Pilar by ThirdCoast - Constructo - Scale 1:27 - Earnest Hemingway's Yacht

[ThirdCoast]

I recently finished my first build so next I've decided to start on the fishing yacht, Pilar. Why Pilar?  For anyone that isn't familiar with this boat, Earnest Hemingway commissioned Pilar in 1934 and he had many adventures with it throughout his life. I studied literature in college (now completely unrelated to my current profession), which is why I think I became fascinated with his boat. I'm starting to see a pattern of the types of builds that interest me; Winslow Homer painted Grand Bank Dory's (my first build) and Earnest Hemingway's beloved fishing yacht draw a connection between art, literature, and the sea.

 

On the technical side though, the reason I picked Pilar is because I'd like more experience with planking and metalwork both of which this build has a multitude of. In fact, it looks like every single mm of the Pilar is planked in some way so I expect to come out the other end having more than enough experience (and either loving it or hating it).

 

Onto the build!

 

Here is the Pilar on the cover of the Constructo box. It arrived packaged within another box for shipping so it was in great shape. No visible external damage:

 

 

This model was quite a bit more expensive than my first one (nearly double) so I wasn't sure what to expect. I assumed the price was a reflection of all of the different wood for planking but I think that price also reflects a very organized kit with wonderful full color instructions:

 

 

I quickly managed to assemble the false keel and was really happy with how straight everything was at this point. It was solid, true, and I could dry fit easily before gluing everything in place:

 

 

I was also happy that this boat isn't massive. I have very limited working space right now and I was relieved to see that it's only about an inch longer than my first build. I have just enough working space! 😬

 

 

Moving onto the center deck, I'm finding that the provided board for various pieces (including the center deck that I need for the next step) are warped and I'm not really sure what to do about it:

 

 

Should I stop, soak the panels, and try to flatten the entire thing out? Or would it be easier to do that for individual pieces as they're needed? I think the former but I would like to hear what others have done in this situation too.

 

Thanks for following along! This should be a fun one. 

 

[ThirdCoast]

After assembling the keel and frames, I started planking the aft deck which, if we're being honest, is more like veneering. Nothing too complicated here except to be aware of the thin "planks" splintering pretty easily. They're pretty thin.

 

 

And another word of warning is to make sure you're pushing the the deck into place carefully. It's a tight fit and the planks will buckle up pretty easily when they come into contact with the side walls. Or, just use a lot more glue than I did. 

 

 

And it's set in place.

 

After that I formed, the sides of the deck with a quick soak and curling iron. I learned pretty quickly that it's better to keep the iron temperature relatively low otherwise the heat makes the wood a little bit warped and kind of cooked. Otherwise, it wasn't too much effort to get it glued down sanded/filed evenly with the reinforcements and then line it up with the main deck:

 

 

Next I'll be venturing into real planking with the hull. 

 

In the mean time, I wonder if anyone can help me understand the process of finishing the wood. I've stained wood before but this model calls for varnish. The instructions say:

 

Quote

Use clear satin-finish nitrocellulose varnish. Apply one coat after you have finished polishing the wood. Leave to dry, sand the varnished sruface with fine sandpaper and repeat the operation a couple of times. Once the last coat of varnish is dry, rub over gently with fine steel wool following the grain of the wood.

 

Does anyone have link to a product for "satin-finish nitrocellulose varnish" or a recommendation of what they prefer to use? I searched for this online but it's a little bit confusing about which product to purchase. 

 

[Patrick Matthews]

Any varnish could be used, builder's choice. But note that many details in this kit are completely wrong, including the finish shown on the box art. Hull should be black with a red bottom; transom MAY be varnished mahogany. I haven't confirmed what the cabin was... one source says mahogany (quite possible), and it may have been unstained early, and a darker stain later... the wood would be frequently refinished over the years.
The kit represents the boat as it sat at Finca Vigia before its latest restoration, including later gaudy modifications that Hemingway likely never saw, and loss of critical drive hardware like the bronze rudder footing and auxiliary drive. Here's my interpretation of what the boat should look like:

https://modelshipworld.com/gallery/album/2157-hemingways-pilar-in-112/

 

[ThirdCoast]

@Patrick Matthews Your gallery of Pilar is awesome!! The details you've added are perfection. This will be a nice reference for me (and a good way to pick out the irregularities with the Constructo model). I am definitely planning to do the black hull too. I knew going into this model that the color on the box wasn't going to be how it ended up. Your gallery will be super helpful for me with part though.

 

I was going to get a bottle of Minwax Wipe-On Poly. Is this even considered varnish? I've literally never done it before so I don't have a builder's choice yet. I really like how your model has a little bit of a shine but still looks natural. What did you use?

[Patrick Matthews]

Thanks. Cabin is cherry with Minwax Gunstock and spray can semigloss lacquer. Hull is fiberglass over basswood, primed and semigloss Rustoleum black, wet sanded and waxed (!)

