Endeavour by KeithAug - FINISHED - Amati - Scale 1:35 - after 1989 restoration - J Class

[hamilton]

What a beauty! Excellent craftsmanship on a lovely boat!

hamilton

[pete48]

very nice work on a beautiful boat 

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[KeithAug]

The Forming The Mast

 

The kit provides a number of half round dowel sections which need to be glued together to form a composite round dowel of the right length - about 56 inches. I was a bit dubious and spent some time sorting through the shed to find a straight dowel of the correct length. Having failed I went back to the kit supplied material and glued them together as instructed. I held the assembly with elastic bands which worked well and the result was surprisingly good and straight.

 

I wanted to get all the holes for cross trees, sail and shroud attachment points etc accurately positioned so I decided to drill them prior to tapering the mast. I cut a location slot in a sheet of MDF mounted in my milling machine and attached a "sighting card" over the slot so I could rotate the mast to the correct drilling angles. The slot allowed me to move the mast along its length while maintaining its position relative to the centre line of the mill. This worked well.

 

I wanted to get the taper on the mast uniform along its length. The protrusion of the mast above the deck is 52 inches so I marked off 4 inch lengths and calculated the diameter of 13 cylinders from mast base to top. I then progressively turned the cylinders on the lathe. The diameter change between successive cylinders was circa .015 inches. The stepped cylinders were then lightly sanded in the lathe to remove the steps. I had to improvise with the lathe to accommodate the length and this involved stripping out the tailstock to use as a steady and supporting the overhang in a piece of wood mounted in my Black and Decker Workmate to prevent whipping.

 

The cross trees for the 1989 version of Endeavour are somewhat more complex than featured in the Amati kit and to get them uniform I made a simple jig. The cross trees were made out of brass wire bent and soldered to form the correct shape.

 

I was careful to get the correct angles when glueing the cross trees to the mast. I used quick drying epoxy to give me some time to fine tune the angles. 

 

And here is the mast part finished.

[KeithAug]

Thank you to all of you still prepared to follow and comment on my build. Following up earlier comments - it is correct that the 1989 Endeavour should not have a drop keel - unfortunately I hadn't made the decision on the version I was making at the time I installed the drop keel. As it is hidden from view when retracted I thought I'd leave it. As for the 1989 version having a motor - I offer the same excuse - although I agree this is more noticeable. I must do better on my next build.

 

Finishing the mast:-

 

I used the plastic channel section provided with the kit to simulate the mainsail track running up the back of the mast and for the spinnaker track. The main track runners are loops of brass wire. I turned a brass cap for the head of the mast onto which I soldered the extension which carries the wind direction indicator. The anemometer was made/  from brass wire and copper sheet. I made a die for the  anemometer cups and pressed them from thin copper sheet which I annealed to prevent tearing during the pressing / punching operation. The reinforcing straps at the various mounting points for the shrouds and stays were cut from thin brass sheet. The radar was turned from dowel and mounted on a brass wire frame. The mast was sprayed matt white to finish.

 

Shrouds and Stays:-

 

I wanted to make sure that the shrouds and stays remained taught and therefore decided not to use the string provided with the kit. Instead I used very thin (.004") copper wire (recovered from an electric shaver). Each shroud / stay was made from 8 strands of wire which were twisted (circa 500 turns). The collars (brass tube) at the end of the shrouds were useful in that they allowed the wire to be tensioned, held and adjusted prior to gluing. The photos of shrouds show some untidy tails which were not glued until the sails were mounted.

[hamilton]

That mast is huge! But overall this looks like such a fun kit to build....

hamilton

[KeithAug]

Main Boom (a short post this time)

 

I really over thought this - working out various schemes for setting up the milling machine to taper the boom accurately.  In the end I marked out the taper on the triangular wooden dowel provided in the kit and shaped it with a block plane - finishing with sand paper - simple is often better!!!!!. The hinge to the mast works in 2 planes (side to side and up and down). The topping lift configuration is copied from relevant photographs as are the fittings for attaching the main sheets and reefing points.

 

Next i will cover sail making - something that I have not done before and something which I approached with a degree of trepidation. I have seen too many models with limp, ill fitting sails and I was concerned that getting something that looked ok was going to be beyond me.

[KeithAug]

Sails

 

A few considerations before starting:

 

I realised that for the mainsail to look good the foot, luff and leach all needed to be fairly taught. This meant that the dimensions of the 3 edges of the sail had to be a little shorter that the corresponding measurement at the boom and the mast. Also the leach needed to be of a length that could be tensioned by the main sheets without the boom bottoming out on the deck mounted boom support. The jibs also needed to be sized to be tight on the leach and not so large that they fouled the shrouds. I decided to template the sails in plastic sheet ( left over from the template used to size a recently fitted kitchen worktop). As a guide I started by making the templates slightly larger than the sail plans supplied with the kit. I then offered them up  to the model and marked and trimmed them until I was satisfied that they were ok.

