Heronguy

Thanks Mr. Mike ... and here are some photographs of the completed hull... after this, the deck equipment follows:
 

Thanks Doug,
 
I have been enjoying your build since I picked up the first kit a few months back. Please feel free to jump in and let me know if I am going astray at any time.
 
Regards

Art -
 
My articles are here - http://modelboatyard.com/bluenose2_articles.html and are free to download. Maybe you'll find them useful. I just realized I wrote those 15 years ago! How time flies.
 
Cheers -
John

On with some rigging.  
 
I figured that stays should be pretty substantial so I rigged with some .035" rope.
 

 
but decided it looked way too heavy so I cut them off and redid them with some .025.
 
Much more to my liking.

pre planking on a few frames before the hull planking begins

I've been building this boat over the past little while as part of the Model Shipway's Prince de Neufchatel.  I've had some significant frustrations and some small successes.  I've documented them in a few posts starting here.
 
 

The Dusek's ship boat is a really nice break from the MS boat.
 
The ribs and keel former went together very easily.



 
The floorboards are etched onto some thin, shaped pear sheet.  Very strong and looks great.

An application of tung oil  really brings up the beauty of the wood.  The laser cutting is very precise and everything has gone together easily.
 

 
Currently working on the planking.  All the strakes are laser cut and spiled.  
 

 
 It is still a challenge to get a close smooth fit.  I had hoped to be able to finish the hull in natural wood (this pear wood is very nice!) but I think some filler will be required and I may have to paint the hull.

 
 
I highly recommend this build and at the price it is well worth it.
 
 
 

I've been working slowly on the ship's boat. Although not finished I have made some progress.
 
As a relief from the frustrations of the MS ship's boat I started a small side project to build the Dusek's Ship's Boat.  (€12 with free shipping).  I have also gone back the the smaller MS ship's boat to see if I can finish it.
 
First the 5" ship's boat.
After the ribs were set I added the sheer rail also from walnut.
 

 
Notice how far the rail is from the bow bulwark.  I just lived with that.

The rails were not very smooth or symmetrical at either the bow or the stern but I just pushed on - too many redo's on this fragile frame are not in my repertoire.
 

 
On to planking.  I had to do the usual planking job - tapering the strakes at the bow and stern - and find ways of clamping this little guy - mostly finger pressure.
 


 
Planking complete but the hull is very thin and still has gaps - I used polyfilla spackling for filler.  At least it looked like a boat.
 


 
I decided to add a 2nd layer of planking using some leftover wood from the Bluenose II.  I'd have been happier to have some skinnier strips but I wasn't going to try to slice them.  I think it turned out OK.
 

 


 
I've added a second strip to the sheer rail to create somme overhang outboard, and started to add the rest of the ribs.
 

 
Still to do:  Finish ribs, add some floorboards and seats, bow platform and rudder.  Then apply some finishes.  To be continued.
 
 
 
 

The Dusek's ship boat is a really nice break from the MS boat.
 
The ribs and keel former went together very easily.



 
The floorboards are etched onto some thin, shaped pear sheet.  Very strong and looks great.

An application of tung oil  really brings up the beauty of the wood.  The laser cutting is very precise and everything has gone together easily.
 

 
Currently working on the planking.  All the strakes are laser cut and spiled.  
 

 
 It is still a challenge to get a close smooth fit.  I had hoped to be able to finish the hull in natural wood (this pear wood is very nice!) but I think some filler will be required and I may have to paint the hull.

 
 
I highly recommend this build and at the price it is well worth it.
 
 
 

I've been building this boat over the past little while as part of the Model Shipway's Prince de Neufchatel.  I've had some significant frustrations and some small successes.  I've documented them in a few posts starting here.
 
 

ya did good Doug.......they are not the easiest to make.   

The Dusek's ship boat is a really nice break from the MS boat.
 
The ribs and keel former went together very easily.



 
The floorboards are etched onto some thin, shaped pear sheet.  Very strong and looks great.

An application of tung oil  really brings up the beauty of the wood.  The laser cutting is very precise and everything has gone together easily.
 

 
Currently working on the planking.  All the strakes are laser cut and spiled.  
 

