Jayhawk
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Everything posted by Jayhawk
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Much of my choice to build Will was inspired by your build! Alas, since this is my first build, it's probably going to be more for the experience, display!
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Had to redo a few places on the borders of the stripes since the paint seeped under the masking tape. Maybe the tapes a little old- about 8 years... then weathered the decking.
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Stained the deck some, then roughed it up, put a bit of paint on the hull...
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Glued the two halves of the hull together, plenty of gaps on the keel, but otherwise OK. On a whim... AND to gain the experience, I decided to plank the deck. And I learned a lot - like how not to do it! Very important lessons. I'm also continually unimpressed with the "dark side of the moon" instructions. And missing pieces. It's almost as if an entire sheet of parts is missing. And why number pieces that don't exist, pieces that I have to fabricate from stock? I also used some small strips to cover the gaps in the planking. Then I pirmed the hull, and continued sanding and filling. and another bright idea. I know the Will is a steel-hulled boat. But since I've gone through the trouble of planking, why not let it remain a wooden boat? So that's my plan right now. Added some masking tape for the plimsoll line, after "eyeballing" it and marking its location.
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with the bottom on, I started planking the hull, using boiling water to make the bends, which are very easy except for the bow, which takes a near 60 degree turn. This came out pretty uneven, but I was loathe to cut it apart and start over. I'm building a database for technique as well as a boat!
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Rubber bands are a staple in building plastic models. So, when confronted with the extreme bending of the hull bottom, I thought I'd give it a try, rather than use some pins. I took Izzy's tip and brushed soap and water on the solid pieces and also glued the three center bulkheads first. After the bottom was really wet, I glued it to all but the stem and stern, wrapped some rubber bands around it, glued and clamped those uncooperative ends. It worked surprisingly well!
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My first goal was to build the Billings Dragen. I loved the clean, traditional look of it. I had purchased the kit 10 years or so back, but life got in the way of starting it. When I was ready to build it, I looked at this forum and discovered it might not be a good "first effort". Thinkin I needed something a little more basic, I went for the "advanced beginner" and thought I build it first, then the Dragen. I found the Will Everard on eBay, and it looked like a good candidate. That's where this story starts. there were some good build blogs and comments here, so that was encouraging. That gave me a lot of confidence, we'll soon see if that confidence was well-founded! As others have noted, Billings is not great with detailed instructions. I don't think I was being overly cautious when I numbered the ribs. As this was my first laser-cut model, I was very impressed with the fit. If you've never build a kit from the bad old days, you have no idea how this speeds up the process! things were moving along pretty smoothly, but from reading other builds, I knew there was a big challenge ahead. More on that next time...
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Greetings from the shores of Lake Michigan!
Jayhawk replied to Jayhawk's topic in New member Introductions
thanks to all for the welcome! the build is underway! -
So happy to find this forum and hopefully lots of info about ship building. And to discover if this old dog can learn new tricks. I grew up around airplanes and my dad ( USAF pilot) was having me shoot touch and gos in a Piper Tri-Pacer as soon as I could see over the instrument panel. So of course flying was my interest and my sport; I owned and flew a competition sailplane (15 meter) for years. Mucha later in life I started rowing 4 and 8 man racing shells for fun and competition. Having built models nearly all my life - hundreds of plastic and wooden airplanes, plastic cars and ships before I was 18, I went on hiatus to work and have a family. Years later I took it up again and built more airplanes. I was inspired to take up wooden ship models after spending a few summers on my son-in-laws' sailboat ( a J-133). So I found a Billings Dragen and started collecting some tools. However, with a little research, the Dragen seemed a little ambitious, so I found a "Advanced Beginner" on eBay. So it looks like my first build will be the "Will Everard". and I"m looking for all the input the forum has to offer!
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