Erik W

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post.  I'm taking my time planking the deck.  Like everything on this build, it's more complicated and challenging than I had initially thought it would be.  Haha.  I've managed to get eight more rows of planks down since my last post.  I only did a rough sanding, which is why it still looks a bit crude.  I'll do a final sanding once the entire deck is planked.  Even though I have tick marks on the deck and the planks drawn in, it still takes some effort to get the planks a uniform width, and the run of each plank to flow smoothly when viewed down the length of the hull.   At any rate, for a first deck planking job, I'm happy with the results so far. 
 
Erik
 

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post.  I'm taking my time planking the deck.  Like everything on this build, it's more complicated and challenging than I had initially thought it would be.  Haha.  I've managed to get eight more rows of planks down since my last post.  I only did a rough sanding, which is why it still looks a bit crude.  I'll do a final sanding once the entire deck is planked.  Even though I have tick marks on the deck and the planks drawn in, it still takes some effort to get the planks a uniform width, and the run of each plank to flow smoothly when viewed down the length of the hull.   At any rate, for a first deck planking job, I'm happy with the results so far. 
 
Erik
 

Work has started on the interior.   Not much in this initial step but it was good to get started again.
 
First up was to add the limber strakes.  In the photo below you can see the completed limber strake below the keel.  This was made up up three lengths.   Above the keel you can see the 3 lengths not yet glued into position.   They are laser cut for you and are 3/32" thick.  There is a laser etched rabbet which runs along the inside edge.  Each of the three lengths were first sanded free of laser char.   This included carefully sanding the rabbet more or less.   But it doesnt have to be completely clean.   This will be completely covered up in some areas with the lower platforms anyway.  But do your best.  You might also notice the little ….long, triangular pieces called Limber Fillers for lack of a better term.   They were glued to each limber strake ahead of time.  They are at the extreme ends fore and aft.  Dry fit all three lengths in position first.  This is important.   Make sure they are lined up with the correct frames.   You can take their positions on each end from the plans.
 

The center limber strake was added first.  The ends are 5/32" away from the keelson.   So it was just a matter of taking a scrap piece of wood 5/32" thick to use as a spacer when gluing it in position.   This is shown below.  Once again...make sure you position it in the correct spot and use the plans to find which hull frames this should line up with.   Its good practice because so many items moving forward need to placed in the correct spot...the hull frames are a great reference to start with. Once the center segment was glued in place the two end sections followed.   Make them the same port and starboard of course.   But you may also wish to pre-bend these before you glue them in position.  Especially at the bow and stern sections.   There is a little bit of twist to these and it is always better to not force them.  It is so much easier to pre bend and twist so no forcing of the limber strakes will be needed to get them to sit flush against the frames.

With the limber strakes completed, the mast steps can be assembled and installed.   I would also note that I didn't bother treenailing the limber strakes because it will just not be seen.   But you can do that if you feel compelled.
 
The mast steps are laser cut in three layers to make life easier.   Glue up the three layers first and remove the laser char.  Once they are nice and clean, check their fir over the keelson.  You should get a nice tight fit and the sides should fit snug down on top of the limber strakes.   Note how the outside edges of the mast steps follow the shape of the limber strakes.   You should sand them as shown in the photos and plans.  The main mast step is shown below.   You can clearly see the three layers.   Dont worry about the char in the mortice for the mast.   Leave that as is.  The main mast step also has little wedges fore and aft as you can see.   These are laser cut for you.   They were glued into the correct position on top of the keelson.   This is important!!!  place the mast step in the correct place or your masts placement will certainly become problematic.
 
A small length of 3/64 brass rod was used as the pin to "lock in" the little wedges after I glued them all in position.
 

A look at the mizzen mast step...no issues here other than the fact that the sides of the mast step have more shaping here.   They also follow the outside edge of the limber strakes.  I have not applied any finish inboard at all up to this point.  I actually might not apply any finish.   I will wait to see how things develop first.
 

An overall view of the mast steps and limber strakes.   I will not be adding the limber boards, choosing instead to follow Greg's construction and to simplify the building process.   "Less is more" when you leave the framing visible below the wales.  You wont want to see much stuff between the frames when you looking at the outside of the hull.  It could start to look sloppy with too much interior details and glue showing between the frames.  So I will follow the style as outlined in the Seawatch books for the most part.
 

 
Next up the forward lower platforms!!!

Thanks guys! Your kind words are very much appreciated, as always. I'm looking forward to getting those first planks on the ship. Something different!
 
Chuck, thanks for the heads up. I added the first counter planks and there was no issue getting the lower edge of counter flush with the square tuck
 
Mike

Fred,
 
I'm not sure how I missed your Cheerful build.  As others have said, you did a great job!  I'm part way through planking my Cheerful's deck now.  Your build is an inspiration.
 
