edges,  they might interfere with the curvature.  I was also going to sand a bevel to these frame parts,  to better accept the fascia part,  but that would mean removing the cabin from it arrested position.   it not that dramatic a bevel anyway,  so I didn't bother.

the aft deck came out OK.........I may be able to install some portholes along the sides,  as seen in some of the Progress pictures that I have.  I hope I made it high enough to do them.  after giving the top part a chance to dry,  the fascia was cemented in place.

later, I can drill out all the portholes.   more to come  
 
 

hello Lawrence.......feeling a whole lot better of late     now that I'm over this past problem,  I'm about ready to book the second phase.   you won't believe this........but I came home from work today,  and did a little to the model.   I'll post the pictures in a moment.......no big thing,  but after all,  it's progress        thanks for the good word!     thanks also for the likes gents!

just so you don't get the impression that I was bogged down with honey do's all week,  I have this update on some work I did on Friday.  I got the 10 mm planking the day before,  but it kind of bummed me out that I couldn't use it right away.  

first I had to mark off all of the printed lines that were out of sync.  it would be tough to lay deck planking if I didn't.



as for the holds,  I can do them later if I run into trouble with them.   I test fitted one of the planks and found that I needed to fare a bit more on the starboard side.  just as I got it where the post was flush with the deck platform,  one of them broke.   some CA took care of it........I'll be very happy when I don't have to worry about them any more.  the wood is brittle.........but I am patient    after the fiasco.......I was doing some figuring in my head........I still can't do the bulwark planking.  not at least,  until I have the lower section of the cabin structure assembled.   there is a bottom frame that is to be built.  the structure can be lifted off of it in the R/C version.  the open space for the structure would be cut out to allow for it,  but I'm choosing to leave it closed.  I made up the lower frame using 1/8 x 1/8th basswood strip.

 
here are a few diagrams for you to see........they are pretty much the bulk of the instructions.   the text part doesn't even come close,  to giving you a blow by blow about the assembly.  this is all I had to work with when I built the Nordkap..   the lower structure will need to be modified......this is how it looks for the Nordkap.

there was a clue here......did you see it?  the square at the stern in picture #2......why is it there.  it definitely has no function in the diagram above.  to me,  it a small sign of proof that the Progress was cloned from the Nordkap.......or the other way around.  for the Progress,  these parts will not be needed......I showed them to you earlier.

the upper deck will need to be modified as well.

there is another vessel that I would like to do in the future..........I will need another Nordkap kit to do it.  I'd love to try a more recent production though,  and see how nice it would be,  if all the parts were laser cut    the stern is the same as the Nordkap......I will be able to use all of these parts,  but the bow is different......it has a fore castle deck.  most of these parts would be forfeit.

on the progress,  the opening is centered more and there are two ladders......more on this later.  I'm far from playing with this at the moment.  I was back on the scroll saw a bit later,  cutting out the second level deck platform halves,  and the rest of the lower cabin structure parts.  hard to believe that I cut out most of these parts for the Nordkap........with a box cutter.

pictures of the Progress were printed off the printer to use as a reference.  ohhhhhh.........where to cut.......where to cut?!?!   I didn't make a second copy of these two part......so if I mess them up.......it's the walk of shame for ME! {fully clothed of course }  {you game of throners.....get your minds out of the gutter}!      my only guide was the starboard side door way..........there ya go! 

there's no going back now!  taking the frame and marking which end is the front,  the sides were cemented to it.  I had soaked and bent the frame wood to mimic the curve of the deck.....note that these parts do the same.

when dry,  I added the aft wall and the end cap for the aft deck section.  I cut up the rest of the 1/8th strips to use as reinforcements behind them.

there was some pieces left of the pine wood that makes up the keel spine......I used it to make the beams to support this small aft deck.

reinforcements were added..........when dry,  the excess bits were trimmed off and the surface sanded.  1/16" basswood flat stock was used to make the deck platform.  I added a reinforcement where the new deck platform meets the aft wall.  I made sure that it was tall enough for a door.


this has been sanded.....I got as far,  as to add the bottom support part for the front wall,  at the forward end of this structure.  I need to cement the top support in place,  and then sand the edges at an angle.   happy to say that I can plank the bulwarks now......all that I needed to do,  is now done     I did make one observation.......I may not be able to use the second level deck platform.  with the helm,  there are the curved casements on both sides of the structure.......in the case of the progress however,  these areas are straight.  I've cut the platform halves with the curvature.....I might have to scratch build a deck platform.    another update soon   
 
 

thanks Carl.......my 'signature' only shows half of them       waiting for the planking to come in........I had a 'pull' when I got home,  to play around with the cabin structure.  I didn't get around to doing it though......tomorrow is a new day  
 
thanks for all the likes folks.......glad to have you following along   

so glad you couldn't stick to just a few builds ... I really got concerned for your sanity ... nice kit though ... look forward to your tricks, and creative brain waves ...