 
 It is still a challenge to get a close smooth fit.  I had hoped to be able to finish the hull in natural wood (this pear wood is very nice!) but I think some filler will be required and I may have to paint the hull.

 
 
I highly recommend this build and at the price it is well worth it.
 
 
 

I've been working slowly on the ship's boat. Although not finished I have made some progress.
 
As a relief from the frustrations of the MS ship's boat I started a small side project to build the Dusek's Ship's Boat.  (€12 with free shipping).  I have also gone back the the smaller MS ship's boat to see if I can finish it.
 
First the 5" ship's boat.
After the ribs were set I added the sheer rail also from walnut.
 

 
Notice how far the rail is from the bow bulwark.  I just lived with that.

The rails were not very smooth or symmetrical at either the bow or the stern but I just pushed on - too many redo's on this fragile frame are not in my repertoire.
 

 
On to planking.  I had to do the usual planking job - tapering the strakes at the bow and stern - and find ways of clamping this little guy - mostly finger pressure.
 


 
Planking complete but the hull is very thin and still has gaps - I used polyfilla spackling for filler.  At least it looked like a boat.
 


 
I decided to add a 2nd layer of planking using some leftover wood from the Bluenose II.  I'd have been happier to have some skinnier strips but I wasn't going to try to slice them.  I think it turned out OK.
 

 


 
I've added a second strip to the sheer rail to create somme overhang outboard, and started to add the rest of the ribs.
 

 
Still to do:  Finish ribs, add some floorboards and seats, bow platform and rudder.  Then apply some finishes.  To be continued.
 
 
 
 

I finally resolved the issue of the missing wood for the waterways.  Must have been a typo in the parts list when they list 1 piece of basswood for the waterways which I thought was not very friendly since I needed 2.  However reading a little further down I eventually noticed they listed some walnut for the waterways (and other things) and gave lots of strips.
 
Now satisfied I took another strip basswood from another kits and made my waterways from basswood since they are painted anyways.
 


 
On to building the launch ways for mounting the ship (see the photo from box in  the 1st posting of this log).

The Dusek's ship boat is a really nice break from the MS boat.
 
The ribs and keel former went together very easily.



 
The floorboards are etched onto some thin, shaped pear sheet.  Very strong and looks great.

An application of tung oil  really brings up the beauty of the wood.  The laser cutting is very precise and everything has gone together easily.
 

 
Currently working on the planking.  All the strakes are laser cut and spiled.  
 

 
 It is still a challenge to get a close smooth fit.  I had hoped to be able to finish the hull in natural wood (this pear wood is very nice!) but I think some filler will be required and I may have to paint the hull.

 
 
I highly recommend this build and at the price it is well worth it.
 
 
 

I've been working slowly on the ship's boat. Although not finished I have made some progress.
 
As a relief from the frustrations of the MS ship's boat I started a small side project to build the Dusek's Ship's Boat.  (€12 with free shipping).  I have also gone back the the smaller MS ship's boat to see if I can finish it.
 
First the 5" ship's boat.
After the ribs were set I added the sheer rail also from walnut.
 

 
Notice how far the rail is from the bow bulwark.  I just lived with that.

The rails were not very smooth or symmetrical at either the bow or the stern but I just pushed on - too many redo's on this fragile frame are not in my repertoire.
 

 
On to planking.  I had to do the usual planking job - tapering the strakes at the bow and stern - and find ways of clamping this little guy - mostly finger pressure.
 


 
Planking complete but the hull is very thin and still has gaps - I used polyfilla spackling for filler.  At least it looked like a boat.
 


 
I decided to add a 2nd layer of planking using some leftover wood from the Bluenose II.  I'd have been happier to have some skinnier strips but I wasn't going to try to slice them.  I think it turned out OK.
 

 


 
I've added a second strip to the sheer rail to create somme overhang outboard, and started to add the rest of the ribs.
 

 
Still to do:  Finish ribs, add some floorboards and seats, bow platform and rudder.  Then apply some finishes.  To be continued.
 
