Cathead

Eric, I like the canvas decking made with masking tape. Looks great. 👍 

Eric, you're holding true to the photographs and it looks amazing. 

Time for a big dump of progress photos!
 
I completely failed to take photos of building the roof for the pilot house and cabin, but it wasn't complicated. I just cut a thin sheet of wood to the shape I wanted, spread glue on the "rafters", and secured everything with rubber bands.
 
The photo story picks up again as I applied the simulated canvas. I used the same method as I did on Arabia: strips of masking tape held down with a thin layer of wood glue. When that's dried overnight, I trim the edges and paint it. It's held up perfectly on that last model, I really like the texture, and it's more forgiving to work with than tissue paper or silkspan or other options. Plus it's dirt cheap. Here's a sequence showing the progression of slightly overlapping layers on the gently arching cabin roof:



And the same for the pilot house:
 


I'll use some pastels to weather this a little, dull it down, and give it some subtle variation in tone.
 
In the meantime I worked on laying out the support posts for the hog chains, which needed to be carefully situated to run just along the outside edge of the cabin roof. So I marked the final location of the cabin and carefully laid out where I wanted the posts to go through the boiler deck. Then I drilled a series of small holes and used a sharp knife tip and then small files to make the final shape:
 

I then made a simple jig for the angle I wanted the posts to sit at, and used this to set them up. Here they've already been cut and painted. The black tips are meant to represent the iron caps that actually held the hog chains onto the wooden posts.

And here are a few shots of the fore and aft hog chain posts resting in place (not yet glued); you'll notice I temporarily removed the chimneys to avoid any possible damage as I worked on all this:
 



I also built the assembly that goes over the stern, which I'd left off until now since it rises above the boiler deck and I didn't want to bump or snap it while doing earlier work on the deck.
 


Finally it was time to start attaching things for good. Here I've glued down the cabin and pilot house (big step!):
 

And while that was drying I got started laying down the "canvas" on the boiler deck, working up to the aft part of the cabin. I'll let this all dry completely before proceeding up either side of the cabin.
 

A close look will also show that I built and attached the little L-shaped guard wall around the staircase up to the boiler deck.
 
Once all the boiler deck canvas is laid, I'll (re)cut the hog chain post holes, paint it carefully (trying to avoid the cabin walls), then attach the stern piece. At that point the model will really be coming together though a lot of detail work remains to be done (not to mention the paddle wheel, which I'm dreading).
 
Thanks for reading (or at least skimming) through that big dump of updates!

Time for a big dump of progress photos!
 
I completely failed to take photos of building the roof for the pilot house and cabin, but it wasn't complicated. I just cut a thin sheet of wood to the shape I wanted, spread glue on the "rafters", and secured everything with rubber bands.
 
The photo story picks up again as I applied the simulated canvas. I used the same method as I did on Arabia: strips of masking tape held down with a thin layer of wood glue. When that's dried overnight, I trim the edges and paint it. It's held up perfectly on that last model, I really like the texture, and it's more forgiving to work with than tissue paper or silkspan or other options. Plus it's dirt cheap. Here's a sequence showing the progression of slightly overlapping layers on the gently arching cabin roof:



And the same for the pilot house:
 


I'll use some pastels to weather this a little, dull it down, and give it some subtle variation in tone.
 
In the meantime I worked on laying out the support posts for the hog chains, which needed to be carefully situated to run just along the outside edge of the cabin roof. So I marked the final location of the cabin and carefully laid out where I wanted the posts to go through the boiler deck. Then I drilled a series of small holes and used a sharp knife tip and then small files to make the final shape:
 

I then made a simple jig for the angle I wanted the posts to sit at, and used this to set them up. Here they've already been cut and painted. The black tips are meant to represent the iron caps that actually held the hog chains onto the wooden posts.

And here are a few shots of the fore and aft hog chain posts resting in place (not yet glued); you'll notice I temporarily removed the chimneys to avoid any possible damage as I worked on all this:
 



I also built the assembly that goes over the stern, which I'd left off until now since it rises above the boiler deck and I didn't want to bump or snap it while doing earlier work on the deck.
 


Finally it was time to start attaching things for good. Here I've glued down the cabin and pilot house (big step!):
 

And while that was drying I got started laying down the "canvas" on the boiler deck, working up to the aft part of the cabin. I'll let this all dry completely before proceeding up either side of the cabin.
 

A close look will also show that I built and attached the little L-shaped guard wall around the staircase up to the boiler deck.
 
Once all the boiler deck canvas is laid, I'll (re)cut the hog chain post holes, paint it carefully (trying to avoid the cabin walls), then attach the stern piece. At that point the model will really be coming together though a lot of detail work remains to be done (not to mention the paddle wheel, which I'm dreading).
 
Thanks for reading (or at least skimming) through that big dump of updates!

Time for a big dump of progress photos!
 
I completely failed to take photos of building the roof for the pilot house and cabin, but it wasn't complicated. I just cut a thin sheet of wood to the shape I wanted, spread glue on the "rafters", and secured everything with rubber bands.
 