I just got done developing the pictures.........tough job      they show what I did for the two stern posts.

you can see on the port side,  the tab that broke off........I haven't reinforced them yet.   I saw that I forgot some crucial planking......the stern transom part is about 30 mm wide........I should have ordered 1.5 x 10 mm planking to cover this span.  if I were to use the 1.5 x 7 mm......it isn't hard to figure out that I'd be 2 mm's short.   so,  I had to order them.   BB USA {Ages of Sail} is pretty quick in filling orders....I should see it relatively quickly    I'still can do some stuff while waiting for the delivery.


I was going to use the mahogany planking,  but I see that I used some for the T.D. ..........I only have three of them left.  more on her soon   

hello Robert     thanks......I'm feeling better.   I'd better be.......I have to work the week end!   

The buzz word is "old" no matter what the subject. LOL Hope you're feeling better by the weekend.

thanks John........but I guess I'm glad it happened.   I need to have this done.
 
a bit of an update..........there are a couple of sad parts.  I have both sides close to being ready for planking.   things were going good until just about the time I stopped working on her........or.......that's what made me stop.   remember me say'in that you can reinforce those tabs between the bulkheads........
.....well a couple of them did break.  I glued them back on,  but I think I will do the reinforcements before I finish faring the frame.....just so I don't break any more.   then,  faring around the stern,  the two bulwark posts closest to the stem broke.  they too have been cemented back in place...to reinforce them,  I cut out the wrap around part and cemented it in place.   this was done after making sure that they were fared as well as they could be.  I did some work on two other projects,  before I called it a day......still feeling the effects from yesterday.   not really upset about how it went.......this is old wood.....I expect stuff like this.   I have other wood........and I'm not afraid to use it!   after all....it's Progress  

sorry I didn't get back to finish the post........got a bit evasive once I got into the dentist chair    I ended up having two teeth removed!  this is long over due.......this needs to happen..........I've been putting it off long enough.   in a couple of weeks,  I will go back and have the rest removed......and the next step will be dentures.   I've had bad experiences with past dentists........more obstinate than afraid,  is what kept me from having this done.   even my primary suggested that I do it,  to stave off future problems.  the admiral is pretty happy too   
 
anyway..........I started to fare the bulkheads and define the contours.   on the first model,  I don't recall if I glued on the rabbits.......looking back in my logs,  it appears that I didn't.   this is a good thing.......I didn't need to worry about nicking them with the sander.   I have to be careful here,  since I cemented on the bow and stern rabbits.  I didn't add the rabbit strip along the keel bottom....good thing I suppose,  but the mid ship won't be altered as much with the sanding.  for those who are new to the idea of faring the frame,  this is very important.   to fare the bulkheads,  your evening them out and giving them the taper to fit the contours of the hull.  you want the planking to lay flat on the bulkheads,  and not sit on an edge....to speak.  this will cause a number of problems,  like bad adhesion and the planking taking on a clunky look.   the bulkheads will jut from the planking,  giving really hideous lines where they sit.  faring is synonymous with tapering........your defining the contour so the planking will flow over the bulkheads,  allowing curves and a really smooth skin.......the kind of smooth skin chicks die for     the best way to adequately fare a frame,  is to use a block that will cover more than two bulkheads.   this way,  you won't run the chance of one being lower than another and cause the planking to become wavy..........an indention in the skin of the model.   small hull frames are easier to do...you can use a smaller block......larger models call for a larger block.   for this model,  having a bulkhead width of 53 mm,  I use a wall board sander.

it has an overall length of 9 inches......I can hit three.......or even four bulkheads.   when doing around the turn of the hull frame though,  I try to 'roll' it around as much as possible {more diagonal that straight across the bulkheads}.   I usually have to do this outdoors or in the garage,  because of the noise it makes....it's like fingernail;s across a blackboard!   the weather has been up and down here........cold in the mornings with not a lot of warn up during the day.  the admiral has been pretty tolerant..probably because of this reason........she's even allowed me to run my scroll saw in the house!
    so I started on the port side,  contouring the bow section.

