DocBlake

I finished the boxwood planking on the quarterdeck and poop deck and gave the planking a rough sanding.  I'll finish up the fo'c'sle and then add the treenails.  I figure about 600 in all for the 4 decks.

I've been spending time on my POF AVS, so I've neglected "Independence".  I'm just finishing up the quarterdeck planking.  The margin plank and nibbed planking is installed on the port side. Not yet on the starboard side.
 
This is a small vessel and the main deck is only 20 feet long; the others are shorter.  Full planks would have been used, so there are no butt joints in the deck planking.  Treenails need to be placed and the deck sanded well before installing the bulwark support plywood that is then planked, inboard and outboard.

We're just back from a road trip to Arizona, so the shipyard is open again!
 
I added the bow blocks and faired them smooth.  The bluff bow made me a little nervous, so I added the blocking, made of balsa wood.  The kit doesn't call for any blocking at all.  I'm also adding some at the stern, below the counter where the wing transom would sit.

I glued the deck segments to the framework with one hour epoxy and used the famous little yellow nails to hold until dry.  These were removed and any imperfections in the sub deck filled with Elmer's wood filler.  I drew a centerline on the deck and then laid out where the deck beams would be to guide the treenailing.  There is nothing scientific or historically accurate in the way the deck is laid out.  I just went with what was pleasing to the eye.  Next is planking the deck (that's the common build order for AL kits).  I'm still up in the air about whether to plank in boxwood, holly or maple. The planking will be 1/32" thick.
 
The last two photos show that the keel slopes downward moving aft, and is not parallel to the waterline.  The lower decks in the holds ARE parallel to the waterline.  It makes it appear as if the hold decks are installed at an angle,  Note that the bulkheads are perpendiculal to the hold decks, but not the keel!

This will be my build log for AL's "Independence 1775".  First let me say that this is an entirely fictional vessel, much like Al's Swift or Harvey.  It is , however, representative of the colonial schooners built in America between 1763 and 1775.  Harold Hahn covers these ships in his book "The Colonial Schooner - 1763 - 1775".
 
I was drawn to the vessel because of her lines, and especially the bluff bow.   But what convinced me to build this model was the excellent build log of Clare Hess:
 
http://www.shipsofscale.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=539
 
Clare is building the model on commission and has seriously kit-bashed the build.  The result is a beautiful , if fictional, colonial schooner circa 1775.
 
The first problem with the kit is the scale.  The box cover lists the model as 1:35 scale.  At that large scale, the model would be very small...smaller in fact than "Sultana", the smallest schooner known to have been built.  A vessel that tiny would never be able to be armed with 4 carriage-mounted cannons.  What to do?
 
Clare decided to build the model in 1:48 scale.  I chose a different path.  After researching both the "Halifax" and "Sultana" in Hahn's book, I discovered that if I built the kit in 5/16" scale, the model would be a little smaller than "Halifax" but larger than "Sultana".  She should be able to carry 4 three-pounder cannons.
 
The 5/16" scale is unusual, and it translates to 1:38.4!  Convieniently this works out to 8 mm = 1 inch, a convenient ratio.  So I'll be building "Independence" using metric measurements.
 
I completed the hull framing and reinforced the framing with blocks.  Probably overkill, but the bulkheads are plywood and very hard.  Fairing the hull would put a lot of stress on them so I decided better safe than sorry.
 
I plan to use the same wood scheme as Clare:  boxwood decking, boxwood and swiss pear hull planking.  I will used redheart for the inboard bulwark planking and the deck furniture ordinarily painted red.

I FINALLY finished the treenails on the entire deck.  The next task is to glue the plywood bulwarks former into place and plank the bulwarks, both inboard and outboard.

I FINALLY finished the treenails on the entire deck.  The next task is to glue the plywood bulwarks former into place and plank the bulwarks, both inboard and outboard.

I FINALLY finished the treenails on the entire deck.  The next task is to glue the plywood bulwarks former into place and plank the bulwarks, both inboard and outboard.

I FINALLY finished the treenails on the entire deck.  The next task is to glue the plywood bulwarks former into place and plank the bulwarks, both inboard and outboard.

I think that a solid hull kit is not for the faint of heart!  You're doing a great job, Elijah...keep it up!

Good progress, Brian.  Bass wood breaks easily, I guess! 
 
Maybe I'm dense, but what are the laser scored lines perpendicular to the edges of the bulkheads for?  Planking guide, maybe?

I think that a solid hull kit is not for the faint of heart!  You're doing a great job, Elijah...keep it up!

Your deck looks super, David.  Great job!

The quarterdeck treenailing is complete.

I've completed the deck planking, including the fo'c'sle.  Now it's on to treenailing.  I've had problems using the Byrnes drawplate in the past, so I'm using a little different technique.  I wanted the treenails to be in proper scale:  about 1 scale inch in diameter or slightly larger.  That translates to about .031" - a #68 drill hole would work.  The problem is that if I use a toothpick as a treenail, very little of the tip will fit into that small a hole and I'd run the risk of the treenails not holding.  My answer was to take a toothpick and using some pressure and twisting, force it into the 31 hole on the Byrnes draw plate,  The result was a longer treenail that penetrates through the planking and false deck underneath it.  Each birch toothpick gives 2 treenails.  They're glued in by touching the tip in some CA and pushing firmly in the hole.  The third picture shows the finished poop deck with some mineral spirits wiped on to show how it will look when poly is applied.  I really like the look of the boxwood for the decking!  Maybe better than holly.

I'm working on the 3-pounder carriage guns.  The kit provides parts to build the carriages made of cherry.  They are perfectly fine, but I wanted some contrast between the carriage wood and the black hardware.  I chose to use Chuck's boxwood carriages.  In my kit, the cannons are brass and came from Syren.
 
I built a little jig to support the brackets while gluing up the axles.  I added the transom and bolster, and rounded the axles to fit the trucks.  lastly, I added the hardware and the quoin.
 
The trunions for the cannons are too short to span across the full distance between the brackets, so I'll have to get some 5/64" brass rod and replace them.  The cap square isn't fitted yet.

I'm working on the gun carriages, but as a diversion I did complete the rudder.  I really hate cutting the rabbets for the straps!.  I'll fit the rudder to the ship today, and continue to work on finishing up the carriages.

I formed the main rails out of basswood sheets and stained them with Fiebing's black leather dye.  They got 3 coats of poly and I epoxied them in place.

I wanted to show the kevels, which I thought were pretty good.  These are for the forecastle and are much smaller than those on the quarter deck because they have to attach to a stanchion.  While none of the stanchions are glued, and I have yet to cut the cap rail, I think that the model is progressing, all be it slowly.
 
   
 

Your deck looks super, David.  Great job!

Good progress, Brian.  Bass wood breaks easily, I guess! 
 
Maybe I'm dense, but what are the laser scored lines perpendicular to the edges of the bulkheads for?  Planking guide, maybe?

Good progress, Brian.  Bass wood breaks easily, I guess! 
 
Maybe I'm dense, but what are the laser scored lines perpendicular to the edges of the bulkheads for?  Planking guide, maybe?

I think that a solid hull kit is not for the faint of heart!  You're doing a great job, Elijah...keep it up!

Good progress, Brian.  Bass wood breaks easily, I guess! 
 
Maybe I'm dense, but what are the laser scored lines perpendicular to the edges of the bulkheads for?  Planking guide, maybe?

OK...all is forgiven!