18th Century Longboat by Erik W - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:48 - First wooden ship build

[Erik W]

My 18th Century Longboat kit came from Model Shipways yesterday.  I double checked to make sure everything that should be in the box was, and snapped a couple of photos.  Though I consider myself a fairly accomplished modeler with other materials, this is my first wooden boat model.  I'm excited to jump in!

 

Being new at this, I welcome any input and advice you seasoned veterans have to offer, so please feel free to offer a critique/constructive criticism of my work.

 

 

 

Now, it's time to break out my modeling supplies and tools, and get started . . .

 

Erik

[Canute]

Erik, good luck. This gang is very helpful. All you need to do is ask.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Canute

[Nirvana]

Erik, A warm ,

I would recommend you to download and print the friezes that is pinned to this topic by Chuck.

As it has turned out not all boats are coming out the same size.

Looking forward seeing your build log.

Some of us got the upgrade wood kit from Jeff @Hobbymill while he had his business.

I did get the wood, and also bought dead eyes and lines from Chuck @SyrenModelShipCompany

Edited June 15, 2015 by Nirvana

[Nirvana]

Erik,

If you need a material list for upgrade with boxwood I am more than happy to provide with such.

Bear in mind I am heading on three week vacation to Sweden from June 16th.

I know others has the same material list and will help you as well.

[Erik W]

Thanks for the offer of help with the boxwood.  I'm going to use the kit supplied wood.  Being my first build, this will be somewhat of an experiment, so I'll keep it simple.

 

Erik

[Matrim]

It's a nice model, have fun

[Erik W]

Question:  What glue are you folks using on your builds?  I'm working on the first step of assembling the false keel and the keel.  I tried to use medium viscosity CA, but it absorbed right into the wood of the keel.  I wound up using Elmer's wood glue.  I'd like to use CA when I do the planking.  Am I using the wrong type of CA?  Or do I just need to use more quantity?  I'm a little leery about over gluing.

 

I'll post photos once I have more than 2 pieces glued together!

 

Thanks,

Erik

[Nirvana]

Erik, Chuck used CA building the whole boat. I used Maxi-Cure extra thick 10-25 sec. Which worked fine for me. As for planking a combo of white glue and CA. Good luck, now it is time for me preparing the last before my flight to Sweden.

[Erik W]

Thanks for the quick answer!  I'll probably be using both white glue and CA.  I need to pick up some sand paper at the hobby shop, so I'll get some thick CA as well. 

 

I hope your flight to Sweden goes smoothly!

 

Erik

Edited June 17, 2015 by Erik W

[dcicero]

White glue throughout for me. I needed to redo many steps along the way and being able to simply dampen the glue and remove the offending part was very helpful.

 

 

Dan

[Erik W]

Humble beginnings.  The keel and false keel glued together.  Though there is glue evident on the false keel, the keel itself is sanded clean and blemish free.

 

 

Erik

[Jason]

You are off to a good start.  This kit is really fun to build.  One thing to watch out for, the top of the stem is prone to breaking.  A lot of people who have built this kit, myself included, have broken that stem off.  If it does come off, it is not too difficult to fix, but best to be aware of the potential problem.

 

Happy building!

[Erik W]

Thanks for the heads up Jason.  Other people's build logs have been invaluable for figuring out those type of pitfalls beforehand.

 

Erik

[Erik W]

I've had a brief pause on my build.  Rather than sprint into the build, I decided a more methodical approach will yield better results.  So, I bought a bunch of supplies at the hobby shop yesterday, mostly various methods of sanding, sanding sticks, sand paper, etc, and some Maxi-cure extra thick CA.

 

In preparation for attaching the bulkheads, I thoroughly sanded them on both sides with ever finer grades of sandpaper to get the burn marks off.  My plan is to not paint the bottom of the hull, so I'm proceeding with the thought that it will just be varnished. I'm trying to keep the wood as pristine as possible.  And . . . if I screw up the planking then I'll go ahead and paint the bottom.  Might as well aim high though. 

 

 

Based on other build logs, I also figured building an assembly jig was a good idea.  So, here's what I came up with.  The keel is straight and plumb with the vertical being at a 90 degree angle.

 

 

Next step:  Bulkheads.

 

Erik

[egkb]

Hey There Eric.. I notice that a lot of folks on here (MSW) use Minwax's  Wipe on Poly and it seems to give great results (if you search the MSW Forum for Wipe on Poly you should see some of the results).. unfortunately it isn't available over where I am, else I'd be using it myself  (luckily I did find an alternative though)

 

I'm looking forward to your build as I have the same wee boat in my 'stash' .

 

All The Very Best

 

Eamonn

[Bob the Builder]

Erik - I'm new to wood ship modeling too, but have many years from the plastic side, and found that the CA glues that I already had work here as well: Super Thin for creeping into areas that need strengthening...and a medium gel for surface-to-surface contact.  Aside form CA, I also use Titebond and Elmer's Wood Glue for areas where I may have to tweak the positioning (like deck planking). I found something useful at Lowe's - GLUE DOTS. I was looking for a simple glue stick, and found these instead. If you need to temporarily place a piece, the dots will work...and when you're done, just roll the dot off with your finger and throw it away. I've used the dots to place copies of my plan sheet onto the decks for sizing and placement of details. Easy and clean to use, just roll the applicator across your surface and the dots will be placed for you!

