Beef Wellington

Wow, catching up from the very start, so glad you are creating a build log, you look to be making pretty speedy progress.  This looks like an awesome kit and you're doing such a wonderful job.  Looking forward to more....I want this one day 🙂  

Wow, catching up from the very start, so glad you are creating a build log, you look to be making pretty speedy progress.  This looks like an awesome kit and you're doing such a wonderful job.  Looking forward to more....I want this one day 🙂  

Day 24 keelson
 
good evening everyone
 
well i have made it this far, no where as nice and tidy as others that i have seen, but i do tend to show it as it is, and as stated many times before, i never like what i have produced, im allways wanting to do better and lol never achieving it, however the the admiral loves it and so does my doggie
 
the upper keel. i thought would be a two minute job, as i have been test fitting as the frames went in, WRONG it has taken me hours to get a decent fit on 80% the stern one will wait until tomorrow

OC the frames have laser markings where the Bevel should be, (photo shows it quite well), the frames are all made the same regardless if they are double, triple or quads

good evening everyone
 
day 5 keel and a frame 16
well after a slow start, i am getting a bit more confidence now, i have made a few mistakes, and as a result the gaps look wider than they are due to sanding with paper and not the bench sander as a result the edges are rounded off, but surprisingly it is all very tight and square

 
i looked through the wooden bulkhead sheets and picked number 16 at random
looking through the drawings i identified all frame 16 parts, as they possibly have a couple of bits from the previous frame (15) and possibly from the next(frame 17) and marked with item number

all mating surfaces went against the bench grinder
 
Parts A and B were separated

found the corresponding paper plan, tracing paper laid on top and secured

all B items were turned upside down, 
 
in this case item B4 was secured to the tracing paper with UHU glue stick, the rest of B items had wood glue added to mating edegs and again had UHU added to keep them in position 
 


 
then all A items were laid on top in a overlap

weighted for a couple of hours

 
 
 

good evening everyone
 
day 1 project Enterprise
 
Building frame
this are most of the bits for the frame, in very good quality ply

i started this yesterday, but with little success, it was after a good nights sleep that i got my head around the project,
but first the moans, the overlap baseboard are not working correctly,
nothing fits,
and non existent instructions
 
made up from two layers which overlap, and top one should line up with lasered slots on the bottom one. they are then meant to be screwed through to a decent bench 
however, it took me ages to line mine up, not all the base boards are cut at 90degs and as a result not all the lasered slot match the ones in the lower boards, but some are spot on, so it is not something i have done wrong

not everything is cut at right angles

straight keel line, but as a result some of the slots are not matching the lower ones
 

things then started to go wrong then, as i was working blind, i was making the assemblies up and putting them in place but everything is about .5mm to large, and requiring far to much force, and as the slots were off set,as well  i was fighting a loosing battle
 
 so went bed
 
Day 2
 
after some thought over night i made a plan
 
check the base again for alignment 
remove all the sub assemblies and sand everything on the bench sander, including removing the laser burn with my dremmel and all of a sudden i had a different building frame, not much i could do with the slightly  offset slots (about 20) apert from remove a bit of wood which has worked fine
 
i have a set of photos now for anyone wanting to follow the build progress 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Mitsuaki,  I really like the additional detailing that you have put into the channels and the chains.  I have been considering taking the same approach for making the preventer links with wire.  It's a small detail, but the results you have achieved are such an improvement on the flat kit supplied part and add so much to be beauty of the model.

Post 15
 
A little more progress on the paint front
 
 
Adding the line for the watercut is fairly straightforward with the waterline marked.
 

7587(2)
Just requires some careful masking.

7595(2)
The Top rail is painted blue (Underhill Plans) which is a common theme running thro’ all the models of Muirneag, and I have followed suit.
 
 
I used Humbrol 89 darkened a little with Humbrol 25.
 
 
Far from the impression given by dark b/w photo’s from bygone years, descriptions from the time note bright paintwork was a feature of Zulu’s, and Fifie’s too I suspect.
 

7588(2)
The framing for the Poop deck is also painted blue, still dry fitted in this shot.
 

