DCooper

Progress;
 
I have finished the internals for one side of the hull and got some paint work started.
 

 
 

 
 
I pushed the shadows a bit hard as I thought that they would get lost once the deck is in place.  This is what I was after with the deck just set in place.
 

 
 
Started some other little bits and now need to buckle down and do all this again on the other side of the hull.
 
I want to get the eyebolts in for the gun rigging and work some more on the gun deck.  Getting that installed is my main goal right now.
 
Thanks for looking.
 
Dan

Welcome Cannon Fodder.  
 
Nice start and I hope you are having fun.  I did go to the effort to sand off the char, more to get a nice finish rather than for strength.  My kit seemed to have a very rough finish almost like it was flame cut with a torch, which I suppose in a way it was.  Most of the edges won't show in the end anyway.  
 
How are you going to do your planking?  Are you going to use the kit supplied pre cut pieces or all planks?  If you go all planks you will need some more 1.5mm x 5mm stip.  As for cleaning up the glue squeezed out I just use a moist Cotton bud(Q-tip) to wipe away the excess.  Have you decided to paint or strain your hull?
 
I'm getting close to finishing mine and yep I'm looking forward to my next one too.
 
Dan

Ladies and Gents...  
 
(Actually - I have not detected any Ladies following this build so we're all free to belch and scratch without fear of retribution...)
 
Thank you all for the kindness of your remarks.
 
Here is where the job stands after some time spent on the half hulls:
 






 
You'll see that I've done a fair amount of work on the underside and have the foundation in place for the gun stripe and red port sills.
 

 
I started by giving the underside a light coat of Vallejo Air Copper as a base.  I then began to randomly mix different blends of Vallejo Air Copper, Vallejo Hammered Copper, Microlux Air Roof Brown, and MicroLux Grimy Black in small batches and applied using some disposable micro brushes (Model Expo).  I would slink out to the workshop whenever I had an odd 15 or 20 minutes to spend filling in individual plates... After a week or so I had most of the two half hulls done.  A final (obligatory) coat of Vallejo Sepia Wash was then applied and - as with the decking - quickly wiped down with a clean soft cloth.  This had multiple good effects: It knocked down the shine, helped to blend all of the contrasting colors, highlighted some of the plate seams, and - most importantly - removed just enough paint to "expose" the riveting and define the edges of the plates.  I had to press down firmly when wiping it down to get an even exposure of the riveting.
 
The gun stripe was masked off a bit wider than the final dimension to allow some overlap and a cleaner line once the black is laid down.  After a base coat of Vallejo Air Interior Yellow (A near equivalent to Floquil Depot Buff), a thin layer of Vallejo Sepia wash (the old standby) was applied and lightly wiped down to leave a good patina behind.  This deepened the color enough to generally match what is seen in the Corne paintings.  Next I masked off everything except the gun port sills and airbrushed a few coats of Vallejo Air Ferrari Red.  I wanted the red to be deep and eye-catching.  None of this wimpy wannabe red... It looks blood red in the paintings and that's what will be on the model!  Still a few more detail touch ups remain, but it is almost there.
 
Here is the discarded tape used for masking just one of the half hulls!

 
I have not done much in the last week or so.  I thoroughly gunked up my very cheap airbrush and decided to invest in something more substantial.  I'm tired of constantly stripping it all down to clean after every small paint session.  Once done I can attack the black part of the hull.
 
Thanks to all for your continued interest!
Evan

Hello all...
 
 
I have the basic painting and most of the details done on the spar deck - just a bit of touch ups and fine tuning remain.   Here are some sample views:       The spar deck was given a base coat of aged white (no tinting like the gun deck) and individual planks were picked out with Vallejo Wood mixed with Vallejo aged white, Vallejo Aged White mixed with Microlux Reefer White, and straight up Vallejo gray wash.  After 24 hours everything then got a quick smear with Vallejo Sepia wash that was immediately wiped down with a soft clean cloth leaving a nice wood tone and coloring the seams between the planks.   Nothing is glued down and the brass is yet to be blackened, but I can now move on to painting the half hulls.   Hope folks are still following along - I'm sure the World Cup is more interesting!   Evan

Folks -
 
I'll make one last pitch for the absence of the gun lids... 
 
