captainbob

The update you're having when you're not having an update!
 
No photos at the moment, but just a quick not to let you know that the4 'Pritt' is still creeping ahead.
 
I'm still working on drawing the frames and making frame blanks, but hopefully next time I'll have the framing jig made up and something a bit more progressive to report on!
 
John

Bob, use the force...............
 
Or, round it you will !
 
Loving this build Bob.

I did a bit more with the planking.......a small advancement here,  but I cut out the parts for the stands,  and thought I would assemble them, so they will be ready when I need them.   one of the stand parts was cut  inside the punch-out for one of the ribs,  so I don't have the template.   I traced them from the Boulogne stand.  I did a little sanding after I had cut them out,  and now I need to drill the holes for the dowels that connect the two ends together.
 

 
the hull I dubbed Curly is almost done......I just have to close up one side.  I can them do the filler and sanding........I've done some sanding already.
 

 
the hull dubbed Larry is still the next in line
 

 
....and the hull dubbed Moe has retired to the closet....his ribs hurt from the laughing spell earlier.  he's out of sight,  but not out of mind.
 

 
I also want to get a feel for the deck platforms.   if your following the Boulogne Etaples build,  you saw the hole in the center of the deck that I had to fill in.   with these decks,  I don't want to have to do that,  so I want to try making them as a one piece platform.   I will be doing one of them a bit differently,  since LED lighting will be installed......that,  I still need to do some testing and set up on.   these are the parts panels the platforms will be traced from
 

 
I'll be doing more with the stands soon.

I did a bit more with the scavenger hunt .......although I have a feeling that the holiday part of it might have to wait.   it's OK.......I guess.......there's still a lot to do before the decor goes on.   the hunt took a different direction as well.   I went to Hobby Lobby in the hopes that they carried the model master semi gloss lacquer for the Half Moon.   I didn't see it in the 1 oz bottles.......however,  I did find it in the rattle can.
 
they only had it in gloss and flat........I chose the flat  {of course}
 

 
I also took a look in the clearance area as well.........I didn't need it,  but it was too good a deal to pass up! 
 

 
this is the 'Amazing air airbrush kit' that I have been raving about.   this kit sells for about $30.00....it comes with the airbrush,  adapted to a can of compressed air  {included}......the caps for the 1/4 oz bottles....siphon tubes and wire cleaner.....and this one comes with five bottles of paint.  this one,  I found out later,  comes with acrylic paints.  I don't use them....but I'll find a use for them somewhere
 
someone bought it......used it and made a mess of it.....and then returned it.  the price in itself,  was enough to make me snatch it up!
 

 
the airbrush wasn't seen in the tray.......I later found it tucked underneath the tray inside the box.  all I saw was the can of air,  the caps,  and the paints.....still looked like a good deal for me.   I have had mine for well over a year now.........through repeated cleaning,  the caps do get worn and I've had to throw a couple away.   I adapted mine to run off of my big compressor.......I will probably do the same thing to this one.   I haven't bothered to experience it,  but I have heard that if the can is used,  it tends to ice up when used for a prolonged period........when in use,  the can should be put in a bowl of warm water to prevent this from happening.   I noticed that there was another sticker under the clearance sticker........being curious,  I had to see what they had marked it down to previously.......it was $10.19...
what a deal!
 

 
the airbrush itself.......it is a siphon system.......siphon tubes are inserted in the caps,  which in turn,  are screwed onto the 1/4 oz bottles {Testor's,  Pactra,  Humbrol }.  the tubes are missing in the kit,  but I'm sure I can find suitable tubing to replace them.  Testor's sells empty 1/4 oz bottles......but you can buy the small bottles of thinner......I usually buy the larger bottles and just dump them in....there you go....empty bottles!   I had to clean it up a little.......I can see what happened.   instead of using the acrylic paint......they used enamel......and they didn't thin the paint.   two of the caps were used,  and they were caked with paint.  since the caps are made of a soft plastic.....I soaked them in a soapy solution,  and removed almost all of the paint........I just have to clean the nozzles.  I can just imagine the mess that insued!
 

 
closer inspection of the can fitting shows that there is some damage........not sure how many cans can be used before this has to be replaced........or,  if you can get this fitting.   this is a good reason for adapting it to a small compressor,  or as I have done.   I have two other airbrushes......an Aztek A320 siphon feed with every tip I'll ever need,  and a Spraycraft gravity feed that comes complete with a compressor.   I haven't had the need to use them yet......they are still new in the box.  I had originally bought the 'amazing air camo kit'....comes with flat paints.  the only thing I can say about this kit,  is that you can't do fine lines.......but for general painting and stenciling,  it works great.
 
I figured I'd go off on this little tangent........at the moment,  my battery drill is charging up for the next update........it should be ready by now 

John, Alfons, tarbrush, Popeye, thank you all for the encouraging words.  And now for one of the joys of the Darkside.  How to make that round stern on this boat.  I know, I must not think about it. I must trust the Force and just do it.
 
Bob

Finished !  Finished !  No, it can't be.  Why you could . . . and then . . .  OK finished it is.  Let's get the bow wet with champaign and party on.  Beautiful job. 
 
Bob

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

John, Alfons, tarbrush, Popeye, thank you all for the encouraging words.  And now for one of the joys of the Darkside.  How to make that round stern on this boat.  I know, I must not think about it. I must trust the Force and just do it.
 
