Lowell Grand Banks Dory by Keithbrad80 - Model Shipways - 1:24

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone, 

 

So I’m starting another build to make Christmas presents for my dad and father in law. I recently saw that model expo started a series of progressive model tutorials and the first build in the series, the Lowell Grand Banks Dory, was only 30 USD so I bought two of them!

 

I have only been in this hobby for a few years but when I started I had a hard time figuring out what kit to start with. Sure there are plenty of builds that brand them selves and beginner level models but they dont give you any more information other than what is needed to complete the build. This build by David Antscherl, is excellent and built for the beginner. I am certainly not an expert by any means but instead feel confident in my abilities, so I’m pretty excited to use some creative thought in building these two small boats.

 

This kit was built for those who have literally zero experience in wooden model building. Throughout the instruction booklet Antscherl goes into deep detail on not only the build but techniques he has used to help you get there. The kit comes with several sheets of laser cut planks, that may be some of the best quality I have seen in a kit.

 

 

Overall I think if someone is considering getting into this hobby this would be an excellent first build!

 

Anyway, I’m going to quote Antscherl on the history because his quick history lesson is clear and to the point. 

 

“First, a little background on the dory. These were developed on the east coast in the 1800’s and were descendants of the French settlers’ bateaux of the 17th and 18th centuries. They were used extensively for fishing and lobstering. They were easy and inexpensive to both build and maintain. Despite their unusual shape, dories were very seaworthy and literally many thousands were built. One feature of these boats was that they could be nested one inside the other like stacking chairs. Their sears, called thwarts, were removable so that boats would fit inside each other. Fishing schooners carried many dories on board. They were others stacked as many as eight high on deck, both to port and starboard, when sailing out to fishing grounds of the Grand Banks and East Coast.” (Antscherl, 7)  

 

I plan to have two of these dories done before Christmas so my building will probably start tomorrow! I’m looking forward to this build log and I’m sure ill learn some new tips, good luck and have fun!

 

Bradley 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

so I have completed the bottom of the dories, I think they look pretty good. 
 

the first step was creating the bottom cleats or cross battens that hold the bottom together.

 

 

Model Shipways does an excellent job at pressuring the builder into trying new techniques and scratch building, in this kit they offer two different options for the bottom. A laser cut piece, or three wood planks that you can put together your self. One note about the laser cut planks; I order two models at the same time and received them both at the same time, what’s interesting is the laser cut sheets are different in each kit. Not by much, nothing changes structurally, I must have just gotten two kits from two different batches. 

these are the two different laser cut sheets interesting how different they are but it won’t make any difference in the end. 

 

These are the bottom cleats on both bottoms. 
 

the next steps were adding the stem, the transom and stern knee. The transom was two pieces that were easy to put together but you have to bevel the transom to the meet the stern knee. the master cut bottoms have an outline for you to place these pieces properly. 

In the instruction booklet Antscherl mentions that traditionally steel nails or copper rivets would be used instead glue, I wanted to add these details but could not find an example as to how the rivets would have been placed. He mentions the nails are usually 1.5 inches to 3 inches long and about 3 inches apart, following these guidelines I did the best I could to place them where I thought they might be. Personally I think these rivets make for great detail, the models will be painted later so you may not even be able to see these but knowing they are there makes me feel better. 

 

finally I tried to shape these the way they suggest, wet the bottom and place 1/4” pieces of scrape wood underneath the stern and bow and place a weight in the middle. This will give a nice rounded bottom, unfortunately it’s been really hot in northern  California so when I tried this method that just bounced back. I’ll fix it before I put the bottom on the frames.

 

 

thanks every one! 
 

Bradley 

 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone, 

 

So i had a few hours while work was slow over the last few days and got a lot done. The next step after finishing the bottom was to start on the frames, they were also pretty easy to assemble.

They come in three pieces, the large blocky piece holds the two frame pieces together by fitting the two frame pieces in the notch’s of the frame holder. Mine didn’t fit perfectly but I think its going to turn out fine, the 5 frame pieces then get put into your building board which was really nice to have. 

 

After all my frames were in the building board i gave them a light sanding knowing i will have to sand more later. I beveled the edges of the frames, working three at a time, this helps make sure the bevel stays true with respect to the other frame pieces. 

