Mike Y

I am somewhat surprised that there don’t seem to be many models of the SL in existence, given that she is such a beautiful vessel. I imagine this is because she is not so well known to the general public, or famous ­– and has no guns – thus kit firms are not interested in modelling her, or indeed, many another interesting ship. However, there is a superb, scratch-built, scale model of her in Bergen Maritime Museum (itself well worth a visit if you get the opportunity) that I visited following my initial cruise, and before the subsequent passage to Leith:
 
https://www.google.se/search?q=bergen+maritime+museum&client=firefox-a&hs=B7G&rls=org.mozilla:sv-SE:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Ai_NU4zAMOuGywOb0oGoAw&ved=0CFoQsAQ&biw=1045&bih=503#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ajXj6tPFHydEPM%253A%3BY2peWq2Sy7VaFM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%252F8251%252F8642773423_4606ecf87a.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fphotos%252Feugenephoen%252F8642773423%252F%3B681%3B1024
 
Returning to my half model Underhill, in his drawings for the Grossherzog Friedrich August, gave her 33 frames and I will replicate these – although, of course, they will be half frames. As mentioned I intend to make them of birch ply, fixed to a backboard. The search for the latter, incidentally, turned out to be something of a saga on its own, which might be interesting to relate here.
 
Whilst rummaging through the clutter in the cottage attic for something that I perhaps might be able to use, I turned up several boards that looked to be of approximately the right size and took them down for further examination. The first one I lifted out had originally come from my father-in-law’s old yacht, which he had kept perhaps as a souvenir – and of which my wife and I have now been the proud owners for several years. There were other boards of roughly similar size and dimensions but, under closer scrutiny, they turned out to be either too thin, too thick, too short, or made from chipboard – the latter of which, I think you will agree, would not do anything to enhance the finished model! So they all went back from whence they came, and I was left with the aforementioned item of yacht ‘furniture’. This set me to thinking: ‘I might be able to use that, if it turns out to be the right size, and it somehow seems appropriate. After all, it came from a yacht that had been an enjoyable part of my father-in-law’s life; it will become a backboard for the half-hull of a vessel being made for his daughter, on board of which we first met; and last, but perhaps not least, I can think of no other use for it.’
 
Taking a tape measure, the board turned out to be 130.5 cm in length at the top, its widest point, (it tapers slightly to 127.5 cm at the bottom), is 32 cm deep, and is 1.5 cm in thickness. It also has five strengthening pieces spaced on the reverse. So it seems ideal for the half-model, the sparred length of which measures approx 102 cm including the bowsprit. It will also give the backboard itself a new lease of life, as for all the years we’ve had it, we’ve never known quite what to do with it – but, of course, just knew it would come in useful one day! Well, that day has now arrived, and my wife thought it a great idea – so it has also received her blessing:
 

 
Although not certain, I believe it is the yacht’s cockpit bench. We have a few old photos of the yacht at home, and I’ll try and find one that shows it. The yacht by the way was of a type called a Skärgårds (archipelago) cruiser which was, and still is, a popular type in Swedish waters. Although I believe they have changed to a certain extent over the years, dependant on the class rules, many of the older boats are still in use having been lovingly restored. My ex. Swedish navy father-in-law bought her second hand and she probably dates from the fifties. He named her ‘Spray’, sailing extensively her until the mid seventies when she was sold. This was some years of course before I knew him, so I never saw the yacht, which I always thought that was a pity as I’m sure it would have been fun to sail with him. We also have Spray’s mooring buoy, which I have restored and turned into a nifty coffee table – although at the moment it is doing stalwart duty as part of my wife’s annual summer floral display on the veranda, where it is supporting a few plant pots!
 
The bench is in quite good condition, and really just needs a light sanding and re-varnishing. I thought to put some suitable wording on the backboard, such as the barque’s name, length, tonnage etc., and at the moment I am in two minds as to whether to varnish it before adding the lettering, or after. I am inclined to the latter. The bench (and attached model) will, of course, need some support brackets, for it to stand on the bookcase. As I mentioned it is, as you would expect, reasonably heavy so they will have to be somewhat substantial. I was thinking along the lines of a couple of dolphins, but I’ll have to think a little more about that. Anyway to finish off, and for the sake of completeness, here's the mooring buoy:
 

 
The next instalment will, hopefully, see the commencement of the build.

