Paul Le Wol

Hi Steve, thank you for posting the photo of your beautiful Willapa. I hope to see more. I had noticed the metal attached to the corners in Phil’s photos but for some reason I thought that they were added when she became a museum ship. I appreciate the information about the hardwood corners. There may be a few things that I let slide but overall I will try to be accurate. ( something I am not known for 😀) . Thank you so much for your Comment, I appreciate it very much!

Hi Keith, thank you for your kind words.

Gentlemen, thank you for your generous comments. They mean a lot to me!

Hi Everyone, hope you are all doing fine. Thanks to all for the Comments and Likes! This update starts with the making of the waterways for the foc'sle deck. They were cut from a sheet of 1/16" AYC and sanded to shape. The coamings are made by layering three 1/16" x 3/16" strips. The waterways were scribed to show where the center plank is located and pins were placed to support it while it was attached with CA. The outer plank was glued to the center plank and the waterway with white PVA The inner planks were glued to the center planks and the waterways also with PVA. The thickness of the inner plank was tapered to 1/32" because the coaming gets narrower towards the aft end. I made a sanding stick long enough to span the deck and sanded the tops smooth The coaming across the aft edge of the deck was installed and after some sanding it went to the paint booth The deck planking was laid out to where it stops at the pad for the anchor winch. The 18" x 18" bitt slides into the hole that was left in the bulkhead former The planking from the winch pad aft and the forward planking didn't match in width so the next planks on either side of the pad needed a width adjustment. The smaller bitts port and starboard were the next obstacles. A small pad was glued to the bottom of these bitts to to help them sit vertically when they are glued to the horizontal bulkhead spacer just below the subdeck The last planks go and get all fancy. They will be covered in the next update Hope to see you then

Kevin, Mike and yourself did a great interview. Thank you

Jacques, it’s nice the way that you’re refining your modifications on the fly. Fun to watch.

Siggi, congratulations on completing this beautiful ship. Your rigging is incredible!

Looking great Keith! Nice overhead shot

Jacques, very interesting start to your new build. Thank you for including the Makerspace photos and experiences. The change of scale will make her feel right at home with the rest of your builds 👍

Hi Shawn, I was in a similar situation a while ago so I used a tower fan with a pleated furnace filter covering the intake. Depending on the size of the filter you can cut it into a few pieces. I used Velcro tape to hold it on. These fans are fairly cheap and very quiet.

Phil, great looking planking and nice modification on the #11 blade!

Hi Glen, I appreciate your Comments very much!

Hi Keith, thank you for your comment. You are very kind indeed!

Hi Everyone, thank you very much for your Comments and Likes. This update starts with completing the hardwood facing on the guards. When built they were made from Iron Bark. The face plank that wraps around the stern was shaped on the same mold as the previous planking. They are made from 1/16" x 1/8" AYC and painted with Vallejo Anthracite Grey 71.052 before attaching. The first plank was pinned to the stern, the wood was slid away from the guard, glued and slid back on the pins and clamped. This sat over night. The ends are sanded to 45 degrees and the next plank locks in behind the previous plank.. Then I worked towards the bow. The holes for the portlights were enlarged using a step drill bit that goes from 1/8" to 1/2" in 1/32" increments. It was turned in by hand. Previously the holes for the hawse pipes were made but I forgot to take a picture before the were covered. Regular 20 pound printer paper was used to suggest metal plates around the hawse pipes. A piece of 1/4" brass tube cut at 60 degrees was used to get the oval shape. A piece of 5/16" x .029 thick wall brass tube will be soldered to the end of the 1/4" tube. The deck planking was started under the overhang of the forecastle deck so that the beams could be installed. The 5/64" AYC planks were painted with Vallejo Model Color Old Wood 70.761 that was diluted about 50/50 with Vallejo air brush thinner. They were wiped right away with a cloth and allowed to dry. The next day a coat of WOP tinted with dark grey pigment was applied and wiped off immediately. The camera really picks up the black but it actually looks less crazy in real life. The patterns for the knees were made from 1/32" plywood and once shaped 1/16" wood strips were glued to their backs and shaped. They needed a bit more thickness so 1/32" strips were glued to them and sanded to the proper thickness. The beam was glued into place after being painted The knees were then attached The forecastle subdeck could now be installed using 1/32" plywood And then the mast was test fitted I think the main deck should be completed next. Hope to see you then,

Keith, wonderful news and wonderful work!👍

Lake Erie Vlogger has posted a video of MV Cuyahoga being towed to Port Colborne to be scrapped. A sad day on the Great Lakes. https://youtube.com/watch?v=cGG2Se8MDC4&si=QzVYh7r56Z79FRUt

Diver,congratulations on completing this beautiful Sanson. Tugboats are the best!

Beautiful planking Yves. She must look amazing in real life.

Hi Gary, good to hear from you. Thank you very much for your comment.

Hi Julie, great introduction to your build log. Good luck!

Thank you Keith, I greatly appreciate your comments!

Gentlemen, thank you very much for your generous comments!

Hi Everyone, thank you very much for your Comments and Likes. The part of Wapama's hull that is grey has been painted. I tried using Vallejo Model Air USAF Light Gray 71.276 but it was lighter than I wanted. Added 4 drops of Vallejo Model Air Steel Grey to a full bottle of USAF Light Gray and I think it darkened up just enough. The lockers that sit under the overhang of the forecastle deck were next. They are made from 1/32" plywood and sided with 1/32" x 3/32" AYC. Once the end walls were sided there was a bit of adjusting to ensure that they cleared the deck beam and knee that are situated aft of them The inboard walls of the structures were sided and doors were added. A jig was made to construct the stanchions that support the deck beams and everything was dry tested for fit More painting For a change of pace I started to build the cabin deck houses. They extend down to the same footings as the main deck house to make it easier to make the end walls vertical. The side walls of the aft cabins were lined up with the side walls of the forward cabins to make sure that met vertically. The sheer of the deck was drawn on the cabin walls and the side walls of the aft cabins were then situated. I spent a fair bit of time trying to get the red for the hull below the waterline figured out. I came to the conclusion that it should look like the far shot that Phil @Dr PR took of Wapama at the pier. The red almost looks black because of the light, the water and the reflections. So I used Vallejo Model Air Hull Red 71.039 which I just happened to have a bottle of. The next thing will be the the outer planks on the guards and deck planking. Hope to see you soon.

Hi Patrick, nice mod on the runabout!

Jacques, congratulations on finishing your Lancha Chilota. This has been very enjoyable build to follow.