Rudolf

First of all, very merry and peaceful Christmas to everybody! Santa Claus has started his trip to all parts of the world from Korvatunturi in Finland where his workshop is situated. Don`t worry if it takes a little more time than normally, because we have no snow here in southern Finland: http://youtu.be/9LDtPR8xHNg
 
And again it is time for a short update. I started to make the deck structure. First the rudderhouse, helm, binnacle and skylight.
 
Material for rudderhouse is 1 mm birch plywood. Framing is cut from 0,6 mm veneer. Roof was made by scattering thin sand on the roof which was soaked with diluted glue. Then painted with Vallejo colours and weathered with Mig pigments.
 
Spokes for the helm were turned from dia. 1 mm birch dowel. Other parts are 1mm birch veneer and 0,3 mm brass sheet.
 
The binnacle stand was milled octagonal from birch dowel. Brass looking parts are resin and styrene. And finally the skylight is made of 1 mm veneer. The black metal bars are 0,25 mm insect needles.
 
 
 
Turning the helm spokes in the lathe:
 

 
Rudder house, helm, binnacle and skylight:
 

 
And the structure on deck. Not yet glued:
 

Thanks Nenad, Jim Lad and aviaamator for reading!
 
And now to actual building. I selected the Plank on Bulkhead method for this model, and decided to make the bulkheads out of 8 mm MDF. I know the purists among you will say: "Wrong decision", but this was made because MDF is cheap, easy to cut, sand etc. and it is very obvious that the model will never see any water when standing at our bookshelf.
The planks were cut out of birch, which is also cheap, local and can be used as solid, veneer and plywood. And it is very tight grained so small details can be easily made out of it.
 
So here am I, half of the planks glued and no problems yet:
 

 
I didn`t want to use any nails which would be seen on the planks, so I made curved jigs like the one in picture to keep the ends of planks steady during the glue setting.
 
Very nice tool for tapering the planks is this tiny little plane made by Veritas, and the attachment where the plank was fastened during tapering:
 

 
And finally after few days work the planking was finished, and the hull was sanded smooth:
 

 
A false deck made of 1 mm birch plywood was installed:
 

 
And deck planking made using again 2x4 mm planks sawn from birch. Caulking between the planks was made by blackening the plank`s edges with soft pencil:
 

 
 
To be continued...
 
 
 
 
 

The anchors were carefully rigged as per the original Anderson/Pritchard design, tied to the fore ratlines. Two flags were made from cigarette paper (note; I'm a nonsmoker) with colors added with colored pens. Fine line was looped around the flagstaffs on the fore and main mast, and the flags glued into place, after pre-shaping them. 
All that remains in this shot is the nameplate on the now painted stand. The model itself is now finished. Construction time was estimated to be over 100 hours. 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 130 – Windlass 3
 
The first picture shows about as much of the ratchet mechanism that will ever be visible on the model – below the open forecastle deck on the port side.
 

 
This was taken just before the opening of the holes in the deck for the connecting rods on either side of the Samson post.  The rods were then sized, flattened and rounded at the ends, and drilled for connecting pins.  The next picture shows the handbrake being made.
 

 
A brass rod was inserted through a brass tube and silver-soldered in.  The outer tube was then squared off and center-marked for the three pin holes.  These are shown being drilled in the next picture.
 

 
The brake was then bent to conform to the final shape. A reinforcing strut was soldered across the top as shown in the next picture, taken after initial pinning together of the parts.
 

 
The brake handles have also been soldered on.  The brake assembly is temporarily bolted through the Samson post, which still has to be cut down to its final height.  In the next picture the windlass has been disassembled and the parts pickled and chemically blackened.
 

 
Both the connecting rods and the ratchet stops were fitted and bolted to the ratchet gears before treatment.  The parts were pickled in Sparex® and blackened in a 3% solution of WinOx®.  This is always a chancey process with me, mainly because of my impatience with pre-cleaning and pickling.  However, the results in this case were acceptable and the preassembled, finished parts are shown below before mounting.
 

 
The next picture shows work on the spindle cogs.  There are six on each spindle that fit into the milled slots.
 

 
Six brass strips were ganged in the vise as shown and roughed out with files.  They were first mounted on masking tape to help them behave when placing in the vise.  The final shaping and rounding was then done on the individual pieces as shown below.
 

