21 ft Yawl Longboat for a Sixth Rate by vaddoc - FINISHED - Scale 1:10 - Plans from the National Maritime Museum

[vaddoc]

Some progress and at last, a couple of nice photos to post!

 

I finished the pieces for the deck screwed things together, replaced with wooden nails, add reinforcing pieces underneath, glued everything together and sanded to 400 grit.

Then I had to decide whether to have black or light caulking. Admiral said black, so black it is! I masked the pieces, mixed black acrylic paint with Osmo filler and splashed it on.

Then removed tape and sanded everything smooth. The filler becomes light grey but with Tung oil will go ack to black.

Then I secured the grating with epoxy thickened with gypsum.

I also made a leg to support the deck using a drill sanding  against the disc sander - very fast results.

It does not look too bad! When I have time I ll glue everything together and move on

Regards

Vaddoc

[Bedford]

beautiful work, as usual!

[vaddoc]

Dear friends

 

Time for another post, some progress but also some unfortunate findings. Lets start.

 

So, there is an urgent need for the boat to have some structural support but it needs to be built from the bottom up. So, the floor needs to be installed.

 

I had previously cut the floor supports but I found some were off and needed adjustments or replacement. Finally they were epoxied in place and coated with Tung oil - for no reason at all really!

 

However, It was then that I noticed a rather big issue. The planks have pulled away from the ribs, the glue in the tree nails failed - but also the pressure from the planks must have been pretty substantial.

 

I do not think this can be fixed without disassembling the boat and in the end of the day, it does not bother me much. So on we go.

 

Next, I did some work at the gunwales and attached the stringer and the breast hook.

So far everything is screwed, later on will be replaced with tree nails.

 

Next, it was time for the false stem to be installed. Again I had to make adjustments but I got a good fit. I used thickened epoxy and it came out pretty good. Especially the joint with the planking, which in the past had caused me headache, came out also fine.

Ok, so far so good. Next it was the floor boards. This took a bit of work and some head scratching but actually came out better than I hoped. I am not sure if it is historically accurate but we do need a floor to walk on - so here it is.

And with some Tung oil on

All the screws need to be replaced with tree nails, so time to make a few hundred. I will be using the last of the cherry wood I saved from the fire wood pile 10 years ago.

Cutting one more slice was difficult, this wood is very hard

 

This wood is very dry and needs to get some moisture before we can drill the nails out. The slices are now submerged in water.

 

Till next time

 

Vaddoc

[BobG]

She's really looking good, vaddoc!

[Bedford]

Shame about the planks but as you suggested, it's not a real concern,

 

The rest of what you've been up to is beautiful, and I love a good pic of the symmetry of frames. 

[allanyed]

Your model is extremely well done and it does bring up a question.  There are scantlings for the size of the floors and futtocks of many types of boats, but I have yet to find the space between frames provided anywhere except for about 1705.  From W.E. Mays book page 54, for a 21 foot to 24 foot yawl, the distance between frames was typically 11" (1.1" at 1:10 scale)   The range for various boats that he gives in this time period is 10.5 inches to 12 inches, so I have used these for later periods, not having having better information.   I would love to find these dimensions based on contemporary information for later period boats. 

Allan

Edited May 5, 2023 by allanyed

[vaddoc]

Many thanks to all for your likes and comments.

@allanyed Allan, I simply can't remember how I set the distance between ribs. It my have been based on some data I had dug out or I may have just eyeballed it. But these boats had probably a hard life so they would have had ribs more closely spaced. But I do agree with you, it is easier to find accurate info for the pots in Victory's kitchen than construction info and plans for ships' boats.

[vaddoc]

Ok, a quick update.

 

At this time, I have no idea how to built the rest of the boat. Unfortunately it will not be historically accurate but at least I ll have fun building it!

Now, today I sat to make a few thousand tree nails, I have to replace lots of screws and I ll need more as we go.

It actually went very well, a short video follows showing how fast they can be made with the needle method. This tree nails are about 0.7-0.8 mm, maybe about 1 cm long. This wood is cherry - very hard.

 

 

There must be about 1500 - 2000 nails there

When the sleeves for my drum sander arrive, I ll sand the back and release the nails. But I will sit tomorrow and make more, my set up is working well and I should take advantage of it.

 

Vaddoc

[Bedford]

That's dedication!

[vaddoc]

All done! I actually find making tree nails very therapeutic, calms (or numbs) the mind down.

No excuse now, back to the boat, although I feel like walking in the dark - not sure at all how these things were made. 

 

A final picture with the 4000+ nails - about 0.7 mm, very hard wood. If you ever go down this road, if you get a set up that works well just make as many as you can,

[FriedClams]

17 hours ago, vaddoc said:

A final picture with the 4000+ nails - about 0.7 mm, very hard wood

 

Dang, nice work!

 

Gary

[vaddoc]

Dear friends

 

One knows it's been a very long time since his last post, when he needs to search for his log! But here I am, so time for an update and a few photos as there is definitely progress made.