Throwing my hat into the ring with a long boat build as well.  The kit came incomplete I'm missing the brass and fittings, eyes and blocks and cordage.  I need to contact Modelexpo to get that sorted but was having some issues with the contact page, however it doesn't matter for the moment as I have enough to start on the bulwarks and planking.
 
I filed/cut/sanded the false keel from the bearding line down and attached the keel and the stem to it, doublechecked the depth of the rabbet I have 1/32" all along so I think its all good.  I dry fit all the bulkheads, each was off by a touch so some filing was required for each piece.  I built a portable jig to hold the keel by using two pieces of square wood and clamping them together with the false keel sandwiched between them. I started to mount the bulkheads and I already made a mistake, the G bulkhead is square to the keel but not correct vertically so I'll have to sort out how to detach it and square it up again.
 
The temp jig and my work so far.  Pretty standard stuff for this group build Hopefully I can make it look as nice as some of the others in here.
 

A belated thank you Remco.  And thank you everyone for the likes.
 
A little progress has been made.  In order to fit the counter planks the ship had to be "launched" from its building board. This marks the first time I have removed it from its home since fairing the exterior of the hull over a year ago.  No champagne was wasted in the launching but I did toast it with a little homebrewed IPA.  I have also done a little more fairing of the lower transoms and cut off the aft ends of the ribbands.
 

 

 

 
The lower counter was covered with five rows of planks.  These are cut to shape rather than attempting to edge-bend them. The planking started next to the stern post and progressed outwards.  The exact shape of the cut-out on the outermost plank will await fabrication of the rudder.
 

 
There are a few points in every build where decisions need to be made which will impact everything else going forward.  I am at one of those points.  I have decided to attack at least some of the hull planking next.  The decisions to make are: how much to plank, what materials to use and what finish to apply.  I will be leaving the starboard side with ribbands and hairpins.  The port side will be completely planked.  The main wales will be castillo that will be colored black.  I made test pieces using india ink, archival marker, ebony stain (oil and water based) and paint.  Ink is very messy but dyes the wood well.  I found the archival marker too time consuming but it does a good job of dying the wood.  Regular marker will bleed with oil based finishes.  The castillo is to dense to take up stain readily.  I have opted to paint the wale black with Poly S model railroad color Engine Black.  I used this same approach with Hannah.  I am still uncertain about the rest of the planking.  It boils down to aesthetics...  Two colors vs. several.  I am leaning towards only two colors but I'm a girl so I have the right to change my mind at any time.
 
I measured the top and bottom of the wale from the plans and marked the points on the hull.  I then ran a row of pin striping tape above and below these points and faired them to a smooth run of planking.  
 

Did some more checking today on the "thwart issue" and found a couple problems.  
 
1.  I did indeed fail to get one of the thwart ends all the way down onto the riser,
 
2.  I apparently let one riser "lift up" or the other one "drift down" 1/64" toward midship.  I believe this is what caused the balance of the thwarts to slant to one side.
 
I'm blaming this on 1) inexperience 2) eyesight.  Although I have tri-focals I'm still having problems with measurements at the 1/64" scale.  Therefor, since I have no desire to quit ship modeling I have taken the following steps.
 
1.  Ordered the Bounty Launch which is larger than the longboat,
 
2.  Ordered a new magnifying visor which is more powerful than the current one and also (any maybe more importantly) lighted,
 
3.  Have drawn up plans for a larger shipyard that I will be building while waiting on items 1 and 2.
 
4.  Have decided that I will use the longboat as a "filler" project while working on the launch.
 
Will be start another build log when items 1-3 have been completed and I'm ready to start on the launch.

Only 5 months?  Crikey.. and a beautiful ship to boot.   Hmm... I guess it'll take about an hour for the figurehead?   Ok... seriously.. it's only wood.  Make some sawdust, or in this case, carving dust.  If it's not right.. do it again.   We have confidence in you.

I mentioned above about how I cut gunports.   So here's how I do it.  I make no guarantees that it's the best way but it works for me. 
 
First up is a laminated frame blank (I'm using a half frame as the full frames are done).
 
 
I then rubber cement the frame plan to it and carefully cut it out.

 
I fit the frame into position and check all the reference points both against the plans and in situ using the EdT tool. After that, the reference points are etched using the scroll saw and the frame cuts are made with the saw pictured.

 
I soak the joint in 91% isopropyl and wrap in a scarp of paper towel which is also soaked in the isopropyl.

 
The joint is then wrapped in plastic wrap and secured at each end with clothes pins (pegs) so as not let the whole frame separate.