 
The cogs were then blackened and epoxied into the slots.  The complete windlass is shown in place in the last picture.
 

 
In this picture the Samson post has been cut down to size and the woodwork given a wax finish.  Note that a backlash stop is installed over the central gear.  This is pinned in a small bracket that is bolted into the Samson post below the deck beam.  The installation is still temporary.  I expect the end axle sections will be wooden in the final installation.
 
 
Ed

Research made me to adjust my project: I will build two schooners of the Jacinthe type: La Mutine and La Topaze (http://denis-59.forumpro.fr/t792-la-topaze-goelette-de-1823). As I described before, both are based on the same basic draft which was distributed to the different dockyards (each of them to build two ships) in 1823/24.
 

 
The original plan of the Jacinthe type schooner shows a mostly open bulwark. While helping the sailing qualities of the ship, this arrangement does nothing to protect men and equipment from the elements. The dockyards addressed this problem in different ways. La Mutine had a completely closed bulwark; La Topaze got a less watertight bulwark to make the construction as light as possible: The lowest of the three planks is 50% thicker than the planks above.
 


 
Also the hulls of La Mutine (built in Lorient) and La Topaze (Cherbourg) show interesting differences: Only La Mutine has wales. Instead of sanding them down at the bow and stem, I cheated with the planking a bit to make the wales stand out amidships.
 


 
La Topaze has no visible wales. They are not shown in the original draft of 1823, and are missing in a contemporary model of the Topaze (also the original draft of La Mutine, sent to Lorient in 1823 does not show any wales, but they appear in the plan published in 1835).
 

 
The last difference to show here is the position of the gun ports.
 

 
I hope to finish the hulls till the end of the year. As now both models will be painted and coppered, I made a few shortcuts while planking below the waterline.
 
Cheers,
Gregor

Hello Carlos,
Congratulions to your model. I especially like the combination of  the POB construction and your phantastic timber work on the surface of the model, much like in full scale ship building.
Greetings Rudolf

Hi all. Still working on the Mediator.
 
The new elements:
- sheer strake
- main rail
- fashion piece
- taffrail
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all. Still working on the Mediator.
 
I've finished the deck planking and begining with the hatchways, scuttle and companionway.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all. A few progress:
- fixed blocks in bulwark
- reinforcement in the deck order to put the hatchways, scuttle and companionway.
- holes fot the pumps (note that pumps are inclined, nor vertical)
- hatchway, main hatchway and scuttle
- begining og the deck
- hawse holes
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, all...
 
After a relax months, I've continued with the Mediator. The things I made are:
- gun ports
- sweep ports
- waterways
- spirketting
 
In addition, I made the plans for spars an mast. They are virtually the same of the Armed Virgina Sloop of Model Shipways, adapting sizes. I will not to include these plans to public release due to copyright restrictions.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your coments!!!
 
The planking of the hull begins with the wale. The main wale (the lower wale) dominates the position of the planking. I put strakes alternatively up and down, joinning in the center.
 
In the forum you can find manuals of how to make the planking of the hull. I strongly recommend you to read these manuals, The final look is better than the suggestions of some kits... and the time spent in this process is the same (more or less).
 
There is a reduction of distances fore an aft. The strakes should be reducted in the joining with the stem and stern. There are several methods (i've used both):
- to reduce the width of the strakes
- to make that a strake ends into another one or in the junction of two strakes.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 129 – Windlass 2
 
After the ratchet gears, the wood spindles seemed an easy task.  The first step was to turn the o.d. and bore out the center to fit the axles.  The first picture shows this work completed.
 

 
The wood was first turned between centers.  This helped ensure centering for the axle hole.  The piece was then chucked as shown, the hole drilled and the o.d. finished.  The piece is long enough for both spindles.
 
To save myself the trouble of resetting the rotating head vertical and repeating all the alignments, I decided to mill the cog slots vertically as shown below.
 

 
There are six milled slots 2 ¼” deep and 2 ¼” wide – a convenient design for the 1/32” end mill.  The next picture shows the two spindles cut roughly to size with the other parts made so far.
 

 
These parts were then test fitted to a central shaft as shown below.
 

 
Because there is not enough space for one single shaft to be inserted between the carrick bits and the side bulwarks, the shaft is made in three pieces.  The rotating parts fit over a central shaft that reaches to about the midpoint of each wood spindle.  Short axle stubs are then inserted from outboard of the carrick bits to hold the assembly in place.
 