 
 
 

Here is my build: 
 

Wish I would have found this post and petehay’s log before I started building these boats. A couple of comments to those attempting to build these. 
[NOTE:  Subsequent to my initial post, I discovered the kit build log Ships Boat by JSGerson. It is a superb log that covers this kit and problems with it. I realized that since the time of his build and now, Model Shipways has eliminated the boat plans and consolidated the two pages into one reduced page, which is probably the source of most of the problems I describe. 
Beware!]
[Another NOTE:  In my post below, I sound like I’m dumping on MS. Like others, I (unreasonably) expect perfection from my kit suppliers. I paid nine bucks for each kit, considerably more than what the kit went for in recent past. But, even at $9, there is probably not much profit margin for the seller on this little kit. Even with the inconveniences, I’ll probably purchase a couple more, and I’m glad that someone is selling such a kit. If nothing else, I have a better appreciation for those in this hobby who model at very small scales!]
 
If if you want one finished boat, I suggest you buy two or three kits, because you will likely ruin two of them in the building process. This is NOT a beginner’s project.
 
Soaking and steaming the 1/16x1/16 wood still doesn’t prevent splintering of them when attempting to form the very tight radii of the main ribs. (Count this as the reason to throw away one of the kits you bought!). Suggest laminating each rib from two layers of well soaked 1/16”x1/32” pieces. 
 
Despite the years between petehay’s original post and now, MS hasn’t improved the quality of the instructions. The photos in them are still not readable (in any of the four kits I purchased).   Even if you could clearly read them, the figure number referred to doesn’t match the text. Also, the “Hull Frame without Planking” drawing is tagged “Scale: 1=1” ... it isn’t (but, it is still the most useful illustration). 
 
This kit comes in several sizes. For any but the largest size, MS has included an addendum to the instructions recommending the buyer have the instruction sheet reduced by photocopying to proportions they list.

There is nothing useful on the figures in the instructions that would benefit the modeler by doing so. The one thing that does benefit by reduction based on the listed proportions is the statement in the text that says “Draw ... crosslines 1” apart” when building the hull building jig. This 1” dimension applies only to the largest kit. It must be reduced for smaller kits. (If you have followed this instruction and set up your hull building jig to 1” for any but the largest kit, count this as reason to throw away another one of the kits you’ve bought). Instead of using the listed proportions reductions, I suggest marking these crosslines (which establish the main rib spacing) directly off the laser cut Keel piece. 

The instructions say (referring to forming the main ribs over the jig forms) “At the keel position in the center there should be a 1/16” gap”. This means the modeler should NOT form the rib tight to the jig at the location of the keel ... but, while forming, that gap doesn’t naturally occur at 1/16”. Suggest either adding material to the jig to complete the curve of the hull while leaving a small notch at the keel location. The laser cut main rib formers have been truncated ( so much so that only about half of the former actually provides the “form” of the rib) in an attempt to create this gap, but if the hull curve of the former is continued it results in much more than 1/16” gap. It would have been nice if the former would have continued farther around, with a small notch to prevent improper glueing ... as they did where the rib ends are glued to the forms. 
 
Conclusion:  I purchased four of these kits, in two different sizes, neither the largest size available. I am hoping to have one complete, good build and maybe one salvageable build. You can decide if something less than 50% meets expectations. 

The Dusek's ship boat is a really nice break from the MS boat.
 
The ribs and keel former went together very easily.



 
The floorboards are etched onto some thin, shaped pear sheet.  Very strong and looks great.

An application of tung oil  really brings up the beauty of the wood.  The laser cutting is very precise and everything has gone together easily.
 

 
Currently working on the planking.  All the strakes are laser cut and spiled.  
 

 
 It is still a challenge to get a close smooth fit.  I had hoped to be able to finish the hull in natural wood (this pear wood is very nice!) but I think some filler will be required and I may have to paint the hull.

 
 
I highly recommend this build and at the price it is well worth it.
 
 
 

Well put Brian.
 
Your absolutely right Doug. My problem is that when a task gets very repetitive I tend to quickly lose interest.  Especially if I feel that it needs to be repeated.  If you look at my posts for this build I haven't been very active lately. However, because of the cost of the kits and money spent getting the right tools etc., I told myself that I have to get back at it.
 
