Dee_Dee

The planking is done.  When I made the keel I made it from two pieces of wood so they would join at the rabbet line.  The portion that was attached to the bulkheads was 1/16’ thick so that with a  1/32” plank on each side it would be the same as the 1/8” outer portion of the keel. 
 
After the planking was finished the rough edges at the keel were sanded down to the keel.

 
The keel was then fitted over the planked hull.

 
With the bulkheads removed you can see the lower portions that were left to be the floors.

 
Since I plan on painting the hull I covered it with filler and sanded it smooth.

 
Now it's ready for the deck framing.

 
Bob

Matti,
 
Hope you are doing well in the New Year!
 
Your Wasa build is inspiring and Thank You for sharing!
 
Dee Dee
 

Hey all! Last days I've managed to do some more details. The railing was less problems to get in place than I imagined. It fitted very well to the shape of the ship. It was a good advice to do it last Nigel as its fragile by it's nature. The ropes holding the anchor and the others hanging will be corrected when the model is positioned on the stand and I can tell how it should hang.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
And with this it turns out I'm done with the model. It's a mixed feeling as I'm happy to have reached my goal but also feel a little sad as I'll miss working on it and talking to you all about it. It has been a great inspiration and source of knowledge, so thanks eveyone for the help and support!
 
These will likely be the last outdoor pctures of her and I will now start on the case so more to come.
 
 
/Matti

More fiddling work done this morning like more sanding on the hull after I added another coat of wood hardener on, painted the aft-outside of the cabin bulkhead before starting the wrestle with the sliding hatch.
I decided to use 1 mm birch ply for the track guides instead of brass shim.  I felt that the brass would not hold up with the CA.  After the four small pieces were cut and CA'd on the hatch side braces I tried the fit.  Hmmm, not good, so I had to fiddle with the track width some more and that finally worked out okay.  Hatch slides nice and easy now.
 
I have made a few pics to show what it looks like.
 
After this was done I turned to the cabin doors.  I am using paper for the hinges.  After they are painted black it'll look like wrought iron 
I glued them on with a little thinned down TiteBond and let it cure.
 
Next step was to make mounting blocks for the oar locks that'll go on the deck just aft of the fish well, per the kit instructions.  The actual oarlocks I'll made tomorrow after I come back from the oncologist's visit.  
 
Then I made the three parts that'll make the bowsprit samson post.  I deviated from the drawing and made it the same way as I did on my Friendship Sloop model.
The bowsprit will slide between the verticals and cross beam and is secured with a bolt that'll run horizontal through the vertical posts.  These will be pinned and CA cemented to the deck.
I used poplar wood for these things instead of the kit supplied basswood.  I dislike that stuff and it was also what gave me greef with the hatch tracks.
 
I think that after these things are done I can finally cement the cutwater to the bow.  I'll be using a few bamboo pins to help secure it to the keel frame. 
 

This shows the hatch track with the groove for the track guides.
 

This shows the bottom or inside of the hatch with the four track guides cemented to the side braces.
 

Paper door hinges in a rough cut.  I'll dress them up after they are glued to the doors.
 

Door hinges glued to the doors.  They'll be ready for final trimming after te glue has set.
 

These are the door handles, also still in the rough.
 

Cabin doors are now installed and working.  This shows the doors in the closed position with the hatch closed.
 

Here the doors are open with the hatch slid forward, welcome into the cabin and enjoy a drink from the wet bar 
 

Pillows on the bunk mattresses.
 
Cheers,

Jim,
At first it sounds like 'Great Stuff' would be an excellent option for filler blocks.  However, I think it may cause more issues than it solves.  When Great stuff cures, it expands to fill the space available.  My main concern is the false frames and bulkheads might be 'pushed out of alignment' when 'Great Stuff' cures.  Also, will glue bond to it?   
I've made filler blocks by filling in the space with smaller pieces of balsa wood and then sanding it down.  Filler blocks don't need to be pretty, they just need to be functional. 
Dee Dee

Hello everyone,
 
I had to make a new cabin roof for this little boat and also a working hatch.  I could not use the kit supplied wood, it was just too flimsy to my liking.  I used the 1 mm birch plywood.  As is usual I made a paper template for the roof outline and the entry opening.
I also made the sliding hatch in the rough.  I had to wait till the roof was secure to install the sliding hatch rails.
The kit does not have a working hatch or working doors.  
 