 
After doing something else for about a half an hour, I grab the frame with pliers and piece to be removed with a pair of cutters.

 
A slight pull and the piece comes out, usually cleanly. 

 
At this point, the frame is glued into place, space blocks added between the newly installed frame and the existing frame, everything clamped and the glue allowed to cure.  After curing, I double check all reference points, just in case....
 
I hope this helps someone.
 
 
 

Thanks for the likes and comments.
 
Didn't get much done yesterday or today.  Yesterday had the heatpump and all the ducting in the house cleaned and serviced.  The temp hit 104 degrees F, and it was just too hot until the A/C finally got everything cooled down.
 
Today was rib day with homemade Jerk Sauce.  After marinating and slow cooking on the grille, I'm in heaven.   Ok.. so this doesn't turn into Facebook...
 
 
Indeed, but I'm wimping out and doing the aft frames first.  They're not as challenging. 
 
 
My thinking exactly, Joe.  I might sweat while doing it, but at the end of the day, it feels good.
 
 
I'll be using ebony for the top rails, channel wale and the upper most piece of the main wales, Alan.  The mains blend into the planking.  So they aren't distinct. Here's a pic showing the cross section.  Ignore the arrow as the pic is from another discussion.

 
 
I can't wait for the cants, either, Grant.  But I'm being cautious on this build.  I don't want to do a Ver 3.0.
 
 
It's just the materials and the size, Popeye.  I'm learning.... ever so slowly.. but still learning.

Pops,
 
Been there, done that, have the pile of firewood.  While you're waiting, give some thought to removing the thwarts and adjusting the risers.  The biggest obstacle would be glue type.  I hate to see you bagging this model as you've learned a lot on it and were doing a great job.   Someone around here once said: "It's only wood... it can be fixed."

The case.
 
Yes I know the figurehead still looms out there, but I wanted a measure of safety with not only because of the kids but also spectators that love to put their hands near, if not on, the hull.  So....I needed a bottom to go with that plexiglass top.  Step one was to get some 1/2" oak and some 1/2" poplar (filler) to construct the main base.  Everything was glued together using biscuits:
 

 
Then I added some 5/8" inch cove molding to provide half the slot for the plexiglass dome.  The outside edge was also routed to add some character and the whole thing stained and urethaned:
 

 
Then I cut a 1/2" MDF board down to size to create the slot (between it and the molding) for the plexiglass to slide.  The MDF was painted a flat/flat black along with the stand previously made.  I did not paint the connection point that slides over the keel and between the ribs so it wouldn't stand out.
 

 
I still need to paint the bolt heads that go through all three pieces and are affixed with a nut recessed in the very bottom.  I affixed the Druid and I had not done anything really dumb (which I hadn't discounted):
 

 
So I carried everything (bottom, top and Druid separately) to the family room and put it in its designated place.  I put the top on and stood back (thinking about that FIGUREHEAD).  Yea, that will begin come Monday.
 

 
I really appreciate all the likes / looks / comments.  This last stretch is truly a stretch.  I keep thinking just another week and I will be done but that started 5 months ago and I am still plugging away.  I am still having fun and truly only have one item on the list left (the figurehead - did you catch that?).
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark
 
 

Druxey,
 
Thanks. I have called it a project, but I think it'll turn out to be more of a challenge, which is good – I think.
 
I'm looking on this as my first foray into scratch building, even if is only half the ship! Thus I intend to use half frames (I am thinking of birch ply) fixed to a backboard, and planked in the normal way. I may even double plank it. I realise this is not the normal way it was done, although I am sure there are examples, and that most were either solid hull, or constructed on the bread and butter system. However she is quite long, and I also want to keep the weight down since the backboard that I have in mind is reasonably heavy (I'll say more about that in my next post.)
 
Anyway, onward and upward – and there are still those jobs to do! Btw, I was somewhat glad not to be on the return trip to Norway with the girl's choir, as i imagine it might have been rather noisy.

