JpR62

For both sides (port and starboard), I proceed in the same way. I first make a card template by directly taking its shape from the model and use this cardboard template to reproduce the pieces to be cut on the cedar sheet (leaving a safety margin of 1 mm on each side). I decided to reproduce the cap rail in 2 segments, the joint being placed between gun ports 3 and 4. The 4 segments are then ebonized and glued. I then protect (on both sides of the bulwarks: outside and inside) the planking with masking tape and sand to be level. Despite the masking tape, some paint was scratched and will need to be touched up. The fancy moldings are prepared, ebonized and glued to the outer side of the cap rail. I protect the first part of the cap rail (the 5/32" wide strip) with masking tape so that I can fill the small gaps between the cap rail and the molding without getting too dirty. This will also allow a faster sanding... On the picture below, the cap rail on the port side is already sanded while the wood filler (tinted black) has been applied and dried on the starboard side The cap rail is then painted black. I'll be able to concentrate on the last details (drilling the hawse holes and bowsprit) and start the deck planking. And always as much fun.

While preparing the two sides of the cap rail, I notice that there is still a small gap on each side. So I added a small triangular plank on the outside and inside to be level with the rear part of the cap rail.

Thank you to all the 'Likes' and thank you Will for your kind comment. I am also following your build log on the Erycina Fishing Trawler with attention. It is really a nice model. Cap rail I started by adding the cap rail over the transom. A cardboard template was taken directly from the model and then reproduced on a 1/16" thick Alaskan Yellow Cedar sheet. As I don't have a scroll saw, I preferred to work with Alaskan Yellow Cedar, which is perfect for making the cap rail and can be cut easily with a cutter. For an easy installation of this piece, I first shaped it: the piece was moistened with water and clamped on a pan whose curvature corresponds to the desired shape. I used a travel iron to keep the curvature of the piece. The piece is then ebonized using my 2 miracle mixes. Once glued, I sand the back part level with the stern. The 1/32" wide fancy molding will be added after the entire cap rail is in place.

Very happy to be able to follow the build of this new boat. Also, the theme looks more than interesting. I feel like it's going to be exciting 😊

Small progress. The hawse plates were cut from a 1/32" sheet of boxwood and put in place. The holes for the bowsprit and for the hawse cable were drilled in the sheet before cutting the shape to avoid any breakage. Once the cap rail is in place, the model will really start to look like a cutter.

Thanks to the people who follow my work. It's always motivating and reassuring to know that you can count on the support of others. I like to try new techniques. I really liked the result of ebonizing to get a nice natural black color. In his excellent log on the 'Fifie' produced by Amati, Tim Moore had shared his technique (see link below). Fifie by Tim Moore - #19 - April 4, 2021 I decided to use this technique to stain the cap rail before installation to make it easier to color. After a week of soaking, the iron acetate preparation is ready. The tannin preparation is quicker to prepare, it is simply 12 tea bags in a cup of hot water. I made a first test on a piece of Alaskan Yellow Cedar and miracle it works perfectly. It's quite magical... and simple. Just apply the process described by Tim. I cross my fingers and do the treatment on the front part of the cap rail. And the chemical reaction works again. The result seems to me correct and I will be able to apply it for the other segments. Again a great proof of the richness of this site and the wonderful sharing of techniques 👍.

Stunning work, Mike. It's perfection. Work that inspires and motivates us. Thank you !

Before installing the hawse plates, I glued the front part of the cap rail. I cut it out of a 1/16" sheet of Alaskan Yellow Cedar with a cutter (I don't have a scroll saw at the moment and boxwood of this thickness is really too hard for a cutter). Alaskan Yellow Cedar is ideal for this job and since the cap rail will be painted black, the wood species used is of little importance. The cap rail has been intentionally cut out leaving a margin on each side. It is then sanded to the correct width after gluing to the model. Protective tape was applied to the inner bulwarks to protect the red paint as much as possible.

The small "ear" was cut out of a sheet of boxwood. I first cut its shape out of a sheet of cardboard and after several adjustments I was able to use this template to reproduce its shape on the boxwood. The last segment of molding was glued on after the 'ear' was in place.

The fancy moldings were made using the scraping technique. I used 2 different profiles and the 1/16" x 1/32" boxwood strips were then shaped by making many light passes across the strips.

Thanks guys for your kind comments and Thank you for all the 'Likes' I started by working on the boarding ladder. It seemed like a better idea to do this task before I put the molding in place because it saved me from having to cut and peel the molding segment at the ladder location afterwards (thanks to Stuntflyer for bringing this to my attention in his excellent build log). The boarding ladder steps were constructed from a 3/32" x 3/32" boxwood strip.I used my proxxon MF70 micro milling machine for this. Once the different levels were milled, they were rounded with emery paper. For a precise cutting of the angles a small jig was built in order to be able to reproduce regularly the angles. Once the steps were cut, I used a needle point and the blade of my cutter to continue the profile on each side. The bottom step is painted black since it will be positioned on the wales. Next step is the moldings.

What a beautiful deck, Jason. It's really a fantastic job.

Good news Johann! I hope that the recovery goes well and that we can soon follow this great build again. It is one of my sources of joy and most of all inspiration.