Oh yeah, I also put the "glass" in for the portholes before the roof was permanently on cemented. 
 
First I had to glue the extra moulding in on the top of the cabin coaming for a better glue surface for the roof.  Then fairing everything for a good fit of the roof.  After the TiteBond glue had set enough I could then cement the roof on using the "slow set" CA.  I had to use all ten fingers to hold it down.
 
At this point I made the sliding roof rails.  I cut a groove in them on the outboard side for the slider hardware.  These will be made from 0.2 mm brass shim stock cemented to the hatch sides.
The hatch has stop strips on the forward and aft sides to prevent it from sliding off.
 
The slider hardware and doors will be my next project.  I did cut the doors out and started to fit them when it was time to close shop.  There is always another day.  The doors will be hinged. 
 
Okay, here are a few pics for you to peruse, 
 

This shows the cabin roof installed with the sliding hatch in the closed position.  It's still loose and waiting for the slider hardware.
 

This hows the sliding hatch in the open position.  You can see here the aft stop strip cemented to the underside of the hatch.
 

A peek inside.  I still have to make pillows and blankets for the bunks.
 

Here is a bow view.
 

This shows the prototype cabin doors being fitted.
 
Cheers,

FINALLY got all the sail stitching, reef bands & points & bolt ropes done. Now I can start putting them on the yards & get to the next step that will take me forever- the ratlines.
 
 

Decided to add one last detail. Wanted whoever ends up owning this to know what it is so I hand painted it on a strip of wood to go on the stand. It just about drove me crazy as I kept messing up & had to go back over it many times. Finally ended up looking like I wanted it to.
 

Well it’s time to start building again.  I’ve been working on the plans for an early friendship sloop.  The friendship sloop was originally a fishing boat similar to the Muscongus Bay lobster smack, but since it did not have a centerboard it became popular with the cursing and day sailing crowd.  That is the way I plan to build this one.  Start with the plans drawn by Chapelle, remove the fish well and enlarge the cabin.  I plan to hold to Chapelle’s sail plan with two head sails no shrouds and no topsail.  First I scanned Chapelle’s plans into the computer and drew the keel parts and bulkheads.  After planking the bulkheads will be removed except for the lower portions which will become the floors.   Now it’s time to slice up some wood for the planking.
 
Bob
 

 

 

Thanks everyone! I wanted to make it look good because this is going in the Wounded Warrior Project auction this spring.

Jesse,
You did a great job building your peapod and it looks fabulous! 
Dee Dee

Friday, 26 December 2014
 
I am proud to announce that Charlie was successfully delivered to John, the owner, by his family on Christmas Day.
He was reported to have been quite surprised and very happy.
 
With that off my mind I can bid this build log farewell.
 
A special thank you to all that followed on the journey.... time to get back to my Billy Ruffian!
Hope to see you there in the near future.
 
Alan

Dear friends,

I wish you Merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2015.

Best regards
Doris

BTW, during previous weeks I made a new model - Chebec 1:80/plastic model by Imai, and today I have just finished it. This build was primarily relaxation and enjoyment for me. Here is a thread, you can have a look, if you want:
 
http://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=89590&start=45
 

No new updates folks.. Just want to wish ye all a Very Happy Christmas and New Year (or Happy Holidays & New Year as the case may be, my sentiment is the exact same    )
I'm still working away slowly so see ye all after the Holidays and we can get cracking once again with more 'Pegs Pins & Clamps'..   
 
