Stuntflyer

I'm pretty much done sanding the interior.  Though with these enlarged photos, I see areas that need more work and cleanup. 
 
I had to include the dime in the last photo because the sanded outer hull is so smooth and monochromatic that the camera's auto focus won't focus on the right place!
 

 

 

 
Erik

The next plank above the garboard went in smoothly.  Looks good from head-on too.  I'm going to work on the upper part of the band next.  There will be some tricky cutting to make the transition at the stern post.
Maury

nice quality photos as well....

Erik - Your planking looks really nice!
 
Watch out for the top of the stempost. It's not as strong as it might look. Some others, including myself, have broken it off accidentally. Once the cap rail is in it should be stronger.
 
Mike

The hull is now sanded.  I had to do this with great care since the planks on this latest batch of kits are .020" thick rather than 1/32" (.031").  There's not much margin for error.  I still have some touch up and cleanup to do, which I'll do after I remove the bulkheads.
 
Now about the planks . . .
 
Mine is the first build log of the Longboat using the .020" thick planks.
 
I was waiting to see what my results were before I addressed this.  For those reading this before they embark on a build of these latest kits with these thinner planks, DO NOT USE THE .020" THICK KIT SUPPLIED PLANKS.  I have used them more or less successfully, but the kit was not designed for these, and Model Shipways did not modify the instructions to accommodate for the thinner planks.  Replacement 1/32" x 1/8" basswood planks, as Chuck designed the model to use, can be purchased on various sites on the web for around $5.  Well worth the cost to safeguard against potential headaches down the road.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Erik

A couple of quick shots.  The planking is finished.  I have yet to start any sanding, so pardon the rough look! 
 

 

 
Erik

Thanks for the comments about the inner edges.  Chuck and Druxey are right.  The straight line of the inner frame pieces did not look right.  I added and shaped some pieces to follow the curve of the outer edge of the frames.  Now for the really small planking inside the frames.
Maury
 

Why did you leave those inner edges straight, Maury? You might wish to consider revisiting that, as it will add beauty to the lovely hull lines.

After applying seven coats of black onto the wales, possibly more still needed, I'm finally ready to move onto the next chapter. The first two belts of planking below the wales are completed. My tendency to complicate things got in the way of my progress. I first tried making the drop planks from 1/4" stock only to find out that it was not wide enough. In the end I just followed the instructions. I made them from a small piece of 1/16" sheet reduced to 3/64" using the thickness sander. That worked out just fine.
 

I spent several hours lining out the hull. I marked all the bulkheads aft of the first four with a tick mark for 3/16" strakes. The result was that most of the bulkheads have strakes that will be 3/16" for the next eight. The first four bulkheads at the bow will require tapering of each plank. I was hoping that all of the bulkheads aft of those four would not need any tapering. It turns out that the two last bulkheads will require some plank tapering. The arrows show that the lining out misses the tick mark by a 1/16". The bulkhead before it by less than 1/32" I'm really hoping that I didn't do something wrong. It seems odd that these two tick marks didn't line up with the tape where all the others aft of the first four bulkheads did. The result was almost identical for both sides.
 

 

 

Another Update:   I have completed half (10) of the planned strakes working down from the wales.  After sanding with 80 and 150 grit, I feel that while the workmanship isn’t perfect, it’s better that my last model.  There will be more sanding with finer grit once the outer hull is done.  I added the garboard strake using a 3/16 inch strip and then made new paper strips for the lower half of the planking.  The plan is still for 10 strakes on the lower portion.  If there is too much space for the last planks, I will reduce a larger width strip and hope that the needed width is so small that it will not be noticed.  I still haven’t soaked a single plank in water.  I’m replacing the forward garboard plank because I don’t like its positioning and the way the two sides don’t line up.  So, while there are a lot of ‘summer-time fun’ interruptions, modeling does continue.

 

I spent several hours lining out the hull. I marked all the bulkheads aft of the first four with a tick mark for 3/16" strakes. The result was that most of the bulkheads have strakes that will be 3/16" for the next eight. The first four bulkheads at the bow will require tapering of each plank. I was hoping that all of the bulkheads aft of those four would not need any tapering. It turns out that the two last bulkheads will require some plank tapering. The arrows show that the lining out misses the tick mark by a 1/16". The bulkhead before it by less than 1/32" I'm really hoping that I didn't do something wrong. It seems odd that these two tick marks didn't line up with the tape where all the others aft of the first four bulkheads did. The result was almost identical for both sides.
 

 

 

I spent several hours lining out the hull. I marked all the bulkheads aft of the first four with a tick mark for 3/16" strakes. The result was that most of the bulkheads have strakes that will be 3/16" for the next eight. The first four bulkheads at the bow will require tapering of each plank. I was hoping that all of the bulkheads aft of those four would not need any tapering. It turns out that the two last bulkheads will require some plank tapering. The arrows show that the lining out misses the tick mark by a 1/16". The bulkhead before it by less than 1/32" I'm really hoping that I didn't do something wrong. It seems odd that these two tick marks didn't line up with the tape where all the others aft of the first four bulkheads did. The result was almost identical for both sides.
 

