GGibson

Thanks, Matt. Model Shipways customer service has been responsive to the inquiries I had while building the Norwegian Sailing Pram. I am, however, a bit disappointed in their shipping speed. They advertise items as "Ready to Ship", yet take 4-5 days for the item to get out the door. Hopefully, they will get better. But, their replies to email inquiries have been very good. Appreciate your input. I glanced at your completed Virginia 1819 ship. Awesome work, Matt!

Well, after a relatively successful completion of the Norwegian Sailing Pram as my first model build, I'm jumping right in and starting my 2nd build! I purchased both the NSP and the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack at the same time, so #2 has been waiting in the wings. It's showtime! As I did with the NSP, I will be relying on other builders' build logs to help me through the challenges, and hope that whatever I'm able to contribute during my build log will assist others as they tackle the Lobster Smack, as well. It definitely looks more challenging than the first build was! First thing I did was to take inventory of the contents. In reviewing SkiBee's build log, I noted he had some missing cabin bulkhead side guides. I, too, had them missing from my Sheet 14, as well. It looks, though, that they are of similar size to some of the leftover pieces from sheets 2 & 5 once you punch out the port and starboard spines, so we may be able to use those. I also noted, with some amusement and some concern, that the review posted by moderator kurtvd19 has a picture of sheet 14 with the cabin bulkhead side guides missing, as well! Doh!!! 1:24 Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack - Model Shipways - REVIEWS: Model kits - Model Ship World™ So, starting with the starboard spine (on sheet 5, not sheet 2 per the instructions, as SkiBee discovered), I glued the three center pieces to the starboard spine. As I started gluing with the recommended white glue, I noticed, as SkiBee did in his gluing, that the water-based white glue was causing the spines to curl before I had a chance to clamp them. Therefore, I thought I would try using a solvent-based clear glue for the remainder of the spine gluing to see if that makes a difference in adherence and curling. I'll report back my findings. Anyone else using clear glue rather than white glue? Today, I worked on cutting and bending the brass rod to be used to raise/lower the centerboard. The butane torch seemed to work pretty well and I was able to curl and bend to the appropriate sizes/lengths. I liked SkiBee's suggestion to paint the centerboard before getting it wedged between the two spines. However, I only painted the portion of the centerboard that looked like would be exposed. Any extra primer/paint on the top side may just make the centerboard move harder. In dry-testing the pivot rod before gluing the port spine, I noted that the rod didn't quite fit properly in the slide slot, so I had to VERY CAREFULLY cut/chisel the slot a bit wider in order for the pivot rod to move freely. Sounds like SkiBee had this same issue, and the Model Shipways folks need to adjust their laser cutters just slightly to fix this. With these sheets being so thin and fragile, they can break way too easy for them to require user modifications. OK, off my soapbox. Once I got the pivot rod to freely slide in the groove, I glued the port spine to the center pieces (again using the clear glue rather than white glue) and, using almost every clamp I had, clamped the pieces to dry. I will let this sit overnight before moving to the reinforcing pieces and the bulkhead frames. Building Boat #2 has begun! I welcome your comments, critiques and suggestions! Thanks... Gregg

Hi SkiBee! Well, I finished my Sailing Pram, and am now beginning this Lobster Smack, and am reading and following your build log with great interest! Looks like what you have done so far, with all the apparent hurdles you have had thrown at you, is coming along just fine. Your pictures look good and your narrative is priceless. Appreciate sharing your progress. I'll start my build log on this Lobster Smack shortly, and will be asking you a ton of questions, I am sure!

