Bryan Woods

I got the cap rail on. The bow has a small piece on top with grooves that match the ones I filed in the hull. Loops of .5 mm thread went in these. The deck also has loops that needed to be put in before it was glue to the hull. This is at the bow. I used a 2x2 to standardize all the loops. Here’s a 1.3 rope at the stern. The mast is attached to a beam that will rotate to raise and lower it. It also has two boulders that rest on the knees at the base. The weight counter balances, so it doesn’t slam down on all the slave rowers. I hope to mimic this action before I glue the mast on. I have flipped back and forth through these instructions and much as I did a Sears and Robuck Christmas catalog:-) I’m still wondering if I’ve overlooked something. So here’s where it stands with the deck glued on.

Big improvement today:-) The refrigeration man showed up to cut and vacuumed out the line set for the mini split. Forecast calls for cooler temperatures tomorrow:-)

Thanks Jacques, super glue, and it was still tight.

I finished the needle work on the hull today. It wasn’t hard, just slow:-) Next in my plan is the cap rail.

The one that received this boat, gave me in return several goodies:-) a great book and this wonderful pop up card. I bet it would be a great build:-)

Thanks rcmdrvr. I read your log probably many times before I ever started the build:-)

Thanks Bob, I’m high on top of a ridge, I just have to worry about the road washing out:-)

I got the finish on the hull, so that let me start the needle work. I started with the stern. Then I tried going down the starboard side. It was going smoothly but I had to stop to get ready to leave for the weekend. Next week should move the build quite a bit farther along. I’ve made a lot of the deck fittings.

The top rail supplied with the kit was 3 small pieces of plywood for each side:-/ So I got a piece of 1mm x3 mm walnut to match the rest. I didn’t know how easy it was going to be to edge bend it to fit the hull. But to my surprise it was pretty easy. I sprayed it once with water and ran it through my hair straightener. Then laid it on a curve that I had traced and pinned it down as needed. While I was trying to figure out what to make next, I realized I was just procrastinating on finding the location of all the holes running horizontally down the hull. I used 4mm tape to mark both runs. The holes need to be 5mm apart, so I tried to just drill beside the tape. Plus the tape gums up the bit and that’s a pain to me. After punching a point I used a .8mm bit with a small cordless tool. Then used a 1.7 mm bit in my pin vice to enlarge them. ( that was the largest bit I had that fit in my pin vice) The rope is 1mm and pretty much every hole gets two ropes. After making a mock up of the needle work at double the scale. I saw there will be a few holes that has 3 and 4 ropes in one hole. Also there are holes to drill that hold the deck on the stern and holes that hold the ropes, that hold the oars. Then the next challenge is estimating the length of rope needed to do the needle work.

I like the Texas stone. It needs a touch of the artist in it. It plus I think the dish draws the eye away.

I got the hull painted. I just imagined the color of the original boat. I started with a yellow wash. Then a burnt umber wash. I’ve started planking the deck. Trying to figure out where all the holes go in it. I’m probably going to end up making the mast and all the other poles and things I need to have room for. The plans give very few dimensions, and just a few almost scaled details. The bow and stern blocks are in the way of the decks. I’ll have to carve out some of both.

I thought I was at a stopping point, but when my wife volunteered her help to stain the porch. I was off to the hardware store:-) The local store didn’t have much of a selection, luckily they had one she approved of.

This morning I finished planking the hull. Bow stern I’m probably going to paint and finish the hull before I start drilling the holes in the hull for the ropes. It’s going to be very easy to cover myself up on this build, if I don’t look at everything that goes on the deck . All the way to the end of the build.

Great job Glen, and also a thank you for a great play by play log that helped me follow along on stuff I had no knowledge of:-)

Good morning Ron, The bird strikes have slowed. Mainly there is a male blue bird that just knocks up against all the windows around the shipyard and the garage. I think he’s just trying to run off his competition. I do have to install a ceiling under the porch. There’s already a nest with four eggs balanced on a joist:-)

Great idea tmj, I need to add that to the list:-)

Thank you Mike for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. We plan putting cobble stones later. At this time we have stepping stones between the garage and the shipyard that we use if it is damp. It was my idea to get her moved in, so no backing out now:-) Down in the back woods of Tennessee a ship’s wheel isn’t common, or a shipyard either:-)

I finished the porch earlier this week and hung the ship’s wheel this morning:-) We will probably stain the porch, post and header later this summer. But for now it’s modeling time! I’m hoping if I can keep to ground clear of aggressive vegetation, The Lord will bless me with his very own carpet. Here is a walk that’s took about 3 years.

