ziled68

Hello everyone,
Yes it’s been a while since my last post due to the fact that the majority of the main construction of my whaleboat has been knocked out of the ball-park. Now is the time to actually go through the ordeal of constructing the whalecraft and minor details. The minor details were oar locks, steering oar rest, compass box, waist and stern tubs, lantern keg, lantern, water keg, piggin, bucket, and coopered drogue. I’ve also tweaked the mast and oars to include the steering oar and tiller. These items are small and a person can easily finish them without realizing it. I should point out that there were a few items that I did not follow religiously from the guide. The guide book states that you can add the hoops to the buckets, etc… made from copper which I did not. What I used was 1/16 wide strips of card stock that I painted black with a sharpie and am happy at how they came out. The guide book also points out the details for the mast as follows, “mast hoops are usually a permanent feature of the mast and so should be present. After the hoops are on, add the wooden cleat for the spritsail tack”.  Keep in mind that I stressing the important fact that the hoops go on before you place the cleat. My hoops are not made from copper but rather from a piece paper. What I did was wrap a piece of wax paper a few turns around a dowel of similar dimension in order to get spacing between the dowel and the soon to be made hoops. I then glued a strip of paper about 4 inches wide around the wax paper and let it dry overnight. Once dry, I slid the paper off of the dowel, cut it down to the size I needed and finally took a sharpie to it. The finished result looks quite convincing as the photos below will show. I still have a few more items that need to be made before I can finally dress up my whaleboat and call it good.

Thank you Randy,
I believe that sometimes a person should go through the process of starting from the beginning and work on simple projects such as this whaleboat. I know that many people like the elaborate works of full ships and wind up neglecting simple things like a ship's boat but If a person masters the simple things, than when it comes time for something truly amazing there will be no issues.
Ray

Raymond,
 
a great good looking build, many fine Details, very nicely done
 
Nils

Thank you Randy,
I believe that sometimes a person should go through the process of starting from the beginning and work on simple projects such as this whaleboat. I know that many people like the elaborate works of full ships and wind up neglecting simple things like a ship's boat but If a person masters the simple things, than when it comes time for something truly amazing there will be no issues.
Ray

Hello everyone,
Yes it’s been a while since my last post due to the fact that the majority of the main construction of my whaleboat has been knocked out of the ball-park. Now is the time to actually go through the ordeal of constructing the whalecraft and minor details. The minor details were oar locks, steering oar rest, compass box, waist and stern tubs, lantern keg, lantern, water keg, piggin, bucket, and coopered drogue. I’ve also tweaked the mast and oars to include the steering oar and tiller. These items are small and a person can easily finish them without realizing it. I should point out that there were a few items that I did not follow religiously from the guide. The guide book states that you can add the hoops to the buckets, etc… made from copper which I did not. What I used was 1/16 wide strips of card stock that I painted black with a sharpie and am happy at how they came out. The guide book also points out the details for the mast as follows, “mast hoops are usually a permanent feature of the mast and so should be present. After the hoops are on, add the wooden cleat for the spritsail tack”.  Keep in mind that I stressing the important fact that the hoops go on before you place the cleat. My hoops are not made from copper but rather from a piece paper. What I did was wrap a piece of wax paper a few turns around a dowel of similar dimension in order to get spacing between the dowel and the soon to be made hoops. I then glued a strip of paper about 4 inches wide around the wax paper and let it dry overnight. Once dry, I slid the paper off of the dowel, cut it down to the size I needed and finally took a sharpie to it. The finished result looks quite convincing as the photos below will show. I still have a few more items that need to be made before I can finally dress up my whaleboat and call it good.