Erik

Looks great Mike!  And yes, you've definitely reached a milestone.
 
Erik

Mike,  This looks great!  It seems like you have to put a ton of effort into making sure the frames are level, centered, 90 degrees upright, etc.
 
Erik

Square tuck
I wanted to give this a try at least once before making use of the laser cut versions. #1. I copied the angle from the laser cut piece onto the joined strips. #2. The frame was made and set parallel with the angled line. #3. The curves were done with the spindle sander and disc sander along with a bit of hand work. #4. Almost ready to place on the ship. I Still needed to taper the frame.
The most difficult part was trying to get symmetry between the two sides. It's not perfect, but certainly close enough. I was kicking myself when I noticed that the top of the port side square tuck is 1/64" lower at the stern post compared to the other one. Of course this won't be seen once the moulding is on. I left the outer area of the frames without any tapering. There is a tiny filler plank that goes between the tuck and the first strake. I will wait until that's on the ship, so I can sand that area all at the same time.
 
Anyway only one shot at it for this result.
Mike

I Know you are part way through planking your Cheerful Erik - and a superb job you are making of it. I will start planking the deck of my Winchelsea soon and I fully intend to follow your meticulously careful lining out. I can see you are well on the way to a fantastic result.
Best wishes
Fred 

I'm enjoying your Longboat build.  It has some good ideas for the Longboat build I'm about to embark on.
 
Erik

I would also like to congratulate you on completing this beautiful model.

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

I thought drawing in the tick marks and drawing the placement of the hook scarph joints wouldn't take too long.  Well, after about 12 hours over the last week, I'm finally happy with the way everything looks on the deck, and I'm ready to proceed with the deck planking.  Getting the drawn-in planking to look and flow the way I wanted it took so many adjustments and needed to be redone so many times I actually had to go out and buy more erasers!  The last redo was actually after these photos were taken.  I moved the rear of the aft scarph joints back a bit after viewing the photos, in order to have the taper of the outer 4 planks better match the inner 6 planks aft of the skylight.  I also tweaked a couple of other areas after viewing these photos.  Since I've never planked a deck before, my goal was to spend as much time as necessary to get the planking drawn in on the deck.  Sort of the planking version of adding training wheels to a kids bike, or having bumpers in the gutters when kids bowl at a bowling alley.  I'm trying to minimize my chances of screwing the deck planking up since it will be a very visible part of the build.  The saying, proper planning prevents poor performance, comes to mind.  One note when looking at the photos - since the plank lines were drawn in straight lines between the tick marks, it doesn't flow as smoothly visually as the actual curved planks will.
 
Erik

Margin and outboard Planking
 
Time for the margin planks, waterway, and outboard planking.

I started with the quarter deck. The margin planks are heat bent with my trusty travel iron (I had a brief flash back to those long months planking the hull). I elected to use one long strip and then once shaped I use the template as a pattern to cut a scarf joint midway.

I did the same with the four planks, all ¼ widths I’d ripped and run through the thickness planer, tapering the planks towards the stern per the template and using a razor saw to simulate the planking end cuts and then adding #2 pencil along the long edge for caulking. Running a single long plank with the simulated break made for a cleaner run and easier fit. (the angle of the iPhone photo makes it seam the port side planning seem wider than starboard, it isn’t).
 
I half-rounded a strip for the waterways to finish up the outboard work. This small strip adds a lot, it won’t wash away any water but it does a nice job of bridging the deck and bulwarks.
 
After sanding and 4 coats of WOP it’s done. I may WOP the beam tops late,r for now I haven’t. The q-deck was easy enough and done fairly quickly, the forecastle not so much.

The forecastle margin planks are too curved to bend a plank so they are cut from 3/64 sheet. I started with the template (template beams and actual beams were lined up for measuring, just not for this photo) then added Tamiya tape to make up any differences (really not much, but some) with my hull and transferred the outer edge to the sheet. The outer edges were then cut roughly with a #11 blade.
 
Using dividers, and a technique learned from Rusty, I drew the proper width for the inboard side. This step is done after the cut and completing sanding of the outer edge.
Once again I again did the full length and cut the scarf joint after the fitting, amazing how nice they match up that way.

My Byrnes sander does a nice job of rough sanding the outer curve smooth. The new version with the reversible direction makes it even easier. I converted my mill into a sanding table for rough sanding of the margin and forecastle planks inner curves.

The same process of starting with template, modified by tape, transferred to sheet with double sided tape, rough sanded and finally the time consuming part, final sanding by hand with sanding sticks to a tight fit.

