JacquesCousteau

Fairing the hull has been difficult. Right off the bat, two of the crossbeams came loose and needed to be reglued. More seriously, undoubtedly due to carelessness on my part, the frames don't line up quite like they should. I think I didn't get a perfectly consistent slot carved in the bottom of each frame, so they don't all sit at perfectly equal heights. The difference is tiny, but on a model this small, it matters. Moreover, while the starboard side is pretty fair and should take the planking without a problem, a frame or two on the port side are a bit off. Even with aggressive fairing, they are still far from being in a place where they would work for planking. And given the small size of the parts, I can't really sand any further without making some frames notably thinner than others. Shimming could work, but would be very visible on a small cross-section like this. It's worth noting that the irregularities on the port side are not especially visible to the naked eye if the hull isn't planked. So, I'm thinking of leaving the port side unplanked as a skeletal framework, and only fully constructing the starboard side. Overall, I think this is a lesson in the need for greater precision when making a pof model. It also is further evidence to me that, if I do a full build of this vessel or similar ones in the future, I should definitely go with a larger scale--just having slightly thicker frames would give me more room for fairing, for example.

Thanks, Paul, that's a great idea for the hinge! Thanks! That's also very interesting about the mango wood. It's been nice enough to work with that it makes me wish I had access to milling equipment and a thickness sander. As for balancing precision and real-life roughness, it's definitely a tricky balancing act, and I've had to learn quite a few things along the way--I'm glad I can use the Cargo Canoa as a test bed, although it does mean it isn't turning out quite as nice as I'd like. For instance, I'm reconsidering how I'll do the rudder hinges on the Canoa de Rancho, as the Cargo Canoa's hinges are still too large/out of scale. I may be forced to learn how to do metal work, after all...

The Canoa de Rancho's rails have been a bit slow to make. They need to follow the curve of the hull very precisely, so as to extend outward from the rails without extending into the hull at all. Somewhere I read that you should approach each piece when you're planking a hull like its own separate model, so I'm approaching the rails with that mindset. Following the example of a lot of photos, I decided to make each side's rail out of two parts, with lap joints connecting them and connecting the aft rail. To mark out the interior line of the rails, I placed a bit of tape, drew along the line, and then transferred it to the basswood sheet to cut out. This was followed by a lot of shaping and sanding to get a precise fit. I also decided I like the look of slightly thinner rails (starboard side in the photo below, at which point there was still a lot of shaping to go), although I'll have to sand a bit off some of the supports that ended up a bit long. I soaked and heated the fore rails, and clamped them in place to follow the hull's upward curve at the bow. Cutting out the lap joints is tricky work, given all the curves. I ultimately decided to do the aft rails first, as they need to be the most precisely lined up with the wales--further forward, the foredeck will cover it up if I'm slightly less precise. As can be seen, I stained the rails like I did the crossbeams and other parts. However, I'm now having some doubts. As can be seen below, the wood grain runs at different angles at the midship joint, which is accentuated by using stain. I'm now wondering if I should just paint the rails brown, as seen with the small test piece, below. It would also add a bit more contrast with the other stained parts on the top of the hull. Let me know if you have any thoughts!

Welcome! If you post a build log, I'll definitely follow it. The bateau de lanveoc looks like a fascinating build, and I don't think there are any logs for it.

No worries! I don't have access to much modeling wood here, so while visiting my in-laws, I stripped the bark from some dead wood that had fallen from their mango tree. I had read good things about fruit woods. Given that I don't really have many tools, my ability to use the wood I collected is very limited, but I can at least make a mast out of it.

Congratulations!

A few minor updates. On the Cargo Canoa, I painted below the waterline on the rudder. I also have been working on the mast, which I whittled/sanded down from one if the mango sticks I prepared a few months ago. The mast isn't perfectly straight, but will work. I'm still finalizing its shape, and may cut it slightly shorter as it looks a bit high right now. On the Canoa de Rancho, I managed to ruin the hull paint by adding a protective layer of sealer/varnish over the top. I've been doing this with the interior without issue, but on the black paint, it turned out quite glossy. So, I lightly sanded and added an extra layer of black acrylic on top. I would still like to find a non-glossy protective top coat, but for now at least even if the top layer of paint gets scratched, there's a protective coating over the lower paint layers. Also, I should note that, based on discussions on this site about scale viewing distance, I didn't use pure black paint, but mixed a very small amount of white. I think the hull looks pretty good now. One problem, though, is that the tape I placed around the ends of the crossbeams didn't really block the paint from getting on them. I had to spend a good bit of time scraping paint off the crossbeams, and they're still a bit messy. Finally, I realized that I needed one more crossbeam to better support the rails close to the bow. Following the example of many photographed canoas, this beam is much thinner than the main beams. Overall, I'm pleased with how things are going, and I'm looking forward to adding the rails and foredeck and finishing the Canoa de Rancho's hull.

Congratulations, your dory looks excellent! I'll definitely be following along on your next build log, too.

