CaptainSteve

Just a thought, but when you fit your spar deck gratings, why not leave them un-glued. That way, you can remove them to show off your gun deck.

WoW !! In the end, all of your additional work is going to pay-off with one fine looking gun-deck !!

Just a quick note to say that I'm still moving forward. One side (port) has been completed. This side just required the stealer to be shaped and added to the supposed over-sized shutter plank (Hah !!) The other side (starboard) has proven to be a PITA !! With the spare planking wood I had available to me, even adding a stealer left a small gap. Thus, I had to improvise by making my own shutter plank AND stealer. Tonight after work, the THIRD attempt was ripped out and replaced. This finally looks to be a good fit, although will require some cleaning up and distressing of the two planks to make them match the rest of the Launch. Other than numerous reworkings of these remaining planks, I have distressed some thin veneers to plank the transom, and painted one strip in Dockers colours to match my sheer planks - thus allowing me to cover-up the unnecessary TRANSOM stamped into this piece. These will be added once I'm (Finally !!) happy with my planking. An update to the Adventures of CaptainSteve is coming soon !! PS: CaptainAndrew's team lost dismally to mine this past weekend. I reckon they showed up thinking we were gunna play FoosBall ... and not Football !!

Captain Nenad ... that has a nice ring to it !!

There's also the CalderCraft one. I've been following a build of this on MSW for some time: HMB Endeavour by Captain Slog

Saw your original post, GJ. For me, it just comes down to a question of balancing which is cheaper/easier .... a drive into town, or paying the freight and awaiting delivery.

What do I think ?!?! How the heck did you ONLY end up with third place, is what I be thinkin' ??? Arrr ....

Good suggestion. There's also a couple of gunsmiths. One is in Northbridge at the upper end of William St (high numbers, around the 500s).

Mike, I'm looking to get some of this stuff, also. The Bunnings staff just look at me like I'm crazy (a distinct possibility). Then they ask what I want it for. That always produces the "Oh, how cute!!" response. Can you tell me where you got the Brass Black from in Perth ??

I agree with Piet ... that looks fantastic !! With both you and yourself working together on this, it's no wonder you are doing such a great job.

Andy, All the above is great advice for your query. The only part of your question which hasn't been addressed is: For myself, at least, I have found that you cannot soak for too long. The wood will only take up so much water. As a slooooow modeller, I sometimes leave my planks soaking for days on end before using them. Then, when I am ready, I'll select a single plank, quickly wipe it down, then bend using some of the methods listed above. Sometimes, if a plank is not fitting precisely, I'll pop it back in the soaking tub again for a day or so, then re-do the bend. My preferred method is to clamp the newly bent plank into position on my model and allow it to dry completely before fixing it in place.

By the way, a question .... Do I do the tree-nails before or after the boat comes off the building jig ??

Gettin' close, Alde. Things have been a bit hectic at work, lately. By the time I get home, chores outta the way and I log on to MSW to check out everyone else's work each night, there ain't enough time to work on me Launch. But, once the stealers are done, I'll plank the transom using the same distressed wood, then a quick sand-down and some touching up to ensure the planks are even in colour (some of the later ones are a bit darker, but I can fix that.) THEN ... off she comes !!! Incidentally, I'm toying with an idea to replace the white waterline ... Am thinking of marking out the shape with a stencil from the plans, but colouring it with flecks of white paint, to show where the waterline used to be. I'm hoping this way it will be apparent, without covering up the distressed wood look which I worked so hard to create.

With my embarrassing error now fixed, all that remains with the planking is to fit the shutter planks. Despite the claim in the instructions that the supplied planks are over-sized, they are actually too narrow to fill the remaining gap. Thus I will be requiring stealers. Odd that I recall Keith needing stealers, but don't remember Alde mentioning them. This presents a problem in that I will have to find some scrap wood large enough to use. I have plenty of pieces from the templates, but not many of these are big enough to work. Thus, I'll need to search out some appropriate pieces to be shaped to fit. Another option is that I have plenty of left-over planking wood in Davy Jones' Locker - but it is a lot thicker than the planks on the Launch. So they'd need to be sanded down to the correct thickness first. Also, due to it being football season, work will be slow this weekend, as my team is playing against CaptainAndrew's team. Therefore, as his television is MUCH bigger than mine, Friday night will be spent at his place consuming various substances and watching the game. (But, this time, NO pizza !!!!) Arrr ....

Thanks, Nenad. You are most welcome to join the horde !!

Hmmph ... regular people !!! They just don't understand us modellers.

Noooo ... the beard MUST stay !!! Great work on your Cutty Sark, Nenad. I'll be following from here on.

