JacquesCousteau

Great start! I'm looking forward to following this build.

Thanks, that's very kind of you! That said, I can see a lot to improve upon in future builds. It's important to note failures as well as successes, in order to (hopefully) learn from them. For instance, I trimmed this plank too thin while I was shaping it. You can see how several marks are well above the plank: This was because I was using a dull exacto blade to trim it. Instead of cutting smoothly, I took a divot out of the wood. I feel like blade dullness is an issue that always sneaks up on me and I don't notice it until I have an issue like this. In any case, I swapped blades and redid the plank. It's amazing how much better a fresh blade cuts. The plank looks much better now. That said, while the plank looks good, you can still see a little bit of the marking on frame 4a. As far as I can tell, if I follow the markings perfectly, they'll all be a little wider on that frame than on those around them. I'm a little confused by how this happened--maybe my wale is slightly low there? The run of the sheer appears smooth when I check it, so I don't think I left the frame too high. I'll see how it looks once I get the other two planks on.

Although the Canoa itself is on hold for now, I thought I might make some of the gear and accoutrements that will bring the finished model to life. I decided to make a barrel, which might go into the Canoa or into a different model that I haven't started yet. I saw that Chuck Passaro sells deluxe barrel mini-kits (Syren Deluxe Barrels) that are made of Alaskan Yellow Cedar. I ordered a couple alongside rope and fittings for another build being planned. I've heard a lot about how nice Alaskan Yellow Cedar is to work with, but also that it can cause allergic reactions in some people, and I thought a tiny barrel kit would be just the thing to test whether or not I'm allergic to it. I also haven't seen many mentions of these on the site, so I thought a mini build log might be interesting for anyone considering them as an option. The mini kit is quite nice--you get two small sheets with laser-cut parts, and a sheet of laserboard for the hoops. The laser cutting is very precise, with no charring on the side that will be visible. The interlocking framework is quite simple to put together. Do make sure to line up the dots on the parts, otherwise the 14-sided edge won't match up. The instructions say the framework can just be held in place with friction, but I found it more secure to add a drop of glue to each joint. I then glued on the end caps and began work on the staves. These were tricky. They don't have to take that much of a curve, but they're just an inch long, making it hard to bend them properly. The instructions say just to use superglue and hold them in place while it cures, but no matter how long I held them, the ends popped off. The instructions say that trying to pre-bend the staves will just break them, but I decided to give it a try anyway, using scrap to make a simple jig, soaking the staves, and letting them dry overnight. None of the staves broke, but this also didn't work--the curve was too gentle, and the ends still wanted to pop off. Instead, what I found worked was to superglue one end of the stave firmly in place, wait for it to cure, and then bend it and glue on the other end. For whatever reason, this worked far better than trying to hold both ends in place at once. You can see an example in the middle of this process below. It took some time, and some glued fingers--I really do dislike super glue--but eventually all the staves were added and I smoothed the outside and ends. Next was to add the hoops. I did a very poor job of keeping these even, but I think it's not so noticeable if the barrel is stowed in a hold. As can be seen, the superglue stained the wood, leaving the barrel very blotchy. I ended up simply spreading a bit of super glue over the whole barrel to give an even color. It did in fact bring out some of the richness of the wood, although it's a bit glossy. As can be seen, the barrel is pretty small. At 1:32 scale, this is a fairly small barrel, 2 ft 8 in tall. For now, I'm just stowing it in the bow of the Peapod (where it's basically a tiny cask) while I decide whether it will eventually go in the Canoa or one of two coastal traders I'll be building next. Overall I'm pleased with the barrel kit and would recommend it to anyone who is curious. Just keep in mind that curving the staves is a bit tricky, and be careful not to get superglue everywhere. Edit: I forgot to mention that it seems I am not allergic to Alaskan Yellow Cedar, which is great news although I'm not sure when I will ever work with it--at the moment, I have a decent supply of cherry, alder, and basswood for my upcoming builds and won't be buying wood for a while. I also should note that, with the extra pieces included in the kit, once I build the other barrel I should have enough spare parts to make a nice little bucket as well.