Here are some credible sources all piled up:
 
Michel Felice Corné 1803 - commissioned by Commodore Preble:
 

 
Thomas Birch 1813 Constitution vs Guerriere - Based on interviews with participants:
 

 
"Hull" model 1812 - built by the crew and presented to Isaac Hull:
 

 
 
Michel Felice Corné 1812 Constitution vs Guerriere - commissioned by captain Hull and supervised by his purser Thomas Chew:

 
Nicholas Pocock Constitution vs Java - based on sketches by Lt Buchanan of HMS Java
 

 
Thomas Birch United States vs Macedonian - based on interviews with participants:
 

 
Now we can probably dig through each of these representations and find various flaws and discrepancies, but we can't dispute that ALL of these have something in common - no gun port lids.  Constitution, United States, Guerriere, Java, Macedonian... All shown without lids by different artists after consultation with crew and battle veterans.  We have log entries and journal accounts of water pouring in through the gun ports in heavy weather... But how can we modern folk reconcile the idea that these ships would sail without gun port lids and be so endangered on a voyage?
 
I think the absence of gun port lids is a vestige of the era when this class of ship had open gun decks - at least very open space along the waist - which were generally treated as "weather" decks.  It was common to not have lids on ports along the open waist and many of these ships would only have them  mounted on the most forward ports to minimize wetness from a plunging bow.  Sometimes the sternmost would also have protection against following seas, but all others would be without lids.  It was no big deal for the water to slosh in one side, across the deck, and out the other side and/or out the scuppers.  There are certainly examples of frigates being fitted with lids, but likely at the discretion of the captain.  We know from log entries that Preble had carpenters add lids during his tenure (which implies, of course, that none were there before).  The American spar deck frigates represented a transition away from the open waist and the utilization of the top deck for more guns and ship handling space.  The great success they had in the War of 1812 spurred the other naval powers to evolve their frigates away from the smaller open waisted types and into the big frigate era.  As the gun decks became more commonly enclosed, the gun port lids became more standard.
 
I certainly understand that most of my fellow modelers will not follow me down this path, but I would think that most would at least appreciate my reasoning and respect the fact that I'm basing my own representation on credible contemporary sources - specifically the Michel Felice Corné paintings and the Hull model - however illogical that may seem!
 
I'm glad that my build has inspired some deeper explorations of some elements of the great ship that defy conventional thinking... Stay tuned for the yellow stripe!
 
Thanks to all for the engaging discussion.
 
Evan

Thank you PopEye, Patrick, and Daniel for the kind attention...
 
Christian - Thanks for popping by... Feel free to incorporate anything of my build in your future efforts - I'm sure you'd create a fabulous Constitution should you ever make the attempt.
 
I'm trying to close out the details of the half-hulls so that I can get to painting...
 

The Revell kit includes lower stun's'l booms for both the fore and main channels (The mizzen, of course, would never have stun's'l sails deployed below the Crojack yard.  Some argue, in fact, that no stun's'l sails were deployed on the mizzen.  More later...)  The Hull model, however, only shows booms fitted on the fore channels:
 

 
Of course, this could be one of several omissions made by the crew in their haste to complete the model.  But why bother with any lower booms at all if they were trying to save time with shortcuts?
 
  Marquardt in his AOTS agrees that there should only be one set of booms fitted, but he argues that they should only be on the main channels and not on the fore channels.  He reasons that the storage of the anchors on the fore channel precludes the possibility of having swinging lower stun's'l booms attached. Hmmm.
 
