Richard44

You could also put cling wrap on the edge of the bulkhead to prevent the planks being glued to them.

Hi, This is a build log of Panart’s 1/16 scale, Armed Pinnace, though as I commenced this model quite a number of years ago, the log actually starts from where I finished back then. If I’d known then what I know now about model ship/boat building, I would have approached the build of this kit somewhat differently. I would have planked the hull using scale lengths, for instance. Also I would have thought ahead about the colour scheme and painted/stained various parts before assembling. I’d finished the basic triple-planked hull construction and done a reasonable amount of work on the interior. I was however not happy with the wood supplied for the outer planking as I thought the grain was too obvious for my liking. The instructions say that this wood is walnut, but it looks as if it might be beech with a very pronounced flecked grain. I did use this for the hull below the waterline as this is to be painted and the grain won’t be a problem. Above the waterline I used walnut strips which I had available. The two different types of wood can be clearly seen in the photos. Several drop planks can be seen at the bow in the photo below. Other build logs mention a problem with the foredeck being undersized, but I cannot remember if I had that particular problem, though the appearance of the deck as I’ve built it, does not quite match the drawing on the plan. This may affect the installation of the gun slide, so we’ll see. As well as the hull planking, I’d finished installing the ribs, the stringers, the decks, planking at the stern and bow and fashioned and glued in place the bow hatch. The instructions actually say to fit the cap rail (that goes on top of the planking and the ribs) before putting the ribs in place, but this would have been extremely awkward as the ribs would have had to butt up against both the deck and the cap rail. Very fiddly indeed. Instead the ribs were installed and easily trimmed at the top ready for the cap rail at a later date. Then the next thing to do was to reacquaint myself with the plans and the instructions, the latter not being the greatest. The infill blocks between the ribs at deck level were installed and the decorative nails at the rib/stringer junctions were pushed home after drilling pilot holes. The supplied nails were shortened as they were not meant to penetrate all the way through the planking. The stern hatch cover was made and glued in place. The shuttering was then made. This was actually the very last of the instructions, which doesn’t make sense as these need to be fitted before the interior of the boat, including the cannon carriage and slide, is completed. I also didn’t follow the instructions anyway, but simply fitted and glued the transverse planks directly to the deck. The cutouts from the deck that I should have used, gluing the planks to these before putting the shutter in place, had gone missing anyway. The shutters completely installed but not yet sanded. The anti-slip strips were cut to size and glued onto the shutters. A strip of wood was taped to the shutters to allow the strips to be aligned. The partly assembled gratings, which will cover the four remaining holes in the deck, are also visible in the above photo. These will be the subject of the next post. Cheers. Richard

Ok Glenn, I was a bit worried there 😀.

Er, Glenn..., I could be horribly wrong here, but haven't you got the lower trestle tree upside down? Richard

Hi Scott, I built this kit about 35 years ago, so my memory is a little vague. But I think that if you check the height of the mizzen mast as shown on the kit plan, it is quite a bit less than the height that Marquardt argues is correct. He goes into a fair bit of detail about this. Cheers Richard

I have one of the Perma Grit tools - a sanding block with coarse on one side and fine on the other, though I now rarely use the coarse side. I bought this about 25 years ago and it has been well and truly used, initially on RC model aircraft and now on model ships. Neither side has worn out, and I was actually using it this morning (the fine side, along with normal sandpaper). Like all tools, this sanding block has its uses, but it won't do everything 😀. Cheers Richard

Way back in 2000, I visited New Zealand and had the chance to look at the preserved remains of the Edwin Fox at Picton. I took photos, but as I wasn't interested in building model ships at that time, the photos are more general than specific for modelling purposes. A selection is below. It is interesting to note the external planking of the hull - double planked, with the second layer being vertical amidships and then fanning out fore and aft. The hull was also coppered and one photo clearly shows the difference in appearance of the copper plates depending on whether they were above or below the waterline. Internally, there is a lot of iron bracing. The following text is courtesy of Wikipedia. Edwin Fox is the world's second oldest surviving merchant sailing ship, and the only surviving ship that transported convicts to Australia. She is unique in that she is the "only intact hull of a wooden deepwater sailing ship built to British specifications surviving in the world outside the Falkland Islands". Edwin Fox carried settlers to both Australia and New Zealand and carried troops in the Crimean War. The ship is dry-docked at The Edwin Fox Maritime Centre at Picton in New Zealand. She was built of teak in Calcutta in 1853 and her maiden voyage was to London via the Cape of Good Hope. She then went into service in the Crimean War as a troop ship, and later carrying passengers and cargo. In 1856 she began her first voyage to Melbourne, Australia, carrying passengers, then moved to trading between Chinese ports. In 1858 she was chartered by the British Government as a convict ship bound for Fremantle, Western Australia. In 1867 she was converted from a full-rigged ship to a barque, and from 1873 served on the emigrant route to New Zealand, making four voyages. Edwin Fox was overtaken by the age of steam, and in the 1880s she was refitted as a floating freezer hulk for the booming sheep industry in New Zealand. She was towed to Picton in the South Island on 1897 where she initially continued as a freezer ship, before being further dismembered in 1905 when converted into a coal store hulk. By this time she had long since lost her rigging and masts, and suffered holes cut in her sides and the removal of most fittings. The ship was in use until 1950, then abandoned to rot at her moorings. In 1965 she was bought by the Edwin Fox Society for the nominal sum of one shilling. In 1967 she was towed to Shakespeare Bay where she remained for the next 20 years. After much further fundraising the ship was refloated and towed to her final home, a dry dock on the Picton waterfront. She floated in and the dock was drained to begin restoration. Initially it was planned to restore the ship completely, replacing rigging and refurbishing the interior. It has since been decided that this is not practical, not only for reasons of finance but because the timbers required are no longer available. She is thus preserved as a hull with an adjacent informative museum.