yvesvidal

thank you all
Wood called the samba (French name)
to the deck, I used my mix (talc, black paint, wood glue)
another photo from 2011

hello all
My name is Robert and I live in France
I'm building this ship since August 2010 this is my first timber ship
I will present soon as it looks today

All frame are glue,making sure 90 degree on both plan are respected.
Eight stern collars are installed,the picture given is not accurate.
The bow is installed,the two parts #38and #39 are  not cut for this boat,to long and the slot are to small,
but everything is modified for the fit.

 

 

.

Photos are a little hap-hazard here, I'll have to figure out how to better order them, and how to comment before/after an image...
 
Anyway - at the stage that these were taken, I'd made a couple of my mistakes, but not all of them yet!  Was doing alright for a while and had everything straight and square.  Then at some point I think I left things for one night with one plank on a side without gluing the same plank on the other side, and (that's what I'm choosing as the culprit, anyway) suddenly I realized that my stem was no longer straight.  (Curses!)  Am going to live with it this time, I'm way beyond doing anything about that.  You can see this in a couple of the middle photos.
 
I'll get some more pix up tomorrow (have to recharge the camera battery) showing where I am now.  I'm planked and awaiting my fiberglass supplies.  With those pictures, I'll have a couple questions for the experts on where I went wrong.

I'll try uploading some pics...

And finally, after the hull was painted I finished the interior details in the wheel house and added the glazing. I chose clear polystyrene because it was available in a thin enough sheet to work as scale thickness glass. What I hadn't bargained for was how easily it scratched and marked. I ended up replacing a lot of it several times due to inadvertent dings and scratches.
 
On to the fixtures and fittings. Pretty much all were scratch built from wood. I had hoped I could get at least some aftermarket parts like anchors or cleats and other deck fittings but almost everything on the boat was unique and converting a commercially available part would have been more trouble than it was worth. I did manage to find a pair of left and right propellers that were a perfect match and the stern flag. That was it, the rest were scratch built.
 
I asked the client to have a  good look at all the photos I'd taken to see if there was anything I'd missed or something else he wanted added before I finished it. He asked for his personal pennant to be added to the top mast and the New York Yacht Club pennant added to flag post forward. Also he had a tiny NYYC pennant pained on a storage locker on deck and he wanted that painted on. That was one of the most awkward parts of the entire project..! Finally he wanted a fender shown on the deck to indicate the boat was still a working vessel. So I obliged, and then packed it into it's large case. I set off for Greenwich Conn. to hand it over, not wanting to see another 'Dollhouse' project for a long time only to be handed the drawings of a Gar Wood speedboat to be built in 1/12 scale and told to "get to work"
 
Thanks for your kind comments everyone. I'm glad you like it.
 
Dan.
 

Part 3.
 
As the superstructure grew it was time to paint the hull before anything was fixed permanently. Several rub downs with wet and dry, a wipe over with a tack cloth, and then I painted the waterline area satin black. I marked out the waterline with the usual 'block at the right hight with a pencil stuck to the top of it' method and then masked off the waterline with masking tape of the correct thickness.  I sprayed below the waterline the same shade of blue as the anti fouling paint on the original vessel matched from a paint catalog. The topside hull was then sprayed white in several coats using Valspar acrylic spray cans. 
 
When the hull was dry, I peeled off the waterline tape leaving a nice neat black waterline. (Much later in the build when all the superstructure was on, I got a call from the client telling me they had repainted below the waterline with a green anti fouling paint and would I mind repainting the model to match.?   
I almost fainted at the news, but it actually went pretty smoothly and I was a lot more worried than I needed to be. Things that seem impossible often go smoothly. It's the simplest things that can sometimes give the most trouble!
I moved on to the stern which was varnished teak on the original and had a set of name decals for the various areas of the boat made up. Josh Mumia at Bedlam creations is the guy I use and he is amazing.
I just have to give him a photo of what I want and the sizes, and he can match any kind of lettering in any color.
 
