Kågen by Wintergreen - FINISHED - 1:30 - Swedish clinker-built cog work boat - SMALL

[Wintergreen]

Enough progress for another update I think.

So, floor boards it is.

First fiddling about with card templates to get a close fit. Also marking the center line on each template because I thought it might be useful (which it proved to be).

First a picture with the main thwart though. Also can be seen the "catch" for the mast when raising the same.

 

Templates with a reasonable fit. The butt blocks do interfere with the under side on several positions.

 

Then a short board to support the forward most board.

 

Two aft most boards done. There are no directions in the book about these floors. Only that they rest on that for-aft board in the middle. Therefore I concluded that planks would be athwarthships. Might be wrong, but who knows? If I ever get to see the real boat I will know.

 

 

This is the supporting pieces. Square and fair.

 

A piece of double adhesive tape on the cutting mat made easy position of everything. One has to wait for the glue to harden before one tries to pry the board away from the tape. Aske me how I know 😄 

 

That's all for now.

Thanks for likes and comments, much appreciated!

[Nirvana]

Håkan, that looks so good, love the small boats of the Swedish archipelago.

[Baker]

Very nice work. 

[bolin]

Nice!

 

I think I will borrow your method with double sided tape for the floor boards I will make soon...

[G.L.]

Nice progress, Hakan.

[Mark Pearse]

Hakan

 

The hull shape reminds me of a pilot boat done for the Finnish archipelago by Colin Archer. Beamier & shallower than the Norwegian ones. I think she is called Pitkapaasi & maybe 30', so much bigger. However the similarity of hull shape is interesting - & both are very beautiful.

 

A very enjoyable build to follow.

 

Mark

[wefalck]

Nice progress, indeed !

 

It seems that (pilot) boats of a similar hull form have been quite common around the Danish and Swedish waters of the Baltic. They are well-suited to the sometimes shallow waters with rocks or boulders sticking up and at the same time can carry a lot of sail (like modern sailing dinghies) due the broad beam - important for pilot boats. The museum in Helsingør has a big collection of plans, including pilot and toll boats.

Edited March 17, 2021 by wefalck

[Wintergreen]

Thank you all for shown interest! 

 

@bolin - you are welcome! Steel with pride, as we say on our office 😉

@Mark Pearse @wefalck - yes, I think that the pattern and traditions of building coastal boats slowly spread from area to area. Adaptations were done to suite specific needs of course. Carry more cargo, sail faster, manage different sea states, the list goes on.

 

Here is another small update.

All floor boards are done. I didn't get the colour right so some more finishing is needed.

All but one thwarts are cut and positioned. Two of them will be removable and the rest will be pinned in place.

The removable ones are the narrow one in the middle and then also the foremost one, which I haven't done yet. For every thwart I cut a small recess in the stringer to have them lay down more naturally.

 

For ballast I just went out in the street and wiped up some of the gravel they spread here in wintertime. Some are left natural and the others painted with Paynes gray. The real boat had some 650 kg of ballast. In 1:30 that is almost 90 grams. If I use these "rocks" there is no way I can fit 90 grams of ballast under the floor boards 😄 

 

Next up will be the last thwart and then the covering board along with a couple hefty stem and stern hooks.

More of that another time.

 

[wefalck]

Are you sure, you got your numbers right re. the ballast ?

 

If all the ballast was water, you would need a volume of 650 dm^3 / 30 / 30 / 30 = 24 cm^3 at 1:30 scale or 24 g.

 

Granit or gneiss, the predominant rocks in your part of the world, would have a bulk density of around 2.7 g/cm^3, which reduces to something like 2 g/cm^3 or less for loose rock. In other words you would need about 12 cm^3 space for the balast in the model.

[Wintergreen]

@wefalck Thanks for you input. Maybe I got the figures wrong. 12 ml (a little less than a table spoon) I can definitely fit under the boards. 

