rvchima

Just a little update before I have attached all the rails.
 
I had almost all the rails attached except for the big complex one on the bow. I didn't really know how to get them on properly without getting everything covered in glue. I then looked at other logs including Bleu Ensign and he cut the whole thing up and glued it on piece by piece. I don't know why I didn't think of this myself?!
 
Too bad I only read this at the end because then I think the rest would have been easier to attach to the hull. I read that Chris also considered this and ultimately decided to attach everything together. Personally, I think it would be easier to do it in segments, since they are already lasered in the right shape/radius. But of course, these are preferences that everyone has to determine for themselves.
 
The problem I now encountered was that the holes (to center the rails) sometimes ended up exactly on the edge of the gun port as in the example below. If I were to cut that away, a half moon would remain, which is of course not so nice.
 

 
Anyway, I noticed that certain parts of the rails didn't "come out" nicely this way. So I carefully removed all the rails around the gun ports with some alcohol and adjusted them in the following order.
 
First sanded away the piece with the hole that would not fit well with the gun port edge.
 

 
Then glued a piece of scrap wood on top.
 

 
Sand it to size and score the decorative lines with a knife.
 


 
And of course a little WOP over it so that it is protected and the difference is minimal.
The decorative lines on the applied piece are not that visible in this photo, but you can see them in real life.
 

 
The second thing I am currently working on are all the center holes. I have to say they were great for positioning all the rails, but I personally want them to be hidden so you get a nice clean look.
 
For that I am sanding down a few belaying pins on the lathe (left over from my HMS Pickle build)
 


 
I glue them into the holes with a dab of glue.
 

 
And when the glue is dry, cut it off with a knife and of course finish it with a little bit of WOP. The end result is at normal viewing distance very fine in my eyes. But still have to fill a lot of holes this way, so I'm still busy for a while.   
 

 
All in all some extra work...which of course is not necessary, because you can just leave it as it is of course. But I myself think it adds something if everything looks nice and tight and neat...plus you have even more fun with such a kit  

Hull Painted, Railing Installed - 23 days, 55 hours
The hull was painted with three coats each of Rustoleum Colonial Red, Krylon gloss white, and Krylon gloss black from rattle cans. The rails and interior were brush painted with gloss white acrylic. I am leaving for Europe in a few days and rushed to get this all done, but probably should have taken my time. I can see a few seams between boards and a few fingerprints on the black areas. Not bad but I could do better.

 

Hull Painted, Railing Installed - 23 days, 55 hours
The hull was painted with three coats each of Rustoleum Colonial Red, Krylon gloss white, and Krylon gloss black from rattle cans. The rails and interior were brush painted with gloss white acrylic. I am leaving for Europe in a few days and rushed to get this all done, but probably should have taken my time. I can see a few seams between boards and a few fingerprints on the black areas. Not bad but I could do better.

 

Second Planking Complete
I started at the top rail and worked towards the keel. The thin second layer of 0.5 mm walnut planks were amazingly flexible. I just glued them directly to the first layer with CA. No tapering necessary. After lots of sanding, crack filling with Famowood, more sanding, two coats of Aqua Coat, and more sanding, I think I am ready to paint the hull. At least I'll see how it looks after a coat of primer.

First Planking Complete - 14 days, 31 hours
The second layer of planking is walnut, 3mm wide x 0.55 mm thick - not much material to sand down when I screw up. And why walnut if it's going to get painted anyway?

Second Planking Complete
I started at the top rail and worked towards the keel. The thin second layer of 0.5 mm walnut planks were amazingly flexible. I just glued them directly to the first layer with CA. No tapering necessary. After lots of sanding, crack filling with Famowood, more sanding, two coats of Aqua Coat, and more sanding, I think I am ready to paint the hull. At least I'll see how it looks after a coat of primer.

Second Planking Complete
I started at the top rail and worked towards the keel. The thin second layer of 0.5 mm walnut planks were amazingly flexible. I just glued them directly to the first layer with CA. No tapering necessary. After lots of sanding, crack filling with Famowood, more sanding, two coats of Aqua Coat, and more sanding, I think I am ready to paint the hull. At least I'll see how it looks after a coat of primer.