[Roger Pellett]

These old semi planing hull raised fore deck cruisers of the 1930’s are real classics.  WoodenBoat Magazine often runs articles on the restoration of these.  They also included an article on Pilar several years ago.  You might want to get reprints of some of these to clarify or add details for your model.  I believe they have an online index.

 

Roger

[Patrick Matthews]

But don't look at it too closely, that's NOT Pilar. Another boat converted to loosely resemble Pilar, but wrong in major ways.

 

Also don't look too closely at Wes Wheeler's modern interpretation of Pilar, it too is different in many ways, not at all a replica.

 

Also don't look too closely at the thing in the BassPro shop in Florida, it is neither Pilar nor even a Wheeler.

 

 

[ThirdCoast]

My first real hull planking is done. It was actually quite a bit more work than I expected. Granted there were a lot of days that I didn't have more time than to do a single plank but even so, it surprised me how much time it took to go through the process of dry fitting, measuring, gluing, fitting, sometimes refitting, sanding, etc. And this model is pretty simple compared to others so I'm thoroughly impressed by everyone who can create masterpieces much more complicated than this one.

 

Maybe there is a smarter way to have done this but with little experience I just followed the instructions as closely as I could. I worked my way from fore to aft and planked on either side simultaneously to try and keep it as even as possible:

 

\

 

 

 

 

I made calculations based on the numbers of planks against each bulkhead and did my best to cut the planks based on those calculations:

 

 

 

The keel planks were a little tricky. I think I should have laid them down from the start instead of at the end because the planks coming up on each side weren't a perfect fit at this point. It probably would have looked nicer to have it perfectly even going down the center. I had to tear up a plank on the port side to make it fit a little nicer. Plus it was an awkward bend of the blank from its flat side to get it to turn around the front rabbet. Nothing in the instructions described how to do these planks so I just took a best guess.

 

 

And finally got all the planks down and started to sand (which was another really time consuming step):

 

 

One final note, the kit provided a bunch of little tacks or nails that the instructions said should hold down the planks before gluing (and then taken out after) but I found them to be pretty useless. I couldn't get them to actually drive into the wood efficiently and even when I could, the wood just kind of split a bit and they weren't strong enough to actually hold anything down. So I just went for some Gorilla Super Glue Gel XL and it worked really well. 

 

 

Next I guess I have a decision to make. The instructions say that there is another layer of planking (a veneer of dark mazonia or something). I know some folks skip this 2nd layer and just go straight to painting the hull black but I'm hesitating now. I kind of want to see how it looks with the dark wood planking on top now. I know that it's not true to the original Pilar but it might do me good to have the extra practice planking and I could end up liking how it looks that way without painting over it all. In the end, we're doing this for our own enjoyment, right? Maybe it won't be exactly as Hemingway would have liked it but it might be how I like it. 😄

 

Till next time!

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by ThirdCoast

[ThirdCoast]

Some more progress with the second layer of planking. This veneer layer was a little difficult to work with because it was so thin and I clumsily nicked and cracked it on the edges more times than I'd like to admit. I had to replace some areas when that happened which was tedious.

 

I have been following the instructions in order which meant putting the keel on during this final stage of planking but I learned quickly that it's a big pain to deal with it when trying to put on the decking layer. You will see it in these pictures but I took it off when I started the deck planking and will attach it again once I have painted.

 

The plans say that painting the hull should come at the very end but I can already see that will be very difficult to do once all the decking works are assembled so I'm going to jump around a little and do that step next (once the paint comes in the mail) before I start assembling above deck.

 

 

False keel planked and attached but I'll tear this off out of frustration from it getting knocked around while doing the upper deck planking.

 

 

I had to add some cheaters on the 2nd layer of planks and you can see how the edges chip really easily near the stem. I'm confident that the gunwale strips and paint will cover up these imperfections though.

 

 

A fun stem curve to have to fit here.

 

 

Stand is planked and ready for assembly.

 

 

Stand with a couple coats of poly and our model progressing.

 

 

 

Planking the decks and transom.

 

 

Added a couple layers of poly and starting to plank the sides.

 

I'll hold off on attaching the sides or doing any other steps related to the deck until I can get the hull painted. It'll just be too much trouble working on anything else until that's done. 

 

This is my first time planking and I'm learning a lot about it. If there was ever a model to start planking, this one has plenty of it for you. Just about everything needs a layer and I'm certainly getting my fill of it.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by ThirdCoast

[H March]

On 1/5/2021 at 6:45 AM, ThirdCoast said:

Some more progress with the second layer of planking. This veneer layer was a little difficult to work with because it was so thin and I clumsily nicked and cracked it on the edges more times than I'd like to admit. I had to replace some areas when that happened which was tedious.

 

I have been following the instructions in order which meant putting the keel on during this final stage of planking but I learned quickly that it's a big pain to deal with it when trying to put on the decking layer. You will see it in these pictures but I took it off when I started the deck planking and will attach it again once I have painted.