Bob

John, Alfons, tarbrush, Popeye, thank you all for the encouraging words.  And now for one of the joys of the Darkside.  How to make that round stern on this boat.  I know, I must not think about it. I must trust the Force and just do it.
 
Bob

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

Now that is real class. 
 
Bob

Thanks all
 
Managed not much time at all on the boat
 

 
I made and put in the window frames on what I think is a roof rather than the hatch
They will need cleaning up and then painting inside before the perspex is fitted
And I put together a couple of the plastic thingummygigs
They look bloody awful but hopefully with a bit of work and some judicious painting...............
 
Better news from the hospital
We saw my oncology nurse and she said that the new drug they will put me on if the course of chemo does nothing has had some very good results
Not just that, they have been long term remissions, so at least I have something to look forward to
Ok it may not work for me but the chances are good
Well pleased

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

Thanks Augie, I can't imagine the shock wave that thing put out when fired!
 
Here are the two side covers made and in place with even some saw
dust slipping in the picture. Everything still needs a finished sanding and
then the coat of wipe on polly.
 

 

These cockpit floor boards have been a real puzzle, but after numerous attempts, I worked my way through the puzzle.  Description of the floors from Chapelle's book:  “Five floors were the most used, and many boats had none.  The floors, if used, were of plank and were placed on top of the frames rather than beside them or were located clear of the frames and fastened to keel and planking.”   
 
After numerous tries , I put the cockpit flooring aside and started working on the cabin floor.  This was easy, since there was only one plank on each side of the keel.  I like the way it turned out and I'm doing the happy dance!  

 
Here are two of the better first try cockpit flooring.  Close, but no cigar!
 

 

 
After doing the cabin flooring, the proverbial 'light bulb' went on and I figured out the cockpit flooring!  YEAH!  The height of the keel was reduced and the 'five floors' were added.  This looks so much better.  
Before I permanently add the five floors, I'm going to try adding some false frames.  Whilst these will not be 'structural', they will provide some strength to the hull planking and add visual detail. 

 
The last major detail in the cabin is the port side berth.  The angle of the fish well is not right and the berth is a bit on the narrow side.  Even though the berth will only be ~15" in scale wide, I'll add it.
 
When I started this build, I knew what I wanted this finished build to look like, I just have to figure out how to get there.  I am learning a lot and having fun!
  Thanks for stopping by, your thoughts, comments and suggestions are welcome. 
 
Dee Dee
 
Edited 11/24/2014 to add back photos that went missing

last week I did more work on the rack.........I thought it to be a small task,  but it's kinda dragged on.  I have had a nasty cold........it's now a dull roar,  and I feel much better.   I had done more sanding and shaping to the rack.....since I could not find the original wainscoting I had made for the build,  I just improvised around the base.

so it wouldn't get lost against the wall,  I gave it a light stain and a coat of lacquer.


 
 
 
now it's time for a little bit of hardware.   as you can see,  the depth of the rack,  hides the fact that the skis have no bindings.



 
 
 
 
 

Here are some more recent images of my Meridea Build. 
 
Here are the first several planks starting down from the outside of the rail. 
You can see the drain ports through them in several places
  
Here is where the flash worked on the approximate same view.
 
 
This shows the line guide tube for the mizzen boom.  It is cooler spider tubing.  I threaded weed eater line through to the cabin so I can pull the lines through when I am ready. 
 
 
This shows the bow filler around the forestay anchor point. 
 
 
I have been working on this and have planking down to about the halfway point down the bulge,
but I still have not gotten pictures of this.  I have also been building up the thickness of the bulwark
preparing it to hold the drilled mounting points for the stantion rails.  I decided to change the mounts that
I had previously settled on as they were lacking enough strength. 
 
 
Walter Biles

Here are some more pictures of the tug boat.  Since I am modifying it considerable from it's original design,
I am intending to rename it to a more appropriate name when I am done. 
 
This is the deck frame as it was originally structured and the pattern for the sub deck as it originally fit.

 
I left the original deck structure after having strengthened it, and added an inch above that deck with new frame
to raise the original height of the deck.  This makes it with about 7 planks of freeboard instead of about 2 1/2.
 
 
Here is a view of the frames rising out through the sub deck to make the bulwarks.  They will be filly closed with allowance for the water to spill overboard. 
 
 

 
 
I added water drains along the edge of the deck to allow it to clear any shipped water more readily.  The scale boat on a pond or lake would have been experiencing sea sized waves, and I did not want to get that into the control areas. 
I also restructured the after deck for a more squared ster n, which would be more able to be planked tightly. This is where my boom structure will be located also. 
Below shows the installation of the motor and prop shaft stuffing tube. 
 
 
   
The last shows the planking to almost halfway down.
 
 
I have now finished the second layer of planking in 1/16" basswood as shown in the next 2 pix.
 
 
 
This is about the only reasonably good picture of the motor and the stuffing tube.
 
 
This boat is now as far as I can go for now.  I'll be getting back to it as I can do so.
 
Walter Biles

Well I must be the worlds slowest builder:) but I refuse to surrender!! Been trying to teach myself how to solder and here is some rigging I finally finished.  I love this site it helps keep me motivated and building. One step at a time and maybe one day I'll have a finished model. 
 
Thanks Scott

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

My band saw.  I can cut straight on my band saw but I can’t cut curves on the table saw.
 
Bob