I've been working on both the larger Canoa de Rancho and the smaller Cargo Canoa. First, painting is proceeding on the Canoa de Rancho. I'm liking how it's turning out with the black hull. On the Cargo Canoa, I drilled out the holes for the belaying pins used to hold the backstays, and also cut out a rudder slot in the aft rail (which ended up being unnecessary). I made smaller paper hinges (seen here, painted, alongside the larger unpainted first hinges I made). Attaching them was complicated, and I'm not totally happy with how it turned out. I was worried about the flimsy paper not holding up, so I attached the top gudgeon with a dab of super glue. Of course, I then immediately stuck it on a bit off-center and couldn't get it off. I'm considering this a learning experience, so I left it as-is. For the lower gudgeon, I wanted to get the spacing right, so I flipped the hull, placed the gudgeon to be glued on the lower rudder pintle, and hung the upper hinge. Despite this, I somehow still got the lower gudgeon too high, as can be seen. But, the rudder hangs about where it should, can move side to side, and above all, can be removed for transport, so I'm going to leave it as is and learn from my mistakes when I get to this stage on the Canoa de Rancho.

I made a jig to ensure that the frames are square. My design was inspired by the jig for the Echo cross section, but is pretty significantly different, especially because I don't have a building board for this build. I made the jig out of card with some basswood backing for extra sturdiness. I drew a grid on the upright piece to help align the frame ends. The bottom piece included two pieces of balsa wood meant to hold the keel in position--if this were a bigger job, I would have chosen a stronger wood, but I felt balsa would work for such a small keel section. Originally I thought that I would move the upright jig back along the keel, adding frames as I went. For that reason I drew a series of lines perpendicular to the keel line to help orient the upright. Then I realized that, with such a small keel section, it made more sense to just move the keel--that way I only had to square up the upright once. A couple more supports to hold everything together and it was ready. If I were redoing this, especially for a full hull, I would use basswood instead of card to limit warping. I added one frame at a time. Here I realized that I should have made a smaller grid on the upright. I ended up using a ruler to measure distances from the lines. As can be seen, I was able to clamp the frames into position to dry. My support framework is poorly thought through and developed haphazardly, although the crossbeams and other supports will be removed later so I wasn't too concerned. At first I thought that I would add two support pieces between each frame, angled so as to ensure stiffness, but after a bit I chose to add two more. Eventually I hit upon gluing the supports not just to the crossbeams, but to the previous supports as well, for added strength, although it was too late to do this consistently across the entire framing. The framing is now complete and ready for fairing!

Welcome!

Looking forward to following the build! This is a great first model.

Very impressive research!

Welcome! The Elsie looks like a great build, you should post a log!

I've been focused on the canoas, but I recently finished the frames for the Juana y José. They were pretty straightforward to make, overall. The main problem is the wood choice. Basswood, as is well known, is pretty soft and doesn't hold an edge all that well. I had some issues with the joints as a result, and with the wood chipping. I think the frames turned out ok, overall, but if I eventually do a full build of this vessel, I may try a better wood. Also, at 1:32 scale, these parts are very small, which makes even minor issues stand out more. So it may make sense to go with 1:24 scale or thereabouts in the future. That said, these should be the most complex parts to cut for this build, so I think I should be ok to continue. A quick test fitting: Next I'll need to make a jig of sorts to hold up the frames, so I can make sure I get them vertical and positioned evenly side-to-side.

Great job on the hull!

I've started work on the Cargo Canoa's rudder hinge. My interest is less about allowing the rudder to swing from side to side than allowing it to be removed for easier transport, but making a hinge seems likea good way to do that. The issue is that I don't have the tools, materials, or experience to work with metal, so I've had to be creative. Attempt number one was to drill a hole down the center of a toothpick so I could then cut off small lengths to use as gudgeons and pintles (the latter with a small length of wire cut from a paperclip glued into the hole as the pin). This proved extremely slow, in part as my smallest drill bits are rather blunt, and the toothpick simply split when I went up a size. So I decided to try using small rolls of cardstock for the pintles and gudgeons, and to use a sanded-down bit of toothpick for the pin so it would glue better to the card. The result will undoubtedly be a bit fragile, but I'm not planning on moving the rudder beyond removing it if I need to for transport. I began rolling a thin strip of card around a thinned down toothpick to make the pintle. I did the same for the gudgeons, but around a paperclip, so that they could be easily slid off later. As I discovered, this method can also be used for making scale rolls of toilet paper, if for some weird reason you really want to do that. (Although in this case I'd need to use a strip of paper 1/32‐inch wider for it to truly be to scale). The resulting pintles and gudgeons are maybe a bit thick, as I was worried about them breaking. If they look like they'll be too out-of-scale on the canoa, it won't be too hard to make thinner ones. I then attached the straps to hold the pintles and gudgeons to the hull and rudder. Finally I cut the pintles off the toothpick and did a test fitting. As can be seen, the result needs to be painted and to have the straps and pins cut to size, but it does seem like it would work. Seeing it on the rudder, it does seem a bit oversize, so I'm going to try again to make them smaller, but I can keep these for now as backup.

