JacquesCousteau

Very precise work! In the pucture showing the deck on the hull, are the bulkheads showing through the deck, or are the darker lines intentional?

Really fantastic job! To my eyes, at least, it still has plenty of quirkiness (in a good way). Hoping that all goes well for you!

Thanks, all! I think that cardboard templates may be the way to go, as I suspect that I'll have to fiddle with things a bit to get the angles right. I may also try Paul's suggestion once I'm back from traveling, really anything that gives me a better sense of how this fits together will be helpful.

As I'm traveling at the moment, there's been no chance to get a rotor tool, or to do much work other than slowly sand a few frame parts I was able to bring with me. The floor from frame 10, below, is sanded to about the proper size on the right side (leaving a little extra for fairing), but still needs sanding on the left. For the remaining frame parts, I think I'll try cutting a little closer to the line, as I've gotten more precise with the fretsaw and leaving about 1/32-inch extra instead of 1/16-inch extra would significantly reduce the amount of sanding I need to do. In any case, I've realized that I'm not totally sure of how to cut the ends of the foremost cant frames (a and b). The drawings are mostly pretty clear about how the frames connect to the keel pieces, even when they do so at odd angles--in the plan detail below, for instance, it's clear how cant frame c at right is beveled and sits on the keel. However, you can also see that the interior ends of cant frames a and b, which should be attached to the stempost and thus ought to have a complex bevel, have practically no details, with the lines just stopping in mid-space. This is especially the case for b, which is oddly squared off--at least a is angled to meet the stem in one plane. So, I may be missing something obvious, but it's totally unclear to me how I'm supposed to cut the ends. If I cut between the ends of the lines, the result would be a squared block that doesn't fit against the stem. I could cut there and then bevel the result to fit, but I'm not sure if that would result in a piece that fits the hull properly. One might assume that the line ends represent the longest sides of the bevel (e.g , the outboard side of the frame reaching lower on the stem), but if they actually represent the shorter sides (e.g., the inboard side of the frame), then cutting at the line ends would result in too short of a piece. Thinking about it some more, I think that what I'll need to do is to use other drawings of the hull structure to measure the distance from one tip of the cant frame piece to the other, and then use that to figure out where the frame should be cut--whether at the line ends, or if I'll need to extend the frame lines a bit following the same curve. I don't bring this up to be overly critical, as the planset still seems generally quite excellent, but to instead signal potential issues to other modelers. This is another issue where I can't help but feel that the plans could be a little clearer.

Very nice work on the pilot house. Sorry to hear about the medical issues, hope all goes well!

It can be helpful to rub a pencil along the edges of the bulkheads while fairing, because you can easily see how much you've taken off that way and make sure that you're not overdoing it and destroying the shape of the bulkhead. I second Bob's suggestion to try bending a plank and seeing how it fits, as a moistened and heated plank will bend more than a batten. You wouldn't necessarily need to bend it exactly (as the exact bend required changes with each plank), but getting a good approximation will still be helpful. That said, if it's stillbreaking or nearly so upon bending over the bulkheads, that is a sign that you need to sand more. I had that same issue at the bow of my NRG Half-Hull model, and it took a lot of fairing to get it right. Good luck!

Excellent work, the scupper jig is a great idea too.

CA certainly has its uses! I use a sharpened toothpick to apply mine. Another option without quad hands that might help with getting the mast vertical might be to make a very simple jig from scrap wood. If you have a bit of wood wider than the mast diameter, and longer than the beam at the mast location, you could drill a hole for the mast in the middle, rest it on the gunwales across the hull over the mast step, and drop the mast through the hole into the step. Then you can move the jig around until the mast is centered left-right and at the right rake, and glue some chunks of scrap on the bottom of the jig snug with the gunwales so that the jig (and with it, the mast) can't move side to side or back. This would eliminate a lot of potential movement in the mast, and while it could still slide forward, that could probably stopped with something (rubber band, rubber cement or a tiny dab of gluestick, prop made of scrap, etc). A more complex version might use a slightly oversized hole and some tiny scrap wedges to finesse things if the jig turns out slightly off.

Wow, seeing it on the shelf like that next to the books really brings home what a small model it is. It's tiny! Which makes the workmanship all the more impressive.