Hello Everyone,
The latest update to my whaleboat is the addition of the whale gun box which was optional but decided to add it on. Also, I added the rudder and the tabernacle which was not part of the original plans. Lester, who has actually worked on the Charles W Morgan, was kind enough to send me lots of information on whaleboats. One such detail that I enjoyed was the tabernacle which seemed an ideal concept in aiding whalers to safely seat the mast into its step without getting their fingers crushed. I also went ahead and painted the gunwales and rubbing pieces black. I originally planned on painting the hull white but decided to leave it unpainted because I actually like the bare wood. If you’ve seen my previous builds, you can tell I fancy this aspect. Attached you will see photos showing you how she looks and I’ve also added the variations of tabernacles in the event someone would like to add it to their whaleboat.

Hello everyone,
Here’s the latest update to my whaleboat. I’ll start off by saying that the new details I added are small but gives my whaleboat a lot more character and the more I add the more I learn about the functionality of the whaleboat. Since the majority of the items are small, I’ll just blurt them out and let you look at the photos below. The new items added are, bow chocks, preventer cleats, standing cleats, foot brace, three small cleats at cuddy area, logger head, lifting straps, row locks, and peak cleats. I also added and finished the details for the centerboard. What I like most about the centerboard is the fact that its lifting strap is functional and I can raise or lower the centerboard. I also painted the thwarts brown with yellow edges to continue following the paint scheme I showed everyone on a previous post. For those of you who plan on purchasing this kit and for those of you who already have it, I must say that I am having a blast as I know you too will enjoy it.
 

Beautiful detailing. I often wondered if I should buy this kit and give it a try and after seeing your build I think I will. Yours is an excellent example of how to do it. 
Well done sir!

Fantastic looking, and great details!

Hello everyone,
Yes it’s been a while since my last post due to the fact that the majority of the main construction of my whaleboat has been knocked out of the ball-park. Now is the time to actually go through the ordeal of constructing the whalecraft and minor details. The minor details were oar locks, steering oar rest, compass box, waist and stern tubs, lantern keg, lantern, water keg, piggin, bucket, and coopered drogue. I’ve also tweaked the mast and oars to include the steering oar and tiller. These items are small and a person can easily finish them without realizing it. I should point out that there were a few items that I did not follow religiously from the guide. The guide book states that you can add the hoops to the buckets, etc… made from copper which I did not. What I used was 1/16 wide strips of card stock that I painted black with a sharpie and am happy at how they came out. The guide book also points out the details for the mast as follows, “mast hoops are usually a permanent feature of the mast and so should be present. After the hoops are on, add the wooden cleat for the spritsail tack”.  Keep in mind that I stressing the important fact that the hoops go on before you place the cleat. My hoops are not made from copper but rather from a piece paper. What I did was wrap a piece of wax paper a few turns around a dowel of similar dimension in order to get spacing between the dowel and the soon to be made hoops. I then glued a strip of paper about 4 inches wide around the wax paper and let it dry overnight. Once dry, I slid the paper off of the dowel, cut it down to the size I needed and finally took a sharpie to it. The finished result looks quite convincing as the photos below will show. I still have a few more items that need to be made before I can finally dress up my whaleboat and call it good.

Hello everyone,
Yes it’s been a while since my last post due to the fact that the majority of the main construction of my whaleboat has been knocked out of the ball-park. Now is the time to actually go through the ordeal of constructing the whalecraft and minor details. The minor details were oar locks, steering oar rest, compass box, waist and stern tubs, lantern keg, lantern, water keg, piggin, bucket, and coopered drogue. I’ve also tweaked the mast and oars to include the steering oar and tiller. These items are small and a person can easily finish them without realizing it. I should point out that there were a few items that I did not follow religiously from the guide. The guide book states that you can add the hoops to the buckets, etc… made from copper which I did not. What I used was 1/16 wide strips of card stock that I painted black with a sharpie and am happy at how they came out. The guide book also points out the details for the mast as follows, “mast hoops are usually a permanent feature of the mast and so should be present. After the hoops are on, add the wooden cleat for the spritsail tack”.  Keep in mind that I stressing the important fact that the hoops go on before you place the cleat. My hoops are not made from copper but rather from a piece paper. What I did was wrap a piece of wax paper a few turns around a dowel of similar dimension in order to get spacing between the dowel and the soon to be made hoops. I then glued a strip of paper about 4 inches wide around the wax paper and let it dry overnight. Once dry, I slid the paper off of the dowel, cut it down to the size I needed and finally took a sharpie to it. The finished result looks quite convincing as the photos below will show. I still have a few more items that need to be made before I can finally dress up my whaleboat and call it good.

Hello Everyone,
The latest update to my whaleboat is the addition of the whale gun box which was optional but decided to add it on. Also, I added the rudder and the tabernacle which was not part of the original plans. Lester, who has actually worked on the Charles W Morgan, was kind enough to send me lots of information on whaleboats. One such detail that I enjoyed was the tabernacle which seemed an ideal concept in aiding whalers to safely seat the mast into its step without getting their fingers crushed. I also went ahead and painted the gunwales and rubbing pieces black. I originally planned on painting the hull white but decided to leave it unpainted because I actually like the bare wood. If you’ve seen my previous builds, you can tell I fancy this aspect. Attached you will see photos showing you how she looks and I’ve also added the variations of tabernacles in the event someone would like to add it to their whaleboat.

Hello everyone,
Yes it’s been a while since my last post due to the fact that the majority of the main construction of my whaleboat has been knocked out of the ball-park. Now is the time to actually go through the ordeal of constructing the whalecraft and minor details. The minor details were oar locks, steering oar rest, compass box, waist and stern tubs, lantern keg, lantern, water keg, piggin, bucket, and coopered drogue. I’ve also tweaked the mast and oars to include the steering oar and tiller. These items are small and a person can easily finish them without realizing it. I should point out that there were a few items that I did not follow religiously from the guide. The guide book states that you can add the hoops to the buckets, etc… made from copper which I did not. What I used was 1/16 wide strips of card stock that I painted black with a sharpie and am happy at how they came out. The guide book also points out the details for the mast as follows, “mast hoops are usually a permanent feature of the mast and so should be present. After the hoops are on, add the wooden cleat for the spritsail tack”.  Keep in mind that I stressing the important fact that the hoops go on before you place the cleat. My hoops are not made from copper but rather from a piece paper. What I did was wrap a piece of wax paper a few turns around a dowel of similar dimension in order to get spacing between the dowel and the soon to be made hoops. I then glued a strip of paper about 4 inches wide around the wax paper and let it dry overnight. Once dry, I slid the paper off of the dowel, cut it down to the size I needed and finally took a sharpie to it. The finished result looks quite convincing as the photos below will show. I still have a few more items that need to be made before I can finally dress up my whaleboat and call it good.

Hello Everyone,
The latest update to my whaleboat is the addition of the whale gun box which was optional but decided to add it on. Also, I added the rudder and the tabernacle which was not part of the original plans. Lester, who has actually worked on the Charles W Morgan, was kind enough to send me lots of information on whaleboats. One such detail that I enjoyed was the tabernacle which seemed an ideal concept in aiding whalers to safely seat the mast into its step without getting their fingers crushed. I also went ahead and painted the gunwales and rubbing pieces black. I originally planned on painting the hull white but decided to leave it unpainted because I actually like the bare wood. If you’ve seen my previous builds, you can tell I fancy this aspect. Attached you will see photos showing you how she looks and I’ve also added the variations of tabernacles in the event someone would like to add it to their whaleboat.

I'm also building the MS whaleboat. Altho' I normally do only scratch building I thought this would be an interesting change. Also,  I had no interest in learning the art of photoetching the 2000 or so fastenings and other brass fittings that are needed to build as Ronnberg describes in his book "To Build a Whaleboat."
Like Ronnberg, I will only apply a coat of clear varnish rather than painting; this means all the copper fastenings will be visible and must be present if the model is to be accurate..
 
However, only 100 photoetched nails were included with the kit.  I assumed this was an error, but on calling MS I was told that this was all that was provided as few people construct the model as Ronnberg did; i.e. with 2000 nails and a varnish finish.
 
The price of additional etched nails was $10.00 per hundred., or about $190.00 to complete the model. This was of course out of the question.
 
How to produce the fastenings without etching was my problem.
 
I obtained a spool of 20 gauge soft copper wire (.032" dia.). I then used a nail clipper to incise notches every 1/64 inch or so. (This was to give the glue a  solid hold on each nail.)  The process was speeded up by folding the wire so that three lenghts were notched with each squeeze of the clipper.
To put the nails in place  I pre-drilled each nail hole with a .036 inch bit.  I inserted a lenght of my notched wire in a pin vise,  used a silk pin to press glue into about six holes at a time and the;n inserted the wire and clipped the end with the nail clipper.
 
The nails provided by MS, are quite well done and would produce the appearence of square cut nails in the finished model.  But in e xamining the Mystic Seaport book on whaleboat construction it's clear that, whether square cut  or round nails were used in the Mystic produced full sized boat, the appearance after being clinched was not visibly different than if round nails were used. Thus, the appearance of my model is very satisfactory.
 
Even tho the MS supplied laser cut wood parts are remarkably accurate,having found that I would have to put that much time into the model I decided to turn it into a scratchbuild model by making all the wood parts from pearwood (to represent cedar) , holly )for oak), and bass (for pine). I'm also fabricating the metal tools.
 
I hope this is a help to those of you who wish to use Ronnberg's construction method but cannot afford to purchase a full supply of nails.
With or without the all the nails the MS kit is an excellent one and produces a beautiful model. Ronnberg's book describing construction is, of course, his usual superb clarity..

Hello Everyone,
The latest update to my whaleboat is the addition of the whale gun box which was optional but decided to add it on. Also, I added the rudder and the tabernacle which was not part of the original plans. Lester, who has actually worked on the Charles W Morgan, was kind enough to send me lots of information on whaleboats. One such detail that I enjoyed was the tabernacle which seemed an ideal concept in aiding whalers to safely seat the mast into its step without getting their fingers crushed. I also went ahead and painted the gunwales and rubbing pieces black. I originally planned on painting the hull white but decided to leave it unpainted because I actually like the bare wood. If you’ve seen my previous builds, you can tell I fancy this aspect. Attached you will see photos showing you how she looks and I’ve also added the variations of tabernacles in the event someone would like to add it to their whaleboat.

Hello Everyone,
The latest update to my whaleboat is the addition of the whale gun box which was optional but decided to add it on. Also, I added the rudder and the tabernacle which was not part of the original plans. Lester, who has actually worked on the Charles W Morgan, was kind enough to send me lots of information on whaleboats. One such detail that I enjoyed was the tabernacle which seemed an ideal concept in aiding whalers to safely seat the mast into its step without getting their fingers crushed. I also went ahead and painted the gunwales and rubbing pieces black. I originally planned on painting the hull white but decided to leave it unpainted because I actually like the bare wood. If you’ve seen my previous builds, you can tell I fancy this aspect. Attached you will see photos showing you how she looks and I’ve also added the variations of tabernacles in the event someone would like to add it to their whaleboat.

Hello everyone,
It’s been slow going since my last post but one that had to be done to get great results. I added the rubbing pieces outboard, just below the gunwale strakes. The guide states that this piece is made from 1/16” x 1/8” timber which I believed did not do justice for this important and noticeable aspect of the whaleboat. I decided to use the 1/8” x 1/8” timber I used as a retaining batten when I separated the form from the horses. I used the measurements from sheet 1 of the plans and tapered the ends to its specification.
After completing the rubbing pieces, I started working on the thwart knee filler blocks. These filler blocks are a simple affair but extremely time consuming if you want it to look great. Once the filler blocks were installed, I went through the procedure of steaming1/32” x 1/16” timber to form the thwart knees which is a laminated procedure similar to the frames for the whaleboat. As I finished up one set of thwart knees I immediately added pads to the areas mentioned by the plans.
I finally put the week to an end via the construction of the box just forward of the thigh board. Once complete. I went back and went through the procedure of adding all my simulated tree nails to the areas that required them. The following photos will show you how she is looking.
 
Ray

Thank you Curtis, I hope that my build will give you inspiration for your build.
 
Hello Everyone,
The latest progress to my whaleboat is in the form of cheeks, inwales and gunwales, and paint. Well for starters, the cheek pieces were a little difficult due to the fact that you only get overall dimensions for them but not how to go about it. This is where your artistic abilities come into play. The rough dimensions of the cheeks are 1/” x 3/8” x 1 ½”. The guide is where you will get a better feeling for the construction of the cheeks so pay attention to it. Once completed, I added the cheeks to the stem and realized that I had not placed brass roller between the cheeks. It was a simple affair to address via cutting the 1/8” brass tube filling it with a wooden dowel and passing a pin through it to hold it in place.
After the cheeks were installed I worked on both the inwales and gunwales. These are pretty straight forward but I must say the gunwales that lie against the cheeks must be sanded to follow the cheeks profile.
Upon completion of these items, the guide states that if you wish to paint your whaleboat, now is the time to do so for the interior of the boat. As for choosing a paint scheme that would give my whaleboat any justice, let’s just say that I suck at it and did some research online. I came across this website, http://www.muffyaldrich.com/2014/04/charles-w-morgan-launch-minus-23-days.html, which talks about the preparation of Mystic Seaport’s Charles W. Morgan. After reading and looking at pictures, I came across its whaleboat and was immediately drawn to its color scheme which I will follow as best as I can. The following photos will show how she’s coming along (keep in mind that the first three are of the Morgan’s whaleboat).
 
 

Hello Everyone,
As promised, here is the latest update to my whaleboat. The plans and guide state that the first strake to be placed inboard is the thwart riser followed by the adjacent ceiling. Care must be taken to ensure that the thwart riser is 5/8” below the gunwale between stations 1 ½ and 4 ½. Forward and aft of these point the measurement is 11/16” giving it a gradual slope. The thwart riser starts from the most forward most frame and will continue aft up to the second from the last frame. Once you have placed the thwart riser, it is time to tackle the adjacent ceiling. The adjacent ceiling needs to be trimmed and/or sanded to get a nice tight fit along the thwart riser. Also, you will have to cut and install short wide pieces which cover the frames at the bow and stern.
Once that is complete you can go ahead and trim the slot along the keel to accommodate the centerboard trunk and mast step. The plans are nicely drawn and it is a simple process of getting the measurements for both of these items. Now I must point out that the height of the centerboard trunk is level with the thwart riser. I found it easy to add a strip of timber from the port thwart to the starboard thwart and use that as a guide to get the correct measurement for my centerboard trunk. Now before you glue it into place, make sure that you bore the pivot hole for you centerboard. The mast step is a simple affair so I’ll not go into it with the exception of pointing out that you will not bore the mast hole for it at this time.
Since it was raining today, I had plenty of down time to concentrate on the deck’s ceiling. I started the first plank near the centerboard trunk and work outwards. The first 4 ceiling planks are easy due to the fact that they only receive a 90 degree cut at their ends. The fifth and sixth planks are a little more time consuming because they have extreme angle that need to be cut just so. After the installation of each ceiling, I marked my boards where the simulated treenails would be placed above each frame. The following photos will show you how she’s coming along.
 
 

I bought this kit along time ago at the last Western Ship Model Conference. Great memories. You make me want to take it down and start on it even without my workshop.
David B

Hello everyone,
Here’s the latest update to my whaleboat. I’ll start off by saying that the new details I added are small but gives my whaleboat a lot more character and the more I add the more I learn about the functionality of the whaleboat. Since the majority of the items are small, I’ll just blurt them out and let you look at the photos below. The new items added are, bow chocks, preventer cleats, standing cleats, foot brace, three small cleats at cuddy area, logger head, lifting straps, row locks, and peak cleats. I also added and finished the details for the centerboard. What I like most about the centerboard is the fact that its lifting strap is functional and I can raise or lower the centerboard. I also painted the thwarts brown with yellow edges to continue following the paint scheme I showed everyone on a previous post. For those of you who plan on purchasing this kit and for those of you who already have it, I must say that I am having a blast as I know you too will enjoy it.
 

