Medway Longboat - 1742 - 1:24 Scale - by GuntherMT

[GuntherMT]

Definitely looking forward to getting in on this, so this is my build log for the Medway Longboat kit.

 

Next post... whenever things start!  I will however be out of the country for a couple of weeks starting a week from today, so I may not get in on the first batch.

[GuntherMT]

Hello all.  It's been a painfully long time since I've spent any time in the modelling shop, and I decided I needed to get back to it, but I was having difficulty finding the motivation to get back to work on the Cheerful or the Picket Boat. In an attempt to solve my motivational problems, I decided to commit myself to participation in this group build.

 

The kit arrived today, and there are a surprisingly large number of parts for an overgrown rowboat. The laser cutting is super crisp with very little burn-through and very small connections. Quality of this kit appears to be superb as I expected. 

 

No idea how much progress I'll be making for the next month as I have a lot of stuff going on in my life and I'll be out of the country twice between now and New Year's, but I hope to get started on this later this week.

[Mahuna]

Welcome back Brian.  I'll be following as time and circumstances permit.

[GuntherMT]

The rust is certainly showing.  Started on the keel and on the very first lap joint I got too deep on one edge and wrecked it (cutting it beyond half way).  I've ordered some 5/32" yellow cedar to use to replace the keel parts and will try again, so my 'start' will be a bit delayed because of my own stupidity.  Oh well!

 

I will use the rest of the keel parts to continue working on knocking the rust off, and hopefully will only need to re-cut and replace the one piece.

Edited December 1, 2018 by GuntherMT

[GuntherMT]

Re-assessed the keel this morning with a hopefully fresh brain, and decided that I could salvage it even though it wouldn't be "right" (one half of the lap-joint would be thicker than the other).  The only way this would be seen would be from the bottom of the keel, so I decided to go for it and see what happens.

 

I put the keel piece that I had cut too deeply into the mill and took that entire side down to match the lowest point, and then milled the stem piece much shallower to match it.  I then completed the bow lap joints and fit them together.  I'm not 100% happy with the joints, but they work and I don't think anyone but me will notice the imperfections, or the 'out of balance' lap joint in the stern (since it's pretty unlikely even in a high level model show that the judges would pick up the boat and inspect the keel from the bottom).

 

I have them glued up and drying now, and will hopefully add the other 4 pieces to the keel and get the nails done this afternoon, and then I'll post some pictures.

[GuntherMT]

Photo's from earlier.

Once the lap joints were secure, I moved on to attaching the 4 other parts of the keel, which are centered on the now finished section.  I followed the instructions and added the bow piece first, then the two stern pieces, and then finished with the long center piece.  This kit is going to completely wreck my desire to do any 'mainstream' wood kits, as every single piece so far has fit perfectly without any adjustment at all.

 

Cleaned up all the excess glue before it could dry, and then moved on to removing the laser char from the edges.  Decided to give everything a coat of wipe-on poly per the instructions, when I discovered that my can of wipe-on poly is now a brick of solid poly.  Oops!  Time for a run to the store.

 

Returned from the store and decided to go ahead and do the nails before the poly because I didn't want to wait for it to dry.  I used some tracing paper to trace the pattern for the nails from the plans, and then used a pin to mark the locations on the keel parts on both sides.  I then test fit the mono-filament line in several different size holes, and ended up using a .028" drill for the holes, which is a nice tight fit.  Drilled out all the holes and then inserted mono-filament line into the holes after dipping the end in my wood glue and clipped it off to dry.  

 

 

I used edge-cutters to cut the line very close to the wood, and then finished with a straight razor, being careful not to cut into the wood.  Gave everything a final pass with 220 grit sandpaper, and then cleaned everything and applied the first coat of wipe-on poly.

 

[Rustyj]

You're on your way now Brian. Very nice!

[Nirvana]

1 hour ago, GuntherMT said:

Once the lap joints were secure, I moved on to attaching the 4 other parts of the keel, which are centered on the now finished section.  I followed the instructions and added the bow piece first, then the two stern pieces, and then finished with the long center piece.  This kit is going to completely wreck my desire to do any 'mainstream' wood kits, as every single piece so far has fit perfectly without any adjustment at all.

