Decoyman

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob
 
 

Thanks for the support and the likes everyone!
 
I have cut the planking rebates in the side of the keel assembly. I used a couple of different scalpel blades: a small straight to cut the inside of the chase and a large curve-ended one to scrape it clean afterwards. Mostly however I used a small V-profile gouge with a very sharp edge. This cuts beautifully and I'm almost happy with the result. The only disappointment was that my very last cut was a wrong'un! I forgot to stop the rebate on the stem and ran it straight out the top. I haven't shown this in the photos below (still feeling slightly annoyed with myself…). My only thought so far is to cut the profile of the short section of extended rebate as neatly as possible and then piece-in a very small sliver of cherry. If anyone has a better idea I'd be pleased to hear it.
 
 
 
I have also made the last frame components. The crutches are over-deep so they can be sanded to shape once the frames are assembled.
 
 
 
Rob

This is my previous log - HMS Agamemnon the Seven Year Itch - reposted following the Great Crash of '13 (if you can remember it you weren't there...).
 
In fact the earlier title was getting more and more out-of-date since the build has now taken me in excess of ten years and I'm still not finished, so a change to something a bit more prosaic was probably in order. I've done a few other bits and pieces in the meantime, mind you.
 
I started taking photos of my model at the same time as I started my log. At this time I had got as far as completing the first planking and the second planking from the wales down to the keel.
 

 
The quarter gallery patterns are temporarily in place to act as a guide for the planking. You can see that the main gun deck has also been planked.
 

 
In this three-quarter view there is a noticeable patch of filler, which I added to the first planking to fair the bows to a better profile. Obviously none of it will be visible once the second planking is added.
 

 
Another three quarter view, this time of the starboard side. I'm a bit further on with the second planking here.
 

 
And another, this time from a lower viewpoint. I've included this shot to show how the second planking was not the tidiest ever. This was before I had read the articles in the Database and the helpful threads in the technical sections. Next time I aim to do a much neater and more prototypical job. Not that it mattered because I always intended to paint the whole of the hull, so more filler was an easy option....
 

 
And here she is, encrusted with wood filler before rubbing down. I think I could have been a bit more sparing really! However, after vigorous sanding she looked like this:
 


 
I've added the wales and some of the mouldings, but not yet finished cutting out the gun ports.
 
Finally here are some detail shots of the same stage. More in my next up-date.
 

Thanks for the answer QAR. Having had a look on the site they don't seem to have the fine-kerf slitting blades I tend to wear out most often.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Hi Carl,
thank you for your positive comment.
Here are a few images from the current stage of construction.
Planking coming to an end.

 

 

 


The gunwale are already built.
The washstrakes is ready for installation ...

 

 
... and done.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

These folks may be able to help? They say they can bore the blade to the size required. 
http://www.sawshop.co.uk/3-1-2-medium-course-finish-c-1209_1236_1378_1939_2124_2125/atkinson-walker-cordless-saw-wood-cutting-circular-saw-blade-85mm-20-tips-general-purpose-finish-p-170722893
 
I don't think 20mm is an uncommon bore for small blades so there should be plenty of others. Worth a Google.

Another photos:
 
 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all again for your kind comments and likes. You made me feel inspired enough to find time to do a bit more!
 
I have made and fitted the first strake of planking either side of the keel. This is the first time I have attempted spiling of planking. So far it's OK... I have had to remake one strake through impatience, and the fit of each is not quite as perfect as I would like. The following photos show the garboard strakes being glued in place. I will post some more once I have several done.
 
  
 
The last photo shows the stern. You can see the ends of both strakes and the tick marks I put on the frames to define the widths of the planks. You can also see the stern planking, where I was a bit dim with the choice of wood! It's all cherry, but the first three planks are noticeably different in colour. I am hoping I can tone the variation down when I apply a finish.
 

 
In case anyone is wondering I emphasised the joints between planks by rubbing both edges with a 2B pencil before glueing them in position. I think it's reasonably subtle.
 
Another thing worth mentioning, since I don't remember finding this point made anywhere else, is how to measure the tick marks quickly and easily. Most people cut strips of paper to the length of the frame between the keel and the wale, which is what I did as well. However it is usually suggested that the next step is a diminishing grid: a 'fan' of lines drawn from a common point and with the other ends set out equally along a straight line. Sufficient line are drawn so that the number of gaps between lines is the same as the intended number of strakes of planking. The idea is that you lay your strip of paper across the grid at a position where the ends of the paper just touch the outermost parts of the fan. You then mark off along the strip the intersections between the lines of the fan and the edge of the strip. This gives you a strip subdivided equally by the number of strakes. It works fine, providing you keep your strip parallel to the line used originally to set out the fan ends. If you put the strip at an angle then the spacing will vary.
 