Second Planking Complete
I started at the top rail and worked towards the keel. The thin second layer of 0.5 mm walnut planks were amazingly flexible. I just glued them directly to the first layer with CA. No tapering necessary. After lots of sanding, crack filling with Famowood, more sanding, two coats of Aqua Coat, and more sanding, I think I am ready to paint the hull. At least I'll see how it looks after a coat of primer.

Make & Install the Jumbo Jib Sail
 
As explained in my previous post, I started with the jumbo jib sail because it is small.  So, I was able to practice my new found sewing skills without wasting a lot of sail cloth material!  Please refer to this previous post #61 for the full procedure I use to make all the sails.
 
1.       Sewing the Sail – I used some cloth remnants my wife had laying around to practice on before trying to sew on the actual sail material.  This sail is fairly simple compared to some of the others.  The strip lines run parallel to the long edge on the aft of the sail.  Unfortunately, I was so focused on making the sail I didn’t get any pictures of what I did on this one!  [Refer to post #61 for the full details & pictures on sail making]
 
2.       Attach the Hanks – the “hanks” hold the sail to the jumbo jib stay.  I use split rings made out of the Artistic Wire to simulate the hanks.  I made a hole with a needle in the sail at every point where the strip line came to the top of the sail.  I opened the split ring slightly and pushed an end into the hole.  Below is a picture of the jumbo jib sail and boom at the start of the rigging process.  Three lines were “pre-rigged” earlier: the inhaul tackle (already attached to the boom), jumbo jib boom sheet (shackled to its horse and left lying on the deck) and the topping lift (set aside with the rest of the pre-rigged lines).

 
3.       Lacing the Sail to the Boom – first the aft end of the sail is connected to the band on the boom by the split ring I sewed into the corner.  Then, the Bluenose plans show two ways to lace the sail to the boom.  I chose the continuous line method.  It is simpler and allows you to tighten/loosen the tension on the sail.  I used the thread I purchased to substitute for the 0.008” tan rigging line for the lace.  I threaded a needle and inserted a lace through the sail at every point where the strip line came to the bottom of the sail.
 
Below: A pretty good picture showing the jumbo jib laced to its boom.  One of the "hanks" is showing too

Below: In case someone is interested, this is the thread I used to replace the Model Shipways 0.008".  The "Buff" was used for the lacing above.  I used a lighter weight "All Purpose" thread to stitch the sails on the sewing machine - color is called "Natural" which is very close to the sail color.

 
4.       Jumbo Jib Halliard – this piece of rigging holds the sail up by the top corner.  Before we attach the sail to the jumbo jib stay, the halliard needs to be ready to connect to the sail.  During pre-rigging I attached a pair of 3/16” single blocks to the eyebolts under the iron gate on the fore mast.  An S-hook was stropped to the blocks.  We also need to strop another 3/16” single block to the split ring stitched to the top sail corner.  This is easier to do while the sail is off the ship. Once the above steps were completed, I attached the sail to the JJ Stay.
a.       Attach Jumbo Jib Sail to the Jumbo Jib Stay
          i.      Disconnect the jumbo jib stay from the jumbo jib stay bail and thread it through the hanks on the sail.  Use plastic clips to hold the sail up off the deck while I seize the stay to the JJ Bail.
          ii.      The stay is double seized to the jumbo jib stay bail that was installed back in post #56.  I got the stay as tight as possible without bending the mast.
 
Below: Jumbo jib stay double seized to the brass JJ stay bail

 
b.      Set up the rigging for the JJ Halliard
          i.      Tan 0.021 rope runs between the upper 3 halliard blocks.  I estimated the amount of rope required then cut & strung it thru the blocks.  All the rigging lines were left somewhat loose until all the rigging for a sail under construction was finished.  Only then did I tighten/secure each line.
 
Below: the 3 blocks at the top of the jumbo jib sail halliard

 
          ii.      The rope on the port side runs straight down to the main rail where it is belayed to pin #13
          iii.     The rope that runs down the starboard side ends with a pendant about half way down.  A 1/8" Sgl Blk is seized at the end of it.  The lower tackle rope starts at an eyebolt just forward of the last deadeye.  An S-hook is seized to the end of the tackle rope and goes up to the pendant block, then back down toward the deck where it is tied off to itself with a clove hitch. 
          iv.      This was my first clove hitch.  I found an awesome website that shows you how to tie every conceivable hitch knot:  https://www.animatedknots.com/hitch-knots
 
Below: JJ Halliard, Starboard side, Lower tackle.  And next pic is a close-up of the hitch knot!