Olof Eriksen notes these same discrepancies in his CONSTITUTION - All sails up and flying.  He compared the Hull model to the Brady The Naval Apprentice's Kedge Anchor (1841) and the rigging journal kept by Midshipmen Anderson during the 1834-35 refit and found that all three agree with the stun's'l booms only fitted to the fore channels - none on the main.
 
Howard Chappelle in his History of the American Sailing Navy includes an interesting appendix with a copy of the builder notes for an 1826 sloop of war.  Included is a reference for "swinging stun'sail boom irons" to be fitted only on the fore channels.  More interesting is the inclusion of "channel cranes" for "supporting the spare spars and yards... one on the main and one on the mizzen..."   This approach would seem to agree with the Charles Ware drawing of the frigate United States:
 

 
The legend for this drawing labels L as Stunsail BOOMS and M as Spare Main Topsail YARDS.  This would seem to refute Marquardt's assertion regarding the anchor storage blocking the stun's'l boom on the fore channel.
 
Finally, we have this tidbit from Constitution's log following her engagement with Guerriere:
 

 



 
When all the dust settles I will only have lower stun's'l booms rigged to the fore channels on my model, but will also include spare topsail yards resting in "channel cranes" extended from the main and mizzen channels both port and starboard.
 

I've begun to mount the channels.... Here is a test of the fit of the spare topsail yard stored on the main and mizzen channels:
 




 
I rather like the effect.
 
I needed to break up the tedium of the pin rails, so I started in on some of the boats.  Here is the smallest boat (punt) outfitted with the keelson (.040 x .040 Evergreen) and ribs (.030 x .030).  I had some small half-round .040" Evergreen that I stretched around the outer gunwale for the rub rail:
 



 
The transom was built up with .040 x .100 Evergreen and shaped with a few strokes of the file.
 
Thanks again for keeping track of my build
Evan

Progress;
 

 

 

 
 
That's pretty much the standing rigging done.  Now for the running rigging and the odds and sods.
 
Still have no affinity for the rigging but at least some headway made.  Back to work tomorrow so I will have to finish this one on the weekends.
 
Steve --  I have about six pairs of those cheater glasses scattered though out my work area.  I can't work without them now and I find the cheap 2$ shop ones just as good as my expensive reading glasses.  Well not really the prescription one are perfect for reading
 
Evan-- I am honoured Sir, Glad you like her.
 
alde -- Give it a go!  Nothing like actually making a start.  Plenty for redoes on mine I can tell you.  And much I would do differently but I didn't know until I tried.
 
Thanks for all the comments.
 
Dan

Progress;
 

 

 

 
 
That's pretty much the standing rigging done.  Now for the running rigging and the odds and sods.
 
Still have no affinity for the rigging but at least some headway made.  Back to work tomorrow so I will have to finish this one on the weekends.
 
Steve --  I have about six pairs of those cheater glasses scattered though out my work area.  I can't work without them now and I find the cheap 2$ shop ones just as good as my expensive reading glasses.  Well not really the prescription one are perfect for reading
 
Evan-- I am honoured Sir, Glad you like her.
 
alde -- Give it a go!  Nothing like actually making a start.  Plenty for redoes on mine I can tell you.  And much I would do differently but I didn't know until I tried.
 
Thanks for all the comments.
 
Dan

Thank you all for the compliments! It felt good to dust off the old air brush and get out the sable brushes.

I suppose I could elaborate a bit on the wood effect... The forums are full of terrific examples with detailed explanations - most of which have eleventy six steps ending with "simple"!  I'll add my method to the pile...

Real wood has tonal depth... I need to replicate that using different layers of color. Firstly, I always prime everything. No matter what. I used a rattle can of Tamiya gray primer, but I'm not too particular about the brand I use.