The next picture shows the assembly fitted with the frames of the two ratchet assemblies.
 

 
These assemblies were made from some ¼” x 1/8” rectangular brass tube.  The extended ends of the frames were made by slitting off some of the tube on the circular saw.  This capping piece was then silver soldered to a full section of tube as shown below.
 

 
In this picture the pieces have been pinned in place and silver solder paste applied to the joint.  After soldering, holes were drilled for pins to hold the connecting rods and the ratchet stops.  Then shapes of the frames were then cut off as shown below.
 

 
The gear end of each of these was sliced open and fitted into the grooves on either side of the ratchet gears.  In the next picture the wood spindles are being marked for final sizing to fit between the carrick bits.
 

 
The sides of the ratchet frames are very close to the central samson post.  To avoid contact between these parts, the two spacers between the gears needed to be replaced with slightly thicker versions to separate the large gears a bit.  In the last picture this has been done and the assembly set up on the bits.
 

 
The tops of the ratchet gears are very close to the underside of the breast beam – about 1”.  In retrospect, I would have paid more attention to the height of the carrick bits holes relative to the deck.  However, this clearance is sufficient – as is the clearance between the ratchet frames and the samson post.
 
The next task was to position the vertical connecting rods, cut holes for them through the deck, and install the seesaw brake.
 
 
Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 37 – Forecastle Deck Beams 3
 
In the first picture, all the forecastle beams have been installed and a template has been used to cut the outside line of the margin plank at the bow.
 

 
A dummy bowsprit has been inserted to assure the final fit.  The beams have been set down into the main rail so the deck planking at the side will be flush with the tops of the outboard planks.  As mentioned earlier, there was no attempt to create authentic framing for this since all will be hidden by the deck.  Note also that the mooring bitts have been installed.  Square holes were cut into the main deck planking to insert these and glue them to a pine supporting member beneath.  They are mortised to fit over the forecastle deck beam.
 
In the next picture the margin plank has been installed at the bow and the starboard section is being glued to the beams.
 

 
Deck planking was started at the center as with the main deck.  In the next picture the port margin plank is being fitted.
 

 
Planking continued concurrently with the margin plank work.  Clamping required some thought.  To keep the appearance of this deck consistent with the other decks, I did not want to drill the planks for pins as was done on the framed model, but the method used for the other planking on this model (pin clamps) could not be used on the light, hardwood beams.  The clamps used in the picture were made using drawing pins.  These are shown in the next picture.
 

 
The pin clamps that could not be used on this decking are shown at the lower left.  The drawing pin screw clamps were made by cutting crude threads on the drawing pins with a jewelers die plate, then screwing them into holes in pear blocks as shown.  The blocks could then be slipped under the beams and the pins tightened over the glued planks.  The next picture shows some of this work.
 

 
In this picture the ends of the planks were joggled into the margin plank after the angle of the butted ends reached about 60 degrees. To be correct, the margin plank joint shown in this picture could have been made as a hook scarph.  Most of it will be covered by the capping fancy rail.  The next picture shows the decking flush with the top of the side and also the finished hawse holes and linings.
 

 
Note that the outboard part of the main rail is still missing and was not added until after painting.  The last picture shows the completed forecastle deck.  
 

 
The billet under the bowsprit has also been installed.  The triangular spaces between the margin plank and the knightheads would be covered by the capping rail later. This was the state of the model at the end of August.
 
Next, the channels and pin rails.
 
 
Ed

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 36 – Forecastle Deck Beams 2
 
Before setting the forecastle deck beams some under-deck work had to be completed.  In the first picture the main decking under the forecastle has been completed, the opening for the bowsprit has been sized and a large knee has been fitted to the forward side of the Samson post.
 

 
On this model the bowsprit will step on the plywood bulkhead at the aft side of the opening.  A dowel into holes in both the bowsprit and the bulkhead would probably be the simplest method.  Next, the carrick bits that will support the windlass shaft were cut out.  In the next picture, blanks for two bits were pasted together with one pattern and are about to be cut out on the scroll saw.
 

 
These two bits needed to be identical and also carefully fit so the windlass will be horizontal and will clear the deck and breast beam.   I left the bottom edge with some excess so the bits could be tailored to fit the actual space with the correct height above the deck for the holes that will take the windlass axle.
 
