JacquesCousteau

Fantastic job! You really brought the model to life.

Thanks, all, for the friendly comments! I actually wasn't thrilled with how the last basket turned out, so I decided to make one more. This time I used 0.2mm jewelry nylon, the same as I used for the net lines, as it was a bit thicker than fly tying thread and so the weave would hopefully show up better. Overall it worked fairly well. One challenge with the nylon thread was that, at times, the weave thread caught in the fibers of the stake threads. This caused the small gap below. For this reason, I recommend doing each layer of the weave farther down the stakes away from the basket, and then pushing the weave tight after each layer, so you can see better whether it caught anything. Also, because the thread is made of separate strands spun together, it was possible to make a splice instead of a knot when I needed to join threads. Following Wefalck's Botter build (an excellent example of a woven net, at a much smaller scale than this), I added a couple rows of loops at the top. This turned out a bit messy for me, but it worked ok. Many photos show fishermen with a basket slung on their back, so I spliced together two of the stakes to make the sling--it will have to be reshaped with watered down glue to mimic the effect of gravity once it's placed in the final position. Overall I'm much happier with this basket than with my previous attempts. I also did some work on the hull. During my move, I had thrown out the half-full bottle of brown paint I used for the rails, only to find that it was no longer sold where I originally bought it. I was finally able to find it again, so I was able to drill some holes in the rail and touch up the paint. First, as I mentioned I was planning to do earlier, I drilled holes in the rails for the thole pins, removed the original short thole pins from their supports with alcohol, and then added new, longer thole pins that go through the rail. It's a minor difference, but I think it helps bring the hull to life. Several photos also show holes through the rail toward the bow, sometimes with a rope looped through them to serve as a tie-down point for the fore sheet, so I added these extra holes as well. The model is really coming together now. My next steps will be for the anchor assembly and the yard. I need to make a final decision about whether to include the sail fully set or not--I'm leaning towards not, as I haven't been all that pleased with the sails I've made so far.

Hi Chuck, I don't think there's a reason for the line. My guess is that it's a relic from an earlier design phase, like the hash marks on the frames that look like they mark out the planking bands. Perhaps an earlier version of the kit used a large "false keel" spine and the vertical line was meant to help with alignment. Toni Levine, who designed the kit, would know more than me, though. In any case, I wouldn't worry about the line, as it doesn't serve any purpose I can discern. If you start a build log, people would love to follow along with your build!

Congratulations, excellent job!

Further work on the fishing gear. I wanted to give another shot at a woven basket, this time using finer material. I thought that a good goal would be something like this rather small, wide basket--nearly a tray--which in this photo is full of charales. Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/jalisco/chapala/pescador-MX13895529520113 In order to make a finer weave, I used fly-tying thread. I used dark brown thread, both because some baskets (though not the one above) look rather dark in the photos, and because it's the thickest fly-tying thread I have. Once again I made a simple jig around a permanent marker, using 11 stakes. As I'm finding, getting the weave started is the hardest part. On this one, there was a bit of a gap at the start caused by the super glue I used to secure the initial knot preventing the thread from neatly curving. Once you get going, it's just tedious, but not particularly difficult. I did not do anything fancy around the edge of the basket, although in hindsight that would have added some interest. I finished the basket with some matte varnish and folded over the ends of the stakes. The result is a bit misshapen, and unfortunately all the details of the weave really blend together because it's quite dark and tiny. In hindsight, a lighter color thread would have been better. For his Botter build, Wefalck used what appears to have been a thicker thread for the stakes. Doing so would have perhaps given more definition to this basket's weave. Although not wholly satisfactory, this is going to be placed somewhere in the hull, partly obscured by either the rancho or the crossbeams, so I can live with these issues.

