qwerty2008

there's a bit of an update to be had here........this was done the other day 
 
I has used 2 mm strip stock for the deck beams........in making the tab slots on the ends,  it meant that the beams would need to be shimmed,  in order to bring them level with the rest of the deck framing.  I have some mahogany thin strip that will do the task quite nicely.  it's a bit wide....so I cut some down.
 

 
I have one side trimmed to fit and cemented in place at the moment.  I got carried away with other things.
 

 
....and as for the Jingle Belle.   I'm happy to report that the hull finally made it out to the garage.   it still needs some touch ups........but I gave it a coat of primer,  to begin the sealing process.   before I do more to the hull,  I want to do the scuppers and rub rails.  then I can sand and re-prime.
 

 

 

MARIO!!!  so glad to see you {via text}       I was thinking of you the other day.  I hope you continue to follow along........and it would be super to see a project in the future!
 
Keith,  Nils,  and Bob.........I recently found a really cool article on this boat.......if there was a clue I could give you,  this would be it.  the name of the boat,  before given the name of the subject,  was  "Miss Penny".   I saw pictures of her in 1991......she had bulwark 'shields' that went almost to the transom.......don't think I'll be doing them though
 
I did a bit of work on the built Thursday........I made and installed those  'extensions' I mentioned earlier.
 

 

 
I still need to blend them in.  perhaps I can decant some primer  to paint them after wards.  I also trimmed and installed the fore deck support {stanchion}
 

 
thanks to all who posted and hit the like button

OK........like Dr. Dafi,  I've gotten the urge to dystroy..........y.......because it's a dysfunctional thing.  the necromantic view of the rack and podium is wrong.   the appendage is in the wrong place........I will cut it off and reposition it.  HA.....Ha..to rip...to cut!   it's all good!   finding the right place......the deed was done.
 

 
I was going to join the side support bars to the foredeck stanchion,  and negate the front uprights,  but after looking at the plans,  I see that they are there.......makes it all the better!  the podium floor was cut, fitted,  trimmed,  and filler was added around the uprights.
 

 
in place on the deck puts it right where I want it.
 

 
to get up there from the main deck,  it needs a ladder  {oh no......not again!}.  I had another idea for it that I wanted to try.   using the same idea as the staple ladder,   holes were drilled.....one side of the uprights will be longer than the other.   you can see that I'm using the improved method for drilling  
 

 
to scale down the rungs a bit more,  I did as I mentioned earlier......I used brass.
 

 
after sanding the uprights to a rounded shape,  along with smoothing out the sides,  the ladder looked good enough to use 
 

 

 
in the Billing's plans,  the ladder does not touch the main deck.........I may also put some flooring on half of the lower level....it's a thought.......I think it would look better as well.   it was time to locate the rack back in place.   with it on the deck,  I was able to see the proper place.
 

 

 
I failed to take into account for the flooring.......there is a bit of a step up from the foredeck.  I think I will cut that bar and make an entrance for this side too......I can always add a small piece of square stock to clean it up......there are railings there already {in the plans}.  there is still a little more to add....then to clean up all the joints and get some paint on it.  I can deal with the foredeck later,  when the assembly is cemented in place.   this will happen,  after the hull gets painted.
 

the stern has some vertical rails.   they taper at the top and bottom.
 

 
first,  the filler rails were added in
 

 
then the upper and lower rails were added
 

 
the little cracks and gaps were dabbed with white glue.  after allowing it to set for a min or so,  it was sanded to blend them together and the upper and lower rails were tapered.   they come out looking like this.
 

 

 
the port side was done son after
 

 

I've never heard of that........there's one for the books   I can imagine the smell value wasn't too good

 
 
as promised,  I have the pictures of the rack and podium assembly.   I saw this problem early,  but I thought I'd add to it while I was thinking about it.  probably not one of my better plans,  but perhaps I'd think of a low impact solution.  so,  I added the first podium post,  and the support leg for the lower level.
 