I found an easier and quicker way to mask.  As shown by the following pictures.
 

 
I managed to mask the quarter deck and paint it in about half the time I spent on the foredeck.

How about starting with a 1,5x50mm sheet and cutting out the shape you need?  I'm half serious Don.

I sometimes find that walking away from a “disaster” for while allows it to fix itself at least partially!  I can be confident about this as I get lots of disasters to check it out!
 
Good work Derek

Thanks for your interest, everyone. I've got the bulwarks plates and the stern plate in position now and I think they're going to work out ok. Two tricky bits though - the instructions give height dimensions for the bulwarks plates at each bulkhead extension, and they are actually quite accurate, however, there is no indication of what their height needs to be at the tip of the bow. It's quite important as the bulwarks must be just a hair higher than the bowsprit at the point where they intersect. So a bit of trial and error was needed to determine that height. Fortunately I had already tapered the bowsprit in between waiting for the bulkheads' glue to dry during the process of installing them. I was able to experiment with it and determine the height for the bulwarks plates. I would hate to have tried to fit the bowsprit later only to find it wanted to sit above the cap rail.
 
The other tricky bit is at the stern as there isn't room for the rudder to clear the stern bulwark. (I honestly can't imagine who designed this kit!) I think you mentioned this one too Joshua. So I addressed the problem through a combination of widening the opening slightly by extending it forward and having to trim down the stern post slightly as well and by reducing the rudder slightly by removing material from its forward edge. Through that combination I was able to create enough clearance, without changing the appearance of anything negatively. Better to solve this one now, rather than later. 
 
I'll have some pictures next time.
 
David

I went back to the Bluenose today and had a closer look at it.  It turns out the bleed through wasn't as bad as I originally thought.  Apparently the masking tape didn't fully come off.  Once I removed the rest of the masking tape there was very little bleed through.
 

 

 
So I masked the opposite side and painted it.
 

 

Happy Saturday Everyone,
I've made a little progress over the past week, without too many problems. I've strengthened the bulkheads with some blocks. I used an old dowel I had lying around. (Now it looks like a Maris Stella kit.) And I added the blow and stern filler blocks.


This is nothing in either the instructions or the plans that indicate the shape or size of the stern filler blocks, so I had to infer their shape based solely on this photo in the instructions. It's literally the only reference provided:

It took a great deal of time to get the bulkheads all level and even. The fairing itself isn't too bad on this model - the bow is not rounded, but rather comes to a point and the stern is a very gentle slope. But getting them even was a big job. The fact that there are many of them is helpful in some ways, but their proximity to each other also tends to amplify any differences among them. There was a great deal of paring and shimming required, but in the end I think I've got a pretty smooth result.
 
The false deck was cut quite accurately and was easy to fit, which surprised me in light of some of the issues I've already run into with this kit.
 
Below you can see the first plank in place in preparation for the upper planking.
 

The upper planking for this kit entails a thin strip with the gunports and oarports pre-cut. The instructions give distances from the false deck to the top of this bulwarks plank at each bulkhead. You pin it in place, draw a line across it at the bottom from the inside, and cut it to fit. The ports are all cut a bit small. You glue frames on the inside of the strip for both the gunports and oarports and then open them to their final size. The instructions would have you add these frames after the strip is in place, but I chose to add them first, which I thought makes it much easier to locate them properly and open them cleanly. This process takes a bit of fiddling, getting them all more or less the correct distances apart, the right position up and down and trimming down bulkheads to accommodate them, etc.  
 
I contemplated the idea of scrapping these strips altogether and framing in the ports individually, as some others have done with success. However in the end, I decided I could make these strips work quite well, especially after I decided to add the frames before installing the strips.

So next is adding the upper bulwarks strips and then framing them on the inside to accommodate the inner bulwarks planking.
 
Thanks for the likes and following along. Have a great weekend. After a staggering amount of snow this winter, we are now in a warm spell - temperatures above freezing for over a week, and most of the snow melted. This sure helps shorter the winter a bit and I have always preferred looking at my snowblower than using my snowblower.
 
David