After that, I added some more details to the wheel house and built the roof and the prop shafts and rudders. Finally I built the Dinghy.  As this was going to have a canvas cover over it like the original, there was no point in building an interior. I carved the hull from a laminated block of Basswood and shaped it by hand. I added the keel and then marked out the positions of the clinkered planks. The planking went smoothly and started on the rear deck and roof structure.
(continued) 

Part 2.
After I got the decks fitted, I installed the port holes in the sides of the boat. I drilled the openings with progressively larger drill bits and finally lined the hole with brass tube of the correct diameter. I did this because the glass on the boat is recessed and not flush to the hull sides. As the lower deck interior wouldn't be visible, I used acrylic rods about an inch long for the porthole glass and painted the ends black. This allowed a certain amount of light to bleed into the porthole through the sides of the rod but the black paint on the end didn't allow the viewer to see into the cabin.  Finally, I sprayed the hull with primer
 
Next, I started work on the deck  structures. The wheel house windows are very large and every detail of the interior is visible. There are a couple of fold-up bunks, chests of drawers, chart table instrument panel and throttles etc. even some 1920's light fittings that had to be copied from photographs. This came as a welcome break from all the planking and sanding and I soon had all four sides laid out and framed then joined together at the corners. The superstructure wood was Basswood, carefully selected for grain that looked like scale Teak. I spent quite a long time mixing oil paint and penetrating wood dyes together to get a good match for the existing teak on the actual vessel. Then I stained all the basswood sheets in one session before I cut them so I could mix the sheets together as I used them ensuring the different grain patterns were evenly distributed and I didn't wind up with one wall of the deckhouse darker than all the other three.
I built all the furniture separately and added it to the interior walls of the wheel house bit by bit. The drawer handles being particularly difficult to turn due to their tiny size. I built the rear deck house and then began dry fitting all the pieces in order to see if I was at least somewhere near the mark..! It all seemed to fit so I began building the instrument panel the throttles and planked the interior deck of the wheel house.
 
At this point I was nearly ready to fit the wheel house permanently and I decided to include my customary greeting card to any model maker in the future that finds himself below decks in the forward cabin! I usually write a little about myself and family, what day it is, what's happening in the world and a wish for them to have as pleasant a time fixing it as I had building it..!

A couple of years ago, I was asked to build a 1/12 scale model of a 1929 'Consolidated' cruiser by the owner of the original vessel. He had invested over a million dollars in it's restoration and wanted a large model of it for his home. Not having much experience with 'doll house' scale I was more than a little anxious!
 
The model would be five feet long and at that scale pretty much every feature on the real boat would have to be shown. My client insisted the interior furniture would have proper drawers, there would be exact replicas of the light fixtures, instruments, doorknobs etc. He even specified which navigational chart he wanted shown on the chart table..!
It was a large project which took me about a year starting with a complete photo survey and a visit to Mystic Seaport museum who hold the Consolidated shipyard plan archive. Unfortunately a large part of the archive isn't catalogued yet and the researcher couldnt guarantee when they would turn up the hull lines I was looking for right away.  I sent her and her colleague two large boxes of Nantucket chocolates and I had the plans in a week along with a little note that said "we work twice as fast for chocolate"..!
 
A couple of days studying the lines, and I was ready to start. I had the plans enlarged to 1/12 size and stuck the bulkheads to a keel.
I added large wooden blocks between the bulkheads to ensure there would be as little twisting of the keel as possible and the bulkheads would stay rigid with such a long keel.  I planked the hull in basswood using planks of the same scale size as the original. When that was done I cut away the bulkheads  where the lower deck and interior were to fit. and then fibreglassed the entire interior to ensure there would also be no movement of the planking over time.  Finally, I added the fore deck formers and cut the deck from 1.5mm plywood.
 
(To be continued)

Standing Rigging completed this morning....
 

 

 
Oh MAN!
Just realized shrouds are next.... and that means I am only one step away from clove hitch...clove hitch...clove hitch...clove hitch.... etc. 

For what it's worth....
 
Gammoning....

 
Bow Collar....

 
Main Collar....

 
Standing Rigging.... just beginning.....

 
 

Hello everyone and thanks to all for visiting and your likes.
 
I trust that all had a great Thanksgiving and a great Thursday for the non-Yanks.
 
I finished modding the bulkheads, at least to the point of gluing them to the keel frame, which I then did do.  It turned out that the most aft bulkhead, #4, sat too high on the keel frame by roughly 4 mm.  This is the location assigned to it per the drawing and instruction manual.  
I should have checked all the bulkheads for proper positioning before gluing them to the keel frame an not trust the kit maker for accuracy.  
Turned out that kit provided location for that bulkhead is in error, they should have slotted the keel frame a little.  Lesson learned, check positions of all parts before permanently cementing to whatever they are supposed to go.  I found this out when I tried to fit the "Keel Strip" per step 18 of the instruction manual.  At this #4 bulkhead the strip actually bowed upwards instead of making a nice positive bow down.
 