 

The plans say that painting the hull should come at the very end but I can already see that will be very difficult to do once all the decking works are assembled so I'm going to jump around a little and do that step next (once the paint comes in the mail) before I start assembling above deck.

 

 

False keel planked and attached but I'll tear this off out of frustration from it getting knocked around while doing the upper deck planking.

 

 

I had to add some cheaters on the 2nd layer of planks and you can see how the edges chip really easily near the stem. I'm confident that the gunwale strips and paint will cover up these imperfections though.

 

 

A fun stem curve to have to fit here.

 

 

Stand is planked and ready for assembly.

 

 

Stand with a couple coats of poly and our model progressing.

 

 

 

Planking the decks and transom.

 

 

Added a couple layers of poly and starting to plank the sides.

 

I'll hold off on attaching the sides or doing any other steps related to the deck until I can get the hull painted. It'll just be too much trouble working on anything else until that's done. 

 

This is my first time planking and I'm learning a lot about it. If there was ever a model to start planking, this one has plenty of it for you. Just about everything needs a layer and I'm certainly getting my fill of it.

On 1/5/2021 at 6:45 AM, ThirdCoast said:

Some more progress with the second layer of planking. This veneer layer was a little difficult to work with because it was so thin and I clumsily nicked and cracked it on the edges more times than I'd like to admit. I had to replace some areas when that happened which was tedious.

 

I have been following the instructions in order which meant putting the keel on during this final stage of planking but I learned quickly that it's a big pain to deal with it when trying to put on the decking layer. You will see it in these pictures but I took it off when I started the deck planking and will attach it again once I have painted.

 

The plans say that painting the hull should come at the very end but I can already see that will be very difficult to do once all the decking works are assembled so I'm going to jump around a little and do that step next (once the paint comes in the mail) before I start assembling above deck.

 

 

False keel planked and attached but I'll tear this off out of frustration from it getting knocked around while doing the upper deck planking.

 

 

I had to add some cheaters on the 2nd layer of planks and you can see how the edges chip really easily near the stem. I'm confident that the gunwale strips and paint will cover up these imperfections though.

 

 

A fun stem curve to have to fit here.

 

 

Stand is planked and ready for assembly.

 

 

Stand with a couple coats of poly and our model progressing.

 

 

 

Planking the decks and transom.

 

 

Added a couple layers of poly and starting to plank the sides.

 

I'll hold off on attaching the sides or doing any other steps related to the deck until I can get the hull painted. It'll just be too much trouble working on anything else until that's done. 

 

This is my first time planking and I'm learning a lot about it. If there was ever a model to start planking, this one has plenty of it for you. Just about everything needs a layer and I'm certainly getting my fill of it.

 

 

 

 

Your veneer 2nd planking looks good. What glue did you use?
Harry

 

[H March]

Your veneer 2nd planking looks good. What kind of glue did you use?

 

Harry

[ThirdCoast]

35 minutes ago, H March said:

Your veneer 2nd planking looks good. What kind of glue did you use?

 

Harry

 

Hi Harry,

 

Thank you. I'm mostly using Gorilla Super Glue Gel XL. Because it's in some kind of a gel form, it gives me a few seconds fiddle with placement compared to a regular super glue.

[ThirdCoast]

It's been some time since my last post but progress has been made. I apologize to anyone looking for an "authentic" paint job. I didn't have the motivation to make it an exact replica like I said that I wanted to do in the beginning (black and red) so I just went along with the kit (white). Not to mention, I put so much work into the 2nd planking veneer and I thought it looked nice so it would have been painful to see it painted over. 

 

Even though the instructions don't have you painting the hull until the end, I realized pretty quickly that it would be extremely difficult to do that after putting together the upper deck so I decided to do it now. They want you to mix white paint with red to make a weird pinkish color but I didn't like that. I just went with white and applied the red strip that came with the kit.

 

Drawing the water line.

 

 

A couple layers of primer.

 

 

A couple layers of white over the primer with painters tape removed at the water line.

 

 

 

Added the kit's red stripe along the water line. The kit provides some kind of a rubber or latex sticker material. It would look better painted with a stripe instead of a shiny latex like material but it'll do for now.

 

 

 

Next glued the sides which also frame out the bridge windows.

 

Cat tax!

 

Bridge windows attached. If anyone smashes open the boat in the future, they'll find a message.

 

 

I mentioned before that the veneer strips are really delicate and were a little frustrating to work with as you can see below where they have chipped away rather easily at the ends. It was hard to not wince every time I saw them but I knew eventually I would come to this step where I'd add the wales and they would magically disappear. Now you see them....

 

Now you don't. (mostly).

 

From here I've just been adding all of the various wales and rubbing strakes with their bends and turns (using a quick soak in water and curling iron). This is the part where it's starting to look like a real boat and I've been pretty happy with how it's shaping up:

 

 

 

 

I'll start building the bridge next with all its fun details like the cabin door, wheel, rudders, and furniture. Until next time! 👋