JacquesCousteau

Having completed my move back to Mexico, I'm finally ready to return to work on the canoa! Back in June, in post number 183, I documented my first attempt at making and serving (or seizing? I have to admit that I'm confused by the difference between these terms) an eye splice on the top of the backstay. It didn't turn out very well for a number of reasons--I couldn't get a false splice so I just glued the rope, I used thread that was much too thick and fuzzy for the serving, and the end result was bulky and lumpy. Now that I'm more settled in, I decided to try again. This time, I was able to successfully do a false splice! I don't yet have a hypodermic needle, as Wefalck suggested, but I was able to separate the rope strands as follows. First, I placed the part of the rope that will form the loop in the clip of a helping hands. Then, holding the rope close to the clip, I rolled it to slightly unwind the strands in that spot only. Note: I'm using Ropes of Scale rope, which is treated to prevent unwinding--using an untreated rope could possibly lead to a catastrophic unwinding. I then passed the end through and re-rolled the rope. Success! I then immediately screwed things up on the next step. After placing it around the mast to ensure it was the right size, I used a bit of superglue to secure the splice. In doing so, I committed two errors. First, as I read immediately afterward, superglue is not recommended for rigging as it can maje the lines fragile and lead to breakage later--diluted white glue is better. Given that I'll probably need to unrig this model for another move in a year or two (I may have chosen the wrong hobby for my career, or vice versa), I definitely don't want to make it fragile. Second, I didn't properly trim it tight up against the splice, but (based on what I've seen in cases like the Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram) left it a bit long and glued up against the stay, as seen below, to be lashed later. My error was especially clear when I double-checked photos. Although I don't have any photos that provide a very clear image of how they handled the loop at the top of the backstay on actual canoas, the splices or knots do appear to have been pretty compact, as seen in the image below--the ropes definitely aren't "doubled" as I did it. The perils of modeling before the coffee kicks in! Source: https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/jalisco/chapala/un-velero-panorama-MX14561525002424 So, this morning was a good reminder to double-check what I'm doing before I do it! In any case, as I'm going to redo it, I decided to use this as a learning experience/testbed to try lashings and serving with different sizes and colors of fly-tying thread. For the lashings, which I used to practice clove hitches, I used 140 denier tan thread. As can be seen below, this practically disappeared against the rope. I used a darker brown 210 denier thread for the serving. I found it difficult to maintain even tension while serving. I really ought to get my old fly-tying equipment for it. In any case, as can be seen below by the contrast between the earlier attempt (above) and this try (below), the different materials and techniques made a big difference, and I think I should be able to do a better job on the final version.

Welcome!

You may have better luck with a response if you can post a photo so people can have a better sense of what you're looking for. Also, you might try looking online for plans. If it's a British vessel, there are a lot of plans available at the Royal Museums Greenwich online collections (https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/search/Pinnace) and many plans have been digitized and are available on Wikimedia.

Somehow I missed this log earlier, but I'm looking forward to following along. This build looks fantastic so far! And I definitely understand the difficulties of making model-building work without much space or a dedicated workshop. A fully framed model of a relatively small vessel at this scale looks challenging--out of curiosity, what thickness of wood did you use for frames?

Looks like you're off to a great start! I'm looking forward to following along, I haven't seen a log for this kit yet and was curious about how it compares with the Model Shipways version. These small fishing boats in a large scale leave a lot of room for creativity and personalization through kitbashing.