the bulkhead roots around the stem will take some finesse...likely trimming them with a razor blade.   I've also gone down the front face of the bow stem,  squaring that off as well.   the noise it makes {I call it music},  will die down as the bulkhead become more in sync with one another.......I use it as a fair barometer that they are sanded to the point of where they need to be.   cementing the platforms in place can be a good thing too.  it allows you to sand the bulwark posts flush to the platform.......but take care not to break them since they are really nothing more that tabs,  unless you cemented in small pieces of wood to support them.   sounds like overkill,  but I've done this before.....it's not a bad thing  

along the mid ship,  it's not so bad........it takes very little material removal to get the bulkheads flush with one another.   as said,  without the rabbits in the way,  it's easy to taper the roots to the keel.   the stern has a small problem.......even though the keel spine strips were cut to the proper lengths,  the frame does seen to fall short of the decking platform.   this is likely due to some shrinkage,  or how I had to make the adjustments to the assembly surfaces of the bow and stern stem parts.  it's minor in scope.........probably around 3/16 off the overall hull length.   for a model that is over 32 inches long,  it's not a big deal  

rounding this off will be fun.   more was done on the port side until I had to leave.   I would have liked to have gotten back to her when I got home,  but I wasn't in the mood to play my musical instrument.  perhaps tomorrow.

I got to fiddling with the Progress this morning.......I want to get the frame fared and ready for planking,  before I do anything else.   first off........the margins.......as mentioned,  they are cut out.   they came out well,  but I still need to clean them up a bit,  giving them smooth lines.   I was going to widen them at the mid ship and get away from trimming the deck planking as much,  but I think it will give the deck some character      

funny thing when I went to drill the hole for the mast.  the plywood piece I used is made up of four plys.   as I was drilling the hole,  the glue holding the plys together broke away and half of the thickness fell off!   darn!   so I glued it back on and reclamped it.  after it had set for a while,  I went to redrill it with the clamps still in place.   the center broke away from the outer ply and fell out!.   fine then.........Ill take the other piece that matches it,  and glue it on top as a stop.........stubborn piece of wood!


I still need to go to a larger diameter hole,  so before I glue on the other piece,  I'll fit it to the dowel.   faring the frame,  I went to the garage and got my board.....just a narrow board with a pair of 2x4 blocks screwed on.   it supports the frame better.    I had to clean off the dead spiders and cobwebs  since it's been a while since I used it last.

oops........almost time to go.........I have to see the dentist today.   I hate teeth problems!  

margins are hereby cut!    I had a sheet of 1/32nd and the tracing paper did the trick! 

amendment to that final picture.............I went in to check and see how the piece I put over the mast hole was drying.   I was angered that the piece decided to curl up on one side and pull away from the surface.   thinking to myself that using 1/8th basswood,  probably wasn't the best choice......as well as the direction that the wood grain was going in,  made the curling possible,  I went into the bag of spare parts to find a replacement.   I found a pair of 1/4 thick plywood.........likely came from the Boulogne Etaples model {I remember where all these parts came from}.......pieces large enough for the job.  after removing the ill fated piece,  I took one of them and cemented it in it's place..........clamping it down with two of the biggest clamps I have!
     at first I thought that wood this thick was overkill.........but then I got to thinking about it.   once this is drilled to size,  it can be capped off at the bottom,  creating a suitable mast root.   when I built the Nordkap,   all I did was cement a rectangular piece of wood spanning across the deck beams below the hole.
   
   
the last picture is where I built it..........in the dinning room of our Spruce St apartment.  I still recall how bewildered the admiral was when she saw it for the first time.   I was building the Revell Cutty Sark in the computer room.   "now,  where are you going to put that?",  she asked,  knowing that I probably had no idea of where to store it for the time being.  "Well.........we can put it right here.",  I said,  as I took the boarded carcass from the table,  to the bureau you see before you.  there was rebuttal,  but I assured her that it would only be there till I found a place to put it.   it never left that bureau..........I worked on the Cutty,  till I couldn't stand it any more...........a new toy.....something I had never attempted before,  was just too much to take.  of course,  it didn't help that I was also thumbing through the instructions,  building the frenzy even more.  the bureau wasn't anything special.......it housed pots and pans,  silverware and a junk drawer.  Gibbs was still a baby.....I recall taking small bells,  sealing them inside coffee cans and whatever they would fit into,  for his amusement....it didn't take much.   another thing keen to notice,  about this,  my very first attempt in wood, is that I took care not to have a space along the bulwarks.........I wasn't worried about the bow past the cabin line,  but it had to be snug along the bulwarks.......I knew that much.   likely from building the plastic ships,  where the parts fitted so tight together.   the worse thing I experienced,  was the white glue and the drying time.......I didn't like it slowing me down.   but look at me........all I wanted to convey here,  was the change in plugging up the mast hole........I didn't expect to get carried away     the first time for anything is probably the most memorable........I'm sure other folks have fond memories of the first time they glued two sticks together      the next update will be making the margins,  and faring the hull.  until then   

satisfied all that I was going to be.......the starboard half was cemented into place.

this half is warped......one of the few parts that are......the rest of the part on this sheet are small,  so it doesn't affect them as much.   this was left to dry for the time being.....I turned my attention to another project to bide my time.   when I felt that it was dry enough,  the port side was fitted and cemented into place.   I could have made more of an effort to get the printed panels more in sync with each other,  but for what little there is,  I can easily make the adjustments for it.


this side was allowed to dry also.   it was left till this morning for all the pins and clampings to be removed.   I realized some time later,  that I hadn't gone over it again with sanding the deck platform surface.  I was relieved in seeing how level the deck surface turned out.

