egkb

Worked more today on the margin planking, and think I landed on the planks I am going to work with.  Started with some 10mm wide strips, and cut, shaped and sanded them down to 6mm widths so they ran pretty tightly along the edge of the inner bulwarks.  On the more severe curve at the bow, I am leaving the "working planks" at 10mm widths in order to give room for the nibbing.
 
As you can probably tell, I have not glued any of this margin planking down yet.  My intent is to dry-fit as much of the deck planks as I can, determining where I need to trim and nib to make it fit right and look right.  Other than the two center planks that I previously discussed that are too short due to the various breaks down the center, I intend to employ a four-butt shift system on the remaining deck planks.  We'll see how everything goes!
 
                        
 
Appreciate the comments, suggestions and criticism.  Thanks...
 
Gregg
 

Well, I have continued moving forward on this version of the Ballahoo, despite the poor 2nd planking.  Sanding, filling and painting have hidden a decent share of the booboo's.  In addition to sanding and filling the hull multiple times, I also completed the bulwark inner planking using walnut strips and sanded the inner planking to a smooth finish, as well.
 

 
Once satisfied with the sanding, I painted the hull exterior and the inner planking.  I put six coats of black paint on the exterior.  I started with a coat of the dull black Admiralty Paint that I ordered with the Ballahoo kit, but wasn't really happy with the way it was going on, so I changed to the Vallejo black paint (in a 70/30 mixture with their Vallejo Medium Thinner)) and was happier with the finish.  I used an Arteza Paint Yellow Ochre color for above the main wale, and a Windsor & Newton Red Ochre color for the inner bulwark... again multiple coats.  
 
        
 
I then measured and drew a waterline mark and, using the tamiya tape, masked and painted below the waterline.  I used the Admiralty Matt White paint that came with the kit.  Not sure if it meets the 'white stuff' criteria... it may be a little brighter than what it would be in reality, but seems to look good, so we'll stick with it.  I thought about dropping a bit of the yellow ochre in the mix, but was concerned about a consistent coverage, so opted for the Matt White by itself.
 

 
        
 
In retrospect, I'm thinking it would have probably been easier to paint the yellow above the wale and the white below the waterline if I hadn't given the entire exterior hull multiple coats of the black.  If I knew I was going to be painting those sections those colors, the respective paints would have certainly covered better than they did having to go over the black that I had laid down previously.  Will remember that in future builds and paint sessions.
 
If you get up close to the ship, yes, you can see some of the imperfections, but... it's my 3rd build, and I am getting better in certain areas and will continue to improve in my planking skills on my 4th build, and my 5th build, and... well, you get the idea.
 
Will do a few more touch-ups on the hull and bulwark painting as I continue on, but it's now on to the deck planking and the bulwark capping rail.  Have been looking a lot at past builds, such as jim_smits and egkb, for guidance and inspiration.  Thanks to all for suggestions and encouragement. 
 
Gregg

Gregg, 
 
Our modelling skills improve with practice and I look back at some of my old models and wonder why I did what I did. We learn and we get better. 
 
Most of your second planking will be covered by paint (unless you choose to go with copper...) and that will hide a multitude of sins which other people will never see. So use the filler and sand it smooth. I find a sanding stick is too small for a hull and use a larger block that fits my hand. Pressing the sandpaper with fingers has its merits too and it allows you to feel bumps and dips. Then put on a decent paint job - lots of coats of thinned paint if you use a hairy stick for painting, or use an airbrush. Choose the colour to suit your needs - bright white is a statement but a yellowy cream is closer to reality if you look at the recipes for 'white stuff'. That leaves the second planking above the waterline. If it is good enough on both sides then be happy. If it is good enough on just one side then that is the side to display and leave the other to face the wall. 
 
I would recommend that you continue with your Ballahou. You will learn more when you come to the masts and yards and the rigging and the deck furniture, and will look back later and think that you could have done it better. But your appreciative audience at home will be impressed by what you have created. Then when you come to build your next ship it will be better. 
 
George

Well, I have trudged forward on the 2nd planking of my Ballahoo.  I am really disappointed in the way I miscalculated and misplaced the planks with poor tapering.  I posted a question on another thread with suggestions and I got several "take planks off and/or start over" comments.  I am still keeping the "start over" option on the table, but decided to see what I can salvage out of some decent sanding/filling/sanding/filling exercises.  I keep thinking that, since I'm painting the hull anyways, perhaps much of my imperfections and horrible plank tapering work will not be noticeable.  Anyways, enough beating myself up.
 

