shipmodel

Finally it’s painted.  Filler, sand, filler, sand and sand and sand, then paint, mask and more paint . . . finally.  Well here it is.    
 
Oh, yes.  I still need to add that gold stripe.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

Thank you all for the "likes"
 
Sailor, thanks for the compliment.
 
Denis, Thanks, I really do enjoy working with Metal, although it does have its quirks.
 
today I unclamped the strips for the cockpit cap and began to think about the next steps which led me to cut a wider strip of a slightly thinner piece measuring .259 high x .040 inches thick which will be glued to the inside first to act as a lip for the top strips which are .190 x .050 inches. I did try using a curling iron but it was a bit too big in diameter, the Admiral was at work (shhh) I ended up plugging in the soldering station dialing back the temperature to about the half way point on the dial. slowly moved it back and forth whilst applying pressure to the strip to freehand the curves. It was then clamped into the cockpit to dry.
 

 
While it was drying I cut a short 2 1/2 inch section off the 3 inch diameter log of English Boxwood  Buxus sempervirens to make some larger blocks for the boom and the main sheet the top one will be a triple and the lower a double both 8 inches in scale. after squaring it up I cut some pieces which are 3/4 x 1/8 inches by 2 1/2 inches long laying out the ovals for the blocks, it occurred to me that I would end up with a larger more useful offcut if I drew the ovals at each end of the wood.
 

 
As I was fretting the ovals out it dawned on me that there were two cleats just hidden there waiting to be found, I think seeing Doris' wood cleats must have been lurking there in my subconscious.
 

 
I was happy to make this discovery and now I will have a few cleats to shape up as well.
 
Michael
 
 
 
 

Sailor I checked out the net , what a great bunch of images for shackles.
 
Used to sail, Thanks.
 
Nils thanks, I need quite a few it seems.
 
Today I did some work on the cockpit cap, I soaked some spruce for an hour or so while I made a former to bend the wood.
 
I will be using 5 strips to create the rough form once they are prepared I will glue them together.
 
I used a sheet of 6 mm aircraft ply to make the basic shape and bolted it to a sheet of 6mm plex
 

 
The sharp corners were not easy and I think that I will need to bend up a few more strips I did these first ones cold but I will use some hot pieces for the next strips I clamped them using some drop in pegs and wedges.
 

 

 
Michael
 
 
 

Hi Mark -
 
Best of success with the small boat.  Since you are using a lift method for their hulls, here is a tip from Dynamite Payson that I have used with good success:  You probably know it already, but if not, it's one to add to your toolbox.
 
Once you have carved the outer shape of the boat, get a strong light source and hold the boat up to it as you carve the inner shape.  When it starts to get to the right thickness you will see light coming through.  The strength of the light will show you where you have different thicknesses of wood and where you have to thin it some more.
 
Hope that helps.
 
Dan

Mark -
 
That should work well, given your usual excellent workmanship.  Looking forward to seeing it.
 
Dan

Hi Mark -
 
Best of success with the small boat.  Since you are using a lift method for their hulls, here is a tip from Dynamite Payson that I have used with good success:  You probably know it already, but if not, it's one to add to your toolbox.
 
Once you have carved the outer shape of the boat, get a strong light source and hold the boat up to it as you carve the inner shape.  When it starts to get to the right thickness you will see light coming through.  The strength of the light will show you where you have different thicknesses of wood and where you have to thin it some more.
 
Hope that helps.
 
Dan

This ship's boat business is giving me serious pause for reflection.  I at first thought: "Well, I've got a couple of the ME low-budget ship's boat kits...."   But they are too generic and not right.  If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right.
 
This first pic shows the kit boat with a new keel I thought I'd use...
 

 
So it's in the scrap box...
 
I dug through Frolich's book, re-examined the plans, and also looked at the Bonhomme Richard plans.  Seems the French pretty much standardized what boats and sized them accordingly.  I dug some more on the best way to do this... Frolich, Bello, various builds here on MSW, etc.  Ah-ha!!! Lifts!
 
After scaling the plans appropriately for all three boats, I generated a set of lifts for the longboat.  The barge and cutter will follow if this works.     The other alternative is to generate a series of bulkheads/frames like Chuck designed for his boats but I'm trying the lifts first.  The one thing that I'll change between the plans and the build is the framing wood dimension.  The plans show the frames to be 1/32" X 1/32" (~0.5 mm).. I've tried but I can't cut wood that small, so I'll be using 1/16" X 1/16"(~1 mm) for the frames.  Here's where I am now... cutting out the lifts on wood of the appropriate thickness.  There's also a small pile of cherry cut to the frame size and a wide strip for the keel, etc.
 

 
Now to go see where this path leads.... 

Bob, Thank you for your compliment I really appreciate it.
 
Doris, thank you very much for your kindness I continue to draw some of my inspiration from the very high standards that you are setting.
 
