robdurant

She certainly is a handsome subject. I wish you all the best as you set out to build her.

Hi all. 

Apologies that this build has stalled from my perspective. The post here will explain

Blessings on you all.

Rob

Hi all. 

Apologies that this build has stalled from my perspective. The post here will explain

Blessing on you all.

Rob

Hi all. 

Apologies that this build has stalled from my perspective. The post here will explain

Blessing on you all.

Rob

15 hours ago, Halsey said:

Hi Rob,

 

Sorry to have slightly hijacked your topic - hopefully you will be able to catch your build in time to resolve this issue relatively easily.

 

I'm not sure the ballast placement is critical so long as it's forward of the cabin and as low in the hull as possible - apart from the new hatch my only other issue might be to move the battery.

 

Have fun.............

 

J

Thanks 😊 

I've been following along with interest but have not been well recently. Lots to give thanks for, though, so I shall just wait patiently until it's time to pick up these threads again. The boats are patient, thankfully.

Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing.

12 hours ago, dunnock said:

Rob Durant @robdurant produced a programme called Picture Resizer

You can find it here... hope it's helpful. Any questions, just ask.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/26538-free-picture-resizer-application-i-programmed-to-solve-those-image-rotation-woes-microsoft-windows-10-and-11-only/

Hi Kevin,

This is a lovely, welcoming and helpful community. I could not have done half the builds I've done without the support I've found here. Good to have you here.

Do consider starting a build log and showing people where you're up to. You'll get more input that way and it will provide a place to ask any questions you might have and get those answers

Rob

Congratulations on your retirement. It's great to see progress on this model being made, and I hope you find great joy as you adjust to this new season of life.

Having built a vanguard model, and having almost finished MarisStella's largest model to date, I can say that the instructions are like night and day. 

Vanguard hold your hand throughout, making even the most complex of their models something that can be achieved with perseverance and patience. MarisStella provide many plans, but drawing them together and planning a build sequence or working out what tool to use for what task is left in many ways to the builder. Both fun to build (if you're happy to invest all the time required for the choice you make), and neither approach is wrong, but I would definitely expect a far steeper learning curve with MarisStella if it's similar to Barque Stefano.

10 minutes ago, Hostez said:

It looks amazing!

Thank you

Finished the waterlines, and here are the buttock lines. Only very minor changes, and they look pretty smooth, so I think I'm happy to start sketching out the square frames...

On 12/30/2023 at 4:04 PM, AnobiumPunctatum said:

Don't forget to check the buttock lines. If the waterlines are looking al right the buttock lines can make some problems.

Thanks - That's the next task after I finish these waterlines... The first attempt without the interpolation looked fine, but I've moved things since then, so I'll go over it again.

Here's a snapshot of progress to date... I'm looking forward to the bit where I can say I'm happy with these lines, and I think I'm edging closer.

A brief update to say that I haven't stopped all progress on this project, but there hasn't been much to show. I've been fine-tuning the CAD plans, interpolating between the waterlines, before I begin to loft the frames.

It currently looks like this...  I'm beginning to have confidence that these lines will make a good-looking hull. I still have to add interpolated lines above where the tumblehome begins... that's the next step.

I've also redrawn all of the square frames, so that they are one of three "sides" (depths of wood front to back) - I hope this will make the final construction much more efficient. Once I'm happy with the lines, I'll add the canted frames, too.

Thanks for looking in, and for all of the fascinating discussion. My efforts must appear very stone-age, but I'm having fun, and enjoying the pace I'm working at, so I figure that's a win! Stefano's beginning to reach the final stages (just running rigging to do) so I'll have more time soon - and hopefully some space on my build desk again!

Rob

A very quick update, and an opportunity to say a big Happy Christmas to everyone  Immanuel - God is with us.

I've completed the task of fitting out the yards, and bending the sails to them. And now, I've begun to add the running rigging, starting at the mizzen mast, and moving forward. Now that I'm well into it, I'm beginning to understand the plans. It's necessary to reference various different plans to see all of the runs and belaying points. This means the task is best down with a big table spare... The kitchen table works for me, but it does mean that it's not very easy to proceed when family are around for Christmas - a nice problem to have ! Here are some pictures of progress so far...

5 hours ago, Paul Cook said:

Billing’s level of instruction is very different and very very basic.

Somehow I found myself doing two builds where the instructions were much more basic than my previous models, and it does mean that more of my energy is spent on convincing myself to keep plugging away than it was on the builds I did before. I do find I get satisfaction from working out my own solutions, so it's just part of the process. Definitely a word to the wise for those setting out, though. There are various stages where the Nordkap simply leaves you to work it all out for yourself.

