catopower

Done!
 
In a marathon late night session last night, I finished my longboat. I tied the last of the rope coils into place, glued the handles on and officially declared victory. I just couldn't go one more day saying that it should be finished by tomorrow.
 
I'll post a full set of pics in the gallery shortly.
 
I ended up not including the grappling anchor as the casting seemed too big for the model, especially after looking at Chuck's prototype which has an anchor I really like. Perhaps in the future I'll fashion one that's smaller, but it seemed unnecessary, so I left it out. Also, I did flub the location of the flag halliards and put them on the port side instead of the starboard side as given in the instructions. That didn't seem like it was critical, so I left that as well. 
 
Here's a final pic with more to be posted in the gallery shortly.
 

 
 
This started out as a kit that I thought was "nice" and ended up being a really fun and challenging build that tested my skills, taught me a few things, and turned out to be a pretty sweet looking model. Chuck did a wonderful job on this kit design I have to say.
 
I'll be building a case for it in the near future, but at least it's under a dust cover now. 
 
Clare
 

Done!
 
In a marathon late night session last night, I finished my longboat. I tied the last of the rope coils into place, glued the handles on and officially declared victory. I just couldn't go one more day saying that it should be finished by tomorrow.
 
I'll post a full set of pics in the gallery shortly.
 
I ended up not including the grappling anchor as the casting seemed too big for the model, especially after looking at Chuck's prototype which has an anchor I really like. Perhaps in the future I'll fashion one that's smaller, but it seemed unnecessary, so I left it out. Also, I did flub the location of the flag halliards and put them on the port side instead of the starboard side as given in the instructions. That didn't seem like it was critical, so I left that as well. 
 
Here's a final pic with more to be posted in the gallery shortly.
 

 
 
This started out as a kit that I thought was "nice" and ended up being a really fun and challenging build that tested my skills, taught me a few things, and turned out to be a pretty sweet looking model. Chuck did a wonderful job on this kit design I have to say.
 
I'll be building a case for it in the near future, but at least it's under a dust cover now. 
 
Clare
 

So near, yet, so far...
 
Every time I think "Okay, I should have this project done tonight or maybe tomorrow", tonight comes and goes, tomorrow hits and ends and, and again it's "okay, I'll defnitely have this project done tonight, or maybe tomorrow..."
 
But, seriously, I think I can say that I will have this project done by tonight! Or maybe tomorrow. 
 
No. Tonight, I think. I have an event to go to this afternoon, but I have lots of time before I have to leave. And, I'll be back shortly after dark and have time to work on it tonight.
 
All that's left now is to rig four blocks with hooks and rig the jib and staysail halliards and rig the backstays, for which the pendants are already complete. The anchor is rigged and ready to seat with its coil of rope. Oh, and then I just have to tie off the flag halliard. As long as I don't break anything (crossing my fingers here), all should be okay and I can permanently fix the tiller and the handle for the windlass into place.
 
Here's what it looks like now...
 

 
 
Almost there!
 
Clare

So near, yet, so far...
 
Every time I think "Okay, I should have this project done tonight or maybe tomorrow", tonight comes and goes, tomorrow hits and ends and, and again it's "okay, I'll defnitely have this project done tonight, or maybe tomorrow..."
 
But, seriously, I think I can say that I will have this project done by tonight! Or maybe tomorrow. 
 
No. Tonight, I think. I have an event to go to this afternoon, but I have lots of time before I have to leave. And, I'll be back shortly after dark and have time to work on it tonight.
 
All that's left now is to rig four blocks with hooks and rig the jib and staysail halliards and rig the backstays, for which the pendants are already complete. The anchor is rigged and ready to seat with its coil of rope. Oh, and then I just have to tie off the flag halliard. As long as I don't break anything (crossing my fingers here), all should be okay and I can permanently fix the tiller and the handle for the windlass into place.
 
Here's what it looks like now...
 

 
 
Almost there!
 
Clare

I'm determined to finish this model up in the next week or so. During the week, I finished the gudgeons and pintles, and finished making the windlass and handles. Yesterday, I added the thole pins.
 
The windlass is made from square stock basswood. I considered making this from boxwood but the basswood worked well enough. The hardest part was creating the holes for the handles. I drilled, poked with a pointy #11 X-Acto knife and got them about the right size. Finally, I just pushed the handle into each hole. The square section of the handle kind of evened out the square opening. It's not perfect, but I think it's about the best I'm going to do, at least this time.
 