 
As I just stated, I am now working on some serious sanding, filling a few spots with walnut wood filler where needed.  Starting with 100/120 grit sand sticks.  Will work up to 240 grit as we continue to smooth out a few bumps.  Still referring back to previous build logs for guidance and inspiration.  The one from jim_smits has been really helpful, even as I look ahead to deck planking, etc.
 
Still, though, keeping my options open on starting a new Ballahoo.  Let's see how this sanding/finishing process looks.
 
Gregg

Well, after a lot of research and worry, I have begun the 2nd planking on the Ballahoo.  I did a couple of strakes at the garboard strake and also over and just past the bulwarks.  At this point, I have measured the distance between top and bottom at each bulkhead to determine how much I will need to taper each of the walnut strips, especially at the bow.
 
I was contemplating whether to have full length strakes from bow to stern or to do shorter planks and butt them in a shift pattern that I saw examples of.  If I were going to be staining the hull, I think the butt shift pattern would look really nice, but since I am going to be painting, I didn’t think it would be that noticeable, anyways. So, going the full length on the planking.
 

 
We will see how my measurements and calculations progress as I work on the hull.  As I said, the strips are being sanded/tapered on the bow end down to between 2.15-2.4mm on the 4mm wide strips (thank you digital caliper!), so they are pretty narrow.  I plan on re-measuring periodically as I progress to see if the numbers change.  So, it is definitely slow-going!
 
I hope I have described the process accurately.  If anyone has any comments/suggestions on what to do differently or better, I appreciate the input.  Thanks!
Gregg

Well, I have completed the first planking to about the best of my ability, still in my "newbie learning" stage.  I have done plenty of sanding, filing with bits of putty here and there, and more sanding to the point it all feels pretty smooth and consistent for the 2nd set of planks to adhere to.  I really love the Keystone sanding sticks.  Started with the 80 grit and moved to the 120 and 180 grit twigs as the look and feel improved.  Tried to minimize the use of putty (definitely less than I did on the Lobster Smack), but still has a noticeable putty residue in spots.  As I am planning on painting the hull, this shouldn't be an issue, though.  I read in one of the Ballahoo build logs where the entire exterior was given a coat of diluted PVA glue at this point to give it a bit of strength before the 2nd planking. 
 

 
For the 2nd planking using the walnut strips, I was planning on having full strakes on the bulwark (except at the gunport positions) and a full garboard strake.  But then for the planking in between, I was going to use Chuck Passaro's method of lining off and measuring planks for tapering where necessary, etc.  Hope it all comes out as well as some of the recent build logs I have been reading and referring to for guidance so far!
 
If anyone has any guidance/suggestions... any "don't forget to do's"... I appreciate your advice!  After several days of Mother Nature teasing us in the Kansas City area with mild late Feb/early March temperatures, it's back down in the 30's-40's for a few days, so it's good to spend some quality time in the shipyard.
 
Thanks for listening!
Gregg

Another brief update.  Spent a decent amount of time fairing the bulkheads in preparation on plank placement.  Between using a good amount of sanding sticks and a new cordless Dremel I purchased a few months ago, I am pretty pleased with how a "test plank" was forming from one end to another.  Now I'm beginning the first planking, beginning at the bulwarks.  I've done two planks on each side.  The top planks were placed fore-to-aft with no beveling.  The 2nd plank, though, was beveled on both sides in order to fit what seemed to be a natural run without tooo much bending/twisting.  Unless I run into something I'm unaware of yet, I'll continue this beveling process on other planks.  In looking at other Ballahoo build logs, it appears others have done this, as well. A few minor gaps, but my plan is to run these planks as tight as I can, with the understanding that the 2nd planks will cover any minor issues underneath.
 
If anyone sees anything I'm doing wrong, hollar!  I always appreciate the comments.
 

Gregg,
 
You have discovered a common problem in these kits, which is that a flat piece of ply has to follow a compound curve. The only ways to do this are by stretching the ply (good luck with that), putting in cuts (photo below) or ignoring it which is the most common approach. Ignoring it is not so bad here because the fore-aft and side-to-side curves are usually not very pronounced. The deck profiles on the kit bulkheads have too much slope on them and the ply false deck can stand proud of them. Chris's suggestion for extra bits on the bulkheads will work if you are concerned about structural strength and is easy to do. 
 

