Charles W Morgan by Papa - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1/64th scale

[Papa]

At long last I have started my CWM. This kit has been in my stash for quite some time.  I saw no point in photographing the kit contents as there are quite a few Morgan build logs showing the parts.  I will note that, contrary to the instructions, the center keel was a single laser cut piece, not 2 pieces. I do not know if this is still the case, but it makes for an easier start to the build. The photo shows my building slip set up to start test-fitting the bulkheads.

[alde]

I want in on this one for sure. She's one of my favorite models. I just don't have the skill to try one yet.

[Tigersteve]

That is some building board! I’ll follow along. 

Steve

[Papa]

Work on the Morgan has been slow. I am taking my time making sure that each bulkhead aligns to the reference marks and is square to the keel. I am letting the glue set at least overnight before moving on. I have found that shaping the bevels is so much easier with solid wood bulkheads.  Beveling plywood is a pain.

[Papa]

Finished the bulkheads and, following the building instructions, attached temporary battens along the bulkheads verifying that the spacing was identical port and starboard. I did this by cutting spacers that would just fit between bulkheads at the center keel and then used them to properly space the outside.  Only tiny adjustments were necessary because I had been very careful to square up the bulkheads as I glued them in place.

[Papa]

I have shaped the counter block and started the transom framing. I made a quick jig, not in picture, to hold the frame piece at the correct angle until the glue dried. I will trim the frame pieces to length when they are all in place.  I found the counter block was very difficult to get right.  There are a lot of angles and bevels.  In fact, I messed one up and had to start again. 

[Papa]

The bow and stern blocks are in and mostly shaped. They still need a bit more shaping, but i will wait until I confirm how the planks will lay down before I take any more wood off.

[Papa]

Wow almost 2 months since my last post.  Been busy with other projects but I also had a VERY difficult time with the sheer rail at the bow.  The laser cut pieces were constantly breaking.  Every time i tried to work near the bow my hand would slip or I'd put too much pressure on something and snap, the rail would break along the grain.  i think every layer of grain now has been glued together. Finally got it in and inserted the bulwarks; also a difficult task getting them all aligned.  I couldn't figure out how to feather the waterway into the ceiling planks without the ceiling planks in place. So I modified the build order and laid a few ceiling planks and this provided a reference to feather the waterway. As one can see in the photo, more sanding is needed for a smooth transition. The Morgan will go on a 10 week hiatus as my wife and i are traveling up to the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Specifically, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

[Papa]

I had put the Morgan aside to focus on finishing the Granado. Now that she is done I got back to work on the Morgan.

in the photo you can see how I shaped the log rail by soaking it in water and the clamping it against the plank shear in order to get the proper curve.

[Papa]

Gluing the log rail in place.

[Papa]

And today I marked of the locations for the planking bands and started attaching some battens.

[Heinrich der Seefahrer]

Hy ragove! What do you think about filling blocks of softwood between the bulkheads (as they will give a much larger surface to you to sand and gluing onthe next two layers)???

[Papa]

I’ve done several POB models successfully  without filler blocks. Seems just like a lot of extra work to me. To each his own.

[Papa]

Planking is now underway.  I had a bad time with the bow as the plank shear broke into many pieces during earlier stages of the build. I patched it up as best I could and continued.  However, once i started planking I could see that my repairs we not good.  The port and starboard sides were quite asymmetrical. I had to rip out all of the planking around the bow, repair the asymmetry and start planking again again.  Looks much better at the bows now.  A bit of filling and sanding to do still. Ready to start the planks below the wale.

[Landlubber Mike]

Looking good.  For the planksheer, I believe I sanded it flat with the first planking.  For the second planking, I’m using a thicker plank.  It seemed impossible to keep planksheer extended past the hull an even amount along the full hull. 

[Papa]

I haven’t posted progress for a while since the admiral and I were touring Colorado.  Beautiful country!

Since we’ve returned I’ve finished planking the “A” band. Slow work.

[Papa]

Planking is progressing nicely.

[David Lester]

You're coming along pretty well. I had quite a bit of trouble with the plankshear on my CWM too, not so much it breaking, but rather I couldn't seem to maintain a consistent projection from the hull for the length of the ship. If you're unhappy with the look of your plankshear, I would echo Landlubber Mike's suggestion to sand it smooth with the hull and then apply a new piece over top. That's what I did as well. It gave a very crisp look and it's a very easy fix.

David

[Landlubber Mike]

Just echoing what David said, I would sand it flat and then add the plankshear extension to the hull as a separate piece.  Otherwise I think it will be next to impossible to maintain a consistent extension along the hull.  

[Papa]

Thanks for the advice. I had pretty much decided to sand the plankshear down and put on a piece of strip wood.  I tried just building up the low sections with smaller lengths but it looks messy. Better to sand it all out and add a new piece.

Edited October 5, 2019 by ragove
Typo

[Papa]

The wale is also a problem. It is not consistently proud of the upper planks.  Probably can fix this with very careful sanding. 

[Papa]

I sanded the planks above the plank shear smooth as well as sanding the existing plank shear flush to the planks.  In the photo a new ersatz plank shear is being glued on.

[Papa]

In the process of smoothing the planking and filling in hollow spots. Just under 4 months since I started the planking and I was in Colorado for a month so nothing was done in the shipyard.

[J11]

Looking great!! 

[Papa]

13 hours ago, Jonathan11 said:

Looking great!! 

Thanks

[Papa]

I think I have the hull smooth enough for the coppering. It may need a tad more in the painted areas.  I will need to prime it to see how it looks.  Started fashioning the “fashion piece” on the stern, hence the strip wood sticking up.

[Papa]

I misread the drawing of the “fashion piece” in the instruction book. I was seeing it applied to the stern. I realized before getting very far that it is applied to the side of the hull along the edge where the side meets the stern. I have include a picture as I thought it shows the usefulness of the building slip more than the fashion piece.

Edited November 4, 2019 by ragove

[Papa]

While trying to fit the fashion pieces at the stern I realized that my stern and transom did not agree with the plans. I had to rip out some planking and reshape the stern block. I should have been more careful with the shaping when I first did it.  Maybe I learned a good lesson.  Once again the building slip shows it’s versatility. 

[Papa]

I’ve painted the bulwarks and am ready to start planking the deck. 

Edited December 9, 2019 by ragove
Typo

[Landlubber Mike]

Looks great!  The bulwarks are not easy when you have to individually set up all the stanchions.