Ryland Craze

It has been a while since I have posted to my build log so I thought I would update my progress on my Long Boat.  I thought I had finished thinning down the frames until I had several modelers look at my Long Boat model at the Northeast Joint Clubs Show back in April.  It was pointed out that my frames were still too thick as shown in the post above, so I thinned them down more and also worked down the frame at the bow.  I am happy with the result now, as this will allow me to install a very narrow cap rail.

I gave the inside of the long boat two coats of Watco Danish oil (thanks Toni) and it really brought out the boxwood tone of the wood.  I then jumped ahead in the instructions and installed the floorboards since the interior of the boat is very easy to work with.  I plan to make the platforms next and hold them for installation in the future.  Then I will make and install the caprail.

I have an advantage over a lot of other Long Boat modelers as I have spent hours studying the build logs of other Long Boat builds that are further along in their builds than I am.  I thank them for their posts as they have given me different ideas and options to use in my build of the Long Boat. 

Curtis,

Be sure to fair the bottom rear edge of bulkhead R aggressively.  This will result in a smooth transition of the planks as the turn upward to the wing transome.  I have seen some AVS builds over the years where the bend is close to 90 degrees.  My AVS practicum shows the upward sweep of bulkhead R in photos P1.5.1-2 and P1.5.1-3.

Keep up the good work.

Curtis,

You made an excellent investment in Bob Hunt's AVS practicum.  Many AVS builders have used it over the years and have built highly detailed and crafted AVS's and have enhanced their ship modeling skills.  I cannot wait to see progress pictures of your build.

Curtis,

Glad to see another Armed Virginia Sloop under construction.  There are many excellent AVS build logs and Gallery photos on MSW.  I am sure that you will be hearing from their builders.  Are you going to use a practicum as a guide to building your AVS?  Bob Hunt has a practicum that you can purchase and John Earl has a nice one that is free on his website http://modelboatyard.com/avs.html.

Good luck on your build and I look forward to following it.

Thanks Mark,

After seeing your completed AVS, it makes me want to get back to work on my AVS.  The AVS really builds into a nice model and there are several very nice AVS build logs on this site and completed models in the Gallery. Thanks for posting pictures of your AVS as I will be using them for reference in my build.

Beautiful build. Congratulations on completing your Bomb Vessel. I am glad that I got to see it at the Northeast Joint Clubs Conference and Show. You have to see it in person to realize its size.

Very nicely done.  This is really a nice build of the Longboat.

Congratulations on finishing your AVS.  You did an excellent job and your AVS will be an inspiration for future AVS builders.

Finished thinning down the bulkheads.  I feel that I am working with an egg shell as the hull is very light.

Grayarea,

I agree with Alistair,  "DO NOT alter the bulkheads".  The bulkhead extensions are critical in the construction of this kit.  I also remember that I had to file the edge of my false deck to fit around the bulkhead extensions.  In fact, none of the precut openings were centered on the false deck.  You should be OK once you get to the planking of the deck.

Kevin,

I like to pre shape my planks and then bend them to lay over the frames or bulkheads.  I will do the final shaping once the plank has been bent.

Check out the Longboat build logs for planking techniques and ideas.  I followed BobF's build log (Bobf's Longboat) as he had excellent pictures and text on his planking.

Also check out the MSW Database articles on planking.  I like Chuck Passaro's Article on Planking and his Planking Fan.

Your Ship's Boat is coming along just fine.  I will be following your progress.

Thanks Chuck, Kurt and Al for your comments and to those that hit the "Like This" button.  This is a fun build and I am enjoying it much more since I have finished the planking.

I have managed to get some more work completed over the last several days. 

Using a #11 saw blade that I purchased from Micro Mark (#11Saw Blade) I gently cut the tabs holding the bulkheads.  I braced the center of the bulkhead using my thumb and put pressure on the side of the longboat using my forefinger. 

