glbarlow

Turns out I needed only about 25 copper plates to finish - so about $50 and 3 weeks later I've finished the coppering and have plenty of copper for some other project. It's weird that I had enough for the starboard but not enough for the port.  If anything I was more efficient on the port.  Oh well, its done.  The ship is very heavy now.
 
I've finished the upper gun deck - as far as I'm coning to finish it.  I've decided I've built out enough cannon kits in my life so only those gunport that didn't havet lids have cannon mounted, plus a few extra for whatever you might be able to see once the main deck is installed.  The gunports with lids are closed and will remain that way.  I did all the cleaver work of open ports on Pegasus.  Vanguard is enroute with no imminent threat of attack so the ports are closed:-)
 
If you look close at the photos you'll see some plywood spacers between the outer hull and inner bulkhead.  These insure both hulls have some extra support and were helpful in holding things steady when the gunports were cut.
    The cross beams that will remain exposed by the main deck were a bit of a challenge.  There is no "kit" way of mounting them, basically they are force fit between the bulkheads which is fine if you ship is built perfectly, unfortunately mine isn't so I had to sand a few to make them squeeze between the bulkheads.  Gluing, aligning to the plan measurements, and not wrecking the bulkheads took some pre-positioning and dry-fitting to get it all right.       I did two things to help myself.  I did the measurement work to determine where the ship's boats tie downs need to be and drilled those eyelets in before installing the beam.  The cradles are a bit tall, I figured I'd break one in the remaining build process so I'll not install those to later.   I wasn't comfortable with the "squeeze fit" for the beam that supports the forecastle of the main deck.  So using the stock the beams came from I created a new beam that was long enough that I could cut notches (very carefully to get the right depth) into the bulkheads.  I'm now confident this beam will support the weight and any pressure I might apply during the rest of the build.     It also took a bit of sanding on the edges of the beams after installation to ensure the main deck is flush to the deck amidships.  If there is one absolute of modeling it is that dry-fitting is an essential skill as in pre-planning what is easier now that later (which the instructions or plans never offer) like the eyelets for the ship's boat's tie downs.  It's not that it can't be done later, its just that its so much easier to do some things before installation (or before the installation of something else that obstructs the path getting to it).   So now on to the main deck.  My two year break is apparently over.

It's been a while since I've had an update, and this isn't much of one except to celebrate a small victory, not the big HMS Victory, but a small HMS Vanguard related victory.  I've finally managed to complete the coppering...of the starboard side...
 

 
I was fortunate to have enough plates to finish, earlier in is this log I noted I ripped off 5 rows at the bow to do it over, glad there were enough extra in the kit to allow for mistakes like this.
 
I'm not excited about turning it over to see the bare port side I now have to do, so I procrastinated by completing the rudder.  Interestingly the brass straps provide in the kit do not appear to be designed to fit over a coppered rudder, the folding points for the two 90 degree turns to wrap around either side are 5 mm wide, the width of the wood, but not with two copper plates attached to the sides.  Doesn't matter for me anyway as I always choose to use thick black paper, easier to do and frankly for me it looks better once I glue it on and finish it with water based poly painted lightly on to harden and season it a bit.
 
Ok, off to the port side.  Until this is done I can't get back to the wood working part I like to do.  I have to admit though, as big a pain as it is to do it does look pretty nice on the ship.

My thoughts on 2nd planking:  Spiling, or tapering, to fit a flat strip of wood on a surface that curves both front to back and top bottom is no small feat.  It defies the grain and natural tendency of the wood and is one of the more fascinating, though perhaps tedious, aspects of shipbuilding.  There are whole books written on this topic by modelers far more expert than me using precise methods that are far more exacting than what I do.  Nonetheless, I thought I’d share my process.  I did this for the lost log of the Pegasus and got some nice responses, so here it is again.
 
First and foremost for the 2nd planking to look work you have to have had a good first planking, more than structure and shape it is the surface for the 2nd planking.  If it’s wrong you aren’t going to make up for it with the 2nd planking.  The first planking doesn’t need to look pretty, but it has to be shaped and sanded to be the hull you want the 2nd planking to become. 
 

 
The photo shows my pretty simple set of tools used for planking.
 
For a strip of planking to reach from the bow to the stern, the bow portion (and in some cases the stern) has to be splined or tapered.  In order to have the same number of strips at the wider waist as you have at the narrower bow.  The key is how to make the math work and how to achieve the double twist to accommodate both curves, deck to keel, bow to waist to stern.  I don’t do scarfing or lay battens, I’m too lazy for the first and don’t find a need for the second.
 
With most ships as with the Vanguard the planks closest to the deck will fit full width, the key is not to take too much advantage of this, you pay for it later by not being able to get the lower planks to work out right. I first set the planks for the main wale as full width (actually the base, the wale is achieved by doubling up on those planks after sanding the fully planked hull), below that I tapered, above it I went full width.  I chose to go up from the wale first and then down, but either way works.  I cut and overlap lengths above the wale to show the butt joints similar to the decking, but choose to go the full length of the ship below the wale, just my choice.
 
The second thing I do is the garboard, a full width plank along the keel.  I usually cheat a bit and put a second plank here, tapering the bow side only slightly.  The garboard is historically accurate, but in the case of modeling ensures you have a good base and a consistent point to measure from for tapering the planks below the wale
 

 
The color differences are due to variation in the planks provided with the kit, since I'm painting the hull it's just the one I picked up next.
 
Measure what?  I use a piece of paper and measure the distance from the bottom of the wale to the top of the garboard at the waist and divide by 5.  Since I’m using 5mm wide planks I then know me how many planks I’ll need to cover the ship.  So if the measurement is 100mm, then I need twenty 5mm planks to cover the waist.
 