 

We have had a lot of humidity and some high heat in Northern California recently so my bottom piece warped really bad. I ended up just using extra rubber bands and clips to hold it in place along with just enough water to soften the wood, i let this sit over night. 

 

The way the planking was designed for this kit made it a lot easier to assemble. I cut the bevel from the planks and one by one took my time to finish up the planking. Now, you may be saying, wow thats a lot of glue stain! Well i have a plan for that actually, more on that in a bit.  

 

 

I didn’t take a picture of it but the frames get cut along the sheer plank to release the model from the building board. There is no rigging with this dory but there are two spots that rope would be threaded through or tied. 2 on the stem cleat and one on the sheer plank at the bow of the port and starboard side. 

 

 

I had some porthole covers from a previous build that were about the same diameter that I thought would make it look a little nicer. 

 

As you can tell the planking is a little off at the bow, I may just have to live with this but maybe i can fix it? Who knows. 

 

I also wanted to add a few nails in the planking to see how it looks, i pilot holes for each nail then inserted steel wire and cut it to length. My nailing pattern may not be super accurate but it will probably be hidden under paint any way. 

 

I really wanted to experiment and learn new things with these dories, this dory i wanted to look like it was 100 years old, I want it to feel like this dory had been loaded and unloaded countless times from some other ship. So I’m going to try staining it to the color i want the wood to be, then I’m going to paint and try some chipping techniques. The other one i want to be super clean and brand new looking, I have almost no experience with real carving so I’m going to try a few things with the other one, these might look terrible in the end lol but ill try my best!

 

 

Bradley 

 

[yvesvidal]

Nice touch with the port holes and rivets. I think they add a lot of realism to the model.

 

Yves

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

so not a ton of work on the ship so far but thought I would share what else I’m building for the dory. 

 

 

I saw this painting in another build log, and I decided I wanted to try to make the things you would typically see in a fishing dory in the 1850s. 
 

 

this is the bailer, I’m not certain, but I think these would have been used to scoop water out of your boat. I had a hard time finding dimensions for one of these so I just tried to estimate. below is my attempt at a bailer. 

 

The lobster trap was another thing I wanted to make as well. I read through a couple build logs and saw what other did as well as photos and I think mine turned out ok. 

 

so I want to add a net to my lobster trap but am not sure how to make it. I tried setting up a jig to make a net with some fine fishing line, but it didn’t go my way. If any one knows how to make a small net that would be great! Thanks again. 
 

Bradley

[ccoyle]

10 hours ago, Keithbrad80 said:

If any one knows how to make a small net that would be great!

 

Check your local fabric store for any material that might be passed off as netting.

[Ryland Craze]

Bradley, You look like you are having a lot of fun building these two models.  I am glad you started a build log on these kits as they can be a great introduction into building wooden ship models.  You could not have a better teacher than David Antscherl.

[Sea Hoss]

For the netting, you might want to check a craft store like Michael's. Nice work so far.

[Keithbrad80]

Thanks every one for the suggestions! I ended up leaving the net off, maybe I could add it in later but I don’t have the urge to do it now. 
 

So I’m pretty much done with the first one and I’m happy with the results! I started by trying to create a weathering look on the dory before installing the seat risers, I gave it ten coats of hair spray followed by a semi gloss white spray paint. Once every thing was dry I used several different wire brushes and some water to create the look I was after. Here is the first coat of paint:

 

I wasn’t very happy with the results, by the time I achieved the textural lines in the wood I was wanting the paint was almost entirely gone. 
 

I mixed some grey paint and water at a ration about 1:15 and painted it on there. I practiced a few times before applying this wash but the results were great, again. I gave it a light sanding with extra fine steel wool and painted it white again, here it is after the second coat:

 

 

I was pretty happy with the overall result of my paint job, the inside I only painted once and thought it was pretty good, here it is:

 

 

I installed the seat risers next, but from this point forward I stained and weather any laser cut pieces before glueing them in place. Here are the risers:

 

 

A small notch is to be cut into the tip of the frames and side cleats to make way for the gunwale, I measured this notch to be .06 inches so I cut those out and got the gunwale installed:

 

 

The breast hook was next, I didn’t get a picture of it but there was a small gap around the back of the breast hook. This gap was covered by the cap rail so it didn’t end up being an issue. Here is the cap rail: 

 

 

The seats were next, before I glued them down I made sure to weather these more than the rest, I don’t think it made much of a difference in the end, but getting the seats in there really brought it all together. Here is where we are at:

 

 

I still have a few things to clean up on this model and then I’ll mount it, and move on to the next one. Thanks again for the support. 
 

