JacquesCousteau

As can be seen, I was able to correct the unevenness at one of the stems by paying more attention to shaping the planks. Although one plank is wider at the stem than its pair on the other side of the hull, this discrepancy shouldn't be noticeable once the hull is sanded and painted. As I continue, I'll pay more attention to making sure the planks are an even width as I taper them. I recently got a mini plane, and I'm looking forward to using it to taper the planks.

Progress has been very slow, but I finally got started on making the upper layer of thatching. It's still tedious work, but I think I'm getting better at it. I've certainly had a lot of practice! This time I'm making both at once, which is a faster, although it's easy to get the strings crossed. I've also begun work on the stand. I felt like the stand for the dory and the Cargo Canoa looked a little heavy, so I thought I would do something a little less obtrusive out of 1/8-inch square basswood strips, which I've stained to match the hull parts. I still need to connect them, but I was able to test the base. (Please ignore the mess all over the table). I'm not sure how I like the stand, it might be too high, or maybe it will look better once a horizontal support joins the bow and stern stand pieces. More and more I'm finding that I like the look of a more minimalist stand, like a bit of brass rod that locks into a slot in the keel. Unfortunately, that would be very difficult to make in this case, due to the lack of a keel. Any holes I drill in the bottom go into just 1/16‐inch thick basswood, after which there's a roughly 1/16‐inch gap, then the floor planking. Finally, I should mention that this build's time to completion has been extended again. It now seems likely that I'll be moving internationally over the summer, by flight rather than car. It will be very difficult to pack the Canoa into a suitcase once it's fully rigged, but it's quite portable as long as it's just a bare hull. So, while I'm hoping to build many of its individual parts, I'm probably going to have to leave the rancho and mast/sail/rigging off for now. (In order to actually be able to finish a model that will be portable when complete, I've started the Midwest Maine Peapod kit, which is fun so far.)

A bit more progress on the planking. I'm bending each plank with water and heat and allowing it to dry in shape before gluing, which should help keep the hull from springing shut once it's taken off the formers but means that I can only do a pair of planks or so per day. Lacking a rabbet, there's been some variation in where the planks end on the stems. I don't think it will be a problem once thinks are sanded and painted, though. Thankfully the 1/16-thick planks should be able to withstand a bit of aggressive sanding, which seems to be the only way to make this strip planking method work. Although it's difficult to see, I began tapering the planks after the fourth strake. My plan is that the first strake will be covered by the rub rail, and there will be a stripe of paint below that, so I am hoping to use the strakes to help guide making an even paint strip. One issue that I've run into is that the planking strips aren't totally consistent. Some are slightly narrower or wider than others. Unfortunately, as a result my planking runs are now slightly uneven at one stem. I'm trying to correct the issue by better shaping the next strake. In any case, another set of planks is now drying overnight and will be glued tomorrow. Clamping this hull has definitely been a bit tricky!

That makes perfect sense! I had noticed the change in color and was curious, it'll definitely be unnoticeable under the paint though.

Nice job, it's coming along really well and looks great! What wood are you using for the planking?

Strip planking the hull has been fun so far, although I think it's going to become more complicated soon as I get closer to the keel. The strip-planked hull starts at the wales and then moves in toward the keel. Some other logs noted that the hull tends to squeeze shut once it's pulled off the formers. To mitigate that, I've been bending the strips by soaking, heating, and letting them dry in place. Slow, but nothing too bad. It's great to start getting a sense of the hull shape, even with very little planked. I've been trying to do both sides at the same time. It's working ok so far, but definitely requires some creative clamping. One of my solutions is seen below: That turned out to be a pretty delicate balancing act, though. Many times, the clamp assembly wants to spring back off the hull. Using a large clamp to hold it in place has helped, although it will be harder to do the further up I go: I somehow cut one of the strips slightly too short, and didn't notice until everything had dried. As the strip is glued all along the length of the other strip, it was still held securely in place, but there was a slight gap. I was able to add a bit of scrap wood to fill the gap. It doesn't look great now, but should be smooth once sanded and painted: My plan is to do the first three or four strips without additional shaping (besides slightly beveling the edge). Then, I'll start narrowing the ends a bit.

