Chuck

Not to many actually. Thank you for the kind words. I wish I had more time during the week to build. I am only spending about 4 hours a week on this project as far as build time goes. The platforms and floorboards took me a couple of hours. If I had to guess actual build time (not development time for the plans and design) I would say I have spent maybe 25 hours give or take actually constructing the model up to this point.

You could but its tough to see where the frames are Mike. So I held it up to the light because the hull is translucent and marked the locations for the frames on the outside of the hull. Chuck

I did finally finish the nailing of the external planks. That took a long time. My advice would be to really consider how long it takes to drill all of those holes and insert the 10 pound black fishing line. I think its quite worthwhile but once you commit to it you have to follow through and do it to the entire model. So think it over first. Once that was done, I could work on the inside...finally. The photos below show the floorboards and platforms in position. The floorboards are a bit different than you might be used to. This is the way they are made on the contemporary model and I actually found some original drafts of longboats that show them this way as well. Its very interesting and I think its a nice detail to add to make this longboat model a bit unique and different from other kits of the same subject matter. It may be hard to tell from my photos but the center plank and two outside planks of the floorboards have a rabbet along their edges. Normally I would scrape these details into the planks but Yellow Cedar doesnt scrape well. So instead I made these three floorboards in two layers. They are all pre-spiled and laser cut. The finished thickness for the floorboards is 1/16". So two 1/32" layers were used. They were glued together to leave the rabbet on both sides although the outside planks of the floorboards only have a rabbet on one side. You guys will see this on the plans. Once completed I marked the locations where the frames would be so I could add the simulated nails before I glued the floorboards on the model. See below. The thinner floorboards were easy enough to glue into position. Its the wider boards that were a bit tricky. These are 1/16" thick as mentioned and because they are quite wide it was more difficult to pre-bend and glue into position. Should anyone have trouble with this there are other solutions. You could make these out of two layers of 1/32" stock like the other floorboards and glue each layer into position separately. They would bend more easily that way. You could also convert the wider floorboards into two thinner strips too. The platforms were pretty straight forward. Each of the pieces are laser cut and after gluing them together edgewise they are ready for test fitting. I also ran some 1/16 x 3/16" strips across the bottom of the platforms to give it strength. Probably just like they do in real life. I also added one of these across the flat edge of each platform which will show so take your time with this. The platforms were nailed off the model as well. A look at the bottom of the aft platform...it aint pretty, but it doesnt have to be. One feature not laser cut into the platforms are the notches for each frame. Everyone's model will be slightly different as they may shift. So you must mark there locations and file the notches before final placement can be finished. Its not hard to do. You may want to trace each platform on some card stock first and locate the notches that way as an alternative. Then transfer them to your cedar versions. The bow platform is a bit trickier because of its location. So I recommend that you do make a card templete first and transfer it to your glued up version. I made the pieces for the bow platform over-sized to compensate for the wide variety of bow shapes everyone will have. But you can see how mine look ad are shaped. Note how the notches are also beveled so they sit nicely against the frames. This is something you will need to do as well. The bow platform is done exactly the same way. A look at the contemporary model.

Thank you very much. If we could only go back in time and ask them!!! But as model builders of boats from this era we can only guess. Sometimes more questions than answers. I do not know the answer to that question, but it must have seemed practical at the time. That set up was copied from two contemporary models one of which is known for its original rigging. I wondered the same thing when I saw that the first time.

Honestly I dont know. But at scale for the model I just poked tiny holes on the corners and lashed it to the rope with sewing thread.

No not a separate package. But I did put together a list of what is needed on my website page for cheerful.

No you dont have to, but it would be smart.....otherwise you are flying blind. Its a quick exercise and on a boat this size doesnt take very long. This way as you are sanding and tweaking your planks and your strakes start to shift from strake to strake.....you will have your pencil lines there to keep you on track. Plus this group project is about learning a skil you may have never tried before and doing it within a group may be a huge help in the end. OR Of course not😵.....You just have to make sure that you place your planks exactly where I placed mine and you must fair your hull exactly like I faired mine. And you must of course bevel the edges of your planks exactly like I did. Then I am sure you will have no problems and get a great fit. This second part is just a joke in case it didnt come across that way. LOL...

It would be a small one like on Sultana or fair american. Possibly even a small one column binnacle cabinet.