Next I made the oars. As can be seen in the following photos--one from Lake Chapala (although mislabeled as from Lake Pátzcuaro), and one of more recent vintage of the quite similar vessels from Lake Yuriría that I mentioned in an earlier post--they were made by attaching a flat, square-ish blade to the end of a long pole. Source: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A139940 Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_yuriria.jpg The first step was deciding on a length. This thread elsewhere on the site (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/26997-ships-boat-oar-length/#comment-776284 ) suggested that oar lengths 2.5-3.5 times the boat's breadth was usual for British naval ship's boats, but this seemed excessively long on the canoa, so I went with something a bit shorter. I cut the poles from a sheet of 1/8"‐thick basswood, and then used a miniplane and sandpaper to round them. This photo suggests that the oars might be widest around the pivot point/close to the handle, although the actual handle-area was more tapered. Source: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A194349 As can be seen, I tried to represent this. The oars still look a bit long compared to the figure, but look better in the canoa as will be seen later. Next, I used card to make a template for the blades, which I traced onto 1/32‐inch basswood and cut out. I then carved out the joint at the end of the oar shaft. I decided to color the pieces with a dark brown wash, which left them quite grayed, before gluing the parts together. This way the wash wouldn't be impacted by any glue stains. In the photos above, it looks like the blades are joined with screws or bolts, so I represented this with a pencil. I then added the rope loop to attach the oars to the thole pins. The only example I could clearly make out (from the Lake Yuriría photo above) just shows a simple rope loop, but others, like the photo of tge guy rowing above, definitely seem to show a more substantial, if indistinct, set of knots. I decided that the simplest solution was just a couple of clove hitches to secure a rope (.35mm diameter from Ropes of Scale) around the oar and to create a second loop that can fit around the thole pin. (Although in hindsight, maybe a bowline would have been better--I chose a clove hitch because I've been using it a lot lately and can remember how to do it). While I've secured the knots with glue, I made sure that the rope isn't stuck to the oar, so I can slide the loop around. This way, I can possibly display it with the oars looped onto the thole pin, but with most of the oar shaft pushed back further into the Canoa. I also left the ends a little long, as I figure they would probably want to be able to easily untie and retie the loops. I'm planning on displaying it something like this. I just need to glue the thole pins into place first. I haven't done that yet because, based on some photos, in at least some cases the thole pin should actually go all the way through the rail, so I think I need to track down the rubbing alcohol, remove the thole pins from their supports, make longer ones, and get to drilling. The fun never stops...

Thanks! Despite some issues with fairing and figuring out the stern/counter, I've found this to be a very fun and worthwhile kit that's definitely taught me a lot. I'd highly recommend starting a build log, and I'd be happy to try to answer any questions.

Minor update. Although I still have more fishing gear to make, I needed a break from all the thread work, so I did two minor projects. First, while looking at a photo of the docks in Ocotlán, I realized that they provided a good view of a rudder propped in the stern of a small canoa. Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/jalisco/ocotlan/vista-desde-el-puente-MX14413328898428/2 The rudder shape, which includes a semicircular cutout, is highly unusual, and I won't be remaking the rudder to conform to this design. (I have to wonder if they were just using scrap wood to make this rudder, or if the shape serves some kind of purpose). But I did note that the rudder includes a sort of support beam running lengthwise. This seemed like an interesting detail that I could include, especially as I've felt that my rudder looks a bit flimsy. The part was very simple, just a 1"x3/32" strip cut from a 1/32‐inch thick cherry sheet. I made one for each side, and added nails or bolts with a pencil after gluing it to the lower part of the rudder. I think it does add something, and makes it look a bit sturdier. Next, I turned my attention to the thole pins. I had made some way back in late spring or early summer, but I thought they turned out a bit oversized and I didn't like the natural color scheme. As a test, I repainted them as I did on the Juana y José--dark brown thole pin support and natural thole pin itself--and found that I liked the coloration. I then saw in one photo a sort of stepped design of the thole pin support that I thought looked sharp, so I decided to copy that. As on my first try, the thole pin supports are made from 1/8‐1/16 inch basswood, and the thole pins themselves were sanded down from a toothpick. Here we can see the new ones (foreground) with the earlier try (background). Finally, here's the build as it currently stands. I still need to glue on the thole pins, once I figure out whether they would be on the inboard side, outboard side, or in the middle of the rail.

This is a really incredible and original build! I've greatly enjoyed watching it come together, and have learned quite a bit about medieval shipbuilding along the way. That's very interesting about the blocks, for example. Also, if you're going to revisit the green weathering, I wonder if more of a gray-brown with a green tint would work? I know very little about weathering, but my sense is that algae and the like dries pretty quickly into a much duller color once it's no longer submerged.