 

The modern sails of the 1989 Endeavour have a much more complex panel / reinforcing arrangement that the 1934 sails. I didn't think stitching was appropriate for creating this degree of detail and I was also concerned that stitching would lead to puckering and distortion of the sails. I marked the sail detail on the templates for later transfer to the sails.

 

I created a frame to stretch the sail cloth over and mounted the templates on a board located temporarily within this frame . Having stretched the cloth I traced the sail detail on to the sail cloth

 

I then used PVA glue diluted 1:1 with water which I applied to the cloth as a stiffener as suggested in the kit. It all went wrong at this stage. Despite the tension in the cloth the application of the fluid caused the cloth to sag considerably. I decided to make the best of a bad job and hung the frame from the workshop ceiling so that the cloth sagged uniformly. Fortunately some tension did reoccured during drying.

Next time I think I will wet the cloth prior to the initial tensioning.

 

After drying I applied additional thicknesses of sail material to simulate the reinforcing around the clews.

 

I found the best way of simulating the sail batterns was to cut and superglue glue thin strips of plasticard directly on to the sails.

 

Having cut out the sails I had a few experiments on binding the edges, most of which looked awful. I then remembered a roll of self adhesive sail repair tape that was languishing in my sailing gear bag - bought many years before in Jersey (Channel Islands). I cut this into 3/8 inch strips and this gave an acceptable edge detail. I used dressmakers eyelets to form the clews. I also cut the registration number J/K4 from the sail tape.

 

I am now on the last lap and expect to finish the build over the next few days.

 

[Julie Mo]

Wow!  Just amazing! 

 

I'm new here and to the hobby and I saw this thread.  I just ordered the Endeavour 1:35 kit today.  So this naturally caught my eye.

 

At first I'm thinking I'll be able to tap into what you have generously shared.  I was doing okay, visualizing myself following in your footsteps, but when I realized you were building the new Endeavour, I decided I needed to keep my first build less custom.

 

I'm an avid sailor and have been a big fan of the J-boats for decades.  You have done a beautiful job, Keith!

[KeithAug]

Hello Julie

 

Thank you for the comments.

Much of your build will be the same as its only the deck detail that differs to any significant degree. You will find a couple of other Endeavour build logs at 1:35 and  1:80 scale which you might find useful particularly as these keep closely to the Amati 1934 original detail.

I started my sailing in 1978 and still manage the odd week away. Prior knowledge did help, particularly with the rigging details. The downside is that I became a bit obsessive about knots, which all had to be correct even though they were too small to be seen in detail. 

I think you will find the kit a good entry point into ship modelling as it gives plenty of challenge while rewarding the modeller with reasonably rapid progress and pleasing results. My build took 10 months of about 10 - 15 hours a week but this included a lot of time searching for deck details. Your build should be less time consuming. Good luck with you build and may your time pass pleasurably. 

 

Keith

[Julie Mo]

Thank you, Keith.  I too am hoping this will be a pleasurable and satisfying experience.

 

While waiting for the kit to arrive, I was going through some pictures of Endeavour over the years.  Most of the pictures are after the refit.  I saw some deck pictures with stanchions and lifelines, as opposed to the solid toe rail that comes with the kit.  The recent refit of Endeavour took advantage of modern technology and safety features.  Even the winch grinding pedestals were eliminated in favour of electric drum winches. 

 

When I saw this picture

 

my mind began to wander and I found myself curious about how difficult it would be to duplicate the above in 1:35 scale, particularly the curved piece of teak decking on the edge of the seating?  Most teak deck planking is broken up by hatches and such and I feel that really adds to the beauty.  I'm not saying I would attempt that on my first build, but I can see wanting to give it a try on some future build.  Is this reasonable or unrealistic?

[dgbot]

You  have captured the beauty and grace of a J Class Yacht to a tee.  Congratulations on a job well done.

David B

[KeithAug]

Julie

 

I don't think anything is unrealistic and on my next build I think I will try to simulate deck hatches. The teak edging to the seating area looks a bit tricky. I have steamed and bent hard woods in the past but I find very tight bends on anything other than veneer (.020") tends to lead to splintering. The up-stand for the well on my build was made out of 3 thicknesses of veneer, soaked in boiling water and then glued over a former turned to the correct diameter.  I think if I wanted to duplicate the edge detail I'd form the outer profile in a thin plank of teak and then glue it over the well and then cut out the centre of the sheet to form the inner profile as a final operation, however I can think of a number of options. I experiment when I come across new situations and usually find something that works.