Over the past few days, I have been finalizing the internal planking. I first applied the first layer of planks having decided not to cut them between the gun ports in order to obtain a very regular curvature. The gun ports are then opened with a cutter and sanded. I had to add some wood filler on the 2 bottom rows because I must have been a bit heavy handed when sanding the bulwarks. It doesn't matter because a second layer of planking will cover them. The second layer of planking was added below the ports in order to simulate the spirketing. The whole is sanded to prepare the coloring that will be applied first with an airbrush. The gun ports are closed again to prevent paint drift during airbrush application. A liquid masking film is applied in the joints. And the whole hull is protected. We often spend more time protecting what should remain color free than the coloring itself. Rather satisfactory result. No trace of color on the hull. I will be able to finalize the part of the hull above the wales by adding the fancy moldings then add the cap rail.

Thanks to all those who follow my work. @Glenn, I had a lot of fun detailing the interior of the 2 rooms and adjusting the opening visible from the deck. And I am fortunate to be able to refer on this site to excellent reference models every time. Thanks again for your excellent log on the Cheerful. @Will, it's true that the addition of the false deck marks an important step. All the internal structure is hidden and we will be able to detail all the fittings that will take place on the deck. It is indeed starting to look like a ship. @Johann, thanks for the kind words. Your work on the Creole is one of my references and I think many of us admire the quality and precision of your work. As for me, I still have a long way to go...

Unfortunately not. I am currently working on my other project: the Cheerful cutter. But I haven't forgotten this longboat. I will resume work shortly.

Thanks to all the people who are following this build and giving me precious advice. This week I put in place the false deck. I followed the instructions precisely, so I started by adding multiples thin strips of protective tape on each side of the cut plan to adjust the false deck. The final shape is transferred to two 1/16" cherry wood sheets that are temporarily joined with tape. I didn't have a large enough sheet and it also saves me from having to cut through the middle. On Scrubbyjj427's advice, I painted the reverse side of the false deck in the areas above the two rooms to keep the light from coming through the wood. I glued the false deck in 2 steps so I could put the access ladder in place before gluing the second part. I was afraid to drop the ladder in the room if I proceeded to put it in place once all the false deck was glued.I know myself 😅 The false deck has been reinforced with small nails that will be removed once the glue has hardened. This ensures that the false deck adheres precisely to the bulkheads. Once the nails are removed, the gaps and marks left by the nails or their extraction are filled with wood filler and sanded. I also take the opportunity to finish the 2 openings located on the false deck. A final blank test of the various fittings. I will now finish the internal planking of the bulwarks.

Thank you Bob, Glenn and Mike for your kind comments and thank you to all the 'Likes'. I finished the assembly of the electric Evans Designs leds. I will then be able to prepare and glue the false deck of the ship. A small test once the assembly is completed. It works 😃. A big thank you to scrubbyj427 who made me discover these great little leds from Evan Designs in his beautiful build log of the Winchelsea frigate. The last details have been added: the open door between the 2 rooms and the small ladder that gives access to the door to the bread room. Next step: installation of the false deck.

Great job on these pumps. It's beautiful.

Thank you Glenn, Ron and Allan for your great advice and thanks to everyone who is following this build. I will definitely be testing for hull treenailing. I've already prepared a reproduction of the planking and I'm still waiting for my order for the drill bits (Covid has slowed down package deliveries again...) In the meantime, I am making progress on the preparation of the cutter deck. I glued a copy of the deck plan onto card stock and cut out the elements that will allow the two rooms I detailed to be seen. I still need to add tape around the edge to get the final shape of my false deck so I can cut it out of a 1/16" cherry sheet. I continued the assembly of the various fittings that will be on the deck. The gratings come from Syren and it is again a pleasure to assemble them. And finally, I started the assembly of the companionway. Since I'm going to leave the doors open, I have to be quite precise in the assembly. I quickly realized that it's not a simple cube that needs to be assembled, because I have to take into account the slope ('tonture' in French) of the deck. Reading the excellent log of glbarlow confirmed me on this question. So I quickly developed a jig to facilitate the assembly and especially to have precise angular cuts. A photocopy of the plan was made on a clear self-adhesive film. The two side pieces were mounted at right angles. They are made of 6 planks of 1/32" but are higher than the plan. I can use my jig to make the various cuts. For the height, I simply added again 2 pieces of wood at the top of the companionway that follow the slope of the deck. The result respects the plans quite well. I am trying to work cleanly because I am thinking of not painting the companionway and leaving it in natural wood. I still have to finalize the companionway by adding the open doors.

Great job! These modified hatches are really beautiful and the choice of the black color is perfect. Happy New Year!

Wonderful! It is always so precise and perfect!

A promising new project. No doubt it will be fantastic! Merry Christmas.

As I am still waiting for a package of #78 drills for the treenailing, I decided to assemble the different fittings of the deck. They are mini projects in themselves. Again, we can only thank Chuck for the quality of these mini kits and for the precision of the assembly instructions. It's a real pleasure. Just take your time and follow the instructions precisely. What a pleasure! The windless will definitely be mounted once it has been painted. I will wait until the internal planking of the bulwarks is finished to paint all the elements at once. For the moment nothing is glued. I started to mount the skylight. Again a lot of fun to work on this element. And with the extra parts provided, no worries in case of mistakes (I had to redo one of the top frames because I managed to sand on the wrong side...) I filled all the gaps and sanded the skylight thoroughly before mounting the coaming. As usual, I tint the woodfiller in the final color of the element, which allows me to control my sanding more finely. For the coaming assembly, I put the skylight on a wooden board to simulate the thickness of the deck planking. Once this fitting is complete, I will mount the gratings. Merry Christmas to everyone 🎄

A beautiful model for your birthday 😃. Congratulations! This is really a great model with lots of personal details. This Fifie is absolutely a little gem. I look forward to your next model. Any ideas yet?