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DB789

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  1. DB789
    Nisha will be my second build having just completed Vanguard’s Fifie. I’m looking forward to building this little cutter, she’s much smaller than the Fifie. I’m somewhat nervous about the mast and rigging - I found the Fifie’s rigging a challenge and she barely has any. Nisha turned up yesterday morning and was extremely well packed with high quality materials throughout. I won’t cover unboxing as others have already done so very well in their logs. Started work right away. The pieces are immaculately laser cut and the retaining tabs easily cut. Bulkheads first with the first three at bow and stern needing bevelling before fitting. These fit very easily onto the false keel without glue. Followed by the lower deck. Additional supports are then added at bow and stern and between bulkheads 4 and 7 to strengthen the structure. The stern timbers are also added. These are very thin and weak in places and one broke easily with little pressure - shouldn’t be too hard to fix. At this point the whole structure fits together mostly without glue and feels quite loose. Next diluted PVA glue was brushed into the structure and left to dry. Nisha’s skeleton alongside the Fifie below shows how small she will be.
  2. DB789
    The “Eloise” is now complete. I’ve had a great deal of fun building her and I’m amazed by how well she has turned out as my first ever build - that’s mainly thanks to the excellent kit that Chris produced. I greatly appreciate all the advice and support I have received here and others’ build logs have been an incredibly valuable resource from which I have shamelessly plagiarised. I have inserted steel wire in all four edges of the mizzen sail but I ordered 28 gauge wire and it’s not strong enough to enable me to shape the sail and hold the mizzen yard at the angle it needs to be. I suspect I’ll have to add back the extra length of rigging from the aft end of the mizzen yard to the mizzen mast ring as the current set up is too flimsy.
  3. DB789
    The Fifie “Eloise” is very nearly ready to head out to her fishing grounds. The only things outstanding now I think are: beeswax on the rigging to reduce the fluff, coils on the end of the sheets and halyards - I’m adding these later as Eke did on his Zulu build, and fixing the angle of the mizzen yard (see below). I’ve been away some of this week and spent the time devouring all of the build logs of Vanguard fishing boats on MSW. What a fantastic resource. As a result I’ve made a few tiny changes, most notably the white tips on the ends of the mast and boom. I’ve also added the hard points that the Fifie would have needed to sail on the port tack. Does anyone know how these luggers did actually tack? How did they get that huge foresail around the mast or did they have to drop it completely before tacking? I couldn’t get the mizzen yard to sit at the correct angle so I have added an extra length of rigging from the aft end of the mizzen yard back to the mast ring on the mizzen mast. I appreciate that this isn’t authentic or how a Fifie would have been rigged so I’m trying to think of an alternative. Options are 1) try and insert some very fine steel wire in the seam of the trailing edge of the mizzen sale or 2) CAing the parrel beads into the right position so the yard sits at the correct angle - could become quite messy though. I have some steel wire on order. The sails came very promptly from Chris, arriving on Monday and are superb quality. I dyed them using Rit Dye colour cocoa brown. I used three pints of very hot but not boiling water, a cup of salt and half a bottle of the liquid dye, stirred for 20mins then rinsed under the cold tap before washing in a bowl of warm water with some detergent. This gave me the dark brown with a hint of red colour I was hoping for. When I fished them out they appeared black and was a little worried that I’d gone too far! The sails were tied to the yards with clove hitches and the knots sealed with CA. Unfortunately one splodge of CA dripped onto the sails. I tried to remove it and gently scrubbed it with an old toothbrush and soaked it in acetone based nail varnish remover but to no avail. I stopped after an hour as progress was limited and I didn’t want to discolour the surrounding area of the sail. It’s disappointing but I can live with it. I may try and colour it with a permanent marker so it blends in more, but it’s not that noticeable so I may leave it too. I had been considering adding reefing points but decided against for fear of getting more messy glue on the sails. I was also going to colour the stitching on the sail with a permanent marker but I like the contrast from the stitching and having some other white on the sail allows the glue spot to blend in a bit. The rigging has plenty of room for improvement but I’m happy with it for a first attempt. In the meantime little Nisha finally turned up despite UPS’s best efforts not to deliver her. Chris despatched her very punctually and she was meant to be delivered a week ago on Friday, I was then away Mon to Thurs and UPS were scheduled to deliver this Friday instead but didn’t. I contacted the UPS depot and was told that both times the “driver didn’t bother delivering all of his packages”. I only live 20-30 miles from Chris and could have walked there and back in the time UPS took to deliver. I’m very excited to start building Nisha. She has come beautifully packaged and with the usual excellent quality of materials and instructions… but that’s a story for another build log.
