Greenwich Hospital barge of 1832 by druxey - FINISHED - 1:48 scale

[Louie da fly]

Druxey, your work is inspirational. I'd been planning to use a removable plug when building my dromon, but your build log has already solved several problems I'd been struggling with before I even started; for example I'd been wondering how to get the two sides identical - your solution of building up the two halves of the plug as separate mirrored units is simple and elegant. Same with the gesso and beeswax. I'll be sure to use these in my own build. I hope the plug technique works as well with carvel as with clinker construction.

 

Many thanks.

 

Steven 

Edited February 9, 2016 by Louie da fly

[druxey]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.

 

Steven: I've used this method with carvel construction, but with one difference: frames first. You can either file grooves in the plug for the frames and bend them in, or form the plug to inside of frame. I use the first method. In both cases the plug is made deeper and extends above the sheer line. (You can see this set back area in shadow in the photograph.) This area is used to spot-glue the frames to. Just make sure everything is well waxed to prevent sticking! The boat looks a little rough when first taken off the plug, but cleans up nicely as you can see.

[druxey]

Five strakes a side are completed now. Note that I had to pare back the extreme ends of the plug so that the planks would run smoothly into the rabbet fore and aft. With this hull form the spiled planks are only slightly curved, except at the stern.

[albert]

Great beautiful work, druxey.

[Louie da fly]

Thanks for the advice, Druxey. It's very much appreciated. I was thinking I'd have to do something like this, and I believe cutting grooves is the way I'll have to go - apart from any other considerations, the grooves should help hold the frames in place securely.

 

But I've worked out that with a vessel about 60 cm ( 2 feet) long and frames about 5mm (1/5") apart, I'll need to cut something like 120 grooves. Dromai were incredibly lightly built - like a dinghy, but 90 feet long!

 

Well, it should teach me patience.

 

Your work is just phenomenal. If I can do half as well I'll be over the moon.

 

Steven 

[druxey]

A thought, Steven: put in every other frame on the plug, then bend in the alternate ones after the shell comes off the plug. Would that make life easier? Thanks for the compliment.

 

Speaking of lightly built, the hospital barge is 37' 0" long with a keel 3" square before the rabbet is taken out and the frames will be a mere ¾" square.

[Mirabell61]

very nice progress Druxey,

 

a clean and accurate build, a pleasure to see it grow....

 

Nils

[Louie da fly]

I'll give that some thought, Druxey. But as I see it, the extra work cutting the grooves might pay off in avoiding extra fiddling around trying to put the intermediate frames exactly in place.

 

The barge is certainly very lightly built. (In comparison, the keels of the Yenikapi galeai are 6" square  and the frames vary between 50 and 60mm square (2'-2.4"). But they have a fairly comprehensive system of wales and stringers to prevent hogging).

 

I'm going to have to be careful to cut the planks exactly to prevent internal stresses as you mention above - this goes against my normal, rather slapdash approach to things (near enough is good enough). I think it's going to be quite an education in patience and precision for me.

 

But as mtaylor says - the shipwright is slow but the wood is patient . . .

 

Steven 

Edited February 12, 2016 by Louie da fly

[druxey]

Time for a progress report. The planking has slowly been spiled, cut, bent and hung as far as below the sheer strake. The first picture (arrowed) demonstrates the bevel for the land of the next strake. This was formed using the sanding stick mentioned earlier. Note that the bevel alters - and disappears - as the hull form changes.

 

The second photo shows the transition of the strakes at the stern from hooding into the stern post rabbet to running out over the tiny transom. Only two strakes end on the transom. Forming the junction of these two strakes neatly was tricky.

 

The last photograph shows off the elegance of the hull form. At this stage I bevelled the stem so that the planking appears to flow out of it. After the sheer strake is added there will be clean-up and minor adjustments to make.

[michael mott]

Druxey, such graceful lines and workmanship, you make it look so easy.

