JacquesCousteau

Good luck on the dissertation! Having recently been there myself, I don't envy you being in the writing phase. But it might be good to have a hobby to take your mind off it? In any case, the build is coming along quite well, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it finishes!

Bem-vindo, Viriato! Uma desculpa que meu portugues não é muito bem. Espero ver um "log de construção" em breve, e fotos na galeria dos modelos ja construidos. Eu gosto os embarcações tradicionais portuguesas. Também, eu deveria dizer que Modelshipworld tem uma política de falar em inglês para que todos possam comunicar-se, varias pessoas usam os traduçoes de Google sem problema.

Fantastic job, that looks excellent!

Hi Macika, welcome! You've probably seen this elsewhere here, but the Model Shipways beginner kits (in order, the dory, the sailing pram, and the lobster smack) are very reasonably priced, well-made, and have detailed, very useful instructions. There are also a lot of build logs for them, which is extremely helpful as you go along with the build. Midwest also has some reasonably-priced small vessels that seem to come together into nice models. Even a small rowboat can be surprisingly complicated to scratch-build well, and a good beginner's kit would also help with learning the terminology.

I've never used it, but I think it should come up if you google "pre-stain wood conditioner." There are also some threads showing people's tests comparing different stains with and without the conditioner, that would probably have more detail.

Excellent job, and your enthusiasm for the build really comes through in the log!

Short update before travel takes me from the build again. At this point, I can't really fine tune the joints between the pieces of the frames without having one frame stuck in place, so I'll need to attach the upright portions. I've stained them with the stain pen in preparation. Overall I think they turned out ok. One in particular is a bit blotchy--the piece split a bit during sanding and needed to be glued--so I might redo it. I also conducted an experiment with the locker front. The upper frame will be mostly covered by the lip of helmsman's platform, so I decided to try approximating screws there. I did so with the smallest drill bit I have, making a small and shallow hole. After the first few (from the left) started going a little awry, I realized I needed a straight edge. I used one, but it's still a little uneven. As the unevenness makes clear, I'll have to be careful if I decide to do this in a more visible location. I'm still deciding whether to do the rest of the frames like this, as a learning experience, or whether to leave it. I think I like the look, but only if I can get a straighter row--I should practice a bit more on scrap first.

I don't have much modeling experience, so take this with a grain (or hefty spoonful) of salt. But I've recently started using a Minwax golden oak stain pen for parts of my Canoa de Rancho build. I turned to it because 1) I'm effectively limited to using basswood for most everything for now, rather than being able to bring in other woods, 2) I didn't like the look of painting the interior, and 3) due to work, I'll likely be moving a lot for the foreseeable future, and I didn't want to have to worry about lugging around a can of stain (or throwing it out, I don't want to waste it). So, a pen seemed like a useful way to experiment with using stain. It seems to be working out ok so far, with some caveats. I'm only using it for some small parts--frames and a locker--and I wouldn't want to use it for staining large pieces (I suppose it could work, but basswood is known for not taking stain well unless treated with a conditioner, which I also don't want to buy a can of for the third reason above). The pen takes a little getting used to and it's easy at the start to accidentally press too hard and flood everything with stain. I can't say how the pen color compares to the can color. If I were staining more, or were staying in one place for longer, I would probably just buy a can, which would be more cost-effective. But, for the purpose of staining a few small parts, the pen seems to be working ok for me.

The curved line is where the transom is supposed to be cut, right? Checking other build logs, it looks like DonBMichigan and SkiBee had the same issue and just cut the transom line a bit higher up. I haven't done this build, but unless there's something further on that requires the transom to be at the exact dimensions of the scribed line, it doesn't look like it would cause a problem if it ends up a little taller.

Looks like you're off to a great start! It may be too late, but regarding the slight warp in the keel: would it be possible to attach the keel to a straightedge of some sort and use the glued floorboards to hold it in position? It may not be much of an issue, though.

