Rudolf

Planking of the counter 

Two more planks towards the keel

Preparing the hull for final planking. One side is ready. Also creating the rabbet. On the left side you can see the marks. Once sanded down to this line it will form the rabbet. 

Thanks James. 
 
The gunport alignment. Looks like I was precise enough when aligning the frames so far😲

I think it is solved. It both (doors and timber) needed a small alignment. Thanks a lot pointing it out before it was late! 👍

Finished. I curved 4 oars, mast and yard. Finished the surface with matt varnish. It will need few final touches like sail, ropes etc and pack it i side the boat but that will be decided later.
I'm more and more curious about AVOS when only yawl looks very good 😲🤑

So, some bit of progress.  The lower hull is completely painted!
 
The most time-consuming aspect of this was getting good clean lines where the wales join the side planking.  One of the peculiarities of the kit is that the wales are moulded with tremendous variation in their projection from the hull planking; around the bow, it’s almost 3/32”, but in other places, it’s a shy 1/32”.
 
The important thing is that the line be clean, and not bleed onto the planking.  I have had little success with masking, so the best way was to cut it in by hand.  When I did bleed, I would quickly wipe away the mistake with a dampened Q-tip.  If I noticed other irregularities, in process, I would very gently scrape away at the still-soft acrylic until the mistake disappeared.

What was satisfying is that I found an application for all of the distressing mediums that I had bought to experiment with.
 
The Van Dyke Brown oil paint was, of course, the main distressing agent.  I found that the starboard side - which I distressed after doing the port side - was darker in appearance, so I had to then go a little darker on the port side.
 
Rather than a full application of VDB, I applied small dabs with a Q-tip, in a sparse but well-distributed pattern, along the run of guns and between the wales.  I then used my “dirty” chip brush to spread and blend the paint, evenly, across the surface.  This was an easy solution to the problem, and quickly brought both sides into agreement.


The walnut ink was the perfect distress medium, over the ModelMaster Insignia Red of the gunport linings.  It was very easy to dial back the effect with a slightly damp brush, if the accumulation was too heavy.


Lastly, I was able to muddy the spray-primed ultra-white waterline  with two different Testors enamel stain washes; first, I brushed on a light layer of grey wash, and wiped off the excess with a Q-tip wrapped with a t-shirt scrap.  I found that two applications of the grey - one after the other, with only a 5-minute set time in-between - gave me a satisfyingly lead-white color.  To finish, though, I used a brown enamel wash, and only one coat was sufficient to give me the ring-around-the-ship effect of the vessel anchoring at what was likely a pretty polluted waterway, at Brest.  This was one area where leaving the moulded kit grain was beneficial because the grain caught traces of the brown wash.
 
The very last thing was to seal everything under a spray-coat of clear matte medium, which homogenized the two different kinds of black acrylic that I used for the port and starboard sides.
 
So, now, I can begin laying out the mounting base and constructing the model - 🥳!!

Regarding the rigging, I have been working on getting my ropewalk to produce very fine rope.
I have perfected getting it to wind two single strands giving a rope diameter of 0.2mm.
I think rayon is the best as it produces a thread with no fluff or fur.
1 strand x 2 =0.2mm
1 strands x 3 =0.3mm
1 strands x 4 =0.4mm
2 strands x 2 = 0.4mm  (1x4 looks better)
2 strand x 3 = 0.5mm
2 strands x 4 = 0.6mm
4 strands x 3 = 0.7mm
 
 
Allan

Here are some pics of my attempt at bashing a Billings Danmark.
The model was started by another person who unfortunately will never see the finished model. (how often does that happen)
It was just a painted hull when I started. I stripped and refinished, then laid the decks. It's pretty much scratch from there.
Some components from the kit are being used, turnbuckles, belaying pins for example.
 
Allan

As I've promised,  here are some pics with normal light conditions (I'd prefer it were a bit more sunny , but nevertheless). Hope they look a bit more attractive 😉  

 

And now pics - some sanding to remove fracture.

Nearly present moment.

It is true, yes, that many ships were reduced in armament.  And, certainly, for Soleil Royal there is a huge difference between her “notional” early rating of 120 guns, and the actual number she carried at any given time.  It seems pretty certain, though, that she was always equipped with a forecastle.  In any case, Chapman, I hope your experiments with La Reyne work out.  I would love to see that.
 