My other builds are going through some doldrums at the moment as I'm working on very tedious parts, so I felt like starting a new build. I thought that I should make some progress on the stash of kits that I've accumulated--the Model Shipways Lobster Smack, Midwest Peapod, Corel Sloup, and Disar Jábega. I limited myself to rowing vessels, given that it looks like I'll be doing a big move this year and it would be complicated to pack something with sails, so I was left with the Peapod and the Jábega. I really wanted to like the latter. Seeing Spanish fishing boats, including a Jábega, in the Barcelona Maritime Museum was what got me interested in picking up modeling. But Disar's kit leaves a lot to be desired. From reputation, I expected some issues and simplifications, but I hadn't realized that the model's hull shape barely even looks like a jábega, being weirdly squat instead of sleek. So, I decided on the Peapod. It's a very straightforward kit. The hull is built shell-first on a mold, with frames and other internal pieces added afterward. I didn't take a picture out of the box, but the wood's quality is solid and the laser-cutting seems fine. You get a nice plan sheet and some fairly thorough instructions (although they're a bit skimpy on details on how to actually plank), a solid build board, several laser-cut formers and other parts, and a few bundles of sticks. Everything is basswood except for two mahogany strips for the rub rail. Although I enjoy doing research on the boats I'm building, I think other build logs have generally covered it for this one and have pointed to useful sources and the like. Basically, it's a small Maine workboat, notably used for lobstering but also for all manner of other work, as it has a seaworthy and capacious hull that rowed well. (Some were also sailed--I'm looking forward to robert952's kitbash to build a sailing peapod). The kit includes plans for a lobster trap, and even a tiny cast-metal lobster, so I may build it that way. But by now I've already made two lobster traps--which is a lot for someone who's allergic to shellfish!--so I may look into some other fishing activities to model intead. One thing I noticed is that the kit's construction method is not necessarily accurate. The kit's hull is strip-planked with a ton of narrow 1/8x1/16 inch basswood strips. Some modern peapods are indeed strip-planked, but historically they were either lapstrake or carvel-built using wider planks. I briefly toyed with converting the build to one of these styles by shaping my own planks, but the formers are very widely spaced, which would make it difficult to determine the shape of the strakes. So I decided to just go with the strip planking--the hull will be painted anyway, and existing build logs show that the result looks nice. There are a few build logs already that have been quite helpful in understanding the kit and some of its issues. Right off the bat, they pointed me toward the problem that the formers are very flimsily-attached to the building board. As can be seen, they're just edge-glued to the board, after you mark the centerlines and locations to get everything aligned. So, I added some supports cut from scrap. I think the curves add a nice almost art deco touch. The photo also shows my second deviation from the instructions. The instructions have you just glue the stem and sternpost to the keel plank. I did that, and then realized after that they weren't squared. I was wondering how to hold the posts vertical when I realized that I could just install them on the building board first, using the centered formers to hold the posts squared, and then could glue the keel plank in place on top. It took a bit of work to figure out the right location for the posts so the keel plank would fit the notches. I also had to prop the posts up on some 1/8‐inch scrap in order to get the posts to sit right. The other option would have been to remove a very large amount of material from the former notchs instead, but I decided to just add the scrap (althoughI still had to slightly widen and deepen the notches with a file). In any case, I was able to install the keel plank after marking the frame locations as per the plans. I noticed that the keel plank was hovering a little over the second and fourth formers, so I slid a piece of sandpaper under the central former to lightly sand it down. It worked well and didn't significantly change the former's shape. The next post will discuss the beginning of the planking process. All in all, this is shaping up to be an enjoyable, simple little build. (Knock on wood)