While there are only 6 planks plus the margin plank they are all cut from sheet and sanded to custom fit, a slow process but a rewarding one with the final result.  Once again the waterway and 4 coats of WOP are added (four because that’s how many I used on the main deck so the finish and tone match up). The WOP is wiped on and off and lightly sanded between the second and third coat.

A lot of cut up templates and Tamiya tape were used to make it all work. My blue canary tape is also shown - it serves as an early warning before an elbow snags a cannon barrel. Kinda dumb, but it works.

There is a pronounced curve to these planks, while they were cut with that curve, clamping while gluing keep them that way.


The completed quarterdeck.

 

The completed forecastle.
 
On to the center planking and deck furniture. As always thank you for your comments and the likes and for stopping by.

@giampieroricci
@Nunnehi (Don)
Thank you very much for your interest in my work and the kind words.
I would also like to thank you all for the many LIKES.
 
A happy new year 2024 to all.
 
Continuation: Equipping the mizzen topsail yard - Vergue de perroquet de fouge
The last of La Créole's topsail yards, the mizzen topsail yard, has now also been fitted with a jackstay and lashed in the middle.

 
The next step was to make and attach the footropes with a rope ø 22 mm (model scale ø 0.46 mm). Due to the relatively short spans, one stirrup for each half of the mizzen topsail yard seemed sufficient. 
The next step was to make the strops for the yard tackles, which will later be attached to the yardarms. 

The next picture shows detailed sections of the rigging elements already mentioned. A comparison with a stirrup for the main yard is also shown.

 
The following picture shows the finished blocks (each 3.5 mm long) for the braces and the leech lines. As with the other yards, the blocks were attached directly to the yard strops using ø 1.4 mm thimbles ("dog and bitch" connection). 

 
I continued with the strops for the lower blocks of the clew lines (l = 3.5 mm) and making the toggles to connect them to the sheets.


Last but not least, a picture of the current state of the mizzen topsail yard.

 
Finally, the clew lines, the reef tackles and the sheets are still missing for the final outfitting of the mizzen topsail yard.
 
See you soon ...
 

I thought drawing in the tick marks and drawing the placement of the hook scarph joints wouldn't take too long.  Well, after about 12 hours over the last week, I'm finally happy with the way everything looks on the deck, and I'm ready to proceed with the deck planking.  Getting the drawn-in planking to look and flow the way I wanted it took so many adjustments and needed to be redone so many times I actually had to go out and buy more erasers!  The last redo was actually after these photos were taken.  I moved the rear of the aft scarph joints back a bit after viewing the photos, in order to have the taper of the outer 4 planks better match the inner 6 planks aft of the skylight.  I also tweaked a couple of other areas after viewing these photos.  Since I've never planked a deck before, my goal was to spend as much time as necessary to get the planking drawn in on the deck.  Sort of the planking version of adding training wheels to a kids bike, or having bumpers in the gutters when kids bowl at a bowling alley.  I'm trying to minimize my chances of screwing the deck planking up since it will be a very visible part of the build.  The saying, proper planning prevents poor performance, comes to mind.  One note when looking at the photos - since the plank lines were drawn in straight lines between the tick marks, it doesn't flow as smoothly visually as the actual curved planks will.
 
Erik

Here's my latest progress.  I have the five center deck planks installed.  These were straight forward since they're not edge bent or tapered, but they took time none the less.  As always, the process is going slow and test fitting, then sanding a bit, then test fitting, then sanding a bit, and repeating over and over again until a tight fit is achieved.  I'm looking forward to planking the rest of the deck . . . but I'm also looking forward to having all the planking finished and behind me!  I did a first sanding after getting these planks down.  So if they look rough, that's why.  I'll do the final sanding when the planking is finished.
 
Erik

Glenn,
 
Thanks for the feedback.  I used photos of Chuck's deck as my main reference, so in person the deck has the same flowing curves as his.  I located the separation between the two planking belts in the same places as he did, and the scarph joints are located in the same spots (using the deck fittings and gun ports as reference in where to locate).  Also, I used Mike's (Stuntflyer) overhead photos for reference. The curve is understated in my photos compared to how it looks in person for some reason. 
 
Also, the main reason I drew in all the planking was as a double check of my tick marks.  I'm glad I did since by doing so I caught a couple of places I had misaligned them.
 
