JacquesCousteau

Thanks for the supportive posts, I'm glad to hear that people are finding this log useful! I've been a bit busy with work lately, but I was able to bevel the frames with the sanding stick and attach the bottom. First, I realized that the number 4 frame was sticking up a bit higher than the rest--the 3 frame in the middle should be the highest. This is probably in part due to minor differences between how I glued the frames together. I was able to sand a little off the top of the frame spacer and make it sit at the right height, though. Beveling the frames was a little tricky. The instructions say to sand three at a time, but even with 220 grain sandpaper and a light touch, the frames kept popping out of the building board. I had an easier time sanding two at a time while lightly holding the frames in place with my fingers. It took a long time, but eventually the bevel looked good in test fittings. After that, gluing on the bottom was a breeze. I used a number of rubber bands to hold it in place once I had it centered. Thanks to the advice earlier to use a damp instead of a sopping wet brush, I was able to clean off the excess glue pretty well. Once it dried fully, I removed the bands. It looks pretty good, I have to say! One slight issue: as noted above, I found that the stem slot on the building board is very slightly off-center by 1/16th of an inch. As a result, the frames are ever so slightly off from 90 degrees to the keel line (if it had a keel). I don't think it's much of an issue though, every wooden boat is unique anyways. (And it's not like I had the tools to make a new building board). I was also able to stop by the craft store to pick up some better brushes, primer, and a few paints. While I like the classic look of ochre with green trim, I've seen a few dories with a red bottom which sounds like it might be a nice touch, and I think I want to paint the oars and thwarts a cream color (which I'll mix from the white and ochre). Next step: beveling the sides of the frames and preparing the garboards.

I made some progress today. Very happy to see it coming together! First, I finished the frames. Not much to say about this step, they came together pretty easily. While they were drying fully, I also made the flexible sanding stick the instructions recommend for beveling the frames. At first, it curved back from the side I glued the sandpaper to--exactly the wrong direction for sanding the frames--but I brushed some water on the opposite side from the sandpaper and it straightened out. As can be seen below, I also clamped it and tried to weight it in the middle with the glue bottle so it would curve a little the right way (which is probably overkill for a sanding stick, but if it makes the beveling any easier...). While things were drying, I also made a second oar. This time I didn't cut too deep and I'm pleased with how it turned out, it looks pretty close to the first one. Once the frames dried, I put them on the building board. I couldn't resist taking a look at how it will be with the bottom attached (although of course I haven't glued anything yet). I like the way it's looking so far. Finally, I noticed there was a bit of wiggle room to the sides of the frames on the building board, and they weren't necessarily standing perfectly upright. To get them as close to 90 degrees as possible, I used the square end of a metal ruler to hold each frame straight, then glued a squared‐off bit of scrap to the board pressing the frame a little from the other side. Then I removed the ruler, let it dry, then glued another bit of scrap to the other side (see below). Using thin pieces of scrap wood made it easy to cut them, but probably less accurate than a thicker piece of wood. In any case, there's very little wiggle room now. As for the side-to-side gap, first I measured and marked the midpoint on each frame. Then I started to measure to the midpoint of each frame slot, but I realized that the stem slot is slightly off-center on the board (just over 1/16th inch). So instead I marked a straight line from the middle of the stem slot to the middle of the transom holder slot, and used that to make sure the frames were centered. To prevent them from moving when I sand the bevel, I then glued a tiny bit of scrap wood to each side of the frame. With any luck, tomorrow I'll bevel the frames and attach the bottom.

Thanks! Your build log was really helpful, and I'll definitely be coming back to it on the side plank beveling, especially, which I can already tell will be a challenge (but a fun one). Thanks! I'll definitely keep that in mind in the future.

Hi, this is my first post. I recently started on my first build, and thought I'd share my experience. Feedback and suggestions are welcome, I look forward to learning a lot here! Although I whittled a few ship models when I was young, my building skills languished over the years. Recently, though, a drawing class made me remember how much I enjoy making things by hand. I was also inspired by a visit to the impressive collections of the Barcelona Maritime Museum, including the many traditional fishing vessels there. Hopefully I'll eventually be able to make a llaud like the ones I saw in Barcelona, but a smaller fishing boat sounded like a better first project. After coming across the forum and reading a lot of build guides, I decided the Lowell Grand Banks Dory from Model Shipways was an ideal starting point. Once I scraped together some basic tools (which was trickier than I thought, most of the hardware stores near me only have tools for full-scale construction), I began by constructing the bottom. First I glued together the bottom planks, then cut the cleats to size and attached them. I had a bit of trouble with one, in particular, which came unstuck repeatedly after I tried to use a wet brush to remove excess glue (as suggested in the instructions). I eventually got it reattached, but was wary of using the brush again. As a result, there was a lot of residue left when it dried. I was able to scrape it off with my knife, but I realized that, for the future, it would be easier to remove excess glue before it dries. Maybe I just need to use less water or a smaller brush; for now, I've had some success with a toothpick. Next, the stem and transom assembly. Without a set square, I had a bit of a hard time making sure that they were at an exactly 90-degree angle where they connect to the bottom planks. But with a lot of trial and error, and being careful not to sand off too much at a time, I think they turned out all right. I also think the holes in the transom might be a little too small for the thread included in the kit (as at least one other build log mentioned). I may have to track down a tiny drill bit to widen them, or just find a thinner thread. In either case, I think that can wait a bit, and it's not a big problem. While waiting for glue to dry, I got started on shaping an oar. Originally I thought I would just sand the blade, but there's quite a bit to remove! (Photos include an unfinished oar for comparison). I whittled both sides down a bit, and finished with (still a lot of) sanding. I accidentally started cutting too deep on one side, but stopped the cut before it went too far, and was able to mostly smooth it with sanding. I think the imperfection will be covered by painting, and at worst, I can just glue the oar imperfection-side down at the very end and it won't be visible. Shaping the rest of the oar was a lot of fun. It's perhaps a little more oval than round in cross section, and if I really pay attention I can see that the blade doesn't taper exactly symmetrically, but I think it works for now. The kit comes with an extra oar, so maybe I'll do a better job on the next ones. Next, I curved the bottom (which went ok, it didn't retain the curve as well as I thought, maybe because it was rainy and humid here) and started building the frames. They're coming together pretty well so far (no clue why the photo uploaded upside-down). I have noticed some very small discrepancies between the diagrams and how the parts fit together, but the difference is minimal. In any case, I'll be sanding the exterior edges later for planking, which should fix any issues. Overall, I'm having a great time with this. I'm impressed by the kit, which is very well-made, and the instructions are clear and helpful. Feel free to let me know if I'm making any terrible mistakes that will come back to bite me!