Craigie65

So on to the counter and outer bulwarks.
I deviated slightly from the build sequence and attached the keel, stem and stern outer pieces first.  In particular the the stern piece as I found it fiddlier on my Nisha where I fitted the counter first and then the outer stern piece.
 
At this point Erycina is going through her punk phase.

I decided to presoak the outer counter - it makes glueing easier.

Finally I added the outer bulwarks - the hole on the front port outer bulwark does not seem to align very well with the inner.  Looks as if I will need to drill this later. The starboard side has the bowsprit hole again a bit out of alignment but a bit of filing will sort that. No big deal really, just thought worth mentioning in case you come across this. 

So on to the counter and outer bulwarks.
I deviated slightly from the build sequence and attached the keel, stem and stern outer pieces first.  In particular the the stern piece as I found it fiddlier on my Nisha where I fitted the counter first and then the outer stern piece.
 
At this point Erycina is going through her punk phase.

I decided to presoak the outer counter - it makes glueing easier.

Finally I added the outer bulwarks - the hole on the front port outer bulwark does not seem to align very well with the inner.  Looks as if I will need to drill this later. The starboard side has the bowsprit hole again a bit out of alignment but a bit of filing will sort that. No big deal really, just thought worth mentioning in case you come across this. 

Hi Glomar,
 
Looks like you've received some excellent advice on your build log, but I'll try to add on.
 
It seems to me that you have not lined off your hull with tick marks. This will greatly assist with the tapering and edge-bending process. There's a good tutorial by Chuck in the Articles Database: https://thenrg.org/resources/Documents/articles/LiningOffYourHullPlankingTutorialAndFan.pdf I used it as a reference and it was very helpful.
 
Make sure to bevel the long edge of each plank so that they fit tighter. Otherwise you will end up with large gaps and/or a clinker effect on your hull. I made a quick diagram to help illustrate my point:
 

 
One other thing I would recommend is to remove the brass pins after each plank is laid down. Otherwise they will get in the way of sanding down the first planking. What you can do is to insert some material to stand off the head of the pin so that it can be pulled out with pliers. I just used some broken pieces of planking on my own build. As you can see, my first layer of planking looked a bit rough, but sanding and filler made it turn out all right .
 

 
Lastly, I know it's easy to feel disheartened. The above picture is my first build (that I'm still working on). I remember getting very frustrated at myself during the planking process, but looking back I'm glad for the challenge and it's just a good memory now.
 
Cheers,
starlight

Hi Glomar,
 
What type of wood glue are you using? If'it's PVA, a bit alcohol will go a long way to breaking the bond without damaging the wood.  
 
In addition to what Starlight has recommended, I suggest you get a look here:  https://modelshipworld.com/forum/98-planking-downloads-and-tutorials-and-videos/   There's several tutorials on planking and "how to" with everything from bending wood, to tapering the planks. The reason there's several is that there's several different ways to do it and sometimes following only one method gives you more headaches.  Pick and chose the bits out of each that will work for you.

OK, I now have the Saucy Jack kit available, as my boxes just arrived, and those were the only thing I was waiting for (apart from premium sail sets)
 
Saucy Jack – Barking Well-Smack – VANGUARD MODELS
 
All kits with optional sail sets now have a sail set included, with the premium sails as an optional extra. I am including the 'standard' sail sets at no extra cost, as the quality is not what I expected and do not expect my customers to spend a Penny on them. This has been a disappointing lesson for me - sail sets made by the same people who produce for other manufacturers do not 'gel' with the overall quality of the kits I offer.
 
The 'premium' sail sets are produced my Master-Korabel of Russia, and I was expecting a full shipment of all sail sets for all kits that have them. Unfortunately, yesterday, I only received sets for the Fifie and Zulu, and not Nisha, Erycina and Saucy Jack. I am OK for Nisha and Erycina for now, but would have liked the Saucy Jack sails available for the release of the kit, today. I am currently awaiting an ETA for these, but they are being produced and they will be available in the next few weeks.
 