I'd also recommend posting a build log as the best way to get suggestions. This forum is a very supportive environment and you will receive help from people who would like to see you succeed. Moreover, a build log can show the full process, which can be helpful in understanding what went wrong. At the moment, I'm not totally sure why the wood is coming away from the hull like that, although I have a few ideas. What type of glue are you currently using? You may not be using enough, or are using too much, and may not be properly clamping it to cure. Also, when you soaked the planks to bend them into shape, did you allow them to fully dry, or did you glue them while they were still wet? If the latter, the plank may have shrunk once the water dried. There are a few things that stand out to me that could be contributing. First, you mentioned having only a few clamps. Having more clamps of different types would probably be helpful and make it easier to hold the wood in shape so that it more easily takes the bend. Second, maybe it's just the angle, but it looks like the planks may not have been spiled--that is, shaped, especially to reduce their width toward the bow. Spiling is frequently necessary to make sure the planks sit properly around the complex curves of the hull. If you click on the link in my signature to my NRG Half-Hull build log (or look at many other build logs for a variety of vessels) you can see how the planks become thinner near the bow, and are also cut into curved shapes to allow them to sit flat on the bulkheads around the curve. (Some prefer to use heat to bend planks sideways rather than cutting them into a curved shape.) Based on the amount of char on the bulkheads toward the bow, you also might need to fair more there, although you'd need to check this by using a thin batten to see if it can take a smooth curve while touching all bulkheads. These are just a few ideas, hopefully they are helpful. I do highly recommend making a build log.

Very well done, congratulations on finishing an excellent and highly original model! I've greatly enjoyed following along on this build, and look forward to whatever you build next--for whatever it's worth, my vote is for that tiny ferryboat with its bargeload of wagons.

Very nicely done, such clean worksmanship!

I've now finished the second band and the first strake above the wale. Although there are still challenges, I feel like my planking skills have improved over time and the run of each strake is getting better with each band. Now that the wale has been installed, it's becoming quite difficult to clamp the planks below it, as can be seen below. Thankfully I was able to slightly deepen the rabbet, allowing the bow planks to be much more firmly seated. The stern is also tricky, given that the planking now ends against the counter. The haphazard arrangement shown below doesn't work all that well, as the clamp only is in contact with the scrap blocks at the build board. I'm considering adding at least the first plank of the counter's planking in order to form at least a small rabbet of sorts, which would undoubtedly help at least a little to hold the tip of the planks in place. You can also see how the strake above the wale was left oversized at the end. Although I soon cut off the tip to bring it down to the transom, the plank is supposed to cover the ends of the counter planking. As can be seen, the wale also dips a bit, although I'm hoping the second layer of wale will cover this. In general, I'm not totally pleased with my counter and the end of the wale, which doesn't seem to have turned out quite like it should. This is an area where I feel the instruction manual could be clearer. That said, from the other build logs it looks like there's a lot of variation in this across builds, and they all look great, so perhaps it's not so much of a problem. As others have noted, the planks above the wale are very straightforward to shape. View from below: View from the stern: View from the bow: View from the side: I'm quite liking how the hull is coming together, even if I'm very unsure about how I'll clamp this last band.

Very nicely done! The bevel on the planking is definitely confusing at first.

The build looks great!

Thanks! With the wale in place, I've started planking above the wales while continuing to plank the bands below. First, I had to mark out the molding on the quarterdeck. I was then able to mark out the planking widths above the wale. I also finalized the fairing of the transom's bottom corner, which I hadn't done earlier because I wasn't sure where the wale would end up. By now, I've finished the third strake of the second belt, and started planking above the rail. So far I'm enjoying this build a lot, it's very fun to see the hull take shape. There are a few things I want to mention, though. First, I don't think I'll be doing a drop plank at the bow, as it looks like I have plenty of space to fit the full four planks there. I'm not sure what I did differently from the instructions, but I feel like a drop plank would lead to the planks in the last band becoming weirdly wide at the bow. Secondly, as the bow becomes quite bluff by this point of the hull, I've been having a lot of trouble test fitting planks to properly shape them. I'm not sure if I didn't properly fair it or what, but a few planks have snapped when I tried to test fit them around the bow, as can be seen below. (Thankfully it wasn't disastrous for that plank, as I was actually re-using an earlier plank I had accidentally cut a hair too short, so I was able to just trim off the broken end and continue.) What I've found works best is to get the plank approximately spiled, curve it to shape with hot water and clamps, and then finalize the shaping once it's properly curved and can easily fit around the bow. Third, I've also had some trouble fitting planks into the rabbet at the bow and stern. If I were to redo this build, I would make them a little deeper so there was more to seat the planks.