As for my gun experiments:
 
I am delighted with the mild ver-de-gris patina I have achieved over a very realistic dark bronze.  The patination does, in fact, pick up the extremely low-relief fleur-de-lis, and emblems that are cast into the barrels.  Pictures of this to follow.
 
I am much less delighted with my attempts to cast beefed-up versions of the middle battery, so that I could take the stock middle battery and place it on the upper main deck.  I can’t make these work, and there were many failed moulds that produced deformed castings:

So, I will abandon this casting experiment in favor of the infinitely more tedious process of placing inserts in every barrel blank and then fairing out the bores as concentrically as I can.
 
This morning I did a quick napkin sketch of the simplified quarter galleries that I am proposing:

Obviously, this is a terrible drawing, but such as it is - you can see a much less cluttered 3-2-1 window arrangement that is much more sensible, in my view.  So, after I get my lower hull painted, I will focus on doing a really good and fully detailed drawing of this QG, so that I can pattern them, and begin to shape them. 

Painting the port lids has been a process, but it has yielded some pretty good results:

I used a translucent red/brown wash from War Hammer to get into the creases and the lows of the gilded ornaments for better contrast.  The difference is subtle, but worthwhile:

Here are a few shots of them placed, to get a sense for what that will look like.  When it actually comes time to install them, I will make up lanyard rings:


While I was at my father’s, this past weekend, I picked up the gun barrels for the middle battery.  Previously, I was puzzled as to why I only had 24 out of what Should have been 32 lower battery guns - what Heller is designating as 24 pounders.
 
Well, it turns out that the kit researchers were also aware of the practice of a mixed armament on the lower deck; for the kit, the aft four guns on each broadside, as well as the four stern chase ports are designated for 18 pound guns.  The middle battery are all 18 pounders.
 
For the record, Heller’s classification and distribution of the armament is lighter, overall, than what the ship carried in reality; for example, the lower battery was a mixture of 36 and 24 pound guns, with - if I remember correctly - the majority being the lighter 24s.
 
This discrepancy between the model and the reality bolsters my decision to beef up the gun barrels from the lower deck, on up.
 
Right now, I am replicating the same process of adding an insert for 6 of the 18 pound guns;  I may leave all four of the stern chase ports empty, or I may arm the two closest to the rudder.  I haven’t yet decided.
 
I will take one 18 pound gun barrel,  and attempt to make castings for the entire middle battery.  For my casting blanks, one half will already have the insert glued and faired, in place.  To facilitate casting, I will cut away the dolphin “handles”, which wouldn’t be visible, anyway.  I had remained hopeful that maybe I saved the 24-pounders from my first build of this kit, but I couldn’t find them anywhere.  They must have been a casualty of several purges.
 
One thing that I have begun to ponder more seriously is what, exactly, I will do about the quarter galleries.  Although, I still think that the following drawing originated from the hand of Jean Berain, there are certain problems in its presentation that need to be resolved:

The biggest issue has to do with the five windows shown in the closed middle deck tier - the functional toilet of the officers’ quarters;  first of all, the windows taper down in size from aft, moving forward.  Second, of all, this profusion of glass (whether dummy windows or actual glass) clutters the design.  Thirdly, the diamond-hatch webbing does not correspond to their corollary on the stern.
 
Resolving these issues will necessitate sketching them out. I started to do this on the computer, a couple of years ago.  I managed to get the amortisement mostly done, before the software locked up:
So, I will sketch out the lower section of the QG by hand.
 
I have this idea that I can take cues from the following Berain scheme for the Formidable to help simplify and de-clutter my new quarter galleries.  The Formidable was an Etienne Hubac built ship from 1691, and as such, a very near contemporary of the re-built (also by E. Hubac) Soleil Royal:

There is nothing, in my view, about this scheme that seems out of place or proportion.  My main approach, here, would be to reduce the four primary windows down to three, with better spacing and more consistent scale.  This will also simplify all of the fleur-de-lis paneling, beneath that.  I may, also, eliminate the smallest fifth window, replacing it with a simple panel, and perhaps an appropriate ornament - the criss-crossed L monogram, for example.
 
My first attempt at making this lower section will probably involve carving the complex, faceted form from close-grained solid wood, to which will be added moulding and paneling and carvings.
 
I had tried to do some experiments with polymerized clay, but I’m a long ways off from Doris.  I at least understand how wood behaves and how to shape it.
 
In other research news, I have struck up a very interesting and informative correspondence with Montreal native Guy Maher.  Guy is another SR obsessive, like myself, who has assembled a really impressive body of research into Soleil Royal’s early appearance.
 
