Ras Ambrioso

Excellent work. you are doing a lot more than I did on my Emma. K eep it up. i’ll follow your progress

PJG, you are amazing. I would also like to know your weather technique. Today spent some time making cran baskets using a technique I picked up in this forum. I have taken pictures of the fabrication sequence and will publish them when I complete the task. My idea is to present my Fifie like if it had reached the dock and started the unloading. I got the idea from the following photo: Also I have a question about the rings or the handles on the hold cover boards. In looking at a bunch of pictures I only found one boat with handle on the board and it was not a Fifie. All the boats seem to have just plain boards. It to me seems that the boards will stack better without any projections on their surface. I cannot figure out how do they take the first board off. On my boat I thought of just making a handhold embedded in the top of the board. Something that you see on work boats decks. I will make a sketch and publish it in my build. Your work is extraordinary

B.E. congratulations on your beautiful Zulu. I have read you complete build and have learned a lot that will help me in my current Fifie (1/32) project. Your detailing is magnificent. Good job

Since my last post I have assembled the false deck. I dry fitted it first and then glued it. I found it difficult to keep the deck down meeting the frames using clamps since some frames did not have enough reach and others weren't accessible. I tried the nails but they were too short and I couldn't get enough grip with them. Then I remembered that I had some screw clamps from Micromark and that I had used on for planking my Emma C Berry. They did a great job of pushing the deck against the frames. But, there is always a but, I only had 10 of them and I was using all of them in just a quarter of the deck. Therefore, it took me another three days to finish the four quarters. I then tried to buy more of these wonderful clamps but Micromark does not carry them any more, even though they show in their latest catalog. I am inquiring with them as we speak. But, again, since I am retired, I am in no hurry to complete this project, I am enjoying the build and everyday I find a new question to be researched. Today I finishing gluing the last quarter of the deck and officially started planking. I set the top plant on the bulwarks gluing only the ends with CA waiting for the my 10 screw clamps to continue planking. This is the first attempt with nails These are my screw clamps This is my first plank after fairing the frames. I really love the shape of the shear in this boat. An observation. As the deck was set, I noticed how short the bulwarks are and started to worry about having made a mistake. I took one of my new crew members and set it on the plans. As you see below the top of the railing is just below the guys knees. So, I went back to my research photos and, lo and behold, there are the real guys barely clearing the rails. It must have been hell to go to the North sea during a storm without railings. Any way, my hat goes to those fishermen

Super cool video PJG. I also found in my research some information about the so call "pound boards". This boards, as shown in the kit, compartmentalize the deck around the hold. For what I see, the nets are shaken up as the net is brought on deck. Lots of people need to be helping since it will be necessary to untie the floats and the messenger line that is being drawn by the capstan fwd. The two guys by the rail shake off the fish into the compartmented "pound" while the rest of the crew pulls the net either on deck or to the hold. After they have brought all the net on board they will shovel the fish to the hold via the scuttle hatches. Once the fish is on the hold they may also be compartmentalized. Once on back to the dock they will fill the "cran" baskets to measure and unload the catch. As you see it is a very intensive hand labor job. For what I've read later in the 20th century they started building large motorized boats that will have prepare the fish on board and it may be a mostly mechanized labor.

I did more research on the winch/capstan.The ones shown for the Fifie were made by Elliott & Garroods and a small two cylinder steam engine is located on the upper section of the capstan. The capstan shaft is hollow and the steam supply pipe runs through the center from the boiler below deck. The steam is exhausted from the foot of the capstan and piped to the bulkwark.

GB, thanks for your great description of sail making. I had a lot of trouble fixing the reef lines on my previous Emma Berry. Finally, I did exactly whaat you did but gluing the lines vertical became a mess. For my Fifie I was going to make each side independent with a little knot at the end. R Then I would glue the knots on each side if the hole in the sail. Let's see how this works out. You have great model there

Continued the build by assembling the frames. Dry fitted the frames and used the decks and side pieces to verify. Then I glued the frames and replaced, without glue, the deck and sides to help keep everything in place. I was really amazed as to how accurate the laser cut parts are. Only had a little difficulty with frame #11 aft where I had to sand the slot a little bit. Also faired the pieces fwd and aft pieces that will establish the bearding line (?)

I did more research on the winch/capstan.The ones shown for the Fifie were made by Elliott & Garroods and a small two cylinder steam engine is located on the upper section of the capstan. The capstan shaft is hollow and the steam supply pipe runs through the center from the boiler below deck. The steam is exhausted from the foot of the capstan and piped to the bulkwark. It appears that there is a valve on the top for the steam and a lever that I assume is the clutch. Folowing is a model that shows the valve and lever. And they definitely used it to retrieve the net's messenger cable and help with the sails

I also love you little man. BTW we call Bradenton our secret paradise. Life is good

I have been researching the steam capstan use in the Fifies and to date have found no data as to where is the engine. It seems that the vertical winch/capstan in the Amati kit and and a few of the other builds I've seen are driven from below deck. The rectangular box on the top of the winch must be the gear box. There is also only one steam line coming from the hold which I figure is the exhaust steam from the engine. Does any of you know where is the engine and how does it looks? And also, how do they control this winch?