What a lovely present. I'm in the middle of building a Billing Boats model (Nordkap), so I'll pull up a chair and follow along if that's okay.

Looks like you've made a good start already, and now I've seen your last build, I'm sure you'll come out the other end with a fine model!

Hi Halsey

Welcome to the forum. It's a great place to get encouragement, support and advice, and you'll find that opinions vary about whether glassing is necessary for an RC boat to be reliably watertight.

Having used Eze kote I can confirm that it's lovely to use. It sets up good and hard, cleans up easily and leaves a relatively smooth finish. A little sanding would take out the final brush strokes, but as you say on a model such as this a few marks do not necessarily take away from the working boat feel.

My small experience so far suggests that the hull is comfortably watertight enough for occasional sailing. I won't be on the water every weekend, so I don't feel the need to make the finish as robust as others may? My tests in the bath tub have been very encouraging with no sign of water ingress at all.

I haven't noticed any scratching or marks in the eze kote finish, and the vallejo acrylics have taken well over the top, with no sign of weak adhesion. 

Until I've finished the boat and sailed for a season that's about as much as I can tell you, but early signs are very promising.

You are doing a find job with your model. I hope you will start a build log so I can learn from you as well

Any other questions, do ask away.

All the best, and a very Happy Christmas to you.

Rob

6 hours ago, Paul Cook said:

Hi,  I have just bought the kit (as a static build) and I am really looking forward to “hanging on to your coat tails” through the build.  Excellent few tips so far.  First time as building a “steel” hull as opposed to the usual timber ones.  

Hi Paul,

I'm glad if my ramblings are helpful. It's a nice kit to build although there are points where a little more detail would be appreciated in the plans. I've realised that the layout of the parts that build up the superstructure is shown on some 1:1 sheets. Might help you out where I guessed.

Nordkap does make up into a handsome model, and I hope you get a lot of enjoyment as you build her, as I have. You'll be able to skip some of the steps I've taken if she's to be static.

Rob

Thanks, @BobG, @gak1965, @AJohnson, you're very kind. I feel surrounded by masters, here... but I'm pleased with how my bodging is coming along!

I managed to add the reef points to the fore upper-topsail, which is the last sail to need reefing points, so that was a nice milestone to reach.  Next is to add the eyelets and blocks to the fore upper-topsail yard ... am I the only one who finds drilling holes all over the yards a fiddly and frustrating job?

I think I've probably described the process of the reefing points before, but just in case, it's #100 DMC Cordonnet crochet thread, with a knot in it (one knot is plenty), then threaded through the sail with a needle. Once through, it's cut off with a couple of inches to spare. When all done, I place a metal ruler beneath it, and use watered down aliphatic glue (Carpenter's glue / yellow glue) to stiffen the thread, and line it up vertically. Once fairly dry, it's cut to length (the width of my wider 15cm steel rule) and another dab of watered down PVA fixes the end in the right position on the sail. The sail is then turned over, and the process repeated.

The finished article...

I am glad to have these done.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement

Rob

The weather deck at the bow is filled and painted - with a little fettling still to do, perhaps, but I'll do that once I've added the rubbing strips and details on the outside of the hull. I've also made progress with the superstructure, which now has the makings of a wheelhouse, and the deck sections just behind the wheelhouse are being planked. Here are some photos of her on water... The first time she's been ballasted down to waterline (using sheet lead), and she was dry as a bone inside 

Thanks for looking in, for likes and for general encouragement. Progress is slow, but definitely heading in the right direction.

Rob

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)

I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 

Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 

The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 

I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.

Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 

Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think

Rob

21 hours ago, Admiral Beez said:

the Greek A

Looking great... the character is in fact a Greek capital lambda (L) (the following image is public domain from wiki images)

The Lambda represented Lacedaemon which was the Greek for Sparta.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that the framing plan for Portland didn't quite match up with the profile plan for Bristol, and @scrubbyj427 and @allanyed and @AnobiumPunctatum, you've been kind enough to continue the discussion prompting me to think about this whole task in ways I hadn't before. My horizons are broadening!

Looking back at the plans, and doing some measuring (the CAD I'm drawing is at 1:1 scale for the original) I now realise that the door is only 3" out of place, so what seemed like a gaping difference when I looked at it, is pretty close all things considered.  Here's a picture of a small section of ZAZ1749 (Bristol profile) and ZAZ1719 (Portland framing plan) overlaid to show the difference. The green square marks the quartergallery door as per the Bristol profile.

Interesting. I'm using ZAZ1719 for the framing and ZAZ1749 for the profile of Bristol... this is the plan with the decoration on it. It hadn't occurred to me that the framing might have changed so drastically between Portland and Bristol. Without evidence to the contrary I would feel inclined to follow the framing plans for Portland as closely as possible, I think?