The thole pins were kind of interesting. I'm not much of a jig maker, but this time, I ended up taking a piece of brass and making a drill pattern so that all the thole pins are spaced a consistent distance apart. 
 

 

 
 
Last thing on the rudder were the decorations. Again, mine were printed on decal paper. I realized at some point that I had used clear decal paper instead of white decal paper. The problem with this was that if the decals are placed directly on wood, the color are very subdued. This wasn't a problem with the friezes at the gunwales as I had already painted these areas white. For the rudder, I found that I had to paint white ovals where the decals were to be located. After these dried, I added the decals, which looked fine.
 

 

 
 
For the handles for the rudder and the windlass, I gave up trying to make a decent looking set out of basswood. Instead, I just took some boxwood strips and made these. They are the only use of wood on the model that is not basswood.
 
 
Clare

Congratulations on completing your longboat build Robbyn. You've done a terrific job.
 
Your completion is inspiring me to get in gear to finish up my own longboat project. So, now I'm busily trying to get caught up. It should be very soon and I'm only hoping it will turn out as nice as yours.
 
Well done!
 
Clare

Hello Shlhawk,
 
That's a very good question and the funny thing is that I have been actually faced with exactly the same issue regarding HMS Victory and paint. I am building a model for someone and I'm trying to figure out a way to build it without paint. But, I don't like the way the ship looks without paint. Or at least the way the completed kit might look if I build it without paint.
 
Personally, I think the bias for no paint on a model is just a bias. It's all personal opinion and my own is that paint can frame a model quite nicely and create a contrast that can make the wood on a model stand out. Most ships never looked the way an all wood finish model looks, but that's fine if that's what you like. I'm thinking I'd like to build the Victory with natural wood tone for the yellow bands and for the area that would normally be coppered and then where it's black, I'd like to paint it. Then, that makes it easier to paint the stern galleries which might look a bit odd unpainted while using the kit supplied parts, at least to me.
 
In my experience, when someone asks what people think about a topic, they usually have something in mind and are looking for some encouragement to follow their own ideas. If you feel your model should be all natural, then that's the way you should build it, and if you think it needs some paint, then don't worry about it and go ahead and paint. There should be plenty of examples of both on MSW.
 
As for my case, I need to figure out a way to convince the owner that we'll have a great looking model with my limited paint scheme plan. So, unfortunately, I can't follow my own advice and just do it the way I want. 
 
But, good luck and regardless of what you decide, I'll be looking forward to seeing your build here on MWS,
 
Clare

Hi Robbyn,
 
I feel your pain! Or rather, I felt your pain when I went through the same thing. Your model is looking great. Quite a challenge!
 
Nice job,
Clare

I'm determined to finish this model up in the next week or so. During the week, I finished the gudgeons and pintles, and finished making the windlass and handles. Yesterday, I added the thole pins.
 
The windlass is made from square stock basswood. I considered making this from boxwood but the basswood worked well enough. The hardest part was creating the holes for the handles. I drilled, poked with a pointy #11 X-Acto knife and got them about the right size. Finally, I just pushed the handle into each hole. The square section of the handle kind of evened out the square opening. It's not perfect, but I think it's about the best I'm going to do, at least this time.
 
The thole pins were kind of interesting. I'm not much of a jig maker, but this time, I ended up taking a piece of brass and making a drill pattern so that all the thole pins are spaced a consistent distance apart. 
 

 

 
 
Last thing on the rudder were the decorations. Again, mine were printed on decal paper. I realized at some point that I had used clear decal paper instead of white decal paper. The problem with this was that if the decals are placed directly on wood, the color are very subdued. This wasn't a problem with the friezes at the gunwales as I had already painted these areas white. For the rudder, I found that I had to paint white ovals where the decals were to be located. After these dried, I added the decals, which looked fine.
 

 

 
 
For the handles for the rudder and the windlass, I gave up trying to make a decent looking set out of basswood. Instead, I just took some boxwood strips and made these. They are the only use of wood on the model that is not basswood.
 
 
Clare

I'm determined to finish this model up in the next week or so. During the week, I finished the gudgeons and pintles, and finished making the windlass and handles. Yesterday, I added the thole pins.
 