Well, I'm excited to get this boat finished, so early Friday I jumped back into the shipyard! The clips on the back stay lines did a great job of securing the lines while the glue dried overnight. I clipped the excess 0.3mm tie lines to clean up the lines as much as I could to look good. I then threaded the halyard line through the sheave and tied it to the cleat. I agree with SkiBee's comment about the appearance of what amounts to a pulley system for the sheave. I did the same with the downhaul line. One issue/problem I see now is that, in order for the sail and the boom to be high enough to clear the tiller/tiller extension, the gooseneck end of the boom hits the mast at a higher point than where I placed the chafing pad on the mast. I finished running the line through the block on the traveler. I had way too much traveler line going to/from each of the transom knees, so I shorten it a bit after I completed installing the main sheet. Still not crazy about how that came out, either, but it's ok. It appears I am now done and my first model build, the Norwegian Sailing Pram, is now complete! So, lessons learned? Definitely the two P's... patience and perseverance. Don't rush things in modeling, and try not to get frustrated. As I move forward in this hobby, I hope my painting skills improve. Close inspections show a few rough spots. Another thing I realized at some point that I missed involved the rowlock pads. Rather than installing the two sets of pads (for the four oars), I only did one set and, therefore, only used two of the provided oarlocks. All in all, though, it came out well. Now, on to the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smak. Thanks to all of you who followed this log and provided insight and encouragement. I'll need that on the next project, as well!

On Thursday, I worked diligently on the fore stay and back stay lines. I was definitely worried about getting them secure and taut, and having the mast set steady in the mast step. Actually, though, it worked out fairly well. For the fore stay line, I secured one end of the line with one of the provided clips and then, as the instructions indicated, gauged where the loop needed to be made so it wrapped around the mast at the cleat. Surprisingly, it came out ok! I then secured the back stay lines and, again, as the instructions suggested, adjusted the tension on each of the back stay lines and used clips to hold them in place while I glued and tied. For the gluing and tying process, I used the suggestion of tying some 0.3mm line around the 0.7mm lines in spacing intervals and then painted diluted glue to the lines to secure. Seemed to be ok, but I'm not totally pleased with some of the look. As I get better at the tying and knotting, hopefully the aesthetics will improve. Once I had the stay lines in place, the mast seemed pretty solid, but I placed a few drops of super glue at the base and mast step, which I think will help with keeping everything secure. With the stays now in place, it's time to hoist the sail! So close to being finished!

I have been quiet for a few days. In working on the sail, and the lashing and lacing, I somehow misplaced a remaining chunk of 0.3 mm line, and couldn't find it for the life of me. Probably got snagged on clothing and dropped off somewhere else in the house, nowhere to be found. So... had to order some more 0.3 mm line from Model Shipways to finish the lacing on the sail. That additional line finally arrived yesterday, so the shipyard is back operational again! Honestly, after much worry and consternation on how the sail was going to end up looking after all the cutting, gluing, masking, lashing and lacing, the sail came out fairly well. I made the four corner reinforcing triangles much bigger than they needed to be, but I guess they look ok despite their size. So, today I finished the lashing, tying the gaff and the boom to the sail. I also finished today making the traveler and attaching the traveler line to the two transom knees. So now it's on to installing the mast, the fore stay and the back stays, and hoisting the sail! I've got some concern about getting the mast fixed solidly, as I beveled the mast a bit smaller than the diameter of the hole in the mast step, so may need to use some filler and/or glue to set the mast properly. Hope it goes well. Wow, I am almost done... Appreciate your comments, concerns and recommendations.

Looks really good, Bob! Anxious to see the painted boat. Been away from mine for about a week, waiting on some replacement supplies from MS. But, getting back to my sail lacing work this evening.

Looks good, Bob! I had similar issues/concerns about "hitting the line"... Everyone's is a bit different, making them unique in a sense. But, if they all sail when done, we've done ok... This first one for me has truly been a learning experience. Taking a long time for me on the lashing/lacing. Keep moving forward!

