JacquesCousteau

Nice job!

Looks great!

Cool! It seems like a good way to fill the space without having to cut supports to just the right size (or risk them pushing the bulkheads out of alignment).

Thanks, that's really interesting! I've never seen that before but it makes sense.

Looks good! Out of curiosity, why are there wood shavings in the hull?

Due to some travel, I wasn't able to work on the build, but I've gotten back into it. Using tape to hold the framing templates in place wasn't really working, so I switched to a gluestick. It seems to have little enough moisture that it doesn't distort the paper template, at least not with the small quantities I'm using. Given how small the frame pieces are, I've been able to cut them from oddly-shaped scrap. The second frame on the cross-section, which is the amidships frame, came together pretty easily and without serious problems. Here are both conpleted frames dry-fit on the keel. I'm going to need some sort of jig to make sure the frames are squared up when I actually glue them in place. At this point, the remaining frames will go together identically, so hopefully the next post will be when they're all completed.

Looks like it's coming along well!

The seine boat, dory, and deck furnishings look good, I'm looking forward to seeing the hull of the Benjamin Latham itself! Edit: you posted the hull while I was writing the above. It's coming along well!

Coming along well, I see. Good luck with fixing the frame, they're pretty fragile. Also, if the clamps are denting the planks at the ends, a dab of water will expand the wood and help smooth out the dents.

Looks like you're off to a good start!

Brief update. Although exact colors are hard to judge from black-and-white photos, I did notice the crossbeams never appeared very dark in color, so I decided to go with just lightly staining them. The amidships crossbeam has been added. I noticed that the hull seems to have very slightly collapsed inward since being removed from the molds all that time ago, so I used the crossbeam to slightly spread the hull. I probably should have added the crossbeam earlier. If I had actually glued the floor timbers and uprights to each other, this stretching could be a problem, but when installing I just butted them up against each other, gluing only on the bottom and side planking and leaving a bit of flexibility. Even if it's just a couple millimeters wider, and probably doesn't show up in photos, I think it looks better this way. I also cut the stern third of floor planking to size, minus the planks on the sides, and colored it with a light black wash to test the color scheme. I've decided not to do much weathering on the Canoa de Rancho, but from what I can tell the floor planking would have been added from whatever was available, so I think it makes sense if it's not so brightly-colored. I also like the contrast with the natural, stained, and black-washed wood. The exterior of the hull will be black. Also, it's interesting how the stain changes color depending on angle--from some angles it barely look different from the natural wood, then you move it and it's much darker.

Welcome!

If the transom is a bit crooked, you will probably have to detach it from at least one side of the planking to fix it. With the planks already in place, you could probably reglue it straighter. The transom became crooked on my dory build (model shipways, though, not bluejacket) when I clamped the garboard plank to dry to the form. I was able to fix it, but before I glued on the planks.

Given the issues especially with the joint locations in the first frame, I decided to remake it. I tried to cut a bit more around the lines this time, rather than on them, to leave space for sanding. It also helped that I switched to a fresh blade. I wasn't happy with the larger floor timber, though, as I accidentally cut part of it at an angle, so I redid it. The first is on top and the second on the bottom. The second looks more consistent in width. Happier with how it came out, I assembled the frame and gave it a preliminary fairing. Maybe it's hard to see, but I think the redo (bottom) looks a lot more even compared to the first try (top). The frame joints are also much stronger. And here it is temporarily on the keel with a quarter for scale. One frame down, five to go!