7590(2)
The false deck has now been fitted to the poop framing and will be planked with 2.7mm Boxwood strip.
 
According to the paint specification on the plan the roof was coated with black varnish.
Not too sure about this in relation to my model, I’ll do some testing and see how it looks. I do have some antique oak varnish which for all practical purpose is black.
 
I also have some antique pine which is a rich brown colour, which may provide a more aesthetic contrast.
 
 
The deck was also apparently painted with black varnish, but for me that’s a step too far.
 

7592(2)

7586(2)
 
The next step is to look at the Rubbing Strakes.
 
 
B.E.
01/10/20
 

Post 12
 
Working out revised deck layout
 
Before I proceed further with fettling the deck planking I need to work out the revised layout for Muirneag specific fittings.
The Fore hatch has been planked over, and there is a slight shift in the positions of the coal bunker hatch, and the pump deck plate.

7420(2)
The plan is a pretty good fit as an overlay.
 
A major difference relates to the steering box.
 

7405(2)
A replacement was scratched out of spare Pearwood strip.
 

7425(2)
The box is smaller than that supplied with the kit and the aft thwart sits in a rebate in the box framing rather than part of a larger fitting called the rear bench pattern which combines with a knee at the stern post.
 

7427(2)
One slight puzzlement, there is a rise in the deck towards the stern which throws the steering box out of level and will ultimately give a forward lean to the steering wheel.
 
I will need to resolve this before final fitting.
 
At this point I return to progress the Poop deck structure, the carcase of which I assembled earlier in the build.
The Pearwood panels are now added but the aft panel which includes the Companionway, required some modification to suit Muirneag.
 

7402(2)
On Muirneag the companionway is offset from the centre line to Starboard.
In fact the whole Poop roof including the fish hatch boarding is  to be replaced.
 

7407(2)
 Deck beams have been inserted to support the poop deck planking and carlings for the companionway sides.
The lower deck cabin area has been planked.
This is all necessary as I intend to have the Companionway  open and a ladder installed leading down to the cabin area.
 

7418(2)
An off-cut of thin box sheet is used to form a ‘false’ poop deck roof, over which the planking will be laid. This will bring the overall thickness up to that of the provided kit part.
I could have used thicker individual planking, but a false deck makes it easier to mark and cut out for the fittings.
 
I will next move onto fitting out the Fish hold.
 
 
B.E
27/09/20

Thanks Guys,
..and Glenn, I think the scots are prepared to defend anything from anyone 😉
I hope so John, but the alternative would be to stand something big over the Fore Hatch which isn't there on Muirneag 🙄
 
Post 11
 
Getting down to decking
 
 
I made the decision to sand down the back of the supplied deck to allow for the thickness of the Boxwood planking.
 

7334(2)
The printed deck therefore becomes a second false deck with the advantage of having the printed layout to follow as a guide.
The first task is to lay down the Margin plank.
The proper way to do it would be to fit the timberheads and fit sections between them.
However, to do it this way would impact on the provided timberhead pieces which were designed to sit on top of the deck, all individually sized and thoughtfully etched by Chris with the line of the Stringers.
 

7336
I simply can’t be tasked to remake all 98 of these tiny sections so I will follow the kit arrangement.
Once the Bulwark stringers are fitted along the timberheads very little remains to be seen of either the timberheads or margin sections, so it’s not something to be overly concerned about at this scale.
 

7339(2)
A fairly simple job to fit the margin, I am using 1.6mm wide strip which bends readily around the bulwark. Only at the stern end does the margin flare a little which is covered by a section of tapered 2.7mm strip.
The planking begins each side of the centre line, and I have utilised in part the pre-marked butt shifts on the printed version.
One edge of each plank is marked with a waterproof black marker to represent the caulking.
I use a broad chisel Pilot marker pen.
On this particular layout there is no joggling involved which simplifies things.
 

7345(2)
Nearing completion.
 

7349(2)
Completed but in need of a good scrape.

7358(2)
A check to ensure that the Poop deck framing and Mast partners fit.
 
At this point I have also beefed up the support stand, knocked up from bits and pieces but it works.
The kit provided stand is a display stand not really suitable to work on the model.
 