These bits also provide central support for the forecastle breast beam, so that beam needed to be positioned before fitting the bits.  In the next picture that beam has been cut to length and its height is being set at the side using a strip of deck plank.
 

 
The deck planking needs to be flush with the top of the side. The height along the top of the side was well checked much earlier.   I set the deck beams on the top of the main rail, since this is at a convenient height.  Either the beam could be cut back or the rail notched to get the beams at the correct height.  All of this structure will be hidden by the deck, so any deck knees can be ignored.
 
Unlike all the main and lower deck beams, the forecastle deck beams are not set on the frame lines.  To mark the beam locations, measurements were taken from frame lines on the plan drawing for the forecastle and transferred to the shipway plan using dividers.  In the next picture a deck beam location is being transferred from the plan up to the rail using a square.
 

 
The line drawn at the beam location can be seen at the base of the square.  With the first two beams positioned, the carrick bits and the Samson post knee could be trimmed to provide support for the beams.  All these parts have been fitted in the next picture.
 

 
In this picture the carrick bits are pinned in place.  They have been positioned with a temporary windlass axle installed so they would be aligned when pinned.  The height of this axle was set using a gauge block cut to the correct height when the bottoms of the carrick bits were trimmed before setting.  In the next picture the axle has been removed and the bits glued to the deck.
 

 
In this picture the breast beam has also been glued at the rails and to the carrick bits.  All pins were later replaced with copper wire bolts.  Before going any further the hawse holes needed to be drilled out and lined.  In the next picture the main hole on the port side is being drilled to final size by hand using a pin vise to hold the drill.
 

 
Small pilot holes were drilled first by eye after locating the inside and outside centers – before enlarging the holes to final size.  The locating method was described in one of the posts on the framed model and in detail in the book.  It is basically a matter of locating the fore and aft positions and the heights on the sheer plan and transferring those to the hull using a height gauge.  The centers at the inside are at the waterway where intersected by keel-parallel lines from the centers of the chain tubes.
 
The last picture shows the brass lining inserted into the sized hole.
 

 
All four hawse holes were installed in this manner. The linings were the filed off flush on the outside.  Work on the forecastle deck will continue in the next part.
 
 
Ed
 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 128 – Windlass 1
 
For some time I have been anticipating (or perhaps dreading) making and fitting the windlass that was used to raise and secure Young America’s anchors.  Like many of the model’s details, the windlass is one that was typical of the time.  It is a fairly complex piece of equipment with a variety of mechanical parts.  Not everyone will be familiar with this device, so I will start with a picture and description of the assembled windlass and then work through its construction.
 

 
The assembly shown is still only pinned together temporarily.  The windlass axle was supported by the two stout “carrick bitts” on either side.  The large, central “samson post” supported the seesaw brake lever assembly and also the anti-backlash stop shown engaged on the central ratchet gear.  The anchor chain was wrapped around one of the wood spindles on either side of the central ratchet parts.  These spindles were fitted with iron cogs to engage the chain links. The spindles were turned from the forecastle deck by means of the seesaw brake.  This was connected to two ratchet mechanisms that engaged each of the two large ratchet gears – turning the gear on the up stroke and ratcheting back on the down stroke.  These ratchet mechanisms are not visible in the picture, but one is shown in the next picture.
 

 
I had considered the possibility of making this a working model – until I printed off the first copy of the scale1:72 drawing.  A working model could be made from the drawings but not at this scale by me.  I am sorry to say that this lovely little bracket mechanism is virtually invisible below the forecastle – a persistent dilemma for below-deck details.  The operating principle can be seen in the picture and drawing.   The connecting rod that passes vertically up through the deck pulls or pushes on a bracket that is fitted with bar that is pinned through the bracket, allowing it rotate out of the gear teeth on the down stroke, but engage on the up stroke.  The bracket rides in grooves on each side of the gear wheel.
 
Before dropping anchor, the required length of chain was hauled manually – the windlass worked in only one direction - up through the chain tubes, along the deck forward, across the top of one of the spindles, around the spindle, then laid on the main deck forward under the forecastle until relased
 
I decided to start construction with the two large (36”, 1/2” actual) ratchet gears.  The first step is shown below.
 

 
In this picture some ¾” brass bar is fixed in a self-centering 3-jaw chuck in the Unimat lathe.  It has been center-drilled for the 9” (1/8”) diameter shaft, faced off square on the end and turned to the 36” gear diameter – enough to make two gears.  The chuck and the piece were then removed without disturbing the centering to a rotating head on the milling machine as shown in the next picture
. 