Bye For Now
 
Eamonn

This update is a bit overdue.  I've been waiting over two weeks for a sunny day to take photos. The last sunny day was three weeks ago, lasted about 30 minutes and I was on my way to a race.  The next forecast for sun is next Sunday - SURPRISE!  We had sun this morning!  SURPRISE!  My camera pooped out this morning while taking photos!  The mirror got hung up while taking photos and I'm getting error message.  I can't complain, I've been using this camera a lot for eight years, took well over 100,000 photos and never a problem.  But I did get a few good pics before it pooped out and also took some with my little point and shoot to finally do this update! 
Bye - Bye Mr. Sun!  Hope to see you again soon!
~~~~
 
Cap rail are done!  After I added the last interior plank, I used an 8" hardwood sanding plank to get a smooth, even and level (glue) surface for the cap rails to sit on.  To understand all the pieces of this puzzle, I made a 'mock up' cap rail with coffee stir sticks and figured out the angles at the transom and bow.  I added the cap rail, starting at the transom and worked my way to the bow stem, five sections per side with butt joints and it's done!    Phew!  Only two of the eight butt joints are slightly visible.  Going forward, I want / need to learn how to do scarph joints.
 
 
The bow stem is a wee bit on the short side, as in 'non existing', so I need to add some height to it.  I like these bow bitts, but I'm thinking they are a bit too tall.  The good news is I'm thinking they're tall enough to lop off a few inches and they will still look right.  There will be just enough room for the bowsprit and it will look good. 

 
Way back I added 4" to the height of the transom and thought I would need to remove 2".  With the cap rail added, it's just barely enough.  Still need to make the square opening for the tiller.  

 
In the last update I added the mast thwart and knees. The splash board was sanded down to height and added knees.  All but one of the kit metal cleats have been replaced with wood cleats of various types or belaying pins.     
The hull is only 3mm thick, not enough for the deadeye strop nails to hold onto.  Since I don't want the ends of the nails poking through, I'm thinking about going to order some scale hardware nuts and bolts for the strops and hull struts.  Blackened / painted, these will blend in very nicely.  

 
Painting is a necessary evil and I'm learning.  Preparation is key, I'm using gesso as a prep.  I'm getting nice results.  While making the rudder, do make sure it had an even bevel, I decided to give it a coat of the black paint.  And while I was at it, add some paint to the lower part of the hull, to get an idea how it was going to look.  I used the canned spray paint I've used twice before with excellent results.  The next morning the paint was gummy, like a heavy coat of crayon.  Ickky!  So that all had to be scrapped off and then cleaned to remove residue.  It was a mess!  
 
It seems like the more small parts I do, the more small parts there are to do!  The rudder is almost done, need to install the rudder and open up the transom so I can get the right height on the rudder for the tiller.  Then there's the belaying pins, hull struts, bow sprit and a few other parts.   
 
As always, thanks for stopping by.  Your suggestions are always welcome.  
 
Dee Dee
 
Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays.
 

 
(Edited to change photos to smaller sized photos)

This update is a bit overdue.  I've been waiting over two weeks for a sunny day to take photos. The last sunny day was three weeks ago, lasted about 30 minutes and I was on my way to a race.  The next forecast for sun is next Sunday - SURPRISE!  We had sun this morning!  SURPRISE!  My camera pooped out this morning while taking photos!  The mirror got hung up while taking photos and I'm getting error message.  I can't complain, I've been using this camera a lot for eight years, took well over 100,000 photos and never a problem.  But I did get a few good pics before it pooped out and also took some with my little point and shoot to finally do this update! 
Bye - Bye Mr. Sun!  Hope to see you again soon!
~~~~
 
Cap rail are done!  After I added the last interior plank, I used an 8" hardwood sanding plank to get a smooth, even and level (glue) surface for the cap rails to sit on.  To understand all the pieces of this puzzle, I made a 'mock up' cap rail with coffee stir sticks and figured out the angles at the transom and bow.  I added the cap rail, starting at the transom and worked my way to the bow stem, five sections per side with butt joints and it's done!    Phew!  Only two of the eight butt joints are slightly visible.  Going forward, I want / need to learn how to do scarph joints.
 
 
The bow stem is a wee bit on the short side, as in 'non existing', so I need to add some height to it.  I like these bow bitts, but I'm thinking they are a bit too tall.  The good news is I'm thinking they're tall enough to lop off a few inches and they will still look right.  There will be just enough room for the bowsprit and it will look good. 

 
Way back I added 4" to the height of the transom and thought I would need to remove 2".  With the cap rail added, it's just barely enough.  Still need to make the square opening for the tiller.  

