Kathryn by Mahuna - FINISHED - 1:32 - Skipjack Based on HAER Drawings

[HIPEXEC]

I was watching a show on TV about Viet Nam this afternoon at the gym, at they showed your monstrous 175MM gun in action! Wow

[Mahuna]

20 minutes ago, HIPEXEC said:

Now you are moving at "warp" speed! Looking good, Frank

Thanks Rich.  I'm hoping to have a lot more work done by the time you get back from Ireland, although I think I'd rather be taking that trip.

[PETERPETER]

Your centerboard pivot nut and bolt look very realistic, Have to bring to our next meeting a set of very tiny taps and dies, with which you can make real miniature bolts. Knowing the treasures you have stored in your shop, you probably already have these tools. 

Peter

[thibaultron]

Frank;

  I forget, what period in her life are you modeling her in? As built, present, etc. Did she have power dredge winches, or hand wound?

[John Allen]

Frank,

 

Just ran thru your build, many excellent Skipjack builds on this site, from what I see so far it is going to top the list as the best Skipjack builds. KUDOS

[Mahuna]

6 hours ago, PETERPETER said:

Your centerboard pivot nut and bolt look very realistic, Have to bring to our next meeting a set of very tiny taps and dies, with which you can make real miniature bolts. Knowing the treasures you have stored in your shop, you probably already have these tools. 

Peter

Hi Peter.  

 

Yes, I have the small jeweler's taps and dies, but I decided not to try threading the small parts.

 

19 minutes ago, thibaultron said:

Frank;

  I forget, what period in her life are you modeling her in? As built, present, etc. Did she have power dredge winches, or hand wound?

Hi Ron:

 

The HAER drawings are from a survey done in the 1990's.  Some of the documentation refers to changes that were made since she was built, but it doesn't indicate anything about the winders being changed from hand to power.  Although my original intent was to model Kathryn as she was first built, I'm now  modeling her as she existed when the HAER drawings were made.

[Mahuna]

6 minutes ago, John Allen said:

Frank,

 

Just ran thru your build, many excellent Skipjack builds on this site, from what I see so far it is going to top the list as the best Skipjack builds. KUDOS

Thanks John!

[Omega1234]

1 hour ago, John Allen said:

Frank,

 

Just ran thru your build, many excellent Skipjack builds on this site, from what I see so far it is going to top the list as the best Skipjack builds. KUDOS

I definitely concur!!!!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

 

 

[Mahuna]

Part 20 – Bulkheads, Berths, and Partners

 

Thanks everyone for the "Likes" and comments.  Your interest keeps me interested!

 

Once the Centerboard and Trunk were installed, it was necessary to install the deck beams for the forward hatch.  There are bulkheads that are secured to the forward-most of these beams, and two forward berths are installed forward of the bulkheads.

 

                        

 

Thick card stock was used to make templates for the bulkheads.  Once the templates were shaped for a proper fit, the thin slats that form the bulkheads were glued to the card stock and trimmed to fit.  The following photo shows the port bulkhead as card stock, and the starboard bulkhead fully planked.

 

                        

 

The forward berths are two different widths – the port berth being much narrower than the starboard berth.  These berths were part of Kathryn’s configuration at the time of the HAER survey, but when I saw Kathryn after the recent rebuild there were no forward berths.

 

1/32” plywood was used to make templates for the two berths, and after trial fitting to get the configuration right these templates were surfaced with very narrow planking.  The following photo shows the bulkheads and berths ready for installation.

 

                        

 

The starboard bulkhead has a small passageway door framed out.  This door would allow the occupants of the forward berths to pass through the bulkheads into the main hold.  A small hatchway is also found in the port bow section, serving as a companionway down to the berth area.  On the HAER drawings both the passageway and the companionway hatch are extremely small, so I increased their size somewhat.  The passageway is still extremely small – 18” wide and 24” high.  The hatch will be a similar size.

 

The bulkheads were installed first.

 

                        

 

And then the berths were installed.

 

                        

 

                        

 

After installation I realized an error I had made – I only installed the wood slats on the forward face of the bulkheads.  Since the hatch covers will all be removable on the finished model, the card stock at the back of the bulkheads would show.