Forward section of the false deck with slots cut in above the bulkheads to allow for compound curves
 
George
 
 

Correct. The deck should match the curvature of the bulkhead tops all the way out to the edge. Often in this sort of design, the bits of deck between the bulkhead extensions can still flex up or down, creating a bit of undulation fore-to-aft. One way to address that would be to add some appropriately cambered bits of scrap wood on either side of each bulkhead for the deck to adhere to.

OK, so I do have a question and looking for advice... I made a previous comment on how well the false deck fit around the bulkheads, but now as I am sanding the bulkhead edges to be flush against the deck, I am noticing gaps between the false deck bottom and the outside tops of several of the bulkheads.  When I glued the deck down, the center obviously glued securely, but because of the slight curvature in the bulkhead tops, the deck is not touching the bulkheads on the edges.  I should probably go around and spot-glue those areas, correct? This will probably have an effect on how the gunport bulwarks and the hull planking fit?
 

 
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Gregg

Started with the hull construction.  Pleased so far in how the bulkheads fit into the keel and how the false ply deck fit down onto the tops of the bulkheads.  When dry fitting the bulkheads, I needed to sand almost every one of the bulkhead slots so that they slid firmly in place, without being so tight as to be stuck but yet not so loose as to be wobbly.  Was careful to use my mini square tool on each bulkhead (something I did not do well on earlier builds) to make sure they were at 90 degrees to the keel.  This work paid off in having the false ply deck fit perfectly on the bulkheads. 
 

 
Other than Bulkhead 11, I did not sand or bevel any of the bulkhead edges prior to placement and gluing the deck, so working on doing that now.  To make it easier to handle as I do this sanding, I am waiting on placement of the stern counter frames and the stern counter and fascia pieces, so that I don't accidentally snag them or break them.  As everything fit pretty nicely, really only Bulkheads 1, 2 & 10 really need great attention.  Yay!
 
As I placed and glued the walnut bow and walnut keel, they didn't come together exactly perfectly, and there is a small gap at the join, so I will need to do some fill there.
 
Once I am done with the bulkhead sanding to where they are all flush with the deck, looks like it's on to the gunport bulwarks and planking.  
 

Still trying to finish my Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack, but waiting on some more rigging line in order to finish rigging the sails, blocks, etc.  So... while I am waiting on USPS to deliver that line, I thought I would begin my next project waiting in the shipyard.  Decided to work on the Ballahoo.
 

 
This one is going to be very much different than my first two builds... the Norwegian Sailing Pran or the Lobster Smack... in that the instructions are definitely not as detailed as those first two, which were specifically designed for the "novice" first-time shipbuilders.  The Ballahoo comes with a 10-page instruction and part ID manual, as well as three (3) large 33" x 24" plan sheets. This Ballahoo ship has been sitting in the "shipyard waiting room" since last March when I purchased it, and I hadn't opened it until now. But, with an inventory check, it appears everything is in order.
 
I've already reviewed a couple previous build logs for this Ballahoo, and will be referring back to them often as I progress through my own build.  I welcome other comments, suggestions and advice, as well!
 
Have started removing the bulkheads and keel from the sheet and sanding all the edges smooth.  I'll update more as I move forward on this, with a brief pause to finish the Lobster Smack once I get that new rigging line.
 
Thanks!
Gregg

More work on the stays and backstays.  
The Fore Topmast Preventer Stay and the Fore Topmast Stay passing through the sheaves in the bee of the bowsprit and their respective blocks seized at the ends with the falls also seized into their ars. They are to be belayed to the knightheads.  

The Mizzen Topgallent Stay secured to a span around the main top trestletrees.  The Main Topgallent Stay secured the same to a Span around the fore top trestletrees. They are not tensioned yet.


 
Span with thimble for topgallant stays as shown in Longridge's book. 

 
 
When I came to the Jib Stays, the manual tells you the standing end is made fast at the end notch of the Jibboom.  Looking into Longridge's book it is made fast to a 'traveller'.  The manual has completely omitted this traveller.  After studying the rigging that goes to this traveller, of which some in the manual is rigged to a different point on the Jibboom and the Flying Jibboom,  I decided to include the two travellers.  It was pretty confusing for me to find what goes where.
 
So with a diagram from Longridge I had a go at the travellers.  About the blocks, I am not sure yet if I will include them as I am thinking that on such a scale it might start to be too busy.

 
Ring and shackle made up of brass rod, thimbles made up of brass tube and hook from extra small hooks supplied with the kit.  Ends of ring and shackle soldered together.  


 
Robert

More progress today. I managed to get the wheel finished and on the ship. I could have used the laser cut spokes, but I decided to scratch them instead. Either way would have worked just fine.