Gunther,

That's what we are getting for buying kits and parts from Syren Model Ship Company..... pure quality!

[Chuck]

Looks very good....nice save.  I am so happy that everyone has decided to use the version with the lap joints.  I wonder if its even worthwhile to keep including the other version???  Maybe a better idea would be to just include two sets of the lap joint version.   Anyway,  you are doing great.

 

Chuck

[Jim Rogers]

9 hours ago, Chuck said:

Looks very good....nice save.  I am so happy that everyone has decided to use the version with the lap joints.  I wonder if its even worthwhile to keep including the other version???  Maybe a better idea would be to just include two sets of the lap joint version.   Anyway,  you are doing great.

 

Chuck

I’m thinking you are correct with including the two lap joint versions.

[HIPEXEC]

Good to see you back in the saddle!  

[JeffT]

13 hours ago, Chuck said:

Looks very good....nice save.  I am so happy that everyone has decided to use the version with the lap joints.  I wonder if its even worthwhile to keep including the other version???  Maybe a better idea would be to just include two sets of the lap joint version.   Anyway,  you are doing great.

 

Chuck

Good idea. Mess one up, you have a back up.

[GuntherMT]

Le' boat continues, albeit slowly as I've been out of the country a bit, and very busy, and then sick.  Good times.

 

After finishing the keel, the next step is to attach the transom.  There is a lovely laser-cut guide making it very easy to get vertical, but of course it also needs to be at a 90 degree angle to the keel.  I think I got it pretty close.

 

 

After the transom the next step is the frames.  This boat has two types of frames (as everyone knows by this point, but typing up the log as if it's a stand alone thing) single piece and 3 piece.  We start with the single piece frames, which are the frames at the the ends, both the bow and the stern.  Chuck suggests reinforcing these pieces prior to working with them, by placing tape on both sides, and also gluing a small piece of wood in place at the tops, which will later be covered below the cap rail and between planking layers.  I did this, but took no photo's of that process, although it can be seen in the pictures if you squint just right.  The reinforcement is suggested, because these frames are only 1/32" thick, and will need to be faired later before planking.

 

After reinforcement the frames are removed from the parts sheet, and then test fit into the proper slots in the building board.  They are purposely cut just slightly oversized as they need to fit snugly.

 

The process here is simply sand slightly, test fit, sand slightly, test fit.. until they fit snugly, but not so tight that they can't be adjusted.

The same process is then used to make the frame pieces fit snugly into the proper slots in the keel.

 

Once all the pieces are test fit individually, they are then all put into the building board, and test fit together with the keel as a single unit.  Nothing is glued (including the build board which will remain in 2 parts for a while) in these photo's, this is a dry fit.

 

 

Next up I start assembling the 3-piece frames, which will then need to be fit into the building board and keel in the same way.

[Chuck]

Great progress.  All of your joints look clean and crisp.

[Chuck]

Any progress on this longboat.   Your model up to this point is looking fantastic.   Hope you didnt give up on it......

 

Happy New Year by the way.

[GuntherMT]

37 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Any progress on this longboat.   Your model up to this point is looking fantastic.   Hope you didnt give up on it......

 

Happy New Year by the way.

 

It's packed away right now Chuck.  I'm having problems with motivations working on kits for some reason so I will be starting a scratch build project in the next couple of months.  I may use the longboat as something to go back to and work on if I get frustrated on the scratch build, but time will tell.

 

There is certainly nothing wrong with the kit whatsoever, it's just me!

[GuntherMT]

So after posting the above about this model being packed away, I completed most of the immediate preparation for my big scratch build I plan to start, and found myself with a sudden desire to get back into the shop.  It will probably be at least another couple of months before I have everything I want in place to start the scratch build, so I made a few different clamps as prototypes, then for whatever reason since Chuck had posted and brought this back up from the grave after 2 years, I pulled it off the shelf and have continued the build.

 

If I don't finish it before starting the big project, I'll try to keep it out and work on it from time to time.

 

In any case, lets post an update!  I've made a bit of progress as I didn't want to post an update and then immediately shelve it again, so this will be a fair bit of progress plopped into one post.

