hamilton

PS - I haven't built (or got) the Caldercraft Victory, but I usually locate gunports by taking a vertical measurement from the plans at midships, then at fore and aft, then at a couple of spots in between. Then run a batten across the marks to check for fairness and adjust as necessary to achieve a good fair run. You can do this for top or bottom of the gunports and then mark the other edge by measuring the height of the gunports and then marking this line across the bulkhead edges.....There may be other techniques used by other modellers and you may get other suggestions here, but this is one that worked for me. Hope this helps! hamilton

Hello from down the road from you in Vancouver. Your Victory looks good so far - keep posting your progress! hamilton

Spent Labour Day working on Bluenose - specifically the cabin construction. I've not yet completed it - with the skylight, binnacle and stovepipe still to add - but so far this has been a fun little mini-build. It's a lot of fun to put these deck features together - one of my favourite parts of ship modelling (other than tying ratlines, obviously)! I took patterns from the deck framing drawings for the general outline of all the superstructural elements on deck, then transferred these to card stock and made templates for the general "footprint" of these elements as well as for the fore and aft panels of the cabin, which curve in line with the deck camber. I started by edge gluing some 1/16" x 1/8" strips together, then trimming these built up panels to the correct size and shape. I then added internal reinforcements (1/8" square pieces) and also reinforced the whole assembly by adding a base cut from a sheet of 1/32" lime and some 1/8" square battens on this. After that it was pretty straightforward - I used some leftover parts for the portholes and went with a different colour scheme than the one suggested on the plans - neutral grey (like the waterways) in place of burnt umber. I made the companionway frames a bit too wide for the 3/16" door panels, but I had a 1/32" x 1/32" strip that worked perfectly as a divider...some brass nails serve as door handles. Anyway, it's a little rustic looking, but I'm decently happy with the results. Now that a new working year has begun, I'm going to have to restrict my modelling to weekend mornings for a while....in the meantime....enjoy the photos! hamilton

Hello all and happy Saturday Quick update on Bluenose. Over the last couple of days, I've touched up the outboard hull painting, focusing specifically on the cove (yellow) and the waterline strip (white) to clean them up as much as possible - I only have a photo of the preparation of this and don't seem to have any right now of the cleaned up paint job....sorry! I also made templates of the deck superstructures from card paper, fixing them temporarily to the top of the bulkhead frames to mark out their positions and identify where framing strips need to be added between the bulkheads. I added this framing this morning after completing the finishing of the inboard bulwarks and stanchions. There are a couple of little clean-up tasks to complete before starting to build up the deck superstructures. First I need to sand down the stanchions to the level of the sheer - a tedious process, but unavoidable. Then I need to epoxy the forward mounting nut to the bottom of the keel. Then it's on to more fun stuff with the superstructures and deck planking! Enjoy the photos hamilton

I know well the frustration when fitting a laser-cut part that doesn't fit on the model as built - but you did a great job overcoming the issue here - nice work! hamilton

Thanks Steve - definitely some clean up to do - the sheer strake is 1/32" thick while the remaining bulwark planking is 1/16". The cove runs along the top edge of the uppermost 1/16" plank so the bleeding of the black hull paint onto the yellow cove paint was a result of some uneven masking along the "step" between the thicker and thinner planks....a bit of sraping and filing and sanding and careful touch-ups will hopefully correct for the bleeding. hamilton

Another update on Bluenose - finished the hull. I first applied a few coats of yellow paint to the bulwarks for the cove and a few coats of white along the hull's waterline region, then masked off where the white waterline stripe and the cove (yellow) are located using 1/16" masking tape. The 1/16" strip is too wide for the cove, but.... I then used a mix of two slightly different shades of red applied one after the other in four coats to get a slightly weathered look to the hull below the waterline and used Bone Black (a slightly bluish black) on the hull above the waterline (three coats here were sufficient). The test for me is always having the patience to wait to remove the masking and reveal the full finished effect. The waterline stripe worked out very well, but the cove needs touching up here and there - the port side is a bit better than starboard and I think a bit of fine knife work will help to clean this up to a decent standard. Next steps - finishing the mounting and adding framing strips for cabin and hatches on deck....nice to be moving on to more superstructural work! Bye for now and enjoy! hamilton

Well this is the third time I've posted something to the following effect - I'll soon be getting back to the Bluenose. Except this time, it has actually been happening! I dedicated some time over the summer to scratch building a small model of a rowing skiff - mostly to get myself back into ship modelling in general but also because it seemed like a nice, small, self--contained project that I could easily complete in a couple of months casual work. The skiff is now very near completion, with only a couple of things to go, and I've turned back once again to the Bluenose. Since my last actual update on the build, I have done and redone the bulwarks/scuppers three times...I found this very difficult to get right, and even now I am not happy with the results - but I also know that as the model gets built up the more obviously offensive aspects of them will begin to fade into the background so it is definitely time to move on. And (at long last) move on I have. Once the bulwarks were done, I painted them inboard (white) and also finished the waterways (grey), after much sanding and a bit of filling. I also spent a bit of time making a stand and mounting arrangement for the finished model - using 3/4" ply with 3/4" x 1/4" hemlock as trim around the edges. You can see the stand a little bit in one of the photos below. The last thing I've done to this point is install the bulwark stanchions - as yet unfinished - that's the next step. At the moment it is a bit rough looking, but a bit of tidying up will bring it up to a more or less decent standard. I'm very happy to back into the swing of modelling - I've missed it a lot in the years that my practice has languished - I only wish it were still Spring and I had a more regular 40-hour work week to sustain a more regular modelling practice - but...modelling will not put food in my kids' stomachs or pay my mortgage, so..... Enjoy the pics hamilton

