EGL

Before we get to my (first!) build log— WOW, did Summer put a whammy on my building plans! I created my New Member Introduction and actually started my Dory back in April, hit a technical snag in May, and then all the normal and enjoyable summer activities kept me from putting any serious building in. Spent lots of time with the kids and grandkids, camping trips, ball games, concerts, cutting the lawn, etc. My "workshop" (just a small corner of the garage) had to do double-duty for household repairs, projects, and just plain junk collecting. Got it all cleared off this week, and finally got back at it tonight. Whoo-Whoo! I’m glad that I decided to start “small” with Model Shipways Lower Grand Banks Dory. It’s teaching me a lot—stuff that I knew I didn’t know, and some stuff that I thought I knew already. Been a great experience so far. There are a lot of logs already on this kit, and I’ve been reviewing them all(?) for hints and solutions. I know a lot of newbies like me are using these logs, so I’ll try not to repeat what’s already been presented. I’m sorry I have a lot of text here to catch up with where my build is; I hope it is useful for the other beginners.. Here goes. I assembled the bottom planks and cleats no problem. I thought of simulating the prototype nails like some builders have done (nice job!) but thought better for me to stick with the stock kit build. I’m afraid I may not have heeded the instructions closely enough on keeping the stem and stern knee square while removing the char, but I feel that I can make adjustments / repairs if I need later. (Sorry, I lost my photos of my part.) Overall, I’m having a time of it removing char from the parts—how much is enough, keeping the part square while I remove it, etc. I find that my fingers just don’t hold the part firmly enough to keep things from rocking, even while sliding the part along a guide (as shown in the instructions). I guess this will come with more practice? I’ve read lots of advice on the forum on this, using certain sandpaper grits, straight razors, x-acto blades (even sandblasting!). A special thank you to Mr. Passaro’s perspective and encouragement on this topic. I still don’t look forward to this part of the process. On adding the curve to the bottom—I had to repeat this process several times before I got what seemed to be the proper curve. It seemed that there wasn’t enough “offset” in the spacers to counter the natural springiness of the wood. I had to use thicker spacers, and a lot more water than I thought it would take. However, when it came time to mate the bottom with the frames, it fit pretty good (except for one thing, below). Now here’s a small beef, or maybe just a “Huh.” Or maybe just a watch-out. I was surprised to find that the profile drawing on pgs. 4 & 5 are not to scale, the drawing being about 5% smaller than the parts. This may not seem like a lot, but it eliminates using the drawing to help with the relative alignment of the left and right frames, and makes unnecessary the direction to “Assemble frames over these patterns.” For a beginner kit, it would have been more reassuring if the parts and plan matched. Please correct me if I’m missing something here. l went ahead using the template parts as the sole basis for my frame assembly, and so far, with out doing the planking yet, so good. (I noticed that the photo of the ruler/scale on page 7 is right on.). Used lots of my T-pins (I love these) to keep everything in place. Setting up the frames on the building board, and gluing the bottom (on “top”) went well enough. I broke and separated some frames while sanding the char off (grrr), but glued them back together no problem (this is how it goes, eh?). I didn't need as many rubber bands as I thought I would. I did have one anomaly in that for some reason 🤔 frame #2 was too short, and didn’t meet the bottom, and didn’t follow a nice curve with it’s adjacent frames. Not sure if I sanded too much while removing char from the bottom, or mis-aligned the frame halves while gluing, or what. Solved this by shimming the #4 frame cross-piece up a bit to meet the bottom. Looking ahead, it seems to me that I’ll have some play in the final “height” of the frame at the gunwale while cutting the frame free from the cross-piece. Will need to keep an eye on the thwart and riser placement. We’ll see. That’s all for now, the frame/bottom glue is drying. Just for fun: (I almost feel like a real nautical researcher here) I was at the nature center at Crane Creek State Park (on Lake Erie). There is a nice exhibit on historical waterfowl hunting, and I noticed that their punt boat has a lot of the same construction elements as our Grand Banks Dory.

Hello! I have been "lurking" here for several years (actually, I go way back to the email digest days), taking in all the experience and expertise (there is a difference) of the many builders and researchers, and have learned a ton about ships (and boats), shipping, history, nautical engineering, etc., on everything from ancient craft to modern warships. But now it is time for me to cross the Rubicon, and get my first build going. I built plastic airplane models as a kid, and very sporadically through my working years (mostly with my young kids), but "building a ship" was always in my "someday" plans. Over 20 years ago I gifted myself with MS's Niagara, but was never able to get much beyond dry-fitting the bulkheads to the center keel, and that only about 2 years ago at my retirement. After following many logs (and yes, all of the Niagara logs), it seems wise to me to take the "Cautionary" advice to beginners, and start out with the Model Shipways Shipwright Series, from which I have already started the Dory. I'm referencing the many existing Dory build logs. My immediate learning is that it is one thing to follow a log, but quite another thing to actually put sandpaper and glue to wood--already have errors to correct and questions to ask. I'll get my Dory build log going soon. And just maybe, someday, I'll get to that Niagara... -Eric