 

                        

 

To correct this, the individual slats on the back of the bulkheads were added one at a time, working through and around the deck beams.

 

                        

 

 

Mast Partners

 

Since the section of the main mast that goes through the deck is octagonal, the hole through the mast partners needs to also be octagonal.  The following drawing shows the mast partners with the hole for the mast and the wedges around the mast.

 

                        

 

The drawing was glued to the stock for the partners using a glue stick, and then the partners were cut and shaped.

 

                        

 

The partners were trial fitted to the adjoining beams, and were carefully trimmed so that the fit was tight enough for friction to hold them in place, as in the following photo.

 

                        

 

With the partners temporarily in place the mast stub was used to ensure proper placement.

 

                        

 

The partners were then glued in place and the mast stub was once again inserted to verify the partners.

 

                       

 

                        

 

                        

 

With this forward work completed, installation of the deck beams can continue.

 

 

[MEDDO]

Wow... all I can say is Wow!

[cwboland]

I have to echo that wow. Glad you didn't break any of your deck beams during that tricky bulkhead planking

[Mahuna]

9 hours ago, MEDDO said:

Wow... all I can say is Wow!

Thanks Michael

 

1 hour ago, cwboland said:

I have to echo that wow. Glad you didn't break any of your deck beams during that tricky bulkhead planking

Thanks Carl.  I mostly used tweezers to sneak the planks in, and the beams are pretty secure since they are pinned with brass rods.

[druxey]

Great progress, Frank. I can imagine the awkwardness of planking that bulkhead in situ. And the language that accompanied it!

[Mahuna]

1 minute ago, druxey said:

Great progress, Frank. I can imagine the awkwardness of planking that bulkhead in situ. And the language that accompanied it!

Thanks Druxey - most of the blue language flowed when I discovered the error.  

[Mahuna]

Part 21 – Deck Beam Installation (cont’d)

 

Installation of deck beams has been progressing.  The installation of the beams follows a basic process.

 

The first step is to position the beam in the appropriate location, making sure that the centerline on the beam lines up with the centerline string of the shipway.  When positioning is correct, the location of the functional bolt is marked on each end of the beam.

 

                        

 

Since the bolt will be secured to the deck clamp, the angle of the deck clamp is estimated and drawn on the face of the deck beam.

 

                        

 

A very small awl is used to make a starter hole on the deck beam where the hole for the functional bolt will be drilled.

 

                        

 

The hole for the bolt is then drilled, being careful to align the drill bit with the angle drawn on the beam (above).

 

                        

 

A pin, held in a pin vise, is then fed through the drilled hole and is used to make a small mark on the deck clamp.  This will verify that the angle of the drilled hole is correct.

 

                        

 

The hole through the clamp is then drilled by feeding the drill through the hole in the beam.

 

                        

 

PVA glue is applied to the deck clamps at the position of the deck beam, and 1/32” brass rods are then CA glued through the drilled holes as functional bolts.

 

                        

 

Once the glue has set, the bolt is cut to the level of the deck beam top, and a riffler file is used to file the brass rod flush with the surface of the deck beam.

 

                        

 

The end of the deck beam is then sanded down so that is faired with the frames.  This will provide a smooth flow of the sheer plank.

 

                        

 

The top of some of the frames is higher than the top surface of the deck beam.  This is checked by sliding a straight edge down the deck beam. 

 

                        

 

If the top of the frame obstructs the movement of the straight edge, it needs to be reduced by filing or sanding until it’s at the correct height.

 

                        

 

Once the above process is completed, the deck beam is properly located, securely attached to the deck clamp, faired, and the surrounding frames are in line with the top of the deck beam.

 

The holds have half-beams supporting the sides. A full deck beam is used to create the half beams, with an appropriate length taken from outlying end of the full deck beam to ensure that the proper deck camber is maintained.  A small machinist screw clamp is used to hold the inboard end of the half beam in place, while the above procedure is followed for the outboard end of the half beam.

 

                        

 

The following photo shows the forward hatch fully framed out.