Wow, nicely done!

A very brief follow-up. I did another test fitting of the frames and locker front. Next up: cutting the top of the frames to the correct height and finessing the frame joints. A couple things. First, I had marked the mast step location based on the plans I drew up, but I'm thinking it might look better shifted one frame back. Second, while I'll be staining the frames, I'm still debating whether the basswood planking is too pale to leave natural (with only a sealer/varnish coat). Things to consider.

I finished up the front of the locker, and I'm happy with how it turned out. I've wanted to improve my skills at cutting precise joints, and the framing, while very simple, was a good opportunity to work on that. Initially I was going to do a miter joint at all four corners, but I messed up the angle when cutting the bottom frame piece. Valuable lesson about measuring twice and cutting once! I considered making a new piece, but realized I could flip it upside down, as the cleat across the bottom will cover the misshapen corners. I also decided to do a rabbet joint at the bottom, as I thought it looked better. (Feel free to correct me if I'm getting the joint names wrong!) Getting everything lined up took some patience, especially cutting the sides to size, but I got the pieces in place. I had considered doing some sort of lap joint for the crossbeam, but I decided against it for a few reasons--the wood is very thin, and any mistake would require extra staining that would likely leave a large dark blotch. I went with a simple butt joint instead. In any case, the crossbeam wouldn't have much pressure on it, as its purpose is mostly to keep the vertical planks behind it from buckling or shifting under weight and to add to the sturdiness of the overall framing. Test placement in the hull with the figure for scale. Once the decking is in, it will effectively be about 4 inches (at scale, 1/8 inch) shorter. I'll glue the cleat in place after the locker is permanently attached. Changing gears, I finished cutting the frame bottoms to the proper thickness. I won't be able to fair them in the hull, as they need to be stained before placement, so I needed to get them consistent now. I stuck them all together, in order and up against each other, on a piece of masking tape. As can be seen, I did not have the smoothest or most consistent cuts. Like with the locker planks, I probably could have made it more consistent if I had cut the frames from a long beam/strip that was already of the right thickness/height. The tape made it easy to sand along the top with a sanding stick. The frames are now much more consistent than before, which will make the deck planking run smoothly. I'm trying to do briefer updates instead of lengthy walls of text. Not sure if I'm really succeeding, though!

Looks great!

