Reale De France by fmodajr - Corel - Scale 1:60

[fmodajr]

Hello,

 

After finishing my Corel Vasa build in January 2017. I took the year off to help my wife with projects for the wedding of our daughter. (Of course, I did take the time to build a model of a Concord Stagecoach on the side!!)

Back in January of this year, I purchased a Corel kit of the Real De France from the very nice people at Ages of Sail, with the intention of starting it right away. However, due to frozen pipes at my elderly parents home, I have spent the last few months with contractors, getting their house put back together.

So now I am finally to get back into my hobby room!

 

Here are some photos from the opening of the kit

A couple of things I noticed about the kit.

On the box cover, it says that the scale is 1:24, but in the instruction notes, it references the correct scale 1:60.

The material in the kit seems to be of good quality. There is some plywood pieces included, so I might change these pieces out with some other wood for areas of the model that won't be painted.

There are many pages of nicely detailed plans, which should make the build easier. The translations into English of the instruction booklet is not easy for me to follow, but re-reading it a few times brings things into focus!

 

I don't know much about the Real De France, so I can't comment on how accurate the Corel plans are. 

If anybody can steer me to some other references or publications about the real ship, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Frank

[GrandpaPhil]

Very nice!  I built the Heller Reale and it came out really nicely.  You’ll enjoy this build!

[md1400cs]

Frank,

 

Nice to see your shipyard open again !!

Nice looking kit

[fmodajr]

On 7/12/2018 at 5:21 PM, GrandpaPhil said:

Very nice!  I built the Heller Reale and it came out really nicely.  You’ll enjoy this build!

Hi Phil,

 

Do you have a log of your Heller Reale?

 

thanks,

Frank

[fmodajr]

On 7/14/2018 at 11:44 AM, md1400cs said:

Nice to see your shipyard open again !!

Nice looking kit

Hi Michael,

Thanks! I hope your doing better!!

 

Frank

[fmodajr]

Hello,

 

The Corel kit designed the internal keel, or spine, of the ship using 6 pieces.

2 pieces for the middle keel, 2 pieces on the left side and 2 on the right.

In this photo, you can see the pieces from the kit.

The total length of each 2 piece section is about 36 inches long.

The Corel instruction sheet says that the triple keel design was produced this way to keep the keel straight throughout it's entire length.

I was still worried that if I didn't get these pieces perfectly straight, It would show up later in the build.

So with the help of a friend, I built a steel fixture to keep the spine perfectly straight throughout it's 36 inch length (which I felt was critical to the build) and I added vertical supports to keep the ribs perpendicular.

Maybe overkill, but with the ship model being so long, I figured any warpage would be easy to spot.

 

Photo with 6 piece keel on Fixture

Keels all glued together

After the glued pieces dried, I sanded the bottom side flat and inserted filler wood where necessary.

Then with the keel back in the fixture, I sanded the curved keel (and filled with filler wood where necessary) and I filed the slots even to accept the bulkheads.

 

Now to start on the cross sections!

 

Frank

[GrandpaPhil]

4 hours ago, fmodajr said:

Hi Phil,

 

Do you have a log of your Heller Reale?

 

thanks,

Frank

Frank,

  I built it years ago and unfortunately didn't take any construction pictures.  I wish that I had.  I only have one picture left of it.

Phil

[md1400cs]

Frank,

 

You SURE have some nice tools !! 

 

PS: doing better thanks 

[marktiedens]

Nice to see you back at it - looks interesting. I will follow along if you have enough seats in the room. Did you know Dusek also makes a La Real? It looks very similar,but the scale is a little smaller.

 

Mark

[fmodajr]

12 hours ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Frank,

  I built it years ago and unfortunately didn't take any construction pictures.  I wish that I had.  I only have one picture left of it.

Phil

Thanks for the photo Phil!

Looks like a nice model!

I'm having a hard time trying to get more meaningful information on the actual ship. I want to make sure the Corel kit is accurate. I understand that a person named Gerard Delacroix has published some information on a similar ship called "La Fleur De Lis", but I am having a trouble finding this information.

Thanks,

Frank

[md1400cs]

Frank,

 

found these

 

model

 

http://gerard.delacroix.pagesperso-orange.fr/galere/plaquette-e.htm

 

book

http://www.editions-petit-vincent.com/boutique/nos-ouvrages/monographies/la-fleur-de-lis-galere-1690/

 

video

 

 

 

[fmodajr]

13 hours ago, md1400cs said:

Frank,

 

You SURE have some nice tools !! 

Hi Michael,

 

LOL! 

Actually Michael, I am fortunate. While all my equipment is only designed for wood working, my friend has a very nice metal working shop in his basement. So I designed the fixture and he helped me make it at his place! He also makes and sells some nice thickness sanders and disk sanders. His company is called "Ship Ahoy Models".

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

[md1400cs]

FYI:   Awesome build log - amazing work

 

http://5500.forumactif.org/t2685-la-fleur-de-lis-au-1-48-par-r-courgeon

[fmodajr]

15 hours ago, marktiedens said:

Nice to see you back at it - looks interesting. I will follow along if you have enough seats in the room. Did you know Dusek also makes a La Real? It looks very similar,but the scale is a little smaller.