CA glue is definitely useful for rigging, although I have seen others use shellac or other varnishes instead. The brush-on kind or the gel are easier to control than the tubes of liquid. You can dab it on the end of rigging line to keep it unraveling (especially useful for scale rope that can unravel when cut), and can cut the glued portion at an angle to get a sharp-tipped "needle" in the line for threading. Sometimes you also have to drill out the holes in metal fittings to get the line through, too.

Thanks, all! @wefalck, I can definitely understand the appeal of a nice clean model, and am considering building the Bateau de Lanvéoc that way. But I felt that this model was particularly well-suited for a more weathered look. I think it also conveys something about the broader context in which these vessels sailed, maybe telling a story (or at least hinting at one) about their sailors' lives. (Of course, one could also say the same about the Bateau, which is also a workboat, but there I have the excuse of wanting to show off the framing.) Not much work for the next week or so, as I'll be traveling, but I was able to make a new, better-tapered gaff. Still need to figure out the jaws.

Definitely a tricky mast to rig with the upright angle controlled solely by the rigging! While it's certainly frustrating, and it's of course up to you what you do, I'd suggest redoing the shrouds and stays to get a result you're satisfied with. The rest of the model has turned out quite nice, including additions like the served rigging not usually seen on this model, and it seems to me like it would not take that much time, relatively speaking, to bring the standing rigging up to the same standard. It sounds like part of the issue was in setting the shrouds before the fore stay. Maybe setting the forestay first would help? Another option may be to fudge things a bit (or let's call it personalizing the boat) by making a new, wider thwart from scratch and drilling a hole in the midline to create a more stable foundation for the mast. I did something similar on my Dory build, which I added a sail to, but I'm not sure if it would work on this particular model. Anyway, it's your model, just thought I'd add my two cents.

Very nice work! Personally I think having the upper deck mostly unplanked would look great and would really show off the framing.

Thanks, all, for the comments and likes! A bit of a minor setback, but also some progress to report. I began work on the gaff, also making it from alder like the boom. Unfortunately I slightly over-tapered the portion nearest the mast. I then had trouble with the jaws. Given that they need to curve in two directions (outward to fit around the mast, and upward so they wrap around it when the gaff is raised and angled up), I thought I might try to build them up from layers. However, I made the lowest layer over-long (photos show they were usually pretty short) and compounded the error trying to use sawdust, glue, and sanding to blend it into the gaff to make up for over-tapering it. It's not a total waste as I'll be able to trim the end and re-use the spar on some subsequent model, but for now I'll need to remake the gaff. In happier news, I finished up the belaying points. Many lanchas had a sort of double cleat formed by running rods through a wooden block. To make mine, I more or less followed the dimensions given in one of Graham's sketches, cutting them from 3/32-inch thick scrap and shaping with a file. To make the rods or pins, I wasn't sure how well basswood or a thinned toothpick woud hold up, so I cut up a bamboo coffee stir stick. I then gave everything a coat of black wash. And here, the belaying points in place. My belaying point plan differs slightly from that shown in the plan set, instead being based on photographs and Graham's sketches. I also needed to add a pair of metal rings in eyebolts, making them of wire and painting them black. While some of Graham's sketches show eyebolts located at different locations on the port and starboard side, I decided to make mine symmetrical, following what I could make out from Vairo's photos. I also got the chainplates attached to the hull. To get the angle right, I first determined their location, then ran the shrouds through the end and back up again, and applied slight pressure while holding the bottom of the chainplate in place. I then marked the nail hole, drilled it out, placed the nail through the chainplate and partly into the hull, and again used the shrouds to get the angle right before applying super glue to the nail and back of the chainplate, and snugging both up against the hull. As can be seen, I've loosely tied off the shrouds for now, mostly to keep them out of the way--I still need to add hooks and turnbuckles to finish off the shrouds. I then dry-brushed a bit of rust. Looking at it in close-up, I may tone it down slightly on the nail head. There was also a little excess super glue, which was cleaned by scraping, adding to the weathering effect. I similarly tied off the fore stay, and took a look at how the build is coming now that it has more rigging (also temporarily adding the boom, which still needs paint). I'm liking how it's coming together so far. And with the failed gaff temporarily added, giving a sense of how it would look if I don't add sails.

Amazing work, the model looks incredible! I like the choice to leave it undecked and half unplanked, too.