Anyway, it's just for show and not authenticity 😉 

[Mark Pearse]

The question of volumes to scale seems to show how we tend to see scale as a linear dimension. We don't really see that for a model of 1:10, areas are at 1:100 scale (eg: a sail), & volumes are at 1:1000 scale (eg: ballast or hull volume). So it is curious that it still looks right.

 

Hakan, I think what you have done is authentic.

[vaddoc]

You are progressing very well Hakan, the boat looks fantastic.

Gold is quite dense if you are straggling for space, It would make an excellent choice for ballast.

[Wintergreen]

Here again. Time for another little update.

Mark and Vaddoc - thanks for your support. I'll check with the admiral if there are any jewels to support my vessel. Kind of a patreon if so, right?

 

Today I managed to produce six pieces (not of eight) but of railing. Is it called railing btw?

Anyway, and previous to that the stem and stern hooks was made. I think the forward piece is called a breast hook, but what is the stern piece called?

A fiddly process since nothing is square.

The process of manufacture included card templates of every piece and a lot of sanding and filing. To get a good snug fit every piece it cut over sized and then the outer edge is trimmed to perfection. 
After that the piece is cut to width. In this case ca 3mm, which believe it or not is still over sized. The book and drawing calls for a railing of 2". At 1:30 that is less than 2mm. But sometimes I can't really be bothered. If it looks good to me. It stays.

Only the breast hook and stern piece is glued and pinned in place. The railing just rests on the frame tops.

 

I might also have a word with the shipwright since I'm not overly happy with the mess he leaves in his wake...

 

About tools, that sturdy hand-vice is soo perfect for holding all these itsy bitsy flimsy pieces. It's quite heavy which gives a good support to any movement. Before I used it I hade to file down the jaws because they left a checkered marking on the clamped piece. 

 

Before we part for today, thank you guys for comments and likes! Much appreciated 🙂 

[Mark Pearse]

On 3/31/2021 at 6:50 AM, Wintergreen said:

Is it called railing btw?

I think this an inwale - on the inside of the planking & aligns with the gunwale on the outer side of the planking.  

 

 

[Wintergreen]

Building continues. Focus last couple of days was to permanently glue the inwale.

But before that the masts needed to dealt with. The fore mast sits at the after edge of the main thwart and the mizzen mast is just stepped through a hole in the last thwart. 

Both masts have a peg or tenon at the bottom end. Both masts stands unsupported by shrouds and stays. 

 

Dimension are as follows. 

Main mast - length 25', diam at thwart height 5½", diam at top 3". That translates to 254 mm x 4,7 mm and 2,5mm.

Mizzen mast - length 19', diam at thwart 4". Translates to roughly 192mm x 3,3mm.

Made a small jig to accommodate easier planing.

 

This is actually a quite good fit 🙂 

Don't mind the dust, it is after all Work In Progress 😉

 

Trying out main mast support.

 

After the supporting semi circle is filed in the thwart masts are both plumb and at correct angle. 

Main mast almost vertical and mizzen a slight lean aft.

 

 

Now I could fasten the thwarts and glue the inwale in place. As mentioned before, the foremost thwart and the one in the middle are removable.

I even made the jib boom while I was at it, 16½' long and thin. Only used in lighter winds.

 

 

As can be seen I haven't painted the details and maybe I won't. I kind of like the contrast of the natural apple to the rugged hull.

What do my followers think?

 

And as always, thanks for likes and comment! Much appreciated 🙂 

 

 

[wefalck]

On navy boat the thwarts were kept clean, neither tarred nor painted. I think I have seen that in other boats too. Depends a bit on how the boats were stored, i.e. how exposed they are to weathering. I could imagine that the thwarts were taken out and stored in a shed.

[Wintergreen]

That makes sense @wefalck, definitely no tar (self explanatory in fact). Albeit, about the kåg, it was a work boat so I have little faith in that they were meticulously kept. Maybe I'll give them a light wash. But before any painting there is a rubrail to add. After that comes variious hardware and the rudder.