 

                        

 

All of the deck beams shown to this point are of pine (castello on the model).  The four beams directly behind the forward hatch are oak (madrone on the model) since they support the weight of the dredge winder and motor.  The first two of these oak beams are supported by the centerboard trunk.  The following two beams are supported by stanchions sitting on the keelson.  The next photo shows the first of these stanchions.

 

                        

 

In addition to the stanchions that support the oak beams, another stanchion is used to support the forward beam of the aft hold.  This particular stanchion has foot steps attached to it for hold entry and egress.

 

                        

 

In the above photo, the ends of the ceiling planks are being sanded to be flush with the edge of the underlying frame.  The aft bulkhead will be built at this location and attached to the aft end of that frame.  Smoothing the ceiling plank ends will allow a clean seam where the bulkhead meets the ceiling planks.  The deck beam that forms the top of the bulkhead has a small (1/32 x 1/32) strip attached to it to provide a consistent gluing surface for the top end of the bulkhead planks.

 

                        

 

The planks of the aft bulkhead were individually installed.  Shaping of the two outer planks was required.

 

                        

 

Most of the deck beams are now in place.  The remainder of the beams will be installed after the cabin has been designed and installed, since the remaining beams may interfere with some of the cabin work if installed too early.

 

                        

 

The work involved in planning and installing the cabin structures will be fairly complex, so it may be a little while before the next post.

 

In the meantime, thanks everyone for following the Kathryn build, and for all of the “Likes”.

[MEDDO]

 This looks great. Thank you for the step-by-step it really gives us a good idea of how you are proceeding. 

[russ]

Really impressive work. The research and development is wonderful. These small workboats provide a great opportunity for lots of details in a large scale. I am moving towards the same kind of challenge with our local schooners.

 

Russ

[albert]

Very nice work Frank.

[Mahuna]

8 hours ago, MEDDO said:

 This looks great. Thank you for the step-by-step it really gives us a good idea of how you are proceeding. 

Thanks Michael.  I always appreciate seeing the approach other modelers use, so I thought it would be appropriate to include a description of some of the processes in the log.

 

7 hours ago, russ said:

Really impressive work. The research and development is wonderful. These small workboats provide a great opportunity for lots of details in a large scale. I am moving towards the same kind of challenge with our local schooners.

 

Russ

Thanks Russ.  Like you, I have a preference for workboats over warships.  And the fact that they are generally smaller does allow working at a more comfortable scale.

 

7 hours ago, albert said:

Very nice work Frank.

Thanks Albert.

[allanyed]

Frank

You are presenting a perfect example of how a relatively "simple" vessel can be a masterpiece of construction.   A skipjack like this could be a great project for a first time scratcher as well as a more experienced modeler interested in these oyster boats.   Yours would be a beautiful addition to the museum  or Theo's or some other restaurant or high spot at St. Michaels or Tilghman Island.

Great build log! 

Allan

[Mike Y]

Very precise and lots of methods to learn, thanks for sharing!

unusual type of a vessel a well

[Mahuna]

4 hours ago, allanyed said:

Frank

You are presenting a perfect example of how a relatively "simple" vessel can be a masterpiece of construction.   A skipjack like this could be a great project for a first time scratcher as well as a more experienced modeler interested in these oyster boats.   Yours would be a beautiful addition to the museum  or Theo's or some other restaurant or high spot at St. Michaels or Tilghman Island.

Great build log! 

Allan

Thanks Allan - the HAER documentation is a great source of info for this kind of scratch build.  There's an additional advantage for Kathryn - her recent rebuild was fairly well documented with photos.  

 

12 minutes ago, Mike Y said:

Very precise and lots of methods to learn, thanks for sharing!

unusual type of a vessel a well

Thanks Mike.  The skipjack is unique to the Chesapeake bay area, and unfortunately the number of these boats is dwindling.

[druxey]

Great progress and fine craftsmanship!

[Mahuna]

1 hour ago, druxey said:

Great progress and fine craftsmanship!

Thanks, Druxey!  

[thibaultron]

Thanks from me, also, for this great build! Fantastic workmanship, and the clear explanation of the reasons for each step, it adds much to the interest of the build.

