hopeful

Hi Mario, Your skiff is a very fine build. Scratch no less, wow! BTW, when I was building my Sharpie Schooner I spent a lot of time in Chapelle's books. You are so right in those books is every kind of rudder-tiller combination imaginable is shown. Your idea to make and dispay an array of rudders is a good one. Thanks for posting your build, wonderbar! BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi Mario, Another super build going on. See you are nearing the end. Most confess I have never seen a rudder exend so below the skeg. One would think it would get knocked off easily. Is the ruder position unique to the Maryland crabbing skiff? BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi Gerald, Thanks for the response. You did very well to joggle the deck planks into the margin plank...1/16 all around is remarkable. You sailors in Nebraska have keen eyes and steady hands. Man, are the bulwarks thin or what. Lets forget about the 1/16ths and go with some 3/32nds for relief. BTW, dark deck looks good as the phantom ain't no yatch! Little low lustre poly on that and you are good to go. Look forward to your next post. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi Steve, Another Phantom builder enjoying your work. I really like the way you laid your deck and margin plank. It is super to have another finished Phantom build on the Forum. I intend to take a look at you build often as I construct my phantom. Thanks for reposting your log. Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Post 2 of my Phantom Build Task was to finish fairing the hull bow to stern. Strips are false keel, stem, and stern post pieces to guide fairing along those parts. Stripes will be removed for application of final parts. Gap in stem strip because strip was not pushed in far enough. Stem is properly shaped. Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9 Task is to locate and mark centerline on the deck. Centerline was located in the bow, keel, and transome previously. Since the Centerlines were located on the stem and transom, I simply placed a small pencil mark at the edge of the bulkwarks and stem. I then pused in a pin at those location at located a thin board against the pies and made a line and pin against the board amidships. At that point I placed a smaller board again the center pin and at the stern and derw the full line. I repeated the process only from the center pin to the bow and drew the second line. Results in the next photo. Photo 10 Next step in the build is to add the 1/8" square stem, keel, and stern post. Thanks for looking in on the build. All comments, constructive criticism, advice as to how to improve my work is welcomed! There are other Phantom builds going on in the Forum. Check them out by searching "Phantom" in the kit section of the build logs. To get to this point in the build took about 7 hours. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hey Gerald, Am really enjoying your build. Like the way you are laying the deck. Since the Phantom is a 1:96 scale are the planks 1/16". It would sure take a great hand and eye to joggle 1:16 planks into the king plank. I am learning a lot from your build which is good as I just started a Phantom build too, LOL. Should I plank the deck, ummmmm? BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Glad you resstarted your build and buildlog. Realy enjoyed watching you build your Bounty before the crash. Nice to have you back, Your level ofcraftsmenship is a marvel. I like the fact you take the time to reveal your tip and jigs no matter how simple they maybe. Will follow your build from here. Wish you well! BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi Ken, Take a look at AVS Plan Sheet 2 - Hull construction. At the bottom of the plan sheet is the the "Framing Profile" drawing. Follow the keel forward and as the keel bends to begin forming the stem you will see the word "Baseline" underlined with a dotted line. The base line is the base of the hull. On the drawing the keel is attached to the baseline of your AVS. Using the base line to establish the the angle of the bowsprit is easy and very accurate. The reason I use the base line is because the bowsprit cap connecting the bowsprit to the jibboom is at a right angle to the base line on the Sultana I am building. I note on the AVS bowsprit drawing the bowsprit cap is at a right angle to the bowsprit. In either case, one cannot go wrong establishing the angle of the bowsprit using the baseline. My two cents. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

HI Ken, Great display of craftsmenship as you build your AVS. You may want to consider using the baseline to determine the angle of the bowsprit. Looking forward to following your build. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi Alex, Just caught up with your build log and was able to read through it this morning. What better way to start the day, cofee and reading your log rather than a newspaper. I saw a ship like the one you are building in either the Maritime Museum in Kotor or Dubrovnik, I don't remember which. Will try to dig up the photo and post it to you. Your workmanship is excellent and your build is a real learning experience for me as a newbie! BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