I do that same measurement at the bow and divide that number by the number of planks above.  If the length was 60mm I know the plank width at the bow has to be 3 mm to get those same 20 planks to fit to the stem of the bow. 
 
Pretty simple.  All I have to do is use my Exacto knife with a really sharp blade (I change blades a lot) and cut the plank from 5 to 3 mm wide.  Here’s the trick though, where to start the cut to begin the taper.  I’m sure there are much more methodical and mathematical ways to do this, but I just let the plank tell me.  I cut the angle required at stem, bevel it, then matching the end of the plank to the bow, lay the plank along the length of the one above it.  It fits snug along the waist and for most of the length of the ship, where it crosses the plank above as it closes in on the bow stem is where I mark with a pencil to start the taper.  I mark a 3 mm width at the stem end, lay my heavy steel rule across the two marks I’ve now made, and cut the taper. 
 
If the taper start point is too close to the stem, it will be very hard to get the plank to lay flat, if it is two far from the stem a S-curve will begin to develop with the distance between the last laid plank not being proportionately equal at the waist and bow.  If this happens I can adjust by where I cut the next plank or if I see it happening soon enough, toss that plank and cut a new one.  As long as I carefully locate my marks it doesn’t happen, its just when I get rushed or bored.  I re-take the measurements every 5 planks or so to make sure I’m still on target, it doesn’t vary much but its worth checking to avoid very narrow stem plank widths as you reach the garboard.
 

 
Measuring in this way gives me a good looking bow, doesn’t require battens, is simple enough to do, and is made possible by using cyano, not PVA glue.  The cyano can be a bit messy, I may be a little over generous with its use, but this comes off easily with sanding and allows the process to move along more quickly.  I’d be more careful with the cyano to avoid staining if I was leaving the hull natural (as I did using cherry wood with the Pegasus) but since I’m painting, smooth is all that’s required.
 
This same process applies to the stern for some but generally not the majority of planks. Here is more important to let the plank follow its natural flow.  This will create triangular gaps that are filled with stealers.  Simply cut triangles cut to fit the length and width of those gaps unless you want to go all  out and scarp them in.  Again, I’m painting and scarping the hull, this would be wasted effort for me (unless you enjoy knowing and doing it then by all means).
 

 
I do all this knowing that no matter how careful I am, I have always had to fill in some area at the waist with partial and oddly cut planks that don’t reach stem to stern.  This fill is on the bottom and won’t be seen once its on the stand so I don’t worry about it, the perfectionist in me adjusts and accepts.
 
So that’s my two cents.  I’m sure as always there are better, more precise, and more expert ways to plank.  But this way works for me and for what its worth I share it with you.
 

Lessons learned from installing gun port patterns:


1.     Don’t build models with gun port patterns
2.     When man plans God laughs
3.     Outsource isn’t that bad a thing really – some nice models come already made by somebody else.
4.     Are guns really necessary, I mean really.  Can’t we just carry cargo.
5.     Alignment and a slow pace are crucial
6.     Dry-fit, decide on an approach, then throw out the approach and wing it
7.     Wetting for 20 minutes is enough, at 30 the ply starts to take on a life of its own
8.     I used PVA glue fro the upper patterns because I could clamp like crazy and to get the alignment right I needed the extra time it allows before setting
9.     I used Cyano for the lower patterns because I couldn’t discover a way for adequate clamping (and I hate nailing stuff) and alignment isn’t an issue, just fit the tabs into the proper place in the upper forms.
10.   The tops (alignment not withstanding) go on relatively easy, the roll and curves of the lower ones make for a nice way to test your finger strength.

11.   Use all the tools and clamps you have (first go buy more), make a view new ones for the occasion.  I cut a board to match the curve of the bow from the plans, and clamped the wet pattern to it, let it dry, then wet it again to install, having the bow pre-curved helped a lot
12.   Borrow and leverage other people’s good ideas. I used a PVC pipe to wrap a wet lower form, holding it on with parachute cord to dry, the curve of the hull is significant, the pipe helped get it in shape before applying to the ship.  Thanks Arthur.
13.   The multiple curves at the bow (around, in, and down virtually all at the same point are not easy to shape.  Patience, clamps, and finger holds are required.
14.   I also needed the spacers between the inner bulwarks and patterns described in other logs.  The ply tends to bow inward between frames, the spacers push it back out.  I used the same MDF the frames came on; it’s the perfect width.  I cut them about 1 inch wide and 1.5 inches long and made sure I didn’t block a gun port
15.   I also had to install a little brace on frame 15 by the lowest aft most gun port.  One pattern (where the upper and lower meet at frame 15) didn’t quite meet the frame.  Using the brace to double the thickness of the frame at that point gave it something to adhere to, thus aligning it with the adjoining pattern.
16.   Despite the best-made plans and efforts (this one did go better than any I’ve done before) not everything turned out perfect.  That’s what 100 and 80 grit sand paper is for.  I needed a little bit of wood filler at the upper bow area to help shape the severe curves there where the upper and lower pattern meet on frame 1, but that was it.  I don’t want to smooth it too much until the planking is applied, it didn’t take much more than sanding along the points where the patterns meet to smooth the joints.  I think it’s a bit long at the stern, but I’ll address that later.
17.   Did I mention the curve at the upper bow where the bow bulkhead will be installed is tricky.