This will be my summer project, as I believe I mentioned in my Sherbourne log. Rather a change from the cutter I have been working on, I’m sure you will agree – well, for a start, there aren’t any guns! But why this particular ship, and why a half-hull, you may well ask? Well, read on, but first a bit of history…
 
The ’Statsraad Lehmkuhl’ was built as a steel barque for the German Schoolship Association and launched at Bremerhaven-Geestemunde in January 1914. She was originally named ’Grossherzog Friedrich August’, after the then Duke of Oldenburg, and used to train merchant navy cadets. Taken as reparations by the British after the First World War, she was then sold to Norway in 1921 and renamed ’Statsraad Lehmkuhl’, after the minister Kristoffer Lehmkuhl (Statsraad meaning cabinet minister), who had worked in the interests of sail training. She was put into service in 1923 as a sail training ship for Bergens Skoleskib and used as such until the Second World War, when was taken over by Nazi Germany and given the name ’Westwärts’. Following hostilities she reverted to her previous ownership and name, and was put back into service following renovation. She continued to sail until 1966, when she was laid up due to financial difficulties, until in 1978 she was bought by shipowner Hilmar Reksten, who donated her to the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. She is based in Bergen. (She will be referred to as SL hereafter.)
 
Today the organisation welcomes ’trainees’ of all ages and nationalities to sail on board, and she is also used by schools, and employees in corporate business. In 2000 German naval cadets trained on board whilst the ’Gorch Foch’ was being refitted, and since 2002 she has been officially used for training cadets of the Royal Norwegian Navy. Her voyages have taken her across the Atlantic to America several times, and she is a frequent participant in the Tall Ships Races. Under sail she has frequently reached a speed of 17 knots and, on at least one occasion, 18 knots was recorded. Her website contains further details, both about her and her training programme.
 
Although I have referred, colloquially, to SL as a ’ship’ she is of course, and always has been, rigged as a barque – square rigged on the fore and main masts, fore-and-aft rigged on the mizzen. By convention, the barque as originally conceived had three masts and reference to their number was not normally made.
 
There are four main reasons for my building this half model:
 
1) I had spent three weeks aboard the barque in the June/July of 1988, sailing from Bergen, Norway (where she is based) to South Shields in the UK, back to Bergen and thence to Leith, Scotland. I had originally booked for two weeks on board and had intended to return to the UK from Bergen by ferry. However, following my cruise, the SL was due to sail to Leith to pick up a Norwegian girl’s choir that had been appearing at the Edinburgh Festival. Thus, courtesy of the captain, I was able to spend another week aboard the ship – at no extra charge.
 
2/ On board I met the Swedish girl who was later to become my wife. Therefore the model is largely being made for her.
 
3/ This year, 2014, marks SL’s centenary. The late Harold Underhill thought her to be perhaps being the most beautiful of the barques of that time, and I tend to agree. Even at 100 years old, I think she is still better looking (from any angle) than some later vessels.
 
4) Half-hulls are interesting in themselves historically for, although they are now largely used for decorative purposes, they were originally used as part of the building process of an actual ship.
 
 
Approximate Dimensions:
 
The ship: Hull length, 277.’ (84.60 metres); Sparred length, 321’ (98 meters); Beam - 41’ (12.60 metres); Draught -17’ (5.20 metres); Gross tonnage - 1516 tonnes; Height mainmast: 157.48' (48 metres); Sails: 22; Sail area: 2062 m2.
 
The model: Hull length - 36” (91.44 cm) Sparred length - 40” (101.6 cm); ’Half-beam’ - 2 ¾” (6.98 cm); Draught – 2” (5.08 cm); Gross tonnage – 0!
 
The model will be built using plans drawn up for the ’Grossherzogin Friedrich August’, by the late Harold Underhill – the Lines and Profile, drawn to a scale of 1/8th” to 1’ – which will make the model of a good size to admit of some detail. Even though the plans are for the ship under her original name, the deck layout and other details have not been altered a great deal and any changes that have been made appear to be minimal – such as the positioning of boats, alteration to the figurehead, etc. How much detail I will include, I have not yet decided, but there will of course only be stump masts.
 
As mentioned this will be a summer project (for the approximately four months we are here at our cottage) and I intend to store her here over the winter, suitably protected of course, and continue working on her next year – and probably the year after that!  At a suitable stage she will be moved to the flat in town, where a spot has already been designated for her, atop a long bookcase. Unfortunately, there are plenty of other jobs to take me away from the project, but I hope to be able work on her whenever I can – so watch this space! In the meantime here is a link to one or two photos of her:
 
https://www.google.se/search?q=statsraad+lehmkuhl+%2B+photos&client=firefox-a&hs=rRS&rls=org.mozilla:sv-SE:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=sCbEU5T3Goe9ygO-8YDYDA&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=1065&bih=509#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=uMfSHUqYE4cyxM%253A%3B9Ix4jWbc9xIczM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Feuroclippers.typepad.fr%252Fphotos%252Funcategorized%252F2008%252F11%252F10%252Fstatsraad_lehmkuhl_mudie_1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Feuroclippers.typepad.fr%252Fuk%252F2008%252F11%252Ffinancial-cri-1.html%3B500%3B768

I am just rolling along.  In a couple more hours I banged together the wheel stand and got the tiller rigging all set.
 