Putting the blocks on the stern and bow made the planks go smoothly. I used PVA glue and clamps, moving a few frames at a time. The instructions has you glue both sides first and the middle last. All three planks are wider than bottom of the hull. I chose to fit the middle tight against the side I glued first. Then the other side. Now I’ll need to sand the edges down even with the frames and I’ll be ready to install the rest of the planks.

Thanks Joshua, actually I did use a pin vice. But I’m still lacking on the control and accuracy:-)

This build is definitely a thinker. I’ve tried to stay several steps ahead. It seems every time I set down and think I discover more obstacles. Looking ahead at the holes to be drilled in both ends of the hull. They are supposed to get two 1mm ropes. That’s big holes. I tried the stern end starting with a .5mm bit and went up to 1.7 mm. It wasn’t pretty. I found a YouTube build that was French. He did a good job, even though I couldn’t understand what he was saying he used he’s hands enough I followed along. Well with part of it, there’s a bunch of hours to still be seen. He waited till the hull was completed then just drilled it while holding it with one hand, cordless drill in the other. The bottom planks share the 2mm spine. I was looking forward to sticking them on. That caused me to make blocks at either end. Here’s the stern that I drilled the plywood. It’s probably going to haunt me later. I’m going to wait and follow my leader on the bow. The blocks may impede with the ropes that run down the sides, they may stop short, we’ll have to see. It’s going to make the planks easier and I probably can use PVA instead of CA.

The Mossy Shipyard is gradually filling up. We got my wife moved in with all her scrapbook supplies. She covers her stuff up when she’s not working on it. On the outside we used the last remaining bags of concrete to pour an equipment pad on the south end. I’m still working on the porch. Hopefully get it finished this weekend. The birds are constantly trying to run off their reflection in the windows. This female cardinal must have seen the reflection of the woods and flew straight into one. She landed on the roof of the porch. I got a ladder to check her condition. Stunned but still alive. I carefully held her to see if anything might be broken. Piled some sticks and leaves under her so she didn’t slide off the roof. After about 30-40 minutes of sitting there, not bothered by me stepping up the laddder and checking on her, she flew off:-) After I finish the porch’s get to rest for a month or so, she unless the temperature gets to warm. Then I’ll have to install the mini split.

While I was seeing if those bottom planks fit before I install those other two frames:-/ I realized they may have wanted me to install them so that the spline won’t snap into while checking the planks. I quickly jumped into first response mode and dabbed glue between the three breaks before they came apart. Then grabbed clamps and all the excitement ended with relief:-) About 30 mins later I followed the instructions:-) I’m pretty gun shy now, and I still have some fairing to do. I can safely say there won’t be tons of dust flying:-)

I got the two exposed frames ready and the other two halves of the stachions glued to the spine. Next I need to fair the bottom of the hull. I’ll see how those planks fit before I install these two frames. I’m thinking I may break them off with it upside down.

This will be the first boat built in the Mossy Shipyard. Here’s the kit. It started out pretty simple. I cut loose the spine and frames and dry fitted them. Frames #2 & #10 are close to the same size. The parts are not numbered. You must compare them by the plan. #2 was found lacking at the stern. #10 fit better at the bow. I cut off a piece of the carrier and glued it to the top of frame 2. It’s still lacking but I’ll be able to build it up before the deck goes on. I started gluing the frames at the stern moving towards the bow until I got to #6. The next bay between the frames is exposed and shows the ropes that tie the hull together:-) There is quite a bit of things going on in this part and reading steps ahead I’ve decided to do some of them in a different order than what I have understand the instructions are telling me. First there are two frames that ropes wrap around. I first marked where the grooves are needed. Then cut them with the edge of a flat file. I want to paint as I go to keep from painting the ropes. The next challenge comes several steps later but I’m going to deal with it much earlier. It has to exposed stanchions that are also wrapped with rope and are tiny and still to big. Plus they set on top of the wrapped frames. The plans only show them wrapped separately. One of the frames is considerably smaller than the other. but the stanchions are the same size:-) I had to file a groove in the top of the smaller frame to hopefully make it small enough. Here is the larger one dry fitted. I’m thinking I’m going to glue the bottom part on the frame first. Then paint it then wrap it as a whole. I hope I can figure the symmetrical pattern they used when wrapping’’em up.