Hello all,
So as my maiden model I've gone with the Henriette Maria by Billings Boats. No particular reason for choosing this kit other than wanting a plank on bulkhead model to cut my teeth on as opposed to a plastic preformed hull.
Decking, albeit an arduous process, was completed by cutting individual strips to the requisite length, adding false nail heads with a pencil and blacking the edges with an artists charcoal pencil.
Planking the hull, I'm just going with the method of soaking the balsa strips in warm water, bending by hand over a candle before clamping and pinning into place. Once dried out, the strip is removed, checked for a good fit and then glued in place.
So far the planking is going on okay and at a steady pace. I'm in no rush so spend one evening shaping and then leaving it a day to dry out before glueing into place, always doing one strip on port and starboard sides each time.
I'm not sure how I'm going to form the shape of hull as it starts to join the keel. There is no indication in the kit instructions, but researching other pilot cutters, like the Bristol Channel cutters, shows the planking not seeming to come right up to the stern post. This appears to be the case when looking at models of cutters on the internet.
If the planking is kept neat I'd like to try and avoid fillering and painting the hull and losing the detail of the planking. It would seem a shame, after the time spent, to hide all the detail and make the hull look like one solid preformed piece.
Is this is a realistic hope I wonder? Would it be easier to second plank the hull to achieve this?
Hope you enjoy seeing the progress thus far and constructive criticism is, as ever, always welcome.
Mike