Very nice job on the planking!

I'm continuing to make progress. The wales are now in place (or at least the first layer) and I'm midway through the second belt. As can be seen, creative clamping is a must. Further details of how I'm clamping at the bow: And at the stern: Unfortunately, with all the clamping material in the way, I didn't see until afterward that the bow plank somehow got weirdly twisted at the tip: I found that it wasn't quite as bad as it seemed, though. There isn't actually much of a gap between the plank and the plank below it, it's more that the plank below it is standing slightly proud of the rabbet. Preliminary sanding helped a lot. I also used an exacto blade to carefully trim the top of the plank to get rid of the odd upward twist. It now looks more acceptable: Meanwhile, I'm nearly up to the counter at the stern: Overall, I'm pleased with how the planking is coming along. I can certainly see areas for improvement in future builds, though.

It's been a little while since my last post. I'd like to finish this before my move in late August, as the model will be much easier to pack if it's fully built and can be removed from the build board (or if the board can be trimmed substantially). It took some thought to figure out how to do the stealer at the stern. After considering different options, I decided to follow the example given in the instructions, rather than the other style of stealer shown in Toni's build log. First I marked it out on the hull. And then cut it to shape. It fit fairly well into the slot. I then began adding the next strake. I also decided that I may as well add the wale now, so I began marking that out. One issue I've been having is that it's been very hard to fit planks into the rabbet. I'm not sure if I didn't cut it deep enough. As can be seen, the bow plank ended up too short. Fortunately, it came off easily enough with rubbing alcohol. While I was redoing that plank, I also began cutting the first layer of the wale to shape. Fitting it was a little tricky due to the pronounced curve of the bow, which made it difficult to test fit. I ended up cutting the strip a bit oversize at first to bend it into shape, as seen below, so as to then do the final shaping afterward. I've continued working and moved on to the next strake. As can be seen, the color variation between sheets of basswood has ended up nicely highlighting the stealer. From this angle, you can also see another issue. Following the instructions, the stealer ends on a bit of backing that was placed between frames. Unfortunately, clamping the hull to that backing has led to a bit of a flat spot in the hull in that area. I'll have to see if sanding the hull helps, but I'm not sure it will. I'm also not sure if this could have been avoided--the only way I can think of would have been to add the backing piece much earlier in the build and fair it in place such that it followed the curve of the hull. In any case, this is a minor issue and I can live with it. In any case, I painted the edges of the wales black, and have begun gluing them in place starting at the bow. As can be seen, I had to be a bit creative with the clamping. Sone of the frames are too thick for me to fit the clothespins around, so I had to use several bits of scrap wood to instead clamp to the spacers between frames.

Yes, it's definitely very interesting to ask why certain topics get researched and others don't. In this case, I suspect it's mostly a general lack of study of workboats in Mexico, with anthropology's focus on indigenous societies leading to some studies of dugouts. The lack of study of colonial workboats is a bit odd, though, as other aspects of colonial-era material culture have been very well-studied and have received a lot of attention. In any case, as part of my upcoming move back to Mexico, the Canoa has been packed and sent off, arriving safely. I'll get back to work on it in September.

I'm looking forward to following your build! On the crooked transom: if you're using white glue, it comes off very easily with a bit of rubbing alcohol and can be re-glued once it dries.

Congratulations on finishing, what an amazing build! The figures really make it come to life, too.

Out of curiosity, are there any updates on this build? I know you've been very busy with the Speedwell, new blocks, and other items, so it makes perfect sense that it's on the backburner. But it's a very interesting build. These small workboats are fascinating and under-represented in kits, especially at the level of detail and accuracy you're going for. And this method of making the frames looks like an excellent way around the challenges of building many thin frames without doing a shell-first construction with frames added in afterward. Is there any chance the kit would be available someday in 1:32 scale?

Really fascinating stuff. I wonder if there are any oral histories of fishermen or boatbuilders during the war that might have an answer?

Very well done!