 

First up, of course I needed to build the 3 piece frames, as none of them had been assembled yet.

 

 

As seen in many other build logs, the assembly of these frames is very straightforward thanks to the design of this kit with the laser guide line.  Cut out the pieces (1 frame at a time), clean off the char from the few areas needed per the instructions, and use a straight edge and the laser cut guide line to locate the floor.  Glue up, clean up any extra glue and clamp to set.

 

 

After this of course you just continue assembling frames and dry fitting them into the build board and keel.  Slight sanding needed for fitment, otherwise no issues at all.

 

I assembled the frames and fit them 3 at a time until they were all complete.

 

 

Continued next post... 

 

 

[GuntherMT]

Next step is the gluing of the frames to the keel.  Per the instructions I started with the aft building board, and dry fit repeatedly until I was comfortable with being able to get it all together in a reasonable period of time with the least amount of fuss.

 

 

It was then left to dry overnight.  After work the following day, I glued up the front frame half of the building board, and left the entire glued up frames to dry.

 

 

The awesome fun part comes after this, fairing the frames.  Over a couple of nights interrupted by an attempted insurrection that kept me glued to live news for far too long, I completed the fairing of the starboard side earlier this evening.  Since I actually did one side completely it seemed like a cool idea to take some pictures that showed the difference between a faired and unfaired side.

 

 

And that's where the longboat currently sits progress wise.  I have plans that will not allow much time on fairing until Sunday, so unlikely that I'll have an update until after that. 

Cheers!

[JpR62]

Very nice work! Glad to see that work has resumed on this longboat.

[GuntherMT]

Not going to put in much text on this update, because nothing here is new or different than what everyone else has shown in these group builds.  I faired the other side of the hull but didn't take any pictures, because it just looks like the side I already did!  Then I use tick strips and the planking fan to transfer marks to the frames, and then I began the lining out process.  I missed the marks on the template on most of my runs, but not too terribly badly, and only had to make minor adjustments on one of the marked frames to get the curve to run smoother.  Finished the back half on one side.

 

Tape being used is pin-stripe tape.  It works, but doesn't stick to the wood very well so easy to have it come loose.

 

Got the last two pictures out of order.  The picture above the one with the template is the final adjusted lines I believe.

Edited January 13, 2021 by GuntherMT

[GuntherMT]

Made a slight bit of visible progress on le' boat.  In my last post I had started lining out the hull for planking.  I finished lining out the hull on both sides, and after this comes the planking.  I only took one more picture of the lining out, as it's pretty much all the same.

 

 

The planking on this kit is different than any kit I've ever done before.  All the planks are pre-spiled, meaning that they are cut to match the shape of the hull already (they aren't just straight boards) and all I need to do is stick them on!  Lol.. not really.  They are pre-shaped, but they are still flat pieces of wood and the hull is all curvy, so it still takes a lot of heating and bending/twisting of the wood before it will fit into place.  I had to do a bit of adjusting at the bottom of the frames where they meet the rabbet, but I expected that.  I did struggle a bit with the curve on the first plank, it kept wanting to pull away from the keel in the center and it took a lot of tweaking and time to get it to where I thought I could hold it in place while gluing.

 

The instructions from Chuck suggest using CA glue (superglue) to rapidly secure the planks, but I hate superglue for the smell and how easy it is to stain wood, and I always make a huge mess when I'm trying to use it, so I'm planning to do 100% of the planking using PVA wood glue, hence I need to hold the planks in place with clamps of some sort unless they lay in place perfectly.  Since I failed at perfection, I clamped.

 

Garboard plank on the starboard side goes in first, stern piece and then the bow piece.

 

 

Then I repeat the process on the port side, which went a bit faster.

 

 

At this point I decided that protecting the nice keel from my stupid clumsy hands was probably a good idea, so I used painters tape to mask it off.

 

 

The planks on these longboats were secured using copper nails.  For this model this is simulated by using 10# black poly fishing line and inserting it into holes drilled with a #77 drill.  In the instructions this is done much later after the planking is complete, but I decided to follow the lead of several others who have built this model (I thank them for their build logs!) and drill and place the nails as I go, while it's easier to see the frames and hopefully not miss them with the hole.  

