21' Fisherman's Launch by vaddoc - Scale 1:10 - Plans from Howard Chapelle's "Boatbuilding"

[vaddoc]

Thank you John and Nils

@Mark Pearse Mark, the wood is already sealed inside and out! It has reduced the movement but not completely. Maple that I ve used in the past, does not move at all. Isn't boat building fun!

 

Vaddoc

[vaddoc]

Dear all

 

A bit of progress but a also a bit of a milestone: The deck is done! Still needs lots of work, treenails, sanding, caulking etc but the arrangement seems ok - I hope in the end it will look more tidy. The wood is maple but has a different color than the maple used for the inner planking. One of the planks aft stands out as, not sure where I cut it from but it needs to be replaced.

Take care all

Vaddoc

[vaddoc]

Dear all

 

Paint has been splashed onto wood, so time for another update.

Also, as this boat is approaching completion (in my time, this means less than a year), I ve been thinking about the next one. I have some thoughts involving multiple masts, we ll see...

 

In any case, I decided to do some caulking on the deck. I do not think it needs it and almost certainly it is historically inaccurate but this boat from the beginning was about having fun and cutting (some) corners for speed. I ll use Osmo filler mixed with black acrylic paint. This needs Tung oil to shine black but maple does not take well to Tung oil, needs to be sealed first or will come out very blotchy.

 

So floors came out again and were sealed with my favorite Americana Decoart water based sealer (I dislike Shellac)

Of course the hull needed some more attention again.

The floors were covered with masking tape.

Then put back in place, all screws replaced with wood nails, sanded smooth

Then the mixture was slapped on!

Wait until dry

Then sanded off

Tape off, Tung oil on - done! 

It is not perfect by any stretch but it is done! 

And now it is time to paint the hull! Lots of masking done (which immediately failed)

 

Then I sprayed some Humbrol grey primer. The photo really did not get the color well!

Then the waterline was marked and the hull masked further

I used grey primer because I intended to use Humbrol enamels. At the last moment I decided to use acrylics, completely different colors. This is why enamels are dead.

 

So first coat of Valejo Ivory is brushed on. It looks dreadful:

And yes as expected, the hull is moving again! 

And after 5 more coats, still looks terrible!

It will get better. Maybe I should have used enamels!

 

I am almost certain the waterline will mess up the whole paint job. I will try and tuck the masking tape down well but I am sure the red paint will find a way underneath. We ll see

 

Till next time, take care all

 

Vaddoc

[wefalck]

In my experience, acrylics are better applied by airbrush. Somehow, the self-levelling is not as good as for organic solvent-based paints. They also dry too fast to be able to equalise them well. Or may be, I am not that good a painter ...

[vaddoc]

7 hours ago, wefalck said:

In my experience, acrylics are better applied by airbrush. Somehow, the self-levelling is not as good as for organic solvent-based paints. They also dry too fast to be able to equalise them well. Or may be, I am not that good a painter ...

You are very right Wefalck, enamels have a much better self leveling potential as they take a long time to dry. But this is counterbalanced by the hair and dust particles they attract. Still, modern acrylics with a bit of retarder can have fantastic self leveling when applied by brush but they need speed, extra care and the margin for error is small. Their coverage is appalling - I am already at coat number 9 and still needs more.

 

Because of the above, I was determined to use enamels on this boat. I rushed to buy some of the Humbrol enamels before they are pulled out of the market - apparently one of the ingredients is now banned in Europe. I decided on the colors. And then I used acrylics! 

 

I must admit I am not giving this boat my full attention due to work and life commitments so I expect a bit sloppier results - We ll see how it turns out!

[Mark Pearse]

Hi Vaddoc

 

Perhaps matt finish below the waterline? Antifoul paint is usually matt, & if the hull is still moving it shows inconsistencies less. I used a matt acrylic below the waterline (one model only) & the results were good.

[64Pacific]

On 11/26/2023 at 2:28 PM, vaddoc said:

...

 

We rarely know what our future holds but mine certainly has a lot of sanding.

 

Till next time

Vaddoc

 

This made me chuckle, I am very glad that I am not the only one with a lot of sanding in my future. With my tug model and body work on an old logging truck I am certain that by mid year the sight of sandpaper will make me feel ill!  

 

Great work, another intriguing model build to follow!

Edited April 7 by 64Pacific

[KeithAug]

On 4/2/2024 at 4:10 PM, vaddoc said:

I rushed to buy some of the Humbrol enamels before they are pulled out of the market - apparently one of the ingredients is now banned in Europe.

Thank you for the tip. I'd better stock up before they ruin them. like Colron wood dye and Nitromors paint stripper.

[vaddoc]

Dear Friends

 

Another quick update to share some photos!

On 4/3/2024 at 11:32 AM, Mark Pearse said:

Perhaps matt finish below the waterline?

Mark, it is Valejo matt acrylic paint, it is just that the photo was taken immediately after the coat went on so still wet.

 

@64Pacific Thanks Scott, welcome!