 

 
it too short at the rack end of it still.........I thought it would make it longer.   I will add another section to this.
 

 
there is a slight slant to it,  which is not too much of a problem,  the legs still need to be sanded and adjusted,  so they all touch the deck.
 

 
the outer podium post with the cross bars........to be cemented to the assembly.
 

 
the addition to the rack was added,  along with a cross bar at rail level.   odd that the plans say to install it this way........but OK! 
 

 
and....here is the problem at hand........due to the taper of the stern / bulwarks,  the podium floor is not going to be square.   the only real thing to do to remedy the problem,  would be to offset it at the connection of  the rack and the lower level.   I think I figured out where I need to make the cuts,  since this is crucial connection point.  I ended the evening with it looking like this.
 

this......I did this morning.  I have an on and off relationship with rub rails.   there are time where,  with hardly no effort at all,  they come out nice........and other time,  no matter how much I measure,  they come out badly.   it didn't start out too good.......again,  I think it is because of the tapered stern.  for all who wondered why I left the slight non-conformity in there...........to correct it,  I would have had to chop off at least two ribs worth of stern off and make larger bulkheads {ribs}.  then,  replank and square it off from there.......too much work,  in my view.  then again,  it could be because I have the chute at deck level,  instead of dropping it about 1/8 of an inch.........it began at the stern.
 

 
this is how it should look,  but to line up the top rub rails to it,  they fall just below it.  so,  in order to make this work,  I changed the stern rails to this.
 

 
the top rub rail was laid on the port side.  it stops just before the bow
 

 
the starboard side was done,  along with the lower one........the lower one stops,  following the bow line
 

 

 
the port side was done soon after.
 

 

 
this made the stern look better,  even though it is not it should be.   the corners were rounded,  and the bow ends were evened out and tapered.  I did the port side a little more after the picture was taken.
 

Thank you Keith and Omega and to all the 'likers', you're very kind. 
 
I started by wiping down the entire inside surface of the sphere to remove any debris from the base assembly. The rigging on many lines on the ship were slacked off, masts hinged down to the deck and the two big sails extended part way away from the ship and rolled to go in the bottle. The mainsail was rolled and started into the opening followed by the main masthead, fore masthead and then the transom of the hull. This was the tightest spot, then I had to adjust the fore topsail yard and crossjack as they slipped through.
 

Part way in and looking good, no problems yet, even though the rigging looks like a rats nest again but
it's more like organized chaos and will restore most of itself as the masts hinge back up.
 
When I got the ship a little further in I started raising the masts and pulled the fore mast into its position, tied off the forestay at the bowsprit and glued it, then did the same with the jibstay. I turned the ship over, tensioned the mainstay and glued it where it comes through the bottom of the hull.
 

Upside down, held in place so I can trim the two ends of the mainstay. Next step is to turn
the ship back over and glue it to the lower hull.
 

Upper hull turned over and glued to the lower hull. The crossed poles are bamboo skewers cut
off about 1/8 inch / 3 mm out the opening with a lead weight on the ends while the pva cures.
The three stays are the only lines that I've touched so far; more to go but the worst is over.
 
From here all that's left is several tedious hours of adjusting about twenty more lines, then securing and trimming them. One thing about working inside a sphere I like a lot is that I can turn the model so the part of the ship I need to work on is near the opening - something I can't do inside the usual, cylindrical bottle.
 

 
Dave

You're right about that and it doesn't get better when in front of an audience. I compare bottling a ship model to launching a real ship - all the mechanical parts have to work right and together. And unlike conventional static models it can't be worked on again after the bottle is sealed. 

After a lot of googling and researching I have bought a UBEC that can deliver 6 volts and 8 amps with a peak of 15 amps. The device is designed for LiPo batteries which are quite a bit lighter than the NiMH battery I had and the connectors are new and different so I decided to bite the bullet and go LiPo.
 
I bought a bunch of the new connectors too and re-fitted the whole system, they are gold plated and should make better contact than the old ones but the wires have to be soldered on which in my case is no problem as I am an old hand with a soldering iron.
 
She is starting to get a bit busy below decks now.
 

 
This is the UBEC
 

 
The new battery jammed in to the port bow area
 

 

 
I know we have all seen her with sails raised before but this is the first time they have ALL been raised by the radio and it is running very smoothly with no dramas thanks to the new UBEC and when I plug the ESC (speed controller) back in its supply will add to the available power so I am feeling pretty confident that my electronic problems are behind me.
 

The real ship was towed over to Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard near Baltimore during the week.  She joined the training bark Eagle already there and out of the water.
 
Her rig was reduced and she was loaded into the floating dry-dock, formally Navy ARD-55 (I think).
   
   
 
I don't know specifically what work is to be done, though she suffers from the usual problems a wooden ship that sits at a dock suffers from.
 
