Le Renard by Gaffrig - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - Scale 1:50

[Gaffrig]

Hello all!

 

Been away at a holiday for a week, but now I'm back at it!

 

Tompslattery, Thank you. Yes the brass parts look nice. The gun sleds are just two lasercut plywood parts glued on top of each other.

I was looking through your buildlog and it looks like you have an older version of the kit.

Great work on it, your model is coming along nicely! 👍

 

Rick01, Thanks for the tip. I did use a drill to line up the holes. I used a brass wire for the bars instead of the steel supplied. I left this untreated. But the trick with heating is a good one!

I've decided to leave the transom and the "bench" in the stern off until I fit the caprails, rubrails and rudder. I think this approach will be easier than following the sequence in the instructions.

 

After sanding the hull, I prepared to fit the keel, stem and sternpost.

 

This meant cutting a groove in the bow and opening up between the garboard planks to make the pieces fit in.

 

First the keel..

 

And then the stem. I used a razor saw and a scalpel with a new blade to do this. I found it a little tricky to get it straight and nice but it ended up ok.

I think it would have been easier to fit the stem and keel before planking, and make a rabbet to fit the planks in.

 

With the keel, stem and sternpost dryfitted I glued it all in place.

 

So, when the glue dries, more sanding, some filler and more sanding! 🙂

 

I've also made some progress on the dinghy, finishing the hull planking. My little changes to the sheer and transom made it so the lasercut keel/stem piece didn't fit.

So I made a new one out of some scrapwood I had lying around.

 

And after some shaping...

 

A bit more sanding and some paint, I think it will look good!

 

That's it for now!

 

Gaffrig.

 

 

 

 

[barkeater]

Looking good. Very inventive on your clamping.

[Gaffrig]

Thank you!

 

I had to think a little about how to do the clamping.

It worked great with rubberbands.

 

Gaffrig.

[ccoyle]

The hull looks very smooth and neat!

[Gaffrig]

Thank you!

 

I was a little worried during the planking, but it sanded out pretty good.

 

Gaffrig.

[Gaffrig]

Hi all!

 

Just a small update today..

 

With the keel, stem and sternpost mounted, I planked the transom with the same 0.5x4mm materials that I used on the deck.

I used the gorilla wood glue for this.

 

After cutting of the excess material and some sanding...

 

Starting to look more and more like a boat!

 

Also got some primer on the dinghy.

 

Those brushstrokes really show up in the pictures!

I guess some sanding is in order before painting!

 

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and reading my log.

Also for taking the time to comment and like! It is really appreciated!

 

Gaffrig.

 

[Rick01]

Deck layout I'm using. A number of items have been omitted as they appear to be requirements on the replica. Items at the bow not yet installed as a couple of 4lb cannon need to be built and space needs to be checked.

 

 

[Gaffrig]

Wow!

 

That looks great!

Yes, it appears that the two benches fore and aft of the main hatch are lifebelt boxes on the replica.

there is also what seems to be ventilation «ducts» on either side of the main and fore companionways.

I think these can be omitted for the better. 

 

Gaffrig.

[Gaffrig]

The build continues...

 

Next step is the inside of the bulwarks. Another strip of plywood goes on the inside of the first one.

I really like the new keel clamper!

 

Before glueing this in place, I need to mark and cut out the gunports.

I dryfitted the inner bulwarks with clamps, and marked the gunports with a pencil and cut them out with a scalpel.

 

 

I made the cuts a little small, to have some material for adjusting after glueing.

 

Then some yellow paint, and they are ready to be mounted.

 

I glued them on, one side at a time. Not enough clamps to do both sides at once!

 

I also made some more progress on the dinghy. Got the primer sanded and some white paint on it.

 

It's coming together, next up will be the sheerstrake and then time to cut it loose from the jig. It will be fun to see how it will look inside!

 

Thank's for the comments and likes!

 

Gaffrig.