The Vallejo Air paints are terrific. No need for a dope like me to carefully replicate multiple blends of colors to pass properly through my cheap airbrush. The other nice thing is that the good folks over at MicroMark commissioned Vallejo to produce "MicroLux" acrylic versions of the most popular Floquil railroad colors that were going to disappear shortly. Many of these colors lend themselves nicely to period sailing ships. Several of the most used colors are made available in the larger 2oz bottles.



For all of the wood elements I start with a foundation coat of Vallejo Air "Aged White" applied with an airbrush. This gives the piece the underlying bright tone. At this point it would be normal to switch over to an oil based paint to add the next layer of wood tone. In this case I was able to use Vallejo Air "Wood" applied with a brush. No need to switch over to smelly oils and thinners with much more onerous cleanup. Since it is pre-mixed airbrush paint, The Vallejo Air paint will go on nice and thin and I can layer it up to get a good medium tone while still allowing the underlying bright tone to show through. The next layer was Vallejo air "wood" mixed with a bit of MicroLux Air "Roof Brown". I just did one thin coat with a brush to give a final, deeper tone.

The last step is the critical part...

There have been many great ideas that have moved the human race forward through time. The wheel was a nice start... steam engines... the first airplane... landing on the moon. Penicillin was good too. But the guys in the white lab coats at Vallejo really made a contribution when they came up with this stuff:



Acrylic wash that can be applied over acrylic paint. No smell, no need to mix paint and thinner... water clean up. This stuff belongs in the pantheon of great human achievements. As a final step, I smear this sepia wash over everything and immediately wipe it off with a soft cloth or cotton swab. Pretty similar to using a stain with wood. This final step imparts a nice woody sheen across everything and helps the colors blend. I should note that with Acrylics, I always allow the paint to dry overnight before adding the next layer. I did, however, wait only 20 minutes or so to add more paint within the same medium color layer whenever I was trying to deepen the tone.


See - "Simple"!

The deck was done similarly, but with only two layers. I varied the colors on the second layer between Vallejo Air Wood mixed with Aged White, sepia wash, and dark wash. I did add a bit of Vallejo Air "Earth" to the Aged White on the first layer just to give the entire deck a slightly deeper tone. A dark gray .03mm pen was used for the lines between the planks.

Thanks again to everyone for following along.

Evan

Paint!
 
Folks -
 
Apologies for the long gap between updates - I just got caught up in the flow and haven't paused to add to my log.
 
It may be hard to believe, but I've actually begun to smear some paint over some of the plastic...
 
I've got the gun deck and associated furniture mostly done with a few minor touch ups needed here and there:



Spare Anchor:

Camboose:

Capstan:


Chain Pumps:

 
I was a Floquil paint guy in the past, alas, we know how that has gone.  I'm now trying Vallejo paint and I'm becoming a big fan.
 
Thanks for looking in
Evan

Thanks for all the comments and likes, everyone!

Anyway, I did some work on the carpenter's chest. I modelled it in the open position. I took inspiration from Cap'n Rat Fink's chest here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/849-hms-bounty-launch-by-teleman-116-bashed-completed/?p=12090 (copied the hollow lid idea), as well as Meredith's hinges here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2160-hms-bounty-launch-by-meredith-modelshipways/?p=143922
 
At the time I was wondering whether I could make metalwork as fine as hers, but as it turns out ... I can't. Try as I might, I am not able to make two "F" shapes in the supplied brass strip, so I made an "I" and a "C" instead. Still, I think the result looks OK. 
 
Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure or amusement. Probably the latter
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture update, I got inspired my staring the Master and Commander books by Oneil. In there is a small modification so the lines don't foul on the tiller to control the mainsail.

First, thanks for taking a peek at my first build log. I have decided to put my MS Kate Cory on hold. I originally bought the Kate Cory kit in December of 1992. Since this kit is over 20 years old it doesn't really compare to the modern laser cut kits with great instruction manuals. It also helps that there are so many builders of the modern kits to get help from.
 