 

@KeithAug Keith, I do not think Humbrol enamels will be arround for long so if you use enamels, stock up. I bought some of the enamel varnish.

 

So I carried on with painting. The white paint has exceptionally poor coverage. I must have put on 15 coats, not with the greatest of care I must admit. But it came out alright - modern paints are so forgiving. I am not sure what the shiny areas are but it does not matter, these should disappear after varnishing.

 

I then masked again and added the red waterline. The red color has much better coverage

I could have sanded the paint but I decided not to bother. Also, I should have first painted the red zone, mask and then paint over. I did not really pay much attention but in the end it came out fine, I just had to mask and remask again and again.

 

Then, I added the turquoise - very nice color, excellent coverage. I was more careful this time and came out much better.

 

There is a masking line that shows, I masked without thinking. I could have sanded it off but did not bother, it actually looks ok.

I will now give it a couple more days for the paint to cure and then I will protect the paint with enamel Humbrol varnish. I am dissapointed with the water based ones - Poor adhesion and not as hard.

 

So next I started work on the rudder. In the plans it is only 1.5 inch thick - that is 4 mm in the model. So I made a card template and cut three pieces to laminate

Waiting for epoxy to cure - then the rudder will be painted in same colors.

 

Take care all

Vaddoc

[vaddoc]

So the paint has settled further and it actually looks pretty good! Especially the red and Turquoise are really nice. Some photos bellow in natural light. The hull of course is rough despite so many cycles of filling and sanding. Never use Beech!

But look what the postman dropped, all the way from the colonies across the pond!

Till next time

Vaddoc

[wefalck]

I gather the postman was well-paid for this 🤑 ... shipping cost from everywhere have exploded - except the for the Chinese, who are state-subsidised.

Edited April 8 by wefalck

[vaddoc]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

I gather the postman was well-paid for this 🤑 ... shipping cost from everywhere have exploded - except the for the Chinese, who are state-subsidised.

As long as it is under the Admiral's radar, it is ok. And as per you logo:

“Τα πάντα ρει, μηδέποτε κατά τ’αυτό μένειν“

Everything is in motion, alas also money.

[wefalck]

Ah someone, who also read Heraclitus ... for me almost all that is almost all I remember from my A-level in Ancient Greek nearly 50 years ago 🥴

[KeithAug]

Not withstanding your trials and tribulations the hull painting turned out remarkably well. The red waterline is particularly crisp.

[Mark Pearse]

On 4/9/2024 at 2:19 AM, vaddoc said:

Especially the red and Turquoise are really nice.

They certainly are. Looking excellent Vaddoc.

[FriedClams]

On 4/7/2024 at 6:08 PM, vaddoc said:

The white paint has exceptionally poor coverage. I must have put on 15 coats

 

Yes, what is it with white paint?  It's not just the light color and I've read it has something to do with the titanium dioxide.  Whatever it is, it's irritating.  But as Keith has correctly stated, in the end your hull painting has turned out very well.  Looking good Vaddoc!

 

Gary

[vaddoc]

Dear all

 

Time flies - it's been two months since my last post! I have not been idle, there is progress and I do have a few pictures to share.

 

To start with, the hull has had two coats of humbrol enamel satin varnish. I had forgotten how good this is - very tough varnish, very easy to go on, no brush marks. I am done with water based varnishes.

Then the gunwales went in which was a fiddly job, more difficult than I expected.

I also installed the two bits of decking fore and aft. Everything is held in place with treenails.

I decided that my boat will have canvas covered decks, not sure whether this was actually used in America back then. It did not come out as nice as in the Deben, not sure why, I suspect the fabric I used being synthetic did not glue down as well as the cotton I used last time.

Edges trimmed, then the canvas was painted with ivory acrylic paint and then got two coats of Humbrol enamel Varnish. Then the gunwales went back in and were epoxied in place.

Some trim pieces were also added. Those scratch marks were later removed.

I ve used a few thousand tree nails on this boat, I have a couple thousand left but I need to sit down at some point and make a few. I got a small log that seems a nice dense wood. The cherry log I had was nicer but unfortunately I ve used it all.

All done!

Now time to fit in the rub rails. They had to be hollowed to fit nicely. My V chisel was very useful but needed constant sharpening.

Screws exchanged for tree nails

I added a strip at the top of the transom but forgot to take a photo.

Next the fish well. It was fiddly to make! I had some very old mahogany strips, bought about 15 years which I thought would be nice to use. Finished with Tung oil, it looks absolutely stunning!

And epoxied in place

Next was the engine cover, I again used mahogany but this was a recent purchase so very different. I again forgot to take a photo of the finished article but again, Tung oil really brings out such beauty!

I am now struggling with the vertical tiller. Chapelle mentions that the ropes would go round under the gunwales but I am struggling to figure out how this arrangement would work. Also, the plans bellow show a metal rod through the tiller - no idea what purpose this serves. If anyone has any thoughts, please do share - I am a bit stuck!