 

I decided to just use a hand held pin-vise to hold the drill as the wood is fairly soft and using the Dremel would probably lead to disaster.

 

The poly is dipped into white PVA glue so that it can be cleaned up easily later, and then stuck into the holes and trimmed short with a nipper.  After it's dried the lines will be cut off flush with a flush cutter and then sanded smooth.  I'll probably do the final sanding smooth after all the planks are on.  Currently only the one side has the nails, will complete the other side today before moving to the next planking strake.

 

[Chuck]

beautifully done...

[GuntherMT]

Well, I got planks 1-4 complete on one side, 1-3 on the other side, and then screwed up plank 4.  After trying to figure out how to salvage it, I eventually gave up and ripped it off, cleaned up the mess, and this weekend I'll cut out a new one and try again!

[Diver]

Excellent work.  I think I have about 12 recut planks, but that was do more to breakage and inexperience than anything else.

[GuntherMT]

3rd try's the charm I suppose, I screwed up my first replacement plank but the 3rd plank was.. good enough.  I still don't care for the way it lays in the bow, but short of completely tearing the thing apart and starting over, it's gonna have to be good enough as the issue is in the frame itself somehow, but I'm not really sure what's wrong.  It's slightly different from side to side.  Oh well... forward!

 

[GuntherMT]

Slowly making progress on the little boat.  Last update had 2 strakes (rows of planking) done on each side, so I just continued from there, adding a plank or two and then drilling a bunch of little holes and putting the nails in.  My hand kept cramping up on the pin-vise so I finally gave into the dark-side and started using the Dremel with flex cable attachment at some point (don't remember exactly where) to drill the holes and I've only screwed up a couple times.  Luckily a tiny little number 77 drill bit hole is super easy to fix, cut a little sliver of wood and dip into white glue and insert into the hole, cut off and sand across the hole while the glue is still wet.  Completely disappears.

 

3rd strake going on both sides.

 

 

 

On to the 4th strake.  The stern was kind of annoying and tricky as the plank has to curve in as it approaches the stern and then right at the end it bends back out, also twisting in and then twisting back out, and to complicate it a bit more, the entire plank has to have a bow to it to fit the curve of the stem.  I mostly just brute forced it and used CA glue which I normally avoid like the plague in order to get it to stay in place with the curve.

 

 

The last 2 pictures show how much 10lb line from the kit I have left after the 4th strake on only one side was completed.  Hmm, gonna run out me thinks!

Oh well, on to the other side.

 

 

And here was where I ran out of the kit 10lb line.  

 

 

Luckily I had ordered some more to have in stock and in case I messed up too much somewhere, as well as to use on future models, but then I thought maybe I should measure the line and make sure it was the same.  Kit 10lb monofilament line - 0.0120.  My 10lb monofilament line 0.0105.  Oh well, hopefully the eyeball can't see the difference when used like this. Onward to find out!

 

 

My eyeballs can't tell where the different lines are, so I'm gonna go with 'good enough'.  I could probably refer to the pictures of where I ran out and maybe see it, but if I have to do that, then it's not enough difference visually to worry about.

 

There are some spots at both the bow and stern that I'm not completely happy with, but I will see how things look after the planking is complete and I can do some work with sandpaper.  Hopefully my cludgy work in those area's can be at least somewhat fixed with sandpaper.

 

 

[JeffT]

Looks great!

[Ryland Craze]

The hull is looking really good.  Thanks for the tip on repairing misplaced drill holes.  I had this happen on my build and filled the holes with sawdust.  Placing a sliver of wood in the hole sounds like a much better fix.

[GuntherMT]

39 minutes ago, Ryland Craze said:

The hull is looking really good.  Thanks for the tip on repairing misplaced drill holes.  I had this happen on my build and filled the holes with sawdust.  Placing a sliver of wood in the hole sounds like a much better fix.

 

Don't know how much better it is, I suppose as long as you can't tell it was done, the method doesn't really matter!

[BobG]

I'm glad to see that you decided to continue with this build. It's looking great!

 

Completing this model has been the highlight of my ship modeling so far. It such a beautiful model and it was a pleasure to build.