The windlass is made from square stock basswood. I considered making this from boxwood but the basswood worked well enough. The hardest part was creating the holes for the handles. I drilled, poked with a pointy #11 X-Acto knife and got them about the right size. Finally, I just pushed the handle into each hole. The square section of the handle kind of evened out the square opening. It's not perfect, but I think it's about the best I'm going to do, at least this time.
 
The thole pins were kind of interesting. I'm not much of a jig maker, but this time, I ended up taking a piece of brass and making a drill pattern so that all the thole pins are spaced a consistent distance apart. 
 

 

 
 
Last thing on the rudder were the decorations. Again, mine were printed on decal paper. I realized at some point that I had used clear decal paper instead of white decal paper. The problem with this was that if the decals are placed directly on wood, the color are very subdued. This wasn't a problem with the friezes at the gunwales as I had already painted these areas white. For the rudder, I found that I had to paint white ovals where the decals were to be located. After these dried, I added the decals, which looked fine.
 

 

 
 
For the handles for the rudder and the windlass, I gave up trying to make a decent looking set out of basswood. Instead, I just took some boxwood strips and made these. They are the only use of wood on the model that is not basswood.
 
 
Clare

Hello everybody, I bought a new book on the Kriegstein Collection. What beautiful models, I love the book.

With this installment, I'm about up to where I was on my other build log. I've done some work since then, but I'll leave it for another time to update the log here.
 







 
As you can see in these photos, I've added the floorboards, risers, platforms and stern seats. I used Chuck's technique for scribing the moldings and was really happy with how they turned out. The wood is all treated with a 50/50 mix of Golden Oak and Natural stains. The paint was my own mix of acrylics. I know the brighter red is more authentic, so I chalk up the darker color mix to artistic license.
 
In the fourth photo, if you look carefully, you can see the light shining through the thin planking above the waterline. 
 
Finally, I did start the metal work here, shaping the kit provided brass and using the "Brass Black" solution that Bluejacket sells. I find that I get better results using their product than with A-West's "Blacken-It" product. Anyway, the blackened brass was then given a clear coat and glued into place.
 
Clare

Between a trip to Japan and a trip to Bremerton, WA., I was able to complete the main mast and the bowsprit.  I used Chucks new 1/8" single blocks on the mast.  It is also my little habit to include a piece of swiss pear into my models.  Can you find it?
 
     Bob R.

I'd had a build log for my 18th Century English Longboat going on another site, but it's time to post it here with my other build logs. I started this kit back when the item first came out. I'd been working on some scratch projects and I thought it would make a good diversion to pull out and work on now and again. It's been "in progress" though for so long and far enough along now that I'm ready to put all my effort into finishing up this model.
 
I've had a great time with this kit and I'm pretty happy with how it has turned out. It's pretty rare for me to build a kit without changing things, but so far I've pretty good about not fooling around with changes and just building the model. It's not as nice as some of the fabulous work I see in some of the other build logs. But aside from skill issues, I like to blame any faults on my desire to keep this as a tinkering model to bring out now and again when I need a break from another project.
 
I'll begin here with a photo recap of the project. Again, this began around January of 2012 (I think that's when I got the kit – it's all kind of a blur now...). 
 










 
As you can see, I had a little trouble with the bending of the basswood at the bow, particularly dealing with the third plank up from the garboard. I also had enough trouble with the edge bending that the planks weren't all laying flat. So, I sanded to compensate. As a result, there's some REALLY THIN planking there. In a later photo, you might see the light shining through it.
 
However, I did manage not to sand all the way through and the planks look pretty even.
 
Clare
 
 

With this installment, I'm about up to where I was on my other build log. I've done some work since then, but I'll leave it for another time to update the log here.
 







 
As you can see in these photos, I've added the floorboards, risers, platforms and stern seats. I used Chuck's technique for scribing the moldings and was really happy with how they turned out. The wood is all treated with a 50/50 mix of Golden Oak and Natural stains. The paint was my own mix of acrylics. I know the brighter red is more authentic, so I chalk up the darker color mix to artistic license.
 
In the fourth photo, if you look carefully, you can see the light shining through the thin planking above the waterline. 
 
Finally, I did start the metal work here, shaping the kit provided brass and using the "Brass Black" solution that Bluejacket sells. I find that I get better results using their product than with A-West's "Blacken-It" product. Anyway, the blackened brass was then given a clear coat and glued into place.
 
