Ryland Craze

Post One
Early stages
The early stages of construction are just as we have come to expect from Vanguard.

5534a
Rapid early progress with glueless assembly of perfectly fitting parts.
That is unless you decide to open up the lower deck areas of the Fish hold and the cabin space.

5537a
This involves some modification to the Bulkheads  8 and 9 ( in the case of the fish hold, and Bulkheads 12 and 13 in the case of the cabin area.

5539a

5540a
Bulkheads 8 and 9 modified to give a clear space below the Main Hatch to the Fish hold.

5547a
Faux deck beams are added but won’t be seen.

5548a
I was quite surprised by the small main hatch on Erycina, Barely 3’ 6”(L) X 3’.0 (W). Seems hardly practical on a fishing boat, and miniscule compared to the cavernous hatchways on the Fifie and Zulu boats.
She is however, quite a bit smaller than either Fifie or Zulu.
 
 
I do like to have some open hatchways, gives depth to a model and at least an impression of more there than there is.
 
The next stage is modifying the Cabin area.
 
B.E.
30/08/2024

Post 4
Fairing and fittings
A stove for Erycina
It is certain that a small stove was contained within the cabin of Erycina but the kit only shows the Flue pipe emerging above deck.

5585a
Before I begin fairing I knocked up a small stove to check the fit and position for the line of the flue pipe.
It is a tiny thing measuring only 12mm x 6mm.

5593a
The main objective is to see how it looks in the cabin position.

5595a
I think it will pass muster, at least to a blind man on a galloping horse.
 
Fairing is straightforward on Erycina, it’s nice to have a hull that will fit in one hand to work on.

5600a

5604a
A careful check is made to ensure that a test board will fit tightly against the deck edge and bulkhead ears.

5607a

5608a
Similarly, all points of the faired bulkhead edges are checked using a test board to ensure full contact down to the keel.

5612a

5616a

5620a
The final stage of this section is the addition of the Pearwood  keel, Bow and sternpost parts. They all slot perfectly together into the false keel.
 
B.E.
03/09/2025

As other folks have said, that's no disaster. Your hull is looking good and any issues will be covered by your second layer of planking. Going forward, I'd recommend using tacks with large plastic heads in place of nails for your second build. I used nails on my first build and pulled them all out before laying the second layer of planks. It's much easier with the tacks. Good luck and don't get discouraged. It looks like you are well on your way to a very nice build.
 

Consider a lot of putty means painting the hull. The putty texture will not match wood grain.  This means sealing the wood, prime, then paint.
 
Good luck,
 
-Rich

Good job so far.  Do you want to take it to the next level, beyond the instructions?  Start tapering the plank widths.  Consider planking 4 bulkheads at a time - it’s easier.
 
Consult the How to Plank references here on MSW.  Get into plank tapering.
 
Good luck!
 
-Rich
 
 

Yeah, that's what I thought... I'll probably order them for my Sphinx too. Although I'd also considered Syren's 3D-printed blocks. It's not quite there yet, so I still have some time. The advantage of ordering them from Chris is that I can order the whole set for the Sphinx right away.
 
I love your close-ups! This way I can get a good look at them up close.  👍

Work is progressing nicely on adding the braces for all the various yards. I have run in the brace rigging for all yards on the left hand side. Once I have run in the right hand right hand side rigging the braces can be tensioned and belayed.
 
In the following set of photos I have shown where all the rigging has been run. There is some fuzz on rigging lines which is not visible to the naked eye. As the end of this project nears I am thinking about which model to build next (as I wait in the wings for Jim to complete the prototype build for the Surprise). I am currently considering either the The Baltimore Privateer Schooner Grecian or HMS Speedy. I have previously partly built HMS Speedy but had to ditch the project partway through the build. I would like to build the HM Brig Sloop Flirt - Master Shipwright Edition but as this kit is currently out of stock so that is not currently an option.
 
Main Yard Braces

 
Main topsail yard braces
Main topgallant yard braces

Fore Lower yard braces

Fore Topsail braces

Fore topgallant braces

Spritsail yard braces

Thanks for tip @Chuck.  I will definitely do that.  I can already tell how fragile the hull is right now, so fairing will be slow going for sure. 

That looks perfect...nicely done.   Bend the corners of your sandpaper up a little bit as you fair so they dont get caught on your frames as you fair the hull.  Take your time with fairing.  
 