Thanks John - good to know the right word for the job! And yes - definitely there will be some hardware at the bows for this purpose - I also considered making 2 or 3 fenders to add in addition to the oars...but we'll see. And thank you Gary - I thought the cap might be overdoing it a bit....it definitely is not a usual feature of a small boat this size...but I like the look, and I suppose that's that!! Glad at least one other likes it too! hamilton

It's getting very close now to the end of this little build...In the last little while, I've Installed the inboard sheer rail - I'm really not sure how to refer to this longitudinal....can someone tell me the correct term? Anyways, this was made from 1/8 x 1/16" walnut to match the outboard half-round walnut sheer strake. Once these were installed, I spent a bit of time sanding down the frames and evening things out. At this point, the boat was (barring oarlock pads and oarlocks and any accessory features I might add) complete. However, I was not happy with the way the finished boat looked. I can't put my finger on exactly what was bugging me about it, but I decided in any case to add a caprail. I made these rails from some 1/16" lime sheeting I had lying around, and stained them with golden oak. In doing this I snapped off the outer stem, which now will need to be redone, so in overgoing the plans,m I've also set myself back a bit....so next up a redo of the stem, followed by the oarlocks, and accessories - possibly only oars....since work is now starting to really build up towards the end of the month and my modelling time is shrinking.....sadly as this has been a very enjoyable build. Enjoy the photos hamilton

Hi John - thanks! I think that this skiff design was generated first to supply exactly that - as a tender for larger sail boats. I'm also gifting this to my father, who turned 80 this year, as a nod to the tender we used to drag behind our sail boat when I was a teen and 20-something - though the design of that one was very different. hamilton

A very quick update on the OC Skiff - thwarts finished and installed. Not much to say about this - in the first photo you can see the sculling pad I installed based on an image of the OC Skiff I saw online which bears this feature, and in the second photo you can sort of see where I've thinned out the edges of the thwarts to lighten their look - a small feature, but I wanted to try to add this detail.... Enjoy! hamilton

Thanks Jon! I remember your remarkable Bluenose build from back then! It will be nice to return to my much more modest one in the near future! hamilton

Thanks Mark! It's been quite satisfying making something small and contained - next up will be a return to the 1:64 scale Bluenose I started some years ago...feel like the momentum and desire are there now - if only I can keep my workdays contained enough to eke out some modelling time in the evenings! Bye for now hamilton

Hello again Another progress report on the OC Skiff, which is now very near completion. I've decided not to rig her after all, though I think she would look quite attractive in this mode - I may build a second version rigged at some point, but I realised that there were too many unknowns to proceed with this adaptation at present. So she will remain a rowing skiff. This leaves a very short list of jobs left before completion. The first step was to add the frames inboard. These were cut from 1/16" square mahogany thinned down slightly to match the dimensions given on the plans. I first marked out the station lines and inserted frames corresponding to the stations (first photo below). The plans call for two frames spaced evenly between each station - easy enough - with one extra frame at bow and stern. A very straightforward job. Next was to install the stringers. These also were fabricated from 1/16" square stock (walnut this time, since that was what was available to me), slightly thinned, once again to match the dimensions given. They are situated 6 3/4" down from the sheer (full size obviously!) so I marked this distance on a tick strip and marked the frames all along, correcting with the rough cut stringer clamped in place to ensure a smooth run. Once these were installed (which was a bit ore finicky than I had expected, I cut out the thwarts. I modified the stern thwart slightly from the plans, where it is drawn as a simple plank. I used drawings of a skiff in a book of small boat designs I had to come up with what you see here, modified slightly to fit the model. I also cut a small triangular "breast hook" (not sure that term applies to this piece) for the bow of the skiff - also a modification from the plans and installed partly to draw attention away from a bit of messiness in my construction at the bow, though I'm not sure it works for this purpose.... My next task is to do some finishing experiments with to arrive at a decent look for the thwarts. Once I come up with something that I think looks good, I'll finish and install the thwarts and then move on to the inboard sheer rails, oarlock pads & oarlocks and a couple of other little things - oars most obviously and perhaps some other little oddments to stow inside.... Enjoy! hamilton