There is much that he and I agree on, but naturally we have our different views about certain things.  At the moment, I am reading through one of his primary sources:

Mr. Dessert is a modern historian with a particular interest in the life and times of Louis XIV, and the ministers of his empire.  He has a number of titles to his credit, concerning this epoch.  This book, so far, is an excellent overview of all of the individual strata of Human Resources that made Colbert’s navy possible.  There promise to be a few golden nuggets about SR that may corroborate or refute some of what I’ve presented here, so far.  Either way, I remain open to the possibilities.
 
One fascinating observation from Mr. Maher, so far, is that the following drawing of the head (which also clearly appears to be Berain’s hand) makes no allowance for the actual structure of the forecastle deck.  There is only a forward sheer railing, just over the main deck ports, but no additional “step” above them to include the structure of the forecastle deck:

I am almost absolutely certain this is Berain’s hand because on the French modeling site, where Michel Saunier primarily posts his SR build, Gerard Delacroix posted very clear close-ups of this drawing.  Their style of line and shade exactly matches that of the Berain stern drawing.
 
We know, absolutely, that SR always had a forecastle.  Are we to believe that Jean Berain “forgot” to include this detail?  As many times as I have looked at this drawing, I have never noticed this discrepancy.  But, there it is!  I have no theories or explanations for that one.
 
Tanneron did not forget to include this step-up to the forecastle deck:

As it was drawn, though, it would be as though the waist rail merely continued all the way to the headrails.  Perplexing!

Hello,
 
I've finished up the planking on the main deck.
I am holding off on the tree nails until later (when i finish building the deck hatches and pinpoint where they will be located on the deck)
 




 
Later, after I install the tree nails, I will be staining the deck with an oak stain, so it will be much darker.

 
Now I have started cutting out the slots for the upper deck support.

 
Thanks,
 
Frank
 

Hi,
Small update:
I took the time to make sure that the slots on both sides of the false deck were the same distance from the rear bulkhead frame. They were pretty close. After I finish the deck planking, I will have to re-slot thru the planking and can correct any errors.

There are two main ribs running most of the length of the deck that had to be installed before the deck planking.
I made up some temporary filler blocks, the correct width, to make sure the pieces stayed parallel to each other and glued the pieces.



I also installed the upper false deck near the stern.

I primed the two long ribs, in preparation for the final coat of red.
Currently, I'm experimenting with different shades of red, and I have to finalize which I will use. (a lot of the deck pieces will be painted red, so I hope to get it right!) I want to get these two ribs painted before starting the deck planking.I have also just received Gerard Delacroix's fabulous monograph on the construction of a similar ship called "La Fleur de Lis".
I hope to use his plans and illustrations as a guide and a "Cross Reference" to making sure that the Corel kit is somewhat accurate. I've already spotted areas of my build that I can make more detailed than what the Corel plans offer. We'll see how it goes as I progress.
 
Thanks,
 
Frank
 

Hello!
 
Before planking the hull, I had some more work to do.
 
To make the first layer of planking a little easier, I have been taking the time to add
Some filler blocks, made of basswood, in-between the bulkhead frames.
 
The planking of the stern and bow sections will be more challenging.
These filler blocks should help.



 
Filler blocks in the mid section


 
For now, I have omitted the filler blocks on 3 sections, so that I can still use my holding fixture.

 
I remounted the model onto the fixture and made sure that the deck was level and square.
I have to do some deck work first, including the planking of the top deck, before starting the planking of the hull.

 

 
Thanks,
 
Frank
 
 

Good morning.

Part 46 – Kathryn’s Wheel cont’d
 
After the milling was completed, there was still quite a bit of work left on Kathryn’s wheel.
 
With the wheel still in the chuck, the spoke seats were filed to the round shape, and the areas between the spoke seats were cleaned up.
 
                       
 
                        
 
The nuts that hold the spokes to the hub were simulated using 3/64” brass tube, since this tubing had an interior diameter of 1/32” that would accommodate the spokes.  Small pieces approximately 3/64” long were parted from the tube using a micro saw.  The burrs that resulted from sawing off the individual piece were cleaned up using a miniature reamer, and the reamer was then used to hold the piece for some light filing.
 
                        
 
The following photo shows the ‘nuts’ test fitted to the spokes in the wheel.
 