Clare

Spanish news blimp gets a picture of HMS VICTORY as it cuts the line.

It is now 12:45, 21 October 1805, twelve miles off the coast of Cape Trafalgar...and you are there.

Today, I just received my copy of Ancre's monograph of the cutter Le Cerf, 1779-1780.
 
 


   
It's a great product, but I really want to point out here is that if you live in the U.S., I strongly advise you to pay the extra money to order by a trackable express shipping service. I first place an order for this product on March of this year. Figuring it might take 4 or 5 weeks to get, I waited a couple months and nothing showed up, so I emailed them. 
 
I didn't hear anything back, so I posted on the Seaways mail list asking what other people's experiences were with ordering from Ancre. Next thing I know, I got an email from Ancre asking how they could help. He immediately shipped the product to me and all was looking well.
 
Then, 4 weeks went by and 6 weeks. As the 8th week was approaching, I wrote again. Mr. Didier Berti (Hubert Berti, his father, had passed away in the Spring) offered to reship it by express service if I wanted to pay the cost and I was very happy to spend the extra money this time. 
 
So, today, the book shows up at my home in California, a mere 4 days after it was shipped from France. I have the product, an excellent product by the way, and all is well.
 
Maybe shipping to other parts of the U.S. will have better luck, but for shipping to the west coast I STRONGLY advise you to pay the extra chunk of cash to order via trackable, express shipping. Anyway, you're going to want your Ancre orders quickly so you can enjoy the amazing quality of their products right away.
 
 
 
Ancre - Collection Archéologique Navale
 
 
 
At last, another happy Ancre book owner.
 
Clare

As I mentioned above, I have discontinued our web site and the build log I had posted there. Instead I am trying to put together some videos and also include pictures as I go along.
At this point I am ready to install the three topsails. The mizzen was the first one. Before I do that, however, I wanted to set the cloth in the 'wind-blown' profile. Again I used spray starch and a hair dryer. The first try is shown in the short video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrJ4pdUOxLo
 

Hi Popeye,
 
Your build is looking great regardless of the whole caprail issue. And on that, there is one of the dangers of having photos of an actual ship or replica available. If you didn't have those photos, you might be perfectly happy!  And as far as kits and those "Oh, Sh**" moments, as Bob put it, I've been working on a scratch project and seem to have a lot more of those moments than ever before. You just can't escape them no matter what...
 
Clare

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 1 - Decisions 
I took most of the summer deciding whether I would undertake another ship model and if so, what the scope and subject would be.  I had a lot of time to think about this while catching up on neglected home maintenance and repair projects.  After deciding that I needed the challenge of another ambitious project, the decisions on scope and subject kept me busy through July.  I also had to decide whether I could commit to another Naiad-like build log.  We shall see.
 
I received a number of suggestions on subjects and that input is most appreciated.  Since I expect this project to span a number of years, the decision was a big one.  I have enjoyed wrestling through the process of deciding.  I had a number of criteria:  1) significant design/drafting content, 2) fully-framed construction to further explore my interest in structures, 3) a change from the well-trod path of fully-framed 18th Century Royal Navy subjects, 4) avoiding commonly modeled ships, and 5), I thought it was time to do an American ship. 
 
Before focusing on the extreme American clippers, I considered, among many other possibilities, a 19th Century American warship, perhaps steam-sail, and looked seriously at some of the ships by John Lenthall, built locally at the Philadelphia Navy Yard – examples: Germantown (sail), Princeton (screw/sail), Susquehanna (paddle/sail).  
 
In the end, the idea of the extreme clipper was too attractive to dismiss.  To me, this type represents an apex of achievement in wooden sailing ship design and construction – in terms of sleek hull lines, sailing performance, structural development and sheer beauty.  In the design of the extreme clippers, minimum tradeoffs were made to the one paramount design parameter  - achieving the shortest sailing times between far-flung ports.  Speed meant not only sleek hull lines and a spread of canvas, but also the strength to withstand continuous hard driving, day-in, day-out. 
 