The picture shows the model with the premium sails. I have two sample sets made and sent when developing these kits, and then order the production quantities soon after. These were ordered in February, so under normal circumstances, I would have had these available as stock already.

Happy to input if helpful.  Unfortunately I did not keep a build log.  @AJohnson has a very good log of his build of Nisha, in particular the bulwarks and first planking.  I am sure we will all help as much as we can.

Hey another little “Nisha” build log, I will follow along to this latest addition to the growing fleet of “Mumble Bees”.
The advice you have had so far is sound, if you can take a deep breath and pause to absorb the planking techniques of edge bending and tapering planks available on MSW, then things will go better we promise!  We are all here to help on MSW, just give yourself time to absorb how it’s gone and if you can’t face taking the planks off just yet you can always do some of the more straight forward assemblies like the hatches and winches and keep in a “creative” mode before going back. I often jump to something easy to do whilst pondering a more difficult stage in a build. Just need time for ideas to sink in, there’s no rush.
Excellent progress so far, keep at it! 👏😁

Hi Glomar,
Don’t be disheartened, we all sometimes feel out of our depth. Well maybe not Chuck Look at @Dave_E build of Lady Nelson.  He had similar planking issues and made the brave decision to remove his first attempt.  He is now going great guns.
 
I believe Isopropyl alcohol is the preferred method on MSW.  Personally I have never had to use it - I have removed the offending planks with warm water as the glue had not fully cured.
The difference in height on the planks could be just the thickness of each.  As good as the quality of the materials Vanguard use there is always some variation. I have just had a similar problem on my current build but managed to sand it out. If not then it could be a high or low spot on the frame - a bit more sanding if a high spot or a shim if low will sort that out.

Happy to input if helpful.  Unfortunately I did not keep a build log.  @AJohnson has a very good log of his build of Nisha, in particular the bulwarks and first planking.  I am sure we will all help as much as we can.

Looking at the front edge of your bulwark and planks.  They look to be too far forward.  Part 58 needs to fit on the stem to act as a  
rebate for your second planking.  From the last photo it does not look as if they will fit. Step 72 has a good photo of how the front edge of your first planking should sit.

Hey we all have our moments.  The main thing is you went the extra mile and fixed the problem.  

Isopropyl alcohol is the way to go.  Some use 90ish% whereas I prefer the 70ish %.  I soak the joint by applying the alcohol with a Q tip or cottonball, depending on how much area that needs to be removed.  Once well soaked and allowed to soften, I use an exacto blade (attached to the handle, of course) to gently separate the plank from the frames.  Resoak and let soften as needed.  Slow, gentle deconstruction takes time and patience, but is well worth the effort.

Hi Glomar,
Don’t be disheartened, we all sometimes feel out of our depth. Well maybe not Chuck Look at @Dave_E build of Lady Nelson.  He had similar planking issues and made the brave decision to remove his first attempt.  He is now going great guns.
 
I believe Isopropyl alcohol is the preferred method on MSW.  Personally I have never had to use it - I have removed the offending planks with warm water as the glue had not fully cured.
The difference in height on the planks could be just the thickness of each.  As good as the quality of the materials Vanguard use there is always some variation. I have just had a similar problem on my current build but managed to sand it out. If not then it could be a high or low spot on the frame - a bit more sanding if a high spot or a shim if low will sort that out.

I can attest that isopropyl alcohol is better than water on water soluble PVA.  Water causes the wood to swell and can raise the grain (which can cause additional work to get the wood right again) where isopropyl alcohol does not.  I was halfway thru planking my Jolly Boat and was dissatisified with the result.  I used isopropyl alcohol and removed all the planking so I could start over and it didn't affect my frames in the slightest.  I would follow Craigie65's input closely since he has built this kit.  Looks like everything is salvageable, so I would have to agree with the others and suggest you remove what you have and start again.  I believe it will cure a couple of issues.  You can do some additional fairing to take care of the high spots you noticed, be sure to use a long plank over many hulkheads from stem to the appropriate point stern and the full length of the bulkheads.  You will be able to properly position the bulwarks, trying to fix what you have by trimming probably will cause more problems elsewhere.  The gaps between planks can be addressed with tapering and edge bending, as mentioned earlier, and don't forget the bevel.  There are many tutorials on these subjects in the planking section.  They take a few tries to get the results you're after but the time and effort spent on the first planking more than pays for itself on the second planking.  Don't dispair, we've all been there and sympathize with what you're feeling.  Take your time and enjoy the voyage.       