[Rick01]

Have you offered up the carronades to see that they all clear the ports? I found that I'd slipped the gunwales down a fraction and the barrels of the central two guns fouled the ports and needed the slide base sanded down a little to allow them to fit neatly. 

 

Rick

[Tompslattery]

looking nice

[Gaffrig]

Hello to all!

 

Rick01, Thanks for the tip. It seems I have done the same as you, and a couple of the carronades need a little adjusting before mounting..

 

Tompslattery, Thank you!

 

After mounting the inner bulwarks, they stiffened up quite nice, and I'm no longer as nervous for breaking them when handling the model.

I have now sanded and filled and sanded and filled to get the hull as smooth and true as possible.

 

So, I gave the hull a coat of primer, to see the places I need to fill and sand some more...

 

Still some to do, but I'm sure I'll get there soon!

 

The dinghy has got it's sheerstrakes and a little varnish. Soon to be released from the jig.

I decided to use mahogany for the sheerstrakes too.

 

That's it for now.

 

Gaffrig.

 

 

[Rick01]

When you come to fitting the gun tackle you may want to try smaller blocks than those provided. I've used 3 mm and also added the restraining rope to the carronade itself. Still not as good as I'd like but I just can't handle 2 mm blocks!

 

 

I've also dug up a pair of 6lb cannon left over from another build and will add these at the prow. I haven't completed the tackle yet as I'm waiting on a mail order - we're in complete lockdown so it's mail or nothing at the moment.

 

 

Rick

[Tompslattery]

On 7/8/2020 at 1:05 PM, Rick01 said:

When you come to fitting the gun tackle you may want to try smaller blocks than those provided. I've used 3 mm and also added the restraining rope to the carronade itself. Still not as good as I'd like but I just can't handle 2 mm blocks!

 

 

I've also dug up a pair of 6lb cannon left over from another build and will add these at the prow. I haven't completed the tackle yet as I'm waiting on a mail order - we're in complete lockdown so it's mail or nothing at the moment.

 

 

Rick

Thanks my instructions didn’t really supply any details see attached.  I’ve had an attempt to make sleds but I not happy with them

[Gaffrig]

Hello all!

 

Rick01, the carronades look great. I tried making up a tackle but as you say, the supplied blocks are a little to big. It doesn't look very good in the instructions either.

3mm blocks is ordered!

The extra cannon, is that something you add just because you want to? or is there some source you found that says it should be there?

 

Tompslattery, in my kit there was two lasercut pieces glued on top of eachother to make up the gun sled. Then a small PE brass bracket to hold the gun barrel.

It seems your kit is an older version.

 

The hull is getting ready for some paint shortly.

A little more filler and sanding has been done.

 

Marking the waterline..

 

Masked and ready for paint below the waterline.

 

The dinghy has been removed from the jig, and is ready to be finished inside.

 

And after sanding of the frametops..

 

I'm happy with the way the sheer of the boat turned out. It was very straight as the jig was before modification.

 

 

That's it for now.

 

Gaffrig.

[Rick01]

9 hours ago, Gaffrig said:

The extra cannon, is that something you add just because you want to? or is there some source you found that says it should be there?

There's not a lot out there that I can find, however both these secondary sources state that the cutter is pierced for 14 guns. 10 carronades (as supplied) plus 4 4lb guns see https://www.modelboats.co.uk/news/article/le-renard/602 and http://renard.dechorgnat.com/artillerie.html (Google will translate this page). I only had a couple of correct size cannon spares so the captain must have a couple of them stowed below for some reason 😉.

Catheads - really bad design, way too thin and poorly set up for the lifting rope. I've doubled the thickness and drilled the top with four holes to represent pulley wheels as per this illustration.

 

 

Next is the binnacle which I've fitted further from the companionway so that the doors on the companionway can actually open! 

 

 

 

I've chosen to treat the upper sections as if they were glassed in - I can't see why they would be cupboard type if the helmsman needed to see a compass. I may also add tie downs to the binnacle as it's my understanding that this would be stowed below in battle (fewer splinters to fly around). I'm also not happy with the length of the bars on th deck to steady the helmsman's feet - they look disproportionately long to me.