 

Keith

[KeithAug]

Julie

 

You may have seen this.

 

http://www.adamlaystudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Endeavour-Boat-International-July-2012.pdf

 

Keith

[KeithAug]

I have now finished - it took a bit if time to get the sheets and halliards tidy but a couple of simple jigs helped. 

 

Here are a selection of photos of the finished model. I will post a few more tomorrow.

 

Edited October 31, 2015 by KeithAug

[Julie Mo]

Skipper, request permission to ease the windward sheets on the fore and stay sails!  We don't want them hurting our speed!

 

Sorry.  I thought I was actually on deck.

 

This is just amazing, Keith!  Your attention to detail is impeccable. 

[KeithAug]

A final few photographs. I think I will also do some refections on the build in a future post plus some thoughts on my next project. I also have to make a display stand and possibly a display cabinet. I will cover these as and when I get round to making them.

 

Keith

[GuntherMT]

Stunningly beautiful Keith.  Congratulations on finishing this model to perfection.

[hamilton]

Absolutely gorgeous work. This is such a fine kit - it really makes me wish I lived in a larger space!!

hamilton

[dgbot]

You have done a tremendous job.  Your model does the Endeavor justice as a great racer as well as a fine yacht.

David B

[yvesvidal]

What a beautiful model. It is definitely Museum quality.

 

Yves

[KeithAug]

Reflections -

 

Overview:-

 

I think the Amati Endeavour kit provides a good challenging option for the competent less experienced builder. The laser cut frames and comprehensive nature of the kit contents, together with good quality plans enables the builder to make rapid progress - always a benefit for those who might become daunted by the size of the task. Seeing the hull develop quickly is good motivator, inspiring the builder to return frequently to the build. Had I stuck to the 1934 kit design I am sure that I would have been more than happy with the result.

 

Instructions:-

 

I found the build instructions supplied with the kit to be rather brief and I am sure that an inexperienced builder would have struggled. I think a more detailed explanation would have proved beneficial.

 

Inadequate aspects of the kit:-

 

1. I thought the drop keel and its mounting was poor and much too flimsy for a quality model.

2. I thought the spacing of the frames in combination with the thickness of the planks would make achievement of a shapely hull profile problematic. I note other builders have sanded through the 1st planks when attempting to achieve a reasonable quality finish.

3. I wasn't very impressed with the quality of the deck planking. To me it felt too open grained.

4. The suggested method of creating the rudder seemed daft and the rudder profile didn't match the hull lines as well as I would have expected. I ended up modifying the shape to make it look right.

 

Good aspects of the kit:-

 

I felt that the fineness of the hull lines (with smooth transitions between frames) did a lot to make the planking much easier than on my previous builds. My first significant build was Billing Boats Smit Rotterdam and the complex hull curvature made for quite a taxing planking operation. My second build was a scratch build model of HMS Cornwall which was easier to plank but still more difficult than Endeavour. I have included a few photos for interest. 

 

My view is that Endeavour provides an excellent challenge for those branching out into hull planking for the 1st time, but i would recommend providing a backing to the 1st planks to compensate for the issues mentioned earlier.

 

I was particularly pleased that the mahogany strips provided with the kit as they gave a rich deep colour once varnished. 

 

Although I doubted the segmented approach to the mast it actually worked well.

 

I really liked 1:36 as a modelling scale as it gave enormous scope for creating detail. My previous builds have all been at smaller scales - 1:96 and 1:72. I think my future kits will all be at larger scales although I accept this will limit the scope of what I might attempt.

 

I really liked building a yacht. I have sailed for 34 years and building my own yacht seemed, in a strange way, to connect me more closely with pleasant memories. (I can highly recommend the rum punches, lapping waves and inspiring sunsets at Basils Bar on Mustique). 

 

Kit or Scratch?

 

I went down the kit route somewhat in haste. I suspect that at least 1/3 of the expenditure on the kit still resides within the box as I have all of the deck fittings / deck houses left over. Kit building also caused me a few frustrations when I didn't like the materials supplied - e.g. the thickness of 1st and 2nd planks, the quality of the deck planks and mahogany ply (warped). In retrospect I should have gone down the scratch build route based on the Amati plans which can be purchased separately and which are clear and comprehensive.

 

What next?

 

I am being lured in by the grace and beauty of Altair - another British Yacht of the 1930's. A comprehensive plan set is available from a number of suppliers and Santa's bag need filling!!!!!

 

Thank you to all those who have taken an interest in this topic.

