Cathead

Well, good thing I ordered both blocks and line from Syren today! I had recalled the same experience from the two MS boat kits I've done and decided to spend my credit there on other stuff. Thanks for the feedback, sir.

Thanks for the "likes", the comments, and the discussion.  
 
Things have been running, shall we say, dead dog slow here lately in the shipyard.  I'm putting the hours in but seems like nothing gets finished.     Probably normal then at this  stage.
 
The center line furniture aft of the main mast is done except for the pantry which is on hold.  No point in blocking access at this point.  Also the two crew ladderways forward of the main mast are done.  The pic shows the capstan but it's only set into place at this point so it doesn't get misplaced or damaged.  The crossbeam for the pinrail forward of the main mast has  been safely tucked away so it doesn't get damaged.  I'm moving forward on the deck to the remaining hatchways.   After the planking the rest of the deck and doing the ceiling, I'll install what I have ready and make the pumps (do over!!!) and the fireplaces.
 
Part of the bog that's slowing things down is taking measurements for the planking and transferring them to the drawings I'm making for the laser.  
 
I do find myself being happier with my output as I think I'm getting better at joinery and even more patient with fitting things than I was before.  After a couple of "by your leave, sir" hassles, I found I need to measure 3 times before transferring any measurement to the wood.  A bit of confidence here and there goes a long ways.  
 
Here's the pic and as always, comments, critiques, and discussion are welcome.
 

CH, I wasn't at all impressed with the ME line in the Bounty Launch kit, and replaced all of it with Chuck's Syren rope. I plan on doing the same with my MS Constitution build, and have already laid in one order with Chuck for both rope and blocks.
 
I think you will notice a vast difference with the Syren stuff.

Well, no worries, I've done my orders and now eagerly await better stuff to work with. In the meantime I have a busy work week and a spousal birthday on Saturday, so not much will likely get done soon anyway.

Well, no worries, I've done my orders and now eagerly await better stuff to work with. In the meantime I have a busy work week and a spousal birthday on Saturday, so not much will likely get done soon anyway.

If you're fitting a rod and ring to that beam, is it going to be some kind of pivot? Are you essentially making a bearing? I can't figure out what for, though, and could be way off. Hey, you said guess.

Well, no worries, I've done my orders and now eagerly await better stuff to work with. In the meantime I have a busy work week and a spousal birthday on Saturday, so not much will likely get done soon anyway.

Thanks to both of you. It's too bad I already did the deck blocks, but I also tended to choose the best of the lot for that job, so even after re-inspection I think they'll serve. Or I suppose I could cut 'em off and try my hand at attaching new ones straight to the rings. Hmmm. Anyway, it's the support network and the presence of actual builders/sellers like Chuck and other small businesses on here that make this such a great place (and yes, my membership in NRG is up-to-date so I'm not just saying that!).
 
While I wait for all this new stuff, I'll probably work on shaping the masts and rebuilding the cross-trees from scratch (another crappy metal piece I've given up on, and they should be wood anyway).
 
Matt, is M-E's rigging line any good? I ask because I have an unused credit there and budget is always a concern for me. I'm definitely ordering blocks from Syren.

Thanks to both of you. It's too bad I already did the deck blocks, but I also tended to choose the best of the lot for that job, so even after re-inspection I think they'll serve. Or I suppose I could cut 'em off and try my hand at attaching new ones straight to the rings. Hmmm. Anyway, it's the support network and the presence of actual builders/sellers like Chuck and other small businesses on here that make this such a great place (and yes, my membership in NRG is up-to-date so I'm not just saying that!).
 
While I wait for all this new stuff, I'll probably work on shaping the masts and rebuilding the cross-trees from scratch (another crappy metal piece I've given up on, and they should be wood anyway).
 
Matt, is M-E's rigging line any good? I ask because I have an unused credit there and budget is always a concern for me. I'm definitely ordering blocks from Syren.

If you're fitting a rod and ring to that beam, is it going to be some kind of pivot? Are you essentially making a bearing? I can't figure out what for, though, and could be way off. Hey, you said guess.