I prefer to use a simple sheet of lined paper - it can be graph paper with a square grid, but ordinary ruled notebook paper works just as well. You need to place your paper strip at an angle across the lines such that each end is exactly on a line and the number of spaces between the two lines at the ends of the strip equals the number of strakes. then mark off the intersections as before and the strip will be evenly divided. Both methods are similar, but my method is quicker, because you don't need to make the diminishing grid, and there is a little less opportunity for error.
 
Rob

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob
 
 

Thank you Nils.
 
Rob

beautiful work Rob,
 
it`s such a lovely fragile set of framing ribs, so clean and excactly built, well done
 
Nils

Thanks Johann.
 
I've been following your longboat as well! Much better than mine, especially at a significantly smaller scale. On mine I'm still struggling to get the cherry planks to hold their bends well enough not to spring up and leave gaps, particularly at the front end.
 
Not that I've had any time to devote to it for the past few months....
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

I think  this comment might be fairly obvious, but the fact of the matter is I'm having trouble maintaining my enthusiasm for rebuilding my Agamemnon log.
 
However, despite the lack of evidence and a coherent storyline… I have actually finished! The whole thing!! It's taken me 11 years, 2 months and 3 days exactly. I have no idea how many hours I have spent on it, but it's a lot. The entire build was done on our kitchen table, which meant having to clear away before every meal and share it with my children when they did their homework. There are two lights hung quite low above the table, and when I got to the masting stage I bashed them nearly every time I moved the model from the top of the piano to the kitchen. Nevertheless she's still in one piece. Here are a couple of pictures:
 

 

 

 
She's very difficult to photograph most of the time because either she's against a wall, which results in an overlay of confusing shadows, or she's on the table with the lights in the picture and the kitchen clutter in the background. I took her out into the garden for the final shots, but even that isn't perfect. I'm considering getting some professional pictures taken in a studio, but for that I'll need a car with a higher roof.
 
I hope you like it!
 
Rob

The other bit of progress achieved before I started my log was to install and plank the upper gun deck. Since then I have made the various fittings, including gratings, bitts and the stove.
 
Like most kits the gratings come as notched strips like coarse combs. I found the easiest way to assemble these was to fit them together dry and then to dip them in dilute PVA. Once the glue had set I trimmed off the excess timber and sanded the top, bottom and sides. Here are some step by step photos:
 

 
Some of the gratings dry-assembled. A 'grid' is made to suit the overall size of each grating:
 

 
Next the gratings were dipped in dilute PVA and then the excess dabbed away using kitchen towel:
 



 
Finally each grating was trimmed and sanded smooth:
 

 
Once this stage was complete I added the coamings around each hatch, some of which incorporate the openings for the companionways between decks. 
 

 
Here is an example of one in situ. The corners were cut square and butted. I believe the real ones were half-lapped at the corners, but I didn't think this would be visible at this scale.
 
And here are a few more. On some of these you can see that i have added shot garlands along the sides.
 



 
Rob

I am getting close to finishing the initial fabrication of the frames. In the next couple of pictures you can see all the frames across the keelson finished and then the futtocks added to the rearmost crutches.
 
 
 
Unfortunately I noticed that the keelson had acquired a pronounced downward curve (upward in the photos since the mould is inverted).
 
  
 
I wasn't happy to leave it like it was, so I stripped off all the frames - they were only pinned in place - and then planed off the first MDF layer from the mould down to the veneer leaf.
 

 
At this point it became clear that the whole mould was slightly curved, probably because I didn't clamp it to a flat surface when it was drying. Nothing serious, just slightly annoying! I was able to sand the veneer slightly more in the middle until the top surface was flat. Then I added a strip of cherry the same plan profile as the keelson, as thick as the distance between the top of the keelson and the lowest waterline and with a curve at the stern end. Once this was glued down I fixed 4 mm deep strips of veneer each side to set clean lines for the bottom of the mould (the MDF tends to flake off). Now I have a straight base for the keelson.
 
    
 
Next I cut a new layer of MDF in two pieces to fit around the keelson trough and, once the glue was dry, planed and sanded it to shape. Another couple of coats of varnish to stop the frame glue sticking and job done! A nice straight keelson ready for the frames to be re-fitted.
 