Great job on the planks, Bob! Glad to see the electric planking tool worked well. I have one, as well, but was a bit afraid to us it on this wood. As I continue on in this hobby, some of the other ship planks may require use of something like this tool, so it's good to get the experience! I'll have my shot eventually. Your mast looks great, too! I'm working on the sail and then the lashing, so my "thin mast" issues will need to be addressed soon. Great job! Keep sailing away! Gregg

Reading your posts about the sail construction, JohnN. Great job! I am to that point now on my build, and have a bit of anxiety in completing it properly. The gluing, taping and making holes for the lacing all have me a bit worried. Can I ask what ratio of glue/water you used to dilute the glue?

Well, I stained the model display stand using Minwax Red Mahogany stain. Probably a little darker than I wanted the stand, but it will look nice once the boat is all completed. You'll notice I went ahead and glued the oarlock plates to the pads, drilled and pinned now, rather than waiting to do any of that work after the boat was attached to the stand. For now, I have simply inserted the oarlocks into their sockets. In an actual boat, you would obviously want the oarlocks to swivel back and forth, but for this model, the oars will be laying in the boat, so wondering if the oarlocks should simply be glued so they don't fall out somehow. With all that said, I then glued the boat to the stand and am now working on the mast and all of its fittings. Used a little hand planer to bevel the corners and sanded the square mast as round as I felt I could safely, especially after reading SkiBee's account of his mast breaking from being too thin. However, it does appear I still beveled and sanded the bottom of the mast a bit too small, and may have some issues securing the mast into the mast step when it gets to that point of the build. I will have to wrap something around the base to "thicken" it back up in order to fit snuggly. We shall see... I have now attached the halyard cleat, the downhaul eye, the chafing pad and the fore stay cleat to the mast. To simulate the chafing pad, I simply took a piece of paper, used a brown craft pencil rather than paint, cut out the pad to the proper size, and glued to the mast as instructed. I'm a bit confused on the purpose of the halyard sheave that is cut into the top of the mast. Perhaps I haven't read enough ahead to understand, but the pictures of the completed mast, both in the instructions and in SkiBee's and JohnN's build logs, don't really show me what we'll do with the sheave. EDIT: Nevermind, I see in Part 56 on page 37 of the instructions, it explains that the sail assembly appears to be threaded through this sheave. So, I'll work on the halyard sheave and the back stay straps and complete the mast work. Any advice on what works best to "dig out" the sheave without splitting the already thin mast?!? Appreciate those who are reading and commenting!

Bob, the sail looks great! Just finished with the display stand and working now on the mast and all of its components. Will be getting to the sail soon enough and will be looking again in more detail to your log here. Congrats and great job!

Hi Bob - Not sure what John did when painting/staining, but when I was painting my Norwegian Sailing Pram, I wore vinyl gloves when painting the hull and the seats and just held them while painting. I buy the vinyl gloves in boxes of 100 (I use them also for food handling when doing my meat smoking). I am going to stain the display stand tomorrow and will use gloves and wipe the stain on with a cloth, as you suggested. Hope your Dory is progressing well!

Thanks, Bob. Actually, it dawned on me after I posted the update and commented on the 4 jig supports that I have the Lobster Smack boat waiting in the wings after I complete this boat. Duh... Took one of the jig supports from that kit. I am interested in hearing how others did their masts. That task is next at hand.

It definitely has become more challenging as I move to the top side of the boat! First challenge was the tiller assembly. Had a bit of trouble understanding the instructions, Ultimately, I glued the side pieces on the wrong sides of the tiller, so the hole in the tiller for the extension is on the side and not the top. Not sure how that is going to work, so for now, I have not put the extension on and will simply install the tiller on the rudder without the extension piece. We'll see how it looks. Also, when I put the pin in and tapped both ends to make a rivet, I tapped a bit too hard and the pin bent a bit. I can still hook the pin around the rudder. Should have watched that better. The eyebolt in the bow and installation of the stay plate against the bow transom worked out ok. Not sure how I was going to get the bolt/nail through the inwale and plate, so I simply secured the back stays with superglue and have not (yet) placed a bolt there (mainly for visual appearance at this time). The rudder gudgeons and pintles were definitely tricky. Cut the tubes and wrapped them around the 4-hole straps, as it really didn't look like the 2-hole straps were big enough. Whether it was an error in packing or not, I had 2 sheets of photo-etched parts, so I had some latitude on the straps I could use. As I was taking the picture of the rudder, I realized I have not placed the bolts/nails on the rudder straps, so I'll do that before final assembly. I'm going to stain the display stand and dowels, so will work on that next. Also, beginning to work on the mast now, as well. Will try my hand at shaping the two square sections into a nice round mast. If that fails, I'll shape the dowel provided. I've glued the two parts and will begin shaping. An interesting observation on the spar shaping jig... the picture on page 28 of the instructions shows 5 jig supports, along with the end block and the bench hook. But, my laser-cut sheet only has 4 jig supports. I'll try to make due with what I have! As always, appreciate your time in reading, commenting and critiquing.