Well, as my approach to this kit evolves, it's becoming something quite different from what I initially intended, but also something quite interesting in its own right.
 
I've planked the starboard side following the "go with the flow" approach, allowing the kit-supplied planking to curve as it desires. It's obviously not accurate, but it was good practice for fitting planks, and I think it came out nicely overall other than the un-prototypicalness of it. Certainly the vast majority of viewers here will never know the difference; Mrs Cathead cooed when she saw the results. There are two noticeable errors: a couple planks which didn't quite seat properly near the bow, and a notch at the keel where I screwed up cutting out the notch for the display stand.
 



 
This was my first attempt at using stealers on any model, and I think it worked well at the stern. I had considering painting this side if the planking hadn't come out well, but after sanding and oiling it, I think I like it this way. I never intended a natural-wood model, but as that's what it's evolving to be, so be it.
 
The next step is to decide whether to finish the port side the same way for consistency, or to order a few sheets of wood to try my hand at spiling an accurate run of planks. This would look strange from head-on, but as it won't be displayed that way, it may not matter, and may even be a point of conversation to be able to display two different planking approaches at once.
 
I have time to think about it, as we're about to depart for vacation in Boston and Maine. I'm looking forward to visiting the Constitution, and hopefully dropping by BlueJacket in Searsport, ME. Thanks for reading.

I've finally finished the hull planking, and am fairly pleased with the outcome. I decided to give "accurate" planking at the bow a shot after all, and with much trial and error produced an acceptable result:
 

 
I really don't like the planking wood provided in this kit. I don't know what it is, I think something tropical, but it's very coarse-grained and splits really easily. It does not take bending well; over and over again as I tried to apply even a gentle edge-bend after thorough soaking, it split length-ways rather than take any curve. But I persevered and finished the hull with virtually no wood to spare.
 
I had tried to apply Chuck's no-soak bending method, using a hair dryer, but this wood wouldn't take it. I had to soak each piece and gently bend it, often repeating this several times, to get the curve needed, and I think I broke two or three for every successful piece. But I really do think it came out reasonably:
 

 
The stern was, of course, more straightforward, but I used this side to continue practicing proper stealer use. I kept all my joints on a strict pattern and restricted almost all of them to real bulkhead locations. The result is fairly pleasing to me. The camera, of course, highlights every slight gap between planks, but none of that is visible from more than 6" away in person.
 

 
I've been working on this hull for so long now that it's going to feel strange to change focus and start on other aspects of the build. I'm hoping to start putting more time in again; the last few months have been especially busy between a vacation, the start of a new job, and the always-busy fall season on our farm. If winter ever arrives here in Missouri (it's still over 80 F), this build will start progressing again.
 
Thanks for checking in on me.

I have been working on the deck fittings.Below, you see the deck with all holes drilled for the metal fittings (rings, bits, etc.):
 

 
And here you see most of the fittings test-placed (unglued) to get a sense of the deck's layout. Many of these will have small blocks; I'm trying to decide whether I should tie those in before gluing down the fittings, or afterward.
 

 
Another source of annoyance in this kit: these metal fittings have "pins" meant to fit into the deck holes, but many of them are too thick or long. For example, the stanchions which will hold safety lines have pins nearly the width of the rails, as shown in the blurry photo below. I've drilled smaller pilots holes, but am reluctant to drill any wider for fear of splitting the rail. So I may have to file down all these tiny parts to fit proper holes.
 

 
I've also had this problem with the plates and other hull fittings; their pins are so long that holes drilled in the rails would go right through. As it is, I've been desperately careful drilling pilot holes sideways through these rails without poking through. So I've been spending lots of time filing down the pins on these fittings to be narrower and pointier so I can drive them into the wood and have them hold more securely.
 
It's been very fiddly work but I think it'll come out ok. As this is the first rigged ship I've ever attempted, I don't know if this kind of thing or normal, or unique to the Corel kit. 
 