Thank you, @Knocklouder, @Oboship, @robert952, @Jorge Acevedo, and others for the kind comments and likes! No build progress just yet, but I am quite happy to report that the model survived the move to Mexico City. Given that space was at a premium--hard to pack everything accumulated over a decade of living somewhere into a few suitcases!--I trimmed the build board, leaving just enough to protect the hull. The interior was then stuffed with cloth placemats, and the hull was well-wrapped with layers of bubble wrap and cloth napkins. I especially built up some layers just ahead of the quarterdeck, as it seemed to be the point most likely to break. In hindsight, it probably would have been sturdier to add an extra layer of cardboard to further protect the hull, but the model survived the move intact in a hardshell suitcase, with a blanket stuffed around it (and other fragile items) to further cushion it. I have to say, the hull is much easier to pack than a fully rigged model. Given that I likely have more moves in my future, but would very much liks to build some rigged sailing vessels, I'm considering seeing if there's any way to build them such that the mast and rigging can be removed relatively painlessly for packing. In any case, I'm now considering how to make the display board. We have a nice miniature Tecuani mask that came magnetically attached to a black backboard with wood trim. I'm thinking that something similar might look good for the half hull. The hull might disappear against a wood-colored background, so I think a black background will focus attention on the hull, but the trim is a nice touch, and a magnet mounting so the hull can be removed would probably make things easier to pack. But we'll see.

Very well done, congratulations!

Very ambitious, I'm looking forward to following along! This sounds like a great way to contribute to the educational mission.

Looks great! The stringers really highlight the lines of the hull. I forget if you may have said this earlier, but will you be leaving some of the planking off the finished build to show off the framing?

Congratulations on a job well done!

The model looks great, looking forward to seeing more about how you built it!

Very cool! I recognize the top plan as from Chapelle, where do the other plans come from?

Looks like you've done a great job, including overcoming some obstacles in the build.

Congratulations! The completed model really looks great, you did an excellent job on it (tricky parts and all).

It should appear if you click the magnifying glass symbol, which I circled in the screenshot below.

Excellent job! I particularly like the coloration on the floor planking, the tinted wipe-on poly really effectively gives it a slightly weathered look.

Very well done, quite the inventive display!

Thanks! I've officially completed the hull! I'll still be finishing the hull and making the display board, so I'll hold off for now on marking this log as "finished," though. Adding the quarterdeck planking was pretty straightforward. While the instructions say that it should have three strakes, that seemed to lead to relatively wide planks, so I followed the lead of a number of other build logs and went with four instead. As can be seen, I left the ends of the planks long so I could properly size them afterward. I used a razor saw to cut off the ends. Planking the transom was pretty straightforward. The instructions say something about it being curved, but mine ended up pretty straight. I probably over-sanded the top of the transom way back at the start of the build, which would be a problem if I were trying to replicate a specific vessel, but it greatly simplified finishing the transom. Adding the rail to the quarterdeck and transom, as well as the stern trim, was very straightforward. I should note that I added a small support beam at the front of the quarterdeck planking. After the photo below, I added a shim on the front end so that I had more surface area to glue the rail piece that covers the front of the quarterdeck. One last part to add! As can be seen, I pre-curved the piece of stern trim before painting it. After I glued it in place and trimmed, I just had a little sanding and painting to do, and with that, the hull was complete! Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. There are a few things that I could definitely improve. This lighting really highlights how some of the hull planking ended up a little uneven, for instance. That said, this was my first curved hull to plank, and I generally like how it turned out. I'll write a more complete reflection on the kit later, but I feel it successfully taught me vital skills and has given me the confidence to tackle more complex models than the flat-bottomed vessels I've mostly been building so far. Next up, I'll be trimming the building board closer in size to the hull, wrapping everything in bubble wrap, boxing it, and moving with it back to Mexico City. Once there in September, I'll be applying some sort of oil or wipe-on poly to the hull, and mounting it to some sort of display board.

Nice job, the captsan looks much better and well done with the brass!

