gjdale

Thanks very much Bug, Popeye, Lawrence, Rusty and all the "Likes". A minor update this week.... Deck Planking Planking the deck has presented no particular problem thus far. The instructions direct you to alternate a caulking strip with a plank, but I found it easier to laminate one of each together and then shape and fit as a single unit. The only tricky part of shaping was the last plank on either side around the side of the cockpit, which just took a little time and patience to ensure a good fit. The ends of the planks were trimmed close to the forward end of the cockpit and then taken closer still with a sanding drum in the rotary tool, before finishing by hand. Once all the planking is complete, the surface will be sanded level such that all caulking strips will be level with the planks (at the moment they stand just a little proud). Not bad for a day’s work! There will be a brief hiatus for a couple of weeks as I’ll be travelling with work.

Neat idea for the oars support Jack. Looking forward to seeing the final photos.

Looking great Aydin. Can't wait to see her with her finish coat on!

Good decision John - you won't regret that additional effort and time.

Nice work Bug. Tedious, but the end result is worth the effort!

I like the faux leather Aydin - can't wait to see it on the seats.

Planking Planking the hull turned out to be a little trickier than anticipated, and included a “near disaster”. Planking the first side, I followed as closely as I could the lining out marks, having first tapered the planks to fit against these. The problem was in the lateral bending of the planks. Ideally, they should have been spiled. However, the planks provided are not sufficiently wide enough to spile (and I didn’t have any sheet stock that I could substitute). The kit planks are also wide enough that edge bending is very difficult, if not impossible. The result was a less than even surface. On the second side, I decided to adjust the lining out marks to allow the first (chine) plank to fall naturally – which took it exactly one strake higher on the lining out marks at the bow. This meant that I had to insert a wedge shaped piece below this plank, but the remaining planks on that side went on somewhat more easily than the first side. The result also meant that I managed to maintain alignment of planks on either side at the bow. The near disaster came when I went to give the hull an initial sanding to even out the surface. Following the lead of others who have gone before me, I broke out the powered mouse sander and set to. I must have been a little too aggressive in one place because I suddenly noticed that I had sanded through the entire thickness of the planking and could see the white plastic showing through. Oops….. I also discovered that on the other side, one plank had developed a hole – not sure how, but the timber is very dry and brittle. Hmmmm, two repairs to make! My first thought on repairing these was to use epoxy putty, but one of them was quite a large area and was going to look dreadful. After sleeping on it for a couple of nights, I decided that I would remove a section of the planking and patch it with new planks. Another few days to consider exactly how to achieve this, and I finally gave it a crack yesterday. I used a mini circular saw blade held in the Proxxon rotary tool and gently made some “stop” cuts at the extremities of the section I wanted to remove. I was then able to insert the blade of a No.11 Exacto knife and prise the damaged planking free. A quick clean up with the drum sander in the Proxxon to remove the residual glue and it was ready for the new timber. I took my time in shaping in the “patch” parts, and even managed to spile some thinner sections to get a very close fit. I also used some epoxy putty (Milliput) to blend the area at the bow where the timber transitions to the plastic sheeting of the hull bottom. After a careful HAND sanding, I was quite pleased with the results. Here are a couple of views of the completed repair job (forgot to take pictures of the “before”). And here is a close up of the bow, showing the alignment of the planking. The stem is not perfect, but as it will be covererd later by the cutwater, I’m happy with it as is. Then, at last, it was time to start on the deck planking. The process starts with the attachment of the edge or margin boards. These are die cut parts, slightly oversized, and are relatively easy to fit. Once in place, the outer edges are sanded back flush with the sides, and a strip of white “caulking” (.04” x .08” styrene) is applied to the inboard edge. The next step is to place the centre plank on the forward deck. This requires that a length of caulking be sandwiched between two planks (3/8” wide mahogany), then shaped to fit the bow and fixed in place down the centreline. Compared to the hull side planking, this was dead easy! The remainder of the deck planking will follow a similar pattern, with a plank being glued to a strip of “caulking” before being shaped and affixed as a pair. I’ll be back when the deck planking is complete.

Glad you found that info Gary. It seems a long time ago now, but I do recall B.E. providing some extra info.

That's a great looking sail there Mobbsie. I think the seamstress deserves a double grog ration!

Granado is looking splendid Bob. Sorry to hear about Cheerful, though I have no doubt you will manage her repairs so that no one will ever know. Now, about that case...........

Looks good from this distance Slog!

I've encountered a similar issue JP. My solution was similar to Jay's - insert something of slightly smaller diameter in the other end of the collet (eg a drill bit, or piece of brass/steel rod), and then GENTLY tap the end. It doesn't take a lot of force to free the bind. Sometimes just tapping the inverted "assembly" on the workbench top is sufficient.

I'm finding this a really interesting read Slog. Thanks for taking the time to share so much detail and your techniques learned through experience. Your "traps for new players" comments are particularly useful. One day I will have a crack at one of these..........one day........... So many models, so little time!

That's a bummer Kevin. Welcome to the club, which has a very large membership!!! Many of us have shared your pain. I hope you manage to work out a fix to your satisfaction.

Thanks for looking in Lawrence, To answer your question, a brass rod links the horn of the servo to the rudder arm on the rudder post. It's a very simple affair. I'll try to remember to take some pictures of it next time I connect it all up.

Once again, many thanks for all the kind words and to those who hit the 'like' button. Progress has been slow lately due to other commitments, so only a mini-update this week. Installing the sub-decking was straight forward: Took the opportunity to fill some of the dings in the hull using a two-part Epoxy putty (Milliput Terracotta) and she is finally ready for planking. The instructions would have you just lay complete planks the length of the hull, from the chine up to the sheer. I tried that on one side and wasn’t happy, so ripped it all off again. Then I lined-off the hull using tick-strips in an attempt to do better by tapering planks fore and aft and having the same number of strakes throughout. Here is the lined-off hull: So far, the tapering seems to be working quite well. I've been using a miniature plane to taper the planks and have to say, it beats the pants off sanding! Much easier and far less mess. The supplied planks are not wide enough to spile, so I will likely use some shorter plank lengths in addition to tapering, to cope with the bow curvature. I got as far as laying three strakes the second time around before I ran out of CA kicker – a real must for this process. So, it’s back on hold until I can pick up some more supplies. More pics once substantial progress has been made with the planking.

Count me in for two Chuck! (One for me and one for my Dad).

Congratulations Bug - well deserved!

Yes, very nice work indeed, Mike.

Welcome back Gerhard. Nice to see your Baby taking shape.

Wonderful work, as always, Nils.

Don't forget Mark, that Sherline offer the "sensitive drilling attachment" accessory. A very useful offering.

Ah! Proof of life! Nice to see an update Wayne. Planking seems to be going very well.

That's kinda what I had in mind Mark. I think Ed's were more like a miniature version of a "Gunter Batten" if I remember my damage control training correctly. Oh, and let me add a vote for the Sherline mill. You won't regret it!

Looking great Slog. I'm really enjoying following your work on this.