Thanks to Chris Rowsom, Director of Historic Ships Baltimore for the images.
 
If you're ever in town, do visit Constellation, there's an interesting pair of models, both 1:48 scale,  in her visitor's center:
  A model of the ship as she appeared in the 20th century into the 1940's.  Builder unknown.
 
  The McArdle model of the ship as she was originally being restored.
 
Another model of the ship is located at the Baltimore Convention Center.  It's a waterline model of the sloop "restored" as a frigate again, in 1:24 scale I think, but this one was built to go on display at the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York.  I remember this model when I went to the fair, always love model boats 
 
 

then you would have liked to be in the same isle as we were,  when we were picking out stuff at Hobby Lobby       I think you would have laughed out loud,  when I was there,  tell her about scale and a modeler's view of it.   I enjoy having her with me.......she is the essential 'other side' of the medium...the one that would say "I could never do that".  I'm able to look through,  and get an idea of what a regular person would see.  I take it as a gift.........and I feel sadness for those,  whose admirals and friends scoff at what they do.   I think that we as modelers,  have a special gift,  of imagination and vision....and it's even more rewarding,  when your surrounded by folks who enjoy and support what you do.   I am truly blessed, my friend       when she saw me pull out the plastic ladder.......you'd have thought I betrayed the medium.
 
thanks for the comment Michael,  we are BOTH blessed in that respect {from what I see of your work} 
 
well........anyway......I did promise you a look at another style of ladder.......didn't I?!?!  I wasn't happy about the rungs.   I has shown the first ladder to the admiral.....she thought it was neat.  I should know better than to critique my work in front of her.  she is a great sounding board.....but she got a bit vexed at what I said about the rungs....."it looks FINE.......what the heck are you looking for anyway?"  the conversation continued well into me making the staple ladder.   she saw the progress of that one,  and commented that she could never model like that.......she thought it was neat as well.   she had no words about the outcome though......she didn't have to.   I tried.......the method was a bit off........but I liked how it looked.   I haven't tried to modify it yet......but I will
 
this third style is neat as well.  given the size dowel I used,  I had to increase the width of the uprights, marked off in 1/4 inch increments.
 

 
then to drill the holes for the rungs.  it's the same method as the staple ladder.......seen here is the modification to the method.   the wood looks a bit dirty.......just metal tarnish from the pin vise....it just shows you how long it's been since I last used it....way too long.
 

 
here is the dowel I have on hand.   I'm not sure of the diameter measurement,  but it's just shy of 3/32 in basswood.  it is a little rough.....to sand it smooth would probably bring it down to 1/16.  I tried to find something smaller,  but for that,  I could substitute brass.
 

 
put it all together,  and you come up with this.  I used CA for this.
 

 

 
I suppose if you were careful how it was assembled,  it could be stained with no trouble.  I wasn't that lucky.....but I'm happy with the results.   my efforts here will not go to waste........I'm thinking of adding it to one of the Holiday Harbor builds.  I put this here, since I'm working on this part at the moment.  short of soldering a ladder together,  this method would do quite well.
 

this is the tiller and steering mechanism. This ship would predate the whipstaff. The large rudder would not be controllable without the tackles.

Don't hold your breathe you'll just pass out.   I do enough holding my breathe for everyone just to help keep my hands steady. When working with the very small I can sometimes see my pulse transferred to the tip of a tool.
 
I started by making and inserting a cone of waxed paper to protect the glass from smudges from painted surfaces, to protect those painted surfaces and to provide a catch for debris from the prairie segments. Using the clamping tool - I call it a trombone because of its resemblance to one - I assembled the prairie segments. This went so quickly and easily, relatively, that I almost forgot to take a photo.
 

Three segments of prairie assembled with the wheeled assembles stationed for use a bit later.
The trombone holds the segments together as the fourth is inserted, positioned and slid onto
the three brass rods. The clamp is released from the three segments, opened to hold all four
and then clamps them together.
 
Using the trombone, the disc was turned over and the segments were glued with slightly diluted pva (about 20-25% water) painted onto the seams. This went very quickly - the photo was taken just 45 minutes after starting and the glue on the disc was drying another half hour later. I had to modify a brush by cutting it off at a slight angle just behind the ferule and gluing it back together rotated 180 degrees to give me a brush with a roughly 45 degree bend.
 

