Oostends schipje by G.L. - scale 1:20 - Ostend shrimper - first POF - Edition 2

[G.L.]

Part 1: Introduction

1.1

A couple of weeks ago I lost the entire building log of my shrimper. The loss is probably caused by a wrong manipulation of myself, I am not quite aware what exactly happened. It is a bit a bore because I started the log already more than 2 years ago and my ship was beginning to gain final shape.

Fortunately, I kept a back up of all my posted reports and pictures. In consultation with the forum administrators, I decided to repost all my contributions and rebuild my log to the stage in which my model currently is.

My excuses to the people who followed my project, they must have some patience because it might take some time before I arrive again the current state.

For the people who did not follow my log, the picture below is showing what my project is about. I presented my unfinished model for the first time in the model discussion of my modeling club (https://dedissel.weebly.com/) last October. I am standing at the left side of the picture, the man to the right is the discussion moderator, a very experienced modeler.

This time I intend to divide my log into chapters and to number all my reports. That will make it easier to refer to previous posts.

[G.L.]

1.2

Restart of the log, originally sep 2015:

I visit the forum already  during some months and I am amazed by the beautiful masterpieces that you all make  and by the skills you all have. I realize that I have a lot to learn before I fit well in your company. But I do not want to  take only advantage of your building logs; it is time for me to start a first own project and to share my experiences on the forum.

As I am an novice in the world of ship modeling, I want to start with a simple vessel. I will build an 'Oostends schipje'. That is how the fishing sloop is named in Flemish. Literally translated it means 'little ship of Ostend'. I believe that 'Ostend shrimper' is a more convenient translation. The sloop was used from the mid 19th till the mid 20th century to fish grey North Sea shrimps along the Flemish (Belgian) coast. Most of the boats sailed from and were build in the port of Ostend.

I bought the plans in the modeling club of which I am member. The drawings are for building a plank on bulkhead (POB) model, giving the shapes of 10 frames. However, I want to build a plank on frame (POF) model, so I will have some additional drawing work to determine the shapes of the remaining frames, 30 in total, the keel and the stems.

Edited December 1, 2017 by G.L.

[amateur]

Thanks for restarting!

 

Jan

[tarbrush]

oh good!  I loved this model, you are doing an outstanding job

[G.L.]

Jan and John,

 Thanks for your interest and your kind words.

 

 

G.L.

[G.L.]

Part 2: Lofting the frames

 

2.1

Flemish fishermen were built with frames of two layers oak, each 10 cm thick. The frames were spaced with 40 cm on the centers. So the first thing to do, is drawing the frames on the profile and the half breath plan. The forward 4 frames are cant frames.

[G.L.]

2.2

Next thing to do, is lofting all frames on a grid. Therefore I transfer the measurements of the forward end of each frame on each waterline and each buttock line with a divider to the grid.

[Baker]

Welcome back G.L.

[G.L.]

2.3

Connecting all those measurements with a smooth curved line gives me the shape of the frame.

Edited December 2, 2017 by G.L.
added number of report

[G.L.]

2.4

When I repeat the same procedure with the aft end of each frame, I have also the shapes of the bevel of the frames (dotted line).

Edited December 2, 2017 by G.L.
added number of report

[G.L.]

31 minutes ago, Backer said:

Welcome back G.L.

Thanks, Patrick

[G.L.]

2.5

To obtain a full frame. I copy the half frame on tracing paper.

[G.L.]

2.6

Then once again with the tracing paper reversed and I have a drawing of a complete frame.

[G.L.]

2.7

This has to be repeated for all 30 frames, so I know what to do in the weeks to follow.

The back half of the frames is drawn. Now the forward part.

[G.L.]

2.8

When I place all the tracing papers one after another between two plates of glass with a strong light behind it, I have already an impression of the interior of the hull.

[G.L.]

2.9

I didn't yet mention the dimensions of the Ostend shrimper:

-        LOA: ± 13 m

-        Beam: ± 4 m

-        Depth: ± 1.8 m

-        Draft:  forward:          ±1.3 m
            amidships:      ±1.6 m
            aft:                  ±1.9 m

Edited December 2, 2017 by G.L.
added picture

[G.L.]

2.10

All the square frames are drawn.
For the cant frames another technique is to be used. I place the grid with its centerline touching the centerline of the keel on the fore end of the frame and the waterlines on the grid in parallel with the cant frame.

[G.L.]

2.11

Afterwards I transfer the intersections of the frame with the different waterlines in parallel with the centerline of the grid to the waterlines on the grid. The black lines are the intersections of the back of the frame, the red lines  the front.

[G.L.]

2.12

Once all transferred intersections on the grid are connected, the shape of the cant frame appears.

[G.L.]

2.13

The final copy looks like:

[G.L.]

2.14

The 4 cant frames are drawn in this way. Next things to draw are the keel, the stem and the stern.

[G.L.]

2.15

Last winter (winter 2015-2016) I completed another two drawings of the assembly of the keel, stem, stern and frames.

[G.L.]

Part 3: Making keel and stems

3.1

Time to get to work now. The wood that I use is provided by my garden. Many years ago I planted a cherry tree in the garden, when the tree started to bear fruit, it were plums instead of cherries. Two years ago I made finally the decision and removed the tree and replaced it by a real cherry tree. The wood is dry now and ready to be sawn and planed into planks.

Remark  afterwards: After completing stems, keel and frames I made some samples of the finishing color for the planking an discovered that the plum wood did not give a finishing result that I liked. Therefore for the planking of the hull I changed to oak, the wood which was in reality used to build the Flemish shrimpers.

[G.L.]

3.2

I made the keel, the stem and the stern simultaneously but I will deal with one after the other in this report for clearness' sake.

The keel is made in two parts with a keyed hook scarf in the middle. I saw the scarf with the fretsaw. The scarf is keyed with two wedges. The two parts of the keel are glued together. Once dry, I saw the wedges along the keel and sand them.

[G.L.]

3.3

Now the rabbet for the lowest hull plank has to be cut. The angle of that plank varies along the different stations. I make a scraper for every 5 stations between the stations 9 and 26 and scrape the rabbet along the keel changing the scraper every 5 stations.

[G.L.]

3.4

The 18 square frames will be sunk in the keel in floor seatings. I mark the placement of all square frames on the keel assembly an saw them out.

[G.L.]

3.5

The stem is fit with at tap for a strong fastening with the keel. Although the picture is hazy, you can see the rabbet for the hull planks. On the next picture the stem is provisionally set on the keel.

[G.L.]

3.6

The apron is shaped accordingly the waterlines.

[G.L.]

3.7

I saw the stem knee out of a block.

[G.L.]

3.8

Determining the shape of the knee  is a little more difficult as for the apron because the knee is round. I take for the upper shape the lower profile of the apron and for the after shape the profile of the first station. I use the sand disk to give the knee shape mostly at random between the two profiles.