Yesterday and today I spent most of the days working on some new shackles, I mentioned the cone cup centre, the first picture shows getting the blanks ready for necking down by machining the 60 degree bevel on both ends.
 

 
With the cone centre set in the tailstock and the blank clamped in the three jaw chuck the first step down is started in the middle of the 3/16 free machining brass blank and the form tool cuts down to the finished diameter in 2 passes the tool is prevented from running into the chuck by an adjustable stop that engages with the carriage.
 

 
The stock is removed from the three jaw and end for ended and re clamped in the three jaw without moving the cone centre, this ensures that the ends are machined to the same length (mostly)
 

 

 
the next picture shows the centre with one of the blanks after the first stage of the machining the outer ends are then shaped with the same form tool to round them off
 

 
After the second stage with the ends rounded
 

 
Next they set up on a heat sink so that both ends could be annealed prior to squashing flat.
 

 
The flattening was done with the Milling machine vice.
 

 
A pin was machined from the 1/8 hex stock threaded 2x56 and then flattened for the finger pad finally drilled and cleaned up with the wire wheel.
 
The bending was done in the same manner as the previous shackles with the round nosed pliers.
 
The next picture shows 3 slightly different sizes hung up ready for service,
 

 
Michael
 
 
 
 

Hi all.  Thanks for the likes and the compliments.  They helped me weather the weather this snowy winter.
 
The last time I showed the hull was at the end of January, and it looked like this.
 

 
Here is how it looked five weeks later, including getting snowed in for a week with the model in the shipyard.  This is how it got there.
 

 
After the bulwark pieces were cut, fitted and bent to shape, they were left to dry completely, then removed from the hull so the deck structure could be addressed.  After carefully levelling and squaring the building board and the model on it, the level was placed across the deck.   The symmetry and camber of the deck was read under the straight lower edge of the level.
 

 
To insure that the readings were accurate I drew the centerline and a series of perpendicular lines athwartships.  The level was placed on each line and high spots were identified then sanded down.  Using the lines and the edges of the basswood lifts as guides, the deck surface was smoothed and given the proper camber and sheer.
 

 
Now I prepared the model for its ultimate mounting.  It was flipped over and I drilled two ¾” holes into the centerline and about 2 inches deep, spaced well apart.  Into them I glued 1 inch long pieces of dowel that had been drilled out to accept 3/16” T-nuts on their upper end.  They were mounted so they came just proud of the surface of the hull.  Once the glue was dry they were sanded flush. 
 
The stem, keel and sternpost were cut and fitted.  They are 3/8” maple and secured with bamboo pegs into the hull.  No attempt to make scarf joints was made since the lower hull below the waterline will be shown with a coating of “white stuff” as teredo protection. Matching holes were drilled in the keel to allow 3/16” bolts or threaded rod to screw into the T-nuts to hold the model down to its ultimate cradle. 
 
Unfortunately I did not pause to record this work.  I was distracted by a very pretty assistant, a friend of my granddaughters, who showed some real interest in what I was doing.  To her I am Poppy Dan the Boat Man.  She was that third hand that comes in so handy from time to time.  Maybe she will keep at it.
 

 
She has just helped me install the aft bulwark pieces into their final homes.  They are glued into the rabbets in the lower hull and pinned with bamboo dowels.   Temporary internal supports are screwed to the deck to maintain the 13 degree tumblehome.
 
Next I turned to the gunports.  On my gun station practice piece I cut out the opening cleanly on the band saw.  This was impossible with the bulwarks, so the openings were roughed out with a zip-bit in a Dremel.  It made quick work of cutting the openings, but was prone to wandering, especially when it crossed one of the slots for the kerf bending of the bulwarks.  These  were squared up with a rasp and various files.
 
Unfortunately, my skills were not adequate to squaring and locating the openings precisely, nor smoothing them well enough to fit the inner lining tube.  I reasoned that if the lining tube would give me a square opening, then a larger tube would give me a square frame for the lining.  I put together a tube for the frames from 1/8” basswood which was sized so the lining tube slid neatly inside it.
 

 
Now a larger opening could be cut in the bulwarks and the frame located inside it.  The frame could be adjusted within the opening with shims before being glued in place. The inner lining tube was slipped through to insure that the frame was set vertically and at the correct height.
 

 
All of the port side gunports were done in this way.  The lining tube was used again for the starboard ports to make sure that they matched the port side in location and height.
 

 
Not only were the ports matched using the lining tube, but with the cannon that will ultimately be installed through them.
 

 
At the forward end of the bulwark pieces a slot was cut up its edge before it was installed.  A matching slot was cut in the aft edge of the forward bulwark pieces and a hardwood spline inserted across the joint to align the pieces and prevent future movement under the planking. 
 

 

 
The forward pieces were installed and pinned in place, the spline glued between the pieces.  The two forward gunport frames were cut, dressed and installed as before.  At the stern the transom piece was installed and blocks for the counter were cut, installed, and smoothed, ready to be covered by planking.
 
