Oseberg by Mike Dowling - FINISHED - Amati- modified

[dicas]

Just another idea. The ships at Oslo Museum, the Oseberg and the Gokstad are black and so is the half size replica at Bergen. What a better way to conceal hull mistakes? I've been considering it myself and I hesitate between a walnut and a black hull.

My hull must be stained, anyway, because there are some blemishes that I must take care of.

The contrast between a black hull and the pear (in my case) deck must be an interesting one.

JL

[Mike Dowling]

Thanks JL, very tempting - the black idea and I will give it serious thought as I was wondering how stain would cover up the visible ply after fairing.

 

You are very welcome Brian especially as I have been watching the quality of your work. The warp also crept back despite my bracing. I don't understand but this build is just not being nice to me. However I am going to finish it one way or another!!!!

[Mike Dowling]

JL, which was the extra strake you added ? Because I can't see how I can fix what should be the top strake to the rest without either gaps at the bottom or the strake being short of the tops of the bulkheads.

[dicas]

If you look at my second photo, the strake with the holes for the oars is not in the kit. I added it after looking at viking ships replicas (and the Bergen museum examples). It does not reach the front or the rear, it lies against the bottom strake. Is is not unreal As I have seen it done in replicas

In the photo you can see where it ends.

The bottom strake was sanded to receive that extra strake and it worked quite well without any holes. It is .8mm ply as the rest of the hull. Since the angle is very high you can have a reasonale area of contact between the strakes.

If this explanation is unclear, just let me know and I'll post some more photos.

Regards

JL

[Mike Dowling]

OK I am being dense yet again !! I think I see what you mean but a few more photos would be really helpful.

[Cathead]

The suggestions from Dicas make a lot of sense to me. I've used one-side files to great effect before.

[dicas]

OK, here it goes, I hope it shows what I did.

 

Extra strake fairing at the bow

 

 

At the stern

 

 

From the inside ( there is no hole between the two last strakes, they are perfectly joined)

 

 

A general view.

 

 

Hope it helps

 

JL

[Mike Dowling]

Thanks so much JL, I get it !

 

My fingers are really sore after a LOT of filing !!

 

I really hope you guys think it makes a difference.

 

Now for those two strakes !!!

[dicas]

Perfect!

 

JL

[Mike Dowling]

Oh no, certainly not perfect but thank you anyway. Could you do me yet another favour and measure the gaps you have between the oar holes and the distance between the first hole and the prow end of that strake.

 

I am doing really badly with this top strake as well. I don't know if I can explain this but I am having to fit an 'interior' strake and then put the top strake on top. The reason really is that my strakes don't sit tight on the bulkheads at the top so I can fill it with an extra strake on the inside. If I try to put the top strake on without something on the inside ( I have tired this with a dry fit) there will be a huge step outwards on the hull. I will take some photos when done because I don't think it will matter from the inside of the boat. This certainly is going to be a modified kit !!

[dicas]

No need to measure. The plan shows 14 holes each side, I used the inner 12. I discarded the extremes because it should be a very ridiculous position for someone to row. 

Like that I only had to make 24 oars, 24 shields and 24 trunks for the crew to sit... Almost done

JL

[cog]

I would expect 24 oars, 26 shields, and 26 chests. A chief and someone at the "rudder" are missing ...

[Chuck Seiler]

27.  Don't forget Floki standing around, doing nothing, looking grim.

[Mike Dowling]

J.L I hadn't noticed your missing out holes, oars etc. Very crafty. If ever I get that far I may well do the same. Even so please could you be a real pal and measure the gap between your holes and the distance from the front of the top strake to your first hole.

 

Carl and Chuck you only wish you had thought of reducing the numbers !! Let's face it neither J.L's not my boat are ever going to look much like the Oseberg but what the heck - it's a boat vaguely like a Viking one.

[dicas]

OK, here it goes, I suppose it answers your question. Fell free to ask any questions, no problem.

 

 

 

I hope you are OK with metric, I tend to forget that you use imperial.

 

I am not trying to model the Oseberg. Neither did Amati, buy the way. Oseberg was a funeral ship. probably never sailed and it is black. Besides, the kit as only a vague ressemblance with the ship. They called it Oseberg as they might have called it anything else.

 

I am trying to reproduce a typical Viking ship, whatever that was. Vikings did not build their ships by plans, there were no two identical ships and if you look at the sailing examples nowadays, they are all different and with different layouts and dispositions.

 

I began building the Amati by fun but then I went to Oslo and Bergen and had the opportunity to visit the museums I decided to turn the kit in a more decent thing. Only the hull is from the kit, all the rest is scratch built. I changed a lot of things and I have no intention of using any of the supplied parts. So I am making the oars, the shields, the chests and all the parts of the model.

 

And if I was to begin it again I'd not use the hull either.  

 

Regards

 

JL

[Mike Dowling]

Thank you very much. I can't agree with you more. To be perfectly honest I think this particular kit is rubbish. I don't think all my problems have been my fault. I know some have been but it all started with a warped keel and has gone from bad to worse. Never have I been so close to calling it a day and binning the boat!! However my intention now is just to build something that looks vaguely like a Viking boat partly because I have already made a stand for the thing!!. That is the best I can manage.

