Keith Simmons

Thanks Keith
 
Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy Majellan's voyage.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Hi Patrick, Looking forward to seeing this one. I tried a yacht last year, it ended up being 3 feet long and almostas heavy as a real one ...lol

Hi Patrick, Looking forward to seeing this one. I tried a yacht last year, it ended up being 3 feet long and almostas heavy as a real one ...lol

Hi Patrick, Looking forward to seeing this one. I tried a yacht last year, it ended up being 3 feet long and almostas heavy as a real one ...lol

Moved into finishing stage on my hull and masts, after several coats of lacquer I will begin final assembly. The only things left to make are the cannons, trim on sterncastle and the black sails. Then I will have a rigging session with both Blockade Runner and this one...
 
  Thanks for your interest in this ship, I believe I have chosen a style for my next ship and  going to attempt a real plank on frame build. I am in the process of designing the hull now. After seeing the great work being done out there, there was no where else for me to go..lol
 
 

Hi Patrick, Looking forward to seeing this one. I tried a yacht last year, it ended up being 3 feet long and almostas heavy as a real one ...lol

Hi Patrick, Looking forward to seeing this one. I tried a yacht last year, it ended up being 3 feet long and almostas heavy as a real one ...lol

Hi Keith
 
I'm with Mark, because, as my late Father always said, "we never stop learning until the day we die". In your case, even the most knowledgeable and skilled builder can never know everything. That's what makes MSW so great...namely the fact that we all learn from everyone.
 
Besides, it looks like you're having way too much fun with your models. You need to share that fun with us!
 
Cheers and bring on the build logs!
 
Patrick

Attached photos

I probably shouldn't have kept a build log on this boat till I knew what it would look like. Anyway, I jigged it up in my drill press and hogged out the stern section and cleaned it up with a chisel, Then I ran it through the table saw cutting the keel base down to accept the final keel extension. The planking is quartersawn African Mahogany and the cabin is cherry. The whole boat is finished in 3 coats of Lacquer.  I believe I will refrain from build logs till and when I have something significant to share. 
 
 Thanks for the views and comments,
     Keith

While waiting for the Weelig Straal masts to dry I decided I should start a 12"L x 3"W sailboat I need for another model I'm working on. This time I will try a solid hull since the size has to be specific and hopefully I can control it better. Just grabbed some scrap ply and wood to glue up and start making a dust cloud...

Moved into finishing stage on my hull and masts, after several coats of lacquer I will begin final assembly. The only things left to make are the cannons, trim on sterncastle and the black sails. Then I will have a rigging session with both Blockade Runner and this one...
 
  Thanks for your interest in this ship, I believe I have chosen a style for my next ship and  going to attempt a real plank on frame build. I am in the process of designing the hull now. After seeing the great work being done out there, there was no where else for me to go..lol
 
 

Hi Ben
 
I've had a go at what you've suggested.  Can you please let me know if you think I'm closer to the mark?
 
Many thanks 
 
Patrick

Hi Ben
 
Love it! That's a great help and I'll be shooting to do something similar now.
 
Pressure's on, big time...
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Hi everyone
As I don't have any actual hull plans for Majellan's hull I'm building, I'm relying mainly on photos of other similar sized modern luxury yachts on the Internet.  Many of these modern motor yachts have very unusual underbodies. In fact, they're far from the graceful and streamlined beauties that you'd expect.  Instead, they're quite angular and, dare I say it, ugly underneath (well, to my mind, anyway)!

As a means of overcoming the lack of detailed plans, I decided to do a clay mock-up of what I think the hull could look like, using the examples of Internet photos I've seen.  Once I'm happy with what I've come up with, I'll then use the mock-up as a guide to carve the wooden hull.

The clay mock-up can be seen in the photos below.  There's still a long way to go before I'm happy with its shape, but it's a start.

Cheers

Patrick 

 
 
 
 

I like the see them as they're built logs.  We learn not only from success but from the re-dos.    
 
She's looking really sweet.

Moved into finishing stage on my hull and masts, after several coats of lacquer I will begin final assembly. The only things left to make are the cannons, trim on sterncastle and the black sails. Then I will have a rigging session with both Blockade Runner and this one...
 
  Thanks for your interest in this ship, I believe I have chosen a style for my next ship and  going to attempt a real plank on frame build. I am in the process of designing the hull now. After seeing the great work being done out there, there was no where else for me to go..lol
 
 

Attached photos

I probably shouldn't have kept a build log on this boat till I knew what it would look like. Anyway, I jigged it up in my drill press and hogged out the stern section and cleaned it up with a chisel, Then I ran it through the table saw cutting the keel base down to accept the final keel extension. The planking is quartersawn African Mahogany and the cabin is cherry. The whole boat is finished in 3 coats of Lacquer.  I believe I will refrain from build logs till and when I have something significant to share. 
 
 Thanks for the views and comments,
     Keith

The MSD has an article that covers the more common woods and their uses.
 
 
Walnut :
Common Name(s): American Black Walnut.
 
Botanical Name :
Juglans nigra
 
Colour :
Fairly even dark brown.
 
Description :
A very nice wood for working with hand or power tools, although its coarse, open grain make its modelling applications limited. Bends easily when steamed or heated. Sands to an excellent finish. Cuts and carves exceptionally well, but usually can't obtain fine detail. Very stable and will not shrink or expand once in use. For its weight, Walnut is exceptionally strong.

Use:
Frames, keels, decorative planking and mouldings. Well suited for hull timbering and framing.

Appreciate your comment Popeye, thinking about my next weird ship..lol

Appreciate your comment Popeye, thinking about my next weird ship..lol

Hi Keith, Thanks for the detailed look at how you cut out your frames, makes me less apprehensive about designing and cutting my next ship...

Hi,
This is my method for building a model with solid hull.
The first step is cutting slices of the hull in accordance with
 the contour of the waterlines, Material in this model is HDF board with thickness appropriate to distance between the waterlines.
Next this waterlines was sanded preliminary and glued into the hull bloc
for final shaping.







 
Happy modeling in New Year.
 
Tadeusz

Hi there,
 
I've recently got back into model making.  I've never made a wooden model ship (or any other type for that matter!) My forté was 54mm - 75mm scale figures and dioramas.  However, a 20 year career in the RN left me with a liking for the sea and I'm now part way through an Amati HMAV Bounty (there's "dust" everywhere in my work area at the moment as I'm filling and fairing!) 
When I was modelling before, I had a little compartmentalised "tunrntable" that came from a graphics shop that I once worked in.  I used it for standing a lot of my tools and things in.
The better part of thirty years, umpteen house moves and a couple of kids (now adults) have left my turntable heaven knows where! 
 
So now that I've "returned from the cold', I need some way of storing my modelling tools whilst having them easily to hand.  This will not only keep my workspace clear, but also keep my tools in better condition and keep me from injuring my self on needlepoint sharp kit!
 
I searched everywhere in stationery stores and suppliers, graphic art shops...  Allsorts. Nothing.  So I turned my attention to E-Bay.  Eventually, I found something...  in "Health & Beauty"/"Make Up"/ "Make up tools & accessories"
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201479390299?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=500659444906&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
I'm not sure that the full link will show so it was described on E-Bay UK as
"360-degree Spinning Cosmetic Organizer Display Makeup Box Case Cleanup Rotating"
 
It arrived in just a few days and I set to, "adapting it" to my needs.  It's not finished but I have managed to clear a BIG space on my work table!
 
I thought it might work for someone else, so I've posted it here...
 
I hope it helps someone else.