Paul Le Wol

Lucky for all of us that the timing was so good

We stopped by to see SS Keewatin just after her arrival at Port McNicoll. She looked so sad and tired. I didn’t realize that they had done so much work on her. This is great news. Thanks for posting this.

Hi BeeWee, a few years ago I bought an “Ultra Thin Razor Saw from Lee Valley ( $14.90 CAD ) ( item # 60F0310 ). Been using it to cut wood as well as brass and aluminum. Still chugging along. Mentioning it because you have a store in Calgary. Good luck with your search.

Hi Everyone, thank you for your Comments and Likes. Work on the bottom planking of the hull progressed far enough that I had to start thinking about fairing the stern. The hull was removed from the build board. The edge of the sub deck was protected with tape and the filler pieces on the bottom of the hull at the stern were faired. Then the edges of the bottom filler pieces were taped and the edge of the sub deck was faired. This went back and forth a few times until it was all fair. Now the hull will be mounted back onto the build board and the bottom planking will be finished. I also wanted to mention that I bought The Sharpie Book. It has some interesting detail drawings and narrative about how these boats were put together. Hope to talk to you soon.

Fred, your Cheerful is excellent! Speedwell on bulkheads sounds like a great idea.

Major, very nice planking! I’ve found that applying a little diluted pva in between the planks (where it needs filling) and sanding before it dries works pretty good and helps to bond the planks together. You could try a test with a couple of couple of pieces of scrap

Hi Rick, maybe you could try trimming the plank under the front gunport so that the 1/16” strip sits where it’s supposed to. If that doesn’t work you might be able to just remove it back to the second port

Hi Bob, I’m sure your Mayflower won’t mind being on standby for a bit. Always looking forward to your next post.

Mark, beautiful hand crafting of the beams. Thank you for showing how you did that.

Hi Gary, thanks for your kind words. I’ll be pretty busy over the next couple of months so I might not be able to make any updates. I’m hoping maybe a small one every so often. Don’t like to lose the momentum.

Hi Duck, this is a fine looking build and build log. The additions and modifications to the kit are making a real difference!

Hi Richard, like Allen I remembered someone asking about stanchions. So after a search I found that on March 23, Keith Black suggested to Bobcat1970 to go to Cornwall Model Boats. They have a very good selection of stanchions.

Harvey, this is a very interesting project. I’m looking forward to following your progress

Hey Major, congratulations on finishing your pram. She looks exceptional!

Hi Everyone, thank you for the Comments and Likes. They are very much appreciated. I have completed boxing the bulkhead former with 1/16” sheet working from the stem aft. The frames were braced as I went. A template was made from a file folder to make the sub deck and the underside of the hull at the stern. A piece of 1/32” sheet was used for the sub deck and glued into place. The bulkhead former was not boxed where the cockpit is situated and the king plank will be cut out once the hull is planked. The frame braces between frames six and seven will double as the floor of the cockpit. The chine logs were glued into place once all of the bracing was completed. The supports for the hull planking at the stern were glued into place and then the chine logs were faired. The boat was removed from the build board so that it was easier to attach the sheer logs. It was then remounted to the build board and false frames were added between the real frames to give the hull planking some more support. Starting to lay out the planking on the underside of the hull. Hope to see you next time.

Hi Cisco, your planking is looking great, and especially great where it hits the stem👍

Glen, congratulations on finishing your incredible Oseberg / Kraken. This build has given many people lots of smiles. Thank you

Hi Gary, thank you for joining the adventure. I’ve been enjoying this scratch building so far. Seems to be a more relaxed pace. Just a pile of wood patiently waiting to become something. ( Hopefully 🤞 )

Panteg, your planking is looking great!

Hey Denis, thank you. It’s great to have you along!

Thanks Bob! 👍

Hi Everyone, this build of a 44’ North Carolina Oyster Sharpie will be my first scratch build. The plans were bought from US Vintage Model Yacht Group. ( USVMYG ) They are drawn by Thomas A Pratt, taken from the lines of Howard Chapelle. They are a digital download with the plans and directions for a 50” model on one pdf and photos and directions of a 50” model being assembled on a second pdf. Acrobat Pro was used to scale the drawings to 1/24 ( 22”) using the tile function to print them out. All of the measurements are taken directly from the printed drawings. Detailed instructions are given on how to make the build board but I’m using the adjustable board that I already have. The inner stem is made first. The inner stem is made from 1/4 x 1/4” basswood strip with one side planed at an angle so that the adjacent side is 1/8” wide. When all four pieces are glued together the forward side will be 1/4” wide to accept the 1/4 “ stem. Notches are cut at this time to accept the shear logs and the chine logs.It is mounted to the build board and all measurements are taken from this point.. The hull lines are all straight so I took the measurements from the drawing and started making frames from 1/16” strips of basswood. The frames are attached to the build board using 4-40 hardware to eliminate any cutting later on. Notches are cut for the keelson which consists of three 1/8” strips of wood. The king plank sits on top of the frame and will eventually be adjusted for the curvature of the deck. Three 1/8” strips were used in case the center piece needs to be removed for the center board. ( But that probably won’t happen) Once the center strips of the keelson and king plank were attached, vertical supports were added for the masts and bulkheads for the trunk, cockpit and hatches. Then the outer strips were added and more vertical supports were added so that the whole structure is 3/8” thick. The two areas where the masts will be stepped are built out so that they are 1/4” square and then boxed. The plan is to box in the entire bulkhead former and then add lateral supports for the frames before attaching the chine logs. Hope to see you soon.

Hi Rick, in the first photo where you are using the t-pin, the batten seems to cut straight across the space between the bow filler and bulkhead M. Maybe you can try putting some bend in the end of the batten so that it will enter the rabbet at the stem at a better angle. Then see how it sits moving aft. Looking good!

Tim, congratulations on finishing your dory. Your dory and build log are excellent. Looking forward to your next build!

Hi rudybob, here’s a few pics of some of my planking. I found it easier to lay out the garboard but using a straight strip of wood clipped to the bulkheads where the plank above the garboard would sit. Start at the joint and run it back to the stern keeping the distance from the keel not more than the width of the plank you are using for the garboard. Mark the bulkheads and use the measurements at each bulkhead to lay out your garboard. Yours won’t be as wide at the stern (as in the first pic) but the principle is the same. These aren’t the best examples but they give you an idea of what Allen suggesting.