BTW.  The balsa filler at the bow installed earlier is crucial, the pattern would not have never wrapped smoothly without it.  The kit instructions really ought to reflect this.
Also BTW:  My homemade stand is working out well.  It's a larger version of one I've used for all my models.  A base board with curved shoe molding set apart the width of the keel then an additional width of board next to that covered with felt. The last picture shows it if you look closely.  It sets of the wider boards at the frame while the shoe modeling holds it steady by the keel.

The bulkheads and the frame. Let the glue begin to flow and the dust begin to fly (but first turn on the fan and open a window).
 

 
This kit comes with a most wonderful invention, the inclusion of printed plans that lay out every part to its exact size and the numbered board its on.  It may seem trivial, but it’s worth the time to lay out each bulkhead on top of those plans and number them accordingly.  I dry fitted my bulkheads as you’re supposed to do and couldn’t figure out what was wrong, until I did the above and figured out in my casual approach I’d reversed 6 and 9.  That’s what dry fitting is for, to avoid fatal dumbness. 
 

 
The instructions recommend, and so do I, to partially fair the frames before mounting them, especially the last and first four.  I use a Black and Decker mouse sander to save my shoulder.  It really helps, but don’t over do it.  Test fit a lot as you’re sanding, the electric sander doesn’t know when to stop.  The real fairing has to be done once everything is mounted and glued.  Once the bulkheads are fixed in you can sand more but you can’t sand less.  This same is true for the extra pieces provided for the stern and bow, get them 85% right, but save the last 15% once they are glued in. The way I test this is to keep laying a walnut plank (because its easier to bend than the limewood first plank) across the dry-fitted frames to make sure it touches most of the frame at the same time its firmly touching its neighbors to either side.
 
Building the frame this large is a slow process.  I glued a single frame with PVA white glue, put the decking on top, squared it up with my Pinnacle Precision mini-squares and clamps then walked away.  My only concession to speed was to start from both the stern and bow since the deck is in two parts.  I suppose you can do this faster by gluing in more than one at a time, but the foundation of a good model (literally and philosophically) is a square frame.  It can’t be corrected once done wrong, so it's worth the extra time.  Also it not a time for cyano (superglue), you need to the drying time and strength provided by standard PVA white glue to square things up.  The decking helps alignment, but it alone doesn’t make the frame square.
 

 
I use balsa filler for both the stern and especially the bow.  However, I personally think it’s important not to over-engineer these things.  Get the balsa from your local hobby store and shape it in wherever there is a severe curve.  The objective is to help make the curve with the plank and to keep individual planks from buckling.  As anyone who has planked knows, around the bow you are curving the plank twice, both around and down. (I sometimes hear the plank screaming at me what the heck are you doing to me, when that happens its time to get some sleep).  The balsa helps to avoid an uneven first planking.  In my opinion I’m not trying to make a first hull with balsa, the first planking does that.  This model has an extreme bend in the stern, pre-sanding this bulkhead is essential, the balsa applied here is to add some form and a little additional bonding space for that severely curved plank.
 
I’m just trying to help minimize the smoothing work between the first and second planning.  It’s all to make your planking life easier (and it does become a life in and of itself, but not as bad as ratlines do…that’s another story). 
 

 
That dummy gun port strips were fun to fit.  The stern half was easy, but to first make the bow fit the curve between frames 2-3 I had to soak the strip for 30 minutes and guide it through while wet.  Tapering and beveling the leading edge helped guide it into frame 2.  Yes it’s a bit warped, but its straight where it counts.  It only has to go to frame 2.  There is no gun port between frame 1 and 2.  The plans show this fact, but the instructions don’t mention it.  I can’t wait to fit the gun port patterns to the hull later, should be a blast.
 
Though I plan to minimize the paint I use on this model as noted in the first entry, it will have paint.  I always paint whenever I can and try anticipate in advance were I can paint to make it easier on myself later.  I’m sure in this case I overdid it, especially with the red since those areas below hatch covers likely will either barely be seen or not seen at all, but its really easy now and paint’s cheap, especially when compared to saving my aching eyes.  I use Caldercraft Admiralty paints.  Not easy to get here in the US and I'm sure other brands are fine, their color and coverage just works for me.
 
EDIT NOTE PLUS GUNPORT Stage.  I want to go back from time to time and add lessons I learned later, this is one.  As noted I paint when I can.  This is a good time to paint the fore side of frame 15 red or whatever color you want.  While it is covered by the deck above eventually, you can see this frame rather easily from the aft most maind gun deck gun port.
 

 
Another of those anticipatory moves is to score (score, not cut) the bulkhead tabs that will eventually need to be removed once the upper decks are installed.  Reading way ahead in the instructions and the plans comes in handy and is a fun use of an afternoon or two.  This is one of those lessons I learned from other models.  Its much easier to remove these times without marring a finished deck if they are pre-scored.  You still have to twist and snap and sand, but you’re more likely to come away with only what you wanted to remove and not leave a deep gouge in the deck planking, I said more likely.
 
The last, very important, step here is to fair the frame.  Btw, these photos were before the final fairing.  If you’ve done the pre-work described above, it’s relatively easy with 100 sandpaper on your sanding block.  Again, I don’t need to over-engineer, just make sure there is clean plank contact on each frame and on its neighboring frames. 
 
As an aside: If there is one best friend to every modeler it is named dry-fit.  You can dry-fit many times, you can glue but once (well more than once for things you break off or try to de-bond to fit again because you didn’t dry-fit it enough times.  Never done that…much anyway.  Ok, I lied; I’ve done it a lot because I don’t learn).
 