Hi Glomar,
Don’t be disheartened, we all sometimes feel out of our depth. Well maybe not Chuck Look at @Dave_E build of Lady Nelson.  He had similar planking issues and made the brave decision to remove his first attempt.  He is now going great guns.
 
I believe Isopropyl alcohol is the preferred method on MSW.  Personally I have never had to use it - I have removed the offending planks with warm water as the glue had not fully cured.
The difference in height on the planks could be just the thickness of each.  As good as the quality of the materials Vanguard use there is always some variation. I have just had a similar problem on my current build but managed to sand it out. If not then it could be a high or low spot on the frame - a bit more sanding if a high spot or a shim if low will sort that out.

If part 58 does not fit, then as painful as it maybe, then yes I would. Otherwise I think your second planking will be a bit of a struggle.   You will not be the first to strip off bulwarks.  I have often removed offending planks. 
 
For my build of Erycina, I drew in the position of the equivalent of part 58. I used this as a guide to make sure my first planking did not encroach. You can see the pencil line.

Looking at the front edge of your bulwark and planks.  They look to be too far forward.  Part 58 needs to fit on the stem to act as a  
rebate for your second planking.  From the last photo it does not look as if they will fit. Step 72 has a good photo of how the front edge of your first planking should sit.

Hi,
A couple of things come to mind, which may help you.  First is edge bending - have a look for Chuck’s video of this in the planking techniques.  Second is bevel the top edge of your planks. As planks are covering a curve they create a gap if the back edge is not bevelled.
Hope that helps

Hey we all have our moments.  The main thing is you went the extra mile and fixed the problem.  

Hi,
A couple of things come to mind, which may help you.  First is edge bending - have a look for Chuck’s video of this in the planking techniques.  Second is bevel the top edge of your planks. As planks are covering a curve they create a gap if the back edge is not bevelled.
Hope that helps

Looking at the front edge of your bulwark and planks.  They look to be too far forward.  Part 58 needs to fit on the stem to act as a  
rebate for your second planking.  From the last photo it does not look as if they will fit. Step 72 has a good photo of how the front edge of your first planking should sit.

If part 58 does not fit, then as painful as it maybe, then yes I would. Otherwise I think your second planking will be a bit of a struggle.   You will not be the first to strip off bulwarks.  I have often removed offending planks. 
 
For my build of Erycina, I drew in the position of the equivalent of part 58. I used this as a guide to make sure my first planking did not encroach. You can see the pencil line.

Hi Glomar,
Don’t be disheartened, we all sometimes feel out of our depth. Well maybe not Chuck Look at @Dave_E build of Lady Nelson.  He had similar planking issues and made the brave decision to remove his first attempt.  He is now going great guns.
 
I believe Isopropyl alcohol is the preferred method on MSW.  Personally I have never had to use it - I have removed the offending planks with warm water as the glue had not fully cured.
The difference in height on the planks could be just the thickness of each.  As good as the quality of the materials Vanguard use there is always some variation. I have just had a similar problem on my current build but managed to sand it out. If not then it could be a high or low spot on the frame - a bit more sanding if a high spot or a shim if low will sort that out.

Productive Easter weekend. First planking on, needs a bit of sanding, but reasonably happy with this.
I did crowd the planks at the counter.  For my next model I will split the hull into bands to give me a better idea of the run of the planks.

If part 58 does not fit, then as painful as it maybe, then yes I would. Otherwise I think your second planking will be a bit of a struggle.   You will not be the first to strip off bulwarks.  I have often removed offending planks. 
 
For my build of Erycina, I drew in the position of the equivalent of part 58. I used this as a guide to make sure my first planking did not encroach. You can see the pencil line.