Salty Sea Dog

Well, here we are. After too much work and almost no time for ship modeling, I´m back for masting and rigging, at least to begin rigging. Still haven´t fixed the hole over the cabin as my soldering iron is missing and every single time I think to buy a new one, I forget to do it as my head is always in my work - hope I can forget the work justs a little bit on the next 2 or 3 days .
 
I´ve made some daylight model shooting with her today, here are the pictures:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The arrow is to show a little breaking on my windlass as I was rigging the first blocks. As the bars are wood, not the metal cast which the kit supplied, they are a lot more fragile. I´ll fix it after rigging the foremast completely.
 

 

 

 
That´s it for now. I´ll be working on her next 2 days and begin a new project, soon to be brought to you. :D

It is a great build. And Happy Birthday Michael!

Think I'd have developed a full body twitch at the prospect of doing that cut Dee_Dee..    that and be gently rocking back and forth in the corner of a dark room making cooing sounds ! 
 
Eamonn

Bob,
The black tape was (visually) aligned with the keel and yes, a slight shift would be a completely different pattern. 
Edge bending is definitely wonderful.  A major lesson I've learned while planking this hull:  It's not 'good enough' to do the same general edge bend on all the planks, rather, each plank needs to be custom shaped to get a tight fit.    
Thanks for stopping by!
Dee Dee's

Cheers guys! Yeah Nigel it must have been horrible, almost as bad as the poor souls having to be up in the tops...
 
Thanks for the likes everyone!
 
 
/Matti

Hey again!
 
I've mounted the bowsprit and finished the ropes holding it.
 

 

 

 
It was lots of work as I had to reshape thin down the L shaped timbers holding the bow. Looking back I think it was good to wait with drilling the rope holes until knowing where to put them. That gave me liberty to arrange the beek head "floor planks" the way I wanted and then arrange the rope holes acccording to them, not the other way around. That said, I would have thinned down the L shaped parts slightly pre assembly to make it easier to get room for the holes, and this is a tip for builders of the kit. This way made me nervous about destroying anything...
 
I never was happy with the paint job on the lower beakhead parts, and this gave me an opportunity to make it better.
 
 
/Matti
 
 
 
Edit: I just realized that I didn't explain that the kit construction is with the ropes running "outside" the lower beakhead construction (wrong). Remember that I broke the beakhead earlier and strengthened it when repairing it. This made my beakhead stronger and that's good when doing this mod to the build.

My problem in post #41, was how am I going to get the planks to land all straight, neat and tidy on the keel as shown on the drawing (the purple section.)  

 
This is how the stern looked after I finished planking last week. Not very promising. 

 
So, I took a deep breath and cut off a section of the planked keel and added a walnut stern stem. 

 
 
And the planks line up straight, neat and tidy!!

 
 
The transom was planked before adding the stern stem

 
Working on the framing around the fish wells, have a few more parts to figure out, but it's looking good. 
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
Dee Dee

 

 

And then there were two planks.....  then one plank and (almost) done with planking! 
 
The 2nd to last plank was made same as the others with updated measurements.  The last plank was made almost the same.  The major difference is the final plank was beveled on both edges so it could 'press fit' for a snug fit.  Added some glue and called the planking almost done!  Before I sand the bump and lumps, I'll add a layer of epoxy on the inside of the hull. 
 
The ends of the planks will be trimmed up to a nice straight line.  The garboard strake, in addition to needing a bit of filler, is a bit too wide at the front.  

 
The starboard bow needs a bit of clean up. The planking got a bit snug at the bow, but ALL planks run the full length of the hull with no add / dropped planks. 

 
And then I did THIS to the deck!  I got carried away when opening up some of the false deck to add the epoxy.  I decided to add the wells, framing, mast shoe / step.  Good idea, until I figured out, that to do it right, I should have done some of the prep work on the false keel for the mast shoe / step and individual bulkheads for framing (back on page 1).  Oh well, I'll figure it out!  It won't be right, but it will be close.