5.       In-Haul Tackle – Now that the jumbo jib sail can be held up by the hanks & halliard, it’s time to attach the boom.  I put together all the rigging for the in-haul tackle during pre-rigging.  This is a complex piece of rigging that holds the forward end of the JJ Boom to the wood block on top of the bowsprit.  Here are my steps for completing the rigging.
a.       Way back when we made the bowsprit a horse was bent into shape out of brass wire and inserted into a pair of holes on top of the bowsprit just forward of the Samson Post assembly.  At the time this horse was not supposed to be glued down until now!  The first step is to remove the horse and insert it thru the pair of U-shaped staples under the end of the boom.  The chain on the in-haul is already pre-rigged so, the first link is in the aft staple on the end of the boom.
b.       The chain is attached to a shackle and then a pair of blocks are laced together with 0.021” tan rope.  One of those blocks is attached to an eyebolt that was inserted during pre-rigging into the top of the bowsprit, part way under the bitts of the Samson Post.  The rope is tied off to one of these bitts.  I also tied off the end of the sail lacing to the horse.  I could not figure out how to keep the sail from sliding up the boom.  There is no band for attaching a split ring.  I never found any information about how to do this, so I just improvised!
 
Below: Close-up of the In-Haul Tackle and fore end of the JJ Boom

 
6.       Jumbo Jib Boom Sheet – I decided to do the sheet next because I knew the access would be tight for connecting this rigging.  This is a great example of the advantage to pre-rigging what you can before the rest of the rigging and sails are in the way.  I had left the horse in front of the fore mast loose.  So, during pre-rigging I was able to get the shackle and bolt inserted before securing it to the deck.  Right now, I just had to finagle the shackle on the upper block into the sheet band bail under the end of the boom.  Then it’s just a matter of tightening up the lines.  I waited until all the JJ Sail rigging was completed before making the final tie-off on belaying pin #6.
 
Below: Close-up of the Jumbo Jib Boom Sheet rigging

 
7.       Jumbo Jib Boom Topping Lift – The topping lift holds up the aft end of the boom.  This was pre-rigged.
a.       The rigging starts with a brass wire hook that attaches to the brass link/plate that was inserted into the mast under the iron gate and spreader.  The hook is eye spliced to a black 0.021” rope.  The rope stops about half way down forming a pendant with a 1/8” double block at the end of it.
 
Below: Topping Lift uses a brass wire hook that is attached to the link on the mast to hold the black pendant

 
Below: The upper pendant ends with a double block that begins the lower tackle

 
b.       A tackle made from tan 0.021” rope runs between the upper 1/8" Double Blk and another 1/8" Single Blk at the lower end on top of the JJ boom.  The Single Blk is attached with a long brass hook to an eyebolt on the end band of the boom.  The tackle run starts with a seized loop on top of the lower Blk, then up thru the Dbl Blk, down thru the Sgl Blk, back through the Dbl Blk.
c.       The fall from the upper block is belayed at pin #5
 
Below: Topping lift is connected to the boom end cap with a long hook.  The fall can be seen belayed to pin #5 at the base of the fore mast below.  Also notice the split ring sewed into the sail is bolted to the band on the boom.

 
8.       Jumbo Jib Sail Downhaul – the Downhaul is used to pull the sail down to the deck when required.  This is made from some thin 0.008” tan thread. 
a.       The downhaul begins with a seized loop attached to the same split ring at the top corner of the sail where the halliard is connected.  I just seized this in place on the ship.  The line hangs loosely & runs down to a block near the forward end of the boom
b.       A 3/32" Sgl Blk near the boom is seized to a 1" long black rope that's seized to the jumbo jib stay bail.  The loose end of downhaul runs through this block and is tied off on the Samson bitt.  The post used for the in-haul and for the downhaul is determined by the side the sail is set.
 