While continuing work on the frames, I also started on the rear locker/helmsman's platform. On the Cargo Canoa, as seen below, I built it very simply: the front is a single piece (with some decorative "molding" at the sides), and the top is two pieces (a crossbeam at the rear and a lid). Although I'm happy with how the Cargo Canoa's locker turned out (more or less--I could have squared it better), I wanted to make something more interesting for the Canoa de Rancho. I was particularly inspired by an old, large, lidded wooden crate my family uses as a side table. The sides of the crate are made from vertical planks with framing on the exterior. It's very sturdy and can easily support heavy weights, which is ideal for something meant to serve as a platform. (Blurry photo below). Although I'm not going to copy it completely, I want to borrow elements from it for my build. Maybe it's a little overbuilt for what is a pretty simply-constructed vessel, and (as mentioned when I was building it for the Cargo Canoa) it's not entirely clear that canoas even had lockers under the helmsman's platform--there are no photos and I'm extrapolating from a rather vague textual reference and knowledge that such things were included in other simple boats built elsewhere. Were this intended as a museum piece meant to faithfully represent a canoa, I would probably leave it off. But, I'm building this for fun. My goals are enjoyment and skill-building while creating a plausible representation of what a canoa might have been like. Accuracy is important, but, especially given the paucity of clear sources for so many details, I'm not going to worry about it if at times I have to step into the realm of the merely plausible. First I used paper to get a template for the size and shape. Next, I traced the template onto 1/16‐inch basswood, cut it out, and lightly stained the front. Then, I marked out individual planks on the back and cut. Although the triangles at the sides are wide enough that they should be made of two separate planks, I left them as one because the joint would be covered by the framing. After cutting them and realizing I had a lot of little pieces to keep track of, I numbered them. Can you spot my careless error? Somehow I missed a piece! After test-fitting it everywhere I decided it most likely came from the side, between pieces 1 and 2. I numbered it 1.5 and turned over the pieces to allow the stain to fully cure. I like the color and am finding the stain pen to be pretty easy to work with. I'm hoping to learn new techniques, so I decided to use this as a way to practice caulked planking. I lightly sanded the edges of the planks so that they would stand out better once glued back together, then used a pencil to draw along the right edge of each piece. I then began gluing the planks together on top of the template, using a straightedge to keep them lined up. After all were attached, I sandwiched the pieces between two metal rulers and clamped it to dry, then I checked how it came out the next day. Overall, I'm happy with how my first "deck planking" has turned out. Some of the pencil lines are thicker than others, which is something to try to correct in the future, and the close-up photo really exposes the fuzziness of the wood. (I think it looks better in person). There's some unevenness in plank width, due in part to my decision to cut the planks from the piece, which required marking each plank and created lots of opportunities for inexact cuts. It would be more consistent if I cut the planks from a strip of consistent width, instead of trying to cut planks of consistent width from an already shaped part. Making more of a jig to hold everything in place, and figuring out some way to better clamp the pieces together, are steps I'll consider for future builds. Test fitting in the Canoa. It's not quite squared up here, but I'm liking the contrast between the stained and natural wood! Next, the framing. I'm planning on using 1/16-inch wide strips from the 1/32‐thick basswood I bought for the top, sides, and crossbeam. But the bottom poses a bit of a challenge, as part will be covered up by the interior decking. After considering a few options, I decided it would make sense for the base to be a wider piece than the other frames, which would also make it visible poking out above the decking. I'm also going to be attaching a cleat to the front of the bottom frame. This is necessary for the interior decking as the frames don't extend all the way across the hull. On the Cargo Canoa, the cleat was separate from the locker, but I have very little space on the Canoa de Rancho between the locker and the first frame, so it makes sense to attach the cleat to the locker. A test fitting with unfinished pieces (not yet cut to size, and not all frames included) should make what I'm talking about more clear. I stained the pieces and cut them oversize. This gives a rough idea of what the framing will look like (minus the cleat), although all pieces will be better-shaped and joined neatly instead of passing over each other. (Also, it will be squared up rather than roughly placed). I'm enjoying my progress on this build and having fun learning new techniques!

After being away for a while, I'm back to work on the Canoas! While I was traveling, I found my mind wandering to other project ideas, so it's good to be able to focus on an actual build. I left off with the side portions of the frames nearly complete, so next up is making the portions that run along the bottom. I cut some 3/32-inch strips from the 1/8-inch thick sheet I have left over from the dory build, and cut the frame bottoms roughly to size. Nothing's glued in yet, and the frames still need proper trimming both to reduce their thickness to 3/32 square and to tidy up the joints with the side portions. But I'm happy with how it's coming along, it looks a lot better than just an empty shell of a hull and I'm looking forward to installing them. I've begun reducing the height of the bottom frames from 1/8- to 3/32-inch, and have finished the starboard pieces (counterintuitively located on the center-left of the photo). The difference in height with the port pieces, on the center-right, is apparent. As can be seen, I've been taking care to label all the pieces so I don't lose track. Although much simpler than the amazing plank-on-frame models elsewhere on this site, there are still 32 frame pieces to keep in order, which is much more than I've dealt with before! I also experimented with using the stain pen to add color to the frames, which on the actual vessels would have been made of a different, darker wood than the planks. (I'm thinking of leaving the planking it's natural color on the interior). While traveling, I did a quick test with some scraps cut--messily due to my lack of tools--from the 1/32-inch sheets I got. I liked the results: from top to bottom, two layers of stain, one layer of stain, and no stain. But, I wanted to test things out on scraps that were closer in size to the frame pieces. I also wanted to test if the stain could be used over a sealer to provide a more even color. On the left is a piece that I stained in several layers. The color is ok, but I think it would be more even if I was more patient and let the stain cure overnight between coats. It also shows that I'll need to be careful with the ends, which really soak up a lot of stain and darken too much. In the middle is a piece I stained after first applying sealer, which didn't really work--the stain couldn't really penetrate the wood and just sat on the surface, making it very easy to accidentally scrape off. On the right is a piece with just one layer of stain. I think the color is good, but it's a reminder that staining will bring out any imperfections in the piece. In this case, there was a bit of a gouge running the length of the piece that ended up much darker than the rest.

