GGibson

Well, it's been several weeks since I posted an update, and I'm at a bit of a major transition point, so thought I would write out an update... HULL SANDING - I left off in late January where I had finished the hull planking and it was time to sand... so sand I did... and fill... and some more sanding. Got the hull looking about as good as I think it could, with some more improvements possible after working on the bulwarks and decking, but before priming/painting. DECK PLANKING - So, next up was planking the deck! As was instructed in the plans, I first placed the waterway planks between the bulkhead stanchions. Then, working from the center keel out, laid the planks, alternating between port and starboard sides. In staggering the planking butts, I used a 5-3-1-4-2 planking sequence. As I was planking the fore deck, I forgot to color the edges to simulate the tar caulking! Oops! Other than that, the fore deck planking was pretty straight-forward without a lot of tapering required. The quarter deck, however, was a different story, as I needed to taper every plank beginning at about Bulkhead K-L out to Bulkhead O and the transom area. The Acco clips were useful in the deck planking (as they were also with the hull planking) to press the planks against one another to avoid gaps, and I also used some new binders from Excel (the blue clamps in a couple of the pictures) that were helpful where I could not use the Acco clips. All in all, though, I'm pleased with the look of the decking, despite the difference in the caulking appearance. I have not yet applied anything to the wood, as I will do all that in the painting process. BULWARKS & STANCHIONS (ROUND 1) - Time to work on the bulwark strakes and associated pieces above the deck! Thought I would first work on the knighthead and hawse timbers. The plans called for placing two pieces of hawse timbers on either side of Bulkhead A with the knighthead in front of it. I decided to make this all one piece, and removed the Bulkhead A stanchion. I then made a small chafe block for the anchor, and will drill the holes at a later stage. Next thing to work on were the fake stanchions. Placed the waist strake in its place and marked where the existing bulkhead stanchions were. Then measured an equal 1/3 and 1/3 distance between the bulkhead stanchions to determine where the two fake stanchions would be placed. Used my new The Chopper cutting tool to measure and cut a whole bunch of fake stanchions. After I had placed all of the new fake stanchions, I noticed (like almost every other build log I had reviewed previously) that the existing bulkhead stanchions looked horrible next to the nice fake ones, so... they had to go! Once I got done, though, with the stanchions and the planks with scuppers (used a file to create those) and the waist, I was not pleased with how it all looked. I had done a poor job in setting the bulwark planks and waist and decided the best thing to do was.... do it over! BULWARKS & STANCHIONS (ROUND 2) - So, after removing what I had previously done, I was left this time with no bulkhead stanchions to use as guides for where the planks would rest against, so first thing I decided I needed to do was to "replace" those bulkhead stanchion locations. Once those were relocated, I followed the same procedure I had done previously in marking where the remaining stanchions would be placed evenly on each side, and... it went much more smoothly. The scuppers all looked much better, and the bulwark plank and waist set well against each stanchion. After that was done, I sanded the tops of fake stanchions that peeked over the tops of the waist planks, in order to ensure that the mail rail (when it comes time to placing it) would set firmly on top of the waist and stanchions with no gaps. TRANSOM - I have struggled with the transom work on the Bluenose. Still not sure if I've done it the best way. Was having a difficult time with the kit-supplied quarter frames and braces that go above the stern block. After a couple of different options, I used a 1/8" wide filler piece on each side extending from Bulkhead O to the stern, and formed two 1/16" x 1/2" pieces for the stern transom. In keeping it at the same extended angle as the stern block, however, I have some concerns on how the main rail will set, and how far back it may be sitting, especially with the main sheet boom buffer and its buffer platform legs under the main rail. I will take some additional pictures to better depict my concerns. I "think" it will all come out ok, but... I'm still a newbie on these matters! WHAT'S NEXT? - Well, after I settle on how the transom will be completed and how the main rail will sit, it's about time to begin some painting! In my three previous builds, I simply did the old-school brush painting on everything, but have decided to learn how to airbrush for this Bluenose, primarily just for the hull painting and the inner bulwarks and stanchions, although other airbrush painting applications may arise on this build as I become more comfortable in using it. Plenty of practice sessions before doing anything on the ship, though!! Appreciate all comments and critiques!

Hi Hamilton! Looking really sharp, love all your deck details. Will definitely be referring back to see "how did he do that?!?" when I get to that point. I need to update my own Bluenose build log, but am at the "finished the fake stanchions and need to finish the transom and paint/stain" stage, so been reading yours with great interest. Continued success (with minimum struggles)!!

Nice work, John. Your deck is really looking sharp! Hope to be able to duplicate that when I get to this point on my Bluenose.

This is great information, Kurt! Thanks for sharing! I'm a new shipbuilder, currently working on my 4th ship, the Bluenose, and have considered learning how to do airbrushing for this model rather than the ol' paint brush method in the past. The Badger website also has a link to a YouTube video with Ken Scholtfeldt explaining all about airbrushing parts and what to look for with various applications. It's long but pretty interesting! Introduction to Airbrushing with Ken Schlotfeldt - YouTube.