Arr ... Yes, DG, 'twould be nice to blame the gremlins. But, in reality it was just another outbreak of a terminal disease I seem to suffer from ... Stoopidity !! No matter. The problem has now been fixed - though it did mean pulling up three planks and re-arranging them. I think I should buy shares in Isopropyl !! All that remains now are the two shutter planks ...

Arrrgeth !! It would appear that the party responsible for the uncooperative plank was NOT the Bermuda Triangle, after all. New evidence has come to light in the matter and it now seems likely that it was [shock][horror] someone in this very room !! However, we may never know the identity of the true culprit. Indeed, he (or she) has most likely made good his (or her) escape by now anyway. So there really is no point in trying to attribute blame ... is there ?? Precisely !! I think it best to just leave the matter at that and get on with the planking.

Alde (and Mark), I should mention that I discovered this plank being wrong about four days back. Whilst doing a test-fit, this was what led me to discover that I had distressed the incorrect side of some of my planks. If reversed, this particular plank would fit in place on the PORT side - except for the curve now in it - but not on the STARBOARD side. As it is nearly 6am, and I have been pondering this problem for the past 3 hours, the only plausible explanation that I can reach is that, somehow, the Bermuda Triangle has re-positioned itself directly over my work-table !! PS: Woo-hoo ... CaptainSteve has just been promoted to Captain !! "Looketh !! I have me bars !!", he announced, joyfully.

Mark, it hasn't been spiled as yet. Merely bent to shape and drying in position. Prior to placement, I paired up my planks to make certain I had the right planks for the corresponding positions, as they were no longer in the template. I had checked them all against Plan Sheet 4 AND it was a perfect (reversed) match to Plank 8 on the opposite side (Port). I don't believe it is merely upside-down, as each plank in this kit has an angle on one end to fit into the rabbett. I'm really at a loss to understand how this gap has occurred. EDIT: I've just checked. If I remove it and try flipping it, then, due to the pre-cut shaping of the planks in this kit, the situation becomes even worse !!

Thanks, Guys !! Alde, yes, I do believe I will do precisely that. For now, I am still distressing about where the gap came from with plank 8 on the starboard side. Nonetheless, this plank has not been fixed into place as yet. It is merely drying in position to gain the curve after "water-boarding". I'm certain I can make a stealer !! It will mean my planking will be different on the two sides. But, Hey, this is a work-boat ... not the Sovereign of the Seas !!

Arrr ... 'twas a most distressing time had by CaptainSteve this past week. The planks which hadst previously been distressed incorrectly were flipped, scratched, penciled, re-stained and re-sanded. "Take that, ye scurvy wooden mongrels !!" didst our hero vindictively declare, as he subjected them, yet again, to another round of water-boarding. Thusly, planking didst continue, 'though verily there was much back-tracking, ungluing and regluing as early edge-spiling was found to be most undesirous. But he didst geteth there in the end. "Spiled they be, each and every plank. Then sanded within an inch of their very lives. Smooth as a baby's bum, this boat be. Why !! If Bligh hadst but sailed in her instead, he twouldst have attained Timor in nought but a day and a half !!", CaptainSteve didst boast. As if these woes were not enough, further distress came our hero's way with the distressing of the planks which hadst already been affixed, being those of the garboard and adjoining planks. "These are muchly of lighter colouration than before," CaptainSteve didst declareth. "But I liketh them. They are most satisfactory and they shall suffice." But a thought did plagueth him. "The waterline in white which many others who have gone afore have added," he didst thinketh aloud, "Verily, 'twouldst hideth much of the planking distress. Mayhaps, I shalt do away with it altogether. Further introspection on this matter shall be required. " At this point our hero didst turn his attention once more to the Sheer planks. "They dost lacketh something !!", he decided. "I know !! I shall addeth a stripe of Docker White to the Docker Purple that existeth already." Most happy with this, our hero did turneth his attention to completing the planking. But, further distress was awaiting him. "Looketh here," he didst cry to the assembled horde. "'Tis a sight most ungainly !!" "Alas and alack !! Thievery hath occurred !! Verily, I will be requiring a STEALER on the starboard side !! FOOTNOTES: Whilst, verily, the keel doth appear above to be unsquare, most assuredly tis true indeed !! Sheer tabs have been checked. They are positioned most correctly. As can be seen, the Sheer planks doth indeed sit upon the tabs. Verily, the Sheer planks doth align true with the top of the transom on both sides.

Nice save, Alde. I'll be watching out for this problem !!

Great work, Tom !! Truly brilliant !! You're fast becoming a living practicum (complete with pictures).