russ

Mark:

I have always planked the outside first, but that is how I learned to do it. It just seems the natural way to do it. I can see adding clamps and stringers on the inside beforehand to stiffen the hull, but past that, I do not know of a reason to plank the inside first.

Russ

That looks very good. Excellent work.

Russ

The planking looks great. Very nice work.

Russ

The angle in the frames is not much. Just enough to account for the fore and aft bend in the bottom.

Looks good so far.

Russ

You seem to be well on your way here. I also go very slow, and if that is what you enjoy and how you get the most enjoyment out of it, then that is what is best. Go slow. Have fun.

Russ

Very nice work. Congratulations on a beautiful model.

Russ

John:

Did you cut and fit around each frame? It looks very snug. Nice work.

Russ

I use a sharp blade, always cut less than I need, and go slow, checking with a sample piece of wood for fit every so often. Use a stop cut at the bottom edge with the flat edge to the bottom. Cut just deep enough, but not too deep. You can always take a little more off if need be. Then cut from the top of the rabbet, down to the stop cut. Cut inside the lines and then fine tune your way to the lines as you go along. Time taken here to get this right will pay dividends later on.

Russ

John:

This kit has been out of production for 25-30 years at least so I doubt there will be any build logs. Maybe someone has built the kit back in the day though.

Russ

It looks very good so far.

Once painted they should be fine. If you seal the grain on the basswood, someone would have to look far too closely to tell the difference.

Russ

Mike:

The hull looks great. Looking forward to rigging.

Russ

John:

Lovely planking. The rubbing strake looks very good. It gives a nice scale effect. What size is the rubbing strake?

Russ

The deck stanchions look great. Very nicely done details. Excellent work.

Russ

Good work. The colors on the deck planking look great. I like the varying shades from plank to plank, especially on a vessel like this. The fastenings look very good as well.

Russ

Take a breath, go slow, have fun, and ask lot's of questions BEFORE you do anything about which you have questions.

Russ

John:

The tree nailing came out really well. The lines of the planking are outstanding. Nice work.

Russ

I have one and I do not know what I did without it. I got it at Hobby Lobby for 20 bucks or so I think. They vary in size and I am thinking of getting one slightly larger. It is a good value.

Russ

The paint job looks very good. Nice work.

Russ

The hatch and grating look excellent. Nice work.

Russ

I have done this sort of thing before. The piece measures okay, but the eye catches something that is off. That is my brain telling me to get it right.

Russ

Great work on the windows. They look very good.

Russ

Brian:

The hatch looks good, but if it does not please you, then it is worth a little time and some wood to have another go at it.

Russ

The companionway looks very good. Nice work. Enjoy the process. Each piece of the model is a model in itself so you have made many small models that will eventually be part of a larger model.

Russ

Frank:

It looks very good. A nice paint job will be good to finish it off.

Russ

Frank:

Excellent work so far. I am a big fan of these Midwest kits and this one looks really nice. You are doing well.

Russ