 
This is a big milestone for me given that the figurehead is the only item remaining.  I am currently sitting back and giving myself a break.
 

 
Maybe clean up the workshop a bit (hah, hah),
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Minor milepost... all the full frames have been cut, installed and spacers added.  The five broken ones have been replaced along with slapping myself upside the head when I realized two of them could have been repaired.   
 
I've started "pre-fairing" in that I'll sand it pretty close to fair except for the frames at the end, get the keel and keelson notches flat and fair, and then tweek the keel's rabbet to account for the changes the garboard strake will have to follow.  I'm also sorting out the inboard side as far as fairing.  The end frames will be faired in once the keel and keelson are installed and the cant frames are done. 
 
And yes, it continues to be a fun ride.
 

Well, I finally was able to spend a little time in my workshop.  The net result is that I was able to complete the forward platform on my longboat.  I may have been re-inventing the wheel on this one, but I decided to use a spacer block, so my template would have the proper shape, at the correct height inside the hull.

The block, with a strip of wood glued to it, was made thick enough so that the template would give me the shape of the upper surface of the platform. The wood strip helped keep the block in place as I worked with the template.  This worked out pretty well.



It took me a couple of tries before I was able to get a template I was happy with.

I then blackened the edges of the planks, and glued them to two wood strips that were positioned so they wouldn't interfere with the frames.
Once I had the platform cut to shape, and I was happy with the fit, I used black paint brush bristles to simulate three rows of nails.  For a final touch, I added a small strip of wood across the face of the platform.  This strip was actually "L" shaped, which allowed me to glue it to the underside of the platform.

I've been told by friends who have completed their longboats that the forward platform is the more difficult of the two.  I sure hope they're right.
 
BobF

Thought I would chime in since I haven't posted in a while.  I didn't think it was all too important to post each and every frame as there are tons, but I have made it to the halfway point.  I finally have the aft square frames constructed, 0-19. There is quite a color disparity between the more midship frames and further aft (lighting in the first picture makes it look worse than it is), but it is still the same wood (mahogany) if you're wondering. Thats what you get when you buy as you go with the wood I guess. Gives it a little character, so I'm sticking with it.
 
I am quite burned out with making frames so I am taking a break from those for a little bit to make some jigs and things I plan to use when I erect them. I've been reading EdT's methods for doing things in his Naiad and Fair American builds on how he erects the frames and I am building some of the clamps he described and the adjustable squares he uses, and altering my gantry a little.  It will be time well spent and hopefully keep the mistakes to a minimum. Better the prep, better the outcome I think. Once that's done, then I'll finish up the rest of the frames.
 
Until next time, happy modeling!!

It's a pity that you didn't like it.  That is some very fine joinery on the scarfs.  So, I wouldn't call it an 'epic fail'... more like a learning experience as that skill will come in handy sooner or later.

Speaking of a fully framed models - a friend of mine visited an interesting project today - 1:1 reconstruction of Poltava, 1712 ship, partially designed by Russian tsar, Peter I, who studied shipbuilding in Holland. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ship_of_the_line_Poltava_(1712)
The site is located in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Pretty interesting to see, looks very close to that build logs, and nearly-round shape of the hull make it look like Triton
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of a fully framed models - a friend of mine visited an interesting project today - 1:1 reconstruction of Poltava, 1712 ship, partially designed by Russian tsar, Peter I, who studied shipbuilding in Holland. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ship_of_the_line_Poltava_(1712)
The site is located in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Pretty interesting to see, looks very close to that build logs, and nearly-round shape of the hull make it look like Triton
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why scratch?
I always had a high requirements for a wood quality and fitting quality. Unfortunately, even expensive kits were never that close. After getting a first pack of boxwood, I would never go back to any inferior wood. Hence, only scratch. Not that scary though, I do most of the parts from scratch anyway.
It's a pity that kit producers do not offer a wood upgrade. For a serious build, cost is spreading over a number of years, so is it really so important?
Speed of the build is not important, I enjoy the process. As Remco says - "Treat each part as if it is a model on its own, you will finish more models in a day than others do in a lifetime".
 
