Initially, my "go big or go home" way of thinking was pushing me towards a big beautiful 3 decker with an extensive built log to go with it. Fortunately, while living in this dream world I realized I didn't want to be one of those guys that starts a build and never finishes it. So instead of cutting teeth on a ship, I decide that building a boat was a more appropriate place to start. With that said, I decided on Chaloupe Armee En Guerre 1834 otherwise known as a Longboat Built For War. I purchased the plans from Ancre. They are well done and are accompanied by a 40 page method of construction booklet.
Here I am, many months in to the build and I have decided it's time to create the build log. I Initially decided to wait on the build log until I was sure I was capable of finishing. Over the next few days I will post pictures etc..until I am caught up.
Thanks to all for creating a great site to hangout in.
Shaping the mold was my first challenge. Getting it right proved to be a daunting task. The picture below shows where I got a little carried away and had to add some filler to bring it back to where it needed to be.
At this point I should say that I'm using Cherry to build this boat. I was able to bend the frame members by soaking them in alcohol (Gin) for a couple of minutes. For the most part, it was a pretty straight forward process. Attention to grain direction was important to getting a splinter free bend.
For bends that needed a little extra help, I made this make shift bending iron.
FYI, these photos seem to be a little compressed, I will try to work on that.
