Glenn-UK

Much to ponder on the way forward after a morning of test fitting various parts. I did a check that some of the upper deck items will align with the lower deck openings. I am pleased to report that no issues were found. I then turned my attention to the inner stern board and counter pattern. After a little bit of trimming of the lower pattern I was happy with how the join between the two patterns looks. However there is an issue with where the lower pattern joins with the deck, as can be seen in the photo below. I am undecided what to do but my current thinking is either: a) to see if I can add some material to the bottom of the stern board pattern so there is no gapping with the deck edge. I will also need to add some packing to bring the stern board up to the same level as the back end of the deck. This will be time consuming and I may end up creating some more problems. b) Leave as is and then fit a filler piece to cover the gap, as per the photo below, noting the filler piece will need be full length rather than the short experimental test piece shown below. c) Add some packing to bring the stern board up to the same level as the back end of the deck and then add a filler piece. I am currently drawn toward option c). However there is bigger problem to resolve before I can fit stern board and counter patterns. In the photo below I am test fitting one of the rear cabins side patterns. It can be seen that the pattern does not sit flush of the deck. This can be rectified by removing some of the patterns curved section so it follows the shape of the lower stern board pattern. Also the pattern is not square where the cabin door pattern will be located. The cabin door assemblies are a good fit. The outer cabin frames were then glued to the cabin side and door panels. Another aspect to consider is the fitting of the cabin roofs. As can be seen below the cabin side panels need to be level with the cabin frames, When looking at both the cabin side panels and the stern board and counter patterns I am happy that there are no issues with regard to how cabin side panels will fit against the stern counter pattern, as can be seen by the red arrow. The problem area is indicated by the yellow arrow. However as this is not the case with the stern board pattern. My options are: a) Fit both the stern counter and board patterns and then, when fitting the cabin side panels, trim the bottom edges as necessary to get a good fit. b) Resolve the alignment issue of the cabin side panel before fitting the stern counter and board patterns. The curved edge of the cabin side panel can be trimmed so it sits flush on top of the stern board pattern. c) Sort out the basic alignment issues as per option a) above. Once the stern board and stern counter patterns have been fitted trim the curved edge of the cabin side panel so it sits flush on top of the stern board pattern. Unless anyone has any bright ideas my current thinking is to go with option c).

Totally agree.

The top outer rail has now been added. Before fitting I brushed on some sanding sealer and then painted the rails dull black. I decided to apply some cherry wood dye to planked area between the waterline and wale. It might not be to everyone's taste but I am pleased with the end result. Next I applied a WOP coat to the hull. After checking the position of the waterline I added tape so the hull is now ready for coppering. After removing the bulkhead ears the laser etch deck was test fitted and seems to be a perfect fit without any need to make any adjustments. I still need test fit some of the deck items such as the masts and bitts to ensure there are no issues before the deck is glued in place. The rear inner bulwarks patterns were test fitted without any issues. I used some pins, placed in the gun port eyebolt holes, to help with the alignment of the rear patterns. The front patterns need to be bent to follow the curve of the bow. After soaking the front inner bulwarks patterns in warm water for a few minutes they were clamped in place and will now be left overnight to fully dry out. Next I moved on to test fitting the inner stern counter and board patterns. The upper pattern required a little bit of tweaking and then split along one of the laser etched lines as I was sanding. I was able to add some glue to rectify the problem. With both parts in place they do not look great. The top part is not a problem as it lines up perfectly with the two openings. I will need to spend some time working out a solution to get the lower pattern to line up with both the deck and the upper pattern. In the photo below the top pattern is not correctly aligned but the join between the two patterns looks better. My next task (in the morning) will be to test fit all the rear cabin outer patterns.

Great progress, coming along very nicely 👌

I have experimented with some different wood dyes and ended up adding a cherry wood finish to the square tuck. There is still a little bit of tiding up work required in this area. I then moved on to adding the wales. I marked and taped the position of the waterline. I also added tape to the area above the wale. Once that was done I sanded the area smooth between the upper and lower tapes. The previously bent wales were then checked and I did end up adjusting the bend for a better fit around the bow area. I have also been experimenting with both oak and cherry wood dyes on some spare planking material and will add a cherry wood finish to the planked area below the wales and above the waterline. The wales were then coated with a sanding sealer and two coats of dull black painted were brushed on. Next I brushed some wood glue to both the underside of the right-hand side wale and the hull. The wale was then carefully aligned and clamped in place and were left to dry. Once the glue had had time to cure the process was repeated for the left-hand side wale. You may note in the photos below I did add one pin to the lower wale section at the stern so it follows the curve of the hull. I will remove the pins first thing in the morning. The upper tape layer has also been removed now the wales have been fitted.

Hello Mark Many thanks for the kind comment. It nice when you enhance a kit and the end result justifies the extra work.