The upper two inches of the bulwarks all around were sanded to narrow the top edge to scale 9” and a hollow was sanded into the exterior of the aft bulwark at about the level of the gunports.  The effect is subtle, but the combination of the two operations created the shallow “S” curve and tapered top timber shape seen in the plans.
 
The entire exterior of the hull was filled with Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty as were the kerf slots on the inside of the bulwarks in all areas that will be visible in the finished model.  Several rounds of sanding, filling, and more sanding were necessary to get the lower hull to a proper smoothness. 
 

 
When it was done the filled areas were hardened with Minwax Wood Hardener for strength and longevity.  When it was dry there was a final sanding and a first priming.  This revealed some more spots that needed to be filled, sanded and hardened.  After a few more rounds the hull was given a final priming ready for painting.
 

 
Looking at the plans it is clear that the lines of planking all take their curves from the line of the main wale.  I decided to define this with the top edge of the hull paint as a test of the location and sweep of the curve.  It was plotted from the plans and masked off above the line.  Several coats of off-white enamel were sprayed on, giving the lower hull a hard finish that will support the final color coats.   The demarcation line for the wale looked good .
 

 

 

 
Finally, the fun of planking and detailing the hull can begin.
 
Dan

Hah! Catch them young. Hopefully the young lady will become a future Doris, Toni, or Sherry….

Thanks for the "likes"...
 
Sam,
I'm happy with the way this is going.  Really happy. 
 
Mobbsie,
I was hoping for some wise words... but I'm glad you like what you see. 
 
 
Update time,  yippee!!!
 
The backbone is complete.  (Almost.. forgot to finish trim the keel at the stern according to the picture).  The stem has been appropriately (I think) tapered and now attached to the keel.   The deadwood was made from the cherry since I didn't have any boxwood thin enough and attached along with the sternpost.   And, an rudder blank has been made. 
 
I discovered that misinterpreted the plans on V 1.0 for the stern deadwood and the sternpost.  The deadwood on V 2.0 isn't tapered but the sternpost and keel need to be.  It appears that the best way will be after planking when the planks, keel and sternpost can all be done at once.  Or least that's the way it appears in the Hahn photos.... 
 
I can now go wander off and fiddle with cleaning up the salvage parts, maybe make some bits and pieces, etc. while waiting for my framing wood to show up. 
 

Hi all.  Thanks for the likes and the compliments.  They helped me weather the weather this snowy winter.
 
The last time I showed the hull was at the end of January, and it looked like this.
 

 
Here is how it looked five weeks later, including getting snowed in for a week with the model in the shipyard.  This is how it got there.
 

 
After the bulwark pieces were cut, fitted and bent to shape, they were left to dry completely, then removed from the hull so the deck structure could be addressed.  After carefully levelling and squaring the building board and the model on it, the level was placed across the deck.   The symmetry and camber of the deck was read under the straight lower edge of the level.
 

 
To insure that the readings were accurate I drew the centerline and a series of perpendicular lines athwartships.  The level was placed on each line and high spots were identified then sanded down.  Using the lines and the edges of the basswood lifts as guides, the deck surface was smoothed and given the proper camber and sheer.
 

 
Now I prepared the model for its ultimate mounting.  It was flipped over and I drilled two ¾” holes into the centerline and about 2 inches deep, spaced well apart.  Into them I glued 1 inch long pieces of dowel that had been drilled out to accept 3/16” T-nuts on their upper end.  They were mounted so they came just proud of the surface of the hull.  Once the glue was dry they were sanded flush. 
 
The stem, keel and sternpost were cut and fitted.  They are 3/8” maple and secured with bamboo pegs into the hull.  No attempt to make scarf joints was made since the lower hull below the waterline will be shown with a coating of “white stuff” as teredo protection. Matching holes were drilled in the keel to allow 3/16” bolts or threaded rod to screw into the T-nuts to hold the model down to its ultimate cradle. 
 
Unfortunately I did not pause to record this work.  I was distracted by a very pretty assistant, a friend of my granddaughters, who showed some real interest in what I was doing.  To her I am Poppy Dan the Boat Man.  She was that third hand that comes in so handy from time to time.  Maybe she will keep at it.
 

 
She has just helped me install the aft bulwark pieces into their final homes.  They are glued into the rabbets in the lower hull and pinned with bamboo dowels.   Temporary internal supports are screwed to the deck to maintain the 13 degree tumblehome.
 
Next I turned to the gunports.  On my gun station practice piece I cut out the opening cleanly on the band saw.  This was impossible with the bulwarks, so the openings were roughed out with a zip-bit in a Dremel.  It made quick work of cutting the openings, but was prone to wandering, especially when it crossed one of the slots for the kerf bending of the bulwarks.  These  were squared up with a rasp and various files.
 