7370(2)
This particular hull shape is quite slippery and a stable support is necessary to hold it securely for work on the deck.
 
 
B.E.
24/09/20
 
 

Post 8

Completing the planking.

After a week of fairly concerted effort I am happy that my least liked aspect of assembly, the hull planking, is completed.

7183(2)
With nine strakes to go I added two strakes above the Garboard Plank.

From this point on it is simply a question of working the planks  both upwards from the keel and  down from the waterline.

The aim is to get the inevitable (in my case) final less regular shaped plank to sit on the underside of the hull curve.


7194(2)
One more to go.

 
During these last few strakes I re-check the planking runs and re-mark the tick strips several times.

7197(2)
The completed hull prior to sanding


 


Overall the supplied planking was satisfactory; a fair number of the planks did have an element of feathering on one edge, and some inconsistency in thickness along the length, but nothing that the sanding won’t sort out.


7206(2)

7207(2)
I use Pearwood dust sprinkled over pva to seal any slight gaps between the planking strakes.


7210(2)

7212
Starting to look better, but some fettlin’ still to go before I move onto the deck and the areas that interest me most on a build.

 
B.E.

19/09/2020

 

Post 6.
Second Planking.
 
 
This begins with the pre cut Garboard planks, another excellent idea from Chris.👍
Head scratching over the Garboard shape and extent of its length is something that happens to a lot of modellers, me included, and I’m grateful for its inclusion.

6959
The supplied patterns are a perfect fit requiring only a slight bevel to the keel edge. I also heat induced a slight twist to the plank to suit the hull shape along the keel.

6938
I used pva to fix these planks as I limit my use of ca to the minimum.
 
Moving onto the Pearwood planking.
 
It may be that Chris has already amended the manual but for those following it literally there is a narrative error in instruction 14. That may cause confusion.
 

6902
References to the planking starting at the main wale position markings, which are shown on the gunport patterns, obviously relates to another model.
 
The planking I assume starts along the top line of the bulwark pattern as with the Fifie model, and this is where I will start.
I sorted thro’ the stock of Pearwood strip and picked out the best strips matched for uniformity and colour.
I am primarily concerned with the planking down to the waterline about twelve strakes each side, as this will be simply sealed with wipe-on-poly.
In the end I decided to go with the supplied planking for my Cutter Alert Kit (which I didn’t use) and which has overall more consistent milling and a richer colour tone.

6944
The first three strakes down were fitted without taper, the Pearwood strip easily followed the sheer line, getting a close fit at the stem and stern posts is the main consideration.
 

6942
Below the second strake and my normal peg clamps don’t work, and the third strake is the limit of my modified peg clamps.
 

6945
The fourth strake down required a little edge bending towards the stern, but no tapering, and thanks to the large hatchway there is purchase to use the larger clamps.
 

6950
The fifth plank down requires both edge bend and taper at the stern.
 
 

6956
Beyond this point the option of clamps is removed so a degree of ca will be introduced at the bow and stern.
 

6955
The pre-formed Garboard plank can be seen running along the keel line.

6953

6965
Pre-fitting I do fine down the ends of the planks at the bow to reduce final sanding.

6960
With five strakes completed I will stop here and use the tick trip method to work out the remaining planking requirements before I continue.
 
 
B.E.
02.09/2020
 
 

Thank you Bob and Rusty, and to those who have looked in and 'liked'
 
Post 5
Preparing for second planking


 
With sanding of the first planking completed the stem piece and keel and stern pieces can be added.

 
I do rather like this method devised by Chris of having facing pieces in a nice wood which also provide a sort of rabbet for the second planking.

 
Slight set back as my assistant decided to practice some abstract canine carpentry on one of the keel strips that had fallen from my bench.
6976
Fortunately, a strip of Pearwood from the part retaining fret was available to make a replacement.


 
So here she is ready for the second planking, seems longer than the mere nine days since I actively started the project.


6920
Careful sanding down of the first layer around the bow and stern has allowed the ‘rabbets’ to provide sufficient edge to contain the second planking.


6925(2)
 
A first opportunity to compare the Fifie and Zulu side by side.


6908(2)
Sleeker than the Fifie and a tad longer, awaiting her transformation into a Swan.