After deciding on the clipper – and an American (meaning all wood) clipper - I chose the work of William H. Webb of New York.  It would have been easier to select something from his more popular competitor, Donald McKay, but McKay’s ships built at East Boston, have long been widely modeled – Staghound, Flying Cloud, Lightning and others. McKay’s papers do include substantial structural detail – very tempting.  Webb, too, has left papers, and these have been explored, with information published in the secondary sources I have used.  There are many gaps, but there is a family resemblance in details to all these ships and many practices and scantlings were commonly adopted.  Webb presented more of a challenge – in more ways than one – as I will describe later. 
 
Of Webb’s ships, I chose Young America, built in 1853, his last extreme clipper.  Less is known about her construction than some of his others, so the task of piecing her structure together is more interesting.  I will discuss this, the ship, and the extreme clipper era in the next posts.
 
Below is a photo of Young America, docked at San Francisco, a frequent port of call for her.  She was built mainly for the East Coast to California trade.  In the picture she is rigged with double topsails - a modification from her original single topsail rig.  There are also some paintings of her.  She was considered Webb’s masterpiece – one of his twelve clippers in a list that included renowned ships like Challenge, Comet, Invincible, Flying Dutchman – all of these examples being 200 to 240 feet in length. YA enjoyed a thirty-year career that included fifty passages around Cape Horn.  She set a number of sailing records and earned a ton of money for her various owners – and for those who made money betting on passage times.  In 1883 she left Philadelphia carrying 9200 barrels of Pennsylvania case oil, cleared Delaware Bay and was never heard from again.
 

 
The model may be fully rigged.  I will decide later.  With the hull length involved (240’) the scale is likely to be 1:72, but that is not yet cast in stone.
 
Structural drawings are well along and I expect to start construction later in September.
 
I hope these posts will be of interest and perhaps draw some attention to this somewhat neglected modeling genre.
 
Ed
 
 
 
 

Mark, you rock!
 
What was particularly interesting was an e-book link in the Civil War Talk forum you posted at the end there. Interesting discussion about handing pivot guns, but that e-book "Ordnance Instructions for the US Navy, 1866" that was an incredible find! 100+ pages of all the details about handling boat howitzers, the maneuvering of pivot guns, what everyone's job is at the guns, organization of boarding parties and small arms... everything.
 
I've got a ton of fascinating reading material now.
 
Thanks for the info!
Clare

Paddle Wheels

 

I decided to set aside the armament constructions while I get back to an assembly that's been holding everything up on this model as I was trying to use brass etching and improving that technique. So, I finally decided that enough was enough and it was time to just build the paddle wheels. 

 

I went back to an old fashioned method of metal working to make flat rings for the paddle wheels. I had use large gauge (relatively speaking) copper wire wound into a circle and then flattened with hammer and anvil making the wire into a flat ring. I used this method to make circular tracks for pivot guns on a few models in the past. It worked then and maybe my touch has improved a little. At least I can hope.

 

For the Saginaw's paddle wheels, I would need 2-1/2" diameter outer rings. The diameter of an inner set of rings depends on which drawings you look at. I chose to use the original sheer plan drawings of the Saginaw, which show a basic paddle wheel structure. There is another set of detailed drawings available, but it's not clear if these drawings are actually specific to the Saginaw since the name doesn't appear anywhere on them. In any case, the inner ring diameter I'm using is approximately 1-9/16" diameter.

 



 

I made up some template on my computer and used them to create a set of MDF formers for the ring sizes needed. The templates were glued to the MDF board and cut to shape. The formers were then glued to an MDF board base. 18 gauge copper wire was bent around formers to create rings of appropriate size.

 



 

The copper wire rings were then carefully set on an anvil and tapped carefully with a hammer, flattening out the wire little by little. The wire tends to straighten itself in the process and is regularly bent on the former back to shape. The wire also tends to twist, so the piece is turned over regularly to undo any twist. 

 



 

As the wire is tapped flat, the ring flattens and widens. At this scale, the ring should actually be only about 1/32" wide (just under 4" at full size), but that makes it too flimsy for me to work with, so my aim has been about 3/64" to 1/16". 

 



 

Once the rings were made, I had intended to silver solder them closed, but found it was easier for now just to CA the ends together. The effort here is to get these done so I can get work on the hull and deck structures going again.

 

I made another template for lining up the rings and the spokes, again printed off the computer. For the spokes, I used 1/32” thick by 3/64” wide boxwood I had on hand. For the time being, I just deal with the part of the spokes connecting the two rings. The longer spoke sections that reach out from the hub, do so at an angle, so I simply left room along the inner ring for these to seat.