Unfortunately, my skills were not adequate to squaring and locating the openings precisely, nor smoothing them well enough to fit the inner lining tube.  I reasoned that if the lining tube would give me a square opening, then a larger tube would give me a square frame for the lining.  I put together a tube for the frames from 1/8” basswood which was sized so the lining tube slid neatly inside it.
 

 
Now a larger opening could be cut in the bulwarks and the frame located inside it.  The frame could be adjusted within the opening with shims before being glued in place. The inner lining tube was slipped through to insure that the frame was set vertically and at the correct height.
 

 
All of the port side gunports were done in this way.  The lining tube was used again for the starboard ports to make sure that they matched the port side in location and height.
 

 
Not only were the ports matched using the lining tube, but with the cannon that will ultimately be installed through them.
 

 
At the forward end of the bulwark pieces a slot was cut up its edge before it was installed.  A matching slot was cut in the aft edge of the forward bulwark pieces and a hardwood spline inserted across the joint to align the pieces and prevent future movement under the planking. 
 

 

 
The forward pieces were installed and pinned in place, the spline glued between the pieces.  The two forward gunport frames were cut, dressed and installed as before.  At the stern the transom piece was installed and blocks for the counter were cut, installed, and smoothed, ready to be covered by planking.
 
The upper two inches of the bulwarks all around were sanded to narrow the top edge to scale 9” and a hollow was sanded into the exterior of the aft bulwark at about the level of the gunports.  The effect is subtle, but the combination of the two operations created the shallow “S” curve and tapered top timber shape seen in the plans.
 
The entire exterior of the hull was filled with Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty as were the kerf slots on the inside of the bulwarks in all areas that will be visible in the finished model.  Several rounds of sanding, filling, and more sanding were necessary to get the lower hull to a proper smoothness. 
 

 
When it was done the filled areas were hardened with Minwax Wood Hardener for strength and longevity.  When it was dry there was a final sanding and a first priming.  This revealed some more spots that needed to be filled, sanded and hardened.  After a few more rounds the hull was given a final priming ready for painting.
 

 
Looking at the plans it is clear that the lines of planking all take their curves from the line of the main wale.  I decided to define this with the top edge of the hull paint as a test of the location and sweep of the curve.  It was plotted from the plans and masked off above the line.  Several coats of off-white enamel were sprayed on, giving the lower hull a hard finish that will support the final color coats.   The demarcation line for the wale looked good .
 

 

 

 
Finally, the fun of planking and detailing the hull can begin.
 
Dan

Hi all.  Thanks for the likes and the compliments.  They helped me weather the weather this snowy winter.
 
The last time I showed the hull was at the end of January, and it looked like this.
 

 
Here is how it looked five weeks later, including getting snowed in for a week with the model in the shipyard.  This is how it got there.
 

 
After the bulwark pieces were cut, fitted and bent to shape, they were left to dry completely, then removed from the hull so the deck structure could be addressed.  After carefully levelling and squaring the building board and the model on it, the level was placed across the deck.   The symmetry and camber of the deck was read under the straight lower edge of the level.
 

 
To insure that the readings were accurate I drew the centerline and a series of perpendicular lines athwartships.  The level was placed on each line and high spots were identified then sanded down.  Using the lines and the edges of the basswood lifts as guides, the deck surface was smoothed and given the proper camber and sheer.
 

 
Now I prepared the model for its ultimate mounting.  It was flipped over and I drilled two ¾” holes into the centerline and about 2 inches deep, spaced well apart.  Into them I glued 1 inch long pieces of dowel that had been drilled out to accept 3/16” T-nuts on their upper end.  They were mounted so they came just proud of the surface of the hull.  Once the glue was dry they were sanded flush. 
 
The stem, keel and sternpost were cut and fitted.  They are 3/8” maple and secured with bamboo pegs into the hull.  No attempt to make scarf joints was made since the lower hull below the waterline will be shown with a coating of “white stuff” as teredo protection. Matching holes were drilled in the keel to allow 3/16” bolts or threaded rod to screw into the T-nuts to hold the model down to its ultimate cradle. 
 
Unfortunately I did not pause to record this work.  I was distracted by a very pretty assistant, a friend of my granddaughters, who showed some real interest in what I was doing.  To her I am Poppy Dan the Boat Man.  She was that third hand that comes in so handy from time to time.  Maybe she will keep at it.
 

 
She has just helped me install the aft bulwark pieces into their final homes.  They are glued into the rabbets in the lower hull and pinned with bamboo dowels.   Temporary internal supports are screwed to the deck to maintain the 13 degree tumblehome.
 
Next I turned to the gunports.  On my gun station practice piece I cut out the opening cleanly on the band saw.  This was impossible with the bulwarks, so the openings were roughed out with a zip-bit in a Dremel.  It made quick work of cutting the openings, but was prone to wandering, especially when it crossed one of the slots for the kerf bending of the bulwarks.  These  were squared up with a rasp and various files.
 