 

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for stopping by!

I did not know Dusek also made La Real. 

I think my wife would have preferred the smaller scale. She keeps asking me where are we going to put "that thing" when your finished?! I keep telling her we'll worry about that later!! The Corel version will be over 40 inches long when done. Yikes!!

 

Frank

[fmodajr]

5 hours ago, md1400cs said:

Frank,

 

found these

 

model

 

http://gerard.delacroix.pagesperso-orange.fr/galere/plaquette-e.htm

 

book

http://www.editions-petit-vincent.com/boutique/nos-ouvrages/monographies/la-fleur-de-lis-galere-1690/

 

Hi Michael,

 

Thanks for all the help!!

I ordered the book today. (6 to 8 weeks to get it here in the States!) hopefully it will arrive sooner.

My brother in law is French, so hopefully i'll get him to translate some of the book!

 

Thanks again,

 

Frank

 

[fmodajr]

Hello,

So I ran into my first snag this week!

I went to pull out all the bulkheads from the kit, in order to start fitting them in the stem of the ship, and I couldn't find them anywhere!

I am missing parts 10 thru 22, but seem to have parts 23 and 24.

Either they were omitted from the kit or I misplaced them. I did bring the kit over an elderly friend's house, a few months ago, and I might have left them there. (He has since passed away).

No big deal anyway.

I copied the plans and glued the patterns to a board with the correct thickness.

I then cut, shaped and sanded them.

Putting the model back on the fixture, I was able to check the heights on both sides and make adjustments to the bulkheads before glueing.

 

Then I glued them all in using squares to keep them aligned.

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

 

[fmodajr]

Hello,

The instruction sheet on the Reale recommended that I dry fit a few of the pieces, before gluing the false deck.

I'm glad I did. Most of the pieces around the false deck needed some tweaking!

 

Checking the fit of the pieces around the deck area, which is held on by pins. (Not glued yet)

I turned my attention to the last bulkhead near the stern.

This piece had a couple of compound angles and curves to it.

The hull planks will have to wrap around the half rounds and blend into the stern stem.

Glued onto the stern

My next step will be to glue the false deck onto the frame.

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

 

[fmodajr]

Hi,

 

With all this heat up here in the northeast, I've spent more time on my full size boat, fishing and cruising, than I have working on the model!!

 

I was able to get the false deck pinned and glued to the frame.

 

As shown in previous photos, the Corel kit is designed with the keel structure made of 3 piece widths.

The middle keel structure is where the actual keel, stem, and bow section will be attached to.

Corel suggests 2 methods of attaching the keel. 

The first method is to do it now (attach the keel, stem etc) and then plank up to the keel itself.

The second method, which I decided to proceed with, is to plank into the space where the keel, stem, etc would go and then file and insert the keel.

 

This photo shows the slot where the stem will be inserted to the middle frame.

I tapered the two outer frames in order to lay the planking correctly

 

 

This photo shows where the stern stem piece will be inserted

 

Here, is a photo of the bow section. 

I tapered the two outer frames and when I plank, I will overlap the middle slot, then file the planking back and insert the bow stem later.

 

I finished tapering the two outer stem frames throughout the entire length of the model.

 

Hopefully this all makes sense!!

 

I will spend the next couple of weeks adding scrap basswood sections in between the bulkhead frames to make the planking easier when I get to that point in the process.

 

Thanks,

Frank

[marktiedens]

That is one long,narrow hull. Corel was wise to make the keel former triple thick - should be very stable as you plank.  Interesting that you are using the plank first method - I tried it once & had a lot of trouble filing the slot in a straight enough line not to have gaps where the planks meet the outer keel,let alone taking hours to file it out.  Is this a double planked hull, and if so,will you be doing both layers before filing out the keel slot?

 

Mark

 

 

[fmodajr]

Hi Mark,

 

Yes, it is one long hull. That is also why I took the time to make the steel fixture. Everything seems to be straight, which will be critical later in the build.

You bring up some good points about the "plank first" method. It is a double planked hull. The 2nd plank layer is much thinner than the first. So, maybe the compromise is to plank the first layer (not worrying about a perfect fit), then install the keels, then add the 2nd layer. Because the 2nd layer is thin wood, it should be easier to get it to fit up to the keel without gaps.

Thanks for the warning and advise. What do you think about my compromise?

 

Frank

 

[marktiedens]

I would say do it whichever way is most comfortable for you - there is really no right or wrong way to do it as long as the end result is satisfactory to you!  The only real problem I have when planking my way is fitting the last garboard plank at the keel - a lot of fiddly shaping to do.  However,your hull is not shaped anything like what I have done,so the plank first method might be just as easy.  I am no expert by any means,so it`s just my opinion.

 

Mark

[fmodajr]

Thanks Mark,

 

I still have time to decide. I think I will get the 1st planking in, then add the keels, and then do the final planking!