Getting to this point took more work and fiddling inside the bottle. I used the trombone to hold the
lower hull as the wheel assembles were glued to it. The threads kept getting in the way and I had
to keep in mind that I had to turn this assembly over. I had to take it apart once to get the lines right.
 
I used a model railroad scenery glue - Hob-e-Tac from Woodland Scenics - to assemble these three pieces. When spread on a joining surface and allowed to dry until clear (the glue is white) it acts like a contact adhesive. This glue isn't as aggressively tacky as contact cement and gave me time to get these pieces assembled. I used long tweezers and a pair of bamboo skewers, manipulated like chop sticks through the bottle opening, to get the wheels attached to the lower hull. This assembly took another hour and a half.
 
The trombone was indispensable to both of these assemblies. It is rather simple and an improvement over one in my toolbox.
 

The trombone clamp relaxed. The rubber band is the spring that provides clamping
force and is easy to replace with shorter, longer or stronger bands when needed.
 

The clamp holding a triangle to show how it works.
 

The clamp disassembled. The small brass pin keeps the ends aligned. By making brass tube pieces to fit in the
three vertical tubes the clamp can be easily modified to hold irregular objects. The small piece of tube with one
end deformed so that it is a slight press fit in a larger tube is just an extender. The older version was essentially
half of this with just one outer tube with a stop and an inner tube like one of these but it would not hold larger,
irregular objects. Shrink tubing can be shrunk around the clamping points or the points can be wrapped with
masking tape for finish protection.
 
The next step was to glue the wheels of the lower hull to their places on the prairie. I slowly worked the wheels into the wheel tracks using the threads from the wheels and a tool to apply downward pressure from above. When the wheels were near their position I moved the waxed paper and disc until the bottle opening was on top and the paper and disc were on the bottom. I applied large blobs of pva at the wheel attachment points, allowed the waxed paper and prairie disc to slide over the opening as I slowly turned over the sphere, routed the threads from the wheels through the opening and pulled on those threads until the wheels were well embedded in the glue. Much of this latter work was done on an impromptu stand to allow access inside the sphere from below. I then attached clothes pins to the four threads to provide weight to hold the wheels in place while the pva cured.
 

The impromptu stand made from soda cans, a piece of wood with a hole in the center
and a piece of card stock all glued together. I need to make a more permanent version.
Lots of clothes pins were used to weigh down the wheels into their places.
 

Seven components assembled inside the bottle / sphere. Look familiar? This part took about two
hours. I left the weights in place over night and all the next day before moving on to the ship itself.
 
It took about five hours total, all in one day, to get these components assembled not counting breaks for photos, food, glue setting and my nicotine addiction. The clamp allowed the work to progress rapidly - combined with sufficient assembly practice outside the bottle to find and eliminate potential problems.
 
Now for the last component.
 

 
Dave 

Clamps off, the next two sections will go on one at a time so I can clamp one, and figure out how I'll hold down the last one.  I think it's time to break out the compressor and brad nailer.

 
In the meantime, Hardware got attached to the upper yards.  The main t'gallant's just painted and the royals need a bit more hardware yet.  The holes in the t'gallants are for the royal's sheets - I didn't put sheet holes in the royal yards as I can find no evidence Constellation ever set skys'ls - this one certainly isn't.  The main t'gallant here has a post for it's stuns'l boom iron, but I'm going to go about those another way which will involve some soldering.

 
The royals all done.  Note the eyes for the brace blocks are on the forward face of the mizzen t'gallant and royal yards as they brace forward to the main mast - I actually got that right on the first try without having to redo anything.    sometimes I amaze myself.

 
The yards, boom, gaff, and wisker booms all painted.  The yards still need jackstays installed to be complete.  The stuns'l booms and trys'l gaffs are yet to be made, but the corse and tops'l yards need their hardware first.

thanks Omega.......that style of ladder would be seen on navel ships,  but it is also used  on commercial fishing vessels.   if I had done that using white glue,  I wouldn't have had that problem.   if I had also used a metal backing,  the drill wouldn't have gone into the Formica {it didn't go in too far.......most just nicked the surface.  I'll do it again...be sure of it....it is kind of a cool idea.
 