The photo story picks up again as I applied the simulated canvas. I used the same method as I did on Arabia: strips of masking tape held down with a thin layer of wood glue. When that's dried overnight, I trim the edges and paint it. It's held up perfectly on that last model, I really like the texture, and it's more forgiving to work with than tissue paper or silkspan or other options. Plus it's dirt cheap. Here's a sequence showing the progression of slightly overlapping layers on the gently arching cabin roof:



And the same for the pilot house:
 


I'll use some pastels to weather this a little, dull it down, and give it some subtle variation in tone.
 
In the meantime I worked on laying out the support posts for the hog chains, which needed to be carefully situated to run just along the outside edge of the cabin roof. So I marked the final location of the cabin and carefully laid out where I wanted the posts to go through the boiler deck. Then I drilled a series of small holes and used a sharp knife tip and then small files to make the final shape:
 

I then made a simple jig for the angle I wanted the posts to sit at, and used this to set them up. Here they've already been cut and painted. The black tips are meant to represent the iron caps that actually held the hog chains onto the wooden posts.

And here are a few shots of the fore and aft hog chain posts resting in place (not yet glued); you'll notice I temporarily removed the chimneys to avoid any possible damage as I worked on all this:
 



I also built the assembly that goes over the stern, which I'd left off until now since it rises above the boiler deck and I didn't want to bump or snap it while doing earlier work on the deck.
 


Finally it was time to start attaching things for good. Here I've glued down the cabin and pilot house (big step!):
 

And while that was drying I got started laying down the "canvas" on the boiler deck, working up to the aft part of the cabin. I'll let this all dry completely before proceeding up either side of the cabin.
 

A close look will also show that I built and attached the little L-shaped guard wall around the staircase up to the boiler deck.
 
Once all the boiler deck canvas is laid, I'll (re)cut the hog chain post holes, paint it carefully (trying to avoid the cabin walls), then attach the stern piece. At that point the model will really be coming together though a lot of detail work remains to be done (not to mention the paddle wheel, which I'm dreading).
 
Thanks for reading (or at least skimming) through that big dump of updates!

I've gotten the hardware on the bowsprit/jib booms. At one point there is a need for 4 deadeyes in one loop around the bowsprit. Again, I'm resorting to Derek's method of getting them in the right positions: 12 o'clock, 4, 6, & 8. I managed it, although maybe the one is at 3:30. Always good to be a little early!

Now I'm on to the fore masts.

I've temporarily placed the two steersmen in their positions on the poop deck, to work out where exactly the tillers should come to.
  

And I've been working on providing floors for the tops - up till now I'd left them open at the bottom except for a couple of beams each to support the framework of the top. The thing is, the halyards pass diagonally through the tops, so they can't have a full floor. But the poor lookouts need somewhere to stand. So after a bit of thought, I've come up with a solution - plank the floors, but with a gap for the halyard.
 
But first I had to work out exactly where they pass through, lining them up with the sheaves of the calcets and the knights on the deck.
 
 





Planking begun

And complete
 

 

Very fiddly, but finally got it done. Pretty happy with this solution. It may be nothing like what was really done back in the day, but it is workable.
 
Steven

Planking continued slowly. Plenty of discarded planks and removal of poorly fitting ones but hull is now completed up to the first layer of the wale.
A stealer was added at the stern at the junction of the first two bands of planking and a drop plank at the bow one strake further up.




First layer of the wale

Planking now complete up to the wale


 
Looking at the hull overall, I think results have improved as I worked my way up the hull but that is the purpose of the excercise. There will be quite a lot of cleaning up to achieve a half decent result. It would have been better if I had sanded back frame 5a because it has caused a high spot at the bow. There is a similar situation at frame G. Maybe I can make these less obvious in finishing.
 
The instructions say that now would be a good time to begin sanding so I will begin by scraping the hull followed by sanding with 120 and 200 grits.
 
David

I laid out the tape for the garboard strake and although the line looked good to me, I found that when it came to cutting the strake out and fixing it, the forward end finished too high. I replaced it so that the strake finished just aft of frame 5 rather than forward of it. This position corresponds more closely to Toni’s build log. The broad strake was more or less a repeat of the garboard strake. Initially I made it too wide at the forward end, removed it, thinned it down and replaced it. Most of the planks have been removed, cleaned up and replaced at least once until I was happy with their fit and placement. Perhaps by the end of the build, I'll be getting it right first time!

 
I have also installed the first strake of the first belt of planking. I think everything looks OK however, the bottom of the stern frames look higher up the deadwood than in the photos in the manual. 

 

I marked the tops of the bulkheads to align them with the topline using a machinist square as outlined in the practicum. I used a small Japanese pull saw to trim them.
 
After much shimming and sanding and test fitting planks I finally finished fairing the hull (or half hull).
This picture shows an example of how laborious this task can be; note the piles of sawdust and gaps that needed shimming. The process took about a week to complete, working an hour or 2 each day.
 

 
But I’m quite satisfied with the final product.
 