Note to myself: I need to remember to buy a propeller.

 

A final note re: future build. I have an ambitious plan but the investment in money and time will be very substantial and due to unfavorable current financial circumstances, I decided to postpone it a bit. 

 

However, I have kind of started working on something else, quite unusual project for me - If it shows potential, I ll go public with it!

 

Many thanks for taking the time to visit!

 

Vaddoc

[Bedford]

That's some nice progress mate, she looks great.

I'm having trouble finding this metal rod of which you speak, is it that dot in way of the rudder head? If so I'd say it's a locking pin to stop the tiller coming off in adverse conditions.

[KeithAug]

All looking very neat and the inside of the hull is looking excellent.

 

18 hours ago, vaddoc said:

If it shows potential, I ll go public with it!

Aw! come on, stop being a tease.

[vaddoc]

To all that visited and hit the like button, much appreciated!

 

@KeithAug All in good time Keith! Many thanks

 

@Bedford Thanks for the good words Bedford, please have a look at the photo bellow. The note writes "1/2" rod". 

 

I simply cannot figure it out. The lines cannot go straight to the gunwales as this would be pretty inconvenient. Getting the lines towards the floor does not provide enough leverage as tilting the tiller will only pull the rope so much, not enough to turn the short tiller at the stern all the way.

 

 

[JacquesCousteau]

The model looks amazing! As for the tiller: you've probably already done this, but maybe looking at examples on other types of vessels would be helpful? From what I can tell, the Chesapeake Smith Island Crab Scraper seems to have had a similar steering arrangement, although I'm not sure if there are any good explanations of how the cable system worked or even if it's actually a comparable mechanism. Hope you're able to find something, this is a fascinating build to follow.

[Mark Pearse]

Hi Vaddoc,

 

She's looking fantastic, very nice work on the finishing details.

 

I think the vertical rod is the engine throttle control. The horizontal rod just contains it against the coaming, & possibly had some notches or something to hold in set positions. The small rod just behind the engine would be the gearstick, for putting the engine into gear or neutral, probably it was just a thrust gearbox - not real gears, you just push the lever forwards against a friction plate & the propeller starts turning & the thrust of the propeller keeps the friction plate engaged until you pull the lever aft & disengage it. On the rope steering, I am guessing the reason is so they can steer the while working in another part of the boat. If you do an internet search "Herreshoff rope steering", his small yacht design the Coquina was fully rope steering. A rope might also mean that the steering would hold a certain position, especially if there was a v cleat or horn cleat - tillers are great but when free, the boat will steer where it wants to go. The rope might give some ability to set it a bit one way or the other, as well as steer while tending to the catch in your lovely fish well.....

 

[Bedford]

I think Mark is onto it but the vertical lever is the tiller (side steering) and the half inch rod is a keeper rail to protect it. So bent to 90deg at each end and into the carlin or coaming so the tiller is captive.

 

I'd guess side steering was the ideal method for a small fishing boat as it leaves the cockpit and the other side of the boat clear to work.

[Mirabell61]

excellent build Vaddoc

 

Nils

[FriedClams]

Nice progress on this launch, Vaddoc - she's looking great!  Beautiful fish well - it has an unmistakable Arts and Crafts/Mission furniture vibe.

 

Gary 

[vaddoc]

Dear all

 

It has been such a long time since my last post! Family, work, bit of health issues that are slowly getting sorted - no time to post or keep up with your logs. But I have not given up - I did manage to do a bit of work. So let's start.

 

I replaced all the screws in the rubrails with wooden nails and added a rail on the sheer self. I also made and added a few cleats. 

Then, I made the hinges for the rudder, the short tiller, the metal work for the ropes of the vertical tiller and a few shackles. Apologies, I accidentally deleted the photos!

Then I made and assembled the vertical tiller. In the end of the day it would be an unsophisticated stick that would move the rudder fast from one side to the other - and this is what I made!

I also added an exhaust port in the transom, an air intake port in the engine cover, A fuel filler camp aft and the gear level next to the vertical tiller.

Then I made a propeller. My brass inventory is not great but I managed to scavenge a few bits and come up with a pretty acceptable result.

All the polished brass parts have been treated with Renaissance wax - they should stay shiny for a very long time.

 

Well, the actual boat is pretty much finished but could use a bit of fishing gear. So I thought I d start by adding some nets and a few lobster pods.

I started with the pods - just wood and brass wire and some cloth. I used some of my rope and a few orange beads of Amazon. I used black Gesso to blacken everything - no reason for this, I just have a lot of it.

I need to make six of these pods and the family have been alerted not to bin the plastic nets we buy our onions in - I hope they will make a reasonable net. I also would like to make a few more items and also perhaps add a pump of some sort.

 

Till next time

Vaddoc

 

[Bedford]

She look great and the fittings are beautifully made, well done!

[Jim Lad]

Looking good, mate!

 

John

[Mark Pearse]

Hi Vaddoc,

 

Very nice, & your metalwork is especially fine work.