[dicas]

Judjing by your stage coaches I think that you can manage a lot better than just a vague representation of a Drakkar. I'll be following your effort and I am sure that something good is to come out of it.

 

I agree with you that the kit is rubish.

 

You had a problem with the top strake that I didn't quite understand. Have you solved it yet?

 

Regards

 

JL

Edited February 10, 2017 by dicas

[cog]

J.L I hadn't noticed your missing out holes, oars etc. Very crafty. If ever I get that far I may well do the same. Even so please could you be a real pal and measure the gap between your holes and the distance from the front of the top strake to your first hole.

 

Carl and Chuck you only wish you had thought of reducing the numbers !! Let's face it neither J.L's not my boat are ever going to look much like the Oseberg but what the heck - it's a boat vaguely like a Viking one.

Gosh what a bleamin; poor excuse

[Chuck Seiler]

I have the exact same kit, except it is called "Viking Ship DRAKKAR".  That better describes the type of ship.  I would rather build the Billing Boat "OSEBERG" but it is 3 feet long ( a meter for you metric folks).  I wouldn't know where to put it.

[cog]

I hope you are better with numbers, Chuck  A meter is 3 1/3 feet ...

[Chuck Seiler]

I was speaking in general terms.  If truth be told, the BB Oseberg is 33.875" or 2.822916 feet.  I will endeavour to be more precise in the future.

[Mike Dowling]

OK, progress!!!

 

I am not sure how but somehow I seem to have achieved something like a hull ! I am not at all surprised if I confused folk with my top strake problem. I confused myself and tried three different approaches. To save boring everyone my last attempt involved re-soaking the upper strakes on the hull, using a lot of glue and more clamps than I thought I had and finally I got the top strake on top of the rest. A huge cheer has gone up in my workroom and I even made the effort to clean it up a bit so others could see.

 

I think the next thing I will try is staining it. There may simply be too much dried glue still lying around and if so I will paint it black as previously suggested.

 

One question, according to the destructions there are six different lengths of oars to do. Why? and does it matter if I make them all the same length ?

 

Anyway, some photos for you.

 

 

[Blighty]

Nicely done Mike, looks like a different boat.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Blighty

[dicas]

So the hull is finished. The hardest part is done, now it is only fun till the end.

 

As for the roars, I think that Amati is using some artistic license and freeing their imagination. As for me, all the oars are born equal :) .

 

In the old viking ships, oars were stored amidships in two containers, one each side and I can't imagine those fellows choosing carefully wich oar for his post. Made them equal and you are for sure more accurate than Amati.

 

I didn't stained the hull yet because there is some more work to do on the hull, namely the rudder supports.

 

By the way, at the stage that you are I made two holes vertically on the keel to support the boat with two steel wires once completed.

 

And I covered the visible keel ply with a lamination to disguise it.

 

Go on with the good work

 

JL

[Mike Dowling]

Thanks JL for your comments. I don't need holes in the keel for the stand but thank you for the suggestion. I am considering the lamination. I have stained the hull now and it took the colour much better than I expected, I will post some pictures later and I want to see how the ply stains first.

 

Brian, I just love the expression - not heard that one before but definitely right!! It was easy to get the strakes right in the middle. The destructions suggest scribing the strakes along the middle to aid the bending. I tried it on one and split the strake. The longitudinal bending was easy because the strakes are so thin but from edge to edge not so. This for me made getting the strakes to sit right prow and stern very difficult and as JL said earlier the guides on the end bulkheads are useless. The overlap was different for each strake.

 

It's funny really, we all spend ages trying very hard not to get a clinker effect on our boats and then when you are supposed to have one it's nearly impossible to get right !!

[Cathead]

Yeah, Mike, if you'd just done a regular sloppy job planking you'd have been fine!

[Mike Dowling]

That's exactly what I thought my friend!!

 

Anyway, thought you all might like to see a picture or two of the first staining. I'm quite pleased with it. I have also drilled the oar holes and decided not to put the rather cheap looking dragon head on the prow and opted for a scroll instead.

 

 

 

[dicas]

Well, I like it.

 

What did you use for staining?

 

And why did you stain the inside? It isn't going to be seen, anyway. Just testing?

 

And are you keeping the original plywood frames at sight or are you going to replace them?

 

Regards

 

JL

[cog]

Now I'm confused, can't make head or tails ... Your stain turned out very nice

[Mike Dowling]

I used good old Ronseal (does exactly what it says on the tin) satin dark oak varnish. I stained the inside because a bit of it will show and the varnish will also add more strength to the hull as if I didn't use enough glue - haha.

 

Not sure about laminating the bulkheads etc yet, I will see how it looks with the planked deck on.

 

Sorry you are confused Carl, the prow is the very curly bit and the stern less so - as if you care!

 

Question, should I leave the rest of the woodwork really pale ie. just varnish it or, should I do it light oak?