 

6911(2)
They will make a fine complimentary pair representing the apex of the Scottish fishing industry of the early 20th century.


 
B.E.

29/08/20

Post 2

Preparing for planking

The first step is to complete the fairing and add the Bulwark patterns.

Fitting the bulwark patterns is a fairly painless exercise.

6706
Starting with the aft patterns soaking and wet fitting to form the shape using clamps to secure above decks, and bulkhead clamps for the lower edge.


6721
I use a hairdryer to speed up the process to establish shape memory, and the patterns can then be attached.



Only the area below the bulkhead tabs is glued, so again clamps only are used to hold the top line. The lower edge is pinned into the bulkheads.

 

6730
It helps to have everything to hand before starting, clamps, pins, pin pusher, and means to apply the glue.

 

6720
For positioning the pattern I use the lower of the two  horizontal lines etched into the inside of the patterns, to align with the sub deck level.

This is something that was mentioned in the Fifie build, but not in the Zulu manual. In practice the top of the pattern mostly aligns with the tabs.


The Fore pattern bends easily around to the stem without the need for wetting. I did give it a blast of hot air whilst dry fitted and left it insitu overnight whilst the aft pattern was curing.


6726
The fore pattern on my build at least, was a perfect fit for length.
I temporarily fitted the stem post and the secondary stem piece to assist with alignment.


6733(2)
The distinctive sheer sweep to the stern now clearly apparent, plank tapering is going to be a significant feature of this build.


6731(2)
In this photo the stem piece is only dry fitted.


6739(2)
I now need to consider my approach to planking.


 
B.E.
22/08/20

 

Post 1


 
First Steps - the basics.

 
Usual stuff of assembling the false keel, bulkheads, and sub decks.

 
Note:

 
With the exception of the false keel (15) the other parts on the 3mm mdf sheet are numbered differently on the plan and in the manual.

 
There are similar differences on the Bulkhead sheet, but the bulkheads do accord.
6671
A minor confusion and irritation and perhaps something that needs addressing going forward.
I like to dry fit and fiddle around with the basic construction up to the fitting of the lower deck.
The bulkheads are a slightly looser fit than on my Fifie kit, and to ensure proper alignment, once lightly glued on the false keel I used the lower floor, Lower deck pattern, and Fore and aft filling patterns to keep things ship shape.
I initially glued the bulkheads 1-3 and then dry fitted the Fore filling pattern; followed by Bulkheads 10-14, secured by the Aft filling pattern; then the intervening bulkheads secured by the lower floor, and lower deck patterns.


6657
Any excess glue was removed from around the bulkheads before the dry fit items were put into place.

The first three and last three bulkheads are marked for an element of pre-fit bevelling, which was done before fitting.

As per the manual I also assembled the superstructure comprising a Poop deck, the companionway to the below cabin area, and Fish hatch, which is checked for fit in the lower deck.


6652
This structure won’t be needed for some time but is such that the fitting out of the Fish Hatch can be mostly done off model.

The Poop decking will not be put into place at this stage as I intend to open up the Companionway.

With the bulkheads fixed, the filling patterns are bevelled and  glued into place, followed by the lower floor and deck pattern.


6665
The aft filling pattern is quite weak at its extreme end and one did snap during the bevelling process.

 

6667
Here temporarily supported until glued into place.
Fitting the aft filling patterns gave me the most trouble at this stage. The Starboard pattern simply wouldn’t fit down flush with the keel without a deal of fettling, the port side was easier to fit but still needed a little slot sanding.

I finally fitted them dry and ran diluted pva along the joints.

At this stage the stern extension and last three bulkheads present a point of weakness.


6660
There is a risk that this section could snap off if knocked, or even by heavy handed fairing of the last three bulkheads, which is best left until the sub deck is fitted.

 
The sub deck slotted between the bulkhead extensions without trouble and without any damage to the tabs.


6687(2)
The structure is now strong and rigid and can be handled with more confidence.

 
My final step in this stage is to add the rather nice Pearwood keel and stern post.


6695(2)
These slotted together and into the false keel with an excellent fit. As with the Fifie kit Chris has provided a number of keel alignment patterns, a simple but innovative idea.