 
In this photo of the Shepherdess from Domrémy, you can see the cockpit floor boards are in two sections.  From the thwart forward, the floor boards are loose to access the fish wells below, and aft of the thwart, the floor boards are fixed.  The oyster would be stored in the (wet?) well below the floor boards.  At the end of the day, the boards would be put back and head for home. 

 
While I'm trying to figure this out, I'll add a layer of epoxy to the inside of the hull and try to get rid of THAT bump on 14 & 15 and work on the stern post. 
 
As always, thanks for stopping by. 
 
Dee Dee

I enjoy planking, it's sort of like a jigsaw puzzle with all rectangular pieces and there's no picture. 
 
Here's the puzzle:  I laid out 6 strips of art tape, (same width as the planks) on a piece of glass and fixed them with the strip of gold tape.  The tapes were transferred to the hull (parallel to the keel) and each strip of tape was then laid flat following the contour of the hull.   The views from the bow and stern show the puzzle the best.    

 

 

 
 
 
Just a few more planks to go. 
Here's a quick review on how I made each plank:
Each plank was steamed, edge bent, then shaped to size.  The measurements at each bulkhead was taken, then divided by the number of planks to go.  My goal was +/-0.03mm at each bulkhead, bow and transom. I averaged 45 - 60 minutes shaping each plank, it's a process that just cannot be rushed.    
 
This target measurement here was 3.58, I got 3.57.  The amount of pressure applied on the calipers will change the reading, so I just tried to be consistent with my process of measuring. 

 
This is the port side #17 plank, it just needs to have the top edge beveled and it will be ready to glue. 

 
Port plank #17 glued and partially sanded.

 
Three more planks to go!
 
There's a slight ridge on the port side, on planks 14 and 15.  It's not visible on the bare wood, but I'm thinking it might become visible after the hull is painted.  So I'm going to follow Cap'n'Bob's suggestion, add some two part epoxy on the inside of the hull, just in case the wood gets a bit thin while sanding that ridge.
 
The kit wood for the cockpit flooring is about 12" wide, way out of scale.  So I'm thinking of going with some maple, 3" wide  and staining it to the gray weathered color.   But before that, the mast thwart is too wide, so I need to extend the foredeck a few inches.  It's really kewl to have an actual boat to refer to.  
 
Thanks for stopping by, suggestions are always welcomed!  
 
Dee Dee

After I get this posted, I'm going for an easy short 35 mile ride today up to Old School and back.  The winds are favorable, so I'll have a light tailwind home.     
 
SO!  I added that last plank and that brings me to my next planned build update.  Original planking plan was 18 planks + Sheer + garboard = 20 total.  12 planks done, 8 more to go.  I picked this point for a planned update, because this is where I will re-measure the remaining distance to be plank on each bulkhead and make any adjustments. 
 
The planking has been going well.  It takes well over an hour to completely shape each plank, (the planks are only 12" long and I have 8 measuring points.) So far, the planking on the port and starboard sides have a 1.0mm or less variance.

 

 
At the bow stem, the variance is only 0.50mm, 27.04 and 26.54.  Most of that is from the first plank on the port side, which is a bit too high.  I'll sand it down so it's level with the starboard side and the variance should be close to zero. 

 
Somehow, this garboard strake was chipped, I'll fill that in with a little bit of filler.  I keep the bow stem wrapped in layers of tape to keep it from being eroded away.    

 
The tail ends of each plank still need to be sanded even with the transom.  I've kept the stern covered with tape to keep a crisp corner.  You can also see the edges of the keel have been lined with a strip of walnut, to prevent the wood from eroding away.  

 
 
Next up, redo all the measurements and plan out the final 8 planks!
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
Dee Dee
 
 
Edited to add length of measure
Edited to change 'final 8 planks' to 'final 9 planks'   
Edited to change 'final 9 planks' back to 'final 8 planks'   oops!

Markku,
Thanks for stopping by!  You did a great job on your Flattie, especially all the little details.  Agree, it's interesting to see how work boats change to work the local waters.  
 
Eamonn, JesseLee,  
It's always nice to have you stop by. Yep!  I managed to add another 'character' mark!  You'll get to see it in my next update.  
 