 
In the last update I added the mast thwart and knees. The splash board was sanded down to height and added knees.  All but one of the kit metal cleats have been replaced with wood cleats of various types or belaying pins.     
The hull is only 3mm thick, not enough for the deadeye strop nails to hold onto.  Since I don't want the ends of the nails poking through, I'm thinking about going to order some scale hardware nuts and bolts for the strops and hull struts.  Blackened / painted, these will blend in very nicely.  

 
Painting is a necessary evil and I'm learning.  Preparation is key, I'm using gesso as a prep.  I'm getting nice results.  While making the rudder, do make sure it had an even bevel, I decided to give it a coat of the black paint.  And while I was at it, add some paint to the lower part of the hull, to get an idea how it was going to look.  I used the canned spray paint I've used twice before with excellent results.  The next morning the paint was gummy, like a heavy coat of crayon.  Ickky!  So that all had to be scrapped off and then cleaned to remove residue.  It was a mess!  
 
It seems like the more small parts I do, the more small parts there are to do!  The rudder is almost done, need to install the rudder and open up the transom so I can get the right height on the rudder for the tiller.  Then there's the belaying pins, hull struts, bow sprit and a few other parts.   
 
As always, thanks for stopping by.  Your suggestions are always welcome.  
 
Dee Dee
 
Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays.
 

 
(Edited to change photos to smaller sized photos)

This update is a bit overdue.  I've been waiting over two weeks for a sunny day to take photos. The last sunny day was three weeks ago, lasted about 30 minutes and I was on my way to a race.  The next forecast for sun is next Sunday - SURPRISE!  We had sun this morning!  SURPRISE!  My camera pooped out this morning while taking photos!  The mirror got hung up while taking photos and I'm getting error message.  I can't complain, I've been using this camera a lot for eight years, took well over 100,000 photos and never a problem.  But I did get a few good pics before it pooped out and also took some with my little point and shoot to finally do this update! 
Bye - Bye Mr. Sun!  Hope to see you again soon!
~~~~
 
Cap rail are done!  After I added the last interior plank, I used an 8" hardwood sanding plank to get a smooth, even and level (glue) surface for the cap rails to sit on.  To understand all the pieces of this puzzle, I made a 'mock up' cap rail with coffee stir sticks and figured out the angles at the transom and bow.  I added the cap rail, starting at the transom and worked my way to the bow stem, five sections per side with butt joints and it's done!    Phew!  Only two of the eight butt joints are slightly visible.  Going forward, I want / need to learn how to do scarph joints.
 
 
The bow stem is a wee bit on the short side, as in 'non existing', so I need to add some height to it.  I like these bow bitts, but I'm thinking they are a bit too tall.  The good news is I'm thinking they're tall enough to lop off a few inches and they will still look right.  There will be just enough room for the bowsprit and it will look good. 

 
Way back I added 4" to the height of the transom and thought I would need to remove 2".  With the cap rail added, it's just barely enough.  Still need to make the square opening for the tiller.  

 
In the last update I added the mast thwart and knees. The splash board was sanded down to height and added knees.  All but one of the kit metal cleats have been replaced with wood cleats of various types or belaying pins.     
The hull is only 3mm thick, not enough for the deadeye strop nails to hold onto.  Since I don't want the ends of the nails poking through, I'm thinking about going to order some scale hardware nuts and bolts for the strops and hull struts.  Blackened / painted, these will blend in very nicely.  

 
Painting is a necessary evil and I'm learning.  Preparation is key, I'm using gesso as a prep.  I'm getting nice results.  While making the rudder, do make sure it had an even bevel, I decided to give it a coat of the black paint.  And while I was at it, add some paint to the lower part of the hull, to get an idea how it was going to look.  I used the canned spray paint I've used twice before with excellent results.  The next morning the paint was gummy, like a heavy coat of crayon.  Ickky!  So that all had to be scrapped off and then cleaned to remove residue.  It was a mess!  
 
It seems like the more small parts I do, the more small parts there are to do!  The rudder is almost done, need to install the rudder and open up the transom so I can get the right height on the rudder for the tiller.  Then there's the belaying pins, hull struts, bow sprit and a few other parts.   
 
As always, thanks for stopping by.  Your suggestions are always welcome.  
 
Dee Dee
 
Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays.
 

 
(Edited to change photos to smaller sized photos)

This update is a bit overdue.  I've been waiting over two weeks for a sunny day to take photos. The last sunny day was three weeks ago, lasted about 30 minutes and I was on my way to a race.  The next forecast for sun is next Sunday - SURPRISE!  We had sun this morning!  SURPRISE!  My camera pooped out this morning while taking photos!  The mirror got hung up while taking photos and I'm getting error message.  I can't complain, I've been using this camera a lot for eight years, took well over 100,000 photos and never a problem.  But I did get a few good pics before it pooped out and also took some with my little point and shoot to finally do this update! 
Bye - Bye Mr. Sun!  Hope to see you again soon!
~~~~
 