6689(2)
Although shown in place here the manual calls for leaving the stem piece off until completion of the first planking;

I’m undecided about taking this approach, my natural instinct is to rabbet the stem piece.

Effectively the first planking needs to be reduced to a feather edge at the bow and stern to allow for the second planking to fit flush into the secondary stem piece which forms a rabbet for the Pearwood planking.


 


B.E.
21/08/20

Hi Mitsuaki,  I really like the additional detailing that you have put into the channels and the chains.  I have been considering taking the same approach for making the preventer links with wire.  It's a small detail, but the results you have achieved are such an improvement on the flat kit supplied part and add so much to be beauty of the model.

Hi Mitsuaki,  I really like the additional detailing that you have put into the channels and the chains.  I have been considering taking the same approach for making the preventer links with wire.  It's a small detail, but the results you have achieved are such an improvement on the flat kit supplied part and add so much to be beauty of the model.

Hi Folks,  have been away from the shipyard and this site for quite some time, and I've missed the friendly interaction.  Looking forward to catching up with everyone's builds soon!
 
@Martin - welcome to the neighborhood!  We got lucky and didn't lose power in the storms, hope you stayed safe.  We definitely need to connect at some point so I can pick your brains 🙂
@ Sjors - Good to hear from you old friend, its been a while!  Will check out your new model soon.
@ Stergios - the yards were rigged from bottom to top.  Not sure if that is the recommended way, but it made sense to me to do that way because the lower masts require quite a few items of rigging to be in place near the mast and it seemed that this would be harder if the lines from the top masts were getting in the way.  Maybe personal preference?
 
The cutter has finally been finished and the details of the final stages of construction are posted in my 'Jason' build log.  Figuring out where to place the cutter onboard Snake was a little bit of a challenge.  It seems inconceivable that a ship (sloop) like Snake would not have at least one boat, but there is simply no space to place one.  I could find no examples of solutions to this in practice (recognizing that other ships may well have had raised davits), and it seems somewhat logical to mount the supports on the coamings which would also be supported by the deck beams underneath.  Finally in position, its clear that even a modest 24' cutter has little room to spare.
 
With that done, now rigging can continue, hopefully some progress possible soon...
 

I have been remiss in updating the blog.  Apologies so here are a few catch up pictures.  I have completed the main deck, securing all the cannons, carronades and deck fittings and am now moving on to the bowsprit and masts...  Ill try to be a little more diligent with my updates.  Peter 

Hi Folks,
 
Sadly been rather absent from both the shipyard and this site for some time.  I very much hope to catch up soon on everyone else's fine builds here soon.  Time to get a little more up to date, the cutter is pretty close to completion aside from a little fettling.
 
Frames were added to the interior using strips cut from some scrap 0.5mm pear wood.  These were soaked and pre-bent in situ prior to gluing with PVA:
 

 
The frames were further reduced down to the keel former to try and get a bit more depth the boat.  To my eye, applying planking to the false deck puts the board too high, especially as there is very little room to play with considering the various structural elements still to go on. A template for the footwaling was then made up to determine the shape.  Once the placement was determined, the rising plank was added (again cut from some 0.5mm pear sheet)
 
I wanted to try and allow the footwalling to have an element of curvature which would be natural on the real boat.  A relatively straightforward way to achieve this was to apply wood strip to thin card to match the template which maintains a lot of flexibility (Straight strip was used rather than the more complicated curved planking on the plan).  Once dry, the assembly was easily glued on top of the keel former, the footwaling then follows the interior curve naturally.  
 

 
With those element in place, it was possible to add the platform under the sternsheets.  The Diana plans show these as a grating, but to my eye again the kit supplied grating is too large, so plain boards were installed instead which also appear to be used.  After the main and fore mast steps, thwarts and ringbolts I assume would be used for hoisting the boat had been added, the bow was closed in using a cover as suggested on the plan - this also helped disguise the rudimentary construction at the bow.  The rowlocks were cut, interestingly these are not symetrical between port and starboard, and one seems to sit rather awkwardly in the sternsheets.