Thanks, all! I next made the oarlocks. While the instructions/inventory say the kit is supposed to include a piece of wood specifically for these parts, I couldn't find it, and instead used the leftover strip from the rub rail, which was the same size. I should note that, while I've been writing that these parts are walnut, the instructions actually say that they're mahogany! I'm not sure how I got it in my head that they're walnut. They look much grayer than the mahogany that I've seen and used in the past (like on the Juana y José), though, with a very different grain pattern, and also seem less reddish compared with photos of other build logs. So I'm not sure if they're actually mahogany or something else, or if the company changed the material. In any case, the oarlock blocks were not difficult to shape. I then attached them and drilled out the holes for the oarlocks themselves, which are cast in a silvery metal. I'm not sure whether to try painting them or blackening them, or if I should just leave them as-is--I don't think the silvery color looks bad. Next, I made a simple stand. I still have to decide whether to stain it, paint it, or leave it as-is. At this stage, the main things left to build are the accoutrements--oars, lobster trap, and other fishing gear. I have to say that this is quite an enjoyable kit.

Thanks! The walnut rub rail has now been attached. While the instructions say to just use super glue to hold the strip to the necessary curve, as with the rest of this build I soaked the walnut strips in hot water, clamped them to dry to shape, and used white glue to attach them. First, though, I scraped and carefully sanded some of the paint away from the area to be glued. Then, as the walnut strip was a bit splintery, I lightly sanded the exterior side of each strip and slightly rounded the exterior edges. After soaking and allowing the strips to dry to shape, I glued them in place. I found it easiest to glue half a strip at a time, clamping as I went, as shown below. I should note that, as I couldn't clamp right at the tip, I just held the strip in place by hand for 15 minutes or so until it was sturdy enough to stay in place. Beveling the tips to fit against the stems was a bit more complicated than the instructions suggested, as the stem didn't always form such a perfect angle with the hull planking. In a couple joints, I was able to bevel it more or less as given in the instructions: At other joints, though, I had to trial-and-error a fit as there wasn't really a defined angle. I allowed the strip to run a little long to allow final shaping afterward. Once both strips were on, I did the final shaping. I taped off the stems to protect them while sanding. I then trimmed and sanded the rub rails to make them smoothly run into the stems. I then used green paint to touch up where needed (and to touch up a couple spots on the border of the white strip). With that, the hull is complete except for the oarlocks. As can be seen, the rub rails run smoothly into the stems. Next, I think it's time to make a stand.

Very nice start, looking forward to following this build!

Very nicely done!

Thanks! I shaped the edges of the breasthooks to run smoothly into the inwales, and then fully painted the interior. My first attempt wasa shade too light, but I was able to add a bit more brown to the mix and matched the previous coat pretty well. I also decided to paint the knees. Once they dried, I glued all the thwarts etc into place. The interior is now nearly finished, except for oarlocks/oars/lobster trap/etc. Next, to paint the exterior. A bit of the interior color had gotten onto the exterior white stripe, so I gave that a new coat. Then, I used tamiya masking tape to set off the stripe, and painted the rest of the hull a dark green. As can be seen, despite the filling and sanding the hull is still not very smooth. However, that will mostly be out of sight on the bottom, so I'm not too worried. After allowing it to dry and removing the tape, I can see I'll have a little touch-up to do at the stem. But otherwise, the hull is nearly complete. Next I'll add a walnut trim strip as a wale around the edge.

Excellent point! I've made a bit more progress on the interior. First, a second coat of paint really helped to even things out. I think one or two more costs of paint will be enough. However, before I get to that, I realized that I need to add the inwales. They've been cut to size and are drying into shape. I'm actually not clamping them now (although I will when I glue them), because the pressure from the breasthooks is enough to hold them in shape. After they're glued into place, I'll need to sand the ends of the breasthooks flush with them. I also decided to color the seats and thwarts with stain. They aren't glued into place yet. They required a bit of shaping to fit properly--better that they're provided oversized and can be trimmed down than be provided in a size too small. Adding the thwarts really gives a sense of this model's large scale. Earlier, with the numerous frames and the use of thin strips for planking, the hull almost felt like it could be a smaller-scale model of a much larger vessel (by which I mean something around 30 feet in length), but that's not the case with the thwarts in place. I also checked the fit of the knees, which I will also need to color. I'm debating whether to paint or stain them. Once the interior is finished, I'll be able to fully paint the exterior. The end is in sight for this build, but I'm not there yet.