  4. DB789
    I’ve got about as far as I can on the “Eloise” until Chris gets some Master Korabel high quality sail sets back in stock. Changes since last time are firstly the masts are shaped and seated. The foremast is now straight having filed the inside of the hole and the bench seat at its base added. What passes for standing rigging on a Fifie has been rigged, although it will need to be loosened so the mast rings can be removed and the yards attached later. So I haven’t tied the lines off properly at the deck and that’s what the loose thread on the deck is. Other blocks have been added to the hull too - my rigging is a bit messy but will improve as I get more experienced at it. Eloise now has a Leith fishing number too and lastly her painted lower hull has been varnished with the matt polyeurethane varnish. The kids smashed one side of the Perspex stand by accident but Chris is very kindly providing me with a replacement, thank you - great customer service! Luckily the Eloise was not on the stand at the time. In the meantime I’ve ordered little Nisha as my second build to start whilst I wait for the sails. I next want to tackle a single masted boat with standing rigging including shrouds, deadeyes, etc. I’ve been so impressed by Chris’s Fifie that I’ll be sticking to Vanguard as a kit maker and I’m planning to work my way through the Vanguard range with a distant goal of eventually building the Sphinx, so my plan is a few fishing boats first, then the Alert and then one of the brigs. But even the best laid plans… I’ll be back to this log as soon as I have the sails.
  5. DB789
    Happy Easter! Decided that there were too many “Lady Eleanors” out there so have named her the “Eloise” after one of the kids. It means my next build will end up with a boy’s name as the kids are now demanding a boat each… So she’ll be the Eloise out of Leith. I have added nameplates on each side at the bow and her home port on the starboard counter. Nothing on the port counter, haven’t decided whether to leave this empty or add her name again as the Reaper does. I wouldn’t rename a model of a specific historical ship, but there were lots of Fifies so I don’t think renaming can be too big a crime?! The letters are 2mm vinyl from BECC, I’ll add a fishing number between the strakes too but my wife has ‘tidied’ up the 3mm letters, possibly permanently…. The hull is almost complete. I’ve varnished it with Vallejo polyurethane matt varnish which has made the pear wood sides look amazing. Should I varnish the painted areas of the lower hull too? Painting the rudder has proved to be troublesome. It is the only area where the brass rudder fittings are painted with the white Plastikote spray. I tried painting directly on the brass - that didn’t work, I then cleaned and primed with a metal primer then repainted - that didn’t work, the paint wouldn’t stick to the primer. I’ve now painted the metal with the red oxide primer that does stick to the metal and hand painted on some of the white spray, may need a few coats but should solve it. If not I’ll use a white humbrol enamel and accept that the whites do not match exactly. Consequently I haven’t finished the rudder fittings or steering rope yet. Almost all the deck furniture is in place too. Exception is the bench forward (more below). I’ve also added the aft boom which I have shaped by hand. I don’t have a lathe, slow turning drill or a plane or vice for that matter so I will have to do any mast and yard shaping by hand. The boom looks OK to the eye but the callipers tell me its cross section is now oval shaped. This could become a bigger issue for the masts. I thought drilling the 1mm hole through a 2.5mm piece of tapered dowel for the boom would be the tricky part causing splintering, but the walnut wood is very hard and strong, I drilled a 0.5mm hole first and then widened it with a 1mm bit. I have temporarily seated the unshaped masts. The aft mast is fine and I will keep near vertical as I think it looks better in that position and one of the other build logs said that this was a normal position for the aft mast in real fifies. The foremast is a bit wonky and leans to starboard. It was a lot worse which was due to there being a glob of dried PVA stuck at the bottom of the hole where the mast sits (beginner mistake I see!). I’ve now abraded that away as best I can but the mast still doesn’t sit quite straight. As the mast is slightly off centre so is the notch for the bench seat. Fitting the bench seat the starboard side is ever so slightly over the starboard edge and the port side ever so slightly inboard so it’s hard to affix lining up the existing drilled holes as the starboard ones would attach through the walnut rubbing strake and port ones through the bulwark. Sure I can cut the pins short and use glue, but it will bother me being off-centre. I think fixing the mast will fix the bench. I’m thinking of sanding the lower 1-2cm of the mast so it fits straight - would that be the best approach to fix this? Or should I try and shape the hole itself? Thanks again for all the advice and encouragement.