I have just gotten started on it but I can see it will be a real pleasure to build. The parts are amazing compared to the crude wooden blocks and pieces for the old kit. I chose the Bounty Launch as a first planked project because of all the wonderful build here on MSW. Please feel free to nudge me in the right direction if I get off track.
 
Only one picture so far. I only removed a few parts from the sheets and started to clean up the char marks on the edges. It is not heavily burned like some pictures I have seen.
 
Looking forward to a fun build, Al D.
 

As I still have to finish off the ship-boats for my Constitution, I will leave you with the mandatory box pictures:
 
 

Progress;
 

 

 

 
 
That's pretty much the standing rigging done.  Now for the running rigging and the odds and sods.
 
Still have no affinity for the rigging but at least some headway made.  Back to work tomorrow so I will have to finish this one on the weekends.
 
Steve --  I have about six pairs of those cheater glasses scattered though out my work area.  I can't work without them now and I find the cheap 2$ shop ones just as good as my expensive reading glasses.  Well not really the prescription one are perfect for reading
 
Evan-- I am honoured Sir, Glad you like her.
 
alde -- Give it a go!  Nothing like actually making a start.  Plenty for redoes on mine I can tell you.  And much I would do differently but I didn't know until I tried.
 
Thanks for all the comments.
 
Dan

Good progress with the small bits. Rudder complete, some other metal work complete, and about to raise the mast.

I'm back from my trip, so I have continued some work with this boat. Over the weekend, I completed the standing rigging.
 
I have seized shrouds many times in the past, but I have never been satisfied with the results. This is the theory:
 

 
So how do you do that in miniature scale on a ship model? The answer is to use crocodile clips, like this:
 

 

 
If you can't see what's happening, I have created a series of diagrams that show how the seizing is accomplished. The text and pictures are self-explanatory.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This is the result:
 

 
I also added an eye bolt for the mainmast stay. Mackay's plans indicate that this was present, but did not indicate where it was attached - so I took a guess.
 

 
The boat as of tonight:
 

 

 
Next I should tackle the spars and sails, but I am thinking of buying a cheap sewing machine to help me make the sails. The sails are therefore on hold until I do a bit of research and learn how to sew on spare cloth. Neither can I attempt making the oars, because I want to reserve that for when my new lathe arrives. I suppose i'll just make the toolbox and a few other little accessories while I wait.
 
It also appears that I have run out of rigging thread. Let's hope that my local hobby shop stocks the same thread used by Model Shipways.

Been busy, I swear there's a boat taking shape under the clamps.
I've figured out the process with the hull lined out for the taper on the bulwarks. I shape the taper on the plank, then soak it to get it pliable, then clamp in in place, let it dry and then glue it and clamp that in place. I figure this process will take me a month to complete with only about an hour per night to model.
Getting the planks to fit tightly given this a single planked boat is a challenge, I will say. Thoroughly enjoying my new hobby resurrecting a childhood pastime my father shared with me via model railroading.

Progress;
 

 

 

 
 
That's pretty much the standing rigging done.  Now for the running rigging and the odds and sods.
 
Still have no affinity for the rigging but at least some headway made.  Back to work tomorrow so I will have to finish this one on the weekends.
 
Steve --  I have about six pairs of those cheater glasses scattered though out my work area.  I can't work without them now and I find the cheap 2$ shop ones just as good as my expensive reading glasses.  Well not really the prescription one are perfect for reading
 
Evan-- I am honoured Sir, Glad you like her.
 
alde -- Give it a go!  Nothing like actually making a start.  Plenty for redoes on mine I can tell you.  And much I would do differently but I didn't know until I tried.
 
Thanks for all the comments.
 
Dan

Now that I no longer have to contend with the false keel, and I have a couple of planks glued to the transom, I've decided to change my approach as far as shaping the planks is concerned. You may recall that before gluing a completed plank in place, I used it as a template for the next plank.  This procedure, at least, got me in the ballpark. For the rest of the model, I'm going to use the "Magic Tape" method, which works pretty well, especially in a situation where you're trying to run one continuous strake from bow to stern.