Thanks for your reply. I will look closely at the Zulu. Also Please forget some misspelling in my previous post. I was trying to do it fast and the computer played its game. Sorry.

The keel is complete and I started beveling the frames prior to installation. As I go through the construction of this Fifie I have been doing a lot of research on details typical to Scottish fishing. I have learned, or at least thing I know, about the nets an its handling while searching for herring. And i want to convey some of the ion my model. To that effect I figured I will provide a crew possibly retrieving the nets. To tis effect I have been exploring the net for sailor figures. To date most of the figures, and there are thousands of them, are from the l military or for the civilian life. I understand that, if you have the talent, these figures could be sculpted to represent fishermen. Well, I am not very good at carving so, again, I searched the net. I found two suppliers and ordered the figures. One is from China the other from France. I am still expecting the delivery from China but today I got the french. And they are beautiful. The scale of these figures is actually 1/30 which translates to about a 6'1" man which is not bad for a tough Scotttish fisherman. Here is the way they look on my recently completed Emma C. Berry. Notice that guy is holding a fish. How is that for reality? Interestedly enough the other crew from China is going to be more of a cartoon. I'll show it here when I get it. I don't know if it is Ok to identify the vendors in this forum but I would be happy to name them and give their address.

Outstanding. Thanks for the picture

Big dan I noticed you have a half cran basket hanging on the derrick. Great , great detail. I just learned what a "half cran" is: its a weaved basket carrying roughly 27 gals of fish. How did you make them? Also noticed the location of the "mulgogger" (rollers) to bring the "warp" of the net. Seems to me that they may be movable. Forward when paying off the net and Midship when shooting the nets. Good detail also. Keep going, I'm way behind you

I have a of question PJG. Where does the capstan get their steam? From the boiler and there should be a feed pipe to the capstan and also a condensate line line from the capstan to the sea. I have not seen this detail on any other build, plan or picture. And thanks for you excellent example in modeling

Thanks all for the good words. Your work has been my inspiration.

This build began by building the ship's cradle . I figured I would need it while doing the planking. I also plan to build a base in which to keep the keel vertical while installing the frames. Something similar to what I used to build the Emma C. Berry. For the time being I am using a straight plank to assemble the keel. The plank was covered with wax paper but I found this keel to be a little less simple that what it appeared. The reinforcing pieces are fastened to both sides using dowels and this made necessary to provide filler at the ends to to keep the keel lever. I used a lot of clamps to secure the keel in order to keep it straight. However, when I removed the clamps I have noticed a slight bowing of the keel. I hope this will straighten out unce I set the frames.

I have been researching this build for some time while working on other projects and I have been checking on this forum to obtain valuable information. I just finished my Emma C Berry and have started the Fifie. I have opened the box, check the materials, and studied the plans and instruction so I will not bother with pictures of these items. My first task was to mark the MDF forms with their respective numbers before I removed them. This is done. Then I assembled and cold fitted the cradle to hold the model after which, I glued it, primed and painted a dark brown. These will be my first pictures

Garcia, I have been following JPG. An excellent build. have learned a lot from him. For the rest of my followers, I have to announce that today, at noon, I have completed my interpretation of the Emma C Berry kit. It has taken me a long time but from the moment I found this forum I have been inspired to work on it and finally completed it. There will a few heres and theres as time go bye but now I am full steam ahead into the Fifie. I will start a new build log as soon as I collect some more pictures. I cannot thank you enough for all the information, tips, details and encouragement that this forum has given me. I have always heard a saying: "you cannot teach an old man new tricks" but they were wrong I am super old and I have learned a lot from y'all. Thanks.

My model is the Amati. And BTW, today I assembled and painted the cradle. Progress!!!!

I Just picked up on your build. Congrats. Very nice work and I love your extra details, specially the maroon sails which appear on most of the Fifie's photos I have seen. Thanks a lot for your little video too. I am getting ready to start on my own Fifie. Cheers

Thanks ccoyle. I missed that middle "C"

Congrats on your build. I wish I have waited till you started your Emma before I started mine. I had trouble aligning the frames and afterward I had to shave the bevel in situ which was a not fun. My biggest problem was the planking and what I failed to do was to keep track of the thickness of the planks as I planked. The result was using tons of putty and lots of sanding. Same problem with transomThe plans showed the approximate bevel for each frame but you actually calculated it accurately. So my hat goes to science.

By the way, Garcia. Do you have anything to do with Model Expo? They have been my favorite supplier on this buid