  6. DB789
    Thanks for all the great advice and encouragement. I do sometimes feel that the Fifie is progressing despite, rather than because of me. So many mistakes (learning points!) but she still looks OK! The quality of the kit is so high that it’s hard to go very wrong. Bootstrap now painted. A few areas on the line need touching up, especially around the rudder hinges which are hard to mask. The line of red follows the waterline of the boat, whereas the top of the white line does not. Still have the white on the rudder to paint. I think it looks OK. To touch up I’m planning to spray a small amount of paint into a cup and then use a brush - is there any reason that won’t work? I’m using Chris’s engraved deck which I think looks really good. That’s now fixed down and weighed down by spice jars to hold it whilst drying. They’re not really heavy enough but have just about done the job. I’m in the middle of fitting the timber heads and hope to have those and the inner bulwark rails fitted tomorrow. Deck fittings going well too with the fish hatch complete now. The steam winch is complete (colours both Humbrol Matt 80 green and 153 red). Also the base of the foremast. May fit the wheel tomorrow too, think I’ll add a rope and holes in the deck for this too. Not far off finishing the hull. Soon the dreaded rigging and masts… not that the Fifie has much in the way of rigging.
  7. DB789
    Think I’m going with option d (not listed above). Keeping the red waterline and painting on a bootstrap above it. The bootstrap will widen at bow and stern as it should but amidships it will narrow, not following the waterline. There will be less freeboard amidships but it’s the best compromise I can think of. I’ve masked her up ready to paint in the morning. Should look OK, I think. Using different masking tape around the bow and stern rabbet areas as that was where the paint leaked last time. Need to add the plastic sheeting too.
  8. DB789
    Ok another problem. The red hull paint starts at bow and stern at exactly the same height as on the plans (50mm down from top of the prow and 38mm from top of stern post) but it’s much higher amidships - see photos attached. Joining these points to create a waterline looks correct but is too high. This means that the bootstrap above this is also too high on the hull. The curves of the hull are much flatter higher up so there isn’t the different width of the white line at bow, amidships and stern and I lose the distinctive wide white bootstrap at the bow. Plus the waterline is too high amidships (maybe it has a full load of fish!) I don’t really understand why this has happened - it must be that my hull is a different shape to what it should be (it doesn’t sit flush with the acrylic stand either). My options I think are: a) paint a thin white line of a consistent thickness above the top of the red paint and live without the distinctive bootstrap - probably the easiest option and would still look like a good model to the uninitiated but a little disappointing. b) sand the red paint off and paint the hull red much lower starting at a lower point at bow and stern and keeping to a waterline so the amidships point comes down. I can then lower the bootstrap onto a more curved part of the hull. But it may look odd with an overly thick bootstrap or much too low waterline. Also will I be able to strip back the red paint which has probably been partially absorbed by the planks (no primer or sealer used as the red paint is a primer). Might end up becoming quite messy. c) paint a lower white line joining the current correct bow and stern points but that does not follow the waterline. I’d have to either paint over or sand back some of the red paint too. Would this be noticeably odd too and I’m not sure how I’d do it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I’m erring towards option a as it’s safest but I’d appreciate the opinions of more experienced builders before committing myself. In the meantime I’ve been making deck fittings and sanding the engraved deck to size (not glued on). The deck didn’t fit exactly which also suggests that I have got the hull shape slightly wrong… well it is my first build so still learning!! Many thanks Dan
  9. DB789
    Fantastic, thank you very much for the recommendation. It’s ordered on Amazon Prime, I should have it tomorrow.
