captainbob

The deck is almost done.  I apologize for not taking pictures of the parts as I built them.  I tend to get carried away with the build and don’t think of pictures until it’s too late.  I still need to put pin rails near the dead eyes and cut the samson or pawl post to the right height.  I also need to add supports for the deck boat.  The mackerel boats towed a seine boat which was around forty feet long but they also carried a dory on deck.   
 
Bob
 

 

They put braces on the corners of the skylight to keep the lines from snagging.
Apparently they were not concerned with the smoke stack.
 

 

 

 

 
 

The deck is almost done.  I apologize for not taking pictures of the parts as I built them.  I tend to get carried away with the build and don’t think of pictures until it’s too late.  I still need to put pin rails near the dead eyes and cut the samson or pawl post to the right height.  I also need to add supports for the deck boat.  The mackerel boats towed a seine boat which was around forty feet long but they also carried a dory on deck.   
 
Bob
 

 

They put braces on the corners of the skylight to keep the lines from snagging.
Apparently they were not concerned with the smoke stack.
 

 

 

 

 
 

The deck is almost done.  I apologize for not taking pictures of the parts as I built them.  I tend to get carried away with the build and don’t think of pictures until it’s too late.  I still need to put pin rails near the dead eyes and cut the samson or pawl post to the right height.  I also need to add supports for the deck boat.  The mackerel boats towed a seine boat which was around forty feet long but they also carried a dory on deck.   
 
Bob
 

 

They put braces on the corners of the skylight to keep the lines from snagging.
Apparently they were not concerned with the smoke stack.
 

 

 

 

 
 

The deck is almost done.  I apologize for not taking pictures of the parts as I built them.  I tend to get carried away with the build and don’t think of pictures until it’s too late.  I still need to put pin rails near the dead eyes and cut the samson or pawl post to the right height.  I also need to add supports for the deck boat.  The mackerel boats towed a seine boat which was around forty feet long but they also carried a dory on deck.   
 
Bob
 

 

They put braces on the corners of the skylight to keep the lines from snagging.
Apparently they were not concerned with the smoke stack.
 

 

 

 

 
 

She’s coming along nicely. I like what your noggin is telling you to do.
 
Bob

I started the day by Fairing the Hull, to get it ready for primer .  While I was fairing, my Wife was saying what a shame to paint such a beautiful Hull.  (  I had planned on painting white ) That Is the nice thing about the G-flex Epoxy is that you can Varnish right over it ( without it gettin milky ) She has 2 coats of Epiphanes Boat varnish . I am thinking 2 more coats, with  a White Waterline, after the 2 coats of Varnish ( My Wife was right ) I decided to name the Boat after Her,  so she will be called " Kate " . Here are the results

Stays'ls are finally on, now comes the long and probably tedious job of setting up the controls.
 

Hello Carl, Pete and Omega1234,
 
Thank you all for the complements.  Pete, a day of sailing would be fun but I’ll have to ask the admiral, it’s her boat.
 
Bob

Another small update. I have decided on how to handle the deadeyes and chainplates. I am not yet happy with the results, but I will try to improve on them as I go along. In my defense, I can only say that the deadeyes are 1/16" diameter and the chainplates are .005" thick. It is all very SMALL.
 
The cap for the assembly is only held in place with a strip of bamboo right now.
 
All of what you see will get painted white.
 
One deadeye still needs to be rotated a bit counter clockwise, but I will take care of that in due course.
 
Russ

Thanks Popeye.   Now here’s the rest of it.
 
I did not like this boat when I started it but the more I built the more it grew on me.  I titled it the Malabar Jr.  but I modified it so much that it is no longer a Malabar Jr. it’s just a yawl, Y’all.
 
First the profile.

 
And a bow shot.

 
The foredeck

 

 
And the cockpit.

 
Bob

Martin, Popeye and all of you how I may have failed to name,
 
I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement.  Without you all I could not build the models I do.
 
Thanks again    
 
Jay my next build is the HOGA YT-146. a navy yard tug from WWII.
 
Bob

That's great.  Nice size for your boat.
 
Bob

Today, I started the day by preping the boat for epoxy . First I wiped the boat down with rubbing alcohol . Next I used a Cherry stain on the Transom . Then I mixed up a batch of West System G-flex Epoxy. This is the first time that I have used the G-flex . In the past I have always used the 105 Resin with the 205 Hardner .  I am glad that I tried it,  very simple with a  50/50 ratio ( so you dont need the pumps ) the pot life is longer as well as the cure time ( about 4 hours ) Next will be fairing the hull for primer . Here are the results

More and more changing and modifying the way the sails/lazy jacks work.
 
Originally I laid a cord across the sail in the line of the lazy jacks and stitched over that with a zig zag stitch. This allowed me to draw the cord through to create loop points along that line, these were stitched into place by hand.
 