thanks Piet and Frank.........I will be using the ladder.......I have a couple more to make.   I was out with the admiral at hobby Lobby yesterday......got some more small dowels,  and something that will add some neat detail to the reels.   they used to carry a 'grab bag' of metal and brass parts...odds and ends.   I couldn't find it {I have a few other places I can look}.   anyway,  the admiral asked me if I wanted to take a look in HobbyTown.......it's in the same mall.  didn't find it there either,  although I did buy some different size brass sheeting and a few other things.   I took a look in the Plastruct and evergreen displays,  to see if I could use anything from there.   a lot of this stuff applies to HO scale.........I showed her the ladders.  she got visibly upset.......and even called me a cheater!  "you can make the ladders.......you don't need to go buying that stuff!"   I got a good giggle out of it 
 
thanks for posting Lextin.......glad to have you follow along.    best I can say is  'that's the cinema for you'....there is a lot of articles out there on their story.....I'm also sure that the relatives and families would rather know and have their story told,  that to have folks speculate in the guise of gossip and lore.  it miffs me more to read folks critiquing the movie,  pointing out every thing that was wrong with it.

I'am still wondering how a someone could get away with ending a movie by having everyone on the boat die .
 
 
 
Lextin.

Clamps off...

 
Next strake of subdecking epoxied and clamped down.

I hear you qwerty, the lake is about 130 metres wide and 3 or 400 long, most of each side is easily accessible but the dam wall end could be disastrous and the inflow end is all reeds etc so I would need a canoe to retrieve it from there. They do have some for hire at the lake. 
 
If she went down she would be lost forever.
 
Check it out on google maps, Lake Canobolas near Orange NSW.
 
I wish I had the kind of sailing lake Floyd has, 1 metre deep!

Bob, after seeing your brass work on the Howard, that's very high praise, maybe too high? 
 
In preparation for putting down the sub-deck I pulled out the equipment decks so any epoxy dripping wouldn't get on them or the running gear..  I gave the hull a good going over inside with a vacuum and a stiff brush.


I removed the mast steps, cleaned and sanded the deck sections and painted them white, then reattached the mast steps while the paint was still tacky.
 

One of the equipment deck beams came loose.  Oddly, the epoxy didn't seem to be completely set - it was rubbery and oily feeling.  It's been in there since 2009!  I sanded and cleaned the spots in the hull with acetone and made a new beam that fit better and epoxied it in.


Today I actually epoxied the first two outboard-most strips of the subdeck to the hull.  While I had the epoxy mixed I sloshed it on the chainplate backer blocks, the rudder cable guide blocks, the joints where the equipment deck beams attach to the hull, and the underside of the subdeck sections were completely painted in epoxy, as well as the tops and side of the spar-deck beams and the  deck clamp.
I still had a little left over, which I gave Macedonian's wales a coat, and the seams of her frames got a slosh as a couple of spots popped loose with all the handling she's gotten lately.


This is a mile stone that will allow me to move on with the hull, but I keep getting that feeling of locking the door and realizing the keys are inside.

This epoxy was left over from when my friend Mark built his skiff and it seems to set fairly slowly.  I was slapping in on things for a good half hour and it never got warm or started to gel.  I went out for the night and when I got back It was already set up enough to take off the clamps, but I'll leave them on till tomorrow when I set down the next two sections.

While that sets, I'll unbend the sails and start working on adding hardware and details to the yards - more brass Bob!  I have a zillion little eyes to set in the yards for the jackstays.

I have gone over all the components, touching up paint and completing final touches, and there's nothing for it but to stuff this thing in its bottle.
 

One last photo of the eight components to be assembled inside the sphere while still outside.
From lower left across:  four prairie segments and the front and rear wheel assemblies. The
wheels each have a thread leading through holes in the prairie segments to help locate them
in their places. The lower hull is near center held with a clamping tool I made for this project -
more on that when in use. The upper hull with rigging is at the upper left. At upper right is the
sphere on its stone display base. I had it made by a local stone counter-top installer from a
remnant from one of his jobs. It is mostly light tan with streaks of red and black through it
picking up and complimenting Ogallala's colors. The base has the finished medallion
permanently attached and an X-Acto knife for size reference. Click the image.
 
I finished the medallions with a chemical blackening agent, sanded them until only the lettering remained black then sprayed them with clear lacquer. I'll post more on the base later.
 
I cleared off my work area for the group photo and made sure (again!) that everything is ready. No excuses left. 
 