[bolin]

I agree that there is a nice contrast between the tarred hull and the thwarts. Only giving them a coat of oil might look nice.

 

Regarding the use of tar it can be mixed with more linseed oil and thinner, and if it is applied in thin coats it will not be to sticky to sit at (at least after a few weeks in the sun).

[druxey]

Coming in late to this party, that is a lovely job that you are doing on this, Håkan. Visually the colors work very well.

[Wintergreen]

Well you know the saying @druxey, that prominent people arrive late 😉

You're most welcome. There are refreshments in the kitchen and enjoy your stay 😁

[Jim Lad]

How did i miss your Tuesday update? She's really looking the ant's pyjamas, mate!

 

John

[Wintergreen]

21 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

How did i miss your Tuesday update? She's really looking the ant's pyjamas, mate!

 

John

Honestly John, I have no idea. Busy doing chores probably? So what do I need to do, call you 😉 

Jokes aside, thank's for popping by. Much appreciated.

 

note2self - check up that ant's pyjamas 😏 

 

 

[vaddoc]

Looking good Hakan! I also think the contrast looks good, maybe a coat of pure Tung oil will blend the two nicely-depends how the wood will react.

[Wintergreen]

Alas! An update and how fitting, exactly one month since the last one...ehum.

Age is just a number and slow is just a word.

Well then, what has happened since last time.

Oar locks or what they can be called. Four pairs. I also have been to the smithy for some metalwork. 

 

First the main mast partners and a ring for the job boom.

 

Then some strap to retain the aft end of the jib boom.

 

Looks like this with the spars in place.

 

For reference, a picture from the book. It should of course be opening, but I took the broad road and CA:d the pieces in place.

Since I like my new acrylic paints the brass is not blackened but painted (Paynes grey).

 

Thanks for all likes and comments!

[Jim Lad]

very nice progress, Håkan.  I really like your mast bracket.

 

john

[Wintergreen]

Another wee update. 

All the usual excuses. You know them all.

And also thanks for likes and comment!

 

More ironwork (or more like brass and copper actually). This time, the rudder.

I also had to fabricate the rudder. Since work on the model has been, well, intermittent at best, I've failed to take progress shots.

To get the shape right for the rudder card stock was used for template. The the rudder was made of two pieces, just like the real one with a hooked joint. I made it slightly over sized on purpose to be able to file and shape it to size later. The joint is slightly emphasized thanks to sanding off the sharp edge.

About the gudgeon and pintles, not really gudgeon since the rudder will be held in place with a bolt.

 

Now pictures!

CA:d in place.

 

 

 

Test fit. 

Now I realized I wasn't quite happy with the gudgeons. They should sit closer to the stern to close the gap between sternpost and rudder.

The pintle is from copper wire and flattened in a tool I build when doing my Regina yacht. It is actually to size, a shivering 0.2mm thick, which translates to the correct 1/4" real world dimension.

 

Gudgeons being repositioned. I just pryed the off, showed them further in and glued again.

Also enhanced the fastening with real rivets, 0.5mm in dia. The book shows four on each side, but I recon two will suffice for both strength and display purposes.

 

That was all I had this time.

Til next time, ta!

 

[vaddoc]

Time is an issue for most of us Hakan! You are doing a fantastic job with your boat.

Did you prime the brass in any way before painting?

[Wintergreen]

Thanks Vaddoc!

The material for the mast partners were blackened so I just sanded that away and then painted them when glued in place.

So no priming done actually. Maybe a bit lazy, but the acrylic paint seems to adhere just fine.

Cheers!

[Mark Pearse]

That's a curious place to sheet the mizzen sail.

[Wintergreen]

12 hours ago, Mark Pearse said:

That's a curious place to sheet the mizzen sail.

Indeed Mark. My guess is that the boat has "some" degree of weather helm and the way the mizzen is sheeted counteracts that.

A section of the book is about the sea trials, I will look into that and see if there are any remarks about balance.