And Thanks to all that hit the 'like' button.  
 
~~~~
 
I'm finally home after a couple of weeks on the road and plan to get back to the boat yard this week.  But that may be delayed by some nice long rides on my bicycle.     
 
I need to add one more plank to get to my next planned build update.  So far, I'm happy with how the planking is going.  But the last five planks added on each side have been a real challenge!  Each plank bends, twists 90* and has significant edge bending in the middle of the plank and also add some edge beveling!  It takes a few hours to make and glue each plank.  I'm taking my time to make sure each plank fits snug, I don't want to use any filler and single plank the hull.   
 
As I progress in my build, I'll be posting a few more photos of the Bergère de Domrémy.  These photos are not being added for 'fluff,' 'log filler' or 'eye candy', rather they are a reference when I make a change (or where I wish I had made a change, such as dropping the height of the cockpit floor 10-12".)
  I'd like to share with you more about the boat I'm using as my model guide,  the Bergère de Domrémy, (Shepherdess from Domrémy, referring to Joan d'Arc).  (See post #2 for more photos.)  The Bergère de Domrémy, hull #B5929, is a coquillier, shellfish sloop, built in 1936 at the shipyard M. Auguste Tertu in Le Fret, France, length 37'5", beam 13'.  Of the more than 200 boats built, only a few still exist and are used for recreation purposes or as museum boats today.  Since 1982, the Association An Test has owned, maintained and operates the Bergère de Domrémy, which is considered a French National Treasure.  The boat was overhaulled / rebuilt 1989 - 2002 at the museum shipyard Chantier du Guip in Brest. 
 
 
The Bergère de Domrémy hull is cleaned frequently, always on a king tide day.  The boat is laid over on one side (here port side) and some weights are hung from the mast to stabilize it.  Below the water line is cleaned with high pressure water and scrapers.  

 
Any wet spots on the hull are dried with a flame so it can be painted.  Weird to see a flame on a wooden boat, but they only have the tide duration to do the job.  On the other side, the paint is touched up above the water line.  The next day, the boat is laid on its starboard side and cleaning process repeated.

 
 
These boats were built to last and were very heavy.  Careening (leaning) these boats over was done frequently, to strengthen the hull, the plank that it lays on is ~2" thicker.  I'm thinking about adding this detail, it can be done by adding a layer when I'm done planking.  These next three photos show this plank.   

 

 
Ringed Plovers are enjoying some of the mussels that have been scraped from the hull.

 
I was starved for info and photos on my MBLS, but for this build, there is a lot of information available! 
 
I'll add a build update as soon as I get that plank added. 
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
Dee Dee  

I've made some progress, so it's time for an update!  
 
The Corel instructions / prints are, shall we say, a bit less than vague about the top plank, garboard strake and planking.  So I made my plan for the planking and got started.  Before I added the first plank, I defined the line where the planking needs to land on the keel.  After the first plank, the garboard strake was added.  This was an adventure, as every mm of this strake needed to be shaped to get it to fit tight against the keel.  The first five planks and the garboard strake are smack dab on the line.  

 
I'm using the fan / tick method for planking and decided on 20 total planks per side.  I made tick marks on the port side, the planks taper from 2.3mm at the bow, to 5mm at bulkhead #7. So far, the planks are hitting the targeted tick marks and landing on the line.  The blue tape around the stem is to protect it from getting banged up.  To protect the keel from getting banged up, I added a 1/64" / 0.4mm strip of walnut.  

 
In my last post, I mentioned how the instructions / construction drawing do not match the blue print.  The planks taper from 2.3mm at the bow to 5mm at the 7th bulkhead.  I'm thinking it is possible to plank with the first four planks being straight as shown in the drawings / prints:  The number of total planks at the bow would drop from 20 total to 16-17 with 2-3 stealers.  But stealers are not shown on the prints.......   

 

 
In this photo, you can see the top plank run back to the transom.  The tops of the bulkheads will be removed when the planking is completed, so I'm trying my best to use minimal glue on the bulkheads.  

 
Like the garboard strake, the last plank added in this photo had to make a 90* turn, but this one was a bit easier since I had 2.5" / 65mm to make the turn.  

 