So, I removed #4 bulkhead and cut a notch into the keel frame to lower the bulkhead to the desired position and checked it again before gluing the bulkhead back on.  
 
I also found that the 1/16 notches in the bulkheads for these strips are not deep enough, at least not to my liking.  I had to enlarge then just a smidgen.  
The instructions have you used slow setting CA and only to apply the CA to the notches in the bulkheads.  To me that would make it too springy for the hul planking plates.  I think that I'll glue them on with PVA and clamp them, along the entire length of these strips and them fairing them following the rounded contours of the bulkheads.
 
I also found that the notches in frame 1 needed to be shaped in order for the 1/16 X 1/8 center battan to fit properly.  There is also an error in step 23 of the manual calling this battan 1/16 X 1/18 instead of 1/16 X 1/8 inch.  Yeah, okay, I'm picky but I keep thinking about the novice builder.
 
Just wondering here.  If this kit is supposed to be a Novice level 2 kit, who will these novices be?  Young people in their early teens?  Totally inexperienced adults who have nu clue about terms, tools and how to solve some of these annoying little inconsistencies?  Would they have experienced help nearby?  This could very well be very discouraging for them and ready to give up.
 
The error with bulkhead #4 may not be noticeable by a true novice and he or she would happily forge ahead with the result of an odd looking hull at the stern end.
 
I mention all this in case some inexperienced novice builder want to build this lovely little boat.  It's my humble opinion that the instructions lack extra notes and warnings to help the novice along.  
 
Okay, let me add two pics to show the progress with a few notes attached.
 

This shows the modified bulkheads numbered 4 at left bottom, # 2 at left top and # 3 at the right.  The keel frame sits nicely in it's dock.  I have annotated a few areas of interest.  At the keel, I have indicated where I cut a 4 mm slot to lower bulkhead 4 to it's proper position in the keel for a nice flowing bottom hull planking.  It's now also obvious that I will also lower that section of the keel frame aft of bulkhead 4.  There may be other changes in that area but I'll get to that later when I put the benches in.    It also shows the added blocks to give the bulkheads something to glue to after the keel frame was cut down for work area.
On bulkhead 3 I'll remove the two small horizontal pieces where the deck is supposed to be glued to and just make the leftover parts look more like frames. 
On bulkhead 2 I added a few curved pieces of wood to simulate frames.  Now I'm thinking of adding a bunch more fake frames between bulkheads #4 and #2. That means that the supplied deck plate will also be changed to just a cap rail over these frames.
 

Here I have glued all four bulkheads and the transom to the keel frame.  I'll most likely treenail the transom to the keel.  It's in my opinion not strong enough, it already popped off when trying to fit the 1/16 X 1/16 lower keel strip.
 
Cheers,

Friday, November 28th, 2014
 
This week, again, wasn't much productive, this because my now well known " meteorological ....". Finally yesterday I got the will to resume work: I continued managing the left side of the model.
Shortly:
- fix up the bulkheads on the left side to level them and create the right bevel angle; after the first experience on the other side, this time I went a lot faster and I finished this task within one hour during the morning. A quick housekeeping with the vacuum cleaner to fix the workshop and yesterday morning was over with satisfaction.
- During the afternoon I dedicated myself to apply the planking on the side just beveled. At the end of the session I achieved to install four plank strakes after which I needed to leave everything dry. I'll continue next Saturday.
The first photo you see here below shows the left side of the model; here the situation is still "Work in progress" . . All the nails used to hold the planks are still in place and must be removed. Remember that these nails are not completely hammered and are easily removable with small pliers. Only a very small part of them are fully hammered and will be smoothed together with the planks.
01 Brick%20by%20JackAubrey/20141127_173547_zps3007289b.jpg

Next three images show the right side, where you can see it is no longer possible to install new planks because of the building slip vertical supports. This building slip, when also the left side will be equal, will lost its original purpose. 
But first I want to use it during the deck planking.
This side have been smoothed and there are no more steps, grooves or humps.
2 Brick%20by%20JackAubrey/20141127_173413_zpsf9e76628.jpg

03 Brick%20by%20JackAubrey/20141127_173507_zps239b3e31.jpg

04 Brick%20by%20JackAubrey/20141127_173521_zps46d4abe5.jpg

Regards, Jack.Aubrey

I look forward to seeing this.  After all of your other magnificent builds, you should be able to do this with your eyes closed. Also since this was sort of the Maine coastal boat builder's "warm-up" before making the Friendships, almost everything that you did on your sloop model will apply.
 
