Chuck

I dont see why not. It will be interesting to see how it works in actuality.

Lovely start!!!

Looking really good…well done.

I am still waiting on wood to start cutting chapter two parts. Hopefully soon.

That is some fine rope...well done. Its easy once you get into a routine. I have about 50 packages of rope to make today as well...about 1200 feet....I better get to it!!!

You could be twisting too much.....all four strands together. You probably need more initial twisting of individual strands. I would suggest a three strand rope for that size as well. No need to water poly rope....it wont do anything. That is just for cotton or natural fibers.

To the keel…its just easier.

Really beautiful model!! It may have taken a while but the results speak volumes. Well done.

That is such a lovely model indeed. Great to see it all finished up...and the rope looks great too!!! I am looking forward to your next adventure. Chuck

Happy New Year everyone!!! I shall be back working on the Speedwell prototype really soon. Hopefully this week in fact. But I wanted to update you guys on the release of the first installments for sale. I had hoped to have launched the first chapters of parts by mid January. But because of the Movie and my wood supply with Joes shop being flooded, I havent had enough wood or time to complete all the laser work yet. I actually have the first ten sets of chapter one parts ready to go. I could place them on my site right now for sale which include the plans for the hull framing. Two sheets. I have also written and posted the first chapter of the monograph on the online store. But I had hoped to have the first two chapters ready and laser cut before I started offering them. This way you guys can order both chapters at once which complete all the hull framing and can save on shipping costs. That is still my plan and hopefully I can get the needed wood to start cutting chapter two parts within a week or so. I dont anticipate too much of a delay. In the meantime, those of you who have decided to build my kit of Speedwell can download the first chapter and read it over. You can also buy whatever wood and tools you might need ahead of time as well. For example the board for the buildboard and maybe some machinist squares etc. I will announce when the first two chapters of parts are listed for sale as son as finish some chapter two parts. Maybe I will only wait to have five finished of the original ten sets as I know many of you have been emailing me that you are eager to get started. More to follow soon.

Looking good. Well done.

That is looking fantastic. Happy to see you making progress on the Cheerful. Have a great Holiday and New Year!!!

That is looking wonderful.

That is looking excellent!!! Have a great holiday and new year!!!

Its crazy expensive but yes. For example, National balsa....Ponoko....Hammerspace...... offers laser cutting services. The issue is the material you want to use. Most only have and offer the basics (basswood, plywood....maybe cherry and and some others) and in a very limited range of thicknesses. Prepare to pay around $1.50 - $2.50 per minute of laser time plus materials and up front costs. Considering that one sheet of parts could take 12 to 18 minutes to cut depending on the size and complexity. You can also search laser cutting services on Etsy and you will find a large number of people. I have no idea how good they are, but it is crazy expensive for one-off runs. Chuck

Perfect!!!

Lovely!!

Really nice progress. Nice job on that planking.

They look great Frank...Cant wait to see an overall shot of your hull from the stern quarter when you get it all done.

Stretcher boards. Long boards sit in those "V"s which the rower then pushes against with their feet.

Thats looking very good.

She looks fantastic. I hope you enjoyed the project. Your model looks wonderful.

The cutter Cheerful as well as many small cutters from this era did NOT have a false keel. Please disregard that info so as to not get confused with your dilema. But as to your issue at hand and considering the terminology... you probably just need to sand back the aft side of the stem assembly. Basically sand where it initially touches the BH former rabbet strip. This will easily close up the gap above it and below where it initially touches. It doesnt even have to be completely closed up as long as you get a decent glue joint for most of the length of the rabbet strip along the stem assembly. Remember to have fun with the project. I also encourage you to start a build log. I couldnt find one but it would be so much easier for the folks who have built the Cheerful to help you as you proceed. Chuck

Well, simply put...there is no reason to wait in order to paint. Its best to have painted those areas before they became hard to reach. Usually that is best when planning. It is much easier to do a bit of touch up later and dust can be cleaned away without hurting the painted surfaces. Having said that...I do keep several brushes of good quality in a cup of water all the time. I do this to actually force the tips of the brush to bend and keep the bend. This allows me to apply a bit of paint to the tip of the brush which can be used to get in some tight spaces. But not that tight. It is always best to paint parts before they become inaccessible. I have other brushes with even more of a bend. These are three I had readily at hand.

That is my hope....if I can do my small part. I do get vetoed a lot. The movie isnt about ship modeling but the guy just happened to be a an experienced intermediate kit builder. Many scenes will take place in the garage workshop. I have a gigantic pile of old journals and seaways ships in scale mags to leave scattered throughout the house....LOL. But they keep taking them away. Its pretty friendly though. I mentioned that my admiral doesnt like my ship model stuff all around the house either. Then puzzled.... they asked me...."Your Admiral?" I explained that many ship modelers refer to their significant others fondly or even not so fondly as the admiral. They all laughed and have decided to write that into the script...LOL. They want the guy to be a real ship modeler. One scene the wife enters and breaks a model and yells at the actor to clean up all the sawdust and mess. Sawdust I happily swept up from my shop floor the night before. Chuck