Slowly but surely, I'm getting closer to finishing the fairing. I've been barely able to work on it lately, but today I was able to grab a few moments and sand out on my balcony in the sun, so that I wasn't leaving dust in the apartment. I decided to use a bit of chart tape to check on the fairing. There are still some high spots and shims needed, but it's getting close. I'll either need to shim frame D or sand down frame C (to the right, which was already shimmed). At the bow, I initially thought I would need to shim frame 4 (and possibly 3, to its left). When I used the chart tape to check at other placements, though, I found that the real problem is that the upper part of frame 4a needs more sanding. I also decided to start shaping the counter to get a better grasp on the curves at the stern, although I still have a bit more sanding to do there. I beveled the edges and placed it, but I'm not sure what I'll need to do to get a better fit (besides sanding more, of course). The corner of the counter stands way out from the frames.

Nice job, it looks great!

It's coming along well, and good job on repairing the stern! I had a similar concern about the blue interior being too much on my Juana y José cross-section. Like you said, I found that adding the thwarts and other parts in the interior really helped, and the color scheme looked much more balanced by the end.

Good luck with the keel! Is there a reason you made a new build log, though?

Thanks for the support! Work continues to be extremely hectic, so I have made very little progress--but still something. Bit by bit, I've finished the two lower layers of thatching. This was a slow process, but I think it worked out overall. The line of the thread is pretty wobbly, and there are some glue blobs, but all of that will be covered up by the upper layer of thatching. I think I'll use the same method to make the upper layer. Once again, any imperfections at the top will be covered up--this time by a strip of cloth running along the top of the thatching. I expect it to take a while, again, to make the upper layers. I've also begun prepping the rancho for attachment to the hull. I drilled a small hole in the rancho's feet: Then, I placed the rancho in the correct position on the hull, and pushed a needle through the holes to mark where to drill in the rail. After that, it was pretty straightforward to drill out the holes in the rail. I'll have to tidy up some of the pushout after rancho is attached, but it's not too bad. The holes are tiny. I still need to scrape away the paint at the glue locations. The rancho will still be a bit fragile, but much more stable with a combination of wire pins and glue than with glue alone. I'm now deciding whether to attach the rancho first, or to glue the thatching in place first. It'll be easier to glue the thatching to the framework off the hull. However, due to the curve of the rail, the thatching will be propped a bit off the framework at the bottom. I'm worried that trying to bend it up to take the curve after already gluing it into place might be difficult and could break the glue bond. Another option may be to add the wire pins to the framework feet so that I can get the best of both worlds--gluing and clamping the thatching to the framework off the model, then using the pins to put the framework in place on the hull while it dries.

Nice job on the stand, I'm looking forward to following along! Do the instructions say to mark the waterline so early on in the build because you'll be using it as a guide to attach a part? As for a waterline marker, if you search the site for "waterline" you'll see a lot of methods that people have set up waterline markers that may inspire you.

Nice job on the cabin, the build's really coming together well!

Looks like a great start! I'm very interested in seeing how it turns out with the boxwood/contrasting wood hull.

Thank you for your helpful comments! I'll definitely fair the stern more before adding the counter, and I'll have to try some emory boards. @VTHokiEE, your half-hull turned out great and your log has been helpful for thinking about the build. @CiscoH, your sloop looks fantastic. If you do the NRG half-hull, do you think you'd use holly again? I think part of the reason I've been so slow with sanding is that the plywood dust seems to set off my allergies more than basswood has. Wearing a mask and sweeping up immediately after sanding helps, but sanding indoors still gets dust everywhere. Hopefully the weather warms up enough soon that I'll be able to sand on my balcony instead.