 

 

Thanks Chuck and Danny.  My average plank width has been around .011".  When I got down to the gap for the last 3 on each side, the gap measures .030" at it's widest.  So, starting with the most recent plank I attached, I reducing the plank width to .010", and then tapered the bow and stern.  This should make it look like all the planks are the same width, rather than have the last plank be obviously narrow.
 
Erik

Augie.... My rule is, any wound that does not require the application of a tourniquet, or a trip to the emergency room for stitches, is nothing more than scratch that, after a few cold beverages, becomes much less painful....

That looks very good.  You will be moving ahead to the fun stuff very soon.     Almost done with the planking.

Excellent work Erik. It looks like your calculations were spot-on from the start - the two remaining planks seem to have the exact gap needed to fill them .
 
 Danny

A beautiful documentation of your work and Progress Danny,
also the Pictures are of top Quality and Show all the Details, you`re Setting the rod very high for all who might orientate themselves at your build,
and super model
 
Nils

I'm on the home stretch with the planking.  This being my first planking experience, I'm fairly pleased with my results.  Most of the imperfections seen in the photos should be taken care of with the final sanding of the hull.  I'm learning a lot in the process.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Erik

I spent several hours lining out the hull. I marked all the bulkheads aft of the first four with a tick mark for 3/16" strakes. The result was that most of the bulkheads have strakes that will be 3/16" for the next eight. The first four bulkheads at the bow will require tapering of each plank. I was hoping that all of the bulkheads aft of those four would not need any tapering. It turns out that the two last bulkheads will require some plank tapering. The arrows show that the lining out misses the tick mark by a 1/16". The bulkhead before it by less than 1/32" I'm really hoping that I didn't do something wrong. It seems odd that these two tick marks didn't line up with the tape where all the others aft of the first four bulkheads did. The result was almost identical for both sides.
 

 

 

Things have been a bit slow in the yard as the chief shipwright, deciding to use as #11 blade as a chisel, added his DNA to the build.  No major damage but a painful reminder that it's impossible to do the fiddly bits with bandaged fingers.
 
However, we did manage to get a start on the foredeck.  Here, we've added some coamings, companionways, and a second fife rail.  Note the chimney for the stove below.  I love that stove, now 80% invisible.  But we know it's down there !
 
 

When it comes to sanding, filing, or cutting bevels into square pieces of wood, my hand/eye coordination leaves something to be desired.  Although I was looking forward to making the windlass, I felt that I would have to come up with another way of fabricating it.  My solution amounted to what might be called a poor man's milling machine.
   It involved combining my Dremel drill press with my Preac table saw.  The drill press base was clamped to my work table, and the head was rotated 180 degrees.  The Moto tool was set at a 45 degree angle, and a sanding drum was inserted in the chuck.

   The Preac rip fence would be used for making fine adjustments.  A sheet of basswood, with a strip of wood glued to it, would be kept against the fence as it was adjusted.  In the photo, you can see a piece of stock in position, and two lengths of scrap wood that will be used as stops.  The Preac saw isn't absolutely necessary for this procedure, but it really helped.

   Once you have marked off the limits on your stock, it becomes a matter of slowly adjusting the rip fence, until you have the proper depth of cut.  For this initial step, keep your stops set well within the area you will finally want to remove.  Set the stops to their final position, only after the proper depth of cut has been achieved.  On my first effort, I overlooked this detail, and ended up with a bevel that was much too long!

   After finishing my first cuts, I noticed that the sanding drum was leaving deep scratches in the surface of the piece.  I tried sanding them out, but it pretty much defeated the purpose of this whole procedure.  So, I changed over to a Dremel High Speed Cutter, which is sold two to a package.  These worked quite well.

   Once you have beveled all three areas, you can cut off the excess, and use the piece as shown in the kit plans.

   Please note that this last photo was taken before I changed over to the high speed cutter.
 
BobF

I spent several hours lining out the hull. I marked all the bulkheads aft of the first four with a tick mark for 3/16" strakes. The result was that most of the bulkheads have strakes that will be 3/16" for the next eight. The first four bulkheads at the bow will require tapering of each plank. I was hoping that all of the bulkheads aft of those four would not need any tapering. It turns out that the two last bulkheads will require some plank tapering. The arrows show that the lining out misses the tick mark by a 1/16". The bulkhead before it by less than 1/32" I'm really hoping that I didn't do something wrong. It seems odd that these two tick marks didn't line up with the tape where all the others aft of the first four bulkheads did. The result was almost identical for both sides.
 

 

 

I spent several hours lining out the hull. I marked all the bulkheads aft of the first four with a tick mark for 3/16" strakes. The result was that most of the bulkheads have strakes that will be 3/16" for the next eight. The first four bulkheads at the bow will require tapering of each plank. I was hoping that all of the bulkheads aft of those four would not need any tapering. It turns out that the two last bulkheads will require some plank tapering. The arrows show that the lining out misses the tick mark by a 1/16". The bulkhead before it by less than 1/32" I'm really hoping that I didn't do something wrong. It seems odd that these two tick marks didn't line up with the tape where all the others aft of the first four bulkheads did. The result was almost identical for both sides.
 

 

 

With those last two planks installed, I could see where I over sanded a few of the bulkheads in the fairing process. I found five areas that needed a 1/64± shim. I ripped them from some laser cut soft ply I had lying around. Once glued, I sanded them to the proper curve.