Thanks! I'll definitely test with the tape before marking anything out. In any case, I was able to shape the aft wale. Clamping it to dry to the curve was tricky and I had to get creative with a rubber band at the aft end. I then painted the wale, sanding it smooth between layers of paint. Test fit below: Clamping the foreward end in place was simple enough, but the aft end was tricky. The lower layer of the wale hadn't been quite long enough, so I had ended up needing to fill a slight hollow there. I used a dab of super glue at the end, which unfortunately slightly marred the finish of the hull but I think I was able to lightly sand it out. The photo also shows the counter planking. As can be seen, I mis-judged the widths so they're a bit uneven, although I don't think it will be very noticeable once the stern trim is in place. Next, I made and painted the rail. I did not glue it together off-model as I was worried about getting the angle slightly wrong. Instead, I glued the main piece in place first, then the fore end. Once again, clamping was necessary to hold everything in place, although due to a lack of places to put the clamps at the bow, I just held it in place by hand until the glue set. Despite a few setbacks, I'm very happy with how this is turning out:

Incredibly, it happened again (although not as much of a gouge) when I pulled the tape off the new aft wale! I'm trying to think of what could be causing this and I'm very confused. Is this just because it's been hot and humid in Chicago lately? If that's the cause, then I don't think I'll be able to finish until after I move to (drier, cooler) Mexico City. If anyone has seen this before or has an idea of what's causing it, I'd love to hear.

One step forward, one step back. First, I marked out the size and shape of the rail, going a little wider than suggested in the instructions. Next, I glued on the strip marking the quarterdeck. I also placed tape to again mark out the aft wale. I decided that it would be easiest to get a good scarf joint if one end was pinned down, instead of having both parts of the wale free-floating, so I glued the fore part of the wale in place. I have to say, the black wale against the natural wood looks very sharp. Once it dried, I placed the tape over the end to mark the scarf. Unfortunately, the stringiness that I noted above in some of the hull planking caused a serious problem. Although I'm using Tamiya masking tape, which is supposed to be not very sticky, it pulled a couple "strings" in the wood out with it, leaving very noticeable gouges in the hull! This is definitely a bit frustrating. I'm not sure why this is happening, this seems very unusual. I was able to somewhat smooth it by sanding, at least, but I'm concerned about accidentally pulling out more "strings" from the hull.

Very nicely done! You may want to consider sanding the frame head iron down a little so it's thinner to be more in scale. On my build, I used an index card to make the irons.

Thanks! Next up, I made a 1/16x1/32-inch strip and painted it black to serve as the quarterdeck trim. This was very basic to do, so I didn't think to take photos. I haven't installed it yet, though, as I wanted to fully smooth the hull first. This was a bit challenging, given basswood's propensity to form a fuzzy surface. Part of my solution was to brush on watered-down white glue on the interior, which stuck the planks to each other between the frames and allowed for much more even sanding. Following Toni Levine's suggestion in her build log, I went up to 1500 grit, wet-sanding the hull with the finest grits. The results were mixed. On one hand, it did indeed get the hull quite smooth, which is nice. On the other hand, one of the basswood sheets was grainier than the others, and in several spots the sanding pulled up a "string" in the wood, leaving a small gouge. This can be seen in the photos below: I'm not sure why this piece of basswood looks so different from the others and sands so differently. I do not think I will be sanding the hull any further, as I don't want to cause any further gouges, and the 1/32‐inch planking is quite thin. I also began work on the wale, drawing a simple scarf joint onbthe first layer. Cutting the scarf was tricky and required some shaping to get a nice joint. However, when I finally got the pieces shown below to match up (note: they aren't glued, just resting on the curved hull, hence why they look off), I found that the aft wale section was now too short. So, I'll be remaking the aft wale piece and leaving it long, so that shaping the scarf doesn't leave it too short.

The final plank is on! I was very careful with trimming it down after cutting it oversize. First I focused on getting the lower edge right, repeatedly sanding parts down where necessary--you can see the markings on the tape of where I had earlier needed to remove material. Once the bottom edge seemed to smoothly match the lower plank, I began removing material from the upper edge. Once it was close, I removed the tape (which can partially block the view of the edges) for the final shaping. At this point, it's a little too large still. A lot of sawdust later and it was juuuuust about ready. At this point it mostly filled the space, just a few points still needed to be taken down a bit. And with that, it fits into place and was glued down. Then the hull was lightly sanded. With that, I think I'm in the home stretch. I've seen people refer to the last plank as the "whiskey plank," so I decided to celebrate it (plus some very welcome news at my job) with a sazerac.