If I was to start over, here are some changes I would make:  (Hey!  I like doing the research and I want to make it right!) 
-Currently the cockpit floor is 23" below the top of the cap rail. The top plank and the decking need to be raised / dropped to increase this height closer to 36". 
            Remake all of the bulkheads/keel and increase the height 5-8" to raise the top plank. 
            Drop the height of the cockpit floor 5-10".  I'm thinking for the reason the current cockpit floor height is due to the false
            framing that is added after the bulkheads are removed.  But that would be an easy fix. 
            The transom would also need to be raised.  
-Make a rabbit in the keel for the garboard and bow planking. 
-Add a rabbit on the stern edge of the keel.  I'll add the rabbit above the garboard strake and the garboard strake will need some major reshaping.
-The first planking is 5mm x 1.5mm, 4mm would have been better.  The second planking is 6mm, if I was doing a second planking, I would replace it with 4mm. 
 
I'm definitely enjoying this build.  The planking is going well, but I'm not taking any chances!  After I add 3 or 4 more planks, I'll re-do all the measurements and make any adjustments.  Even though the hull will be painted, I want the hull planking to shine through the paint. 
I like the quality of the wood in this Corel kit!  All of the strip stock is straight and nicely finished.  Also the plywood for the decking was flat (unlike the decking for another kit on the shelf.)      
 
SO!  That's where I'm at and I'm really liking this build! 
 
Thanks for stopping by!  Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome. 
 
Dee Dee    

It's going well, we put a deposit on a apartment with an attached garage so I'm excited to set up a shipyard there. And between you, me and MSW, I'm secretly hoping my job search takes a while so I can spend my days modeling and exercising, but don't tell wifey. But the people are incredibly nice here, I'm liking it here. Tonight entertainment is a Jazz cruise on the Steam stern wheeling riverboat Natchez on the Mississippi, should be fun.

Finally figured out the major changes I'll be making in this build
 
Single Planked - This is a no brainer  I'll use the kit supplied lime wood, which is a bit heavier / harder than basswood.  My goal:  NO FILLER ALLOWED!  So I will need to take my time with each plank to get it right.  And if it's not right, well, I will just have to do it over!  (Fingers crossed!)
 
Bowsprit - Definitely will add a bowsprit using the black iron ring mounted on the bow stem and anchored on the bow thwart.  The back end of the bow sprit is square, and fits between two pieced of wood mounted on the bow thwart.  A rope runs through the bowsprit to anchor it to the thwart.  In post #2 (above), in the 6th photo, you can see the squared end of the bowsprit and the two pieces of wood on the bow thwart.
 
Transom Height - In the kit, the top of the transom is at the same height as the cap rail.  In post #2, the 5th photo, you can see the top of the transom is 5-6" higher than the cap rails.  This looks much nicer.  I'll build this up in layers.   
 
Access door under rear deck
This photo gives a great view of the hinged doors to access storage under the rear deck. 
This photo is copyright protected, so please copy and paste this link.  Really nice photo! http://www.pbase.com/image/65376766
However, to do these, I will most likely need to extend the length of the rear deck.  Currently, it measures 40", but thinking I might lengthen it a bit, or raise it.  ..... or neither and just install the doors.  
 
Access hatch on fore deck
This is another copyright protected photo of the same boat and another really nice photo:  http://www.pbase.com/debetencourt/image/65376767
This one shows some nice details of the rigging.  At the bottom of the mast and to the right, there appears to be some type of hardware that might be the access to the storage under the fore deck.  So, humm, an opportunity to add detail.   
 
Fish wells
In this same photo, you can there is a definite split on the cockpit decking.  The instructions for these boards are sort of goofy, but the prints show that after the decking is done, add 3 planks at 90*, but do not glue them down.  I'll scan the drawing when I get there and hopefully someone else will know or have a better idea. 
 