Congratulations on a job well done!

Thanks! I think the 1:32 scale allows for a lot of details to be shown. That's a great photo! Throwing a cast net definitely seems to be a complex skill. I found one photo of a fisherman in Ocotlán casting one from a small canoa, although unfortunately the net is pretty blurry: Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/MX15570248148348

That looks great, nice job!

More progress on the fishing gear. The main other type of net I wanted to include, besides the chinchorro, was an atarraya (cast net). According to Ortiz Segura, these were usually 2-4 meters in diameter, and were used largely for catching mojarra (using a net with large holes) and charales (using a net with small holes). As with other nets, these were made by fishermen (and, I suspect, their families) by hand. I was able to find diagrams of cast nets online. The first step was to cut an appropriate-sized circle of tulle mesh and weave a sort of "bolt rope" (usually called a lead line, although I assumed that the weights would be stones tied off around this like on the chinchorro rather than lead) around the edge. I used .35mm rope from Ropes of Scale for this. As can be seen, I marked out the circle and important lines on a sheet of paper, and used tape to temporarily hold the tulle steady. I then added the other parts, first placing a ring (apparently called a horn) in the center of the net, and then attaching brail lines. The brail lines run from the lead line at the edge of the net through the horn, and when pulled by the hand line they're tied to, they draw the net shut. I used nylon thread for all of these lines. I simplified the number of brail lines that would probably be used, as the net will be folded up in the Canoa. I then ran the brail lines through the horn, tying and gluing them together. Next, for both the atarraya and the chinchorro nets, I needed to make the weights, which Ortiz Segura describes as tied stone. Following Wefalck's advice, I cut up a bit of cork into small pieces to make stones. Given their tiny size, they were a bit tricky to hold to paint--after a first attempt at using washes to color them, which largely failed in part because I forgot that cork floats, I just dabbed paint on them. I used a grey that I incompletely mixed from black and white so that there were some color variations. I think they turned out as pretty convincing stones! Tying lines to them was a challenge, given their small size and my general clumsiness with knots (I'm quickly finding that I much prefer the woodworking aspects of building to any sort of rigging). I decided to use a dab of superglue to hold the rope--in this case, fly-tying thread) in place. The first attempt was a disaster, as the tiny cork stone first stuck to the glue brush, then to my tweezers, then to my finger, and then to my table. I then realized that the smarter way to do this was to put the stones on a strip of tape, and then dab on glue and attach the thread, only removing it from the tape afterwards to tie it. Originally I planned on doing a proper lashing fully holding the stone in place, but I found it very difficult to tie them at different angles and ended up just doing a few simple knots around each. Close enough. These were then sealed with glue and the excess trimmed. I used clove hitches to attach several weights around the perimeter of the atarraya and along the bottom of the chinchorro. I found this step tricky. No matter how closely I held the stone to the bolt rope/lead line, the stone always seemed to hang lower than I wanted. I decided not to worry about it, as the nets will be folded up. I also didn't add as many weights as there probably should have been, again because many will be obscured by the folding of the net. The results can be seen here--a lot of work for such a small detail! To complete the nets, I painted them with a brown acrylic wash, to tone down the white of the tulle. It's hard to see against a black background, but easier to see in comparison with unpainted tulle (or in this case, partly painted--the irregular piece was my test). All that's left for the nets is to fold them up and make a loop of the atarraya's hand line. Finally, I also painted the anchor, given that it didn't change color at all from blackening. I just used acrylic paint, touched up any chipping once it dried, and the covered it in matte varnish to protect it. The finish line is in sight. I'm enjoying this build a lot, and have learned a lot as I go. But it's taken much longer than I originally planned--I originally thought I could do it in a few months!--and I'm looking forward to some other projects that I've decided not to get into until this one is finished. (Not to mention that I still need to finish the Maine Peapod's oars and lobster trap, and mount the Half-Hull on a frame).

Sure! I'll send a message later today so as not to hijack your build log.

I think it might be this post: That said, it's aimed mostly at a complete beginner, and it sounds like you already have some experience. You can use your judgment as to what makes sense for your skills, display space, etc. And for your interests--no point in choosing a kit that's not actually interesting to you.

Thanks Chris! That's exactly how it works, just with an opening at only one end and a row of spikes instead of a net funnel.