 

The very first spoke was run across the whole assembly to hold the rings into place while all the short spokes were glued into place.

 



 

 

Clare

Interior Diversion
 
One of the features I’ve always enjoyed adding is having an open hatch or companionway, or being able to see down through a skylight. I often try to just cut open a little area under a hatch to allow a ladder and then I just blacken the interior so you can’t easily see that it’s just a hole. But, if I sit and stare at the model long enough, I start to think about doing more. And, since I have the interior deck details of the Saginaw, I figured I’d add just enough detail to make your mind’s eye imagine there is a whole world of details hidden away.
 
Unfortunately, I don’t usually get these ideas until AFTER the lifts are all glued together. It could be so much easier if I had thought of the idea sooner. But, it is what it is. So, using a chisel and gouges, I cut open two large areas. One of them is the crew space aft of the foremast, and the other is the officers wardroom and captain’s cabin aft of the mainmast. I wasn’t planning on doing anything extremely elaborate – just add enough detail to make the observer curious. 
 
Cutting out the areas on a lift model is actually not so bad. The wood tends to cut away  more easily along the layers of the lift boundaries, so it’s easy enough to get a flat floor, which helps if the lifts happen to be at the right depths. In this case they were, so that wasn’t so bad.
 
I cut pieces of 1/64” plywood that fit each of these spaces and planked them over with the same planks I was planning to use for the deck, which is 1/16” wide boxwood strips, 1/32” thick. At this scale, I decided to simply edge the planks with pencil. I didn’t worry about plank butts or treenails since this will be mostly hidden. However I did cut hatch outlines as needed and pencil marks were drawn in where interior partition were to be added.
 
 

 
 

 
 
After the openings were cut, I made covers of sheet basswood and fit them. Having chiseled out large sections of the old deck, I was actually able to use some of the removed pieces to fashion simple support beams that were already shaped to the deck camber. So, the sheet basswood covers took on the proper camber without much extra effort. It was only necessary to make sure that the covers seated properly and were perfectly flush with the deck. And, finally, I cut all the openings in the covers for the hatches and skylights.
 
I didn’t glue these down at this stage since there was still interior work to do.
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
Clare

Shaping the Hull
 
 
With the lifts cut, getting the final shape was pretty easy, and a relatively small amount of wood had to be removed. 
 
It’s important to note that the lines on these plans are drawn to the inside of the planking. If I was going to make this a straight solid hull model, I would have had to redraw all the lines of the plans. Fortunately for me, I like the looks of planks and I plank my solid hull models. So, this worked out really well.
 
Using the profile templates I made earlier, I regularly checked my work and started on the hull by carving away most of the extra wood. Carving saved myself a lot of extra sanding, but required a bit of care so as not to cut away too much, which is very easy to do. Of course, that’s what wood filler is for, so a mistake here isn’t the end of the world.
 
The hardest areas to carve are the concave areas of the hull up under the stern. Since the hull lifts were held together with screws, it was possible to separate them, and this made it easier to access those hollows.
 
Also, if you look at my photos, you might note that the upper most lift has been omitted. I didn’t add this piece in until the rest of the hull was pretty much cut to shape. The main reason was to allow easier shaping of the hollow under the stern.
 
You may also notice from the photos that the ends of the hull look squared off. I’ve found that it’s much easier to keep lifts properly aligned, getting a good straight line for the keel and stern and stem posts, if I made all the lifts the same length. So, the shape of each lift was extended. Once all the other shaping was done, I used another profile template to shape the stern and stem posts.
 
The last thing I did was to measure the shear of the deck and mark the upper most lift to the height of the centerline of the deck, minus the planking – Since I planned to use 1/32” thick deck planks, I made sure to allow for that. 
 
A bench top belt sander made quick work of the deck shear, but it’s important to slow down when getting anywhere close to the shear line so as not to cut away too much. Once the deck shear is cut, the deck camber can be added. I added this by simply drawing the height of the deck at the edge on both sides of the hull. Then, I cut a curved piece of wood the shape of the camber as a guide and sanded the deck carefully to match the guide.
 
With that, the basic hull shape was essentially done and pretty much what you would get if you went out and purchased a solid hull ship model kit (minus all the plans and fittings, of course).
 
 
Clare
   
 

Some of the station profile templates I made