 
I also installed the transom and transom support piece, as well as the counter. I found using a piece of 1/16 inch thick basswood for the counter to be easier than using thicker wood.
 

 
Here is one mistake I made. When installing the support pieces between the bulkheads I ended up placing them in line with the plan markings for the wale. This sometimes blocked the use of my square when trying to mark the wale on the bulkheads. I was able to mark either the top or the bottom of the wale on most of the bulkheads, but not all. Not an insurmountable problem, but a bit frustrating. I really need to get better at looking beyond my current processes to see how they will affect future processes. This picture kind of shows the issue.
 

 
Moving on to the garboard and broad strakes.

Yes I bought this kit about a year and half ago so it is the vintage kit.
 
So for the cutter I decided to order a 3D printed version from Vanguard which arrived last week while we were away on vacation. It has a lot of detail. I am putting the cutter kit aside for now but will probably assemble it sometime in the future when I don't have so many other things to work on. The 3D printed hull needs to be painted so I started with the interior which is a brown wood color. The exterior will be off white with black trim. The paint was still wet when I took this picture so it looks shinier and darker than it is now.
 

 
I have the two masts and the bow sprit pieces shaped and dry fit, so I painted the black sections before adding the details to them.
 

 
I started with the bow sprit, adding the metal parts for the jib boom saddle, sieves, and fair lead.
I have also activated the sail making again, now that I have the exact dimensions for the courses. I have the silk span ready to go and I think I can make both sails at the same time from this one piece.
 

 

Feels like I hit a milestone in the kit.  The hull and deck are complete other than the last 3 ship boats and hardware to attach them to the boat.  I plan on completing the last 3 boats after rigging as I think they will just get in the way while rigging.  But for now my mind is shifting gears to the masts and then rigging which is something brand new to me. 
 
Here I added the 4 Quarter Davits that will secure the boats when they are ready.  I also installed the rudder safety chain, which the ropes can be seen in the photo hanging off the rear of the ship. 
 

 
 
The Beagle comes with two types of Anchors, one with an Iron stock, and one with a wooden stock.  The wooden stock provided by the kit was pretty terrible looking and was pretty far out of scale for the size of the anchor it was attached too.  So I fashioned up a new set out of basswood, sanded to shape, coated with Amber shellac, and used electrical shrink wrap for the iron straps. 

 
Anchors and chains installed along with the Beagle figure piece. 
 
 


 
Here are a couple full ship shots to show the milestone point before I start adding masts and rope. 


 
 

You're not the only one, I did a bunch of things differently, too. Diverging from the instructions is part of model-building!

Great story and instantly familiar. I'm actually in the process of doing the same thing to my Peerless, but lucky me, there's no Texas so there's nothing to attach on top of the roof. Definitely an easier fix than some roof coverings, love how you turned that into a positive. 

If I said this never happened to me and you believed it, we need to talk about some ocean front property in Arizona that I'd like to sell you  . It may not have happened on the tarpaper roof, but I have made this mistake in other areas on other builds. At least with the masking tape it's a little bit easier to repair. With silkspan and Modge Podge there is a lot more sanding involved.
 
Great job on the recovery though John.
 
-Brian

Got to working with the skylight...  Back when I was struggling with deciding on the type of roofing for the various decks (that simulate tar paper) I ended up gluing masking tape to the decks and painting over it.
Here is a little "fun fact".... If you use masking tape, or tissue,  silkspan to cover the roofs.... you need to  cut away some of the material where the skylight attaches to the roofing  Otherwise  you are gluing the skylight to the material and not solid wood.    After removing the weights holding down the sky light for gluing, guess what pops up?   Ask me how I know this?
 
Anyway had to remove what little of the skylight was still attached to the roofing, removed the roofing around where the skylight was to be attached to the roofing, and glued it down again.   While I am no expert model builder, that was a rookie mistake and I should have known better.   I bet that mistake will not happen again  🙂
 
Below show the 2nd attachment of the sky light
 

Texas housing complete and glued on.   The Texas roofing is in the background ready to be attached.   I have a feeling I will not forget to remove some of the masking tape where the wheelhouse attaches to the Texas roof  🙂

Hey, great to see you're still working on this. Nice progress!

I agree, having a pleasant workspace that you want to spend time in is an under-appreciated aspect of modeling (or regular work, for that matter).

Honestly I'd considering getting some cookbooks from a library if you can. Online recipes have gone down the tubes, full of unnecessary padding and online search no longer rewards quality. 
 
So glad to hear of continued progress!

I agree, having a pleasant workspace that you want to spend time in is an under-appreciated aspect of modeling (or regular work, for that matter).

Honestly I'd considering getting some cookbooks from a library if you can. Online recipes have gone down the tubes, full of unnecessary padding and online search no longer rewards quality. 
 
So glad to hear of continued progress!

Hey, great to see you're still working on this. Nice progress!

Honestly I'd considering getting some cookbooks from a library if you can. Online recipes have gone down the tubes, full of unnecessary padding and online search no longer rewards quality. 
 
So glad to hear of continued progress!

Hey, great to see you're still working on this. Nice progress!

Some more photos