 

Michael

[Louie da fly]

Such a beautiful vessel and so expertly put together. You're an inspiration to us all, Druxey.

 

Steven

[Canute]

Your barge has some beautiful lines. She's the bee's knees. Sweet!

[AnobiumPunctatum]

I second Michael, really wonderful workmanship.

[druxey]

Thank you all for your kind comments, gentlemen. The compliments should really go to the original designers of these craft. 

[mtaylor]

Jaw-dropping work, Druxey and an excellent tutorial on the clinker planking. 

[dgbot]

Druxey, I remember being shown carvel planking at a club meeting and I still think it is magic.  I think it is cutting the bevel and the maximum glue area that throw me off.

David B 

[ggrieco]

A beautiful work of art Druxey! I tried clinker planking once -- a polish Pomeranka. I think I made it to the fourth strake before it all went into the trash. I am really enjoying this build!

 

Glenn

[RichardG]

Beautiful!

 

It's a pleasure to see this coming together.

 

Richard

[druxey]

Thanks again for your interest and comments, folks.

 

I realized that the second strake of planking (the sheer strake) at the mini-transom does not stop there, but sweeps aft to a secondary transom (I don't know what else to call it). So I had to trim back the end of the plug by a scale 1½" and rubber-cement this second transom to it. Eventually it will be hidden under an ornamental carved badge. 

 

The plank here will have an interesting dog-leg shape and need some fancy bending to fit properly. That's my next challenge!

GHB rev lines.pdf

[druxey]

Well, a challenge it has certainly been. The aftermost plank of the sheer strake is unlike any plank I've hung before. The pictures describe this plank better far than I can write about it. There was a lot of shaping required to get this plank to lay down properly. One can now see the beautiful sweep of the sheer properly.

 

Now all I have to do is repeat this on the other side!

[mtaylor]

Beautiful lines and that sheer is indeed graceful.  I wonder how they would have shaped the sheer strake at the false transom on the real thing.. it is a seemingly impossible curve.

 

Now that I think about it, that's false transom isn't all that uncommon.  It shows up in the pinnace kit that Chuck designed.

Edited February 15, 2016 by mtaylor

[dgbot]

You have made an art of planking Druxey.

David B

[albert]

Beautiful planking Druxey.

[gjdale]

Stunning Druxey, just stunning!

[Maury S]

Wow!

Maury

[captainbob]

She's a beauty.  Thanks for the lines.

 

Bob

[bensid54]

So that's the correct way to do this, beautiful work you must be very proud! My builds are always seat of the pants, I'll wing it here and there to see if it will turn out OK plus I take forever to get them done. Thanks for showing us your technique it will come in handy down the road.

[cookster]

Druxey, glad I found your build log.  This is a very educational build.  Seeing the hull in post #99 shows how graceful the lines are.  Plus, if I hadn't read from the beginning to see how you got to that point I wouldn't have had a clue how you did it!

 

It's a joy to watch one of the masters at work....

 

Oh, BTW, I've looked at your avatar countless times, and never until today did I notice that's a quarter (I think) next to that tiny boat hull....  Gracious

Edited February 15, 2016 by cookster

[druxey]

The sheer strake proved challenging in more ways than I had anticipated. First, this strake tapers to a point at the bow. Finessing this was not easy. Secondly, I had a minor mishap. While working with the hull off the plug, my sleeve caught the unsupported aft end of the strake and it snapped off. So, a re-do. I flattened and re-assembled the broken plank to show its peculiar shape. Wes mentioned a U.S. quarter, so I've included one for scale.

 

I will not remove the shell from the plug again until both sides of the aft ends are complete and united with the outer transom! 

[EdT]

Druxey, you've shattered my illusion. I thought mishaps like that were reserved for us mortals.  I have done the same thing twice this week on the first of YA's boats, but that is par for the course for me.  Fortunately, you have the perfection of the product to compensate.

 

Beautiful, inspiring work.

 

Ed