As someone who's strongly considering this kit as my next build, I'm looking forward to following along!

Thanks for the suggestions! I have some tulle fabric that should work for the nets, I previously used it for the funnels in the lobster trap for the dory. Seeds could be interesting. The wooden beads I have correspond to roughly 12-inch round watermelons, which seems to be within the standard size range for present-day melons. They may be slightly on the large size for watermelons from circa 1900, but I think they should work out ok. I'll be trying to sand them a little, too, as most watermelons aren't perfectly round but a bit elongated.

Due to travel, I haven't done any further work on the build and won't for another few weeks. But, I have picked up a few small things that should be useful. As I've mentioned before, the only basswood I can find in Mexico is 1/16th inch thick, so I took advantage of being in the US to get a few sheets of thinner, 1/32 inch thick basswood (which I had to cut down in size so it fits in my carryon). It will be useful for some of the furnishings in the hull as well as the internal decking. The thatched rancho poses a bit of a building challenge. I was originally planning on using coconut fibers to make the thatching (which was made of reeds in real life). But, getting enough fiber seemed like it might be a pain in the neck. I saw this "excelsior" material and thought it might be easier to work with, although I'll still have to cut it to the right size. Canoas seemingly all had anchors dangling off their bows whenever they were sailing, attached to a sturdy chain. I got a couple of the thinnest jewelry chains I could find (they were cheap), one in a vaguely brass color and the other in more of a stainless steel. I'll have to experiment a bit when it comes to working with them, and I'm still trying to decide how to make the anchor. I picked up a couple threads and clamping tweezers, all intended for fly tying. The tweezers, especially, should make knots and rigging much easier. I got a few small dowels, perhaps useful for oars or fishing gear, and some wooden beads. I wasn't originally going to include a load of cargo, but I think it could be nice to include something with the Cargo Canoa. Gibbon mentioned watching a load of watermelons being unloaded from a canoa, so I'm going to see if I can fill in the holes in the beads and make a few. Finally, I still wasn't loving my tests with the paint for the Canoa de Rancho's interior, so I picked up a stain pen. I know that basswood is infamous for not taking stain well, but if I'm only staining the frames (hence leaving the planking natural) I think it could work? The frames are small so any blotchiness shouldn't be too noticeable, I imagine. I'll test it out beforehand, though.