                        
 
The wheel eventually would need to be parted from the workpiece, and the back side of the wheel would need to be finished.  The chuck with the workpiece was returned to the lathe, and a light line was scribed using a pointed lathe cutting tool.  This line would be the border of the wheel rim.  The parting tool was then used to cut a deeper groove at the high point of the spoke seats for the backside of the wheel.  The forward edge of this line would be used as a sawing guide.
 
                        
 
The handles of Kathryn’s wheel are made of wood.  On the model, these handles are a maximum of 1/16” thick and are 3/16” long – too small for drilling and shaping wood.  I have some aluminum tubing that measures 1/16” OD and 1/32” ID – perfect for the handles – so I decided to use the aluminum tubing and paint it an appropriate wood color.
 
The first step was to lightly scribe a line for a 3/16” length of tube for the handle.
 
                        
 
Using a WW collet, the tube was then mounted on the lathe with the line scribed in the previous step used to designate the exposed length.  A piece of brass 1/32” rod was inserted in the aluminum tube to prevent it from collapsing.
 
                        
 
A parallel barrett file was used to shape the handle.  Because of the blank side, this file could be rested against the collet without damaging the collet.
 
                        
 
A hobby knife was used to part off the handle by using slight pressure while rotating the tube.  Again, the 1/32” brass rod prevented the tube from collapsing.
 
                        
 
The following photo shows the wheel with the spokes, nuts, and handles test-fitted.
 
                        
 
Once all components fit properly, 5-minute epoxy was used to glue the spokes and nuts in place.  Excess glue was wiped off using a small artist’s brush dipped in isopropyl.
 
The chuck and workpiece was then mounted back on the lathe to provide a secure platform for parting off the wheel.  The lathe was not turned on, it was simply moved by hand while a jewelers saw was used to part off the wheel.
 
                        
 
A piece of brass rod was inserted in the center hole of the hub to prevent the wheel from falling off once the hub was sawn through. 
 
                        
 
A small triangle file was used to scribe the boundaries for each spoke seat on the unfinished side of the wheel.
 
                        
 
The rim was then filed to the scribed line to reach the proper thickness, and the spoke seats were rounded to the final shape.
 
                        
 
The clamp shown in the prior photo is a jewelers ring clamp.  The jaws on either end are leather lined, and holding pressure is achieved by pushing a wedge into the end opposite the workpiece.
 
                        
 
The wheel is essentially completed, but still needs final finishing, painting, and mounting – this work will be posted in the next day or so.
 
Thanks everyone for the ‘likes’ and comments.

Part 37 – Yawl Boat
 
Laws governing oystering in the state of Maryland have restricted dredging to sail-only for many years.  Recently however, the shortage of oysters and the difficulty in getting enough crew to man the oyster dredging boats 7 days a week has caused the state to relax the laws so that dredging can be done using the push boat (called a yawl boat in the Chesapeake) for power dredging 2 days a week.  This has resulted in most dredging boats only going out during their permitted 2 days.
 
The book “Working Skipjacks of Deal Island” by Brice Stump has some great photos of the yawl boat and its operator at work.  The following photo is from the book:
 
                        
 
The operator is helping the Kathryn’s captain maneuver the skipjack by pulling on the ropes on one side of the davit.
 
The configuration of the engine cover in this photo is different from the drawings in the HAER documentation.
 
                        
 
Obviously the yawl boat has been modified over the years, but since the model is based on the HAER documents that reflect how Kathryn was configured in the mid-1990’s, the yawl boat for the model will be built as it was in that timeframe.
 
The HAER documentation contains line plans for the yawl boat, so these drawings were used to develop the keel and frames for the model yawl boat.  The model frames are somewhat thicker than the real frames would be, but these frames would not be obvious in the model and the extra thickness provides some strength to support the planking.
 
                        
 
A holding device (a simple block of wood tapered at the correct angle and with a 1/8” groove milled in it) was made to hold the keel at the proper angle during assembly – this allows the frames to be set vertically.
 
                        
 
The frames were held during gluing by using two machinist squares.  Given the small size of the yawl boat I didn’t think it made sense to try to replicate the jigs I used in the installation of Kathryn’s frames.
 
                        
 
                        
 
The rearmost frame is not absolutely vertical, but I didn’t think this would be a major issue. 
 
When all of the frames were in place, chart tape was used to line off the sheer and the chine.
 
                        
 
Using the resulting drawn lines, the sheer plank was installed on each side, and the tops of the frames were trimmed to the top of the plank.
 
                        
 
The side planking is 1/32” thick.  The sheer plank was made from 1/8” wide piece of madrone.  Since the sides of the yawl boat are straight, the rest of the side planking was made from a single piece of 1/32” castello that was spiled on top and bottom.
 