  10. DB789
    I know nothing about rigging techniques and reckon that I have a week to ten days work before the hull is complete. I chose the Fifie for a first build partly because the rigging looks much more straightforward than even Vanguard’s other trawlers Nisha and Erycina, and similar to Lady Isabella. Nonetheless I don’t know where to start with rigging her! The instructions which are wonderfully step-by-step for building the hull don’t give any such help on the rigging techniques, although the plans are excellent. Does anyone have any guidance on where to find some very basic / beginner guidance on how to rig a model boat and techniques? Such as how to tie a block on and put the thread through it, how to tie the sails onto the yards, what knots to use and how to tie them, what tools I need for rigging, etc. I have trawled through the MSW forums and found lots of detailed and advanced comments but not a lot to get me started. Likewise some excellent videos on YouTube but mostly about rigging dead eyes, shrouds and ratlines which the Fifie doesn’t have (useful for my next build I hope, but not for this one). Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Many thanks Dan
  11. DB789
    Waterline marked. Quite difficult to work out how the boat should sit in the stand for the waterline marking also and ensure the line is consistent on both sides. I measured down from the top strake as per the plans at both bow and stern and positioned the boat accordingly on the stand, then used the waterline marker. The waterline comes at least 5mm higher amidships higher than the plans suggest it should. I’ve just stuck with this. Then masked and painted in Plastikote red oxide primer. Filled a few cracks, sanded down and did a couple of coats. Waterline was good except small leakage around the bow, but this can be sanded a little and will be under the white ‘bootstrap’. Leaving for at least 24 hours before marking out the white bootstrap line tomorrow.
  12. DB789
    Hi Richard, Yes, I do have a Fifie build log - link below. Any advice would be hugely appreciated as I’m completely new to this. Thank you very much for the dye recommendation, the reddish brown you have achieved looks super. I’m not so keen on the ‘wine’ colour recommended in the instructions which is too pink and bright for my taste. I saw someone else using cocoa brown too but their sails came out much more brown than yours. Guess I need to get some and experiment on an old rag. Dan
  13. DB789
    Thank you! Good to know it’s not just me being hopeless then. Good idea on the CA applicator - I’ll make one of those. I’ve also ordered some other applicator tips from Cornwall Model Boats, see if those help too.
  14. DB789
    Rubbing strakes and rudder now fitted. Plenty of beginner mistakes here! Firstly I drilled the holes for the rudder ropes at slightly different heights on each side. Can’t fill and redo one side as I don’t want to paint the upper hull plus the new and old hole would overlap and likely create more mess so I just have to live with it . This meant that the upper of the two 1mm walnut rubbing strakes crossed over one or other hole and I wanted to keep the rubbing strakes high as per the instructions (with hindsight I should have put them lower as Blue Ensign did in his build log). Instead I have cut a gap in the strake for the rudder holes which looks OK but not ideal. Next I decided to pre-paint the PE rudder fittings (and most of the rest of the PE) with black acrylic spray paint, priming it with Tamiya grey primer first. This looked great until I used CA to glue the fittings on. I should have guessed that cyanoacrylate would dissolve acrylic paint. The dissolved paint prevented a proper bond between fitting and rudder and it ended up with lots of smeary black paint/CA mix all over the wood that had to be sanded off. I’ve tried sealing the painted PE with polyurethane varnish which has worked to a degree. Does anyone have any better ideas for either attaching painted PE without using CA or to seal the acrylic paint better so it doesn’t dissolve? Furthermore I decided to cut the pins for the rudder fittings so I could have domed pin heads on both sides. This was very time consuming and fiddly and I needed CA to keep them in place, so yet more CA smeared where it shouldn’t be. Not sure my hands are small enough for this! Lastly I used too much CA on the rubbing strakes so there’s now CA smeared on the upper hull. I’ve been trying to sand and scrape it off and have a bit more off than in the photos but still visible in places. I clearly need a better applicator than just a glue bottle and bit of discarded plank for applying CA when I do have to use it! Thanks again for all the support and advice. Dan
  15. DB789
    Finding this build log a great help. I’m building the Vanguard Fifie too (but not as well!). Thank you. I really like the colour you have dyed the sails which seem more browny red than the quite bright red on the box art. Please could I ask what dye you used? Thanks! Dan
  16. DB789
    Thank you! Yes it feels so satisfying to completed the second planking. I’m going to leave her natural above the waterline if I can. Luckily there isn’t too much filler needed above the waterline and where I have needed it I’ve used a mix of pear wood dust from sanding and PVA as one of the build logs suggested.