Thanks for the comments, SkiBee and turangi! And also appreciate the "likes" by others following my progress! Took a week off and visited my son and family in South Florida, but now back in COLD Kansas City (just in time to root for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl). OK, back to my Norwegian Sailing Pram... Filled the gaps using turangi's suggestion of Elmer's Wood Filler. Great idea, as I was at first going to use a 2-part auto body filler. This was MUCH easier, and seemed to fill and sand down pretty well. Will definitely use it for future models, as well. (Listen to me looking forward to more projects!) Painted the exterior and interior, using the prototype colors shown in the instructions... warm white color for the outside and copper red for the inside surfaces. I also used the warm white color for the thwarts and stern sheets. In retrospect, in looking at both SkiBee's and JohnN's build logs, I wish I would have done the seats in some type of wood stain instead of the white color. The stain really looks sharp. Dang it... So, now on to the tiller assembly, I've read the instructions multiple times already, and still not 100% sure what I am to do. Time to again look at others' build logs to understand this assembly process better. I may be asking more questions VERY soon... Appreciate all the advice, comments and critique.

A quick update on status. I have completed everything up to the point that they suggest painting the interior/exterior hull. Here are pictures from both ends. Obviously, I have just set the seats and thwarts in the boat for the picture, they will come out before painting, as will the raised dagger board.. Before painting, I do need to still fill in some noticeable gaps in some of the planking. I went to a local auto supply store and purchased a small tube of spot putty and hardener. I will try that process for this boat. Perhaps in future models (I sound optimistic, don't I?), I may find a better method for filling in those gaps. Any suggestions are, of course, welcome. Taking a week off to visit family (including two grand-daughters), so will begin the hull painting process when I return after the 1st of February. Thanks again for your following, reading, advice, and critique.

I'm actually amazed that I have already gotten this far, and appearing to do "fairly well". The past couple of days, I have finished the planking and placed the skeg and bilge keels. The instruction book mentions that there will be some some small divots and gaps in the planks and, yes, I have some! The book mentions two remedies... a mixture of sawdust, glue and water, or a little auto body filler. What have you found to work best in filling those little boo-boos? By the way, my thanks to Turangi for your suggestion on using the hot hair dryer to set the planks closer to the molds. Had to wet/dry/band a few times, but it worked well. Appreciate the insight! Now on to the top side! Building the daggar board case now and continuing to move forward. Appreciate all the critique/recommendations anyone has to offer. Hope everyone has a great weekend! And... go Chiefs!

Progressing slowly but surely (I think!)... Have secured and glued the bottom planks and the keel plank. Is there such a thing as using too many clamps?!? The instruction book mentions a tendency for the planks to bow and lift up off of the molds, which is what mine has done, as well. Going to wet the inner sides and band down overnight, as suggested, to see if that brings down the structure to its proper location. Anyone else have issues/concerns with this? Easily resolved? On to more planking! Thanks for following, reading, and critiquing!