I understand that some modelers duplicate the edge of the mounted plank by rubbing an impression in the tape, but I've found that a sharp pencil also works.  You don't have to press as hard, and since I'm working with basswood, that may be especially important.


The template you get from the rubbing may not be perfect, in fact mine rarely are, but they get you pretty close.

If I were spiling a plank for a larger model, I'd be using the concave part of the cutout.  However, since I'm edge-bending the planks, I'm going to use the convex portion as a guide.  The next two photos aren't pretty, but I think you get the idea.  The white pieces of paper under the clamps minimize the chance that the clamps will leave impressions in the soft basswood.  I'm using a sheet of glass as a base for this procedure because it's perfectly flat, impervious to water, and is quite thin, which allows me to use smaller clamps.


As suggested in the instructions, you can dry the plank with a hairdryer, or just leave it for a few hours, while you work on something else.

If the plank isn't quite right, I just dampen the area in question, and repeat the procedure.

I forgot to mention that a new tick strip has to be created for most of the bulkheads, especially as you approach the bow and stern.  The bulkhead just ahead of where the garboard strake ends will have one less tick mark (12), and the bulkhead forward of that will have 11 tick marks.  At least, that's the way I'm planning it.
 
I have to admit that I looked long and hard at the various longboats being worked on by this group as well as my Tri-Club group, before I laid my first plank.  The concept of edge-bending a plank was new to me.
 
I found that the most dificult aspect of forming the garboard strakes was deciding how much taper to give them at the bow.  I used a plank bending iron to configure the twist at the stern.  Prior to attaching them to the hull, I used them as templates to form the forward end of the first broadstrakes.

 
The instructions are quite explicit about starting the garboard strake just forward of the scarph joint, which is what I did.

 
I was surprised by the amount of curvature that was necessary to bring the next plank around the garboard strake, but it worked out OK.  The planks also required quite a bit of bevel at the bow, almost a sharp edge, in order to fit them properly into the rabbet.  I'm wondering if I didn't bevel the false keel enough.  Hopefully, it won't be visible on the finished model.

Thanks for all the great comments gentlemen.  I find all your information and encouragement inspiring.  I though a lot about Alistair's suggestion of mounting on brass rods and the did some snooping as Jay had advised.  This is what I ended up with.
 
Progress;
 

 

 

 
Still very rough and I have to finish the base but nice and simple which is what I was going for.  I could have made better use of proportions and centered better.( I think it looks a little odd that the base is centred on the hull and not the overall length of the boat.)  But for a first try acceptable.  On reflection I have given up on the kit sails for two reasons.  One they don't look all that good up close and two it will simplify the build and thus help to make sure I finish.  I would like to make my own but I know that will end up in disaster and much frustration.  Better to keep having fun!
 
Started work on the masts and rigging.  I used flatted solder for the bands rather than the very thin brass strip provided.  Ideally I'd like something about halfway between the two.  Used some chemical blackening on the brass bits I did use and that worked much better than I had hoped.  So far so good.  The tapering went better than i had hoped but still need to tackle the main mast and the yards.  I need to get some turned belaying pins the next time I'm at the shops and some other little bits but I think I can get most done with what I have now.
 
As Michael points out I have been looking about for a next kit and Jay pointed out the neato MS Jongboat....  Hmmm very tempted what do you guys think of that kit?
 
As always thanks for dropping in to have a look at my efforts and a million thanks for the support and guidance.
 
Dan

Small update for those following.
 
The hull is now almost complete. I mounted the thwarts and chose the angle of the masts today. This is how I did it:
 

 
The most horizontal part of the ship is the middle floor plank, so I put a spirit level there and adjusted the height of the stand until it was level.
 

 
I was then able to align the masts, using the door frame (not in the picture) as my vertical reference.
 