My 3mm blocks arrived today so next job it to sand the edges down to give a rounded appearance then construct hooks and add rope - eyestrain here I come!

 

Rick

 

[Rick01]

I'm working on the prow and have attached the belaying pin rail but had to add a brace each end as there was insufficient room on the capping rail to attach according to the plans.

 

 

Note also the reinforcing bar is running prow to stern not port to starboard. Just about every ship of this size I've seen has had the mainstay braced by lines through a block or heart down to 3 or 5 holes in the prow not to a single pin. Tip here use a heavy black cartridge paper soaked in PVA glue easier to work and looks just like a metal reinforcing strip. Given the pressures involved I prefer to use this system. I've also started on the blocks for the carronade tackle, look a little rough close-up but when finished they should be reasonable.

 

Rick

[Gaffrig]

Hello to all.

 

Rick01, thanks for the links, lots of good information there.

Great modifications to the catheads's. The illustration you have shows how they should look. Regarding the binnacle, I agree with you regarding the glass, but it could be that the replica has removable lids to hide modern navigation electronics. They probably have a magnetic compass too somewhere though.

About the caprails, I did a dryfit, and they barely cover the thickness of the bulwarks, so I think I'll glue on a strip on either side to make it a little wider and to hide the plywood edge. This will hopefully give the little ledge needed to fit the forward pinrail. Thanks for all the tips! My 3mm blocks for the gun rigging arrived yesterday, so that's something to start soon!

Your model looks great, keep up the good work! 👍

 

As to my build, it has not been done as much lately as I had hoped. I decided it was time to take some action regarding my shipyard status...

I have been home alone this past week, and me and the cats agreed that a new building table was in order. 😎

 

My previous shipyard, a total mess floating out on the floor due to lack of tablespace..

Some drastic measures are needed!

 

So I took a trip to the local lumberyard and got some woodfibre board (don't know the correct english word for this) and some wood for framing and legs and got to work.

 

Decided to make some shelves..

 

And a couple of coats of paint.. Used regular floorpaint for this.

 

Added some decent lighting and all the "stuff"

 

Must say I'm very pleased with the result. Made a dedicated space for hanging drawings. Still need to make a few more shelves and a better support for the big shelf over the windows, but I ran out of materials.

 

Some work has been done on Le Renard too, I've painted the bottom and started painting the topsides, but no pictures of this as this has been done in between building the new "shipyard"!

 

All the best,

Thanks for all the comments and likes!

 

Gaffrig.

 

[Rick01]

... and how long before all the surfaces are covered again! 😉 I never seem able to keep my work area tidy for more than five minutes.

 

 

Rick

[Gaffrig]

I’ll tell you, I’m well on my way to clutter it up! 😆

[Gaffrig]

Hello all!

 

Getting settled on my new workbench, the work continues on Le Renard.

I have cleaned up the gun ports using a square file, and I have finished painting above and below the waterline. I have used acrylic paint for this.

The skylights/deckhouses are getting close to finished also.

 

I have also shaped the rudder and drilled the hole to fit through.

I want to finish the rudder, caprail and rubrails before glueing on the transom.

This is a different order of things than the instructions call for, but I think it will be easier.

 

That's todays update. More to come..

Must say I really enjoy having more space to work on.

 

Gaffrig

[Rick01]

2 hours ago, Gaffrig said:

I want to finish the rudder, caprail and rubrails before glueing on the transom.

This is a different order of things than the instructions call for, but I think it will be easier.

Much better idea - I've a nasty little problem where my cap rail doesn't sit neatly with the transom as the latter was fitted first and ended up positioned a fraction low. 👿

 

Rick

 

[Gaffrig]

Rick01,

That’s something I am afraid might happen. Also getting the correct length on the rubrails to fit between the stem and transom.

I think it will be easier to fit all the rubrails and the caprails, and then cut them of and sand to make the transom fit snugly against them all.