Nice progress Mike. Ever-so-slightly, yes the planks are a bit oversized because everyone will need to make adjustments. It would pretty tough for everyone to place there planks exactly the same and with each strake that will open small gaps. Each builder will also fair the frames differently especially at the bow and stern. But with some care and adjustments you should get a really tight fit.

That looks beautiful Toni. It was a pleasure to follow you as you built it over the years.

Thank You, Yes I did. I darkened the only one plank edge with a soft pencil. I usually darken the edge of the plank being installed against the one that is already on the hull if that makes sense. The plank edge already on the hull is left natural. But only after beveling it for a tight fit.

How are you coming along with this model. Havent seen you on the forum in a bit. Any progress? 😊

Making any progress on the project??? Any updates? 😃

Excellent start Mike!!! 😄 You are the first unofficial member to start building the Medway LB. Hopefully there will be many more once it officially gets started. I asked mike to start building in Pear to see how it looks and maybe gauge some interest from others. I am not sure yet if I will offer it in Pear but lets see how it goes. Excellent use of those extra braces at the stern but remember you will need to snap those off after you finish planking so you can remove the model from the baseboard. So far the pear version looks very good!! Keep in mind that all of the frame parts are actually cherry (poor man's swiss pear)...but the keel and everything else will be swiss Pear. You would never know otherwise unless I mentioned that. Its a perfect match.

Quite nice 😄

They are indeed very very different models!! I will post a photo of both side by side when I get bit further along

Thank You guys for kind words and support. Here is a quick look at some images of the plans as they are in development. Still lots of work to do on these but they are getting close. They wont be finalized until after I finish the hull but this will give you an idea of what this project will look like. And yes (before anyone asks) the images are altered and no parts shown will enable them to be pirated.....these are just pretty pictures at this point and all parts templates are on sep sheets.😊

Thank You!!! It will be all back to normal by Tuesday if all goes well.

I have no idea....I didnt stain and only used a poly finish. I am not sure how well cherry takes stain so make sure you experiment on scrap first.

Thanks Joe, Fulfillment will always be an issue. I make these kits because I want to build them myself and its just the logical next step to also want to make it available to everyone else. As a one man shop it will be tough in the beginning to fill orders but that is why I am making this an NRG/MSW exclusive. This project will only be available to MSW members. In fact, to buy any part of it you must enter your MSW username in my store. This will keep orders a bit more reasonable but maybe even drive up MSW membership. If most buy the starter package and just scratch the rest it wont be that bad to make all of these. I am actually already starting to laser cut the starter kits and keep them ready. They will be ready as soon as the plans and instructions are finalized. I will then work on the rigging plans and instructions after that. But the rigging plan including templates for all the sails will be available for free as a download here. Of course everyone can buy the material from me for the masting and rigging but this also gives folks an option to get that stuff anywhere....especially across the pond. So its a bit of a unique project for me that shouldnt be as difficult to produce as the barge. That frenzy has ended though and I can easily keep barge kits on the shelf now. Its just the first six months or so that is crazy. This isnt going to be a money maker for me.....its going to be a fun maker for me and I am eager to get a group started on our forum. I am excited to build this in a group with my local club where maybe a dozen of us will get together and actually work on it a few afternoons each month. If I could find a laser cutter with enough Cedar or swiss pear on hand that I didnt have to ship to them, I would probably outsource the laser cutting to lighten the load so I can immediately start work on the cross section and Winnie again. I guy can dream cant he?

I would probably use this size which is 10 lb but I wouldnt use black. I would get a brown color and experiment. I am not sure I would use this to simulate treenails though. I would only use the black stuff in various sizes to simulate bolts and nails.

Looking forward to it!!!

Chuck...Titebond works really well for this. Remember that there is no tension on the filament. It is placed in a hole. Then after you apply Wipe on Poly it also seals the fishing line in. There is no issue at all as long as you wait for the glue to dry before you slice off the excess whiskers.

Thanks Dirk For nails I used 10lb black fishing line. Holes were drilled with a #77 drill bit. Then a sanded the holes lightly to remove any burrs from drilling. The fishing line was dipped in titebond and inserted into each hole. I worked on one frame at a time as shown. Once dry they were sliced clean away with a straight razor. Then some light sanding. Thats it. The port side is completed now and I am really hope to get the starboard side done quickly. We shall see. More pics below. Chuck

I just picked up a whole new load of Yellow Cedar. I am very happy to see that so many model builders have been trying it out and I think they will be quite surprised at how wonderful it is to work with. Especially with the price of boxwood going through the roof and so much poor quality boxwood on the market at the moment.