Looks really nice, hamilton!

A nice start on a fun boat build, Don! Enjoy the journey!

Great start on a fun build, Joe! One recommendation might be to paint/stain some of these areas early on, as they will get hidden as you continue to progress through your build and may be hard to reach after a while. Looking forward to see your progress on this one!

Looks really sharp, John! Well done, sir!

Very nice job, Joe! This NSP was my first build. You did awesome work! What's next?!?

Richard (RetiredGuy) did an awesome job on his Bluenose build. Definitely one that I keep referring back to for guidance! I recognized the text font of the drawings almost immediately! I was given the book by a local hobbyist who knew I was starting a Bluenose build. The book's title is Bluenose II - Saga of the Great Fishing Schooners - Measured Drawings by L. B. Jenson, Nimbus Publishing, Copyright 1994.

Great work, John! Love the meticulous detail. Anxious to (eventually) get to all of the deck details that you have enjoyed building.

Nice work, John! I had seen this photo before that had the two lovely ladies sitting atop the wheel box, but hadn't noticed the grate to the side of the wheel box. Nice looking out! Not that it makes a lot of difference, just placing the grate on the deck looks great (no pun intended), but while the ship is out on the water, would it have made more sense to have the grate positioned directly in front of the wheel? Where would the steersman be standing while under sail? To the side where the grate is in the picture, or between the wheel box and the cabin? Not questioning, just curious as a non-sailor. Continued awesome job on your Bluenose, sir! 👍😁

All great work, John! I will definitely be referring back to these things when I get to this point in my Bluenose build. Awesome job, sir!

Hey Tim! Your fore and aft decks look awesome! Great work! I am getting close to finished on my Bluenose decking, as well, but have not done any of the fake stanchions or other bulwark work yet. Those are next on my list. Hope mine comes out as well as your Bluenose is looking! Keep doing well!

Great detail work on all the "deck parts", John! I've be referring to your work a lot when I get to various points on my Bluenose! 👍

Great work, John! Looks really nice! So, I take it you are not going to replicate the two "companions" sitting on top of the companionway in the photo on the right? 😁 I'm quite aways behind you in my build but following yours with great interest.

Great job on the foredeck, Tim! I recall struggling on my first nibbing strakes I made for my Ballahoo build, but made it through it. Mixed emotions about getting to that point again with my Bluenose build. Appreciate the inspiration!

A quick update on my Bluenose progress... I have completed the hull planking! There are certainly some gaps and undulations in the planking, but all-in-all I seem fairly pleased with how it came out. Will now work diligently on sanding, filling, sanding, filling... starting at 80 grit sandpaper and working my way up in grits to where the hull is as smooth as I can get it. As you can see from the pictures, I still need to trim and clean up the planking at the stern/transom area. And then, after I'm done sanding the hull, I'll go "topside" and finish the transom framing, knightheads, hawse timbers, fake stanchions, etc, etc, etc. Appreciate the follows, likes, comments and critiques!

Continuing to move "slowly but Shirley" on the Bluenose hull planking. Have finished with the "Belt B" sections and they didn't seem to require quite as much tapering as the previous ones. Will now start on the "Belt D" section, which is the part of the hull planking closest to the garboard strake. Looks like a few of those might require a bit of twisting as the strakes transition from the bulkheads back to the sternpost. We shall see how it goes! But, seems like it's coming together decently. I'll then work in the "Belt C" strakes. Thanks for your peeks and critiques...

Due to the holidays, travel, and other real-life distractions, I have been absent from the shipyard for periods of time the past couple of months and haven't kept pace. I have, however, just finished the first "Belt A" section of the Bluenose (along with the garboard strake) on both the port and starboard sides of the ship. Seems like the planking is going well, albeit slowly. Was already planning on needing to do a bit of sanding/filling/sanding, so I'm satisfied with how the planks are looking so far. I thought I had read in some other Bluenose build logs that the planks needed little to no tapering, but (if I've done my calculations correctly) I needed to taper especially the aft ends of the eight "Belt A" planks (from Bulkheads M, N, O & past the stern blocks) a decent amount. Hope I've done them right! On to more planking! Oh, joy!

Nice chest, Bob! (Maybe the first time in your life you've heard that, huh?) 😄

Great work, David! She looks fantastic!

Hi Bob! Not sure I'll ever get to the quality build of the Syren... but going to follow you with great interest on this build log. Thanks for sharing your work and time! Best wishes on a great, yet challenging ship build!

Looks really sharp, Tim! Great job! I am still on my "Belt A" planking (doing more tapering than I thought I was going to do), and have been stalled due to Christmas preps, getting ready to travel over holidays, etc. So, will hit the shipyard hard again when I get back. Enjoy your holidays with family!

Nonsuch is looking great, Bob! Congrats on what you have accomplished! I have purchased rope from both Syren and Ropes of Scale, and have had awesome customer service and delivery speed from both. Yes, much better than the Model Expo-supplied rope in my amateur opinion.