The Square Tuck Following on from @Blue Ensign lead I decided to fabricate a square tuck to finish off the second planking. Previously I had used the lower stern pattern, before it was fitted, as a template to shape the lower framing pieces for this task. The square tuck frame pieces were cut from some spare 0.8mm pear wood. After a little bit of tiding up work the lower curved framing pieces were glued in place. The bottom edges were then sanded flat with the second planking, where necessary. The top edge framing pieces were then glued in place. The next task was to add an infill to the framed area. I initially make an card infill template and planked on top of that. I ended up abandoning this approach as the planked assembly did not hold together when I tried to trim the excess material from the planks to the get the required shape. In the end I simply added strips of 4mm planking material, using the template as a guide for the bottom edge shaping. This was easy to do and did not take long to complete. The final task was to sand completed square tuck area so that the planks were flush with the frames. It has been an interesting little side project and one which I am glad to have undertaken as I am really pleased with the end result. The square tuck area is still slightly damp from the cleaning process in the two photos below.

Many thanks Maurice. Not working in the shipyard day 😫 due to grandparent duties.😁

Hello Mark Planking is one of the dark arts and I am making progress in making a better job of it. The light bulb moment for me was when I finally understood the lateral bending method and the benefit adding twists to planks for the garboard. Cheers Glenn

Hi Ross Thanks for the comment. I am still trying to figure out proper planking also. Cheers Glenn

I have now completed the second planking on the left-hand side. As with the right-hand side I fitted planks of approx 140mmL. I also applied a lateral bend for the planks that were installed around the bow section. For the most part I am really pleased with how the second planking has turned out. The hull will now require sanding to iron out any bumps before I add the wales and copper tiles. In the final photo I am starting test fitting the parts I have made for adding the square tuck. There is a little bit more work required before they can be fitted. I also have to made the top right-hand square tuck frame part.

Planking on the left hand side has started and so far it is looking good. The first 6 strakes that sit beneath the wale have been added. I have added some marks to aid with the the plank tapering around the bow. In the first photo the blue arrow is where the planks are tapered to 3mmW and the red arrow indicate where the planks are tapered to 3.5mmW. The end of the plank which fits in the stem post is tapered to 2mmW. The final photo shows the planking terminating at the stern. The following set of photos, shows, in detail, the complete process I follow to fit a strake. Step 1 - Stem Post After making an initial angled cut the plank is placed in the rabbet and a pencil line is added so an accurate shape can be made. The plank is then removed and cut along the pencil line. Step 2- Marking the taper points With the plank held in place the 3mmW and 3.5mmW positions are marked on the plank. A 2mmW mark is also added to the stem post end and a mark for the end point for the taper is also added. Using the vernier caliper the taper points are then marked so a line can be drawn between all the marked points. Once the taper has been cut the plank width is checked using vernier calipers. Step 3 - Adding a lateral bend After the plank has been dipped in some water it is clamped so a lateral bend can be added. I used a hairdryer for approx. 1 minute to apply heat to the plank. The laterally bent plank is then test fitted, and as can be seen below, the plank is not a perfect fit. When this is the case the plank is then wetted again and the lateral bend is adjusted. It fits much better the second time around and also, as can be seen in the final photo below, the plank does followed the 3.5mmW and 3mmW marks. Step 4 - Fitting the Plank As I am fitting planks of approx.140mmL the position for the cut is made on the plank. The cut line repeats for every third strake. I used my guillotine to make the cut, and the reverse side of the cut plank is marked to ensure I can line up the cut edges when fitting the next plank. I apply a bevel to the top edge of the plank as this helps to keep the plank tight to the upper plank. I do have a couple of bowls on hand, one has clean water and one has some acetone to remove any excess ca glue. Ca glue is then added to the hull and the dampened plank is then added. Step 5 - Adding the remaining planks The next cut position is marked on the plank. Once the plank has been cut a bevel is added to both the top edge and also to the end which butts up to the previous plank. The dampened plank is then glued in place and any excess ca glue is wiped away. The process is then repeated for the final two planks. The final plank is then trimmed close to the lower stern counter pattern. It might seem a long winded process but it works well for me and is producing much better results. And it is not as time consuming as you might imagine once you get going.

The square tuck arrangement is for framing so there are no open ends where the planking terminates at the stern.

I have now completed the right-hand side second planking. There is a wet nature in the photos below as I did brush the hull with a dampened brush. This was done to remove any unwanted dust from the hull and to also highlight any areas which may require a little bit of attention. Overall I am very satisfied with how this has turned out, it is not perfect but generally it looks good to the naked eye. I will now spend a few more days repeating the process for the left-hand side. Fingers crossed I can repeat what I have done already. The wale (when fitted) will positioned between the lower laser etched line on the bulwark pattern and the third strake. I am planning to add a square tuck to the stern.

Looks great

Work is progressing slow and steady on adding the second planking. I have now completed the planking on the right-hand side down to where the water line terminates at bow and stern. I have also added the garboard along the keel, comprising 2 x 4mm planks. I have continued to use shorter plank lengths (max approx 140mm). In the photo below the red arrows shows the position of the different plank joints, noting the pattern does repeat with every third strake. When fitting a plank I do mark the position of the next plank, as indicated by the blue arrow. The bow planking is looking reasonably Ok at the moment. I am colour matching the planks as I go along. The lateral bend is really helping and there is no real evidence of clinkering which is a first for me. In the photo below the CA glue stain will be hidden by the wale, when fitted. The blue arrow indicates where the plank width is tapered to 3mm and will taper to 2mm at the stem post. The final two photos shows the stern area. Once the plank ends have been sanded flush with the stern counter I am planning to add a square tuck finish. There is still a few days work left to complete the right-hand side before moving on repeat for the left-hand side.