Chuck

I have reached a milestone of sorts.  All of the frames are glued to the keel assembly.  The first four pictures show the frames dry fitted to the keel.  One I was happy with the fit, I attached them permanently with some Titebond.  The next step is to very carefully fair the hull with some 320 grit sandpaper.

Thanks everyone for the likes and the nice comments.
 
Now, first, I need to make the shields that are still missing from the fore castle. These are based on the remains of shields from the rear castle.

the first one is ready

test

production

These shields are finished; there are about 40 to do on the rear castle.

 

Thank you Chuck. I wanted a quick little project before I started Cheerful. I’m not sure I chose wisely. HAHA. I love the little boat! I’m just really trying to complete her to my highest ability. So that does not equate to quick little project. 
 
 
 
Time to start on the floorboards. I wanted to play around with black monofilament for bolts or nails and such. I did some shaping of the center board from the plans and also did some test holes for the monofilament I have. I ended up using a #77 drill bit. The line is .40 mm.
 

 

 

 
Then just more of the same for the other boards. I really thought I was doing well and I see the nail lines are not straight. There was a lot of things to keep track of while gluing those in. I’m not going to worry about them and just keep it as a lesson to keep a closer eye on those also.
 

 

 
Now on to the little decks. I was not looking forward to these as I have a really hard time visualizing what shape things like this need to be when they have compound curves. Plus its basically impossible to measure in there. I used a trick that I saw in the build log of @BobF.  He used little bits of paper and made a template. I tried it and I think it worked out well for me. I transferred it to a single layer of manilla folder then onto the boxwood floors I had made and cut them out. I don’t seem to have any pics of the backs but I did put some 1/32” boards on the back for strength and to help keep them flat. The final fit could be better but I’m good with them. 
 
When final dry fitting something like this how do you tell where the part is getting stuck and needs a little more shaping? 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Here they are installed and a coat of WOP. 
 
What do you think of the size of the monofilament? I think it might be a little strong but with all the other stuff going on above them I don’t want them to get lost as they were a lot of work. I’m thinking between the floor boards and the decks I have about 15 hours in them.

 

 
Thanks for looking!! I appreciate all the comments and likes!
 
Chris

I can’t decide if your a wooden ship modeling master or a card modeling master… both!? 😁

Today I did the eyebolts for the mast partners and finished up the bow bitts.
 

 
Next up in the instructions are a bunch of sub-assemblies that all say "do this or do that but don't install it yet!" This I interpreted as a kind of code meaning "time to take a break and build a card model!" Ah, don't be sad -- this is how I said this build would go down! Before we press the pause button, though, here's a couple of photos to show how far Phoenix has progressed since January of this year.
 
She's gone from this:

 
to this:

 

 

 
The next round of construction should make some similarly dramatic changes.
 
See you in a few(?) weeks! 
 

I had a little more time to work on my V108 yesterday. It doesn't really look much different, but I managed to add those cowlings on the af deck, and added the next assembly to the bridge superstructure. And, while I'd added the rudder last time, I managed to knock it off, so I'm leaving it off until a later stage.
 

Chris, in his tutorial build log, mentions not knowing what these things are for. I don't know either, but I'm wondering if they could be smoke generators? Or, maybe they're just exhaust vents for blowing the hot air out of the engine spaces?

Added to the bridge superstructure and added one of the skylight hatches. For mounting the superstructure assembly, I followed Chris's example of adding some guide strips to the deck. This helps align the parts and gives the glue a good surface and makes the added assembly pretty solid. 
And, finally, I added the little bollard or capstan assembly on the forecastle. There were too many little rings for me after making other parts, so I just cut some thin slices from a styrene rod instead, and painted it all black.

These close-up photos make the model look so much worse than it does in real life. Or maybe my eyes are so bad, I can't see the missing paint, etc., except in close-up photos.
 
Question: Not that I'm going to add any, but should there be some kind of screen inside the stacks? Right now, you can look down inside and see the big support piece there. I painted it black, so it's harder to see, but if there were a screen, you probably couldn't see any junk inside, so I'm just wondering.
 
 
 

As I understand it, this figure is a work in progress, and sent to me just for comfirmation that the seating position is OK

And progress with the second Aubrey figure....

OK, Surprise designs 100% complete (save any slight alterations I may need to do if Jim suggests any needed)
This morning I received my final STL (3-d print) file for one half of the Aubrey/Maturin duo - he is the final Maturin file (with thickened parts as per my request):
 


I am now just waiting for the Aubrey figure with instrument and the stern lantern files.
 