Cleats - The kit came with 12" long, metal cleats and all of the lines were tied off on a cleat.  These cleats are so big, they remind me of clown shoes, you know, about 7" too long!   But no metal cleats allowed on this build.  Instead, I will use belaying pins or wooden cleats as shown in the photos above.  (Yeah!  I finally have a reason to order something from Model Expo and I can finally get the 5mm cleats I need to finish my MBLS!)

 
So, those are the changes I've decided on so far, there may be more.  Since none of these changes are impacted by the planking, I can finish off adding the transom, fore and aft false decking and start planking! 
Yeah! 
 
Thanks for stopping by, questions and comments are welcome!
 
Dee Dee
 
 
 
 

Hi,
 
as I promised, here are photos of current state of my La Couronne.

Enjoy !
 
Michal

next set

Ahoy Mates
 
Russ; Coming from you I consider that compliment an honor. It was your help that was instrumental in me getting this far along in my build.   Thank you, it is people like yourself who make MSW what it is  
 
JS: I agree, clutter is a big problem "lol" I will try my best to avoid it. My decks will only be completed topside. 
 
Martin: Yours came out so good. I miss your updates. I did a search for your next build. Please PM me a link to it  
 
Ben: Thanks for checking in. Anytime I feel overwhelmed by my build I stop by yours for some inspiration. That truly is an amazing project you have going on there. You are doing an incredible job, thx for posting. 
 
Sam: Yea I was not a happy shipwright after the storm.
 
Augie: Rear Admiral "Sir" I am hoping that you and yours are enjoying yourselves. There is a line forming to see your next post. I think some are even camping out. One of them is wearing a Moose hat. I think its Sjors. 
 
Bill: Thanks, it is good to see your back in your shipyard too. 
 
Popeye: Yea I like that color best. Mother is the only one who makes it. She's a natural. 
 
 
Back to the Build 
 
Well we got our cannons. Our new sponsor "rocks" and I received them two days ahead of schedule. Sadly they are very close, I even put one in my Vanda Lay to try and get some conformity but I could not. If anyone wants them please PM me. You must have a active build here on MSW and promise to make a small contribution to this site through Paypal. It does not need to match their cost, I don't need to know what it is, and don't want any for myself. I will also pay to ship them to you USPS. I am however very happy with the toys I got 
 
I used Woodland Scenic transfers to do my badge. They were very easy to use and I am very happy with the results. Don't let anyone tell you they are hard to use: They are easy, just don't cut them out, use them straight from the sheet, The other letters on the sheet aide in registration, and follow the instructions to the "letter".  I used a gold metal flake which the camera does not capture very well. You will have to trust me when I say it looks really good in person. I can see I will be repainting the artwork and need to correct the port side of the placard. That image is over twice the actual size too. . 
 
I also finished the lower transom. As I mentioned before but I think those comments were deleted in the great crash, this Model Expo mahogany is not easy stuff to work with. I am glad to be done here. I would however use this wood again, now that I know it's limitations and how to work around them. Just not here 
 
I am having a really hard time with these ports. It was hard enough doing the port side. Matching them on the starboard side has turned into a major undertaking for me. Slow would be a compliment, Progress is so slow to the untrained eye "stopped" might be a better description. Galaxies are spinning faster in my telescope. I spend more time measuring, checking and postulating then sanding, cutting or building. I have however come up with a plan. I had to throw my other lady out of bed to do this, and she was not happy about it. Truth be told I should have; and highly recommend that anyone building any ship make a jig. Even if it is a flat bottom ship. You just can not beat a "constant" for making/transferring measurements from plans or side to side and a jig does this for you in spades.  Considering they can be made for under 2 dollars it really is a no brainer. 
 
 
Well happy building Mates. I am hoping that my next post shows my lady ready for a night out on the town. The thought of me ripping off the starboard side gunwale planking is a post I prefer not to make. 
 

Hi Michael,
My avatar is our dog, Buster, and he is a lovable little guy.
 
I think the consensus is that your artistry trumps any deviations in accuracy. You had me hooked with the scarf jointed planks and 3 sizes of nails back on page 1!

Wow, thanks for the kind words Keith and Max! I've scratchbuilt styrene models before and feel that these kits have much in common as you get to shape it the way you want. This is nicer though, wood is more alive and the ships have such great history and art in them.
 