 
After carefully centering and aligning the setup, the cutter was set to mill the 36 evenly spaced ratchet gear teeth.  The teeth have 90 degree points that are offset – angled to one side so the ratchet bar will engage tangentially.  To do this one side of the cutter was moved off-center based on a digital measurement on the CAD drawing then lowered by another measured amount.  Each of the 36 teeth was then cut by stepping around the piece in 10 degree increments. 
 
The central stop ratchet was cut by the same method – with different settings – at 20 degree increments to yield an 18 tooth gear – as shown below.
 

 
The next photo shows the mill setup for cutting the groove in one side of the first ratchet gear.
 

 
A 1/32” square end mil was used to cut the 2” depth in two passes.  After this the chuck was returned to the lathe for parting off of the gear as shown below. 
 

 
The piece was then returned to the mill to cut the groove in the second gear.
 
The parted off gears were then chucked on the mill to cut the grooves on the other side – in progress in the next picture.
 

 
Simple spacers were also made to fit between the gears.  All these parts are shown set up on a temporary axle in the last picture.
 

 
With the aid of precise dimensional adjustments from the CAD drawing, making these was less difficult than I expected.  I did reject the first two gears, for - of all things - mis-centered axle holes.  There is no doubt that accurate centering for all this work requires care.  It is made simpler by keeping the piece chucked as long as possible.  For this reason the Unimat chuck was also used in the Sherline mill without removing the parts – once the mill setup was aligned.
 
Making the spindles and brackets will be described next in Part 129.
 
 
Ed

Hello dear friends,
I appreciate your nice comments and thank you very much for your nice words.
Today I will explain the process for preparing grids for the skylights.
Therefore please note the following pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello dear friends,
 
here I show you pictures of manufacture of the steering wheel.
I hope that it is interesting for you.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Goodbye, see you soon.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Before I start my build log some information about the real La Créole and
the data from which my model will build.
 
The La Créole was a 24-gun corvette of the French Navy. The corvette
carried 4 x 18 pdr guns and 20 x 30 pdr carronades.
Her plans were drawn by P. M. Leroux in 1827. She was launched in Cherbourg in
May 1829. The ship took part in the French invasion of Mexico in 1838, and most
notably in the Bombardment of San Juan de Ulloa before French troops disembarked and captured the city of Veracruz.

There is a fine shipyard model on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris which is shown by many photos in the book of Jean Boudriot (in French). 
 
I use the following sources for building my model of the corvette:
Jean Boudriot - Historique de la corvette 1650-1850: La
Créole, 1827
 
 
Now the images of beginning:
 
 
 
To be continued...
 
Best regards
Johann
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Everyone,
 
I have been building the deck fittings, hatches, and so on from cherry.  I made the hole in the hull for the bowsprit this morning:  drilled a small hole and than filed the hole to the finished size with a round file.
 
-Jason
 
 

Hello,
 
so, the last pictures of the quarter deck without deck beams. 
 
I build some books, bottles and glasses. May be the captain is discussing with a guest something and spend a glas of Port or Madera during that. 
 

 

 
The next thing would be the poop deck. Here I have a question. When I get Brian Lavery right, then the ships before 1800 did't have iron hopes around the masts. Only woldings and only on made masts. Was the mizzen mast a made mast? I read there different things. Lavery drew woldings above the poop deck, but iron hopes also below that. 
 
Should I build woldings and when, where?
 
Next question. Should I build also partners of the mast at the poop deck. At the contemporary models you see often nothing or just a turned ring, like this from the Bellona. 
 

 
Goodwin wrote that it was a more common practice, that the partners where higher then the deck beams, but also higher then the deck, what you could see at the Victory. At the quarter deck I build it so. So what is right?
 
And when I see the last picture, a last question. Did't they have belaying pins in the cross beams? I know no model that have them. Or is that only a short cut?
 
Regards,
Siggi
 
 

Hello,
 
the furniture for the great cabin is now ready. First a desk and a sofa.
 

 

 
And here is all finished and painted.
 

 

 

 
The next days I will make some smaller things, like books, glasses and bottles. I would't make lanterns for these cabins, because I think that the servants of the captain will bring them in when it is necessary. 
 
