Chuck

I finished up the fcastle rail on the starboard side. That left only a few fittings to make which are all added to the fcastle rail. These include the spanshackle cleat. This is made in three laser cut layers. It will be painted black and positioned on the rail following the plans. Under this cleat are two posts to help support the rail. There is also the "cat block" . This is laser cut and is 1/4" wide. But you will need to sand a curve into it that matches the curve of the rail. If you saved the laser cut sheet for the rail this is perfect for tracing the shape. Then sand it carefully to match. Insert the small sheave and paint it black. The last remaining fitting is another sheave as part of cleat....I am having a brain fart and recall its name currently. It is positioned along the bulwarks on the inboard side of the spanshackle cleat. This has been laser cut also and all you need to do is add the small sheave disc. Then paint it black...but below the caprail it should be painted red. You can see it in the photos below. In addition I have added all the eyebolts and the spanshackles. The spanshackles are made from 22 gauge SQUARE wire. If you cant find any square wire you can use regular 22 gauge wire. Use the plans to find the locations for the eyebolts and the size for the spanshackle. This pretty much finishes the fcastle details and chapter 9. The only thing I have yet to do is the cover boards for the stack opening. Those should be made out of any scrap 3/64" thick strips or sheet. This wont be laser cut because everyones stack will be positioned slightly different. Some overall pictures of the hull up to this point. Next I will start chapter 10 which is finishing up the qdeck details and rail.

You should post another topic in the wood forum. You will no doubt get lots of tips from the usual suspects. Probably more info than you could ever want.

You might as well add the waterway as well. Dont forget that.

That small bend shouldnt be a big deal at all. But perhaps you should try and cut another if you are up to it. But if the next one bends like that I wouldnt worry about it too much.

Perfect.....well executed indeed. Chuck

Yes, it was announced….. just a few posts back in This topic actually.

The 2021 conference was cancelled. Nobody will be attending this year. Looking forward to 2022 however.

If you can find the black fishing line. Its cheap enough. Get a range of weights. I think 15lb might be a bit small for keel bolts. Probably 20 or even 25lb is more appropriate. I have a large stock of the stuff from 10lb all the way up to 60lb. The brand is Sunset Amnesia. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154155421343?epid=1412250970&hash=item23e4610e9f:g:zHkAAOSw5Z1fkaGO

Its not anything I can recommend. I use medium CA and that works for me. But it will be different for everyone. You should try all three and then pick the method that works best for you. Chuck

That looks great. I dont see anything wrong with those at all. Beautiful work.

Great start.....Remember to have fun with the project. Thank You for starting a log. Chuck

Jim is correct in that those cross sections are made by Unicorn which is one of the largest pirate mfg’s in China. They have stolen designs from many others such as Amati, Panart, Mantua, Corel etc. And yes the Druid kits you mention are copies and knock-offs of Harold Hahn’s Druid plans although reduced. They are 1 to 1 copies actually. Their kits are not allowed on MSW. Purchasing them means giving monetary support to them. And yes they are cheap, as is typical of Chinese products.

Its coming along. A little tip...Its much easier to sand both faces of the parts BEFORE you remove them from the laser cut sheet. Its stays nice and flat and you can just run some 320 grit on both sides of the parts to clean them up perfectly. Especially if you wont be removing the char from the cut edges. You can even use a sanding block without worrying that you will round off the edges.

I agree then....but do remember this when you do them for the qdeck and fcastle. Those will absolutely be visible. Chuck

Those scarph joints were quite long...yours is nice and tight, but not nearly long enough. It should probably be three times as long. But really nice work so keep going. Chuck

That looks terrific....I would recommend cleaning that starboard pump of glue stains. That is a shame considering the craftsmanship is so clean. That is if you already didnt take care of it. You are a building a beautiful Winnie for sure. Chuck

Very nice…lovely.

Dont glue the figurehead on yet at all. That wont be until much later after the headrails are all done. Otherwise you will wish you hadnt. Chuck

That is a beauty!! Thats the way to build it. Careful and neat…i can tell you took your time with it. And it paid off.

Cant beat that. Well done

Just a quick photo of work that has been sitting in a dark corner for many years. this is Alaskan yellow cedar on my cross section after mellowing and finding its aged color and tone. It has been sitting on dark shelf for almost four years. No dents….just dusty but it has taken on a warm amber color after using only wipe on poly. Thought I would post as I was pleasantly surprised. compare to the color and tone when I was building it four years ago.

Hows the planking coming along? So far this model looks outstanding. A beautiful handling of the upper planking.

Beautiful work.

You will absolutely regret using birch ply when you get to the point of fairing the hull. Its tough stuff. Lite-ply usually made of poplar is the way to go with the bulkheads if it isnt to late for you to switch. Thats why you are killing so many blades. Just think about trying to sand that stuff. Glad you started work on her.

Great stuff