Why Hahn?
For a weird reason, don't like the realistic framing style, like David Antscherl suggests. First - you don't see anything between frames, and second - uneven spacing and shape of frames make me feel dizzy when I look on them. Physically. I know it sounds weird, but I just can't. So - frames would be spaced evenly, even if it's unrealistic. So what, I'm not adding a rocket engines to my model
Also, Hahn's method for a frame construction looks easier. Yes, the wood usage is higher, but again - why that matters? I will build it for 5 years at least, so paying a bit extra for additional wood is not a problem. And I truly like the design of Hahn's jig!
 
Why Beavers Prize / Oliver Cromwell?
This ship has no honorable history. It was built in 1777 in Philadelphia, started a pretty good career - capturing 7 ships in 3 months after a start - but then was defeated by british HMS Beaver. Was downgraded from 24 cannons to 12, and served remaining time guarding british coast. Died in a hurricane after a number of years, slowly degrading and having a continuous problems with discipline onboard.
But there is something in the lines of that ship that touches me. Look on the model - hull proportions are pretty nice. It's not too high, and not too low, and I was looking for that photos a lot, admiring its beauty:
 

 

Speaking of a fully framed models - a friend of mine visited an interesting project today - 1:1 reconstruction of Poltava, 1712 ship, partially designed by Russian tsar, Peter I, who studied shipbuilding in Holland. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ship_of_the_line_Poltava_(1712)
The site is located in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Pretty interesting to see, looks very close to that build logs, and nearly-round shape of the hull make it look like Triton
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of a fully framed models - a friend of mine visited an interesting project today - 1:1 reconstruction of Poltava, 1712 ship, partially designed by Russian tsar, Peter I, who studied shipbuilding in Holland. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ship_of_the_line_Poltava_(1712)
The site is located in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Pretty interesting to see, looks very close to that build logs, and nearly-round shape of the hull make it look like Triton
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is no kit for that ship (and there are not so many POF kits out there). This is a timbering set - plans, required amount of wood milled to a proper thickness, and some laser cut parts (Hahn jig, keel, some small parts). There are also no instructions, only plans. I have Hahn's book, but most "instructions" are build logs on that forum. See http://www.dlumberyard.com/shipkits.html
Scroll/band saw is a must for that build, lots of frames to cut from that wood!
 
You can also look on Licorne build as a good example of Hahn's method. Or Triton build (there is a sub-forum for it). Or just any other POF scratch build.
 
It is not a 100% scratch because you skip the step of preparing 3d model of a hull based on old plans, and you already have a proper amount of wood in a sizes that you need. But that deviation is acceptable on that forum

Speaking of a fully framed models - a friend of mine visited an interesting project today - 1:1 reconstruction of Poltava, 1712 ship, partially designed by Russian tsar, Peter I, who studied shipbuilding in Holland. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ship_of_the_line_Poltava_(1712)
The site is located in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Pretty interesting to see, looks very close to that build logs, and nearly-round shape of the hull make it look like Triton
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for an epic fail!
I had an idea to plank sheer strake in a anchor stock pattern, like the one I saw in Anatomy of Pandora book.
 
So I took a sheet of wood a bit thicker then regular planks, cut lots of pieces on a band saw:

 
Glued them together to shape all at the same time:

 
Then shaped them with files, knife and chisels until I managed to make a nice joints...
 
Glued shaped patterns on a paper strip to see how it will look like... (Ignore small gaps, final fine fitting would be done while gluing. Dots are just marks for treenails, there would be a real treenails later.)

 
And it looks ugly - too heavy for a light model of that size. Hope that experiment will give you a good laughs
 
So I wrote it down like a scarf carving exercise, and need to think again how to make a sheer strake. Still don't want friezes.
Probably just plank as usual and add some light moulding? Any ideas are welcome, even the crazy ones!

Well, here's the pics I promised.  In real life things are not as "shiny" as they appear in these pictures.
 
Interior, everything done except tiller and and "arms" for the windlass......
 

 
Outer hull...............
 

 
Floyd - I just got notice from Model Expo that my 4 packages of 1/32" x 1/8" x 24" basswood have shipped.  Not sure what size is used for the Launch, but should be close and I still have about 25 12" strips from buying the Longboat twice.
 
I want to try boxwood but can't get it from Hobby Mill (because I live in Ohio as well) and I'm still not sure how to go about it at the Lumberyard (haven't figured out what the process is and how to make sure I'm ordering the right thing) but planning on getting "better" wood when I start my first larger ship.