[Mahuna]

On 6/5/2017 at 5:51 AM, thibaultron said:

Thanks from me, also, for this great build! Fantastic workmanship, and the clear explanation of the reasons for each step, it adds much to the interest of the build.

Thanks Ron - I'm glad you're enjoying the build.

[Mahuna]

Part 22 – Preparing for Hull Planking

 

In the last post I indicated that cabin installation would be the next work, since the half beams on each side of the cabin would interfere with some of the cabin installation work.  In actuality, the only interference would be with the installation of the 3 berths located in the cabin, since these are located under the half beams and under a couple of the deck beams aft of the cabin.  In addition, installing the cabin itself prior to hull planking would not be a good approach, since the cabin will be fairly delicate and would make it difficult to hold Kathryn for bottom planking.

 

So, the berths in the cabin area were installed.

 

                        

 

The installation of the remaining deck beams was then completed.

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

Several items needed to be worked on in preparation for the hull planking.  First, a stiff plank was installed across the stern timbers.  The purpose of this plank is to pull two of the stern timbers into line with the others.  Second, filler pieces needed to be installed between the stern timbers at the deck level.  The following photo shows the stiffening plank (the plank that lies at an angle) and the unshaped filler pieces.

 

                        

 

The filler pieces were shaped using a stump cutter on the rotary tool as in the following photo (apologies for the out-of-focus shot), and then were finish-sanded to the line drawn on the stern.

 

                        

 

The stern is ready for hull planking.

 

                        

 

                        

 

In examining Kathryn’s hull off the shipway, it became apparent that frame number 2 would not allow a plank to lie properly in the chine area.  Since reducing this frame would probably weaken it too much, an additional piece of wood was secured to the frame on each side.

 

                        

 

                        

 

This will allow cutting down the frame. 

 

Kathryn is now ready for some final fairing, followed by planking.

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

Thanks everyone!

[Mahuna]

Part 23 – Hull Planking – Transom and Wale

 

Planking the hull starts with planking the transom, since the side planks overlap the ends of the transom planks, and the bottom planks butt up against the angle of the transom.

 

Transom planking is pretty straight-forward, as in the following photos.

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

The first side plank to be installed is the sheer plank, or wale (known as ‘the bends’ in the Chesapeake area).  It’s hard to determine from the HAER drawings whether this is one plank or is made up of multiple planks.  Some of the photos of Kathryn seem to indicate that it is made up of multiple planks, but for the model a single plank is being used.  The bottom of the wale also contains what appears to be a bead that is painted red, and in one photo it’s obvious that the wale is somewhat thicker than the rest of the side planks.  On the model the wale is 1 inch thicker than the rest of the side planks.

 

The bottom of the wale is shown on the HAER lines plan, and was used along with the bottom of the deck to develop a plan for the plank, as in the following photo.

 

                        

 

Using a height gauge, the bottom of the wale was marked on each of the frames.

 

                        

 

The wale on the model is installed in sections approximately 20 feet long.  This corresponding part of the drawing was glued to appropriate stock, using a glue stick, and the plank was roughly cut on the scroll saw.  The plank was then sanded to the lines using the disk sander for the bottom, or convex, side.

 

                        

 

The concave side was shaped on the spindle sander.

 

                        

 

The plank was soaked in boiling water and was then clamped to the hull overnight to allow it to conform to the shape of the hull.

 

                        

 

The process of shaping, bending, and then gluing the plank took 24 hours for each length of plank.

 

                        

 

So, after 4 days the installation of the wale was completed.

 

                        

 

                        

 

The planksheer will sit on top of the wale and its outer edge will be flush with the wale, so some time was spent in making sure that the top of the wale was even with the deck beams.

 

Kathryn’s chine is rounded, and the plank ends of the side and bottom planking feather into the chine.  I’ve been spending some time trying to work out an approach to installing the chine.  I’m hoping that this will be completed in the near future, and that will likely be the subject of the next post.

 

Thanks everyone!

[GuntherMT]

Bummed I won't be able to get over and see her on Saturday.  Excellent progress and instructional posts with photo's as always.

[Mahuna]

Thanks Brian.

 

I'll be around all weekend. Stop by if you're in the area.