[Julie Mo]

Thank you for sharing your build, Keith.  The details and photos provided have given me a great foundation upon which to base my first build.  And thank you for your synopsis, too.  That puts a nice finish on the project.

 

I have studied your thread in depth and I now have a different and, I believe, a much better concept of what awaits me.  Your comments about beefing up the framing members have left me thinking about what I will do.  With so many of my woodworking tools locked away in storage, the challenges of my first build are greater. I've been waffling between adding more framing members to filling it in like you did.  I have no stock and will have to find a source for wood in the area.

 

Thank you again, Keith.  I'm sure I will return to your thread many times in the months to come. I'm happy I have found this forum and very happy I found your thread. I won't be going into this blind now.

[KeithAug]

Display Stand

 

I have now given some thought to the display stand. I don't favour pedestals drilled and screwed into the keel as it always seems wrong to me to drill holes into the bottom of boats - even if they are for static display. This inevitably leaves me with forming some sort of cradle. Cradles can however look heavy and they tend to obscure the lines of the hull. I wanted to fashion something that was elegant and allowed maximum visibility of the yachts beautiful lines.  I had a few bits and pieces in the workshop that I felt I might incorporate into the final design as follows:

 

I had recovered these door handles from a rather expensive kitchen that my wife decided we needed to replace earlier this year. I thought these might come in handy for making the vertical supports.

 

A few months ago I went to an auction and found a beautiful 1920's 3 leaf mahogany table measuring 6 feet x 3.5 feet. The top and legs were in beautiful condition while the softwood frame had suffered an attack of woodworm. I got it for a song £31 ($50). I thought one of the leaves would provide the base (although I did feel bad about the prospect of cutting it up). 

 

I decided at which frames the cradle would locate and traced the hull outlines at these locations (using the plywood sheet that the frames had been been cut from as a template). I sketched a number of options for the design before choosing one.

 

Having decided on the frames where the cradle would fit I measured the critical dimensions and established the overall size of the base.  I cut out the base on my saw table and planed the edges on the router table. The mahogany machined up beautifully. You can see from the end grain that the mahogany is a single piece (indeed the whole table leaf was made from a single piece of timber 2 foot wide. Working with mahogany nearly 100 years old is a wonderful experience.

 

Having cut out the base, holes were drilled and counterbored to take the bolts for attaching the cradle supports.

 

 

I will cover the rest of the stand build in the next post.

[KeithAug]

Display Stand Continued.

 

I toyed with the idea of trying a bit of inlay on the base but decided that the natural wood was better. I did however mill the edges to add interest and give it a more professional look.

 

I cut down the door handles to create pedestals. On the end of the "T" I added turned polythene cones. The cones contact the hull and I wanted something pliable to prevent hull damage. The cones are attached by screws and these give a degree of adjustment. This helps with the levelling of the model when displayed.

 

The bottom of the pedestals are drilled and tapped to take the mounting bolts which locate through the holes in the base. I then polished the pedestals on a polishing wheel.

 

I did an initial check on the functioning of the pedestals by mounting them on a scrap piece of MDF as per the photographs. The check confirmed that the pedestals would give the hull adequate support.

 

I did find that the base was prone to flexing (splaying of the pedestals). Although the mahogany base was going to be more rigid I decided to add a strengthening strap (visible in the previous pictures).

 

I then assembled the stand and placed Endeavour on it. A bit of levelling and the waterline was horizontal and the yacht had the characteristic rise towards the bow.

 

Now all I have to do is disassemble it all and polish up the base.

 

[yvesvidal]

Glorious, simply GLORIOUS!!!

 

Yves

[KeithAug]

Yves

 

Thank you for you kind comments all the way through this build.

 

Keith

[Julie Mo]

Very classy and beautifully engineered stand, Keith. You never cease to impress.

 

You've also given my some ideas for my stand. I think I mentioned I was going to display the model as if she had just returned to the dock from a race.  I picturing morphing your stainless steel post concept into dock and pier pilings.  The back side of the display will have the have the planked pier, with those pilings doubling as a stand.  The front side of the display will have just the pilings.  Then maybe some dock lines to cleats on the pier and to the pilings on the front side of the display.

 

Thank you again for sharing. 

[GuntherMT]

I've never seen a stand like that, it works well, both visually and as a stand.  Very nice.

[jmcsys]

Absolutely beautiful! The hull and deck are works of art. I really appreciate the experimental approach you take to deciding just what techniques you will use.

[KeithAug]

Hi jmcsys

 

I find experimenting is one of the most enjoyable part of the process - it always feels better when (after a number of failures) something works. Thank you for your comments.

 

Keith