Fernando E

Completed work on the foremast , and dry fitted all together . Decided to progress to the main mast before attaching yards to the fore mast.

Finished up on some of the yards

When I attempted to sand the seating down , I found that one has to be really careful , as it is easy to remove the stain that I had applied eralier. So I came up with applying the painters tape to protect. This enabled a little more freedom in the sanding

Started to do some work on the yards of the fore mast.

Been a busy weekend at chez-Hatch.
 
I wanted to het the hull skeleton as far as I could so I can fit the laser deck and red bulwarks/spirketting this week. Work starts on the first and last bulkheads which are fitted with their bow and stern patterns respectively. The first bulkhead is dry fitted to the false keel so the two adjacent patterns sit snug to the keel. A clamp was deployed until fully set, then the assembly was removed from the keel and a sanding block/Dremel used to shape. I really do recommend a rotary tool for shaping the stern. It will be make things much, much simpler. 
 



Before shaping the stern, the assembly was slipped back onto the keel and glued to the bulkhead which sits adjacent to it. Shaping was done after removal. The tape on the stern assembly issued to protect the filler panel from breaking away.


 
With so many bulkheads and interlocking slots, I always like to dry-fit all parts where possible, and then paint wood glue into the joints afterwards. This method works perfectly well, and you can dilute your glue too if you wish. Modern wood glues seem to set too quickly that I see this as a way of making sure everything seats before the glue turns.
 
With the bulkheads slotted into position (minus the bow and stern assemblies I just made), the small orlop deck section is slotted into place, followed by the laser engraved ply lower deck. Care needs to be taken not to damage the bulkhead ears. If you look closer, you'll see the bulkheads have safely gates on the outside, protecting the ears somewhat. These are removed later, before fairing the hull. 
 




The model is now turned upside down and supported while I paint wood glue into the various joints between the MDF and ply parts.
 
The bow and stern sections are now finally slotted into place and glued.


 
It's important that the bulkhead ears are protected from quite early on in the build, so I changed the sequence so that the longitudinal gun port strips are now glued into place. These are labelled 'TOP' and 'BOTTOM' to remove any confusion.


 
The blanking/strengthening section on the rear bulkhead can now be carefully twisted away as the bulkhead ears are now protected. We also need to later fit the stern gallery timbers which will run through this area.

 
The first pear wood is now used with the grate coamings. These are assembled and the outer edges have their char removed. I also remove star from the two open sections that won't have grates fitted.

 
Now, the deck beams can be glued into position. Clamps ensure they are aligned and vertical. With these in position, the coamings and gratings are glued into place.


 
Four longitudinal deck support strips are now fitted, with one pair being 'OUTER' and the other 'INNER'.


 
Finally, for this update, the ply deck is fitted. These sections clip into the bulkhead ears so they are self firmly at that point. All you need to do is to pin them down in the middle. I also chose to paint glue into the joints after fitting the deck parts.


 
More as soon as I have something to show you. 😃
 
 

Starting to do some preparing for the masts and stays

Dry fitted the completed bowsprit

Started the bowsprit again after I had managed to salvage some of the more important parts . When attaching the blocks , it's recommended in the plans that one uses 0.15mm thread , but I found the thread to be really fragile and continued to break when I attempted to tighten any of the knots. So I decided to use a slightly thicker 0.25mm thread that I had previously used on another build . Its a slightly different colour , but did the task perfectly

I had previously started to work on the bowsprit and made a bit of a hash .  Have to keep reminding myself to check, double check , and check again before going anywhere near anything with glue in hand

Seeing as I was busy working with the length of chain , I then made and placed the stern chains

I have made and positioned the outriggers , along with the chains and blocks

Work officially starts on this tomorrow, but I thought I'd do a quick test fit of the bulkheads, and the lower deck and orlop deck section.
 
The fit is absolutely perfect and everything nice and square.
 
This will give a rough idea of the genesis of this build before I crack on with the instructions images tomorrow. 
 

Changed tack so to speak and started some work on the bowsprit

Decided to do the anchors and chains . Looked like an easy task , but the anchors are a bit cumbersome to work with. Guess the end justifies the means in this case

Fitted the larger of the ship's boats onto the main deck

Progress on the smaller boats

Hi, I have added a few more of the deck fittings , cannon , baling pumps etc . Starting to look the picture now

This is an image of the current Beagle.
I also put Sapelli material on the keel part.

 
The hinge part of the gun gate metal fittings is not reproduced.
The bottom of the ship is coated with flaxseed oil, which is easier to use than varnish.

 
The handrail has been cut from 7mm width to 5-6mm width.

 
The diamond-shaped hollow of the part where the hammock is inserted cannot be reproduced.

 
Since there is an exhibition, we need to complete HMS FLY by the end of June, so we may not be able to make Beagle for a while.

Hi . Put together some of the deck fittings

Dear colleagues and friends,
 
Thank you all very much for your comments, kind words and support. It means a lot to me and I am pleased that you like the Royal Katherine model in my rendition.
It was a really great challenge when I decided four years ago whether to go for it or not, but despite many difficulties during the building, I do not regret this decision. At the same time, I fulfilled another modeling dream, which I was able to share with you and almost to the end with my husband George. The realisation of this project brought me not only the joy of the hobby itself, but also learning and possibility of expanding the knowledge horizons about real ships, their construction and history.
My main intention was to strive for the most realistic model reconstruction of the real appearance of the Royal Katherine and to point out the various shortcomings and inaccuracies that we often encounter in documents and plans of sailboat models. In addition, I tried to create my model without the use of special tools and from the most available materials as an example of the fact that even a very modest background is not an obstacle to creating a nice and quality model, which makes this hobby available to almost everyone.
 
None of us can know what the future will bring, but I definitely do not want to give up my hobbies and when I find enthusiasm for a new and interesting project again, I will share it with you. 
 

 
Kind regards and all the best, 

Doris

Hello Doris
 
Your work is absolutely stunning.....a work of art. I have been following your work for some time and to see what you have done over the past years has been nothing but spectacular. You are in a class of your own.
 
Many thanks for sharing your work .
 
Cheers................Fernando 

Here I have done some of the main deck fittings. Out together the capstan and fitted the chains. Put together the housing cover