Norwegian Whale Boat by G.L. - on scale 1/10 - SMALL - Finished

[G.L.]

1. Introduction

Since a couple of months I am busy with a new model, but I did not take the time yet to sort my pictures and to start a log of it.

It is time to get started behind the keyboard before the backlog becomes so large that it is no longer manageable. Here we go:

The plan of my next model is drawn by Jules Van Beylen, former curator of the Belgian National Maritime Museum in Antwerp.

Just like the gaff sailing boat, one of my previous models it is described in Mr Van Beylen's handout for making plank-on-frame models that I bought some years ago from 'Nederlandse Vereniging voor Modelbouwers' ( http://www.modelbouwers.nl/ ).

In the early 1950's, when Mr.Van Beylen was the museum curator, he measured a model of a Norwegian Whale in the Belgian National Maritime Museum collection and drew it out for the 'Nederlandse Vereniging voor Modelbouwers'.
On this forum we saw and we still see the construction of several beautiful models of the New Bedford whale boat, so I thought that it would be interesting to build another one. The Norwegian whale boat dates from the same era as the New Bedford whale boat  and looks in general very similar but there are some major differences: The Norwegian one is clinker built, has no rudder and has no center board. (picture MAS (Museum Aan de Stroom) since 2008 Administrator of the collection of the former Belgian National Maritime Museum)

My bibliography for information to build this model:

-        Booklet 'Modellen op spanten' by J. Van Beylen for information about this particular type of whale boat.

-        Drawing 'Walvissloep' by J. Van Beylen, model construction plan at scale 1/10, for sale at 'Nederlandse Vereniging voor Modelbouwers' ( http://www.modelbouwers.nl/ )

-        Modelmaker's guide 'To build a whaleboat' by E.A.R. Ronnberg, Jr for information about the whaleboat inventory.

-        Study 'The whaleboat' by W.D Ansel for information about the whaleboats in general.

-        'The whalers' of the seafarers collection of Time Life books for general information about whaling in the 19th century.

-        'Moby Dick' by H. Melville for the atmosphere.

-        and of course several building logs on this forum in which members build their model of the New Bedford whaleboat..

 

 

Till next week!

Edited March 6, 2021 by G.L.

[Baker]

37 minutes ago, G.L. said:

Till next week!

Do we really have to wait another week 

[G.L.]

2. Making the hull

Mr Van Beylen recommends in his handout to build the hull in a frame in the same way as the gaff sail boat was built.

I experienced however that this method is not very handy for me. I will build this hull upside down on a flat building board.

I start with copying all the station drawings. The small rectangle on top of each station with the station number in is to place all stations at the correct height.

Now I take some of the relics of last Christmas evening dinner that I saved. The wood is ideal to glue my templates on it and to saw them out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next thing is placing them on a plywood backbone, sawn in the shape of the keel and stems.

Now all station sides have to get a slope according to their position forward or afterward. I will sand the slopes. To see if enough is taken away from each station I paint the sides.

 

The sanding is done with a bow, made of a strip of strong sanding paper which is stapled on a flexible wooden lath.

When all the paint is sanded away, the slopes of this side are ready. Now the other side.

I will make the model mainly out of cherry wood. The main reason for that is that I have plenty of available.

Now I saw the stem and the stern.

 

Cutting the rabbets with the chisel.

 

 

I fix them with a couple of nails to the building frame.

I make the keel a bit different than explained by Mr Van Beylen in his manual. He makes the keel as one whole with the rabbets cut in the sides. I will make the keel in two layers. Here the first part, which comes equal with the garboard, is laid. I cut the sides diagonally, equal to the slope of the stations.

 

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[Baker]

Great update.

This was worth waiting for  

[G.L.]

Thanks Patrick,

For the moment I am busy with other things than modeling. Last Fryday evening the storm Odette gave me a present. A tree of the neighbour came down. It just missed the house but destroyed the kitchen garden and some other things. I wonder how many models can be made with that amount of wood.😁

[Baker]

That's not good
Fortunately, most tomatoes survived 🍅
And indeed, more wood for ship models 

[G.L.]

Now it is time to make the garboard strokes. Fitting the garboard stroke and marking the shape of the end to fit in the stem rabbet.

The garboard stroke is glued.

The gardboard strokes at both sides:

Now the under part of the keel can be made.

Towards the front and the end of the vessel the keel becomes narrower. Marking the changing width and sanding roughly in shape.

 

Gluing the keel ...

... and sanding it in shape.

Now I can continue the planking.

Unlike the New Bedford whale boat, this boat is clinker planked, so each plank overlaps its lower neighbor.

I determine the shape of a plank with a piece of tracing paper.The upper plank overlaps the lower plank up to a small distance from the stem and the sterns, from there they gradually join to a flat surface.