 
I mounted the rudder with the pintles and gudgeons. I know of the problems others have been having with it (Meredith burnt a cake because she found it exceptionally fiddly), but I had no problems. It might be because my kit includes different pintles and gudgeons ... other build logs mention having to fabricate it out of brass strip. Not so here, mine came pre-bent and pre-drilled. However, the pre-drilled holes were a little off so I ended up fabricating my own anyway.
 
For trouble-free mounting, try what I did - mount the gudgeons to the rudder and the keel. Make sure they are aligned properly. Then mount the pintles onto the gudgeons, then slide the rudder into place. Once in place, pin the pintles securely.
 

 
These are the shrouds I made using my really poor soldering skills. At least I didn't blacken the deadeyes by burning them!
 

 
This is how I align the deadeyes prior to rigging. Pin the deadeye to the hull, then thread some rope through the deadeye. Pull the rope tight against the point where the shroud attaches to the mast, then CA the deadeye in place.
 

 

 
Ready to begin standing rigging tomorrow.

Thanks for all the great comments gentlemen.  I find all your information and encouragement inspiring.  I though a lot about Alistair's suggestion of mounting on brass rods and the did some snooping as Jay had advised.  This is what I ended up with.
 
Progress;
 

 

 

 
Still very rough and I have to finish the base but nice and simple which is what I was going for.  I could have made better use of proportions and centered better.( I think it looks a little odd that the base is centred on the hull and not the overall length of the boat.)  But for a first try acceptable.  On reflection I have given up on the kit sails for two reasons.  One they don't look all that good up close and two it will simplify the build and thus help to make sure I finish.  I would like to make my own but I know that will end up in disaster and much frustration.  Better to keep having fun!
 
Started work on the masts and rigging.  I used flatted solder for the bands rather than the very thin brass strip provided.  Ideally I'd like something about halfway between the two.  Used some chemical blackening on the brass bits I did use and that worked much better than I had hoped.  So far so good.  The tapering went better than i had hoped but still need to tackle the main mast and the yards.  I need to get some turned belaying pins the next time I'm at the shops and some other little bits but I think I can get most done with what I have now.
 
As Michael points out I have been looking about for a next kit and Jay pointed out the neato MS Jongboat....  Hmmm very tempted what do you guys think of that kit?
 
As always thanks for dropping in to have a look at my efforts and a million thanks for the support and guidance.
 
Dan

Finished early today. Rushed home, ripped my tie off, and within seconds was changed from an urban work drone and into my dingy modelling clothes
 
Today, I fabricated new thwarts for positions #1 and #4, and completed much work done yesterday.
 

 
This is the fore thwart (position #1). The reason why I need a new one is because I did not read the instructions properly! It says to position the foremast stay in relation to the fore thwart to achieve the correct rake. Well, I positioned my foremast stay according to the plans. When I came to test fit the fore thwart, the mast raked forwards!
 
As you can see, my new fore thwart is much wider than the one provided in the kit. It doesn't need to be that wide - in reality I probably need a couple of mm less. I will trim it when I come to fit the fore thwart so that it sits snug against the grating.
 
You should probably note that the thwart provided in the kit is too large for the mainmast - see the gaps around the dowel in the picture? The diameter of the fore thwart fits the mainmast perfectly though.
 

 
On the other hand, the thwart for the mainmast fits perfectly. This is pictured with my new #4 thwart.
 
And finally, here are some pictures of the boat as of right now. I painted on a blue stripe to match my Bounty. The planks look slightly shiny because they have just been given a coating of Tung Oil. I have to wait for the oil to cure before proceeding, so that's all for tonight.
 
Hmm, maybe I have time to start tapering the dowels for the masts ...
 

 

 

 

 

 
The instructions remind you that this is a working boat, and should not be finished "like a yacht". Well, it's MY boat, so i'll finish it like a yacht if I want to