SkiBee

Fairing the Hull: I did take my time to ensure that there were good transitions from bulkhead to bulkhead, something I learned from my first build. Also not to remove to much wood from the depth of the bulkhead frames. Planking: Even the first port sheer plank compound bend was a challenge, it seems to go well. There is not as much bend that I have seen in other builds but I think it will be ok. The instructions were misleading, the written instruction say to follow the drawn plans for the bend which was about a 1/8 inch below the top of the bulkhead, but then the written instructions say it should be a 1/16 inch drop. Mine start at about 1/16 inch in the middle few planks and then decreases to almost 0 at the transom and bow stem. I then glued the starboard sheer plank, but once dried it looked almost straight for most of the bulkheads and less then 1/16 inch. So out came the alcohol and will start over. As I was removing the plank, broke a small chunk out of the bulkhead frame, so glued in back in. Question for someone who has built this model: Started to look at how to trim the garboard plank and I don’t have a clue on how it should be ‘tapered toward the bow’. Most pictures show it curved and some show it a straight cut tapper. And if it is curved, how much?

This is the start of my second build, the ‘18th Century Long Boat’ by Model Shipways. I had bought this boat prior to reading some threads on this web site, which convinced me that my first build should be the ‘Lowell Grand Banks Dory’ by Shipways. This model was a fantastic first build; it was cheap, simple in design, covered a number of needed skills for the future, and allowed me to make a lot of mistakes on a cheap model. Even with the errors, I was very satisfied with the outcome and enjoyed the build. Actually, my first wood boat was a Model Shipways solid hull that I tried to build about 20 years ago. I never got past shaping the hull. I tried to start it a few times and always got frustrated since I didn’t know what to do or how to finish the hull. Now with COVID, I started building plastic airplane models again which I enjoy very much. But I wanted to do something different and thought about wood ship models. I always like how they looked in stores and really enjoyed them in the U.S. Naval Academy museum. So here I am with my second build, the ‘18th Century Long Boat’. I’ve tried to apply what I learned from t he Lowell Grand Banks Dory and this web site. False Keel: not sure I got the rabbet right, did it all by just sanding, we’ll see when I start planking. For a model that I’m sure a lot of beginners build, the instructions could use a lot more pictures. Didn’t look at other build logs until now. Attaching the Bulkheads: I built a simple jig to hold the keel while I glued the bulkhead on, learned that from this site. I applied a lot that I learned about the importance of getting the bulkheads plum and level from my first build and tried to apply here. I relied on a small 1/64 metal scale I had from the old days and did a lot of measurements on each bulkhead while the wood glue was setting. I also glued scrap wood pieces to the top of the waste bulkheads to keep them plum/level. This work extremely well since I could not figure a way to hold the bulkheads with the few clamps I have. Learned this from other build logs.

I had bought the ‘18th Century Long Boat’ by Model Shipways prior to reading some threads on this web site, which convinced me that my first build should be the ‘Lowell Grand Banks Dory’ by Shipways. This model was a fantastic first build; it was cheap, simple in design, covered a number of needed skills for the future, and allowed me to make a lot of mistakes on a cheap model. Another great thing about this model were the instructions, they were clear and very helpful and clear. Also, the build logs and other articles on this Web Site were extremely helpful. Even with the errors, I was very satisfied with the outcome and enjoyed the build. I would highly recommend that anyone new to model shipbuilding start with the Lowell Grand Banks Dory!!!!! Actually, my first wood boat was a Model Shipways solid hull that I tried to build about 20 years ago. I never got past shaping the hull. I tried to start it a few times and always got frustrated since I didn’t know what to do or how to finish the hull. Now with COVID, I started building plastic airplane models again which I enjoy very much. But I wanted to do something different and thought about wood ship models. I always like how they looked in stores and really enjoyed them in the U.S. Naval Academy museum.