Thanks! When I build it, I'll definitely be revisiting your build log for inspiration, even if they're different boat types.

It's coming along well, and nice job on the part repairs. And I'm glad to hear the boby pins worked!

I've heard a lot of good things about Nuestra vela latina, and in fact ordered a copy recently (I'm hoping to eventually build a Catalonian fishing boat). Out of curiosity, does the book contain any plans or hull lines, or is it just focused on the mast/sail/rigging?

A couple of updates for today. I'm once again working on both canoas simultaneously, so I'll try to be clear which is which. First, the Canoa de Rancho. I've sanded the support tops so the rail will fit evenly, and also gave the hull a coat of sealer-varnish. It's ready for painting. But before that, Paul's comments above (and his Nordland Boat, which looks really great) inspired me to reconsider the handholds in the flooring. Previously I had used a drill bit just about the size that I wanted, with the file for touch-up. I was curious if I could get a smoother hole if I drilled with a very small bit at the start to minimize push-out, and then used the file not just for touch-up but to widen the hole to the correct size. My experiments with scrap were successful. I learned that it worked best if, after widening the hole, I removed the file, pushed any stray fibers or ragged edges on the surface into the hole, and filed a little more. This left a fairly smooth hole--not as smooth as it would be with pear, but acceptable for basswood, I think. I made sure I could consistently make a hole without a ragged edge. I also realized that I could approximate the color of the black wash on the fresh wood in the hole with a pencil, which avoids making the wood blotchy with extra black wash layers. (Sorry for how dark the photo is). Once I had practiced enough, I drilled and filed on the Canoa's floorboards. I only added the handholds to a few planks--once you removed one, you could easily remove its neighbors without needing a handhold. I think the holes add a nice touch and help break up what's otherwise a fairly monotonous floor planking. Next, the Cargo Canoa. With a stand ready, I started on the rudder. There few clear images of an actual rudder below the waterline. Source: Photo by Daniel Vega from Google Maps page of Museo Regional de Guadalajara https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A140947 Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/jalisco/chapala/cargamento-de-entre-MX14652247742300/5 I like the look of the last rudder, with the prominent support beam, and will try that for the Canoa de Rancho, but it's fairly large and I wanted something simpler for the Cargo Canoa. I decided to draw inspiration from the more curved shapes shown in the following images, including of a votive model: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A431683 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TBxiBCYFlw&pp=ygUkaGlzdG9yaWEgZGVsIG1pbGFncm8gZGUgY2hhcGFsYSAxOTU1 I tried a very curved shape at first, but didn't much like it. (I also cut it oversized at first). Instead I ended up going for a more square-ended look. As you can see, I also attached the tiller, which I made months ago out of a bit of mango wood I collected myself. To fit it onto the end of the rudder, I trimmed down the end of the rudder piece, drilled two holes in the tiller, and connected them with the exacto blade. The tiller split a little at its end, but it will glue together smoothly when I permanently attach it to the rudder. Here's how the rudder will look, approximately, although it will be a little closer to the stern--I need to file a semicircular space in the stern rail for the rudder. Next up, painting and hinges.

Looking forward to watching this build, sail-powered fishing vessels are particularly interesting to me.

(Sorry for so many posts in short succession!) As it turns out, I was able to fix the staining issue. Sanding hadn't worked well, so I tried scraping with the back of an exacto blade. This worked much better. After a few rounds of scraping, staining spots with a detail brush, and repeating the process wherever the stain still didn't take, the supports now look much more even. Not showroom-floor perfect, but good for a working boat. Now I'll need to just not get paint on them when I do the hull...

Thanks, Paul! Somehow I hadn't seen your Nordland Boat before, it turned out great and I love the coloration on the planks--the pencil lead method is very cool. (Also, good job on the planking--I have no idea why the kit was designed to be planked with so few bulkheads, that looks hard). Also, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get the fingerholes in the decking so cleanly-drilled? I'd love to do something similar on the canoa, but my test left a lot of stray fibers on the bottom of the plank.

In happier news: I've been so focused on the Canoa de Rancho that readers may be wondering what happened to the smaller Cargo Canoa I'm building alongside it. This whole time, the Cargo Canoa has been sitting at the corner of my desk. Living up to the original boat's function, it's been very useful for holding small parts and scrap. At the moment, it's carrying a shipment of frames and the keel for the Juana y José cross-section. It would probably make more sense to just use the largely empty boxes below it.... In any case, the next step for the Cargo Canoa is the rudder. What's kept me from working on it is that the rudder extends below the hull, so I need a stand to prop up the canoa during construction. For a long time, with my focus on the Canoa de Rancho, I was indecisive about the stand, but I finally decided to get a move on. After fiddling around with a few card templates that I didn't much like, I remembered that I still have a good bit of balsa from the Trajinera that I could use to make a simple stand--one that I wouldn't feel bad about getting rid of if I eventually decide to redo it with something nicer. So, I made an extremely simple stand, which I've painted with the first layer of black paint. I still want to add some pins or something to better secure the hull, but with the Cargo Canoa raised up a bit, I can finally start work on the rudder.