Below:  The 1” long rope with the block that is sticking up is for the Downhaul line.  (Please refer back to the first picture of the JJ Stay seizing above, to see how the downhaul is tied off to the starboard bitt)

Below: Finished Jumbo Jib Sail on boom (taken later after the Jib Sail was installed in front of it)

 

Time to Start Making Sails
 
So, it’s time to start sewing sails!  The last time I sewed anything was to put a button on a shirt and that was a long time ago!  I didn’t think that experience would be much help toward this endeavor.  My wife got a sewing machine as a wedding gift.  In the past 40+ years, I know she’s made a few things, but it’s not something she would say she has any expertise in.  When I told her I needed to sew sails for this model I’ve been building, she pointed toward the corner of the basement and ‘said there’s the machine…good luck!’  She did show me how to perform some basic functions.  Being an analytical type of guy, I found a PDF of the original manual for our sewing machine model.  Between my one lesson with my wife, studying the manual and practicing on some scrap material, I gained enough confidence to try making my first sail.
 
I’ve mentioned numerous times that I’ve relied quite heavily on the website of Suburban Ship Modeler’s Bluenose build.  I have to give his website a ton of credit for helping me through this first ship build.  He described the exact same experience I had when it came time to sew sails.  He mentioned two things that made a lot of sense to me.  First, he purchased some extra sail cloth material from Model Shipways!  Sounds like a great idea…check, did that!  Second, he said he started on the Jumbo Jib Sail because it is small compared to the main sail or fore sail and if you messed up, you could start over without wasting a lot of material.  It took me 3 tries to get something that I felt was acceptable.
 
Between what I learned from SSM and from my own trials & errors, here is the method I ended up using to make my sails.  Each sail I made; I got a little bit better.  For me, getting the size of the sail just right is the hardest part!
 
 
MY PROCEDURE FOR MAKING SAILS
1.       Preparing the sail cloth – Wash, dry and iron the sail cloth before starting to work with it.  The cloth will shrink quite a bit and you will get rid of a bunch of initial frayed edges.
2.       Make a Tracing Paper Template – for each sail I made a paper template to get the size right.  There are differences between the plans and the size/shape of my ship.  Start out by laying tracing paper over the blueprint plans.  I marked each corner and a point in between the long side of the sail.  Use a ruler to draw lines between the marks to create the outline.  On some sails you have to trace any curved lines. 
 
Below: Making the template on tracing paper from the plans.  I started highlighting the outline of the sail on the plans to make it easier to see

 
3.       Make a Paper Template Using Carbon Paper – Next, I use the tracing paper template on top of a piece of copy paper with carbon paper sandwiched in between to make a paper version.  Paper clip the 3 layers together.  For the larger sails, I had to tape some paper together to make it big enough.  I used a ruler & my ball tip stylus to draw lines between the marks to create the outline on the paper.  Cut out the paper template.  Position the paper in place on the ship for the sail.  Adjust the size as necessary to fit the boom, gaff or stay line.  The hardest thing is to get the paper sail properly in position.
 
Below: Looking left to right; Completed paper template, Carbon paper, Tracing paper template taken from plans

 
 
4.       Mark the Sail Cloth – transfer the paper template marks to the sail cloth using a fabric marker.  Use corner point and mid-point dots to provide positioning of straight lines with a ruler.  Use the fabric marker to complete the outline from the paper template.  Next, I make a second line approximately 5/32” outside of the main outline.  This is for folding and sewing the hem.  Make a 3rd outer line for cutting out the sail cloth about 3/4“ from the 1st line. 
 
Below: Sail cloth outlined with the fabric marker and cut out around the third outline

 
5.       IMPORTANT: be sure to place the marker lines on the “display side”.  The excess cloth for the hem should fold over to the “non-display side”.  My display side is the Port Side, so the hem needed to be on the starboard side.
6.       Cut out the Sail – I use a rotary cutting tool to cut around the 3rd outline edge.  This cut doesn’t have to be perfect.  Cut a notch in each corner for folding the hem.
7.       Sewing – Fold over the hem line toward the starboard side.  Pin the cloth between the 5/32” line and the outside edge.  Make sure there is enough clearance for the sewing machine “foot”.  I used a “natural” color thread because I didn’t want my stitches to stand out too much.  I thought darker thread would show mistakes too easily.  Start stitching on the sewing machine.  Run forward then reverse to secure each end.  Use a short stitch length to maintain the proper scale on the ship.  After one side is stitched, cut off the extra cloth real close to the hem stitch with sharp scissors.  Move on to the next side and repeat for each edge.
 