Here I chisel a rabbet in the lower plank, in the upper plank will come an equal rabbet.

Fitting the second plank. Here the tracing paper template is not yet removed.

Fitting it at the other end ...
... and gluing it into position.

 

Two strakes at both sides.

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[G.L.]

I am taking my time and glue one strake a day at each side.

After a couple of days.

I use the same method to make each strake. Taking over the upper edge of the present strake on the tracing paper. The strake division is marker on some of the stations, I take the marks also over on the tracing paper.

 

The strake division is marker on some of the stations, I take the marks also over on the tracing paper. The pencil mark above the strake edge indicates the overlap of the new plank.

and finally I mark the the fore and after end of the plank.

I connect all marks on my tracing paper template with smooth curved lines with the help of a flexible lath and some weight to hold it in position.

 

Then I glue the template on a plank, saw it out with the fretsaw, san the edges carefully and another strake is ready.

 

 

 

Before laying the two upper strakes, I have to take the model off the building frame. That goes easy. The hull is stiff enough to keep its form.

The inside:

The outside:

[G.L.]

The reason why the inside of the hull has to be accessible at this stage of the built is that the bow of the boat has to be reinforced with two massive wooden cheeks. Between the fronts of those cheeks will be a narrow opening in which the harpoon line has to run out over a sheave. When a whale is harpooned, large forces can come on the bow.

I saw two blocks of cherry wood to make the cheeks and attach them to the bow to take measurements.

 

Taking over the hull forms on the blocks.

 

Sawing out and sanding the cheeks.

 

The cheeks, roughly shaped:

The sheer strake is incorporated into the cheeks. Making the notch for the sheer strake and fitting it.

 

The cheeks are ready.

 

Gluing the cheeks into position.

 

 

 

 

 

The model can now be replaced on the building frame to place the sheer strake.

 

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[ward]

👍👍, splendid, fine, wonderful handworks, wauwwwww

grt Ward

[G.L.]

Thanks for your enthousiastic response, Ward.

(Je hoeft nu ook niet te overdrijven 😏)

[G.L.]

3. The ribs.

The hull can now definitively been removed from the building frame to provide it with ribs.

The model will have 22 ribs at both sides. The ribs have to fit in the steps shape of the inside of the hull, so for each pair of ribs I make a template of strips of stiff paper.

I copy the template on a dark background which gives me an excellent sawing template.

 

When sawn out, I sand the outsides of the rib to break the sharp sawing edges.

 

The first pair of ribs in the hull.

They are soon followed by some others.

 

The ribs are more or less perpendicular to the boats hull; when approaching the bow and the stern they become more and more cant frames.

 

 

Thank you very much for reading this log, for the comment and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

Edited October 29, 2020 by G.L.

[G.L.]

6 minutes ago, G.L. said:

 

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by G.L.

[G.L.]

4 hours ago, G.L. said:

 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by G.L.

[G.L.]

3 minutes ago, G.L. said:

 

 

[Baker]

Great work Geert.

You are a very patient man who works very accurately 👍

[G.L.]

In case of this Norwegian whale boat, the planks are nailed to the ribs and to each other.

To prevent the planks and the ribs to split while nailing them, I pre-drill the nail holes.

Then I put the nails in. I use the smallest brass nails that I could find but I realize that the nail heads are anyway a bit too big. I hope that it won't stand out too much when the model will be finished.

That is what it looks like inside. On the real boats the part of the nails which sticks out at the inside were bent over and flattened with the point of the nail again punched in the wood.

I use only one row of nails between each pair of ribs because of the size of the nail heads. On real boats there were probably a lot more nails. On the left side of the picture the nails are all ready flattened, on the right side those between the ribs still have to be bent over.

Bending over the nails has to be done carefully because cherry wood is soft and it can easily be damaged. Most of the nails in the ribs can be punched using a pin punch and a light hammer.

For the nails between the ribs, I have to be more prudent. I have to bent over the nail first with a small pair of pliers, then I flatten the nail by giving it a tap with the hammer on the nail head at the one side, using the pin punch as an anvil at the other side.

All ribs are a bit too long; they are now cut to the correct length to be able to place the gunwale.

Gluing the gun wale.

In the slot at the bow for the harpoon line sits a sheave, it is more a kind of roller, to guide the harpoon line.

Making the roller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[G.L.]

4. Interior of the hull

On this type of whale boat all platforms are gratings. Four have to be made.

Now it is time to make the forward one.

I make first a template with strips of drawing paper to determine the shape of the grating.

With the help of that template I make a drawing of the grating.

On the reverse side of that drawing I glue the frame planks of the grating and saw them in the desired shape. The sides have to be chamfered a bit because the space in which they have to fit is oblique.

 

 

This is the top side of the grating. I am sawing out the spaces for the intermediate divisions.

Fitting the intermediate divisions in it.