 

Allow me to shout a word of caution: DO NOT USE BEECH FOR PLANKING! I did read on wood database that it has a lot of movement in service, but the reality is just ridiculous. Any more movement and the wood would grow feet and run out of the shipyard.

 

First of all the planks shrunk. Initially there was no gap at all as I took pains to make them perfect. Then huge gaps appeared. I filled these in and then the planks shrunk more, with gaps opening once again. Then the boat kept changing shape, sometimes the two sides wanted to come together but others wanted to get away from each other.

 

The biggest problem was that some planks pulled out of the ribs, as shown in the photo bellow.

I had no idea how to fix it but in the end, the boat just changed shape again and the gaps closed. Magic!

 

So, next I finished the floor boards and also the small deck aft. 

I replaced all the screws with treenails and then, it was time for the thwarts. I used the original drawings which kind of hint where the thwarts should go. The benches aft however took an awful lot of head scratching to understand how they could be arranged, without massive wood work. I used the internet and some common sense and I think I came up with a reasonable solution.

 

I then made the legs, they came out alright I think.

Then, I made the knees to hold the thwarts. This took a long time as each knee has each individual shape and then had to be drilled, sanded and get a coat of Tung oil.

Then all were assembled, using 30 min Zpoxy which I am certain was the way it was done back in 1750.

Now the boat is structurally solid and complete. Now however it is time to think about painting the hull.

 

It really needs to be painted but with this cracks between the planks, it is not going to work. So they had to be filled.

 

I used again Osmo filler which I really like. This is how the hull looked afterwards.

 

The sanding that followed will be sang by bards for centuries. I went down to 320 grid, I really wanted 400 but I run out of sand paper.

Now, I am sure the cracks will reopen but this is the best I can do! Now, this is a hull that absolutely must be sealed. I never liked shellac and I ve been using for years a water based sealer (Decoart Americana). A coat went on, then sanded to 320 grid. Again, I really wanted 400 but I could not find even a small piece in the shipyard. Then another coat went on, sanded to 600 grid (I found a sheet somewhere)

The hull is as good as it will ever be. When I find time I ll put a coat of primer and paint the hull - Ivory and Prussian blue I think.

 

A last photo, till next time

 

Vaddoc

[iMustBeCrazy]

You've done such a lovely job, it's a real pity about the beech. I think you need to seal the inside to help stabilise the wood though.

 

[vaddoc]

28 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

You've done such a lovely job, it's a real pity about the beech. I think you need to seal the inside to help stabilise the wood though.

 

Thanks Craig

You are right but I should have done this earlier, when the interior was empty. I think now is a bit too late!

[iMustBeCrazy]

24 minutes ago, vaddoc said:

I think now is a bit too late!

Not really, on my launch I used shellac and a cheap (stiffish) artists paintbrush. One coat and only enough brushwork to make sure I didn't miss anywhere and that it wasn't too thick (no pooling). Really quick and it looks like bare wood. See posts 65 & 66.

[Bedford]

It had to be incredibly frustrating having gone to great lengths to get the planking so good only to see it open up. It looks brilliant now but I'd be inclined to get that paint on as a matter of urgency to seal it before the moisture level changes again.

[vaddoc]

Dear all

 

A lot of work done, time for an update!

 

On 9/17/2023 at 8:48 PM, iMustBeCrazy said:

I think you need to seal the inside to help stabilise the wood though.

Done Craig! Not with Shellac which I dislike but with a water based sealer. Went well and should help

 

On 9/17/2023 at 11:40 PM, Bedford said:

I'd be inclined to get that paint on as a matter of urgency

Done!

 

Yes, the hull is now painted. It sent reasonably well but I have to admit it has been my worst paint job. Poor surface preparation, hasty and a bit sloppy paintjob, near disaster varnishing. So here it goes:

 

I used grey primer which is supposed to be permanent when dry. Well it is not. I tried to clean the surface with Isopropyl alcohol and immediately started lifting it. Still, no harm done.

 

Then I masked and taped off the hull using frog tape. I actually forgot I had a large supply of various Tamiya tapes - stupid me. In any case, again no harm done - a bit of bleeding which was covered with the next layer.

Acrylic paint is pretty horrible. It took 20 coats of ivory to cover the grey primer and still did not completely do it. However, being water based means I can work in house which is a huge advantage. I always swear I ll use enamels next time and always seem to end up using acrylics. 

No brush marks, Valejo paints are wonderful but surface underneath far from perfect

Acrylic paint is also so easy to scratch, needs a varnish. Again, paint is supposed to dry permanent but trying to clean with IPO started melting the paint. Still, no major harm done.

I used the Valejo polyurethane varnish that previously gave me good results. Not this time! In all honesty though, this varnish is now 6 years old. In any case, it did not brush well although left no brush marks, took ages to dry, and did not seem to have adhered well to the paint as it started lifting in an area I rubbed to remove a drop of PVA glue. I managed to fix this by brushing a bit more varnish but overall, I know this top coat is a bit rubish.