Below: Hem on the edge of the sail after cutting off the excess cloth from near the hem

 
8.       Sewing Strip Lines – Sails on ships do not come in 1 huge piece of cloth.  Strips of cloth are stitched together.  The plans show the pattern for these stitches on each sail.  Use the same stitch type to put in the strip lines across each sail.  I drew in the strip lines with the fabric marker following the pattern in the plans.  I started just inside the hem.  I made the strip lines about 3/8” apart.
 
Below: Sewing the strip lines along the fabric marker lines

 
9.       Reef Bands – The main & fore sail also have 2 reef bands each.  I read that these are used to shorten the sail in rough weather.  I ran this right over the strip lines.  I used a zig-zag type stitch to make the wider looking railroad track pattern.  A 1-inch-long rope is inserted through the sail along the reef band. These are inserted where the strip line crosses the reef band.  I use a darker “Driftwood” thread for these to get a little more contrast.  I used some fabric glue to hold the ends flat against the sail.  I also used fabric glue around the hem line & corners to secure the stich ends.  This also helps prevent fraying at the ends of the cloth, which seemed to happen quite easily.
 
Below: Completed reef bands stitched over the strip lines

 
10.   Corner Brass Rings – Hand sew a small brass ring in almost every corner of the sail for attaching the halliards and sheets.  Check the plans to see where they are required.  There are a few corners that are not attached this way.
 
Below:  Hand sewing in the brass corner rings.  Note the ropes inserted into the reef band

 
11.   Hanks – hanks hold the jib sails to the stay rigging lines.  I used small rings made from the Artistic Wire.  See the separate section below for the procedure I use to make them.  Attach them to the long side of the sail by making a hole along the edge with a needle and slipping the hank into the hole.
 
Below: Hanks attached to the Jib Sail

 
12.   Finishing touches – Trim any loose threads.  I iron the sail again to get it flat and smooth.  Use a wet cloth or sponge to remove any leftover fabric marker.  Your sail is now ready to rig to the ship!
 
Below: The completed Fore Sail, including reef bands and corner rings


 
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING SPLIT RINGS USED FOR HANKS & CORNER RINGS
 
1.       Start with a length of 3/32” brass tube, a length of .025” brass wire and some pliers

 
2.       Wrap the wire around the 3/32” brass tube real tight

 
3.       Slip the coil of wire off the tube and cut it up one side with flush cut wire cutters

 
4.        You will end up with a bunch of split rings.  I then file the ends smooth and bend them into a neat ring shape

 
My next post will be specifically about making and installing the Jumbo Jib Sail.

First Planking Complete - 14 days, 31 hours
The second layer of planking is walnut, 3mm wide x 0.55 mm thick - not much material to sand down when I screw up. And why walnut if it's going to get painted anyway?

First Planking Complete - 14 days, 31 hours
The second layer of planking is walnut, 3mm wide x 0.55 mm thick - not much material to sand down when I screw up. And why walnut if it's going to get painted anyway?

First Planking Complete - 14 days, 31 hours
The second layer of planking is walnut, 3mm wide x 0.55 mm thick - not much material to sand down when I screw up. And why walnut if it's going to get painted anyway?

First Planking Complete - 14 days, 31 hours
The second layer of planking is walnut, 3mm wide x 0.55 mm thick - not much material to sand down when I screw up. And why walnut if it's going to get painted anyway?

Hello All,
 
I believe I have finished! One of the attractions for me with this model was the limited amount of rigging, but it still caught me by surprise how quickly it wrapped up.
 
There isn't too much to discuss about it either. It's very straightforward. From the 360 tour on the website, I was able to sort out a couple of details that aren't evident in the plans.
 
So that's it for my St. Roch. This was quite a fun small build, not too challenging. The most fun was sourcing and making improvements on some of the poor quality fittings included in the kit.
 
Thanks again for checking in. Much appreciated.
David

 

 

Good Morning,
 
Bill, those models look great. Just saw your post now; we've been away for a couple of days.
 
A Saturday morning update -
 
Lately I seem to have the attention span of a gerbil and have been working on all kinds of different things.
 