 

And finally the grating into position.

On this picture you can see that the thwart risings are also allready placed at both sides.

The hull planking of whale boats was made of thin cedar planks and was therefore very fragile. In the heat of the action of harpooning a whale it would be possible that the crew punched holes in the hull with their feet. To protect the hull planks between the bottom board and the thwart rising a wide stringer is placed to protect the hull.

To determine the shape of that wide stringer, I start with marking the ribs on the plank. I mark also the bottom side of the stringer.

Then I measure the widths of the stringer on each rib, bring them over to the plank and saw the stringer.

 

 

Gluing the stringer into position.

Between the two stringers lays a bottom board.

I determine the shape of that bottom board by laying a straight lath on the ribs on the bottom of the boat and marking the width of the board by gluing stiff paper strips at the height of some ribs.

Taking over the bottom board shape on a plank.

 

The bottom board resting in its place.

Finally I tree nail the thwart risings and the stringers with bamboo dowels.

 

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by G.L.

[G.L.]

5. The afterdeck

Now I will make the aft deck arrangements. The aft deck is mainly covered by a grating.

As you see the drawing on the plan is not very detailed, so I start with making a more detailed drawing.

With the help of carbon paper, I push through the outlines of grating frame on the backside of the paper and glue the wood for the frame on that back side. On the left side of the same paper you see the preparation of one of the other gratings.

 

It is the same process as for the forward grating. Sawing out the notches for the bars.

Cutting the notches for the cross bars with a small wood chisel.

Making and fitting the bars.

 

The cross bars have to fit in the bars. I saw the notches out with the help of a vice for the depth adjustment.

 

 

Fitting the grating on, the model.

 

 

[G.L.]

On top of the grating stands a bollard around which the harpoon line runs from forward. In the documentation of Erik Ronnberg the bollard is called the logger head. The logger head post fits into the lion's tongue which reinforces the whole with the stern post.

Turning the logger head on the lathe.

 

Cutting the logger head post.

Fitting the lion's tongue on the after deck.

I make the square hole for the logger head post by drilling first a 1 mm hole in the corners to prevent the splitting of the wood during the cutting.

Cutting out the hole with a chisel.

 

The logger head connected with the lion's tongue.

The logger head post goes through the after deck grating, so a hole has to be made in the grating.

 

Fitting the whole thing on the model. Nothing is glued yet. The logger head post will be attached to the starboard stringer.

 

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[G.L.]

4. Continuing the interior of the hull.

Placing the rising for the forward floor grating.

The forward floor grating into place

In the front of the boat is a high placed thwart. In that thwart is a recess in which the harpooner can place one leg to find support in the shaking boat while throwing his harpoon.

Fitting it.

At the side of each rowers' position, opposite to the rowlock is a peak cleat in which can be placed the handle of the oar to hold it out of the water.

Shaping the peak cleats.

 

 

 

 

Here the peak cleats are glued into their positions. The gratings are already dark stained and the after deck pieces are glued.

In the after section of the boat is on both sides a pin to belay the sheet when sailing.

Determining the shape of the pin holders.

 

Pin holders placed.

Making the pins.

Pins in the holders.

 

Now it is time to make the thwarts. I start with the helmsman thwart which is a wide thwart.

In the heat of the action, I forgot to make pictures of the making of the thwarts.

I have to pass immediately to the knees.

To determine the shape of the knees, I use the proven method with the paper strips to make templates.

 

 

Rounding the upper sides of the knees.

All the thwarts an knees installed.

With the mast thwart placed, I can make the mast step and locate its exact position.

The mast step.

Two lifting eyes have to be placed to hook the boat into the davit.

The eyes were already made some time ago of 2mm Ø brass rods.

 

Now they can be placed definitively.

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[Baker]

Great work G.L.

And of course,  thanks for the detailed explanation .

[G.L.]

6. Finishing the outside of the hull

Gluing the rubbing piece.

Gluing the gunwale.

The steering oar fits in a metal oarlock which can hinge.

Making the oarlock for the steering oar.

 

 

The oarlock is blackened and placed into its position at the stern.

 

The oarlock has an angular protrusion to give space for the oar blade to slide through it.

 

Here you see the model in a further stage of finishing with the steering oar in place.

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[G.L.]

7. Propulsion
The whaleboat was in general propelled by manpower. This means with the help of oars. When the wind was suitable there was a thrust mast aboard with a small sail. As the boat has no center board I assume that the sail was not often used. Only maybe with running and broad wind.

 

7.1 The oars

The boat is rowed by five oarsmen, three at starboard side and two at port side. To compensate for the uneven distribution, the five oars are of different lengths and they all have their own position in the boat.

I make the shafts of the oars of pear sticks. I make them round to the correct diameter with the help of the drilling machine and tapping plates.

After tapping I place them in the lathe to sand them.