Unfortunately, my skills were not adequate to squaring and locating the openings precisely, nor smoothing them well enough to fit the inner lining tube.  I reasoned that if the lining tube would give me a square opening, then a larger tube would give me a square frame for the lining.  I put together a tube for the frames from 1/8” basswood which was sized so the lining tube slid neatly inside it.
 

 
Now a larger opening could be cut in the bulwarks and the frame located inside it.  The frame could be adjusted within the opening with shims before being glued in place. The inner lining tube was slipped through to insure that the frame was set vertically and at the correct height.
 

 
All of the port side gunports were done in this way.  The lining tube was used again for the starboard ports to make sure that they matched the port side in location and height.
 

 
Not only were the ports matched using the lining tube, but with the cannon that will ultimately be installed through them.
 

 
At the forward end of the bulwark pieces a slot was cut up its edge before it was installed.  A matching slot was cut in the aft edge of the forward bulwark pieces and a hardwood spline inserted across the joint to align the pieces and prevent future movement under the planking. 
 

 

 
The forward pieces were installed and pinned in place, the spline glued between the pieces.  The two forward gunport frames were cut, dressed and installed as before.  At the stern the transom piece was installed and blocks for the counter were cut, installed, and smoothed, ready to be covered by planking.
 
The upper two inches of the bulwarks all around were sanded to narrow the top edge to scale 9” and a hollow was sanded into the exterior of the aft bulwark at about the level of the gunports.  The effect is subtle, but the combination of the two operations created the shallow “S” curve and tapered top timber shape seen in the plans.
 
The entire exterior of the hull was filled with Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty as were the kerf slots on the inside of the bulwarks in all areas that will be visible in the finished model.  Several rounds of sanding, filling, and more sanding were necessary to get the lower hull to a proper smoothness. 
 

 
When it was done the filled areas were hardened with Minwax Wood Hardener for strength and longevity.  When it was dry there was a final sanding and a first priming.  This revealed some more spots that needed to be filled, sanded and hardened.  After a few more rounds the hull was given a final priming ready for painting.
 

 
Looking at the plans it is clear that the lines of planking all take their curves from the line of the main wale.  I decided to define this with the top edge of the hull paint as a test of the location and sweep of the curve.  It was plotted from the plans and masked off above the line.  Several coats of off-white enamel were sprayed on, giving the lower hull a hard finish that will support the final color coats.   The demarcation line for the wale looked good .
 

 

 

 
Finally, the fun of planking and detailing the hull can begin.
 
Dan

Hi all.  Thanks for the likes and the compliments.  They helped me weather the weather this snowy winter.
 
The last time I showed the hull was at the end of January, and it looked like this.
 

 
Here is how it looked five weeks later, including getting snowed in for a week with the model in the shipyard.  This is how it got there.
 

 
After the bulwark pieces were cut, fitted and bent to shape, they were left to dry completely, then removed from the hull so the deck structure could be addressed.  After carefully levelling and squaring the building board and the model on it, the level was placed across the deck.   The symmetry and camber of the deck was read under the straight lower edge of the level.
 

 
To insure that the readings were accurate I drew the centerline and a series of perpendicular lines athwartships.  The level was placed on each line and high spots were identified then sanded down.  Using the lines and the edges of the basswood lifts as guides, the deck surface was smoothed and given the proper camber and sheer.
 

 
Now I prepared the model for its ultimate mounting.  It was flipped over and I drilled two ¾” holes into the centerline and about 2 inches deep, spaced well apart.  Into them I glued 1 inch long pieces of dowel that had been drilled out to accept 3/16” T-nuts on their upper end.  They were mounted so they came just proud of the surface of the hull.  Once the glue was dry they were sanded flush. 
 
The stem, keel and sternpost were cut and fitted.  They are 3/8” maple and secured with bamboo pegs into the hull.  No attempt to make scarf joints was made since the lower hull below the waterline will be shown with a coating of “white stuff” as teredo protection. Matching holes were drilled in the keel to allow 3/16” bolts or threaded rod to screw into the T-nuts to hold the model down to its ultimate cradle. 
 
Unfortunately I did not pause to record this work.  I was distracted by a very pretty assistant, a friend of my granddaughters, who showed some real interest in what I was doing.  To her I am Poppy Dan the Boat Man.  She was that third hand that comes in so handy from time to time.  Maybe she will keep at it.
 

 
She has just helped me install the aft bulwark pieces into their final homes.  They are glued into the rabbets in the lower hull and pinned with bamboo dowels.   Temporary internal supports are screwed to the deck to maintain the 13 degree tumblehome.
 
Next I turned to the gunports.  On my gun station practice piece I cut out the opening cleanly on the band saw.  This was impossible with the bulwarks, so the openings were roughed out with a zip-bit in a Dremel.  It made quick work of cutting the openings, but was prone to wandering, especially when it crossed one of the slots for the kerf bending of the bulwarks.  These  were squared up with a rasp and various files.
 