Thanks! According to Ortiz Segura, the nasa was used to catch mojarra (a type of chichlid), catfish, pescado blanco (a larger variety of the chirostoma genus, which also included the tiny charales which were caught in fine nets), and other larger fish.

Sounds like you found a solution! Good luck with the grading, that's always been my least favorite part of teaching.

I forgot to add a shot of the nasa on deck alongside the rope bucket (now given a dark brown wash) and the gangplank (also colored with washes).

Thanks, Glen! Wefalck, I was sure I had seen someone's woven baskets on some build log but couldn't find it, I should have guessed it was your botter. The baskets look great, and I may try again with some different materials. I decided to build on my first corn husk basket experience. With the material, it was difficult to get a very tight weave. But I noticed that, while the baskets I've seen in photos seem fairly tightly woven, there was another fishing tool that wasn't so tightly woven: the nasa or fish trap. These were essentially large woven baskets in the form of an egg, with an opening at one end and various pointed stakes positioned inside to bar exit to any fish that enter. Here we see an image from the Ortiz Segura article of the last nasa-maker in Chapala: Source: https://www.ugr.es/~pwlac/G17_26Carlos_Ortiz_Segura.html And here we see a variety of sizes of nasas (and other nets) in the Chapala fishing display at the Guadalajara Regional Museum: Source: https://lugares.inah.gob.mx/es/museos-inah/exposiciones/sala-piezas/10855-10855-instrumentos-utilizados-para-la-pesca.html?lugar_id=480&expo_id=9850 The nasa was one of the most common fishing implements in use on the lake, so I knew I wanted to make one. And the rather large weave (which undoubtedly allows water to easily drain) would be easier to make out of cornhusk than a more finely-woven basket. I decided to use nine stakes instead of the seven on my practice basket, and I spaced them evenly around the end of a sharpie permanent marker. I then began weaving. Learning from my first try, I cut the cornhusk fibers thinner this time. I was able to get a much tighter weave than on the practice basket. Once I reached about the midpoint, I had to remove the nasa from the marker "jig" and glue the ends of the stakes together so that I could properly tighten the perimeter toward the opening. Without the marker to shape the nasa, this part was a little trickier to weave, but the base was pretty solid. Finally, I trimmed the loose ends of weaving material, and turned over the stakes--those that "emerged" out of the opening were properly woven around the edge and back into the interior to secure the mouth of the nasa, while the others were just folded inside. Overall I'm pretty pleased with how the nasa turned out. It would be nice of the opening was a little smaller, but it needed to be large enough for my tweezers to fit in. I'm hoping that the color will become more gray-tan as the cornhusk fibers continue to fully dry. I may give it a dip in wood stain if not. All that's left for it is to attach its line and marking buoy.

Welcome! Fishing boats are a great subject for modeling. There are quite a few kits to choose from. A lot of different manufacturers have kits of the Bluenose with variations in size/scale, accuracy, and level of detail. Model Shipways has a fairly large scale model of the Benjamin Latham. Bluejacket also has kits of several fishing schooners, including Smuggler and We're Here. I'd recommend looking at build logs for all of them to get a sense of each kit and any potential issues.

Congratulations, that looks great! I love the touch of red in the cockpit.