  17. DB789
    Been busy with the second planking which went on a little easier than the first planking and have put together a jig (as per Chuck Passaro’s video) to aid with pre-bending which with a little water really helped. The last plank was a challenge again and ended up being added in sections on both sides. The biggest problem was the stern rabbets which seemed wide and deep enough but were not (entirely my fault not the kit’s as usual!) so the planking rests against the stern post, a bit messy but mostly below the waterline where I can use filler and will be covered in paint. Hope there will still be room for the rudder fittings. I’m enjoying myself, but there’s plenty of room for improvement and almost endless amounts to learn. Thanks for all the help and advice it’s so helpful knowing there’s a support network out there for this!
  18. DB789
    Andy, thank you very much for the advice. I hadn’t sanded the planks at bow and stern flush with the prow and stern post and would have missed that. I have now done so and sanded almost through the planks at bow and stern. In one case right through but supported by the bevelled infill piece below so not a problem. Your build log is a great help - thanks. Rabbets now fitted with a sufficient gap for the second planking.
  19. DB789
    Planking was challenging (whilst still being a lot of fun). I didn't follow the kit instructions on how to plank, much to my regret and tried instead to line off and taper the planks. This proved to be too much for my beginner wood work skills and I couldn't cut the taper onto the planks with anything like the precision needed. The upwards bend at bow and stern meant that some of the planks did not sit naturally on the bulkheads (learning point for fairing next time) and in particular dried not straight around bulkhead 9 where the curve is sharper giving a slightly clinkered effect. I relied on bending the planks whilst wet and then clamping them, going forward I will try to bend them on a "jig" with an iron. The final plank was a real challenge on each side and I ended up needing to fit it in three sections with some slivers filling gaps. The end result was much messier than I would have liked, but with liberal doses of filler and sanding I now have a flat smooth surface for the second layer of planks. So somehow got to the required outcome, but lots to improve on next time. For the second layer of planks I am going to follow the procedure in the kit instructions to the letter.
  20. DB789
    Getting harder. First two planks fitted on each side. I had to soak the planks, clamp them and leave them to dry before glueing and pinning them - as per the bulwarks - to get them to bend upwards at the bow and stern. I am going to create a simple jig for bending the planks more effectively based on Chuck Passaro's HMS Winchelsea video but don't have the clamps, board or iron I need yet. Also, I have not started tapering the planks yet and think I can get at least one more plank on each side without doing so. Given how tricky fitting the first two planks has been I think I am going to use the lining off methodology for the planks between the top three untapered planks and the garboard plank at the bottom. Maybe I should fit the garboard plank next. I have made a small mistake at the stern whilst fairing and have slightly tapered the stern end of the false keel. So the planks do not sit as neatly at the stern as they do at the bow and do not leave a 3mm gap for the stern post (too embarrassed to add picture of this until sorted out!). I think I can tidy this up when I fit the stern post and I will need a little filler. It is certainly a learning curve.
  21. DB789
    Apologies for my slow reply. Chris - thank you. I've used some of your pins and they went in perfectly without drilling or splitting the wood. This is a great kit - thank you very much! Andy - thank you very much for the advice and encouragement. I have fitted the bulwarks now and the port side is drying overnight. Planking next....
  22. DB789
    Quick question. When it comes to pinning the bulwarks and planks - do I need to drill holes in the planks / bulwark for the pins to avoid them splitting or can I use the pin pusher on them undrilled? Many thanks for any advice.
  23. DB789
    Hi Dion, do you have a build log? I'd like to follow your progress too. I'm finding the other build logs essential reading alongside the excellent instructions that come with the kit. I am going to stick as closely as possible to the model as built in the instructions and not make any modifications as some have done. I need to crawl before I can walk! Starboard bulwarks having been soaked in water are being bent to shape and left to dry.
  24. DB789
    Thanks Nehemiah, great advice. I have faired the bulkheads much more and added the deck. A limewood plank seems to flow nicely from bow to stern now, but we'll see when I attempt planking for the first time! Bulwarks next....
  25. DB789
    A little more progress today. Lower deck glued in. Infill parts have been bevelled and glued in at bow and stern. Fish hatch side walls installed. Again very impressed by how well the parts fit together and align with little effort. Quality of the MDF is great too with no splintering when bevelled. So far relatively straightforward - going to get a lot more complicated shortly with the bulkheads and planking! One question - I have been using Titebond PVC and have not been diluting this down with water. Do I need to dilute it, the instructions suggest that I should? Many thanks

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