After carving a few sculptures for this kit, wich I really enjoyed, I can definately say I could never get myself to put the years into scratching a Vasa. All those sculptures would be to much.
 
Thanks for the likes everyone!
 
/Matti

Hi Matti
 
I didn't realise that this Piece of artwork is your FIRST build. O M G - what a wonderful start to this modelling. If I knew that before ... I confess all what I said before and add an "+++" - triple A
 
Cheerio
 
Max

Hi Matti!
Love the middle picture in the last series - it looks so 1:1!!!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the Vasa museum asks you to display your ship at the museum when you finish. Your hard work at getting the paint shadings just right and getting the very subtle 'wonkiness' of the ship so perfect, have elevated your build to a level beyond what I would have thought possible at this scale. Truly masterful work! The rope work is looking flawless.
 
Best wishes

As promised, a pictorial update. 
 
I have all the frames installed, and the clamps along both sides to support the deck beams.  While not necessarily correct, I opted to do the clamps in one piece for the strength it will provide vice the laminated layers with 3 sections as on the real ECB.  When originally built, the clamps would probably have been in 3 sections port & starboard scarphed together, cut from 2 x 10ish timbers. 
 
You can see the clamps on either side.  The foreman s checking the temporary bracing between the frames and clamps at the midship section.
 

 
I also have started installing the cabin - here you can see the first 3 beams and posts for the cabin deck.  there will also be beams (no posts) at frames 20 through 22.
 

 
 

 
The view from above at the overall shape - remember, the outer battens that are pinned on are just temporary for stiffening, but will be somewhat useful for fairing the hull later on before planking the exterior.
 

 

Well, after having the summer to relax, the Emma C. Berry has come back to the build table.  She was getting a mite snippy sitting on the shelf in my business office.
 
Prior to resuming work, took a ride to Bangor yesterday to pick up a Harbor Freight work bench - the Admiral and son the elder helped get it set up.  After a bit of organizing this morning, have removed the temporary battens that I glued on (not the brightest thing I have ever done) and replaced with pins.  Also have beveled and installed the transom.
 
Next step is to fine tune the tops of the frames (a couple are just a smidge long or short - fortunately they get covered by the covering board and are hidden) then prepare and install the clamps.  From there, into the building of the interior - that should take quite some time!
 
Profile view
 

 
View from the stern
 

 
A quick tour of the reorganized shop.
 

 

 

 

 
 
Many thanks!

Its the muted/earthy colours that have converted me.
 
I know she was painted in Royal red, which was probably much brighter and garish for the FLASH of it, but to me that just looks wrong. Real or not I prefer the shades and shading you chose. You have an amazing eye for that sort of detailing.
 
I also think that furled sails would look amazing as they would be there but not obscure the detail below.
 
I also think the Vasa museum would be lucky to have you on their crew. If I recall correctly, this is but your first wooden build. Agreed, you came to the table with amazing paint skills, but that doesn't explain the rest of her. Some people just have the knack for the task and you are one of them.
Just think, you tackled one of the more difficult builds as a 1st attempt, and these are the results, imagine what your skill set will be with 2 or 3 more builds. Honestly, The only way you could improve on this build is if you had hand carve the carvings, but the excellent paint and time shaping each piece make that hard to tell they are plastic kit piece so really it's a non-issue when they are painted.
 
I can also understand your trepidation about adding the bowsprit, that changes everything about the handling of her.

Hi Matti!
Love the middle picture in the last series - it looks so 1:1!!!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the Vasa museum asks you to display your ship at the museum when you finish. Your hard work at getting the paint shadings just right and getting the very subtle 'wonkiness' of the ship so perfect, have elevated your build to a level beyond what I would have thought possible at this scale. Truly masterful work! The rope work is looking flawless.
 
Best wishes