Atlantic by closehaul - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96 Scale

[closehaul]

Hello everyone. This is my first build thread and only the third wooden ship model I've built over the last 40 years (retired now). Currently I'm still reading the instructions and sail plan and yet to purchase tools except for a medium duty knife and pinvise. If you look closely at the body lines you may notice previously erased lines. This had to be done to correctly position the propeller boss area onto more of the keel area. Any advise and opinions are welcomed as although it may be I've bitten off a little more than I can chew, I won't give up the ship. Hope to hear from you and looking forward to my next progress post.

 

 

[closehaul]

All contour templates cut out, filed smooth, and hull ready to be worked and sanded.

[ccoyle]

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress on this kit -- definitely one of the best-looking schooners available in kit form.

[closehaul]

Thank you Chris, MSW is a fantastic asset in expanding on the kit instructions with all the posts on construction methods, materials and abundant tips to assist me in completing my schooner with the best results possible. I'm delighted having been referred to MSW by the kit manufacturer.

 

[schooner]

I was hoping someone would start a build log for this kit - I've always thought it was one of the nicest looking models available

[closehaul]

Without a doubt one of the prettiest ladies to grace the seas.

 

[closehaul]

I cut out a more accurate set of templates to work and sand the hull.

[BobG]

I'm looking forward to seeing you build this beautiful model, closehaul. 

[closehaul]

Thank you Bob. Your build thread of Pen Duick is aawesome. The sanding blocks you worked with is something I'll have to get with all the curves on Atlantics' hull. I'll be quite satisfied if the painting came out half as good as yours.

[closehaul]

I've been rough sanding the hull using 60 grit starting with the bow and stern then the keel as stated in the instruction booklet. The bow is shaping up well but the transom is a challenge. I sanded the transom with 120 grit to get better definition where the transom meets the topsides of the hull and the counter. The homemade sanding blocks are working out adequately enough, but will definitely upgrade for the the final hull sanding.

 

 

 

 

[BobG]

3 hours ago, closehaul said:

I've been rough sanding the hull

I've never done a solid hull model. Is there a lot of material to remove to get the hull profile correct?

[closehaul]

Yes Bob, I sand it about an hour or two a day and I constantly stop and check the contours with the templates. I may have over sanded on section C towards the bow. The cardboard templates I cut out are starting to wear out down around the bulwark tops at the rail line and probably affected section C. I'm not certain if putty will fix this or I should lay in a new layer of the extra basswood that comes with the kit along the keel line. Any tips on how to correct this would be welcomed by all. Otherwise it's shaping up according to the sail plan. One note, I've been cutting up old picture frame backing

 for the templates.

[schooner]

Glazing putty from an auto store will fix just about anything. If you need it to be thicker than about 1/16" then you need to put in on in several thin layers, allowing each to dry. A one-time thick application may not dry properly inside and will not harden.

[closehaul]

Thanks schooner. The glazing putty should fix it since the oversanded area is less than 1/16 in. The rough sanding should be done in a few days then I can put the sideview templates to it and check my work.

 

[closehaul]

So I added putty and wood to an oversanded keel. I'm satisfied with the over all results at this stage.

 

 

[BobG]

Nice job on the patch work. The hull looks very good!

[closehaul]

Thanks Bob, I acquired the set of those styrofoam sanding block I noticed in your post of Pen Duick. A big help with the hull sanding. 

[closehaul]

I affixed the hull to the pedestals to get their slots chiseled out ahead of priming the hull soon.

[closehaul]

Next the hull was removed from its' pedestals and cradled for gouging, chiseling, and sanding the bulwarks down to 1/32". A little nerve wracking.

[BobG]

Nice job. How in the world did you manage to carve out and sand those bulwarks evenly to 1/32 of an inch? Tedious and nerve wracking!! 

[closehaul]

Thanks Bob. I gouged and chiseled the bulwark down to a hair below 1/16" first and ai worked as slow as Geppetto and still made errors. breaking thru the fantail with chisel. also forgetting to camber the deck at the transom. while the top of the bulwark measures to 1/32" the decline thickness was kept at 1/16" for strength. otherwise a lot of fine sanding with 120 grit then 400 on tiny sanding blocks. I repaired chisel break and deck camber with glazing putty. My question is  will the scribed decking hold on the bondo when I glue it with Tite-Bond wood glue? sorry for my delay in responding but I've been searching forums, You-Tube videos and general google searches on scribed deck weathering, painting, staining, and ponce wheel techniques this past week.

 

[schooner]

I don't think you will have a problem with it sticking to the bondo but there is a real "gotcha" to watch out for - something I learned the hard way with scribed decking. Wood glue like Tite-bond or white glue like Elmers has a lot of water in it and it can cause thin decking material to swell, buckle or  warp. If you have enough decking material that you can spare some you might want to experiment a little - get a piece of wood (same type as the hull if possible), put some bondo on part of it (just to see if that will be a problem), sand it smooth and then pencil in an area on the top of it (not all the way out to the edges), cut a piece of decking the same size as the shape you drew , put on as much Tite-bond as you normally would (leaving a few spots bare to see if warping occurs, glue it on and see what you get when it is dry.

You could go with slow (i.e thick) CA but that has it's own problems - you get very little time (if any) to move the decking around if you don't place it just right the first time.

This may seem like overkill but on your Atlantic the deck will have a huge visual impact so you want to get it right.

[closehaul]

Thanks Tim, Overkill is fine if it leads to the solution. My bad for overlooking the instruction that state not to use water based wood glues so I picked up a bottle of contact cement.

    Angelo

[closehaul]

The boat is out of irons  and has a deck and waterways with timberheads now being installed. The transom was not seamanlike at the waterway so this improved it. The bulwarks could also use another sanding and coat.

[BobG]

Nice work! Such a gorgeous hull profile!

[closehaul]

I appreciate that Bob. It always seems like two steps forward and one back and I'm not as far as I hoped, thinking the hull would be painted by now. But even at this point I'm very satisfied with the work.

 

 

 

[schooner]

You did a great job thinning those bulwarks!

[closehaul]

Thank you Tim, Its not entirely uniform around the hull. Although the top is ok  the bottom I discovered varies at the deckline as I run my thumb and finger along it. With waterways hiding random inconsistencies though, I'm very satisfied with its looks.

 

      Angelo

[Ryland Craze]

You are doing a nice job on your Atlantic.  It looks like the contact cement was the right choice for the scribed deck.

[closehaul]

120 timberheads have been gauged and installed. The cap rails then steamed, bent to form and installed along with the bow grating and taffrail. I wish that the final painting of the transom area was cut cleaner than my skill allowed but I'm going with it.