One issue with the frames is that the plans show the entire frame shape as a single piece, but the actual frames are made of floor timbers and a pair of futtocks. I guessed at a location to mark the joint between floor and futtock, choosing the point that seemed to minimize the curve in each piece. Interestingly, the frames of the Juana y José are a bit different from what seems to have been typical further north along the Spanish coast. There, the floor was a single piece, and the futtocks were joined to it along either the fore or aft side (depending on the frame's position in the vessel). The Juana y José is different in that it has two floor timbers in each frame, one longer than the other, and the futtocks are butt jointed to the shorter timber with the joint strengthened by the longer timber, which is always on the fore side of the frame. To better explain, I drew a simple not-to-scale diagram, below, showing a top down view of the frame in 1) a typical llaüt or barca catalana, and 2) the Juana y José. I'm not sure if this is a regional characteristic of Málagan vessels or something. I cut out the pieces for the aftmost frame on paper, leaving some around the edge to keep the paper from twisting too much. As a test, I taped the paper to the 1/16-inch basswood I'm using for the frames to hold the drawing in place while cutting. This was less than ideal, as I suspected. I've read that a non-water-based glue is ideal to keep the paper from warping, and I may have to seek some out. Nonetheless, I was able to cut out the frame pieces. As can be seen, my cutting around curves leaves something to be desired. This first frame may be more of a test than something I use. After cutting out the frame pieces, I assembled them on the plan sheet and added the temporary support beam that will stabilize the frame. I'll have to see if I can fair the pieces so that they're more even. Another issue is that there is less overlap than I thought at the frame joints. I will have to move the joint location closer to the center and redo the frame, although I am concerned about weakening the futtocks by making them too curved. I still wanted to see how it looked in place and faired. Problems aside, the frame (still unfaired here) does fit in its keel notch, and the cross section is starting to take shape. I then did a bit of preliminary fairing on the frame and it looks better, although I'll still redo it so as to have consistent joint placement on the frames. I knew it would be small, but it's still surprising to see it. At least it will be very portable!

Apparently I prefer to have multiple builds going at once, as I'm still working on the Lake Chapala Canoa build. But, this should be a relatively short and quick build, as it's a cross-section of a largely open boat. Obviously, this is an unusual choice for a cross-section--why make a cross-section of a boat that already has mostly visible framing?--and I think it will be the smallest vessel with a cross-section build log on the site. So, it's reasonable to ask why I'm doing it. Apologies for the long-winded explanation! Detail from the plans of the Juana y José. A cross-section of a barca catalana, a similar vessel. The Juana y José is actually a bit simpler than this in some aspects. Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barca_levantina#/media/Archivo:Parts_buc-català.jpg Why am I building a cross section of such a small boat? One thing that I'm grappling with is that, for the foreseeable future, I am going to be moving with some regularity and probably won't have much space. This makes modeling difficult. Unless I plan on giving most of my builds away, most everything will have to be readily transportable. So, much as I'd like to jump into even a relatively small model of a rigged sailing ship, like the Chilean Lancha Chilota coasting sloop that I have plans for to make a POB model, or the Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack, I'm struck by how difficult it will be to pack it up and lug it with me. So, I'm considering some more portable options. One option would be an unrigged half hull, and I do think I want to do the NRG half hull. Beyond being a good learning experience, it would be easy to store on a wall and much easier to transport than a rigged model. Another option would be to do some extremely small models or ships in a bottle, the latter of which would definitely take the prize for portability. There are some amazing and creative builds in both categories on the site, but I don't think my building skills are quite there yet. Another option is a cross-section (without a mast). The Triton and Echo cross sections both look fantastic, but both also seem like you really need more tools and skills than I have to build them. Finally, I was looking at a fourth option: a small model around 6 inches long, likely of a rowing vessel in a reasonable scale that wouldn't be too fiddly to make. I got started with modeling after going to the Barcelona Maritime Museum and being blown away by its small craft collection, and one of my goals is to build a POF model of a traditional lateen-rigged Spanish fishing vessel (of which there are a number of types--the barca catalana, the Mallorcan llaüt, the palangrera, the sardinal, the barquets and barches of Valencia that wefalck discusses in detail on his website: https://www.maritima-et-mechanika.org/maritime/albufera/Boats-of-the-Albufera.html, etc). I found that a Spanish modeler, Alfonso del Valle, had drawn up plans--not just line plans, but also diagrams of all frames--and made them freely available for one such boat, the Juana y José. Although there are no builds of it on this site, the Spanish modeling forum Foro Modelismo Naval has a number of builds (such as this one: https://www.foromodelismonaval.es/viewtopic.php?t=15014), and the plans produce a very nice model. Javier Baron, who has a number of albums in the galleries of Model Ship World, even made a beautiful tiny model in 1:74 scale: https://barcosbaron.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/391/). The Juana y José is a small vessel, and the plans are originally in 1:15, but I was curious about what a 1:32 scale build would be like, as that would produce a model about 6 inches long (1:74 scale, in contrast, is well beyond my skills). Printing the plans off in that scale, I noted that the frames would be thin, but perhaps still manageable, and that all parts can be constructed from basswood in thicknesses I have access to. I decided to hold off on a full build for now, as I have no idea how to plank a curved hull form yet. But a small cross-section seemed like a way to test out whether I will want to eventually go ahead with a full build at 1:32, or if I'd prefer a larger scale. It also will give me some experience with POF construction, and will produce a readily portable model. Also, if I eventually do a full build, I can display it alongside the full model. The Juana y José There are a few particularities about the boat and the plans. As del Valle discussed both on his website, now sadly defunct but still viewable through the Internet Archive (https://web.archive.org/web/20160902024136/http://www.modelismonaval.com/magazine/almejera/juanayjose.html), and also on Foro Modelismo Naval, the Juana y José is a real vessel, an old fishing boat that he came across on the beach in Algeciras. The owner allowed him to take its lines and photograph it, and told him about its history. It was built in Málaga sometime in the early 1900s, and was later sold to an Algeciras fisherman. It was broken up in 2003, and was 4.75m/15.6ft long. However, the actual vessel is entirely open and oar-powered (while the owner said it used to have a sail, del Valle saw no mast step or other such evidence, although it conceivably was removed during repairs or renovations). While del Valle accurately depicts the Juana y José in its line plans, in the other sheets, he instead decided to depict it in the rest of the plans as a lateen-rigged, decked vessel, similar in form to a sardinal, and added a prominent windlass, turning it into a traditional clam dragger as he remembered from his youth. So, while the hull is accurate, other details are not. These additions are certainly similar to other vessels, though. So, I could either build the Juana y José accurately as a pure rowboat, follow the plans even if they're not totally accurate--as I've noticed, they make a gorgeous model, and I do really love the look of Spanish lateen-rigged fishing boats--or perhaps take a middle route, inspired by the owner's comment that it used to have a sail, and add a mast while leaving off the deck and windlass. Following the plans would certainly produce the most visually interesting option, even if it's still very simple for a cross-section. The Build, Part 1: The Keel I decided to make the cross-section long enough to include two thwarts, providing the build with some structural rigidity. I chose a six-frame section running from around amidships foreward. If I choose to follow the plans, this section will include the mast step and windlass. The section is just under 2 inches long. I started with the keel. As it turns out, at 1:32 scale, the keel is very close in thickness to 1/16 of an inch, so I was able to use some of my stock of that basswood for the keel. While this seems very thin to me, it's what the plans show and widening it would require reshaping all the frames a bit, so I'm keeping it for now at least. I marked and filed out the frame notches. My filing skills could use a little work, and the notch on the right in the photo below is too wide, but it will do. I then carefully carved out the rabbet, mostly using an exacto knife but also running a file edge along it to widen it a little. I was very concerned about the rabbet cutting through the keel--again, it's 1/16-inch thick--so it's probably not as deep as it should be, but I think it will work. After this photo, I added a coat of sealer-varnish to strengthen the wood a bit--I don't want it breaking along the rabbet or elsewhere, or chipping any more than it already has. Some of the notches may need to be slightly deepened, but I'm going to leave them as-is for now and adjust that once I test-fit the frames. This post is already long, so I'll leave the first frame for the next post.