 
Dave

I'am still wondering how a someone could get away with ending a movie by having everyone on the boat die .
 
 
 
Lextin.

Thanks Bob, I roughed out the stern today and glued it to the keel.
 
first pic show the patterns on a piece of 1/2 inch thick Castello. The stem was curved enough that I thought it best to scarph a couple of pieces rather than cut it out of one piece.
 

 
Glued to the keel
 

 

 

 

 
Before I finalize the carving of the sternpost I will add the keel plate.
 
Michael

Thanks for all the likes.
Steve Thanks for the kind words, the proof will be in the pudding.
 
I began cutting the keel and stem today
I did not have any paste to glue the paper to the Castello so I did a test with the speedsew and it worked and the stuff works like rubber cement, and rubbed off the wood leaving no residue.
 

 
used the bandsaw to rough cut the keel
 

 
and the jewelers saw to cut the stem
 

 
then used a 3/4 inch paring chisel to rough down the stem before gluing it to the keel for final shaping.
 

 

 

 

 

 
There is still some final paring to do between station 1 and 5 but it is shaping up well. I can see why now the preponderance of Castello used in model boats, this is the first time I have used it and I'm lovin' it, what a joy to carve.
 

 

 
I will leave the stem for now and get the stern fitted, after that I will add the keel plate then shape them together for the garboard, once that is done I will be able to attach the assembly to the station bulkheads on the frame, then the ribbands for the ribs.
 
Michael   

thank you Nils.........now I'll give something to really laugh about {go ahead.......I did }
 
 
another sub assembly I decided to play with,  are the ladders  {we all know how much I love to play with ladders}.   first off though........it's not in it's proper place,  but I though I show you this photo of the assembly I just made.........I just like how it looks 
 

 
with some 1/16 square stock,  I made the ladder that will go up the side to this part.......it leads to an upper platform.  I sanded it and took the squareness away,  but I'm not really happy with the rungs.   their not as clean as I would like them to be.
 

 

 

 
I then thought to make one like I did on the Nordkap,  using staples.   first starting with two equal length pieces of 1/16 square stock.......marking them in 5 mm segments.
 

 
then drilling the holes and cementing in the staples
 

 
when all was said and done.......it looked like this
 

 
I like it.........but wasn't happy with the fact that some of the staples weren't all the same height.......as if the holes in the Formica {all around there} wasn't a dead give - a - way to what was to happen next.
 

 
I had to keep in mind that I was using CA...........usually when I do some bone headed move like this,  I use white glue.......much easier to pry off the table.  the admiral saw me doing this earlier.......thought it was the coolest thing in the world.........she doesn't know about the outcome yet.  she liked the wooden ladder and thought I was nutz for thinking it wasn't good enough.  I think with a little tweaking on my method   I think it would work .  these are staples that fit in the mini staplers.   of all the best laid plans..........this one was too good....NOT....to show you :D

the rack.........nice......but it's wrong.  I had assembled it relying on memory....look where it got me.
 
there should be a few more pegs on the top......so I will add them.   I didn't allow for the podium and a lower level,  and set the racking back another 1/4 of an inch after all is assembled.  to start the correction, the appendage needs to be cut off.
 

 
I have to say one thing about this bamboo dowel.....it is a bit tough to get a clean cut,  without causing slivered splinters.   I'm having to repair them as I go along.   more on this soon.
 
I had cut a couple of lengths for the main part of the trawl rig.   I wish I could show this in place,  but it is not free standing,  in it's present state.  it's attachments are on the upper deck and the pilot house roof.
     in finding the measurements and angles....they are odd increments......too much for the sophisticated tools that I have,  so I had to improvise.   the top of this part is a larger dowel,  drill indented,  to accept the upright posts.  compounding my angles,  I was able to comply with the required increment of angle.
 

 
the rule fixed to the table,  gives the bottom of the uprights the spread it needs.......the magic number is 190 mm.
 

 
the spreader bar is added.......set high enough so it will clear the roof of the pilot house.
 

 
in the space above,  supports were added,  using smaller dowel.  it was assembled with CA.....but later filled in with white glue to remedy the small craters and divots.   I can add more later after I sand and see that it needs it.  I did both sides.
 

 

 
at the moment,  I'm playing with these sub assemblies.   the rub rails need to be added....and then maybe.....just maybe,  the hull can get cleaned up enough for paint....whooooooHooooooo!