The problem is that pulling the lazy jack through a cord loop encountered too much friction and it didn't move freely.
 
Next I dramatically reduced the number of loops I ran the lazy jack through which freed up the sail movement but when the sail was pulled down the reduced number of loops meant the sail was all over the place but at least I now knew I was on the right track.
 
Next I added some brass rings the the course sail lazy jack line, this added the control of the downed sail without increasing friction much.

 
For the tops'ls I ran the lazy jack line from the apex of the outside corner to the first hoop on the topmast, the reasoning behind this was to stop the sail deforming under tension but it meant the lazy jack ran to a point above it's block on the mast which meant the sail didn't pull in very well, it also created a very rigid line of pull when setting the sail which meant that the sail would not billow properly as there was an ungiving line across its centre.
 

 
I decided to remove that line of thread altogether and now the tops'ls billow much more nicely and I have stitched brass rings directly to the sail in line with the lazy jack pull and the sails pull in and gather nicely with very little resistance.
 

 
The lazy jack is now inline with it's block and I am much happier with all of it.
 

 
Next, stays'ls !
 

now on with the aft deck.   I gave it the same stanchion border,  as I did the fore deck.   soaking the strips,  it was hard to get that curvature at the stern........but I got it.   to set up for the helm structure,  I used a compass to draw out the arch.  I did the same to mark off the dash board.
 

 
I'll need to fix the port side curve........but I have it all down,  as well as the outline for the helm.
 

 
the front wall will have four windows.  these window frames are part of the Nordkap fittings that I have on hand.   the fittings I got from Billings,  didn't have them in it.....I went ahead and built the Nordkap with what I had.   Harold found his set much later in the build.
 

 
center line.......the windows were marked out and cut out.
 

 
when they were finished,  I cut out the two side walls and the dash,  which will be trimmed to fit later on
 

 
now silly me........I should have marked off the separation lines for the paint,  but I was in too big a hurry.       I can always do it later,  I suppose.   the side windows were cut out........only one per side would fit.
 

 
I know.......this picture is very misleading........I even had to do a double take    I'm not following any plans....just what I have in the old nogg'in.........it is centered though  
 

 
it kind of hard to see with the glare.......but after some sanding,  I gave it a coat of paint.   I'm going to give everything another go over,  before I give it another coat of paint.......with a better brush than the one I used the first time  
 

 

 

 
the dash isn't cemented in yet......it's just laying in there.  the sills for the windows are the same thickness as the wood I used to make the walls.   now to figure the arrangement for the back parts of the structure.........one work day down........and the admiral's trying to talk me into taking Monday off.
 
does she really think she has to do that...........!?  

The dory fleet continues to grow ........
Mauro
 

Thank you Cap'n'Bob , Shes actually going together easier than the 14 , I have been able to plan this one a little better , It has helped alot by doing the 14 first since I have the plans for that one . She will be a looker
 
Best Regards,
Pete

Thanks for the pictures.  With lines like that she'll be a beauty.
 
Bob

Another Herreshoff.  How great.  I'll have to watch this.
 
Bob

Hello Everyone:
 
This build log is a bit unusual because the model is almost complete but I only discovered and joined MSW a couple of weeks ago.  However, I was encouraged by several kind souls in "welcome to new members" to start a log nevertheless.  Had I had the advantage of the expertise and experience available on MSW from the outset, the result would have been much better than it actually is.
 
In April of last year, I was given the incomplete and damaged model of a Grand Banks fishing schooner by the grandson of the man who built it almost 50 years ago, a retired boat builder from Campobello Island, New Brunswick.  The grandson told me he had an early childhood memory of his grandfather steaming the side planking -- 0.5" oak -- in his driveway.
 
It was forty inches long and had a very heavy fin keel (lead or iron I suspect) attached to the regular keel.  This, plus the single-piece masts, led me to concluded that it was probably intended as a pond yacht.   The top plank on each side had snapped right at the beam and, sometime during that 50 years, someone -- I'm sure it wasn't the original builder -- had inflicted a very sloppy paint job on the bulwarks and along the edges of the deck.   The attached picture shows the boat as I received it.  
 
The builder being a former professional boat builder as well as the story of the oak plank steaming and bending led me to believe that it was probably a scratch build, although there were certain signs that it might have been a kit.  Comments from those in "welcome to new members" come down on the scratch-build side and I'm even more inclined to agree.  However, if anyone can shed any light on this question, I'd be grateful to hear it. 
 
Since last April, I've cleaned, repaired and painted the hull, built topmasts, built and rigged the sails, and am now at the point where almost all of the running rigging is complete.  I now face the challenge of shrouds, ratlines (which I've never done before), and running backstays.  Throughout all of this will be a more-or-less constant process of adjusting the shape of the sails.
 
