flying_dutchman2

Planking 17th century Dutch ships is an exercise on its own. Dutch ships were planked completely different compared to English, French, Spanish ships, etc. The form of the hull was different so the planking was different (typical Dutch).

The book from Rob Napier, Reconditioning an 18th century ship model Valkenisse, retourschip of 1717 and the Utrecht by Hoving plans have detailed drawings how it was planked. I practiced with the 1st layer and I am going to try to plank the 2nd layer like the Valkenisse. I planked the Utrecht somewhat like it. I will master this after a couple of ships. 

I am getting to the end of the 1st layer and there is a lot of measuring and fitting. I am also very generous with steelers. 

Furthermore, made a template by drawing the outline of the the Wales on a piece of basswood. Inserted pins every 1/2" following one side of the curve. Took a thoroughly soaked piece of walnut and laid it against the pins. While pushing the wood upwards against the pins nailed the lower line of pins every 1/2" as well and slowly formed a curve. The pieces across the plank are to keep the plank flat on the basswood. The wales will be laminated. 

Marcus 

Thank you for the advice, Ondras. 

Marcus 

On 8/11/2018 at 5:08 AM, amateur said:

Hi Marcus,

 

May I suggest starting at the lowest wale, and working up/down from there. 

I will do what you suggest. It is a good idea because the lowest wale goes all the way to the transom triangle. 

Marcus 

I have been taking a break from building this week as I have friends over from the Netherlands and showing them Chicago and surrounding areas. 

Marcus 

#Kees, thank you for the wonderful compliment and all the likes from everybody else. 

There is always a way of creating/building something. If I stuck with being 'conventional', I would be missing out. As long as the boat I am building looks like what I initially planned to built, it does not matter how I got there. 

Been doing lots of 1st layer planking. Both the bow and stern are a challenge.

With the Boyer, the 2nd layer has to be curved to follow the contour of the deck. The top of the railing is also very curved. Start from the top going down to the lowest wale. 

After that I plan to plank straight towards the keel without using a lot of little pieces of planks. 

Marcus 

#Jan. The English book has the same plans as the merchant book, but they are printed on the pages of the book, so I think too small if you want to build a model of it. 

#LandlubberMike. Agreed with a 'change of the English ships'. 

The English wrote everything down and so there are more plans of them. The Dutch did not. The senior shipwright taught the junior shipwright and so on. Very little was written down. So the Boyer I am building is an interpretation from contracts, paintings and etchings. No actual plans. 

Marcus 

Finished all the drilling of the holes and fitted then in the axle head. Looks good. Instead of being 90 degrees on all four of the vane tubes it is 91 degrees and 89 degrees. Per instructions this can be adjusted by shaving some wood off at the lower ends. 

I squared it over and over again, still not exactly. I guess the best thing to do is to use a newly purchased drill press and then get it exact. I am assuming all drill presses have some play after much usr. Oh well. 

Marcus 

2 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Sorry forgot to ask a question - is the Witsens book a good one?  It’s a bit pricey, just wondering whether you think it’s worth it for people that have the Seawatch book?

The book from Witsen is excellent. For a guy like me who builds pretty much only Dutch ships, this book is an education for me. Chapter 2 is the biggest and the most detailed. It describes how to build a Pinas in 122 steps. It is highly technical, very detailed in each piece that is part of the ship. The line drawings, and there are many of them, show how it was done. Other chapters discuss what the inventory is for each man on the ship for one year. Contracts for building a ship. Chapter 1 explains how Hoving wrote the book, what is different, etc. 

Took Hoving 14 years to translate from 17th century Dutch to present day dutch (800+ pages). 200+ pages are relevant to ship building and that is what this book is about. Took him another 3 years to translate from Dutch to English and 3 to build the Pinas following Witsen's instruments. 

I agree, it is pricy, but personally, worth it. I did get it through Amazon. I plan to build the Pinas. So with this book and the plans from the merchant book I am all set. 

Plan to build all the merchant ships. First the 1:48 scale and then the1:96 scale which I want to do in 1:48 scale. Just don't know what to do with them once they are all finished. Maybe build a diorama with all of them in it and then beg a naval museum to take it from me. 

W. F. zu pferde is a beautiful ship. 

Marcus 

All your detailed work is just beautiful. You are a great artist. WOW. 

Marcus 

Couldn't resist, drilled the 5/8" axle hole in the block and starting with the first of the 1/2" hole for the vanes. 

Marcus 

Borrowed a drill press stand with drill from craftsman. This thing is ancient, from the 60's, but it works. 