 

Gaffrig.

[Rick01]

Remember that the davits holding the boat will hide some "mis-fitting" of the cap rail. However as with the catheads these will need to be doubled in thickness. Currently the kit asks you to believe that the ship's boat is held safely by a couple of 2 metre lengths of timber 10 cm sq. 

Here's my version.

 

... and here's an illustration of a more realistic method of rigging the lifts. Similar to the catheads rigging.

 

I've been looking at the various photos of the replica and it seems that the arms should also be shorter as the boat when hoist appears very close to the transom - still thinking about that item.

 

Rick

[Rick01]

Whilst I'm re-writing the instructions I've made an executive decision and gone down a different route for the fore fife rail. 

This is an illustration of belaying pin spacing on a working replica ship of the same period.

 

This is the fife rail with pins fitted as per kit instructions. Very close together, I am using slightly larger pins but even with the metal ones supplied it was still to tight.

 

So off came the original rail, a quick look around the internet and I've come up with an acceptable solution based on other contemporary models. You'll also notice two hawse holes where I intend bringing the anchor cable onto the deck rather than through the hull into what would probably be crew quarters. In the replica they must have had an electric winch below decks, whereas originally the anchor would have been been hoist by either windlass or block and tackle as a best guess. 

 

The next interesting build will be the octagonal section on the bowsprit - as it stands I can't see that their instructions will work.

 

Rick

[barkeater]

I like your revision of the fife rail. Much more workable.

[Rick01]

... and my revised boat davits and boat.

 

 

 

The davits and cross bar were doubled in thickness 5mm removed from the davits length and the holes for the block and tackle were set back 5 mm from the end. This is all based on a couple of photos I found on line for the replica and make more sense than the kit version. The boat is also built as a clinker design.

 

 

Rick 

[Gaffrig]

Hello to all.

 

Been away sailing for a while, gotta play a little with the big boats too!

Have been back at it for a couple of days and here's a little update.

 

Rick01, I like your beefed up davits, they look great! Definetly something I'll copy when I get there if you don't mind.

Your version of the forward pinrail looks great too! Something to think about.

 

I've been thinking about the anchorcable, and maybe it would work to make a horisontal capstan on the bollards/bitts that holds the bowsprit?

Might be tight between that and the forward companionway though.

 

Rick01, you mention the bowsprit, here's how I did that.

In between different coats of paint I have made the bowsprit. The kit supplies a 8mm round dowel that is supposed to be formed into a 8x8mm octagon...

There's an interesting task for you! 🤣😂

I ended up sanding it square and glueing on pieces of 0,5x3mm mahogany from the Bluenose deck I'm not using. Then sanding "between" the square to get the octagonal shape. This turned out good enough.

 

After sanding..

 

And painting..

 

For shaping the rest of the bowsprit I used a small planer first, and then put the whole thing in a battery drill and sanded it smooth.

Finished it of with linseed oil.

 

Also made a new fitting for the tip.

 

I've soaked and shaped the rubrails, and started painting them

 

I've masked and painted the black stripes, and cleaned up and painted the insides of the gunports.

 

 

 

Still need a little "cleanup" here and there, but all in all I'm happy with the result.

 

Gaffrig.

 

 

 

 

 

[barkeater]

 Paint job came out nice.

[Rick01]

You're welcome to use any ideas I put up - that's what the forum is all about! With my bowsprit I've made a separate octagonal section that I intended fitting to a shortened dowel (after tapering). Before I go down that route however I think I'll try your method. By the way, that's a lovely paint job you've done, talking of which I'm puzzled by the suggestion that gun port lids be painted red on the inner face. This will end up with a rather odd checkerboard pattern on the inner face of the gunwales, just doesn't make sense to me. I'm actually considering leaving the lids off as 99% of all cutters of this size (and bigger) have open ports check this as a sample https://www.amarsenal.be/fr/membres-modeles/helmut-dejardin/le-cerf . 

 

Rick