 

Frank

 

[fmodajr]

Hello!

 

Before planking the hull, I had some more work to do.

 

To make the first layer of planking a little easier, I have been taking the time to add

Some filler blocks, made of basswood, in-between the bulkhead frames.

 

The planking of the stern and bow sections will be more challenging.

These filler blocks should help.

 

Filler blocks in the mid section

 

For now, I have omitted the filler blocks on 3 sections, so that I can still use my holding fixture.

 

I remounted the model onto the fixture and made sure that the deck was level and square.

I have to do some deck work first, including the planking of the top deck, before starting the planking of the hull.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

 

 

[fmodajr]

Hi,

Small update:

I took the time to make sure that the slots on both sides of the false deck were the same distance from the rear bulkhead frame. They were pretty close. After I finish the deck planking, I will have to re-slot thru the planking and can correct any errors.

There are two main ribs running most of the length of the deck that had to be installed before the deck planking.

I made up some temporary filler blocks, the correct width, to make sure the pieces stayed parallel to each other and glued the pieces.

I also installed the upper false deck near the stern.

I primed the two long ribs, in preparation for the final coat of red.

Currently, I'm experimenting with different shades of red, and I have to finalize which I will use. (a lot of the deck pieces will be painted red, so I hope to get it right!) I want to get these two ribs painted before starting the deck planking.I have also just received Gerard Delacroix's fabulous monograph on the construction of a similar ship called "La Fleur de Lis".

I hope to use his plans and illustrations as a guide and a "Cross Reference" to making sure that the Corel kit is somewhat accurate. I've already spotted areas of my build that I can make more detailed than what the Corel plans offer. We'll see how it goes as I progress.

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

 

[md1400cs]

Frank,

 

Just catching up - looking V. Good.

 

Cheers

[fmodajr]

Hi Michael,

 

Good to hear from you!

I hope you are well!

 

I will be posting more photos very soon.

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

 

[fmodajr]

Hello,

 

I have been able to make more progress on my build!

 

Here, I added the two stern pieces that rise up at an angle towards the stern. The first row of planking will sit right underneath these pieces.

 

 

Starting the deck planking now. 

I decided to discard the kit wood and I will be using Eastern White Pine that I have in my wood stash.

I like this wood. It is fairly light colored and later when I'm ready, it will take an oak stain nicely, to darken the deck.

I rough cut the pine about 3" wide (the width that my thickness sander will take).

 

Using my thickness sander, I grind the thickness down to the width of the planks that I want to use (I will be using 4 mm and 5 mm widths)

Then I glue some black paper on one side to simulate the caulking.

Now I rough cut the wood into strips, using my table saw, then run it thru the thickness sander to obtain my final thickness of about 0.6 MM

 

I experimented on various red paints, including the nice "Gory Red" that Mark is using in his log, but I finally decided on a red paint called "Imperial Red".

The photos of the red might not be a perfect representation, due to the lighting in my workroom!

 

 

Now I am starting on the deck planking.

The Corel plans show all the planking to be 4 mm wide and all the planking is laid out straight from bow to stern.

I decided to have some fun and I will use the planking method from Gerard's book on the "Fleur di Lis".

His plans call for 2 rows of planking, along the outer edges of the deck to be curved, following the deck curve. His plans also seem to show that these 2 rows of planking are wider than the straight pieces. So I made the 2 rows 5 mm wide.

 

 

Now I will begin to lay in the straight pieces, using the smaller width (4 mm) pieces.

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

Frank

 

 

[fmodajr]

Hello,

 

I've finished up the planking on the main deck.

I am holding off on the tree nails until later (when i finish building the deck hatches and pinpoint where they will be located on the deck)

 

 

Later, after I install the tree nails, I will be staining the deck with an oak stain, so it will be much darker.

 

Now I have started cutting out the slots for the upper deck support.

 

Thanks,

 

Frank

 

[fmodajr]

Hello!

 

Thanks for the likes!

 

Just a quick update:

I haven't had much time for the model the last couple of weeks (Just sold a vacation home and busy cleaning it out!)

 

I finished the slots for the upper deck supports on one side and I am starting the left side now.

When I finish the slots, i'll be moving back to the underside and starting the planking of the hull.

 

(I don't know why I'm getting the phantom grey lines on the bottom of the photos. I hope my camera is okay!!)

 

Thanks,

Frank

[fmodajr]

Hello,

 

Another small update on my build.

 

Finished slots on the port side of the model.

 

 

 Removed the model from the fixture and finished adding the spacer blocks that I had previously left off (for the clamping of the model to the fixture)

 

 

 

I gave some more thought as to whether or not to add the keel before or after the planking (see our discussions earlier in the build log)

I decided to add the keel frame in the bow and along the bottom, before starting the planking.

I did, however, leave off the keel piece on the stern, The planking near the stern will have some severe bending, and I feel it will be easier to bend and clamp in place without the piece installed. 

 

Now I will start the first layer of planking!

 

Thanks for visiting,

 

Frank