So, I've shaped the upright portions of the frames for the Canoa de Rancho. They've all been marked as to their locations. They just need to be cut to the right length, which will have to wait until I figure out the crossbeam locations--some frames will likely be under a crossbeam. I also will do a bit more sanding to make sure the frames are roughly even in width. I have to say, I'm not worried about a little unevenness, as many of the frames on actual canoas were pretty roughly-hewn. (Ramón Rubín can't seem to help himself from calling them "mal labrado" at every turn in La canoa perdida). But, this is really highlighting for me how challenging it will be if I ever scratch build something with more complex frames. Looking around at things like the Triton Cross Section, to say nothing of a full-hull model, it's impressive that people can get so many small pieces even! I still have to make the bottom pieces of the frames. In the photo, they're just the upright pieces from the other side or bits of scrap, because the boat looks really weird with only the upright pieces in. Nothing has been glued yet. There will be cleats added near the bow, too. Before I glue in the frames, though, I want to decide how to color them. Canoas used pine for the side planks and mesquite for the frames. Pine is a light-colored wood and mesquite is darker, and I was wondering if I could represent that even if everything here is made of basswood. So, I decided to test a few options, although I didn't do a great job on the painting here as it's just to test color combos. The top left has natural wood. Top right, natural planks and a brown-painted frame. Bottom left, light-painted planks and a brown frame. Bottom right, just to see I went with brown planks and a light frame. I also added a little black wash to see how that would look. I also wondered about natural planking combined with a light-painted frame, and tried to place the test pieces to see how that looks. Overall, I'm not sure about the look of painting the interior and frames. But I've heard that basswood doesn't take stain very well, so I'm not sure if I want to try that. Any suggestions? Finally, I'll be traveling for the rest of the month, so no build updates for a while, although I might post other things in that time.

Davit supports look great, as do the rope coils!

Great job, the hull looks fantastic!

On the Canoa de Rancho, sanding is just about complete. The hull isn't perfectly smooth, but I did want to make sure the planks would still be visible after painting. I added a bit of sawdust and glue to fill some low spots, too. Overall I'm happy with how the hull is coming out. For the Cargo Canoa, I'm basically done with the hull now that I've added the rails. A quick word on painting. I've been using Politec brand acrylics. These are very widely available and cost about a dollar for each small bottle. They've worked well, but Politec really has very limited options for browns. So I went with a slightly pricier (but still cheap, just under 3 bucks) brand that had a much greater variety of browns. I'm much happier with how the color turned out, and I like how the bottle has a nozzle--one annoyance with politec is that I always had to scoop out the paint I wanted, while this is much easier. After painting the rails and adding a light black wash for character, I glued them in place. Gluing them was a bit trickier than I expected, especially in the aft half, as the rails really aren't attached to very much--mostly just the thin top of the wale, and a few supports--and I couldn't really clamp them. As a result, the rails ended up pulling away from the wale a little amidships. It's small and shouldn't be noticeable unless I somehow place this with a strong backlight, but it's something I'll have to watch out for on the Canoa de Rancho. Next, the aft rail. This entailed making a joint in the 1/32‐inch-thick rail, which was tricky. I'm glad I'll be using thicker rails on the Canoa de Rancho. After painting the piece for the aft rail, I placed it and marked where to cut. I did a mixture of carving and sanding to remove material as necessary. I nearly cut through the thin wood at one point, leaving a mark on the other, visible side, but I was able to fix the visible damage with sanding and a repaint after attaching it. It isn't a perfect joint, but it works. (Honestly, they're not perfect joints on the actual vessels, either. I suspect there was a lot of wear and tear on the rails and they were frequently replaced). It was especially hard cutting the joint into the side rails, as they were only attached on one side and were very flexible on the other. (The accidental near-cut-through is visible here, before sanding and painting). I then touched up the paint, and with that the rails are complete! Still to do for the Cargo Canoa: making the rudder (which can only be mounted after I make a stand as it's deeper than the hull), adding belaying points along the rail, adding an anchor and chain (present in a ton of photos, even on very small vessels), and then the mast, sail, and rigging.

Looks like it's coming along great!

Very brief note. First, feeling a bit frustrated with sanding the rails, I switched gears a minute to make the hinges for the stern box lid/helmsman's platform. No photos of this, so just a guess on the shape. I cut them from card and made the hinge barrel from a bit of toothpick sanded down into a tiny cylinder. I also added tiny dots of glue to represent the screws, although in the future I would try to get them smaller. I'm happy with how they turned out and think they add something nice to the build. Second, both rails broke at the joint when sanding and had to be reglued. The joint is really small due to the difficulties of cutting it into 1/32-inch-thick pieces. But, the rails have been sanded, getting off most of the old color, and they're ready for the next round of painting.