Bradley 

[druxey]

Nice and messy looking! She sure looks well used.

[Keithbrad80]

3 hours ago, druxey said:

Nice and messy looking! She sure looks well used.

Thanks! Next time I try this I probably won’t go as far with the weathering, I may have over done it in some spots. 

[PA Ship Builder]

Keith,

A great looking build.  I'm starting on one in a few days and hope to post build logs.  This will be my first wood ship build.  Hope it works out as well as yours.  Have a great / safe Thanksgiving.

Tony

[Keithbrad80]

34 minutes ago, PA Ship Builder said:

Keith,

A great looking build.  I'm starting on one in a few days and hope to post build logs.  This will be my first wood ship build.  Hope it works out as well as yours.  Have a great / safe Thanksgiving.

Tony

 

Thanks Tony,

 

This was my 5th and 6th model ship in my life and while the kit is very well made and I’m sure you will do great, I wish I didn’t deviate from the original plans as it probably would have turned out a little better. Remember this all takes time, if you take your time I’m sure it will turn out great! I’m looking forward to following your build.

 

Bradley

[bobandlucy]

Hi, Keith. Thanks for this build log. I'm starting this model with no experience. The very first step confuses me. The instructions say to glue the three bottom planks together, and then glue the cleats to the bottom planks. How might I clamp the three planks together? From your picture the only glue I see is along the cleats. . .

 

Thanks very much, Bob

[kurtvd19]

You can also use the one piece bottom provided.  Please do yourself a favor and read the instructions all the way through before you glue a single part together.  I always tell newbies this is always step #1.

You can weight the center piece on top of a piece of glass or wax paper and put a bit of glue on one of the side pieces, push them together and weight the 2nd piece till the glue cures.  Repeat with the third piece.  I have a metal assembly fixture with magnets for this kind of work but weights work just as well.

 

 

[druxey]

Usually finger pressure is sufficient to hold the joint until the glue sets. White glue will do this in a minute or so. No need for clamps really.

[Keithbrad80]

2 hours ago, bobandlucy said:

Hi, Keith. Thanks for this build log. I'm starting this model with no experience. The very first step confuses me. The instructions say to glue the three bottom planks together, and then glue the cleats to the bottom planks. How might I clamp the three planks together? From your picture the only glue I see is along the cleats. . .

 

Thanks very much, Bob

Hi bob, 

 

its been awhile since i have looked at this model, honestly I finished it and forgot to update this log. If I remember correctly the laser cut sheets offer two options, three laser cut planks to hold the cleats or one laser cut piece to hold the cleats. Both should be on the same sheet of laser cut parts, I’m pretty sure they offered both so the builder could determine their own level of difficulty. You can either cut the three planks out whic will probably provide a more realistic look, or you can use the one piece which is easier and faster. As @druxey mentioned finger pressure should be enough to hold everything together while the glue sets, as he also mentions white glue is a good option for this model. @kurtvd19 also mentioned that you should read through the entire instruction booklet to understand what’s next. This step is critical, if you fully understand each step it will make construction easier and result in a much nicer model. Good luck and have fun!

[bobandlucy]

Thanks to both of you In the meantime I had figured it out, that finger pressure would do for this step (done). But I veered off into the subject of edge-gluing planks in general. These instructions call  for edge-gluing on both sides and bottom planks. But I read that not everyone does this? Thanks again, Bob

[bobandlucy]

4 hours ago, kurtvd19 said:

You can also use the one piece bottom provided.  Please do yourself a favor and read the instructions all the way through before you glue a single part together.  I always tell newbies this is always step #1.

You can weight the center piece on top of a piece of glass or wax paper and put a bit of glue on one of the side pieces, push them together and weight the 2nd piece till the glue cures.  Repeat with the third piece.  I have a metal assembly fixture with magnets for this kind of work but weights work just as well.

 

 

Thanks, Kurt. I Just used my fingers, but will try weights next time. I am keeping up with the instructions, but as you say, did not want to glue before I know what I was doing. Onward!

 

Bob