These figures will come as standard in the Surprise kit (2 x Aubrey poses and 1 x Maturin) Assuming of course, that I can get them to print OK.....

A little catch-up on her grace, the Duchess.
We have a fair amount of re-painting, and a little assembly to report.

The pink was remixed, and is subtly darker in tone.  This, I think, shows to better effect on the model.

The rail patterns and rails have been added.
 
One issue I had on the quarterdeck was the dome base (by the central cabin door).  This single piece broke along the grain, and, after a struggle, has been replaced with three pieces.

I planned for two attempt, but my first effort works well enough.
You can see the spiral stair into the reception cabin here too (How easy would that have been to negotiate in an 18c pannier skirt?).
 
The wales have been painted, but are not attached yet.

Here you may see a wooden gauge, made to help guide the upper wale.

A start has been made on the Stern fascia, and mid-deck bulkhead (reception cabin wall).

 
I've been reading about the French use of false windows earlier in the 18C, and have decided to make the middle window of the stern fascia blind.
In practice, a glazed window would have been very close to the rudder, and probably wouldn't allow much light.

Not accepting a .5-1mm variance, taking the time to do it over, is the sign of an exceptional modeler. Well done!

Hi, Ronald! Your work is an example for me of how important it is to be meticulous in the details. I have little experience, and I'm learning a lot as I build my model. Thank you for providing a detailed description of your work. The result is impressive! Good luck to you!

Update:
 
All the channels are mounted, including their knees. It wasn't a difficult job, only the knees were a bit fiddly when it came to removing the laser char. They're small and difficult to hold, etc. But I'm happy with the end result. The color of the channels turned out a bit darker than I'd like, but that's just how it is when you're dealing with different sheets of pearwood...they're not all the same. But it's not really a problem.
 
I initially thought the channels should be flush against the decorative moldings, but I discovered in other build logs that several people didn't have this. So I abandoned that idea.  
 
By the way...the manual advised to paint them black, which looks indeed nice with a painted hull. But I have chosen to leave them natural, I think it looks nicer with a unpainted hull.
 
 
Here's a brief description of what I did. First, I used a needle to center the channel, which will soon be drilled with a hole for a reinforcement rod to give the channels some extra strength for attaching to the hull.

 
Drilled a 0.7 hole (with a dremel in a vertical drill stand) so that it is straight.  
 

 
Small cut nail with CA glued in it
 

 
Some channels still needed a bit of sanding to fit (which is understandable, as every hull is slightly different, of course). You could clearly see if they fit properly from below.
 

 

 
Then, I pre-coated the bottom of the channels that are against the painted hull with WOP (so the varnish doesn't touch the painted hull). I didn't put the entire channel in the WOP because so many parts still needed to be glued. I thought that would be better on bare wood.  
 
I made a mistake here... somehow I didn't thin the varnish or even stir it (my mind was elsewhere). This resulted in a very thick layer, which is still visible in the final result. I could have sanded it down and re-varnished it, of course, but since it's on the underside and I almost never look at a ship that way... I just left it as is.  
 

 
The respective knees used as guides to glue the channels at the correct angle (parallel to the waterline).
 

 
End result after putting 2 layers of WOP on the channels
 

 
Here you can still spot the error between the diluted and undiluted lacquer  


 
I'm really looking forward to the next step...all the prow/bow stuff. HMS Pickle didn't have any of this; it was a very simple bow, so this will be really fun to do for the first time (I think ).
 

Boxwood and Ebony sheets milled down from big stock, now to cut lots of planking strips.
 

Planking strips of different sizes all cut.
 
At full size and (1:48) they are as follows going downwards along the hull:-
 
3" ( 0.0625") thick basswood frieze panels as supplied with the kit.
3" ( 0.0625") thick boxwood from Channel wales up to the frieze panels ( 2 strakes ).
5" ( 0.1042") thick boxwood Channel wales ( 3 strakes )
4" ( 0.0833") thick boxwood thickstuff above wales ( 4 strakes )
5.5" ( 0.1145") thick ebony black strake ( 1 strake )
6" ( 0.125") thick ebony Main wales ( 4 strakes )
4" ( 0.0833") thick Holly thickstuff below wales ( 1-2 strakes as required )
 
The sizes above came from the "scantlings" book for a 50gun 4th rate ( steel's table ).
 

 

Thanks Ryland for taking care!