                        
 
There is a ‘locker’ at the aft of the cockpit, which will house one of the large blocks used to raise and lower the yawl boat.  This was added to the model, and the interior of the yawl boat was then painted a workmanlike grey.
 
                        
 
The exterior colors of the yawl boat mimic Kathryn’s color scheme, so the hull was painted next.
 
                        
 
                        
 
The superstructure of the yawl boat still needs to be built.  This will include an exhaust pipe for the boat’s diesel engine, and will be the subject of a future post.
 
In the intervals between each step of Yawl Boat construction I decided to install Kathryn’s deck planks.  This will be the topic for the next post.
 
 

Part 34 – Headrails, King Plank, Accent Stripe
 
The components for the headrails were painted at the same time as the hull was painted, so installation was simply a matter of gluing and clamping.
 
                        
 
                        
 
Kathryn’s headrails are bolted to the hull, and the bolt heads are painted to match the hull.  Work-hardened copper wire was used as functional bolts to provide additional security for the headrails.  These bolts will be painted to match the hull.
 
                        
 
                        
 
The king plank consists of two planks that are 16.5” wide and 2.5” thick (the rest of the deck planks are 1.75” thick).  The Sampson post and the mast both pass through the king plank.
 
                        
 
On the model, the king plank is made of four separate pieces. 
 
First, the two pieces that are forward of the Sampson post were fitted, butting the Sampson post.
 
                        
 
Then the aft two pieces were notched to fit around the Sampson post and were butted against the forward hatch.
 
                        
 
The aft pieces were marked and cut for the hexagonal opening for the mast.
 
                        
 
                        
 
In the post on painting the model I mentioned that I was awaiting some 1/32” red pinstripe tape that would be used for the narrow stripe at the bottom edge of the wale.  This tape arrived, but I didn’t like the effect it provided.  
 
This narrow stripe is actually a bead cut into the bottom edge of the wale.  I was able to find .030” quarter-round styrene strips, which would be much more realistic.
 
The styrene strips were held onto a board using 2-sided tape and were brush-painted a crimson color.
 
                        
 
The quarter-round strip was glued to the hull using Ambroid glue applied sparingly with the tip of a needle. 
 
                        
 
The hatch coamings and the king plank were then painted white, and the base of the mast and the bolt heads on the headrail were also painted white.
 
                        
 
The following photos show Kathryn with the mast and bowsprit temporarily installed.
 
                        
 
                        
 
                        
 
One or two more small items can be completed before working on the cabin and deck planking. 
 
Thanks for the ‘Likes’, and for following the build log.

I've been paying around with alternative swages for the rigging wire. They aren't really needed for the model, but actual rigging would have them, & they - at a model level - join the wire (jewellery SS braid, nylon coated, thank you brains trust) to the chain plates or turnbuckles. There would be other ways of doing it but I wanted something neat & not fussy. I experimented with heat-shrink tubing, but it looked too old fashioned for this yacht; & settled on using some aluminium tube & brass rod. The tube replicates a swaged joint & the rod tries v hard to look like a neat eye joint. You can see below the parts (ends of swages are chamfered) & the heat-shrink results, which don't look mechanical enough. Glue is CA.
Brass rod into a eyelet, the other end of the rod gets glued into the aluminium tube.

The cranse iron :

Bobstay chainplate:

Whisker stay chainplate:

The overall. I'm especially pleased with this photo, the rigging joints should not jump out at you, so I think it's more or less in scale visually.

 
 
thank you

Another step forward. I've made the kathormeis (the crutches to take the yards when lowered) and the histodokai (crutches for the masts). After considerable agonising, I've decided to make them almost identical. The kathormeis are slightly narrower than the histodokai because they only have to support the ends of the yards, while the histodokai support both the masts and the thickest part of the yards, where they consist of two spars lashed together.
 
Unfortunately, there are no contemporary pictures of these - the closest ones are from maybe 700 years too early - a mosiac in baths of Themetra in Tunisia, c. 220 AD,
 
 and a mast crutch from a sepulchre in the same region from the third century AD, which seems to have a mast on a pivot. 

(both illustrations from Age of the Dromon). Lacking anything better to rely on, I've used the second picture as a rough basis for my own.
 