HI Craig, It was fun reading though your build log as you constructed your Phantom. Congrats on the finished build. Thought you did a great job with the build and your completed vessel shows a lot of effort and forethougt. Just started my Phantom and will refer to your build log as I move along. Take care. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted Gallery Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hey Hakan, Thanks for reposting your "Regina" build log. Lots to learn from your builds. Think the "Shalom" would be a terrific next build. Can't wait to see'er started. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hey Bob, Thanks for stopping by. I'm looking forward to a diversion from my Sultana. Don't want to work on her full time for now. The Phantom is a vessel that I can build, me thinks, in a relatively short period of time, and I like the vessel. Only problem is she is small - 1:96 scale. Looking forward to building her. She went down with all hands in 1888 during a blizzard, sad. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Bob, Nice to see you moving along. Now the real fun begins, rigging. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Current: Phantom (MSW) Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi Mates, Have a good friend that has helped me over the years. Decided to give him a gift of the Phantom Pilot Boat. I bought the kit about three years so had to dust'er off and get going. I like the look of the vessel. There were a good number of Phantom's on the the old forum. Would love to see a few repost their builds. I will be building the vessel using Chuck's practicum. His buiding guide gets the most out of the vessel. I am also currently building the Sultana. Decided to work a day on the Sultana followed by a day on the Phantom. Post 1 of my Phantom Build...scale 1:96, not 1:48! Photo 1 Here is the box art showing the vessel with'er coppered bottom and all. Photo 2 Good background of the vessel. The purpose of pilot boats was to guide ships in and out of harbor for which they were paid. Look-outs would watch for incoming ships and several would race out to meeet the ship and guide'er into port. First pilot to meet the incoming vessel got the job.....nothing like competition. Photo 3 Bits and pieces. Kit comes with 3 plan sheets. Instructions could be better. Using Chuck's detailed step by step practicum anyone can build this vessel and have fun doing so. Photo 4 The build is underway. Sanded a flat for the stem, keel, and stern post. The vessel, per the "Arrangement & Lines" drawing is 9 7/16" measured from the outboard edge of the transom forward to the outside edge of the stem. The bow sprit...adds an additional 1 7/8 inches to the over all length of the finished vessel. The templates on the left are used to determine the correct length of the vessel which is consistent with the deck drawing. The templated on the left insure the hull is faired per the drawings. Note the nine station lines on the hull. They correspond to the nine hull templates. In a POF model the hull is faired to the conture of the bulkheads covered by strakes. Here you also see my Nanook (polar bear), she is a thousand pound female that wanders in and out of the boatyard. Her name is Nanoo, always sniffiing around. In the wild she would eat me in a New York minute. Photo 5 I added a false keel made of 1/8" basswood, the same dimension as the finished keel. I also applied a similar strip of wood to the stern where the stern post will be applied, and to the stem at the bow. The strips of wood pinned to the hull will help be fair the hull quickly in the keel area while not allowing the keel to get thinner than the finished keel, 1/8". Also added the nine station lines. Photo 6 Here is a bow shot with Nanoo earning her keep. The bow has been faired on the starboard side, the shadow area on the port side will be faired next. This is why I use the false keel. I can see quickly what needs to be faired and how much without damaging the flat stem area. The false keel is pinned ot the hull, not glued. Will add the stern shot next. At that time the entire hull will have been faired. Thanks for looking in on the build. Comments and question always appreciated. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Current: Phantom (MSW)Phantom by Hopeful - Model Shipways - Scale 1:48 Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Jaun and Carl, Would you please post a few photos illustrating your method? Thanks! BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Yes, Russ. You are correct....bowsprit and jib boom. Made correction to my post 25. Thanks for looking in and noticing my error. BFN, David

HI Bob, Am enjoying your build log. It is always interesting to see and learn from the building techniques of others. I liked the way you used the thick glass to keep everything flat during the assembly and gluing of the stem and keel. Would a sheet of aluminum in place of glass work as well? Looking forward to more of your build. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi, Thanks for checking the post. Remember a year or so ago when I mentioned I had some box that was round that I was going mill as soon as I figured out how to do it with out cutting my fingers or arm off? You sent me a note advising to use a sled. Its been a long time coming, John. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Posting another photo of the fist slab milled from the piece of round limb. I will not waste this wood but cut it into stripes of several sizes on my Brynes table saw. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Hi This post is about how I mill small dry pieces of wood in the round. I am milling a piece of boxwood in this example. Boxwood comes from small trees and is not generally available in large amounts. I bought a 5' limb 3-4"s in diameter. The wood was sold by the pound, ouch!Box, as it is often called, is very dense including the end grain. The wood generally does not split or chip. I am going to use the wood for blocks. Adding photos and will be back to add the words later via edits. Photo 1 The first step is to mill a piece of wood 2' square by 14 incles long which will be used as a sled. My Nanook is a thousand pound gal named nanooo. She's always hanging around the boatyard checking things out. Must be an orphan. She has a cub some where around the yard as well. Photo 2 The limb is 10" long and on;ly serveral inches in diameter.....hard as a brick! Photo 3 Imagine the limb in this photo is round. First thing I did was to plane a flat surface the the length of the piece of wood until the flat was about 1/2' wide. I then used CA slow drying glue to mate the flat to the sled. Photo 4 Here you can see the wood mated to the sled. I have milled some slabs from the piece. Please note, for safety, the sled is made longer than the wood being milled. This allows the limb to pass through the blade while my fingers are well away from danger. Photo 5 Photo shows a milled slab. Next step is to run the slab through my Brynes thickness sander on both sides, and then finish sand it to the correct thickness, e.g., 3.mm. After reaching the desired thinkness I will cut the material into planks, etc., on my Brynes table saw. One must be very careful when using the process shown above. Always use a push stick and a feather board!!! For safety sake I have found it best to mill the entire piece of wood at once rather than to return and mill more of the same limb later. Wood moves and will loosen the bond of glue to the sled over time, beware! In place of super glue, one can put a few screws or, as Kip (sawdust) advises some dowel rods into the blank. Either approach would be more safe than ca glue. Feel free to post your comments and ideas here. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Post 27 of my Sultana Build Log Patrick & Randy: Thanks for stopping by the build. One of the great things about the forum is the learning experience made possible through all the build logs. Next......Wanted a change of pace so went ahead and made the bowsprit and jib boom, great fun. Material used was soft maple. Photo 119 BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Note to the forum.... Bob...Thanks for checking in. I am a few days from restarting the build. Need to finish up the repost log and update my photo editor. Then I am good to go. Thanks for the encourgement. Pete...Nice to hear from you. My build is coming along. Ready for the restart. Mindset is good. Thanks for your kind comments. I had the benefit of readiing all the Sultana logs including yours and mostly applied all that I learned from them. Miss those logs!!! I am following your Triton Cross Section Build. Seems you are having too much fun to ever repost your Sultana Log. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Post 26 of my Sultana Build Log Adding the cap to the transom..... Photo 114 Covered the transom with Timiya tape to protet it while adding the cap....... Photo 115 Bending jig the same radius as the transom.... Photo 116 Testing the fit..... Photo 117 Cap only goes to bottom of lowest part of transom molding. Later a fashion piece will connect the transom to the wales, see drawing in photo 106 in post 25 above. Photo 118 Shows inboard side of transom with cap and finished paint. BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Post 25 of my Sultana Build Log Task is to build and add the transom There are two ways to build the transom. One is to built it on the vessel, the second is make and assemble it off the vessel, then add it to the stern as a completed assembly. I decided my best hope was to work off the vessel and add the components to the stern later once finished. This step in the build will really test your patience, it did mine! Go slow. Photo 106 Photo 107 Simple drawing made from my stern. Wood part over sized for now. Photo 108 Material is 2-ply birch plywood. Note the two holes between the 1 & 2nd and the 3rd & 4th window frames. These holes act pilot holes to enable the builder to assemble the three main components together for a perfect overlay of parts later in the build. Take a peak at photo 111 to see the 3 component parts. Photo 109 Dry fit to make sure I am on the right track..... Photo 110 Applying lower moldings..... Photo 111 Three components made to complete transom. One places and glues the components on the vessel one at a time using the guide holes. It is not possible to bend the entire assembly in one piece to the transom. Photo 112 Three components glued together and added to transom prior to trimming edges to final dimensions. Photo 113 Black behind windows is a piece of black film from the center of a comyter disc.The film is very thin and was given to me by Kip (Sawdust). Aternative is to paint behind the windows prior to assembling the transom. Thanks for looking in on the build. Reposting of log almost completed, yeah!!! BFN Cheers, Hopeful aka David “there is wisdom in many voices” Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted in kit build section of forum Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)