Cap rail are done!  After I added the last interior plank, I used an 8" hardwood sanding plank to get a smooth, even and level (glue) surface for the cap rails to sit on.  To understand all the pieces of this puzzle, I made a 'mock up' cap rail with coffee stir sticks and figured out the angles at the transom and bow.  I added the cap rail, starting at the transom and worked my way to the bow stem, five sections per side with butt joints and it's done!    Phew!  Only two of the eight butt joints are slightly visible.  Going forward, I want / need to learn how to do scarph joints.
 
 
The bow stem is a wee bit on the short side, as in 'non existing', so I need to add some height to it.  I like these bow bitts, but I'm thinking they are a bit too tall.  The good news is I'm thinking they're tall enough to lop off a few inches and they will still look right.  There will be just enough room for the bowsprit and it will look good. 

 
Way back I added 4" to the height of the transom and thought I would need to remove 2".  With the cap rail added, it's just barely enough.  Still need to make the square opening for the tiller.  

 
In the last update I added the mast thwart and knees. The splash board was sanded down to height and added knees.  All but one of the kit metal cleats have been replaced with wood cleats of various types or belaying pins.     
The hull is only 3mm thick, not enough for the deadeye strop nails to hold onto.  Since I don't want the ends of the nails poking through, I'm thinking about going to order some scale hardware nuts and bolts for the strops and hull struts.  Blackened / painted, these will blend in very nicely.  

 
Painting is a necessary evil and I'm learning.  Preparation is key, I'm using gesso as a prep.  I'm getting nice results.  While making the rudder, do make sure it had an even bevel, I decided to give it a coat of the black paint.  And while I was at it, add some paint to the lower part of the hull, to get an idea how it was going to look.  I used the canned spray paint I've used twice before with excellent results.  The next morning the paint was gummy, like a heavy coat of crayon.  Ickky!  So that all had to be scrapped off and then cleaned to remove residue.  It was a mess!  
 
It seems like the more small parts I do, the more small parts there are to do!  The rudder is almost done, need to install the rudder and open up the transom so I can get the right height on the rudder for the tiller.  Then there's the belaying pins, hull struts, bow sprit and a few other parts.   
 
As always, thanks for stopping by.  Your suggestions are always welcome.  
 
Dee Dee
 
Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays.
 

 
(Edited to change photos to smaller sized photos)

Alan,
Charlie looks great!  You're going to make someone very happy!
Dee Dee

Made a lot of progress. Added the seats, knees & inwales. Got the hull painting started. Started assembling the paddles.
 
 

Constructed bottom frame of the lobster trap, bent a plank around a paint bottle to make the hoops for the top of the lobster trap. Started assembly & painting of the buoy. Added a rub rail to one side. One end didn't meet the false keel like it was supposed to so I burnished the end down by rubbing it across the end of my workbench till it touched like it should. Glued hoops on lobster trap. Used an old hose sock to make the netting inside the trap. Cut out first one cut hole, sealed edges with fray check. Stretched out & glued net on.
 

Monday 22 December 2014 (afternoon)
 
I completed the port side main mast ratlines and started on the starboard side fore mast ratlines but my eyes kept wandering to the rear.
It was there, my mind could see it but my eyes would not register it.
 
After quite a few glances aft it popped out like a sore thumb.
 
I had the main mast shrouds forward of the ratlines!
Yes... both sides. (no sense doing a job half way)
 
Cut the dead eye running lines off and corrected them all.
 
I completed the ratlines and then installed the handrail wires (22 gauge bright steel wire from the florist section of the hobby shop)
I finished them off with some black electrical wire heat shrink tubing
 
Touched up some of the painting and (drum roll please)...... she is done!
 