     
 
Rob

I thought my explanation of how my alternative tick strip method works could do with some illustrations....
 
TickStrip 01.pdf
TickStrip 02.pdf
TickStrip 03.pdf
 
The first drawing shows the diminishing grid as it is supposed to be used: the tick strip is parallel to the setting-out line and the ticks are equal.
 
The second drawing shows the diminishing grid used wrongly. You can see the tick spacing varying along the length of the strip.
 
The third drawing is my alternative. Any strip length can be used and all you have to do is adjust the angle until the ends of the strip are a pair of lines the required number of spaces apart. The only proviso is that the line spacing should be less than the maximum plank width.
 
In each case there are 20 spaces along the length of the strip, representing 20 strakes of planking.

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob
 
 

Thanks for the support and the likes everyone!
 
I have cut the planking rebates in the side of the keel assembly. I used a couple of different scalpel blades: a small straight to cut the inside of the chase and a large curve-ended one to scrape it clean afterwards. Mostly however I used a small V-profile gouge with a very sharp edge. This cuts beautifully and I'm almost happy with the result. The only disappointment was that my very last cut was a wrong'un! I forgot to stop the rebate on the stem and ran it straight out the top. I haven't shown this in the photos below (still feeling slightly annoyed with myself…). My only thought so far is to cut the profile of the short section of extended rebate as neatly as possible and then piece-in a very small sliver of cherry. If anyone has a better idea I'd be pleased to hear it.
 
 
 
I have also made the last frame components. The crutches are over-deep so they can be sanded to shape once the frames are assembled.
 
 
 
Rob

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob
 
 

Jeronimo,
 
I saw your log and the photos of the finished boat - fantastic work. I hope mine is somewhere near as good (although I have my doubts… we'll see).
 
Aykutansin,
 
Thanks for the encouragement - do you have a build log of your own?
 
Here are some more photos of progress to date. I've set the keelson in its recess in the mould and started adding the frames. The instructions suggest pinning through the frames. I decided to use push-pins. A big benefit is that they can be removed more easily once the frames are finished (you don't want to miss a pin after adding the planking - removing the shell from the mould would be a bit difficult…). Another advantage is that lifting a pin slightly allows the frame to be adjusted laterally until its position is perfect.
 
 
 
I'm using apple for the frames as well as the keelson. Slicing it up into 2 x 2 mm pieces results in incredibly smooth faces straight from the saw. I give them a rub-down with 400 grit wet and dry used dry then soak them overnight. The first picture above shows all the pieces cut up: there are 30 of them, corresponding to 30 frames, each strip is 300 mm long. The second picture shows a set of timbers for a typical frame - a long piece for the floor and two shorter pieces for the futtocks.
 
The following pictures show steps in adding the frames to the mould with the keelson in place. Interestingly nothing is glued yet. The keelson is intended to remain loose until the hull is removed from the mould, at which time it will be pinned and glued in place. Initially I soaked the wood in hot water, but I found I broke quite a few pieces trying to bend them round the sharp curve between the floor and the sides, so I added some household ammonia to the water. I am now having more success, but this may be because a] I'm getting better at forming the bends or b] I've left the wood to soak for longer or c] I tried microwaving the container with the ammonia solution before taking the wood out. Anyway it seems to be going OK!
 
     
 
In the first three images the floors are being added; in the last three I am starting to add the futtocks. The darker pieces have been added later and are still wet.
 
 
Rob

WOW! And again, Wow!
 
Mike.

Hi Rob,

only now I have your report found.

Had I seen it earlier, I would have had some problems less.
This is a fantastic model and a masterpiece. A very precise built model.
My chaloupe is however built in 1:48 scale.
 

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob
 
 

Thanks for the support and the likes everyone!
 
I have cut the planking rebates in the side of the keel assembly. I used a couple of different scalpel blades: a small straight to cut the inside of the chase and a large curve-ended one to scrape it clean afterwards. Mostly however I used a small V-profile gouge with a very sharp edge. This cuts beautifully and I'm almost happy with the result. The only disappointment was that my very last cut was a wrong'un! I forgot to stop the rebate on the stem and ran it straight out the top. I haven't shown this in the photos below (still feeling slightly annoyed with myself…). My only thought so far is to cut the profile of the short section of extended rebate as neatly as possible and then piece-in a very small sliver of cherry. If anyone has a better idea I'd be pleased to hear it.
 
 
 
I have also made the last frame components. The crutches are over-deep so they can be sanded to shape once the frames are assembled.
 
 
 
Rob

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob