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Max, Congratulations on a fantastic first build and thank you for sharing it with us.

Al D.

You guys might try a stained glass shop if available. They use it to blacken the strips of copper foil they put between the glass. On the other hand if you can get the Birchwood Casey stuff it's really good.

Al D.

Thanks Bindy, I really appreciate it. It's really inspirational to have friends along for guidance and some good natured fun. I am really looking forward to your Surprise.

When are you going to pop that boat off the mold? 

You had best stay away from that pizza. We all know what it did to you last time.

No stealers on my hull. It's pretty strange that some need them and some don't.

Eamonn, Thank you for the kind words. I do plan to fit the masts and sails. 

I have made a bit of progress. The hull is painted and came out pretty decent. I brush painted it but next time I will use the airbrush.

I also installed the gunwales, thwarts and mast partners. I glued up the gunwales over the plans in accordance with the instructions but they were too narrow to fit the hull and broke while trying to make it fit. Four hands, several rubber bands and pencils were needed to hold it down. I used wood glue and tacked it in place with some super glue.

The mast partners were pretty easy and straight forward and seem to look ok.

Al D.

Nice planking job. That will look great in a natural finish.

I notice that this model has gunport lids. Interesting...

Yes, and they are split.

A little different view.

Here you go.

Patrick, I finally got the book "Ship Models - Museum of Fine Arts Boston". It has photos of one model of Constitution and it shows the figure on the bow and split gunports. The model is not dated or atributed but it looks quite old. Maybe the museum could provide more information on it. I am very curious and may inquire myself. If I get any information I will let you know.

I would think the plans would have the planks laid out a bit oversize for final fitting. Tim has the hull broken down into sections with battens. That should help to make the job easier. It looks like a really good base to work from.

Al D.

Albert, You have a work of art coming together. I am looking forward to seeing it progress. Thank you for sharing you build with us.

Al D.

Bindy is right, rank has it's privileges. Especially when you are operating on an independent cruise. You are master of your ship or in this case boat.

Looking really good Tim. The Bounty Launch comes with pre-spiled planks and the plans have them drawn out like the Pinky. It only required final fitting of the planks which made it much easier for a first time planking job. 

Does the Pinky give you wide enough material to spile the planks like the plans show? I haven't even opened the box on mine yet.

It looks like a nice clean job so far. Taking your time at this stage will really pay off when you start planking.

Hey, congratulations on your promotion Captain.

I was scratching my head over a plank that just didn't seem to fit just right until I realized it was the wrong plank for that position. Some of them do look very muck alike and come close to fitting. You could always make a new plank to avoid the stealer too.

Bligh would be right proud of your replication of his launch. The lighter color stain is very nice. I do think painting the bottom white would spoil the effect. I would leave it just stained and distressed.

Looking good so far. I agree she does have great lines and will make a fine model. I hope to start mine in a couple of months. Still a lot to do on the launch.

Disaster has been thwarted. It was sure nice cutting these longer pieces on the new mini table saw. Here the new thwarts are just dry fitted and ready for final details and shaping.

Bob, Thanks for the informative reply. This is probably the most educational thread I have had the pleasure to read. I am looking forward to trying the techniques.

Al D.

You should be very proud of your ship. She is fantastic looking.

Bob, Thank you for the outstanding tutorial. You have made some things clear with your photos and text that I did not quite understand before as a beginer. I now have a pretty firm grasp of using tick strips and the grid. Am I correct in thinking that the grid takes the place of proportional dividers? I will use these techniques on my next model. It will be my first time spileing planks as the Bounty Launch kit does it for you.

I will bookmark this thread for future use. I have this longboat kit on the shelf for when I'm ready for it.

Al D.