That’s it.  I’m caught up with where I am in the build process.  Now to go take some photos, read a book, or back to the hobby room.  Wonder which I’ll do… 
 
If this were a photography blog, I'd fit in a lot of Google Adsense hyperlinks for product links, but its not.  So just to plug my favorite "tools:"  Where would I be without my Jim Byrnes table saw, and sure hope he soon sends the sander I just ordered from him.  Life is made easier with quality stuff around.

There are several excellent build logs on the HMS Vanguard already, so why do another one was my first thought.  I decided what the heck the world needs more build logs.  For credibility purposes, I posted a few photos of my completed HMS Pegasus in the Gallery portion of MSW.
 
Here’s why I am a bit reluctant:  1. Since completing the HMS Pegasus in 2010, the sixth of almost back to back models over 6 years, I had shoulder surgery (which in part I think had to do with long periods holding small pieces of wood) and I don’t want to go through that again.  2. Back in 2010 I did very detailed build logs on my Lauck Shipyards Fair American and the Amati Victory Models HMS Pegasus for MSW, and they are lost forever.  To be clear, I consider that my fault for not keeping an offline copy of the text, though I do have the photos.  Frankly I wish I had those logs for myself here 3 years later to remind me of what I did and not have to learn those lessons again. 3. My primary interest these days is photography and traveling so I just don’t want to spend as much time modeling as I did for the first 6 models I built.  I tend to obsess. Plus having finished my niece's wedding photos I still have a photo landscape book to prepare from my recent trip to Iceland.
 

 
I was particularly focused on historical accuracy for the Pegasus, I bought the Antscherl/Herbert Swan and read other not as good books, obtained copies of original drawings of the Pegasus from the Admiralty, (great for framing and workroom wall art by the way), kit bashed like crazy, etc.  For the Fair American I was meticulous and obsessing over every detail, wanting to obtain, in my own mind at least, master class status as a builder.   Now, not so much of any of that matters.  My goal is just going to be make the best of the Chris Watton designed kit, replace a some of the wood with quality stuff from Jeff Hayes at Hobbymill, and just go for “pretty.”  Fair warning, it won’t be historically accurate, for starters I’m not going to paint it with the Nelson yellow and black colors.  I want to use some nice woods on the upper hull, perhaps cherry, yellow heart, and ebony, I haven’t really decided yet.  I know when I do I’ll be able to get high quality lumber from Hobbymill.  Also, more than likely I will stub the masts for the simple reason it’s so big already and the location I have in mind for the finished work won’t support three feet of height (oh my gosh, substituting pretty and the table location for history, what is he thinking).   I will endeavor however to make it right, nothing that detracts from the quality of the finished product.  It will look like a 74 and have the name Vanguard on the back.  I like to think of it as the Vanguard from some parallel universe.
 
For many of you, the above paragraph was the last you read as you marked this log as “do not bother.” Nonetheless, I hope I can offer a few insights here and there that might help you in your own mission-oriented kits.  So check it out from time to time if you like.  If not, that’s ok too. I’ll have fun writing it anyway.
 
I’ll try not repeat what others cover, but who knows. While I could I suppose, I'm not going to go for every extra level of detail, though I enjoy looking at those on the Pegasus with my magnifying glass... I may not be as good a builder those other guys, but I’m no rookie either.  I hope to be casual about all this as well; I’m going to try and not obsess about stuff as I have in prior models (as much anyway).  Hopefully I’ll give you something useful to apply to your modeling; otherwise I’m either wasting my time or just seeking positive reinforcement (which isn’t t bad, so feel free to offer it…frequently).  So with that as the intro, and if you’re still with me, the next post will cover the initial steps. 

Been a while since I posted progress pics, but here goes.
 
Working on the channels and deadeyes on a ship this size is all about the process.  I airbrushed the etched metal pieces to start, then did the same to the channels.  The little stands are made from leftover material and have come in handy to hold the channels while various stages of assembly dry and/or are painted.  All the tools in the photo come into play at one step or another, reminding me of their value by making the assembly easier. The little white metal dish is the collection point for all the parts required for the channel I'm currently working on, after cutting them from the metal sheet, I file the cut edges then touch up the paint, which I have to do again once their installed, but it makes that final step easier. The smaller deadeyes on the main channel require a little finess to fit as they're close to a gun port, but otherwise there's no magic to it, just a lot of small detail work aligning and drilling the holes and finishing it up with the nails plugged into the hull.  One key first step though is the initial fit of the channel onto the hull, aided and aligned by cut off nails serving as pins between the channel and the hull.  The actual fit varies as you'd expect based on how I built the hull, I was surprised they came out as close as they did and required minimal sanding.

I counted just for fun, there are 97 different pieces of wood, nails, deadeyes, and etched metal required to assemble one of the two main mast channels.  Progress is slow, but having a repeatable process and a series of steps helps move it along. My own little factory assembly line.  
 
The fun continues...
 

Update to the above: I measured some left over planking I had for both the inner and outer layer.  Both were 31.5" long.  If yours was only 20" I'd definitely contact Amati.

I've taken a really long break due to some neck surgery.  I don't have much left to finish on my Vanguard so I'm planning to get back to it soon to wrap it up.  While I've left open the option of masting and rigging I really have no intention to do so.  My seven other fully rigged models have taken up about all the shelf space I have (available for ships...my wife lives here too:-)
 
I see the whole site got a facelift while I was gone. Nice...

I've taken a really long break due to some neck surgery.  I don't have much left to finish on my Vanguard so I'm planning to get back to it soon to wrap it up.  While I've left open the option of masting and rigging I really have no intention to do so.  My seven other fully rigged models have taken up about all the shelf space I have (available for ships...my wife lives here too:-)
 
I see the whole site got a facelift while I was gone. Nice...