Unfortunately, my skills were not adequate to squaring and locating the openings precisely, nor smoothing them well enough to fit the inner lining tube.  I reasoned that if the lining tube would give me a square opening, then a larger tube would give me a square frame for the lining.  I put together a tube for the frames from 1/8” basswood which was sized so the lining tube slid neatly inside it.
 

 
Now a larger opening could be cut in the bulwarks and the frame located inside it.  The frame could be adjusted within the opening with shims before being glued in place. The inner lining tube was slipped through to insure that the frame was set vertically and at the correct height.
 

 
All of the port side gunports were done in this way.  The lining tube was used again for the starboard ports to make sure that they matched the port side in location and height.
 

 
Not only were the ports matched using the lining tube, but with the cannon that will ultimately be installed through them.
 

 
At the forward end of the bulwark pieces a slot was cut up its edge before it was installed.  A matching slot was cut in the aft edge of the forward bulwark pieces and a hardwood spline inserted across the joint to align the pieces and prevent future movement under the planking. 
 

 

 
The forward pieces were installed and pinned in place, the spline glued between the pieces.  The two forward gunport frames were cut, dressed and installed as before.  At the stern the transom piece was installed and blocks for the counter were cut, installed, and smoothed, ready to be covered by planking.
 
The upper two inches of the bulwarks all around were sanded to narrow the top edge to scale 9” and a hollow was sanded into the exterior of the aft bulwark at about the level of the gunports.  The effect is subtle, but the combination of the two operations created the shallow “S” curve and tapered top timber shape seen in the plans.
 
The entire exterior of the hull was filled with Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty as were the kerf slots on the inside of the bulwarks in all areas that will be visible in the finished model.  Several rounds of sanding, filling, and more sanding were necessary to get the lower hull to a proper smoothness. 
 

 
When it was done the filled areas were hardened with Minwax Wood Hardener for strength and longevity.  When it was dry there was a final sanding and a first priming.  This revealed some more spots that needed to be filled, sanded and hardened.  After a few more rounds the hull was given a final priming ready for painting.
 

 
Looking at the plans it is clear that the lines of planking all take their curves from the line of the main wale.  I decided to define this with the top edge of the hull paint as a test of the location and sweep of the curve.  It was plotted from the plans and masked off above the line.  Several coats of off-white enamel were sprayed on, giving the lower hull a hard finish that will support the final color coats.   The demarcation line for the wale looked good .
 

 

 

 
Finally, the fun of planking and detailing the hull can begin.
 
Dan

Hi all.  Thanks for the likes and the compliments.  They helped me weather the weather this snowy winter.
 
The last time I showed the hull was at the end of January, and it looked like this.
 

 
Here is how it looked five weeks later, including getting snowed in for a week with the model in the shipyard.  This is how it got there.
 

 
After the bulwark pieces were cut, fitted and bent to shape, they were left to dry completely, then removed from the hull so the deck structure could be addressed.  After carefully levelling and squaring the building board and the model on it, the level was placed across the deck.   The symmetry and camber of the deck was read under the straight lower edge of the level.
 

 
To insure that the readings were accurate I drew the centerline and a series of perpendicular lines athwartships.  The level was placed on each line and high spots were identified then sanded down.  Using the lines and the edges of the basswood lifts as guides, the deck surface was smoothed and given the proper camber and sheer.
 

 
Now I prepared the model for its ultimate mounting.  It was flipped over and I drilled two ¾” holes into the centerline and about 2 inches deep, spaced well apart.  Into them I glued 1 inch long pieces of dowel that had been drilled out to accept 3/16” T-nuts on their upper end.  They were mounted so they came just proud of the surface of the hull.  Once the glue was dry they were sanded flush. 
 
The stem, keel and sternpost were cut and fitted.  They are 3/8” maple and secured with bamboo pegs into the hull.  No attempt to make scarf joints was made since the lower hull below the waterline will be shown with a coating of “white stuff” as teredo protection. Matching holes were drilled in the keel to allow 3/16” bolts or threaded rod to screw into the T-nuts to hold the model down to its ultimate cradle. 
 
Unfortunately I did not pause to record this work.  I was distracted by a very pretty assistant, a friend of my granddaughters, who showed some real interest in what I was doing.  To her I am Poppy Dan the Boat Man.  She was that third hand that comes in so handy from time to time.  Maybe she will keep at it.
 

 
She has just helped me install the aft bulwark pieces into their final homes.  They are glued into the rabbets in the lower hull and pinned with bamboo dowels.   Temporary internal supports are screwed to the deck to maintain the 13 degree tumblehome.
 
Next I turned to the gunports.  On my gun station practice piece I cut out the opening cleanly on the band saw.  This was impossible with the bulwarks, so the openings were roughed out with a zip-bit in a Dremel.  It made quick work of cutting the openings, but was prone to wandering, especially when it crossed one of the slots for the kerf bending of the bulwarks.  These  were squared up with a rasp and various files.
 