Erik

I thought drawing in the tick marks and drawing the placement of the hook scarph joints wouldn't take too long.  Well, after about 12 hours over the last week, I'm finally happy with the way everything looks on the deck, and I'm ready to proceed with the deck planking.  Getting the drawn-in planking to look and flow the way I wanted it took so many adjustments and needed to be redone so many times I actually had to go out and buy more erasers!  The last redo was actually after these photos were taken.  I moved the rear of the aft scarph joints back a bit after viewing the photos, in order to have the taper of the outer 4 planks better match the inner 6 planks aft of the skylight.  I also tweaked a couple of other areas after viewing these photos.  Since I've never planked a deck before, my goal was to spend as much time as necessary to get the planking drawn in on the deck.  Sort of the planking version of adding training wheels to a kids bike, or having bumpers in the gutters when kids bowl at a bowling alley.  I'm trying to minimize my chances of screwing the deck planking up since it will be a very visible part of the build.  The saying, proper planning prevents poor performance, comes to mind.  One note when looking at the photos - since the plank lines were drawn in straight lines between the tick marks, it doesn't flow as smoothly visually as the actual curved planks will.
 
Erik

Its perfect  

Very nicely done!
 

I thought drawing in the tick marks and drawing the placement of the hook scarph joints wouldn't take too long.  Well, after about 12 hours over the last week, I'm finally happy with the way everything looks on the deck, and I'm ready to proceed with the deck planking.  Getting the drawn-in planking to look and flow the way I wanted it took so many adjustments and needed to be redone so many times I actually had to go out and buy more erasers!  The last redo was actually after these photos were taken.  I moved the rear of the aft scarph joints back a bit after viewing the photos, in order to have the taper of the outer 4 planks better match the inner 6 planks aft of the skylight.  I also tweaked a couple of other areas after viewing these photos.  Since I've never planked a deck before, my goal was to spend as much time as necessary to get the planking drawn in on the deck.  Sort of the planking version of adding training wheels to a kids bike, or having bumpers in the gutters when kids bowl at a bowling alley.  I'm trying to minimize my chances of screwing the deck planking up since it will be a very visible part of the build.  The saying, proper planning prevents poor performance, comes to mind.  One note when looking at the photos - since the plank lines were drawn in straight lines between the tick marks, it doesn't flow as smoothly visually as the actual curved planks will.
 
Erik

I thought drawing in the tick marks and drawing the placement of the hook scarph joints wouldn't take too long.  Well, after about 12 hours over the last week, I'm finally happy with the way everything looks on the deck, and I'm ready to proceed with the deck planking.  Getting the drawn-in planking to look and flow the way I wanted it took so many adjustments and needed to be redone so many times I actually had to go out and buy more erasers!  The last redo was actually after these photos were taken.  I moved the rear of the aft scarph joints back a bit after viewing the photos, in order to have the taper of the outer 4 planks better match the inner 6 planks aft of the skylight.  I also tweaked a couple of other areas after viewing these photos.  Since I've never planked a deck before, my goal was to spend as much time as necessary to get the planking drawn in on the deck.  Sort of the planking version of adding training wheels to a kids bike, or having bumpers in the gutters when kids bowl at a bowling alley.  I'm trying to minimize my chances of screwing the deck planking up since it will be a very visible part of the build.  The saying, proper planning prevents poor performance, comes to mind.  One note when looking at the photos - since the plank lines were drawn in straight lines between the tick marks, it doesn't flow as smoothly visually as the actual curved planks will.
 
Erik

Glenn,
 
Thanks for the feedback.  I used photos of Chuck's deck as my main reference, so in person the deck has the same flowing curves as his.  I located the separation between the two planking belts in the same places as he did, and the scarph joints are located in the same spots (using the deck fittings and gun ports as reference in where to locate).  Also, I used Mike's (Stuntflyer) overhead photos for reference. The curve is understated in my photos compared to how it looks in person for some reason. 
 
Also, the main reason I drew in all the planking was as a double check of my tick marks.  I'm glad I did since by doing so I caught a couple of places I had misaligned them.
 
Erik

I thought drawing in the tick marks and drawing the placement of the hook scarph joints wouldn't take too long.  Well, after about 12 hours over the last week, I'm finally happy with the way everything looks on the deck, and I'm ready to proceed with the deck planking.  Getting the drawn-in planking to look and flow the way I wanted it took so many adjustments and needed to be redone so many times I actually had to go out and buy more erasers!  The last redo was actually after these photos were taken.  I moved the rear of the aft scarph joints back a bit after viewing the photos, in order to have the taper of the outer 4 planks better match the inner 6 planks aft of the skylight.  I also tweaked a couple of other areas after viewing these photos.  Since I've never planked a deck before, my goal was to spend as much time as necessary to get the planking drawn in on the deck.  Sort of the planking version of adding training wheels to a kids bike, or having bumpers in the gutters when kids bowl at a bowling alley.  I'm trying to minimize my chances of screwing the deck planking up since it will be a very visible part of the build.  The saying, proper planning prevents poor performance, comes to mind.  One note when looking at the photos - since the plank lines were drawn in straight lines between the tick marks, it doesn't flow as smoothly visually as the actual curved planks will.
 
Erik