 
The sternsheets were made up and installed, again having used a template to finalise shape, together with all the other details including mast thwarts, gunwale and knees.

 
The colour scheme follows a slightly simplified version of that shown below which seems suitably utilitarian.  Looking at this, and comparing once the black was applied, suggests to me that I made a mistake in the tapering of the clinker planking.  The black area covers both the wash strake and upper strake, and judging from these pictures it appears that these are of somewhat consistent in width, especially toward the stem.  I had tapered these proportionally as well, hoping nobody else notices...
 

Hi Folks,
 
Sadly been rather absent from both the shipyard and this site for some time.  I very much hope to catch up soon on everyone else's fine builds here soon.  Time to get a little more up to date, the cutter is pretty close to completion aside from a little fettling.
 
Frames were added to the interior using strips cut from some scrap 0.5mm pear wood.  These were soaked and pre-bent in situ prior to gluing with PVA:
 

 
The frames were further reduced down to the keel former to try and get a bit more depth the boat.  To my eye, applying planking to the false deck puts the board too high, especially as there is very little room to play with considering the various structural elements still to go on. A template for the footwaling was then made up to determine the shape.  Once the placement was determined, the rising plank was added (again cut from some 0.5mm pear sheet)
 
I wanted to try and allow the footwalling to have an element of curvature which would be natural on the real boat.  A relatively straightforward way to achieve this was to apply wood strip to thin card to match the template which maintains a lot of flexibility (Straight strip was used rather than the more complicated curved planking on the plan).  Once dry, the assembly was easily glued on top of the keel former, the footwaling then follows the interior curve naturally.  
 

 
With those element in place, it was possible to add the platform under the sternsheets.  The Diana plans show these as a grating, but to my eye again the kit supplied grating is too large, so plain boards were installed instead which also appear to be used.  After the main and fore mast steps, thwarts and ringbolts I assume would be used for hoisting the boat had been added, the bow was closed in using a cover as suggested on the plan - this also helped disguise the rudimentary construction at the bow.  The rowlocks were cut, interestingly these are not symetrical between port and starboard, and one seems to sit rather awkwardly in the sternsheets.

 
The sternsheets were made up and installed, again having used a template to finalise shape, together with all the other details including mast thwarts, gunwale and knees.

 
The colour scheme follows a slightly simplified version of that shown below which seems suitably utilitarian.  Looking at this, and comparing once the black was applied, suggests to me that I made a mistake in the tapering of the clinker planking.  The black area covers both the wash strake and upper strake, and judging from these pictures it appears that these are of somewhat consistent in width, especially toward the stem.  I had tapered these proportionally as well, hoping nobody else notices...
 

Great start Sjors and nice to see another of your model builds.  Your planking looks great and you seem to have overcome the challenges on some of the details.  This looks like an awesome kit.

Hi Folks,
 
Sadly been rather absent from both the shipyard and this site for some time.  I very much hope to catch up soon on everyone else's fine builds here soon.  Time to get a little more up to date, the cutter is pretty close to completion aside from a little fettling.
 
Frames were added to the interior using strips cut from some scrap 0.5mm pear wood.  These were soaked and pre-bent in situ prior to gluing with PVA:
 

 
The frames were further reduced down to the keel former to try and get a bit more depth the boat.  To my eye, applying planking to the false deck puts the board too high, especially as there is very little room to play with considering the various structural elements still to go on. A template for the footwaling was then made up to determine the shape.  Once the placement was determined, the rising plank was added (again cut from some 0.5mm pear sheet)
 
I wanted to try and allow the footwalling to have an element of curvature which would be natural on the real boat.  A relatively straightforward way to achieve this was to apply wood strip to thin card to match the template which maintains a lot of flexibility (Straight strip was used rather than the more complicated curved planking on the plan).  Once dry, the assembly was easily glued on top of the keel former, the footwaling then follows the interior curve naturally.  
 

 
With those element in place, it was possible to add the platform under the sternsheets.  The Diana plans show these as a grating, but to my eye again the kit supplied grating is too large, so plain boards were installed instead which also appear to be used.  After the main and fore mast steps, thwarts and ringbolts I assume would be used for hoisting the boat had been added, the bow was closed in using a cover as suggested on the plan - this also helped disguise the rudimentary construction at the bow.  The rowlocks were cut, interestingly these are not symetrical between port and starboard, and one seems to sit rather awkwardly in the sternsheets.