Hello everyone,
Here’s the latest update to my whaleboat. I’ll start off by saying that the new details I added are small but gives my whaleboat a lot more character and the more I add the more I learn about the functionality of the whaleboat. Since the majority of the items are small, I’ll just blurt them out and let you look at the photos below. The new items added are, bow chocks, preventer cleats, standing cleats, foot brace, three small cleats at cuddy area, logger head, lifting straps, row locks, and peak cleats. I also added and finished the details for the centerboard. What I like most about the centerboard is the fact that its lifting strap is functional and I can raise or lower the centerboard. I also painted the thwarts brown with yellow edges to continue following the paint scheme I showed everyone on a previous post. For those of you who plan on purchasing this kit and for those of you who already have it, I must say that I am having a blast as I know you too will enjoy it.
 

Hello Everyone,
The newest progress to my whaleboat is the addition of thwarts, thigh board, cuddy board, and lion’s tongue. The thwarts were an easy addition to my whaleboat via getting a rough dimension of the size per thwart and using scrap timber to get the correct angle for the sides. The inwale will tend to impede progress a bit but is not really an issue. The guide states that the thwart risers are notched slightly so as for the thwart to have better contact. An interesting tidbit of information in regards to these notches was that it was done as a “cure” for thwart risers that were fitted to high on one or both sides.
The thigh board was next on the butcher block which was a simple affair to work on. The guide states that you should get the width of your thigh board from the model itself rather than the plans due to the fact that the bow may have tapered more than expected. It also states that if you have not already added nails to your model, you should at least nail the thigh board down for added strength. What I did was add a bead of carpenters glue followed by small dabs of super glue to where the thigh board will rest and finally place the thigh board on the gunwale.
The cuddy boards and lion’s tongue followed similar fashion as the thigh board with one exception. The stem post that protrudes above the cuddy boards were laminated strips of timber. At the beginning of its construction, the guide made no mention that this area had to be longer so I made it long enough to where I believed it had to go. Bad idea. Since I was not happy with it, I had to perform a minor operation to remedy this fiasco. I am now one happy camper. The following photos will show how she’s coming along.
 
 

Thank you Curtis, I hope that my build will give you inspiration for your build.
 
Hello Everyone,
The latest progress to my whaleboat is in the form of cheeks, inwales and gunwales, and paint. Well for starters, the cheek pieces were a little difficult due to the fact that you only get overall dimensions for them but not how to go about it. This is where your artistic abilities come into play. The rough dimensions of the cheeks are 1/” x 3/8” x 1 ½”. The guide is where you will get a better feeling for the construction of the cheeks so pay attention to it. Once completed, I added the cheeks to the stem and realized that I had not placed brass roller between the cheeks. It was a simple affair to address via cutting the 1/8” brass tube filling it with a wooden dowel and passing a pin through it to hold it in place.
After the cheeks were installed I worked on both the inwales and gunwales. These are pretty straight forward but I must say the gunwales that lie against the cheeks must be sanded to follow the cheeks profile.
Upon completion of these items, the guide states that if you wish to paint your whaleboat, now is the time to do so for the interior of the boat. As for choosing a paint scheme that would give my whaleboat any justice, let’s just say that I suck at it and did some research online. I came across this website, http://www.muffyaldrich.com/2014/04/charles-w-morgan-launch-minus-23-days.html, which talks about the preparation of Mystic Seaport’s Charles W. Morgan. After reading and looking at pictures, I came across its whaleboat and was immediately drawn to its color scheme which I will follow as best as I can. The following photos will show how she’s coming along (keep in mind that the first three are of the Morgan’s whaleboat).