Next, I thought I'd work on some baskets. As far as I can tell, these were used to store caught fish. A woven basket appears in this image: Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/MX14140215743756 I've tried two methods for making this. First, I made a simple rope coil basket out of yarn held together with glue. I began by making a tight coil for the bottom, making it flat on a strip of tape sticky-side-up and soaking it in diluted white glue. I then continued the coil upwards to make the sides, again using white glue. Nothing too challenging, although it required a bit of attention to keep the bucket sides from falling inward (and I should have done more to make them flare out a bit). I repeatedly paused to dab on diluted white glue, besides using undiluted glue to hold each layer on. Once the bucket seemed an appropriate height, I trimmed off the loose thread. The finished bucket can be seen below, temporarily placed in the bow of the Canoa. As far as bucket methods go, this was pretty easy, but it doesn't really look all that woven. I thought about trying to really weave something, but couldn't figure out what materials to use. The broom fibers I had used for the thatching maybe would have been a good option, but I had thrown out the remains of the broom during the move. While cleaning up after having corn on the cob for lunch, I was struck by the possibility of using corn husks. They have long fibers and are frequently used in Mexican craft goods, so it would be a nice gesture linking my work to this tradition. So, I saved a few husks and split them into thin fibers, and started work on a woven basket. I started with the stakes, forming them into a rough basket shape around a pen and securing them where the overlap with a drop of superglue. To weave, I removed the shaped stakes and taped them around a pen cap, leaving space to thread around them. My first attempt went poorly. First, I had let the husk fiber sit out too long and it was too stiff. Second, I found that nine stakes was too many to really deal with at this scale. So, I placed the fibers in a dish of water to soak, and removed two stakes so I had seven. With this, I started again. It was extremely difficult to get started, but after a good bit of frustration, I soon had a semi-credible weave going. I kept going, using dots of superglue to secure ends when I moved on to the next fiber. I found that it was much easier to weave after this, as the superglue stiffened the structure significantly. The bottom, where I had started, was a total mess, but I kept going, as I could either use this one just for practice or could place it in the model so as to hide the bottom. Finally I decided it was large enough and cut off the stakes. I'll properly trim them to size once it fully dries (which should also turn it from green to brown). Overall, it's quite a lumpy, misshapen basket, and the weave itself isn't really to scale. That said, I think this method shows some promise and I might try again, both for more baskets and, especially, for the fishtraps. The main takeaways learned are as follows: 1) The bottom is quite difficult to properly weave, and it may make more sense to fake it using the same coil method as in the rope basket, before properly weaving the sides. 2) The corn husk needs to be moist to be effectively threaded, but it does shrink a bit as it dries, so it loosens slightly. 3) One problem I had was with the stakes. They're too flexible, which made it hard to keep the basket in shape. This was compounded by my failing to space them properly evenly, which contributed to the basket's lumpiness. In the future, I may try applying a bit of superglue to stiffen the stakes, although this will require drying them first so they don't warp as they dry.

I've started applying the finish and it's mostly going all right so far. Most logs seem to go over this very briefly (e.g. "Then I applied Danish Oil/W.O.P./Shellac etc, and here's what it looks like upon completion). So as this is my first time applying anything other than a matte varnish as a finish, I thought I'd include at least some detail, as I've actually encountered some challenges. I should also note: apologies for the poor quality images! I recently upgraded to a Galaxy S24 phone and can't seem to figure out how to take halfway decent photos with it, especially as it seems to auto-adjust a lot of settings such that what I see when I click to take a photo isn't what the image ends up looking like. (So if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!) I began by putting just a dab of linseed oil on my cloth--a chunk of an old t-shirt--and rubbing it into the hull, periodically adding more oil to the cloth. In the photo below, I've oiled the hull except for the quarterdeck. The oil really brings out the differences in color between planks! Personally I like the effect, at least on this model, as it draws attention to the planking (which is the whole point of this kit), but I'll definitely do a better job of color matching on any future builds that I'm leaving natural. One challenge that I faced was that the oil really didn't get into nooks and crannies very well. There were lots of dry spots all along the wale, the trim, and the keel/stem, and even some at uneven points at the edge of planks. For these areas, after I rubbed oil into the hull as best as I could with the cloth, I used a brush to dab some one, and then used the cloth to remove excess. Another challenge was that my seemingly lint-free cloth actually wasn't. It didn't leave a ton, but there were a few bits of black lint I had to get off the hull with a brush. I'll definitely be using a different cloth for future coats, but I'm not sure what would work best. Finally, probably because the oil highlights details in the wood I otherwise wouldn't notice, I discovered some odd vertical scratching on the transom, below. Is it possible to buff this out? Or will I need to sand this down (which sounds like a bad idea while the oil is still polymerizing)? Despite these challenges, I'm liking the look of the oiled hull--even if the phone's camera seems determined to make the photos look weird! Finally, I've started taking a carpentry class, and my first independent project will be the frame/plaque for this hull. First, though, I'm learning to use a fretsaw, which is turning out ti be everything I had thought a coping saw would be. It should be extremely useful for cutting out bulkheads and frames on some upcoming builds. But first, a lot of practice cuts...

That looks fantastic!