Checking back in Age of the Dromon (which I guess I should have done before making them) I find that there should possibly have been three kathormeis and an indeterminate number (perhaps one) histodoke according to the only (not very reliable) source, known as the Anonymous, from the time. However, I've gone with two of each, and since they're now glued in place I'm not going to change them. And Prof Pryor poses the question 
The Anonymous clearly differentiated the crutches for yards from the histodokai but whether there was in fact any difference between them is unknown. Why could not one set of crutches have been used for both purposes?
 
In a discussion relating to the Anonymous' statement that the histodokai are fixed to the keel Prof Pryor is of the opinion that 
Even if sheer logic did not demand it, the pictorial evidence suggests that both histodokai and yard crutches were set up on the deck, not the keel . . . 
 
but that
Whatever the case, neither histodokai nor kathormeis could have been fixed on the keel unless their posts were made to pass up through the decks as the masts were. That might possibly have been done for reasons of structural integrity since the weight of the masts and yards which they had to carry was very considerable.
 
This is how I see it as well; the histodokai would have been supported on the keel - if they were fixed only to the deck, the uneven turning forces as the ship rocked would have put far too much shearing force on the fixings, with the result that the histodokai would be very likely to rip their fixings out of the deck and fall over, taking masts and yard s with them. Unfortunately I didn't think of this early enough, so I've had to fix them into the deck after all. But as the deck would have hidden the part below decks anyway, it doesn't really make any difference to the finished model.
 
I had originally made a couple of them out of plane wood, but it looked too pale and boring, especially since the windlass, masts and wedges were made of darker pear wood. So I made new ones out of pear.

Here are the (pearwood) histodokai and kathormeis as built. I forgot to take a photo of them before they were assembled.

Here is the ship with them attached.
   
And with the masts and yards in place. The yards would naturally go on first, followed by the masts. I had to balance the need for headroom underneath against the interference of the crutches with the foot of the sails if they were too high. As it is, the crew will have to duck a bit to get under them - which could lead to lots of entertainment for the rough sailors if people didn't look where they were going. 
 
  
Sorry about the fuzziness in some of the photos - mobile phone and not enough light. However, I think it looks pretty good. It's all starting to take shape.
 
 
Steven.
 
 
 

Thanks, Keith
*******************
Again, small increments of progress. At the bows the fairleads for mooring hawser etc. were installed. These were milled and filed from 0.8 mm thick sheet of Plexiglas®.



Fairleads installed at the bows


Then the rails on the bulwark in the rear part of the ship were installed. The rail also serves as a rubbing strake and continues to the anchor-pocket at the bows. At first the bulwark and rail (0.4 mm x 1.7 mm on the model) caused some head-scratching and concerns for the stability of the arrangement. I though about cutting a longitudinal slot into some rectangular styrne, but finally decided to make it in two, with the half glued inside and outside to the bulwark that have been designed higher for the purpose. In this way a 0.4 mm x 0.7 mm styrene strip could be glued all the way to the outside of the hull. A similar strip was glued to the inside. The half-round profile was shaped using a scraper made from a piece of razor-blade and held in pin-vice. The profile was shaped after attaching it to the hull, because it was easier to clamp the rectangular styrene strip while glueing. The glueing was effected by infiltrating CA into the joint between the styrene strip and the bakelite bulwark.



Scraper used to shape the rails


 


Rails cum rubbing strip installed around the ship


 
Arrangements varied somewhat between the different boats of the WESPE-class, but there was a WC for the officers in the deckshouse on the starbord side and a WC and pissoir for the men and petty officers on the port side. Each had a half-round evacuation pipe rivetted to the outside of the hull. The pipes were protected against damage by a wooden fender. After a few years of service, a strong wale/rubbing strake was added to the boats that also widened to a kind of sponson at the stern to protect the screws. However, this did not exist at the time for which the model is represented.


 


Evacuation pipes for the toilets protected by fenders


 
To be continued soon ...

Hi all!
 
Just a small update of my hull planking.  Its taking a while because of life stuff,  but its coming along.   Im realizing what I should have done on the upper planking which would have helped curve the lower planking more correctly.   Also,  I am using Chuck's technique of putting clear tape over the plank of the previous row and using a pencile to draw the correct line to then transfer to the next plank.   I'm slowly getting better at it. I can already tell that my next hull planking will be much better than this. 
 

The pic above shows the curving of the planks.  This was really tough to get the right curve but very rewarding. 
 



 
Thanks!!
Jeff
 

Last night I measured, trimmed and installed 34 stanchions on the port side. Each one is a slightly different length. It was a couple of hours of great fun.