Dee_Dee, Pete 48 and myself spent a fair bit of time researching and bashing this little guy, 2 things sort of stood out:
1: Although the skeg-type stern is very modeler-friendly, the quarters of this boat are shaped and planked much more like the Friendships.
2: The cockpit floor is way too high in the position Midwest has it, it should be much deeper.
 
I did a 3-d cad model of the hull, and I've saved all of my frame profiles as well as a line plan scaled up to 1/24th from the Chapelle book, if you have any interest...



 
 
 
 
 

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 Build Log,
 
With the deck, bulwarks, and transom complete, work shifted to the lower hull planking.  Key Points include:
 
>>> Table of planking butts updated (see pictures) 
>>> Planking layout includes 4 planking belts, 1st broard and garboard strakes (18 plank strakes)
>>> One stealer added to lower planking belt
>>> Planking belts laid and faired using 3/32" sq. batterns
>>> Planking 1/16" basswood
>>> Midship plank width ~7/32" (10" full size) 
>>> Maximum plank width at stern post ~5/16" (15" full size)
>>> Curved planks cut from sheet stock using ships curves
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Continuing with the poop bulkhead, key points include:
 
>>> Poop bulkhead moved aft to clear cannon rigging
>>> Poop bulkhead redesigned based on contemporary practice
>>> Poop bulkhead designed as P/S removable panels with fixed CL panel (e.g. P/S panels removed when at battle station); see design sketch
>>> CL bulkhead panel includes support for steering shaft
>>> Poop bulkhead painted prior to installation
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Floyd, Robert,
 
Thank you for your interest and a very good question re waterways. The following points apply:
 
Period Wooden Shipbuilding Practice
>>> The outer deck edge or waterway was a logical place to add strength members; i.e. the larger the vessel the more and larger strength members
>>> The current Clipper Ship "Young America" build log shows this even on the lower decks
>>> While some of the added thickness would be let into the frames, shipbuilders tend to add most thickness changes away from the molded line (top of deck frames and outside of shell frames)
>>> As a result, most deck scuppers were located in the waterway planking or in the deck planking IB with a bend just below the deck framing (see "Newsboy" picture attached)
>>> Some coastal schooners left out the lower bulwark plank or part there of (see "Eagle" picture attached)
 
Modern Steel Shipbuilding Practice
>>> The outer deck plate (deck stringer) and upper shell plate (shear strake) are often thicker high strength notch tough steel (up to 2/1/2" on modern container ships)
>>> As an exception to the general rule, this is sometimes let into the internal framing (i.e. flush on top)
>>> Deck scuppers are pipe with a 120 degree bend below the deck framing passing out through the shell plating
>>> Modern ships typically have no camber, and if used camber is straight line
>>> Modern ships typically have no shear, and if used shear is straight line
>>> These changes are a result of mechanized flat panel line construction
>>> Deck drainage is considered early in the design, but remember ships are constantly in motion at sea and therefore through off most deck water when at sea, in port they are moored with a slight list to keep the decks clear
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
With the bulwarks, transom, and black strake complete, next steps included:
 
>>> Deck scuppers fabricated from 5/64" thin wall brass tube
>>> Deck scuppers drilled from both ends
>>> Wales fitted after completion of deck scuppers
>>> Bulwark cap rail fabricated from sheet stock
>>> Bulwark interiors painted prior to cap rail installation
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Nils: Thank you for your interest
 
Moving on to the transom rail and fashion pieces, key points include:
 