I drilled the preliminary hole for the mast.......a starting hole that I can make to size without splintering,  but being on the split as it is,  some splintering did occur.   I didn't use too much pressure,  so it didn't occur as serious,  as it could have been.   going through my junk wood bag,  I found a suitable piece of wood to reinforce the hole I already made.

checking the platforms,  I see there was good contact down the length of the frame.   I'm thinking that I should reinforce the deck tabs along the bulwarks,  to thwart the threat of breaking them off.   doing the margins will help those tabs....but they are the most important of them all.   the stern will also be of importance,  since the stern structure will be removed and modified.   something to think about  

thanks CDW.....  I hope I'm not confusing folks with pictures of the Nordkap.   since I opted not to build it again,  I thought it would be neat to post  relevant photos during the building of the hull.  I chatted with the admiral to later purchase a newer kit of the Nordkap.......it would be interesting to see what a laser cut kit would be like.   I even have yet another ship in mind for the project........longer than the Nordkap     the ship in mind had all the stern features of the Nordkap,  but is longer and sports a fore castle deck.   glad your enjoying the build so far,,,,more on the platform fitting will be ready soon.

I really like this boat. Great job so far, Denis.

yesterday,  I had just enough time to trace out the margins.   one thing I'm going to do differently on this build,  is that I won't cut out for the holds and structure...it's not really that much of a biggie.   if I were to do an R/C version,  it would be a must.   

now I'll need to check my inventory and see what I have for flat stock.......I'm hoping that I have some 1/32nd.   I remember how I planked the Nordkap. 
     I know now that I took the long way to do it......and I used 1.5 mm planking to boot.   fitting in the starboard half of the platform, I did experience some shrinkage,  but not as much as I expected.   the wood is brittle........breaking a few of the smaller corners off as the platform was being fitted.  I glued them back on.

as mentioned,  I was a little off with the bulkhead spacing,  but I can clean it up when the planking takes place.

I did have to alter the two transom posts,  removing some of the curvature at the base,  so I wouldn't have to cut the slots too deep into the deck platform.

the starboard side is finally in place.   I'll wait till the port side is fitted,  before I make adjustments to them both  more on this step later.

the tracing paper did the trick....the only down fall was that I had already cut the deck parts out.   hard to trace the outer edge.  presently,  I'm fitting the deck platforms.......I will have an update soon.   there will be quite a contrast between the woods used on this older kit.......it was a lot easier when I built the Nordkap.   here are a couple of pictures of when the platforms were installed during that project.
   
   
  
I can tell you that Harold did a great job with aligning the bulkheads......I could cut the slots for the bulwark posts exactly where they were printed on the platforms.   I was off a bit here and there......can't totally blame it on the age or condition of the wood.   there is a silver lining though,  since I will be making the margins and planking the deck...none of the tell tale gaps will be seen    I should have some update pictures soon.

hello Lawrence     the Progress is based on the Nordkap hull........once the hull is planked and some of the work is done on deck,  then I can start modifying the cabin structure to create the Progress.   I even had a thought to do something different with the bow.....do a forecastle deck.  the only thing about this,  is I would need to build up the bulwarks for it,  and then it would change her looks.   you'll see a few pictures of the first Nordkap,  but only for showing what I will be doing at that particular point.   I still haven't traced the margins yet.....that will be done in the next session.  I have high hopes of getting the deck platforms put in as well.   sorry to hear you folks are under the weather......if the weather's been yucky 'round here,  it must be worse where you folks live      glad to have you look'in in!
 
hi Zappto.......welcome to the log.  it's still a bit slow starting off,  but it should get interesting pretty quick.........I had a really good time building the Nordkap.   this one should be even better,  now that I found the plans for her,  when I found all this other info.   I hope you enjoy the project  

This is really interesting ship to build. Old fishing boats have its spirit. Your progress of the build is incredible. I will join the crew!

I started to assemble the hull towards the end of September.  it was actually a very nice treat to find out what the box looked like......I never knew,  since I didn't have nay luck the first time I searched.   I knew Billing's made a kit of this vessel.......I was even more surprised that there were two kits,  instead of one.    the kit I'm using,  is another old........older kit of the Nordkap.   makes one wonder how many of these kits are still in existence,  for billing to sell the fitting kit for it.    rest assured that there is plenty of building fun to go  

Hey, hang on a tick!  Yesterday you showed us the box; today the model's half finished! 😄
 
John