The blade is also made of pear and glued together with the shaft.

 

The shaping of the blade is done with the chisel and with sand paper.

When the oars are shaped, I varnish them and tape them with masking tape to paint the position markings.

The five finished oars. They are marked from one to five, oar one is the forward oar and oar five the backward.

The oar locks are made of brass. I make the parts for six although I only need five because I have the experience that during the making there is always a piece falling on the ground that remains missing until it is not needed any more.

 

The pieces soldered together.

That is how they look on the boat

The boat is also steered with an oar. The making of it is the same as above, but here I have to take care that the blade goes through the steering oar lock.

The boat equipped with oars and steering oar.

 

[G.L.]

7.2 The paddles

Rowing with oars makes a lot of noise and can be heard by a whale from a long distance. When a boat skipper thinks that the whale is unaware of the presence of the boat, he orders paddling as not to warn the whale.

The making of the paddles is the same as for the oars.

 

 

The paddles in the boat

Oars and paddles in the boat.

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

[G.L.]

7.1 Mast and sail

With suitable wind, the boat could be sailed. Therefore it was equipped with a thrust mast, a gaff and a sail.  
Looking more close to the sail plan of the boat, I discovered an error in the drawing of Mr. Van Beylen and I walked with my eyes open into that error. On the plan the mast thwart is drawn as the second aft thwart of the boat. In the model which stood model for the drawing, the mast is standing in the second thwart from before.

Stupid of me, I should have seen it. I should at least have questioned the position afterward, all the more because I have photos of the original model.

      
Luckily I can detach the mast step without damaging the bottom board. I glue it into the correct position and drill a hole in the correct mast thwart. I don't know yet if I will close the hole in the aft thwart. The scar will remain visible. When the boat will be loaded with all the equipment the hole may not be noticeable at all.

Mast and gaff are made of pine in the same way like I made the shafts for the oars. On the picture the gaff is not yet placed correctly. It is simply standing with one end in an opening of the grating.

To be able to cut the sail, I make a paper template and fit it on the model.

I was a bit lazy in making photos of the sewing of the sail but I used the same method as described in more detail in my gaff sailboat log 

Here you see the sail next to the template while sewing the bolt rope.

I make cringles by poking a hole through the sail with an owl. Then I put a copper ring over the hole en sew it all over. On the right the cringle before the sewing starts, on the left a finished cringle.

Here is the boat rigged for sailing. These are probably the last pictures with the sail because I intend to present the boat ready for launching from the mother ship. To be honest, I don't find her that elegant under sail.

 

The boat with the sail stowed away.

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week!

Edited December 19, 2020 by G.L.

[G.L.]

8. Accessories

The handout of Mr Van Beylen doesn't give a lot of information about the boats' inventory. Therefore he refers to an article about American whaleboats of Mr E.W. Petrejus in a magazine 'de Modelbouwer' in 1950. Unfortunately the article is not included in the handout though it is published by the same publisher: de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Modelbouwers.             
Luckily for me there is a wealth of information to be found in the book 'Modelmaker's guide 'To build a whaleboat'' by E.A.R. Ronnberg, Jr and in the study 'The whaleboat' by W.D Ansel.     
It is almost unbelievable that is was possible to row those boats with all that equipment on board. There is hardly space for the six-men crew.

 

8.1 The harpoons and the lances.           
I think that the harpoon was the most important piece of the equipment on board of the boat, so I start with that.

To make the blade I fold a small piece of brass in two.

 

I solder it on a brass shaft.

and I saw and drill the iron barbed point.

 

Finally the metal piece is placed on a wooden shaft with a rope to connect the harpoon line.

The lances are made in the same way like the harpoons. They don't have barbs and they are longer. The lances are used to kill the whale at the end of the hunt. They are thrown into the whale and pulled out again and again, and at the end the whale is also receiving the deathblow with the lance.

Two of the harpoons can be laid in the harpoon crotch. That is sort of fork wit three teeth.

Making the crotch:

  

On my model are five harpoons at starboard side: two ready for use in the crotch and three reserve harpoons in the rack.

At portside are three lances in the rack.

 

Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes.

 

 

Till next week and Merry Christmass for you all!

[Baker]

Another very nice update.
For you also a Merry Christmass and a happy new year 

[vaddoc]

What a wonderful model! Regrettably I ve only been able to visit GL. Excellent job with the planking and rabets. Actually, top job with everything. Clearly you 're having a lot of fun!

Could you explain how you stained the wood? It came out very good.

Merry Christmas and a happy new Year!

 

Vaddoc

[G.L.]

23 hours ago, Backer said:

Another very nice update.
For you also a Merry Christmass and a happy new year 

Thank you, Patrick.

 

I wish you also all the best for a prosperous 2021with a lot of modeling fun and certainly without Covid.