Thanks for the clarification, Arild. Makes sense when doing the mathematics conversion. I think I'm good. And, yes, I read other logs and viewed videos that mentioned inventory. As far as I can tell, everything is there and in good condition. I am moving forward! An update on the bottom planks and keel plank will be posted next. Again, appreciate all of the input!

Thanks for the encouragement and advice, Arild! Much appreciated! Although, as a novice builder, I'm confused on your tab measurement references. I measured the tabs on the top of the two molds... 5/8" on the 2.5, 7/8" on the 4. the two bottom planks look like they'll set on either side of the tabs fine, with the keel plank laying on top of them with a proper overlap and the tabs. Are you saying once they are bent, I may have issues unless I reduce the tab widths? Those are pretty significant reductions... 1/8" on the 2.5, not quite 1/2" on the 4. Am I understanding wrong? Looking around the house for an adequate curved surface to use as a guide for the bend. Thanks again for the input, Arlid.

So, I jumped right into the build after receiving the ship on Friday. Took inventory of everything in the box, laid out the tools it appears I will need, at least early on, and prepared a whole bunch of sanding sticks, as it appears I will be using those a lot in doing the necessary beveling, sanding, etc. On Saturday, I worked on the bow and stern transoms, getting them sanded and beveled, and attaching the knees. Had a bit of difficulty drilling the #55 hole in the bow transom and knee with the pin vise, but think it came out ok. I need to read up on what that hole will ultimately be used for to see if I need to clean it up any or redo it. The pictures below are of the building board and closeups of the two transoms. Hope I have beveled them both accurately! I did glue the bow transom support onto the building board as suggested. The stern support is a bit wobbly, and saw in one of the other build logs that he glued the stern support, as well, to provide more stability. I guess we'll see how it goes as I begin the planking. The plank bending will now be my real first test of success/challenges. I do have an electric plank bender tool, but it really appears that the bends in these planks on this Pram are not so extreme that it would require the tool. Sounds like the others have simply soaked the planks and formed them around the building board molds using rubber bands? Wish me the best on the plank bending! I'll update as I progress, and appreciate the input!

First of all, thanks to those that welcomed me in my New Member Introductions post. The warm welcomes are appreciated. Well, after almost two weeks of waiting on the shipping, my ships have come in! The two ships I ordered, the Norwegian Sailing Pram and the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack, arrived on Friday. I have begun working on the Norwegian Sailing Pram first, of course, as this will be my first build in the ship modeling world. Hope I do as well as SkiBee and JohnN, as I read their build logs and will be referring back to those logs as I encounter my own "bumps in the road". I appreciate any feedback and advice as I sail forward... Thanks...

Thanks for all the positive posts. Looking forward to diving in (ok, a little water pun) and sharing my experiences, and getting great advice. Lansing is just up K7 from me, allanyed. Thank your son for his service! My son is a Navy pilot (technically in reserves now) after two tours several years back.

Hi all. This is Gregg from a suburb of the Kansas City MO/KS metropolitan area. Sixteen years ago (2005), with one child just graduating college and one still in college, I decided I needed a new hobby, and purchased the Bluenose as my first ship to build. Overwhelmed doesn't describe it. After working on the initial basics of the ship, I put it back in the box and up on a closet shelf to be forgotten. Sixteen years later, I am recently retired after a long accounting career, and found it buried in the back of a spare bedroom closet shelf. Other than my meat-smoking hobby (I am, after all, living in Kansas City!), I decided to take another shot at ship building. Well, after pulling it all back out, again looking at plans, reading many of the build logs on this site, etc., I decided perhaps the Bluenose was still a bit aggressive for a first build as a novice builder. So, I have taken a few steps back and have selected the Norwegian Sailing Pram and the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smak as my first two. Anxiously awaiting for their arrival. But, in the meantime, preparing my workspace, checking on my tools and supplies, and continuing to read blogs and posts like these, ship building logs, videos, etc. I am determined to make this a slow, yet progressive, journey. And, have fun along the way. I look forward to the journey. Will try to keep all updated on my adventures. Thanks!