Regards,
Siggi

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 35 – Forecastle Deck Beams
 
The POB model has some real deck beams to install – not many – just enough to introduce the method used on the framed model to POB builders. The method I used to make the forecastle beams – as well as the breast beam at the poop shown earlier – was very similar to that used on the framed model, but somewhat simpler.  It begins with a template for the round up of the beams.  In the first picture, a copy of one of the bulkhead patterns has been pasted to plywood and the curve of the deck is being sanded on the edge.
 

 
Since the round up radius is the same for every frame and every deck, any one of the patterns could be used.  The template was then used to trace the round up on to a piece of maple.  The curve was then sanded on to this piece as shown below.
 

 
Using a compass the depth of the forecastle beams was then drawn along the curve.  A blank that will be sliced into several beams was then cut off along this line, allowing some excess for sanding.
 

 
I then used the thickness sander to impart the final thickness on the underside of the beams as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The thickness sander does a great job with this.  The depth is uniform and parallel to the top face.  It is also very fast.  Without a thickness sander, I would have cut very close the line with the scroll saw, then sanded the underside by hand – not too arduous a task.  The individual beams were then ripped off –top side down! – on the circular saw as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The last picture shows the six maple beams and the breast beam, for which pear was used since it will be exposed and not painted.
 

 
As can be seen, I made these beams long before they were needed - before the planking of the main deck.  Cutting and fitting of the beams will be described in the next part.
 
Ed
 

Thanks for the comments and all the likes.
 
To answer your questions Harvey:
 
The tool to remove the area between the rim and the hub was a small, square-ended, relieved parting-off bit with the underside ground back to clear the rim - a pretty fragile tool.  I did not take any photos of this.  However, here is a photo of this step on a European boxwood, double wheel I made for Naiad.  On this double wheel I drilled holes for spokes after turning the rims/hub.  I did not use this wheel because I decided to make square, turned spokes instead, so the slots for those would have been cut before this step - as was done for the single YA wheel.  The Naiad wheels were much more complex  - two rims, pentagonal offset segments laminated for the rims, precise spacing between the rims, milling of slots between laminating steps, spokes spaced correctly between the segment joints, etc.  However, the picture does show the tool used  - in this case the depth of cut had to reach through both rims.
 

 
I am not sure what you mean in  your next question about the rim moving around on the spokes.  The centering of the rim is well held in place even without gluing the spokes.  With all the spokes inserted there is no direction that it can move.  However, the spokes are not strong enough to take the stress of turning the rim, but they do not have to, because until the rim is parted all the cutting stress is taken by the connection to the main block - until the rim is cut through.  No turning of the rim is advised after parting through the rim.
 
The spokes only go through to the center hole - not all the way through.
 
Even with the rotary table - or the indexing head I used for Naiad - and the precision of the mill, it is very difficult to get good hole alignment with very small drills needed for smaller scales.  They wander.
 
Ed
 
 

Hull planking complete! The "doing it by eye" approach seems to have worked out OK. 

 

There are 35 planks each side with 2 small stealers either side at the stern. The bow worked out with plank tapering to a minimum of 50% plank width and heat shaping to fit the 3 dimensional curved areas.

 

Now to tidy up, a light sand, excess glue removal and some minor repairs. Cleaning up the PVA glue should be a lot easier than removing the contact adhesive of previous builds.

 

Next some paint to above the water line. My original thought was to leave below the water line clear finish natural timber rather than attempting some sort of coppering finish and I think I will stick to this.

 

At times the planking process got pretty strenuous, removing glue, smoothing out lumps and bumps and firmly holding down parts of planks that were reluctant to stay put, done with the hull on its side or upside down resting on the bulwarks. All this was managed without collateral damage. I'm sure this was due to the early decision to make the basic hull structure from 6mm marine ply and to build up the hull thickness so that the area above the main deck was solid and strong. As a precaution I screw fixed the keel and the cut water to ensure they wouldn't move during the planking and future build processes.

 

The 2 holes that can be seen in the keel are for threaded rods to screw into internal captive nuts for final display. I didn't do this on my Bounty build and had no end of trouble fixing her keel to the brass display supports. No such problems this time.

 

Cheers,

 

David.

 

                                             

 

                                             

 

                                             

 

                                             

 

 

Upper part of planking done and cutwater, keel and sternpost fitted.
 
Cheers.