Unfortunately, my skills were not adequate to squaring and locating the openings precisely, nor smoothing them well enough to fit the inner lining tube.  I reasoned that if the lining tube would give me a square opening, then a larger tube would give me a square frame for the lining.  I put together a tube for the frames from 1/8” basswood which was sized so the lining tube slid neatly inside it.
 

 
Now a larger opening could be cut in the bulwarks and the frame located inside it.  The frame could be adjusted within the opening with shims before being glued in place. The inner lining tube was slipped through to insure that the frame was set vertically and at the correct height.
 

 
All of the port side gunports were done in this way.  The lining tube was used again for the starboard ports to make sure that they matched the port side in location and height.
 

 
Not only were the ports matched using the lining tube, but with the cannon that will ultimately be installed through them.
 

 
At the forward end of the bulwark pieces a slot was cut up its edge before it was installed.  A matching slot was cut in the aft edge of the forward bulwark pieces and a hardwood spline inserted across the joint to align the pieces and prevent future movement under the planking. 
 

 

 
The forward pieces were installed and pinned in place, the spline glued between the pieces.  The two forward gunport frames were cut, dressed and installed as before.  At the stern the transom piece was installed and blocks for the counter were cut, installed, and smoothed, ready to be covered by planking.
 
The upper two inches of the bulwarks all around were sanded to narrow the top edge to scale 9” and a hollow was sanded into the exterior of the aft bulwark at about the level of the gunports.  The effect is subtle, but the combination of the two operations created the shallow “S” curve and tapered top timber shape seen in the plans.
 
The entire exterior of the hull was filled with Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty as were the kerf slots on the inside of the bulwarks in all areas that will be visible in the finished model.  Several rounds of sanding, filling, and more sanding were necessary to get the lower hull to a proper smoothness. 
 

 
When it was done the filled areas were hardened with Minwax Wood Hardener for strength and longevity.  When it was dry there was a final sanding and a first priming.  This revealed some more spots that needed to be filled, sanded and hardened.  After a few more rounds the hull was given a final priming ready for painting.
 

 
Looking at the plans it is clear that the lines of planking all take their curves from the line of the main wale.  I decided to define this with the top edge of the hull paint as a test of the location and sweep of the curve.  It was plotted from the plans and masked off above the line.  Several coats of off-white enamel were sprayed on, giving the lower hull a hard finish that will support the final color coats.   The demarcation line for the wale looked good .
 

 

 

 
Finally, the fun of planking and detailing the hull can begin.
 
Dan

A sharp solution to the gun ports Dan.
 
Michael

Thank you all for your nice remarks and for all the likes.
 
Today I did do the eye-splice for the topping lift it was harder to do than I expected.
 

 

 
I eneded up gluing the ends of the three strands to create a stiff end to thread under the lay.
 

 
I found that it was a bit easier to have the rope clamped to the bench and then be able to pull on it while doing the threading
 

 
Looped over the boom
 

 

 

 

 
I also sanded the top of the cockpit walls ready to start on the cap.
 

 
The first piece of wood for the boat it was 2 years ago this month that I began building this cutter, this first picture of one of the frames was taken on March 9th 2012,  it seems like it was both yesterday and years ago at the same time.
 
Michael
 

Garry, Nils, and John, thank you for following along with the encouraging remarks.
 
I worked at building the boom rest at the base of the mast today. I began by reshaping a stick of very fine grained spruce firewood. I stuck it to a piece of fir with some carpet tape so that I could clamp it in the vice to plane it to shape.
 

 
Using just the block plane to start I rough shaped the stick to a sort of pear-drop type shape
 

 
Then switching to my long small chisel I cut the recess below the curve.
 

 
This was followed by a small gouge to completed the shaping, I decided not to sand the surface but to just leave the cut surface.

 
Another piece of the same firewood was used to make the top ring to fit around the mast, I glued the sections together 2 at a time without clamps but by rubbing the two surfaced together , I find this works just as well as clamping if not better in some cases.
 

 
The form piece was cut to short lengths to act as support blocks under the ring, their sides were hand sanded using the shooting board with a block of wood with sandpaper glued to it which acted like an sanding plane
 
The blocks and the two halves of the ring were then glued to the mast.
 
.
 
Walter's viewpoint
 

 
Tomorrow some parrel beads and then some more tackle. perhaps I will have a go at making the topping lift eye splice.
 
 
Michael

Sherry, thank you for your comment.
 
Bob don't sell yourself short your work is anything but.
 
John, not only long sleeves, but I had to put on some long pants my knees were gettin cold.
 
Denis, yes I do like making sawdust, it is good to be back at it.
 
S.os, Thanks for the compliment.
 
Greg, thanks there are so many here that keep raising the bar it is hard to keep up. I have nothing against the Joneses mind you.
 