I didn't have that problem with either the first or second layer, that's quite surprising.  My kit is also from Amati and both layers had plenty of both woods and planks at the needed length supplied with the kit.  I'd start by contacting Amati.  My kit was short starboard side copper plating for some reason.  I contacted Amati and now have enough to also do another ship.  It took them a while to respond, but they did by sending the copper in original packaging.

Agree.  I've build a lot of ships and bent a lot of planks.  Water in a glass works just fine for me.

The other logs provide nice photos of the Vanguard by Amati Victory Models box contents, and as I said this won’t be the traditional log.  Suffice it to say it Chris Watton created a well designed kit full of nicely cut laser parts.  Even with having to sand the burned edges, laser cutting makes for accurate fits. The MDF frame precludes the warping that sometimes comes with Ply.  Heck, the weight of the box alone says “work to be had here.”
 
The keel.  The instructions cover the basics, here are my thoughts and notes on extras.
 

 
This is the best time you’ll ever have to fit and mount the final stand.  It’s just a piece of MDF with walnut glued on the bottom at this point, but it has the final keel installed if you’re following the instructions. It’s easy to work with and there’s a high probability you won’t mar the final hull (it not being there and all).  I use brass stands and walnut baseboards I obtain from an online store (I don’t like the customer service from this store, so I won’t mention its name.  You can find stores like it I’m sure).  With a ship this size it’s important to take the mounting screw past the walnut keel into the MDF frame.  I used #6/32 2.5 inch screws mounted into holes hand-drilled with a pin vise first starting with a tiny drill bit then moving up in bit size to avoid splitting the frame and to keep it straight.  I probably should have done three, but my test mount shows it to be pretty sturdy with just the two.  I’ll epoxy these in later.  To prevent splitting I used machine and not wood screws and reinforced either side of the frame with scrap MDF.  As you can see from the photo, it seems to have worked.  My son looked at this and said, “Good, I see you’re halfway done.” Smart guy…  Now I take it off and it doesn’t go back on until the hull is finished.  My board was later finished with Watco Danish Oil, but any good stain and finish will do.
 

 
The instructions say to thin the stern to half its thickness so the planked hull will match the sternpost.  However, it doesn’t mention cutting a bearding line.  Perhaps that’s because the 74 hull lines are so “round” it isn’t needed as it would be for the sleek lines of a frigate.  Nonetheless, I cut one. I feel it will make placement of the garboard (first plank laid next to keel) easier to fit, and especially with a second planking and copper on top of that.  Basically a bearding line means cutting the MDF frame with a curved Xacto knife in where it meets the walnut keel the whole length of the ship about .75-1 mm on either side, fun stuff that, The goal is thin enough to hold the edge of the garboard, but not so thin as the walnut keel has nothing to adhere to, breaks loose and has to be re-glued.  How’d that happen… 
 
Update Post First Planking:  Because I hope this log might help future builders and not just glorify my work I must update and correcta statements I made in this entry.  While I did add balsa between the stem and frame 1, frame 1&2 and frame 2&3 I thought and stated that would be enough.  It was for the 6 boats I did before this one, but they weren't wide belly 74s. While it served, planking would have been easier and I do recommend also including balsa between frames 3&4 as well.
 
The extreme bevel I put on frame 17 was right and needed, as was the balsa I included between frames 16&17.  I don't think any additional balsa was needed and sliming the keel along the stern post is very necessary.  What I hat I would do different is to put an a 30-45 degree bevel on frame 16 as well.  I had fair it to match 17, but left it more curved.  Again, it worked out ok, but would have worked better with a more direct flat angled service than just a curved faired match.  The planks make a severe curve at the stern.  They have to be wet for this to happen in any case.
 
I hope this update helps.  I put it here so its in the right place for anyone reading this for help on building the model.  After planking has started is too late.

Agree.  I've build a lot of ships and bent a lot of planks.  Water in a glass works just fine for me.

After finishing the headrails it was time for a change of pace.  Here is the start of the barge, largest of the four ship's boats to build.  The supplemental book provided with the model is very helpful and clear on how to build these. 
 
I'm using 3mm x .6mm Ash, the same I used for the deck.  One because I have a large supply from Hobby Mill (sadly no longer in business) and because its easy to work with.  The instructions call for 3mm x .5 strip, but I found no such wood in the kit.  3mm is the right size, anything wider would look out of scale and double planking with .5mm makes the hull plenty strong.  The only thing about using thin wood like this (vs. the usual 1mm) is you can't sand your way out of bad planking to a smooth finish, or at least you have a lot less room to do it.
 

 
Hull strength is something you get to verify when you snap out the supports.  I made this easier by lightly sawing both sides of the support at the base of the "U" I didn't take a photo before removing them but the instructions photo is clear.  Still sanding to do on the inside.
 

 
As I often do, I ignored the instructions.  In this case I didn't glue in the deck support, doing this made planking it outside the boat very easy, quick, and neat. By being able to remove the deck, it will be much easier to add the ribs and thwarts as well as paint the inside. I can do all that then finish by gluing the deck into the finished product.
 

 
It had been so long since I planked the ship I had to re-teach myself how to spline.  I'm thinking this is going to be harder, not easier, the smaller the boat gets, so I'm glad I started with the largest boat first as the instructions suggest.  Kinda fun working on this small scale after so long on the huge ship.  I'm not sure I'll enjoy notching out the rowing slots (the instructions show the photo, but not a good way for doing it) for the eight sides I'll eventually need, I'll have to figure out some way to do this simply and easy to repeat.

I finished the barge. It was fun to build a small boat after so much time spent on the Vanguard.  I think it turned out pretty well.  The pillars in the center are where the cutter will eventually sit once mounted on the Vanguard.  They will be completely obscured by the cutter, they are purely functional.
 

 
I have two variations from the plans:
-I used 1x4 instead of 1x2 for the rear benches, just seemed more proportional to me plus I flush mounted them instead of the plans overlap approach.  I likely won't repeat either of these on the smaller boats, but I think it looks good here.
-I used 1x3 (I have lots of wood stock from previous models) on the wales instead of 1x2, the larger black wale is much more impactful on the barge.
 

 
Here its resting (not mounted, don't have the cradles on yet) in its future home aboard the Vanguard.  Aside from the cradles, there are rails and hammock holders yet to be added to the ship.  I did mount the boat tie-down eyelets on the beams before they were added to the ship.
 

 
With the largest boat completed for whatever reason I elected to make the smallest next, the cutter.  Planking this was actually more challenging than the barge, not much room to work.  It looks so tiny compared to the Vanguard.  its still a work in progress, I have several more steps and touch up work before its completed.  
 

 
Visible here, and also on the barge, I added a 1x2 strip on the front of the upper bench area deck to match up the two levels.  Its largely hidden by the bench, but it is a visible and worthwhile addition.  While this is cosmetic the next modification is significant.
 

 
The plywood floor, covered by decking strips works fine in the barge.  It did not in the cutter.  I found after fitting it that only about 1 mm of sideboard was left, not even enough room to mount the benches.  It just wasn't going to work.  I dug into my wood stock and used instead a 1/32" strip as the floor again fitted with decking strips provided with the model (which I didn't use on the Vanguard).  The completed deck is 1mm thick instead of 3mm.  That 2mm made a huge difference on this small boat.  I may have to repeat it on the remaining two boats, I'll see when I get there.
 

 
Ultimately it will rest sitting on top of the barge. Even it seems to dwarf the cutter, I can imagine how small a couple of sailors felt rowing this thing around the Vanguard in real life.
 
That small strip the bow of the barge is sitting on was my practice board for cutting the rowing divots.  I mentioned I was worried about this in my previous post. I found the edge side of my diamond flat file worked just fine.  Just had to go slow and mark the locations and measure the depth carefully.  The practice helped. 
 
This is a good point for another shout-out for Caldercraft Admiralty paints.  I like the colors and it goes on and covers so easy.  I can't imagine using any other paint, though I have to order it from the UK so I order in bulk.  All my work is finished with a water based poly to protect it for the long haul.  The camera flash makes it more shiny than it actually shows.
 
I'll most likely continue with the other two boats before returning to finish up the ship.  But its about time to knock off for the Christmas holidays.

Finished the cutter.  This little dude was a big challenge, everything is so small and hard to hold on to.  I think it was more difficult to make than the barge because of the size.  Only deviation from plans was again diving into my wood stock for a  thinner .5mm strip of boxwood I cut to 2mm wide and used for the wales.  In my opinion the 1mm was too thick on the small boat.
 

 
These close up photos always reveal things I don't see when I'm looking at the model.  I'll have to go back in with my 18/0 spotter brush and get touch up a few things. 
 
Next up is the launch.

Proving anyone can build these things with patience, a bit of skill, and a lot of time here is the third of the four ships boats, the Pinnace.  I added a tiny bit of flare to it and a color I'd never used before for trim, Caldercraft Admiralty Paints Olive Green.  
 

 
While this little boat was capable of sails so the cap rail is a bit different, I kept it natural like the other two boats (and as the fourth will be) for consistency of appearance.  Plus it was more challenging for me to not be able to cover up mistakes with paint which I'm really good at doing (mistakes needing covering :-). The variations from plans include flush mounting the rear bench with the side benches instead of overlapping, and the two green trim pieces for and aft which are simply 1x2 mm pieces glued in place.
 

 
Here the three are sitting temporarily on the Vanguard in their future home.  The admiral's barge is the last of the four.  I have the first planking on it, however work comes to a halt until after Christmas.  I've got my granddaughter's doll house to assemble, clearly that is my priority.
 
I like how these are coming out, no way I'm going to cover up all this woodwork with a bunch of metal etched oars laying inside each boat, whimsical as it may be I've decided they are all stored below due to an impending storm.
 

I've finished the 4th ship's boat, the admiral's barge.  A few cosmetic changes from the plans to make it stand out a bit, but construction was no change from the previous three.
 

 
Here is is sitting alone on the ship.
 

 
And here are different views of all 4 sitting in their cradles.  Not a final fit, I'll leave them off till near last so they aren't damaged as I move back to the ship to install the channels.
 

 

 

 
Glad to have these done.  Initially it was a nice diversion and something very different from the months spent on the Vanguard, but truthfully by the 4th one I was looking for something new to do.  Still, they turned out ok and look pretty nice on the waist of the ship.
 
Once the channels are done, I'll mount the boats, add the rail that goes along each inward side and the hammocks to the outer side.  All the holes are pre-drilled as were the tie down eyelets installed.  Its always good to plan ahead, so much easier later.
 
I get few comments on this log, but hopefully someday they'll help someone looking to build ship's boats.  

I've finished the 4th ship's boat, the admiral's barge.  A few cosmetic changes from the plans to make it stand out a bit, but construction was no change from the previous three.
 

 
Here is is sitting alone on the ship.
 

 
And here are different views of all 4 sitting in their cradles.  Not a final fit, I'll leave them off till near last so they aren't damaged as I move back to the ship to install the channels.
 

 

 

 
Glad to have these done.  Initially it was a nice diversion and something very different from the months spent on the Vanguard, but truthfully by the 4th one I was looking for something new to do.  Still, they turned out ok and look pretty nice on the waist of the ship.
 
Once the channels are done, I'll mount the boats, add the rail that goes along each inward side and the hammocks to the outer side.  All the holes are pre-drilled as were the tie down eyelets installed.  Its always good to plan ahead, so much easier later.
 
I get few comments on this log, but hopefully someday they'll help someone looking to build ship's boats.  

Turns out I did do a bit of. A tutorial earlier in my Vanguard log, so long ago I had forgotten. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/3329-hms-vanguard-by-glenn-amativictory-models-172/page-2#entry120343 Maybe it will help.

Turns out I did do a bit of. A tutorial earlier in my Vanguard log, so long ago I had forgotten. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/3329-hms-vanguard-by-glenn-amativictory-models-172/page-2#entry120343 Maybe it will help.

Turns out I did do a bit of. A tutorial earlier in my Vanguard log, so long ago I had forgotten. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/3329-hms-vanguard-by-glenn-amativictory-models-172/page-2#entry120343 Maybe it will help.

My thoughts on 2nd planking:  Spiling, or tapering, to fit a flat strip of wood on a surface that curves both front to back and top bottom is no small feat.  It defies the grain and natural tendency of the wood and is one of the more fascinating, though perhaps tedious, aspects of shipbuilding.  There are whole books written on this topic by modelers far more expert than me using precise methods that are far more exacting than what I do.  Nonetheless, I thought I’d share my process.  I did this for the lost log of the Pegasus and got some nice responses, so here it is again.
 
First and foremost for the 2nd planking to look work you have to have had a good first planking, more than structure and shape it is the surface for the 2nd planking.  If it’s wrong you aren’t going to make up for it with the 2nd planking.  The first planking doesn’t need to look pretty, but it has to be shaped and sanded to be the hull you want the 2nd planking to become. 
 

 
The photo shows my pretty simple set of tools used for planking.
 
For a strip of planking to reach from the bow to the stern, the bow portion (and in some cases the stern) has to be splined or tapered.  In order to have the same number of strips at the wider waist as you have at the narrower bow.  The key is how to make the math work and how to achieve the double twist to accommodate both curves, deck to keel, bow to waist to stern.  I don’t do scarfing or lay battens, I’m too lazy for the first and don’t find a need for the second.
 
With most ships as with the Vanguard the planks closest to the deck will fit full width, the key is not to take too much advantage of this, you pay for it later by not being able to get the lower planks to work out right. I first set the planks for the main wale as full width (actually the base, the wale is achieved by doubling up on those planks after sanding the fully planked hull), below that I tapered, above it I went full width.  I chose to go up from the wale first and then down, but either way works.  I cut and overlap lengths above the wale to show the butt joints similar to the decking, but choose to go the full length of the ship below the wale, just my choice.
 
The second thing I do is the garboard, a full width plank along the keel.  I usually cheat a bit and put a second plank here, tapering the bow side only slightly.  The garboard is historically accurate, but in the case of modeling ensures you have a good base and a consistent point to measure from for tapering the planks below the wale
 

 
The color differences are due to variation in the planks provided with the kit, since I'm painting the hull it's just the one I picked up next.
 
Measure what?  I use a piece of paper and measure the distance from the bottom of the wale to the top of the garboard at the waist and divide by 5.  Since I’m using 5mm wide planks I then know me how many planks I’ll need to cover the ship.  So if the measurement is 100mm, then I need twenty 5mm planks to cover the waist.
 
I do that same measurement at the bow and divide that number by the number of planks above.  If the length was 60mm I know the plank width at the bow has to be 3 mm to get those same 20 planks to fit to the stem of the bow. 
 
Pretty simple.  All I have to do is use my Exacto knife with a really sharp blade (I change blades a lot) and cut the plank from 5 to 3 mm wide.  Here’s the trick though, where to start the cut to begin the taper.  I’m sure there are much more methodical and mathematical ways to do this, but I just let the plank tell me.  I cut the angle required at stem, bevel it, then matching the end of the plank to the bow, lay the plank along the length of the one above it.  It fits snug along the waist and for most of the length of the ship, where it crosses the plank above as it closes in on the bow stem is where I mark with a pencil to start the taper.  I mark a 3 mm width at the stem end, lay my heavy steel rule across the two marks I’ve now made, and cut the taper. 
 
If the taper start point is too close to the stem, it will be very hard to get the plank to lay flat, if it is two far from the stem a S-curve will begin to develop with the distance between the last laid plank not being proportionately equal at the waist and bow.  If this happens I can adjust by where I cut the next plank or if I see it happening soon enough, toss that plank and cut a new one.  As long as I carefully locate my marks it doesn’t happen, its just when I get rushed or bored.  I re-take the measurements every 5 planks or so to make sure I’m still on target, it doesn’t vary much but its worth checking to avoid very narrow stem plank widths as you reach the garboard.
 

 
Measuring in this way gives me a good looking bow, doesn’t require battens, is simple enough to do, and is made possible by using cyano, not PVA glue.  The cyano can be a bit messy, I may be a little over generous with its use, but this comes off easily with sanding and allows the process to move along more quickly.  I’d be more careful with the cyano to avoid staining if I was leaving the hull natural (as I did using cherry wood with the Pegasus) but since I’m painting, smooth is all that’s required.
 
This same process applies to the stern for some but generally not the majority of planks. Here is more important to let the plank follow its natural flow.  This will create triangular gaps that are filled with stealers.  Simply cut triangles cut to fit the length and width of those gaps unless you want to go all  out and scarp them in.  Again, I’m painting and scarping the hull, this would be wasted effort for me (unless you enjoy knowing and doing it then by all means).
 

 
I do all this knowing that no matter how careful I am, I have always had to fill in some area at the waist with partial and oddly cut planks that don’t reach stem to stern.  This fill is on the bottom and won’t be seen once its on the stand so I don’t worry about it, the perfectionist in me adjusts and accepts.
 
So that’s my two cents.  I’m sure as always there are better, more precise, and more expert ways to plank.  But this way works for me and for what its worth I share it with you.
 

My thoughts on 2nd planking:  Spiling, or tapering, to fit a flat strip of wood on a surface that curves both front to back and top bottom is no small feat.  It defies the grain and natural tendency of the wood and is one of the more fascinating, though perhaps tedious, aspects of shipbuilding.  There are whole books written on this topic by modelers far more expert than me using precise methods that are far more exacting than what I do.  Nonetheless, I thought I’d share my process.  I did this for the lost log of the Pegasus and got some nice responses, so here it is again.
 
First and foremost for the 2nd planking to look work you have to have had a good first planking, more than structure and shape it is the surface for the 2nd planking.  If it’s wrong you aren’t going to make up for it with the 2nd planking.  The first planking doesn’t need to look pretty, but it has to be shaped and sanded to be the hull you want the 2nd planking to become. 
 

 
The photo shows my pretty simple set of tools used for planking.
 
For a strip of planking to reach from the bow to the stern, the bow portion (and in some cases the stern) has to be splined or tapered.  In order to have the same number of strips at the wider waist as you have at the narrower bow.  The key is how to make the math work and how to achieve the double twist to accommodate both curves, deck to keel, bow to waist to stern.  I don’t do scarfing or lay battens, I’m too lazy for the first and don’t find a need for the second.
 
With most ships as with the Vanguard the planks closest to the deck will fit full width, the key is not to take too much advantage of this, you pay for it later by not being able to get the lower planks to work out right. I first set the planks for the main wale as full width (actually the base, the wale is achieved by doubling up on those planks after sanding the fully planked hull), below that I tapered, above it I went full width.  I chose to go up from the wale first and then down, but either way works.  I cut and overlap lengths above the wale to show the butt joints similar to the decking, but choose to go the full length of the ship below the wale, just my choice.
 
The second thing I do is the garboard, a full width plank along the keel.  I usually cheat a bit and put a second plank here, tapering the bow side only slightly.  The garboard is historically accurate, but in the case of modeling ensures you have a good base and a consistent point to measure from for tapering the planks below the wale
 

 
The color differences are due to variation in the planks provided with the kit, since I'm painting the hull it's just the one I picked up next.
 
Measure what?  I use a piece of paper and measure the distance from the bottom of the wale to the top of the garboard at the waist and divide by 5.  Since I’m using 5mm wide planks I then know me how many planks I’ll need to cover the ship.  So if the measurement is 100mm, then I need twenty 5mm planks to cover the waist.
 
I do that same measurement at the bow and divide that number by the number of planks above.  If the length was 60mm I know the plank width at the bow has to be 3 mm to get those same 20 planks to fit to the stem of the bow. 
 
Pretty simple.  All I have to do is use my Exacto knife with a really sharp blade (I change blades a lot) and cut the plank from 5 to 3 mm wide.  Here’s the trick though, where to start the cut to begin the taper.  I’m sure there are much more methodical and mathematical ways to do this, but I just let the plank tell me.  I cut the angle required at stem, bevel it, then matching the end of the plank to the bow, lay the plank along the length of the one above it.  It fits snug along the waist and for most of the length of the ship, where it crosses the plank above as it closes in on the bow stem is where I mark with a pencil to start the taper.  I mark a 3 mm width at the stem end, lay my heavy steel rule across the two marks I’ve now made, and cut the taper. 
 
If the taper start point is too close to the stem, it will be very hard to get the plank to lay flat, if it is two far from the stem a S-curve will begin to develop with the distance between the last laid plank not being proportionately equal at the waist and bow.  If this happens I can adjust by where I cut the next plank or if I see it happening soon enough, toss that plank and cut a new one.  As long as I carefully locate my marks it doesn’t happen, its just when I get rushed or bored.  I re-take the measurements every 5 planks or so to make sure I’m still on target, it doesn’t vary much but its worth checking to avoid very narrow stem plank widths as you reach the garboard.
 

 
Measuring in this way gives me a good looking bow, doesn’t require battens, is simple enough to do, and is made possible by using cyano, not PVA glue.  The cyano can be a bit messy, I may be a little over generous with its use, but this comes off easily with sanding and allows the process to move along more quickly.  I’d be more careful with the cyano to avoid staining if I was leaving the hull natural (as I did using cherry wood with the Pegasus) but since I’m painting, smooth is all that’s required.
 
This same process applies to the stern for some but generally not the majority of planks. Here is more important to let the plank follow its natural flow.  This will create triangular gaps that are filled with stealers.  Simply cut triangles cut to fit the length and width of those gaps unless you want to go all  out and scarp them in.  Again, I’m painting and scarping the hull, this would be wasted effort for me (unless you enjoy knowing and doing it then by all means).
 

 
I do all this knowing that no matter how careful I am, I have always had to fill in some area at the waist with partial and oddly cut planks that don’t reach stem to stern.  This fill is on the bottom and won’t be seen once its on the stand so I don’t worry about it, the perfectionist in me adjusts and accepts.
 
So that’s my two cents.  I’m sure as always there are better, more precise, and more expert ways to plank.  But this way works for me and for what its worth I share it with you.