Mike

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.

The LCD screen on the printed went bad and I had to get a replacement.  With that done I stuck some things together to give it a test drive.
I plan to put a second cat on board, and here are the one's I have to choose from (excuse the bust of Ares).  The one rolled on it's back, and the stretching one with the tail in the air are the ones I'm leaning towards.

I rigged up the bobstays with the new bulleyes.
 
The crew got a base-coat of black in prep for painting them to look like, well, crew.

The new skylight sashes are mostly installed.  It all needs to get painted to match the rest of the skylight, and the glass installed to be considered done.

I worked on the 3D model for the hammocks, but it's a little low-res and looks too faceted when printed.  I'm going to model them in groups to be glued down on the bulwarks in sections of about 11cm each (that's what fits on the printer).  In every image of the ship I have, she has her hammocks showing with out tarps covering them.
I originally planned on modeling them from some combination of materials, making a mold, and casting them in resin so I wouldn't have to worry about them getting damp, growing moldy, leaking, causing rot, etc, on a working, sailing model.  Making them in 3D though, I need to make them hollow so they don't use up so much resin.
In the pic, I removed the rounded over layers of balsa on the port side.  You may have noticed in previous pictures the line between the black and white of the inner bulwark was, well, sloppy; that's because I never intended the balsa cover to be permanent.

So, if you'll excuse me, the thing below that looks like an electronics cooling component just came off the printer and contains 48 10 foot oars in 1:36 scale, that I have to carefully dig out of there

I didn't realize that it's been almost a month since my last update. Actually I've been working on the ships wheel, binnacle, QD rail, etc., as the mood strikes. Kinda gives me time to think about my next move on making a specific part.
 
Getting started on the QD rail proved to be finicky when I tried to add too many parts at once. My only suggestion is that however you go about it, don't do that. I ended up only adding and securing the pieces that I felt would would form the foundation for the remaining pieces.
 
Every timberhead and post that goes on the rail should be set vertical. Everything was pre-painted beforehand.
 
The two sections are ready to accept the remaining parts. I can move either one forward or aft while setting up the post, etc.

 
Ofelia, my fiancee, shows how to use a short stick to establish the proper angle for the posts. The stick is placed along the two upper moldings and the top outside edge of the post. Before the glue sets it's easy enough to tweak the post.

As of today. .

Mike

Hi Arthur thanks very much for your kind comment hope what I have posted helps all Modelshipways Bluenose 
Regarding the keel pieces they do not fit one another and it is the middle piece, lay the keel pieces on the drawing and line up the top if you have to adjust the keyways between all pieces do so then you will be adding some wood to the bottom of the middle keel piece.
 
From the picture you will see how much was added and also the left keyway you can see I added little stipes as well
 

Hope that helps.
 
Regards
Richard

Well, not perfect, but not too bad, either. Here are the crowsfeet for the mizzen topmast stays, connected to the main backstays.
 
In progress:
 
      
I had to push the larboard backstay out from the hull before it would meet the crowsfeet so I could glue them onto it.
 

And, complete. Euphroes would have been more elegant, but not really possible at this scale. There's a sort of "blob" made of the collected cotton threads which looks sort of like a euphroe, and that'll have to do. I'm pretty happy with the result.

And here are the larboard shrouds and "chains" with deadeyes attached.
 

 
Steven
 

I've now moved onto the mizzen mast (that's the main mizzen -the one directly aft of the main mast - not the bonaventure mizzen - the one at the stern).
 
At the scale I'm working at, and with my 17 year old self looking over my shoulder, I'm not using the traditional method of adding the shrouds - just too difficult. Instead, I start by gluing the shroud or "chains" in a triangular loop around the deadeye. As follows:
 

 

 

Shrouds and "chains" with deadeyes attached.

The next step was to fix the chain deadeyes to the channel.

However, I realised that this was the method I'd used before which didn't work all that well, because I had to push the deadeye around to get the lanyard through the holes, and it usually was too much for the glue and the deadeye would come off.
 
So I tried another way. What I did instead is set up the two deadeyes with the lanyard joining them before I added it to the hull. Shroud and "chain" deadeyes connected with lanyard.

All done for one side.

And adding the deadeyes:
 

 

 

 

The idea is to glue the tops of the shrouds individually to the mast just below the top, but first I have to work on the stays - I should have done them before I started on the shrouds.
 