I will now complete the PDF collection of build photos to go with her so they can appreciate where she started from and how she got to where she is now.
 
Delivery... 9 am tomorrow morning.
 

How do I answer so many? Let me answer the questions and for the well-wishers, thank you, thank you, and thank you.
 
Keith here are some pictures of the top sails, the rigging was taken from Chapelle’s book “The American Fishing Schooner”.  The top sail is held tight at the peak and clew, but the tack is brought down on what appears to be the wrong side of the gaff, this is to hold the loose tack close to the mast instead of flying out.  There are two ways to rig the top sails.  The most used seems to be single halyards with the main top on one side and the main top on the other.  The other which I used is with double halyards so the sails can be set so they do not rub against the peak halyard.  To put the sail over it must be bundled and passed over the peak halyard and reset on the other side.  For the main top sail clew there is only one halyard, so I used a cheek block on the gaff.  The fore top sail need to be brought between the spring lines also.  To aid in this there is a clew line that goes around the edge of the sail and bundles it against the top mast where it can be pulled through by the halyard.  I did not add the clew line.  The clew requires two halyards, so a double block is used at the gaff peak.  There are two sheets attached to the tack the one in use holds it on the windward side of the gaff.  The other goes up next to the sail, over and to the outside of the peak halyard lines, then down under the peak halyard lines and over the gaff to be belayed on the other side.
 

 

 

 

 
 
The lady in question, (Admiral, Wife, “She who must be obeyed”) is disabled and wanted it where she could see it all day.  So it is in front of a mirror, on her special table, just inside the front door, with no case.  So be it.
 

 
 
The launch I am looking for is a Victorian clipper bow excursion boat.  Could be steam powered.
 
I don’t foresee another schooner in my future but who knows. 
 
The difference between the cod fisher and a mackerel seine schooner (as it turns out this is neither) is the cod schooner would be carrying several dories on board.  The cod is a large fish and are fished for by men in the dories and when brought on board, are cleaned laid out in the hold and salted, and kept there until the hold is full.  Mackerel are smaller fish and are caught in a net (seine).  A boat called a seine boat takes the net out in a large circle and brings it to the schooner where the fish are brought aboard, cleaned and packed in barrels with brine. 
 
Bob
 

Eamon,
 
Your Ballahoo is coming along nicely.  Nice job on making the masts.
 
In regards to walnut masts, I 'burnished' the walnut masts to dark and even finish.  I used a 1" cherry wood craft block, the same blocks I use to square the bulkheads to the false keel.  The burnishing gives a hard and smooth finish and no poly required.   You can see the results in the third photo from this MBLS build log entry:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/4670-muscongus-bay-lobster-smack-by-dee-dee-from-midwest-to-chapelle-124-small/page-7#entry19102
 
Ha!  You're writing "Pegs, Pins and Clamps" and I'm writing "As the Plank Cracks".   If we collaborate on a book, we could call it "How to Crack a Plank and Clamp it Too"!
 
You letter to Santa is similar to mine.     
 
Dee Dee
 
 

Saturday + Sunday 13+14 December 2014
 
I got quite a bit accomplished... photo tags help explain
 
Problems encountered:
 - When installing the masts I discovered the cross trees on the foremast were not quite horizontal.  I had to saw the trestle tree loose from the cheeks to correct the error.
 - I discovered I attached the cross trees incorrectly and decided to install a third rather than attempt to remove the shorter one and rework the trestle trees
 - The jaws on the main boom were too long and needed to be shortened.
 - I had trouble with applying the name to the hull as my methods were terrible.  My darling wife suggested using our office labeller.  This looks better than what I was trying to do.
 - I had missed installing an eyelet which resulted in my standing rigging (one line) being incorrect.  I love doing things twice!
 - My finger is raw from all the pin vise drilling... the knurl finish on the pin vise is a bad idea.
 
I have learned I need much more practice with the techniques to get better.
I hope my blocks will be okay but even these will show a lack of skill.
Looking at David Antscherl's block making method in "The Fully Framed Model" would likely have been a better approach.
I'll being working on this to get better.
 
Meanwhile, my schedule is to be done this week for a Friday delivery.
Hope I succeed!