Things have been extremely busy around here, and I have not been able to make nearly as much progress as I would have liked on the half-hull. Fairing continues, very slowly. Here's my current progress. The B frame still protrudes too much, despite a great deal of sanding. I've ended up needing to build up the C and E frames, and may need to build up the D frame a little as well. Beyond that, the bow and stern have also both given me some trouble. The bluff bow is requiring quite a bit of shaping. I've had difficulties with using battens to test fairness here, as the battens keep breaking around the sharp curve. That said, I think I'm getting there at the bow. The stern is another story. The dense stack of frames there has some really major differences in height between frames. As can be seen, some of the frames are low enough that they've barely been touched by the sandpaper. Parts will need to be filled in with some fairly large pieces of scrap basswood. I'm also still not really sure when to add the counter--I think I'm at about the point where it can be added, but maybe the stern needs to be more faired first? If anyone has any advice on fairing, or has noticed anything that I'm doing wrong in the photos, I'm all ears! I'd love to move on to the next step and actually start planking, but I know a poorly-faired hull will cause all sorts of problems later.

Welcome!

Good job on the planking and oars! A lot of builds have had similar issues with the planks pinching in at the bow and/or stern due to clamping, and checking other build logs might provide some suggestions. You may be able to dampen the planks and bend them out a bit. As for the frames not touching the planks, on my build I found it helpful to use bobby pins to hold the planks against the frames. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

Between an exceptionally hectic time at work and a bit of travel, I haven't been able to spend much time on the build, but I was finally able to get back to it and make a little progress. The thatching is very slow to make. Following Eberhardt's suggestion, I've been using some thread to string together small bundles of thatching material. Any gaps will be covered by gluing individual pieces after the thatching's on the rancho framework, and the thread will also be covered by the second layer so it's more for structure than for show. It's slow going, but seems to be working so far. That said, I realized that this layer of thatching is turning out a bit thicker than my previous attempt, so I'm a bit concerned about how well the overlapping layer will glue on to the first. I also added extra wood to the "feet" of the rancho framework, so that there will be a sturdier gluing surface when I attach it to the rail. From photos, I haven't really been able to figure out how the actual rancho was attached to the hull. I'm considering trying to drill small holes in each foot and the rail in order to use a peg or bit of wire for a stronger connection than just glue. It's a bit tricky, though--the feet are quite small, and the rail isn't very thick so any hole will have to go all the way through it and will be visible. Given how slow going the rancho is, I also wanted to work on some other aspects of the build. The rudder will have to wait until I make a stand, so no progress there yet. Instead, though, I was intrigued by a recent post on Chuck Passaro's Speedwell build about making and attaching metal rings. Rather than place the split ring in an eyebolt to attach it to the deck/hatch, which ultimately looks out of scale, he just crimps a bit of thinner wire around the split ring and uses that. For a better explanation, see post 599 of 7 February in his build log: Some photos show a pair of similar rings at the sides of the canoa's foredeck, so I thought I would try something similar. I don't have the thinner wire yet (it's on the way), but thought I could at least do a test on a piece of scrap. The first attempt (right) didn't turn out very well, as the hole was a bit too small and the loop protrudes too much, but the second attempt (left) turned out much better. The test also alerted me to the fact that this wire's black coating chips easily--I'll have to be a lot more careful with the actual rings. Finally, I thought I'd note that, while poking around the library, I came across more information about small, flat-bottomed Spanish river and lake vessels. José Manuel Matés Luque's brief "Flat Bottomed Boats in Spain: The Forgotten Fleet," was published in Ships and Maritime Landscapes: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Symposium on Boat and Ship Archeology, Amsterdam 2012, Eds. Jerzy Gawronski, André van Holk, and Joost Schokkenbroek (Barkhuis, 2017). Among other vessels, I was particularly struck by the offset frames on the vessel below, from the Tablas de Damiel region (a wetland roughly between Toledo and Jaén). It's different in a number of ways from the Canoa de Rancho, but perhaps is suggestive of some of its design ancestry.

Great start, looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

The build is looking great! A 28-ft whaleboat could be fun to scratch-build.

Nice job!

Very nicely done, the whole fleet looks great! Out of curiosity, how would you compare it to building the Nisha?

Welcome!