First, the four vent pipes:
 
They're made out of 1.5mm brass rod, bent into shape. I wanted to indicate the joints. First I tried some Evergreen styrene strips, .01" x .02" but it was much too large to be in scale. Then I tried some rigging thread. By trial and error I discovered that both .5 mm and .25 mm lines were too heavy. I settled on ordinary sewing thread and it seems about right.

 


Next, I was concerned that the supplied piece of dowel was not going to be quite right for the funnel. Taking measurements from the on-line 360 tour, I discovered that at 16mm diameter it was spot one. It was just a matter of flattening the sides to about 12mm. Finishing the funnel is probably next in my peripatetic approach to the details.
 


 
The biggest challenge for me has been the four metal ladders. The ones provided are brass and are not bad quality, but don't look anything like the actual ones on the boat. It took me several attempts, but I have come up with something that I think is acceptable and are a pretty close approximation of the real ones.
 
The three that mount on the deck house have curved tops, flat sides and round rungs. So I used some 1/64" x 1/16" brass strips for the sides. I made a small saw kerf at about the place where I wanted it to bend, and then just bent it using two pairs of pliers. It buckled a little, so using my best blacksmithing skills, I just hammered it flat. It's not very elegant, but once painted gray, it's going to work just fine. The rungs are .5mm wire.
 
I'm really bad at soldering, but I discovered that one of the secrets is to hold the parts very firmly. I made two parallel grooves in a piece of wood. Once I had the holes drilled and the wire rungs inserted, I just placed the sides in the two grooves and gave the whole thing a tap with a hammer to seat it. This worked really well, and it wasn't too difficult to solder each rung in place.
 
The ends of the rungs are snipped off and they've had some cleanup ready for paint. I think these will work, and besides, it's the best I can do, and once I know I've reached that point, I can live with it.
 
The fourth ladder that mounts to the wheelhouse doesn't have a curved top and I'll cut it to length when I get to that point.
 

 
The final item for today is the railing that extends out from the wheelhouse on both sides. These pieces were easy to make and I added the detail to the back side to match that of the real boat.
 

So that's it for now.
Again, many thanks for checking in, likes etc.
David

I have always found basswood to be all but impossible to stain successfully. It always wants to go blotchy. So here's what I do to colour it instead and it works quite well for me. I buy cheap Folk Art Paint from Michael's (flat finish) in a medium brown colour. I water it down quite a bit and apply it to the basswood. With a bit of trial and error with the thickness of the paint, it's possible to get an even colour that still allows the wood to show through.
 
Here are two examples:
In this one, I've used satin poly on top of the paint-

Here, I've used amber shellac over the paint-

 
Anyway, for what it's worth, that's one approach to dealing with basswood that I have found to work.
 
David
 
 
 
 
 
 

There are so many Bluenose build logs on MSW that I debated whether to add another. I am already glad that I did, since I've learned that the Maple Leaf flags that come with the kit are incorrect. However, I looked at the web sites for all the other Bluenose kits and guess what?

They all have Maple Leaf flags! What gives?

Trevor,
Thank you so much for the history corrections! I'm just repeating the text from the Italian instructions. Regardless of her win/loss record, she sure is a beautiful ship. Thank you also for the tip on the flags. I will certainly not use the ones supplied with the kit, and if you can suggest any alternatives I see what I can do. 

Starting on the Hull and Deck
The frames popped out of the laser-cut ply and fit perfectly on the keel. I planked the two thin plywood sub decks by gluing down full-length strips and then notching them with a chisel to make individual boards. The technique is described here. I stained the decks with two coats of Minwax Golden Oak and finished them with Minwax Polycrylic satin from a rattle can.
 
When I test fit the decks on the keel they didn't line up in the center. Low and behold, the keel was warped about 4 mm off straight. Darn, I wish I had noticed that before I added all those frames. I ended up notching a piece of poplar to go around the frames. Clamped to the keel from below it held it straight while I glued the decks in place. The decks held the keel straight afterwards.


I've started the planking using the technique described in the book Ship Modeling Simplified: Tips and Techniques for Model Construction from Kits by Frank Mastini. Basically you glue the planks to the frames with CA, and glue the planks to each other with PVA (carpenters' glue.) The CA hardens in a few seconds and holds the planks in place, no nails needed. I do about three frames at a time. Oh yeah, I have a hot plank bender now and am using that to roughly shape the planks before attaching them.