>>> Transom cap rail is curved in both section and elevation
>>> Transom cap rail might well have been fabricated in several pieces
>>> Transom cap rail was formed in one piece of sufficient width to accomodate the forward sweep required to follow the line of the transom
>>> Forming jig used to form the cap rail (see picture)
>>> Transom cap rail was shaped to fit the transom prior to installation
>>> Transom cap rail was installed with extra length and faired in place
>>> False scarfs were cut into the transom cap rail after installation
>>> Fashion pieces were partially formed prior to installation
>>> Fashion piece final forming was performed in place
>>> Bulwark planking, black strake, and whales were fitted and faired into counter planking
 
Note: This area has a complex and distinctive geometry typical of many ships of the period. It is critical that design and construction of the transom, transom cap rail, fashion pieces, bulwark planking, black strake, and whales all fit together.
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Continuing with bulwark construction, key points include:
 
>>> Bulwark and gun port framing fitted
>>> Bulwark ceiling (interior planking) fitted
>>> Bulwark sheeves fitted with ceiling planking
>>> Waterway drilled for deck scuppers (will be fitted later)
>>> Bulwark filler pieces added in way of hause holes, bulwark sheeves, rigging attachments
>>> Outer bulwark planking fitted
>>> Bulwark sheeves fitted with outer bulwark planking
>>> Aft gun port cover fitted (modeled in closed position)
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Rich - thank you for your comments
 
Continuing with deck planking, the following notes apply:
 
>>> Deck planking stained with Minwax Ipswich Pine (oil stain)
>>> Deck planking finished with Bartley's Gel Wiping Varnish (oil based satin finish)
>>> Deck rubbed down with 0000XF steel wool
>>> Waterways installed after deck finishing
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Starting with deck planking, the following key points apply:
 
>>> Waterway fitted and left loose for deck staining/finishing
>>> Margin planks fitted with scarf joints
>>> Thick planking fitted around coamings from CL outboard
>>> Outer planking fitted from CL outboard
>>> Tapered/curved planks w hooked scarfs used outboard
>>> Planking layout follows design sketch
>>> Planking cut with use of ship's curves
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Continuing with hull construction, next steps are stern and transom construction. Key points include:
 
>>> Stern filler blocks faired using buttock templates
>>> Wales projected to counter to assist in shaping filler blocks; note that some bulkhead timberheads will require extension
>>> Counter and transom construction followed plans and instruction sequence
>>> Counter and transom construction required lots of plan work and a bit of judgement; curve of transom and transom profile shaped by eye; final transom shaping performed in place
>>> This work gives one great respect for the craftsmen who built these vessels
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Continuing with hull assembly and fairing, key points include:
 
>>> Keel reinforcing pieces were added in way of pedestal holes
>>> Keel reinforcing pieces were added in way of mast steps
>>> Deck fillers were added to support plank ends outboard
>>> Deck fillers were added to support plank ends in way of hatches
>>> Hull planking reinforcing pieces were added in way of chain plates
>>> Bow/stern filler blocks were fitted after initial hull fairing
>>> Knight heads/timberheads fwd were fitted after initial hull fairing
>>> Initial hull fairing was accomplished with #80 grit sand paper wrapped around 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" dowels
>>> Final hull fairing was accomplished with #120 & #150 sand paper wrapped around 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" dowels
>>> Hull fairing was checked with flexible battens (1/16" & 3/32" strip wood)
>>> Waterline templates were used in hull fairing fwd
>>> Buttock templates were used in hull fairing aft
>>> During fairing process; stem, keel, and stern post were protected with blue painters tape
>>> Deck surface was faired with flexible sanding sticks
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder

Welcome to the Brig "Fair American" circa 1780 build log,
 
Next step was preparing the bulkheads and assembling the hull assemply.  Key points include:
 
>>> Undersize bulkheads were built up prior to assembly
>>> Spacers were added to midship bulkheads before assembly
>>> Filler pieces were added to fwd/aft bulkheads before assembly
>>> All subassemblies were dry fitted before final assembly
>>> LESSONS LEARNED: I DECIDED TO ADD FILLER BLOCKS (BASSWOOD) BETWEEN THE FWD/AFT BULKHEADS IN ORDER TO ASSIST IN FAIRING AND ADD SUPPORT TO HULL PLANKING: ALTHOUGH IT LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF MATERIAL TO REMOVE IT WENT WELL AND I WOULD DEFINITELY USE THIS TECHNIQUE IN THE FUTURE
>>> Future posts will cover the hull fairing process
 
Pete Jaquith
Shipbuilder