Looks great

Many thanks Mark, much appreciated.

There is quite a lot colour variation with the kit supplied second planking material. Also there are a few planks that have manufacturing defects, such as ripped edges and tapering. I have sorted through and will use the best planks for the area beneath the wales and above the water line. The quality and colour variation of the kit supplied second planking material is not a issue when the hull is either painted or coppered. The Harpy will be coppered below the water line. If going for a natural wood, varnished finish to show of the planking then it is probably better to replace the second planking material with high quality milled timber from a supplier such as Hobbymill EU. My planking is not up to that standard as yet. I ended up following the same method as @Blue Ensign with regards adding the two strakes that sit beneath the wales and then trimming the excess material so the next strake will follow the same line as the bottom edge of the wale. Once that was done I took some measurements and created a schedule for the planking between the bottom edge of the wale and the garboard. I am not going to taper the stern planks and will simply add stealers as and when necessary. In the next photo I have added the first four strakes that sit beneath the wale. The blue arrow indicates where the strakes added that sit beneath the wale. I have use the planks that were the worst with regards to colour matching for this area. When adding the second planking I am fitting planks of approx 140mmL and making joints on the bulkhead lines. In the next photo you will see where the various joints have been made. The next photo shows how the stern looks, noting the blue arrow shows the planks that will be hidden by the wale. The following set of photos shows the process I am using to add planks in a bit more detail. Once the plank has been tapered as per my planking schedule it is wetted and then clamped to my workbench so a lateral bend can be applied. I use a hairdryer to apply heat to the dampened plank for approx. 1 minute. The laterally bent plank is then test fitted. The plank looks a good fit in the photo below. The plank is then cut to length, using a guillotine. In the next photo the second plank has been added. I slightly dampen the plank before gluing as the adhesion with the CA is much quicker. When adding the stern plank I like to add a slight twist to get a good fit. In the final photo of this photo the stern plank has been fitted. The blue arrow shows the approximate position of the water line.

I use Guild Materials Sanding Sealer, GLDCEX1100125

The outer bulwark patterns have now been added to the hull. I used a variety of clamps to hold the patterns in place as the glue was curing. I did find it necessary to use my hand made clamps to ensure the bottom edge of the patterns were in contact with the hull. Once the patterns had been clamped in place all the gun port jigs were removed to ensure they were not accidently glued in place. When the clamps were removed I was reasonably happy with how they looked. When reading some of the other build logs there were some different approaches made to the second planking with regards to how the planks will align with the wale patterns. I have marked the line where lower edge of the wale will sit of the hull as shown in the photo below. My plan is to add a plank aligned with the marked bottom edge line and then to infill the area between that plank and the bulwarks. Before starting the second planking I applied a coat of sanding sealer to the hull. The position of the bullheads are marked in case I decide to use them should I wish to add some pins when planking below the water line. I will add a line for the waterline before I start to add the second planking. I plan to follow @Blue Ensign lead and use individual plank lengths of approx 140mm, with a minimum length of 60mm for the planking between the wale and waterline.

Hello Maurice You hard work and attention to detail is paying off as the coppering looks great. Thanks for a very informative post (once again). Glenn (UK)

The paint job looks great

The next task in the build process is to add the outer bulwark decorative patterns. To assist with the aligning of these patterns the kit is provided with a set of gun port jigs. Each gun port jig has a laser engraved position identifier. When test fitting these jigs I did notice the ones marked as 2L through to 10L are shaped for the right hand gun port openings side and the ones marked as 2R through to 10R are required for the left hand side gun port openings. The outer patterns, after being soaked in warm water, were clamped to the hull and left to dry out overnight. I used plenty of clamps for the bow area. Once the patterns had fully dried out the the right-hand pattern was carefully aligned. I did shave approx. 0.5mm from the bow end of the pattern before I was happy with how the pattern lined up, with the hawse holes and with all the gun port jigs fitted. It was necessary to trim some of the bulkhead ears to allow the gun port jigs to be full inserted. With previous builds I would have been happy to proceed to gluing this pattern in place. However as I noted that the bottom edge of this pattern was not sitting flush with the hull I felt I should try to address this issue. Please see the next photo where shows the problem. The uses of clamps did not solve the problem therefore I decided to resoak the planks in the problem area and to then add some additional clamps and pins positioned below the pattern to try to close the gap. I fashioned some suitable clamps using some spare planking material. As can be seen in the next photo the pattern has been wetted and a combination of clamps & pins have been used. Hopefully, once the pattern has dried out, the pattern will be a better fit along the bottom edge of the hull. When checking the position of the left hand pattern I noted that I will need to trim approx. 2mm from the bow end to ensure the pattern aligns with the hawse holes and gun port openings. This can be seen with the final two photos of this post.

Looks great