Then, I added the two strips of wood - sanded and coated with Tung oil.

 

Not long now! Still have to make oars though

 

Best wishes

Vaddoc

[iMustBeCrazy]

Looks great! I really like the colour choices.

 

1 hour ago, vaddoc said:

but surface underneath far from perfect

I think you and I suffer from the same issue, the desire to make a wooden hull hewn with hand tools look like fibreglass popped from a mould.

 

1 hour ago, vaddoc said:

Still have to make oars though

At least it's single banked, only six to make.

 

[Wintergreen]

Trials and tribulations! 

But the end result looks very good. Your perseverance paid off Vaddoc.

 

I am also glad to see that there is some kind of time study official in the vicinity to keep an eye on you 😉 😄 

 

Keep it up!

[allanyed]

She is a beautiful model! Your planking was done so well that I am sad to see paint covering your great work.   

Allan

[vaddoc]

Dear all

 

I had a bit of annual leave so I worked a lot on the boat and I have a few more pics to share.

 

@allanyed Unfortunately Allan, my poor choice of wood means painting the hull is necessary!

 

Ok, so I made the gunwales which went smoother than I expected. Secured with many screws, later changed to wooden nails. I also installed the two knees at the transom.

So next is the rudder. It will be a basic one based on the dimensions given in May's book and pictures I found on the net. The rudder is now receiving the very many coats of paint needed due to the acrylics' poor coverage. 

So while this is cooking, on to the oars it is. 

 

I sat in the computer and made a template. I wanted to use a lighter colour wood like boxwood but I only have maple which is very light colour but also a wonderful wood for modelling. I experimented with a bit of dyes and oils but did not like the outcome. So these oars will be painted.

 

So first glue the template onto wood. I switched from Pritt to 3M stick glue - difference is day and night, so much better. Then I cut the templates.

Then I laminated them with PVA glue and many many clamps.

The end result

Then lots of brutal sanding with not so miniature tools.

I think it went ok! 4 more to go.

Till next time

 

Vaddoc

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

1 hour ago, vaddoc said:

on to the oars it is

They look way too short to me, you didn't make them half scale did you?

[vaddoc]

9 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

They look way too short to me, you didn't make them half scale did you?

(sigh) Craig, you are of course right. I checked May's book and it does give oar lengths. For a 21 foot boat, oars would be 13 feet length or 396 mm in the model, my oars are 255 mm long. Alright then, back to the drawing board it is! Thankfully, I have plenty of maple.

 

Vaddoc

[iMustBeCrazy]

2 minutes ago, vaddoc said:

For a 21 foot boat, oars would be 13 feet length

Won't work, my best guess is about 16 feet. 13 might be ok for a double banked.

 

 

[vaddoc]

4 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

is about 16 feet

I am not ever playing poker with you Craig! You keep raising on me!

16 feet would be 49 cm. 

If you guys could turn a blind eye, we could go for 40 cm that is technically much more feasible and still give the visual impression of a log oar.😉

[iMustBeCrazy]

20 minutes ago, vaddoc said:

If you guys could turn a blind eye, we could go for 40 cm that is technically much more feasible and still give the visual impression of a log oar.

Well, they might reach the water when fully loaded Hmm, I thought I did a similar cheat on my 16ft cutter but now I'm not sure. I think I dislike oars.

[vaddoc]

Ok, time to put the oar issue right.

 

I lengthened the oars and they do look more proportionate. The following photo shows the three different stages in the oar construction - it is truly a lengthy process. 

I have not found a way to stain the oars so I think I ll just paint them white. I would much prefer though a dark yellowish shade.

 

Vaddoc

[allanyed]

Your build is exemplary!   

I do wonder about two things.  I cannot find any contemporary drawings or models that have gratings or double knees on the thwarts.  The thwarts were usually set up with several fixed with a knee on each end and others that were loose with no knees so the could be removed to have room for stowage of various items.  Do you, or anyone following your build, know of contemporary models or plans that show gratings and all thwarts fixed with single or double knees.  I am fooling around with a long boat model right now and these items are of specific interest.

Thank you very much.

Allan

[Wintergreen]

Looks good Vaddoc! 

Colouring is a challenge, to say the least. White is good choice, never really wrong (and maybe not right every time either).

 

@allanyed I don't know if that detail shows on Chapmans Architectura Navalis, but there is a plate with ships boats in there.

 

Keep it up!

[allanyed]

Thanks Hakan, I appreciate your response very much.

My concern is if Swedish designs apply to other nations, specifically English and Spanish vessels.  Can you post a photo of a boat drawing in the book showing the double knees and the grating?  I have looked at dozens of contemporary plans,  models and contracts from RMG, Preble Hall, the National Archives at Kew and various books but I cannot find even one that shows a pair of single knees on every thwart let alone double knees on every thwart, nor do any show or mention gratings.  I do not doubt these may have been used, but it would be great to see a contemporary source such as Chapman showing these.  

Many thanks for your help!

Allan