Lower mizzen stay - deadeyes:

 
These deadeyes are made of card impregnated with PVA (white) glue, and are about as small as I can make them by hand using natural materials.
 
According to Landström's reconstruction drawing, the upper stays are belayed to the main backstay each side with crowsfeet, not to the mainmast. I checked with R.C. Anderson's "The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail topmast 1600-1720" - the best book I've been able to find for anything even vaguely like the Great Harry's period (even if it's at least 55 years too late) and he agrees. Unfortunately, the pictures of the Great Harry in the Anthony Roll and the painting of the Embarkation at Dover are of no help, and Great Harry seems to be just about the only example of a ship of this time that has a mizzen topmast at all, and no other representations show how this stay works. So either I cheat (tempting!) or I try making the crowsfeet.
 
 My first attempt at the upper mizzen stay with crowsfeet:
 
         
 

A bit messy

Hmmm, not looking all that good - can't keep all the ropes tensioned at the same time

URK!
 
So, I developed a cunning plan. I made a jig to make the crowsfeet separately, using styrene foam, a bit of balsa and dressmakers' pins:

Not bad, but you can see at the sharp end the threads don't converge evenly.
 
New version, which I hope will work properly.

We'll see . . . 
 
Steven

 
 
 

I finally had the time to continue with the fore stay, bob stay, and bowsprit shroud collars. To make life easier I added some extensions to my Syren serving machine (Img_1). I also used the open and closed heart kits from Syren. They show more details than the parts provided in the initial ship model kit (Img_3), and being assembled of three different wood layers the danger of accidentally breaking them is minimal.  The ropes for the collars were all served with a 100 wt silk thread. For the round seizings I used a 100wt silk thread of a slightly different color. Images 2 – 7 show the process and the final result. Img_8 presents the bowsprit assembly in its current state.
 
Thomas
 

Img_1
 

Img_2
 

Img_3
 

Img_4
 

Img_5
 

Img_6
 

Img_7
 

Img_8
 
 

A full complement of molds...  These will need to be shaped on top as well, as the first planks laid are the rubbing strip. It's a fascinating exercise going through these four different craft one by one and seeing the subtly different shapes of the hulls.
 

Hi all,
 
Another little update on the boats. I've used CAD to create templates for the profiles of the ship's boats at each cross-section. These are then printed, laminated, and cut out. They can then be used to check the shape of the plug at each frame. So far I've done the moulds for 71.1 and 71.2. I'm pleased with how these are going so far. I've also taken delivery of the 0.5x2mm walnut strip for planking them.
 
First the positions are marked on the plug
 

 
Then the biggest template (#8) is used to reduce the length of the plug to that dimension...
 

 
The other templates are numbered from bow to stern, and can now be used to reduce the plug smoothly down to those stations...
 
 

 

 

 
Et voila!
 
For a first and second attempt, I'm really pleased. 71.3 and 71.4 to shape, and then we'll be thinking about how to stop the boat sticking onto the plug as I plank it. I also want to replace the keel parts in the kit as they're plywood, and completely the wrong colour. If I can, I'd like these boats to end up as natural walnut. Time will tell whether I do a nice enough job of it.
 
More soon
 
Rob

The darker deadeyes are growing on me.  I think I also fixed my camera settings...hopefully these are better.   But I did finish the deadeyes and chainplates on the port side.   I also started a test on the Billboard.  Thats the board that covers the first two chainplates at the bow.  Its just above the anchore lining.
 
Basically its a 5/32" x 5/64 strip that was rounded off on the ends and the edges as well.  This was placed above the anchor lining and cut so the ends overhang the sides of the anchor lining just a bit for and aft.  The billboard is laser cut and etched with planks already.  There is also a laser etched rabbet on the back side where it fits against the channel.   The bottom edge is beveled to sit flat on top of the strip I just mentioned.    Then I rounded off the top edge and applied the frieze.   I am not sure if I should extend the frieze all the way up on the billboard as I left just a sliver natural to match the thickness of the channel.  I will sit on that for a bit before deciding.
 
Anyway....some pictures.
 
 
 
 

 

Oh and dont forget to really tumble your deadeyes.  I realize many of you prefer deadeyes already made up.  But if you like the mini kits it is crucial to tumble them.  Do not attempt to sand each by hand.  
 
My home made tumbler below with the 6mm deadeyes ready for dying.  I tumbled the heck out of them to really round off the edges and get rid of the char.  The secret is using the correct sandpaper.  In this case 400 grit.  Tumbled on the highest speed my drill would run which is 3500 rpm.