Are there any thoughts on whether to pre-rig blocks to the rings, or do it after gluing the rings in? Anything else I should be considering at this stage?

Hello Cathead,
 
Your Ranger is looking good - the hull planking is very neatly done. Nice.
 
Gary

Yeah, I really like that angle.
 
This was going to be my next kit. Now I'm wondering if I should just print these photos out and stick them on the bookshelf instead.

I did some quick research and she's a fine-looking boat. I'm looking forward to this. How did you choose this one in particular?

If you're fitting a rod and ring to that beam, is it going to be some kind of pivot? Are you essentially making a bearing? I can't figure out what for, though, and could be way off. Hey, you said guess.

Thanks to both of you. It's too bad I already did the deck blocks, but I also tended to choose the best of the lot for that job, so even after re-inspection I think they'll serve. Or I suppose I could cut 'em off and try my hand at attaching new ones straight to the rings. Hmmm. Anyway, it's the support network and the presence of actual builders/sellers like Chuck and other small businesses on here that make this such a great place (and yes, my membership in NRG is up-to-date so I'm not just saying that!).
 
While I wait for all this new stuff, I'll probably work on shaping the masts and rebuilding the cross-trees from scratch (another crappy metal piece I've given up on, and they should be wood anyway).
 
Matt, is M-E's rigging line any good? I ask because I have an unused credit there and budget is always a concern for me. I'm definitely ordering blocks from Syren.

Well, would you look at that, now. I'd been all over the site but never thought to click on the actual blocks. Thank you, sir. Do you have an alert set up for your name or something? I thought of pming you but didn't want to waste your time with such a newbie question. An order will be forthcoming.

A bit more work has now been done on the 'Pritt'.  Both mastheads are now festooned with blocks and the spars are just about ready to rig, so next time I'm in at the museum I should be able to start putting it all together.  After the spars are rigged there's still a bit of work to do, of course - footropes; lifebuoys; sidelights etc., but she's now starting to look like a pearler rather than just another boat. 
 
John
 

 

 

 

Hey CH, I had to look back in my notes to find this one. The shrouds(standing rigging) is 0,8mm, the running rigging is 0,5mm and the lanyards are 0,25mm. Hope that helps. If you or Mrs. CH have sewing, knitting or crochet thread, or know someone who does, here are the thread sizes: 0,8mm = size 3 / 0,5mm = size 10 / 0,25mm = size 30. I use these exclusively, mostly since my other hobby is fine thread crochet. Six cord mercerized is a must. These can all be acquired on eBay or Etsy for pretty cheap. A DMC cordonnet special size 30 has 216yds so it goes a long way. Sorry Chuck, don't mean to step on your toes.

No I like to pop in and look at as many builds as possible when time permits.   I might not say much but I enjoy watching everyones progress.  You are doing a fine job.

Well, would you look at that, now. I'd been all over the site but never thought to click on the actual blocks. Thank you, sir. Do you have an alert set up for your name or something? I thought of pming you but didn't want to waste your time with such a newbie question. An order will be forthcoming.

I'm facing a challenge, which I hope one of you more experienced sorts can advise me on.
 
This kit has finally broken my desire to stick with the supplied materials. Both the blocks and belaying pins are near worthless, and the rigging line seems cheap. So I've decided to bite the bullet and order better stuff from Syren or an equivalent quality provider. But here's my dilemma: I don't know what size rigging line to order. Nowhere in the Corel instructions can I find a listing of the three line thicknesses they provide. And what really makes me paranoid is, I don't know how large the holes are in, say, the Syren blocks. So how do I determine what size line to buy, so that it's right and fits through good blocks? Any suggestions?
 
I found the line-size chart on Syren's website, which is nice, but it doesn't help me determine what will fit properly in different blocks. Help a newbie, please!

Well, would you look at that, now. I'd been all over the site but never thought to click on the actual blocks. Thank you, sir. Do you have an alert set up for your name or something? I thought of pming you but didn't want to waste your time with such a newbie question. An order will be forthcoming.