Back in the shop again today - tail end of my summer vacation so trying to make the most of it! This morning, I installed the outboard rails - a sheer strake cut from 1/8 x 1/16 half-round mahogany and what I'm calling a "vanity strake" below that - 1/8" x .5mm pre-painted lime, which was included as outboard bulwark planking on the Corel Greuhound kit which I built up some years ago as HMS Blandford. I think the accent looks nice, though for a full sized skiff, this added feature would be pretty impractical - hence "vanity strake". After lunch I'm planning on starting to add frames inboard from 1/16 x 1/16 mahogany - so hopefully another update by the end of the day...really wanted to get this model finished before heading back to work, but it doesn't look like that's to be.....oh well - I'll be able to scratch out some time here and there before things get really busy at the office in September.... Bye for now and enjoy! hamilton

Thanks John - it certainly feels good to bring this little model together. Maybe back to something bigger once the summer's over.... hamilton

Hello all It's been a very busy and productive day in the workshop. I followed through on the .5mm inboard planking, including the inboard transom, added and finished the rubbing strakes on the bottom, and fashioned and installed the outer stem. I gave the inboard planking a decent sanding, but will do a bit more and finish them with some wipe-on poly - the photos below show them unfinished. The rubbing strakes were pretty straightforward - I made them from 1/8 x 3/32" lime, angling off the stern and bow ends as per the plans. The stem tapers in the sided dimension from 1 5/8" to 1" (full) from the head to the heel and also has a slight taper in the molded dimension. To achieve this on a relatively small strip, I glued the piece to a larger scrap of 1/4" ply (leftover from the molds) and sanded the taper in on the drum sander. It was easy to loosen the piece afterwards, clean it up and fit it to the hull. There is a flat section along the front 3/4" wide (full), which I filed in more or less....I kept misplacing my glasses all day - not sure what's happening, but I'm not quite ready to get a strap for them to hang around my neck, so for now I'll have to depend on my short-term memory improving....anyways, I think she's shaping up - I'll finish the out rails (1/8 x 1/16" half round mahogany) and start on adding the frames (1/16"x 1/16" mahogany) tomorrow - then it will just be the stringers, thwarts and in-rails to complete before the basic model is complete - unless I go for a rig....still undecided..... Enjoy! hamilton

Aha! Thanks B.E. - much appreciated! hamilton

These arrows don't appear for me when I maximise the gallery images....so I can't navigate them - not sure why this is....I wonder if Terry is experiencing this same issue? hamilton

Yes - I think it will look much nicer with some clean looking planking inboard - thanks for dropping bye John! hamilton

Hello again: Back from our vacation now and returned to the heat and smoke of the Pacific Northwest...mostly been doing laundry today, but had a bit of time to puzzle out some things on the OC Skiff and do some minor work. Before going away I did finish outboard - white above the waterline and a dark grey below. My main quandary at this point was the inboard finishing. I wanted to go for a natural wood finish inboard, but the filler I used to seal up some of the broader seams between planks meant that a natural finish would look a bit uneven and weird. I thought for a minute about painting, but I really didn't like that idea, so I decided to add some very thin (.5mm) planking inboard. I had quite a bit of usable material left over from my build of the Fair Rosamund so am using that - it's thin enough that it won't make the topside planking look too weighty and is a decent enough tone that a few coats of wipe-on poly should bring out a good natural finish. The final image below shows the first strake of inboard planking set on the starboard side and clamped in to port. Enjoy - hope you're all doing well out there. hamilton

Hello all Quick update (without photos, I'm afraid). I spent a bit of time filling the small and not so small errors in the topside planking and sanding the hull quite a lot inside and out in preparation for finishing. I'm still undecided on the interior, whether to paint it white (to hide my mistakes) or use a stain for a wood finish (as would suit the actual skiff). I used a bit of acrylic wood filler inboard and these places will really stand out in a harsh way with a wood stain...but I could subject the inboard areas to more rigorous sanding and maybe reduce the offensiveness.... The outboard finish is more straightforward. I applied three coats of primer to the outboard planking, transom and bottom and then masked off the waterline. Below the waterline I've put two coats of neutral grey, and the upper hull will be white. I found some nice half round mahogany about 1/8" wide and 1/16" think that will serve as the outside rail, and left natural. I will then put a very thin (1/64") strip of pre-painted walnut leftover from way back in my Blandford days - this will provide a nice accent with the wood against the white hull. In any case, this last work is not yet complete, but we're leaving on vacation tomorrow morning until Aug 12 - so nothing happening here till then...kind of don't want to take a break, which is a good sign...feeling that same eagerness to move forward that is familiar from prior to my accident, so I'm quite happy about that....when I return, I'll finish painting outboard, do some staining tests and make a final decision about inboard finish, then add the rubbing strakes to the bottom and start on the frames inboard.... Sorry no photo update this time! But more will follow when we're back. Bye for now - stay cool if you're in a hot zone like we are! hamilton

Wow - the time, trouble and revision was definitely worth it - for these result and I imagine for all the other frames you'll have to assemble! Looking forward to watching this one come together - I saw another one of these from an MSW member and can't recall who, unfortunately (sorry to you if you're reading this!) and it builds into a really nice model. Have fun! hamilton

Thanks all for this feedback! Ron - these pictures are very clarifying in terms of the lug rig set-up - especially for the downhaul. Spyglass - that link is also extremely useful - I guess I didn't dig deeply enough during my own searches!! Thanks again all for the info! hamilton