Medway Longboat 1742 by simon porter - 1:24 Scale

[simon porter]

Hi there. I've been following  Chucks build log with much interest and decided that it was time for me to jump in at the deep end and have a go myself. I have limited experience having only built the Sergal Presidant kit and then Victory Models HMS Fly, so be gentle with me. Looking forward to purchasing the kit and getting started. 

[Chuck]

Welcome aboard Simon......It will be great to see your progress on the longboat.  I am sure you will find it a very enjoyable experience to be part of the group...

[Tim Murphy]

If you could build these two beauties than this build should be a joy for you! (No Rigging)

 Tim

[simon porter]

Looking forward to it Tim once I get the kit. Different kit, different challenges. ☺️

[simon porter]

Started at long last. the workshop has had a clean up and I've made a start. I had a go at doing the Lap joint on the keel. I don't think it came out too bad, but I've got the other one standing by just in case.

[Chuck]

Looks pretty good to me Simon....

[simon porter]

Can anyone tell me if i can buy Minwax wipe on poly in the UK, and if so, where , in what quantities, and for how much.

If not, what would you suggest as an alternative.  

[tkay11]

You can always make your own. There are lots of sites giving advice about this. My own mix is one third each of linseed oil, white spirit and polyurethane varnish.

 

Tony

[simon porter]

Thanks for the tip. I might give that a go.

[simon porter]

Just a quick update. I finished making the more complicated of the two Keels and ended up with a couple of small issues. I was really pleased with the joints but was a little over enthusiastic with my sanding and ended up thinning down the keel at the rear. Also, I wasn't satisfied with the depth of the rabbet at the back of the keel and tried to scrape it a little deeper and made a mess of it. Never mind. Lessons learned and spare keel well underway.

I took the time to build the frames while waiting for glue and wipe on poly to dry. Made a better job of those.  

[simon porter]

Sorry for the lack of posts. Been rather busy.

Anyway, Keel now attached to frame. Sanding and fairing done and lining out done to mark the 3 frames for and aft.

Edited February 7, 2019 by simon porter

[simon porter]

[simon porter]

Now for the first plank.  😱

 

Managed to bend the plank to shape with the boss's hair drier with good results, but decided to use a couple of clamps to keep it in place while the glue dries. used a toothpick as an improvised clamp to put upward pressure on the plank against the keel at the very aft end.

[Rustyj]

1 hour ago, simon porter said:

used a toothpick as an improvised clamp to put upward pressure on the plank against the keel at the very aft end.

 

Off to a good start. I love to see what we use for to clamp and hold planks in place. Very creative!

[simon porter]

Thanks Rusty. Just used what I had to hand.

[Chuck]

Simon...i know you are very far along with this if almost finished.  Got any pictures for the group?

[simon porter]

Hi guys.

Been a long time since i posted anything . Had a few issues with my laptop, but got a new one now, so all sorted. The model is all but finished as regards the boat itself but i am waiting for the go ahead to purchace the masting and rigging set and a serving machine from Chuck just as soon as he is able to despatch overseas again.

I'll post all the photos that i took and then answer any questions that you guys may have.

The only problems that I had while making the kit was during the planking of the hull. Because it was my first time of doing a single planked hull i found it a little difficult bending the planks to shape using Chuck's method of using heat to bend the planks. I found it easier later on to soak the planks for a couple of hours, bend and clamp them in place and then glue them up once dry. I didn't think of doing this until half way down the hull. Because of these dificulties at the begining some of the planks didn't quite line up and when i came to the sanding stage some planks were paper thin after sanding and in a couple of places even went through particularly near the bows. Oh well, never mind, lessons learned. 

Also, i had trouble cleaning up wet glue on the inside of the hull as i went along as the full frames were in the way and it was very difficult to clean up once dry and the frame filling pieces were removed. Did anyone else have these problems or was it just my inexperience.

Apart from that, everything else went well and i had great fun building the kit. 

choose files... Click to choose files  

[Ryland Craze]

Excellent build.  Are you planning to mast and rig this model?

[simon porter]

Yes Ryland, just as soon as Chuck begins his overseas postage again.

[Justin P.]

Looks great.   What is the ship in the background?

[Chuck]

Simon that looks great.  So happy to see pictures of your progress.   

 

Chuck

[Nunnehi (Don)]

Simon, your model is beautifully done - thanks for sharing!

 

Don

[BobG]

You've done a great job on this beautiful boat, Simon. 

 

13 hours ago, simon porter said:

Because of these dificulties at the begining some of the planks didn't quite line up and when i came to the sanding stage some planks were paper thin after sanding and in a couple of places even went through particularly near the bows

I had the same problem in a couple of places and I ended up with a small hole near the bow too. I've read some other logs where this happened also. It seems, that for whatever reason, the most potentially troublesome spot is a couple of frames aft of the bow. I was able to cut out a small patch and glue it in place and it is only noticeable if you were to pick up the boat and examine it closely. I felt awful about it at first but, now that the boat is finished and on display, I don't even notice it and no one else does either.

 

13 hours ago, simon porter said:

Also, i had trouble cleaning up wet glue on the inside of the hull as i went along as the full frames were in the way and it was very difficult to clean up once dry and the frame filling pieces were removed. Did anyone else have these problems or was it just my inexperience.

I used CA to glue to do the planking and only placed a small spot of it on each frame as I went along laying down the plank. I didn't use any glue on the plank edges and this generally prevented any glue stains on the interior. I lightly sanded a few glue stains in the interior and, after I coated the interior with Satin Wipe-on-Poly, they aren't noticeable. Once you have have all the lines and rope coils etc in the boat, they will be less noticeable also. 

 

There were some places where a plank would be a bit loose and higher between two frames than the plank above it. If I could take my finger and push in on the plank and make it lay more flush, then I would take a tiny amount of CA and place it on the edge of the plank with a scalpel where it was protruding and then push it in flush with the planks around it. This often took care of the problem so that I didn't end up sanding the planking too thin in that area.

 

13 hours ago, simon porter said:

The model is all but finished as regards the boat itself but i am waiting for the go ahead to purchace the masting and rigging set and a serving machine from Chuck just as soon as he is able to despatch overseas again.

I had never done any rigging before and was apprehensive about doing it. I was sure that I would make a mess of it. However, it ended up being my favorite part of the build. I loved how it made the boat come alive as more lines and metal work were added to the boat. 

 

Good luck. I look forward to following your progress.

 

Cheers!

[simon porter]

On 6/19/2020 at 5:30 PM, Justin P. said:

Looks great.   What is the ship in the background?

Hi Justin.

The ship in the background that you can see was my first ever build. It was a Sergal kit of HMS Presedent 

[simon porter]

Thanks for all your replys guys. food for thought when I do another model.

[simon porter]

Has anyone who purchased the stand tried filling in the letters with black paint and then sanding the surface to make good any over painting? 

[simon porter]

I thought it was about time that i updated my build log.

First of all, a couple of photos of where i was up to. 

[Chuck]

Beautiful work Simon.  😀

[simon porter]

I used my mini plane to make the square stock octagonal befor rounding off and shaping on my Unimat lathe.

[simon porter]

I wasn't happy working with the black wire supplied in the kit, (personal preference, and nothing to do with the quality supplied).

What i wanted to do was use brass wire and some baught eyebolts so that i could shape and solder my own parts and then blacken them with Carrs blackening for brass, Here are the results.