Next week will practice on a scrap of Ash and if it is perfect I will do the holes on the actual piece. 

Pictures will follow. 

Marcus 

Created and finished the curved pointy transom. 

Used 1/32" thick Baltic Burch veneer and used that as backing. Shaped and sanded according to plans, glued in place. 

Added planking and made two curved pieces. 

Filled the pointy ends so they would fit and glued with CA.. 

It is not exactly in the middle, off by 2 mm. For the most part it looks pretty good. 

Some more sanding to follow the curve from the rest of the boat and plank the rest. 

Marcus 

Cut out the transom triangle, soaked it in water and gently bend it along the curve. Doesn't work, it snapped. I am going to make a laminated curve and bend the point outwards. Just like the book shows. 

I thought of cutting out of a block of wood and sand it to shape. I'll practice with a piece of balsa. But will also make laminated piece. 

When I build the Utrecht, I needed a curved piece as well and I made it by laminating pieces of strip wood. Came out pretty good. 

Marcus 

Reached both the height of the railing on both the bow and stern side. 

Furthermore, laminated the bow with another layer of strip wood. Gives the look that the planks are overlapping clinker style. 

The Transom Triangle. Cut the curve into the planking on both sides. In one of the pictures I photographed the part of the book, the side curve highlighted in orange and a stern picture also in orange. 

Instead of making this in on piece it will be four pieces. Easier and less risk of breaking. 

Marcus 

Instead of bending extreme curves in the bow and stern with the first planking, I ended up stacking the planks side by side going up following the curve of the bulkheads. Then cutting and sanding away excess planks to form the extreme curve of the bow and stern. 

I will apply the extremely curves for both stern and bow with the second layer of planking 

The back of the stern is curved upwards and inwards. Once the clamps are removed it will give a better understanding of the whole area. 

The bow planks are curved and with every layer going up the curve is shortened by one thickness of a plank giving it a 'step look'. 

Both areas are built 'shell first' and frame timbers ars added to hold the planks in place. This is a classic example of how the Dutch build there ships in the 17th century. I am practicing on this boat as in the future I want to built a ship in this way....... Shell first. 

Marcus 

Looking good, Kees, the brass work is gorgeous. I also like the figures you will be adding. Makes the boat come alive. 

Marcus 

I agree with Popeye, the weathering looks great, especially the way you did the rust lines. 

Marcus 

Started the first layer of planking. I soak the basswood in water overnight so I can bend it at any curve. So far it is easy but it will become challenging. 

As Cog would say, it is a 'forest of clamps'. 

Marcus 

Sjors favorite drink......... Jenever? 

Thanks, Jan, for the picture. That mill is tall, wow. 

Just imagine a windmill in between skyscrapers 😁. 

Marcus 

Working a little bit here and there on the Boyer and the mill. When it is sunny outside, I work in the garden (food and flowers). Late fall, winter and early spring is when I work on the boat, but when the weather is good, I am outside. 

I am creating a template that fits on top of the bow.. When I start planking the top of the bow the planks will go inwards (if that is the correct explanation). The planks go inward and I need to follow the curve of the bow. 

Marcus 

#Sjors, glad you are enjoying the built and thanks for the information about the windmills in Schiedam. 

Marcus 

Painted all surfaces of the mill with primer for exterior. Next is to go to hobby lobby to get some more van Dyk green to touch up the windows and doors and purchase another green, either lighter or darker for the clinker panels. 

Purchase a quart of gray to imitate the thatch. I will use yellow ochre here and there to get som contrast. 

Use my neighbors drill press for the axle holes. 

Install that in the cap. Close the cap and put a layer of tile glue on it. Paint that and once that is all done start on the most difficult part of the mill, the vanes. 

Marcus 

After much sanding, fitting, sanding and more fitting, dry fitting the keel, stem and stem post was satisfactory. Glued all pieces in place. 

Once dry some more sanding and starting on the first layer of planking with basswood. I have a feeling this part is going to be an exercise in patience with many broken strips as both bow and stern have some extreme curves. It will be fun 

Marcus 

# Jan and Wefalck, thank you both for the information and others for the likes. 

Finished the final sanding of the Boyer. Measured the height of the deck and the railing. 

Next, I have to remove some wood that is part of the frames, the top of it otherwise the deck is too high 

Marcus 

I can always depend on you for an answer, Wefalck, thank you. 

Related is the keyword.

There are similarities comparing the bow of both of them. 

Marcus