Looks like you're off to a great start!

Great job!

Welcome! And I'm sure everyone would love to see a build log of your dory!

Looks great! Is the ship's boat a scratch-build?

Looks great so far!

The floor cleats and mast step have been colored (with stain and dark brown paint, respectively) and glued in place, and I've started cutting flooring planks to size. First, though, I'm working on the crossbeams. Initially I was going to use 1/16th inch basswood, but comparing it with the photos, it looked a little thin. So, I went with some of the last of the 1/8 inch basswood scrap from the dory kit. This will be used for the first two or three crossbeams (counting from amidships forward), as photos show that the foremost few crossbeams at times were made of thinner planks so I can use the 1/16 inch wood there. My new files were very helpful in carving out the slots for the central crossbeam. I'm now deciding how to color the crossbeams, as I don't want to leave them natural. First I stained it, as I can always paint over the stain. It looks ok with the stain, but I was also considering going with a very dark brown to make more of a contrast. Here's a test using just a strip of painted paper. Keep in mind the hull exterior will be black. I've also been using scrap paper and wood to work out the other crossbeam locations.

Looks like it's coming along well!

For what it's worth, I found the dory to be an excellent kit and a great way to get your feet wet. It's also a very easy model to add fishing gear and the like to, which can be a fun introduction to scratch building as well.

Build looks like it's coming along nicely, the bleed-through doesn't look bad and should scrape off pretty quickly with an exacto blade. Hope your hand feels better soon!