I wanted to create the look of a hard-working, old fishing boat, under way, with sails drawing wind.  While the main and foresail were made from cloth from another kit, the other six were made from an old and very used piece of cotton sailcloth given to me by our local sailmaker.  Hence, the beaten up look and varied colours of the sails.  The various stains, partial footprint, and other irregularities on these six sails look a bit peculiar close up, but the effect from beyond a range of six feet is close to what I was trying to accomplish.  Given its eventual display position -- on top of a half wall at our family cottage, safely out of range of my three young grandsons -- no one will be able to get that close anyway.  The boat is on a close reach on the port tack.
 
Given the special provenance of the hull, I decided to do little to it beyond necessary repairs and the running rigging necessary for the sails.  I may decide to add some more deck furniture, but first wanted to see the lines of the running and standing rigging.  Any comments or suggestions on what might be added would be very welcome.
 
I'll leave this initial post at that and attach a picture of the boat in its current state.   I didn't take a lot of pictures of the build, at least until I joined MSW, but will attach some to additional posts to show progress to date.  I'd also like to seek advice on the question of shrouds and ratlines as well as other things that will undoubtedly still arise.   I should explain the peculiar background in the pictures: this model came with little advance warning and I don't have any proper workshop; hence, my boatyard became the dining-room table. 
 
Comments, suggestions, and advice all welcome.
 
Rick
 
 

Hello Again:
 
One of the first challenges I faced, after eliminating many years' accumulation of dust, dirt, grease, etc. , was the break in the top plank on both sides, visible in the first picture above.  I tried injecting cc and clamping, reinforcing with a top rail (which I was going to do anyway since the top of the planks were exposed and quite rough), and adding a rub rail.  None of this worked and the breaks continued to widen as the planks pulled away from the deck at the point of fracture.  I finally resorted to gluing pieces of 0.25" stock to the deck and bulwarks for most of the length of the deck: this did the trick and had the additional benefit of almost hiding the very sloppy white paint job someone had attempted along the edges of the deck.   Unfortunately, any semblance of realism and scale was lost as a result.   I've attached a picture showing the 0.25" stock and the white paint it almost covers.  It also shows the small afterdeck I ultimately built to screen the white paint on the deck at the stern, an inch fore to aft and particularly horrible.   I'm sure there were probably other less-unsightly ways I might have dealt with the fractured-plank problem and certainly would be interested in hearing any.
 
The next big question was what to do about the iron or lead fin keel.  It's an interesting look in some ways and some people actually like it, but it's highly unrealistic and I hated it.  I was tempted to try to remove it but, given its age, the fact that I had no idea how it was attached, and my own skill level, I decided to leave well enough alone and live with it.  Part way through the build, however, I made two pieces to modify the display stand to screen the fin.   Debate continues within the family as to which way it looks better.
 
All for now.   Suggestions and comments welcome.
 
Rick

The outside planking of the hull is complete. The next step is the main deck, hawse holes and transom framing
 

 

 

 

 
 
The spaces between the protruding main deck beams will become scuppers. I have no idea what form the deck waterways will take yet.
 
Dick

Looking good, Popeye.
 
Bob

thank you for the  'likes'  gentlemen......I apologize for not getting the progress up sooner.   I had this done yesterday,  but my first mate had to go to the vet for his check up.  he did very well
 
anyway.........to set the stage for the fore deck planking,  a 1/16 border was lined along the edges for the stanchions.   a  'tip' was also added the the bow stem......repeated sanding rounded the edges a little,  and this was done to change the look.
 

 

 
I think I should have extended this along the cabin bulkhead,  but with the companionway and stairs,  I figured that I had better not.  a border plank was laid spanning across,  and the deck planking will meet it.
 

 
as this was done......I got the feeling that I may be wrong in my assumption of the plank color.  I need to remember that the main deck was done some time ago.......it has had plenty of time to cure.
 

 
I did a bit of sanding once the starboard side was done........just me being impatient with how it will look.
 

 
all sanded and ready for clear coat.   I used a semi gloss lacquer for the main deck,  and so I will here as well.  caution.........the colors will be way off,  but I think as it cures,  it will dull down.
 

 
the roof of the companionway has been painted.   here it is with two coats applied.
 

Today, I started by cutting out a Piece of 1/32" Birch ply for the transom. And a Piece for the inside of the transom as well . I then Laid out the hole in the transom, for wich the Tiller to goes thru . I then transfered the layout marks on the 2 pieces of Bich ply, and cut out the slot . I next glued the 2 pieces of Bich ply on the Transom . Then I faired the ply in with the rest of the Hull starting at the Keel and working my way over the top of the transom. ( this helped give the top of the Transom the correct shape  ) Then I could not wait any longer and had to cut the sheer on the Cockpit Coamings .The Coamings have not been glued in and will be installed at finishing stage. Next the Coamings and the Transom will get Stain . Here are the results