Mark, thanks for your kind thoughts, and yes the wind is the kicker with these low temps, they were warning about serious wind chills about the Province some as low as -49 wind chill.
 
I finished the other reef comb and dropped in the sheaves they are 3/8th diameter and ebony.
 

 
The next picture shows the Lignum vitae sheave for the clew out-haul at the end of the boom. It has a 3/8 x 1/8 ball race.
 

 

 
The last one shows the rope that will be used for the adjustment I also notched the end of the boom for the Topping lift which will have a spliced eye to snug over the end of the boom.
 

 
Michael
 

Finished and placed on the ship....






 
Kind regards
Doris

Hi all,
 
The hull is finished.  When they rebuilt Lettie, which is what the drawings were taken from, the fore deck was raised to match the poop deck.  That’s why the deck measurement is longer.  They also extended the monkey rail all the way to the bow.  In trying to restore Lettie to original condition I installed the monkey rail around the stern, only up to the step in the deck.
 
I’m going to do something different this time.  I’m going to paint the hull and then install the deck.  On the one hand I won’t have to mask the deck; on the other it will be harder to sand the deck.  Well that’s how we learn.
 
Bob
 

 

 

Daniel, Mark, B.E., Nils thanks for stopping by and the kind rematks and thank you for all the "likes'
 
Nils that is a very beautiful looking hull, I shall have to have a look.
 
 
Dan I made my own here near the bottom of the page you can see how I made it. A lot of work for sure but I am reasonably pleased with the results. The simplest way produced the best rope. I did build a rope making machine here but in the end I did not like the results for the fine rope I will revisit the machine but for the time being the larger diameter that I am using I prefer the way I am making it now.
 
I now have to make some more blocks for the boom and associated lines, I can see that the blocks and shackles are going to keep me busy, but at least my newly finished little lathe that I started to build 43 years ago


will be handy now for the small diameter stuff because the Myford only goes so fast.
 

It was a lot of work but it needed to be finished, I am glad I took the time to get it done. it will make turning the small pins and shackle parts that much easier.
 
Michael
 

Hi Mark -
 
Coming along nicely, as everyone says.  v.2 will be a significant upgrade from v.1.  Then again, I'll be looking forward to v.3 . . v.4 . . v.5 . . :-))
 
As for the glue line, I don't think that you have to worry overmuch.  The human eye will fill in any missing sections when viewing the completed model.  The stem looks good as it is.  Your technique is working well.
 
One suggestion, derived from hard experience, is not to drill the bobstay holes yet.  Just pencil them in for now.  Their location will be determined by the final length of the bowsprit, the exact location of the collars, and the type and thickness of your ropes.  I have had to plug and relocate the hole for the inner bobstay when the stay fouled the stem and figurehead.  Now I wait till I am doing the rigging to drill the holes. Of course, if you are not planning on rigging her, then drill them where they look good and ignore this stray thought.
 
Be well.
 
Dan

Hi Mark -
 
Coming along nicely, as everyone says.  v.2 will be a significant upgrade from v.1.  Then again, I'll be looking forward to v.3 . . v.4 . . v.5 . . :-))
 
As for the glue line, I don't think that you have to worry overmuch.  The human eye will fill in any missing sections when viewing the completed model.  The stem looks good as it is.  Your technique is working well.
 
One suggestion, derived from hard experience, is not to drill the bobstay holes yet.  Just pencil them in for now.  Their location will be determined by the final length of the bowsprit, the exact location of the collars, and the type and thickness of your ropes.  I have had to plug and relocate the hole for the inner bobstay when the stay fouled the stem and figurehead.  Now I wait till I am doing the rigging to drill the holes. Of course, if you are not planning on rigging her, then drill them where they look good and ignore this stray thought.
 
Be well.
 
Dan

Today I finished tidying up the work area so that I now can work on either Skipjack or the pilot cutter now that both have their own tables. Rearranging things really does take a while it seems getting some of the model wood out of boxes and onto some additional shelving  makes it so much easier to work.
 

 

 
That done I was able to get the final gluing sorted for the new walls of the cockpit when it is good and set I will work on the top rail. Walter thought it was about time.
 

 

 
The gaff was re-threaded with some of the new rope, a fiddly job, and as I was working I kept thinking about the incredible amount of rigging on Nils' Clipper.
 
Then time to get the boom finished after some final shaping of the jaws, the holes were drilled for the strength bolts and for the slot to accommodate the plate for attaching the tack of the mainsail and the down-haul. because of the length I needed to add a support.
 

 
Once the holes were drilled I began gluing on the leather.
 

 
Then the leather was cut to allow for the wrapping.
 

 

 
after folding down the tabs and the final shaping the jaws end was given a liberal coating of Teak oil.
 

 
Left to right the new lines are the Gaff throat up-haul, peak halliard, jib shroud, gaff throat down-haul. Next I need to make the support for the boom on the mast.
 
Michael