After the tabs were cut, I gently wiggled the bulkhead unti I felt it snap.  This was a very satisfying feeling.  The bulkhead felt like balsa wood after working with the boxwood planking.  After removing four or five bulkheads, the inside of this little model started looking like the inside of a full size boat.

And here is a picture of the Longboat with all of the bulkheads removed along with my X-Acto knife with the #11 saw blade.  This is a well designed kit and I like the way the bulkhead removal turns this kit from a plank on bulkhead model to a plank on frame model very easily.

I took this model to the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society meeting today and it drew a lot of attention from the members.  I hope I can find the time in the coming weeks to continue working on this build.  It is a lot of fun and a great diversion from my job.

Finally finished the planking while watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday night.  Now the really fun part begins.

Thanks guys for the encouraging comments.  Yesterday was the ideal modeling day with the cold rain and ice that kept everyone inside.  I was glad that I could take advantage of the bad weather.

I hope you would be willing to help a poor computer illiterate post some pictures here on MSW. You have done a great job Ryland and I will be ribbing you a bit until you finish this one.

Marty G.

Marty, I will be glad to take some pictures and resize them for you so that other members of MSW can see the excellent job you did on building your Longboat.  For someone coming from plastic modeling to building wooden ship models, you have accomplished a lot with your skills in such a short period of time.

Thanks Dan and Bob for your comments and for those members that hit the "Like This" button for my last post. Bob, I look at you Longboat build log as well as the other Longboat build logs that are posted. They have really helped my with the construction of my Longboat.

I found some time the last couple of days to work on my Longboat and I was able to install four more planks. That leaves me with two more planks to install. I hope to get them installed this week so that I can take my fully planked Longboat to the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society meeting this Saturday. I am sure I will shock some of the HRSMS members with my progress considering how long I have been working on this particular model.

Here are some pictures as to where my current progress is:

I will be glad to get the final two planks installed.  This has been a fun build and I look forward to continuing the building of this model.

I continue to slowly make progress on my Longboat.  I have added four more planks leaving six planks left.  At this rate, I should be finished planking by the beginning of Summer of 2014.  Here is how the Longboat looks now:

I like these small cabinet scrapers that I got from Lee Valley.  I use them to take off the high edges of the boxwood planks.

Here is a shot of the bow:

I will continue planking from the top down.  I felt this was the easiest way for me to keep my planks the same width at the bow, since the bottom portion of the hull will be painted.

Rob,

Welcome to the AVS ranks.  You will learn a lot building this kit.  The John Earl website Ken mentioned has a lot of information in it.  I will be following your build log with interest.

Thanks Rowan.  Glad to hear that you are feeling better.  The AVS is a very nice kit and I hope to get back to that build soon.  I am currently working on my Longboat model.  Once I finish these two models, then I can start on my Syren.  For my Syren, I have the replacement wood from HobbyMill and I have received my replacement blocks in swiss pear from Chuck.  I know I will not finish my AVS or the Longboat if I start my Syren.

Hi Charley,

Welcome to Model Ship World.  I look forward to following your Syren Build Log. 

Here are some photos of the NRG Conference in Charleston, South Carolina:

It was a great time for all that attended the Conference.  I really enjoyed the trip to Patriots Point on Wednesday and the tour of Fort Sumter and the Hunley on Friday.  The presentations were excellent and the presenters definitely had a lot of enthusiasm for their topics.  There were also about twenty ship models on display.  The best part was meeting up with old friends and making new ones.  There were also a lot on Model Ship World members in attendance.  Like Tim, I am looking forward to St. Louis in 2014.

Thanks Alistair and racouch444 for the nice comments.  I got my Morope from curlee11@aol.com.  It is nice scale rope but in the future I will be buying my rope from the Syren Ship Model Company.  They produce excellent rope and it does not unravel like Morope does when you cut it.  The cannons are the ones that came with the kit.  After I cleaned them up, I painted them with Model Shipways Iron Cannon Black.