The kit comes with a simple stand, but I usually prefer to mount my models on a permanent base - much easier to handle during construction and afterwards. But the sub keel on this model is just 2.25 mm thick, too thin for screws. I don't know what I'll do - maybe turn some wood pedestals and glue in place later?

What's in the Box
Seems like not much for €106.99, but that's what kits cost anymore.

I love the "EASY TO BUILD MODEL" text on the box. Easier than many of the models I've built lately, but with a planked hull and full set of sails this will be anything but easy.

Planks, dowels, thread, blocks, and a few miscellaneous parts.

Three pages of full-sized plans.

Three sheets of laser-cut parts.

Two flags on adhesive-backed cloth, and cloth for sails.

and a booklet with one page each of instructions in English and Italian, and about 20 pages of drawings.

I will be building this Scientific Bluenose kit, it doesn't even have any maple leafs on it. I have a Billings Bluenose to do as well, no flag with the kit, but it shows an Ensign  on the Mizzen mast , no maple leaf either.
Good luck on your journey, joining you soon lol
Knocklouder     
Pulling up a chair as they say.If you don't mined.

There are so many Bluenose build logs on MSW that I debated whether to add another. I am already glad that I did, since I've learned that the Maple Leaf flags that come with the kit are incorrect. However, I looked at the web sites for all the other Bluenose kits and guess what?

They all have Maple Leaf flags! What gives?

Starting on the Hull and Deck
The frames popped out of the laser-cut ply and fit perfectly on the keel. I planked the two thin plywood sub decks by gluing down full-length strips and then notching them with a chisel to make individual boards. The technique is described here. I stained the decks with two coats of Minwax Golden Oak and finished them with Minwax Polycrylic satin from a rattle can.
 
When I test fit the decks on the keel they didn't line up in the center. Low and behold, the keel was warped about 4 mm off straight. Darn, I wish I had noticed that before I added all those frames. I ended up notching a piece of poplar to go around the frames. Clamped to the keel from below it held it straight while I glued the decks in place. The decks held the keel straight afterwards.


I've started the planking using the technique described in the book Ship Modeling Simplified: Tips and Techniques for Model Construction from Kits by Frank Mastini. Basically you glue the planks to the frames with CA, and glue the planks to each other with PVA (carpenters' glue.) The CA hardens in a few seconds and holds the planks in place, no nails needed. I do about three frames at a time. Oh yeah, I have a hot plank bender now and am using that to roughly shape the planks before attaching them.

The kit comes with a simple stand, but I usually prefer to mount my models on a permanent base - much easier to handle during construction and afterwards. But the sub keel on this model is just 2.25 mm thick, too thin for screws. I don't know what I'll do - maybe turn some wood pedestals and glue in place later?

Starting on the Hull and Deck
The frames popped out of the laser-cut ply and fit perfectly on the keel. I planked the two thin plywood sub decks by gluing down full-length strips and then notching them with a chisel to make individual boards. The technique is described here. I stained the decks with two coats of Minwax Golden Oak and finished them with Minwax Polycrylic satin from a rattle can.
 
When I test fit the decks on the keel they didn't line up in the center. Low and behold, the keel was warped about 4 mm off straight. Darn, I wish I had noticed that before I added all those frames. I ended up notching a piece of poplar to go around the frames. Clamped to the keel from below it held it straight while I glued the decks in place. The decks held the keel straight afterwards.


I've started the planking using the technique described in the book Ship Modeling Simplified: Tips and Techniques for Model Construction from Kits by Frank Mastini. Basically you glue the planks to the frames with CA, and glue the planks to each other with PVA (carpenters' glue.) The CA hardens in a few seconds and holds the planks in place, no nails needed. I do about three frames at a time. Oh yeah, I have a hot plank bender now and am using that to roughly shape the planks before attaching them.

The kit comes with a simple stand, but I usually prefer to mount my models on a permanent base - much easier to handle during construction and afterwards. But the sub keel on this model is just 2.25 mm thick, too thin for screws. I don't know what I'll do - maybe turn some wood pedestals and glue in place later?