 
The sternsheets were made up and installed, again having used a template to finalise shape, together with all the other details including mast thwarts, gunwale and knees.

 
The colour scheme follows a slightly simplified version of that shown below which seems suitably utilitarian.  Looking at this, and comparing once the black was applied, suggests to me that I made a mistake in the tapering of the clinker planking.  The black area covers both the wash strake and upper strake, and judging from these pictures it appears that these are of somewhat consistent in width, especially toward the stem.  I had tapered these proportionally as well, hoping nobody else notices...
 

Hi Folks,
 
Sadly been rather absent from both the shipyard and this site for some time.  I very much hope to catch up soon on everyone else's fine builds here soon.  Time to get a little more up to date, the cutter is pretty close to completion aside from a little fettling.
 
Frames were added to the interior using strips cut from some scrap 0.5mm pear wood.  These were soaked and pre-bent in situ prior to gluing with PVA:
 

 
The frames were further reduced down to the keel former to try and get a bit more depth the boat.  To my eye, applying planking to the false deck puts the board too high, especially as there is very little room to play with considering the various structural elements still to go on. A template for the footwaling was then made up to determine the shape.  Once the placement was determined, the rising plank was added (again cut from some 0.5mm pear sheet)
 
I wanted to try and allow the footwalling to have an element of curvature which would be natural on the real boat.  A relatively straightforward way to achieve this was to apply wood strip to thin card to match the template which maintains a lot of flexibility (Straight strip was used rather than the more complicated curved planking on the plan).  Once dry, the assembly was easily glued on top of the keel former, the footwaling then follows the interior curve naturally.  
 

 
With those element in place, it was possible to add the platform under the sternsheets.  The Diana plans show these as a grating, but to my eye again the kit supplied grating is too large, so plain boards were installed instead which also appear to be used.  After the main and fore mast steps, thwarts and ringbolts I assume would be used for hoisting the boat had been added, the bow was closed in using a cover as suggested on the plan - this also helped disguise the rudimentary construction at the bow.  The rowlocks were cut, interestingly these are not symetrical between port and starboard, and one seems to sit rather awkwardly in the sternsheets.

 
The sternsheets were made up and installed, again having used a template to finalise shape, together with all the other details including mast thwarts, gunwale and knees.

 
The colour scheme follows a slightly simplified version of that shown below which seems suitably utilitarian.  Looking at this, and comparing once the black was applied, suggests to me that I made a mistake in the tapering of the clinker planking.  The black area covers both the wash strake and upper strake, and judging from these pictures it appears that these are of somewhat consistent in width, especially toward the stem.  I had tapered these proportionally as well, hoping nobody else notices...
 

Hi Folks,  have been away from the shipyard and this site for quite some time, and I've missed the friendly interaction.  Looking forward to catching up with everyone's builds soon!
 
@Martin - welcome to the neighborhood!  We got lucky and didn't lose power in the storms, hope you stayed safe.  We definitely need to connect at some point so I can pick your brains 🙂
@ Sjors - Good to hear from you old friend, its been a while!  Will check out your new model soon.
@ Stergios - the yards were rigged from bottom to top.  Not sure if that is the recommended way, but it made sense to me to do that way because the lower masts require quite a few items of rigging to be in place near the mast and it seemed that this would be harder if the lines from the top masts were getting in the way.  Maybe personal preference?
 
The cutter has finally been finished and the details of the final stages of construction are posted in my 'Jason' build log.  Figuring out where to place the cutter onboard Snake was a little bit of a challenge.  It seems inconceivable that a ship (sloop) like Snake would not have at least one boat, but there is simply no space to place one.  I could find no examples of solutions to this in practice (recognizing that other ships may well have had raised davits), and it seems somewhat logical to mount the supports on the coamings which would also be supported by the deck beams underneath.  Finally in position, its clear that even a modest 24' cutter has little room to spare.
 
With that done, now rigging can continue, hopefully some progress possible soon...