 

I see you want to leave your longboat hull natural wood - just keep the CA glue off of your surfaces, since those glues will not accept the stain color you may want to add later...otherwise you may have to do more sanding, and you could end up sanding your planks too thin. Ask me how I know

[Erik W]

Eamonn, Bob,

 

Thanks for the tips.  I figure planning on keeping the hull natural wood will cause me to be more careful while building the hull.  Unpainted surfaces are not particularly forgiving!

 

I've got half the bulkheads installed.  I'll post photos once I get them all attached.

 

Erik

Edited June 23, 2015 by Erik W

[tlevine]

Erik, as you peruse other build logs you will find that most of us are PVA-people or CA-people.  Several years ago I almost exclusively used medium viscosity CA.  I could move along more rapidly and the only clamps required were my fingers.  But if you make a mistake, acetone is required for debonding.  It also is brittle (if you use it on rigging).  PVA does not get absorbed into the wood the way CA does so if you apply a clear finish there is less chance of glue stains on this very thin and porous basswood planking.  If you let the two mating surfaces become tacky, it takes much less time for the bond to strengthen.  In case of mistakes it debonds with isopropyl alcohol, which is much safer to work with.  When I build the longboat, the only times I used CA was when I was gluing the planking into the stem rabbet.

[Erik W]

Thanks Toni.  I'm more likely to use PVA on the planking due to the slower set up time.  I am using CA to attach the bulkheads though.  I've got 12 of the 16 in without any problems.  I had seen in one of Chuck's posts that he said he planks with a delicate touch.  That stuck with me as far as the desirability of getting my planks formed accurately on the work bench, rather than needing to force them on the build itself.  I'm both looking forward to, and am terrified of the planking stage!

 

Erik

[Matrim]

The best tip for the planking is to glue one to two bulkheads at a time (past the first which can be clamped) as opposed to trying to do an entire plank in one go. I did the second then pulled the planks off and finished with the first and it went much better..

[Erik W]

Thanks Matrim.  That's good advice.

 

All the bulkheads are now attached.  They are as straight and true as I could get them.  The first 6 or 7 required more sanding to get them to fit than the back 9 or 10.  I'm going to glue some wood across the tops of the bulkheads for additional bracing, and then move onto sanding the bulkhead's edges to shape.  I'm having fun!

 

 

 

 

Erik

[Nirvana]

Erik,

 

Very nice! Now, before sanding the frames, attach secure them on top so they won't break or get move while doing it.

See several build logs for ideas.

[Erik W]

Question:  I've attached temporary braces to the tops of the bulkheads.  I've also faired the port side of the hull.  For you experts out there, in looking at my photos below, does it look like I've faired the bulkheads correctly?  Have I faired the bow enough?  I want to make sure I have it right before I begin planking.  Thanks in advance for your input!

 

The starboard side still needs fairing, then I'll add the transom and bow fillers. 

 

 

 

 

 

Erik

[Canute]

Erik, lay a thin strip of wood from the bow to the stern at several points. The strip should lay flat if properly faired.

[Erik W]

I glued on the transom and bow filler pieces.  I then faired them.  I took Canute's advice and laid one of the planks over various bulkheads to make sure I faired everything correctly.

 

Now it's on to planking.  Gulp. 

 

 

 

Erik

[Jack12477]

Looking good so far Erik. Just take your time. It's not as daunting as you think.

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Erik,

 

Looks good so far, except that you may have taken a bit too much off on a few bulkheads. This may be just camera distortion, but it's a little hard to tell.

 

To explain, take a look at my modified pic :

 

 

It appears that the arrowed frames follow the red line in my little drawing, whereas they should be on the green line for the planks to sit in the rabbet correctly.

 

It's no big deal to fix - simply glue some scrap timber into the offending areas and sand back to the correct line. The glue joints will be invisible later as the footwaling will cover them.

 

This is a critical area of the hull to get right - the Garboard plank starts around frame #3 and needs to sit correctly for the rest of the planking to follow.

 

 Danny

[Erik W]

Danny,

 

Thanks for the input!  Yeah, I had thought that the bulkheads might be high when I attached them.  Even though they were seated in the slot in the false keel, those few didn't seem like they were close enough down towards the keel.

 

Here's a photo of the bulkheads before I faired them.

 

I figured that gap might be OK because Chuck's photo showed the same thing!  In his fourth photo of his second post.:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/629-18th-century-english-longboat-by-chuck-c1760/#  That said, I'll follow your advice. 

 

Erik

[Nirvana]

Erik,

The progress looks real good. Slow and steady job is the key.

Check and triple check before attaching is the key.

The build log of Chuck is very useful.

[Erik W]

I followed Danny's advice (thanks again!) and glued some scrap wood to the bottom of the forward bulkheads.  I then re-faired that area.  The test fitting of the Garboard plank had a much better angle/line than before.

 

 

Nirvana, I'm taking it slow.  In fact, I may set the record for the slowest build time one this, which is fine.  I'll be happy if I finish with something worthy of the other builds around here. 

 

Erik

 

P.S. - I have noticed some of my photos have a bit of an optical illusion caused by the angle of the lighting/angles I'm taking the photos.