Friendship Sloop by Nathan559 - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - first build

[Nathan559]

This is a thread of my first model ship build. It is the bluejacket shipcrafter’s kit for the 1” scale Friendship Sloop. It is a plank on bulkhead model. I am new at this so bear with me as it will take a while. So far I have completed the first steps on preparing the framing pieces, currently I am working on the keel assembly. 

[Nathan559]

The keel assembly is finished and sanded. Moving on I will be fitting the bulkheads. All things considered I think I am making decent time, but that’s not really a big concern as I’m more interested in doing it right than doing it fast. 

[Nathan559]

Sorry it has been so long since my last update, I have found myself quite busy with school over the last several weeks. Currently I am working to sand the bulkheads to accept the planking. Since the last time I posted I have glued the bulkheads as well as the deck and cockpit floor pieces in place. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will start to apply planking to the hill. 

[Nathan559]

I finished beveling the model and it is ready for planks. I will have to read up on the specifics of bending planks, so it may be a while before I actually get started. For now I made a jig to hold the model while I plank. It is hinged so I can tip it if need be. There is a screw in the back that secures it from

moving without permission. 

[Nathan559]

At this point I’ve put in the garboard planks and the mahogany piece at the back. I used a bit of lightweight sparkle to fill in some gaps and I’m quite pleased with how it’s coming. Moving forward I will be continuing the planking process. 

[gsdpic]

Looks like a good start.  I am a fan of both Bluejacket and of small work or pleasure boats so I will follow along to see how your build goes.  At first I thought this was the smaller of the two Bluejacket Friendship Sloop kits, but then I saw the ruler in the last picture.  Is this the larger one, the 1"=1 foot scale model?

 

By the way, I was just looking at your jig.  It looks you will not be able to remove those screws holding the model to the jig once you complete planking.  I assume you have a plan for that, but wanted to point it out just in case.

 

Edited February 22, 2021 by gsdpic

[Nathan559]

33 minutes ago, gsdpic said:

Looks like a good start.  I am a fan of both Bluejacket and of small work or pleasure boats so I will follow along to see how your build goes.  At first I thought this was the smaller of the two Bluejacket Friendship Sloop kits, but then I saw the ruler in the last picture.  Is this the larger one, the 1"=1 foot scale model?

 

By the way, I was just looking at your jig.  It looks you will not be able to remove those screws holding the model to the jig once you complete planking.  I assume you have a plan for that, but wanted to point it out just in case.

 

Thanks for the support! Yes this is the 1” = 1’ model, when I was at bluejacket’s store I decided I liked the larger one more. And as for the screws I am planning to run some longer ones from up underneath the piece of wood it is fitted on so I can remove the model at the end. Thank you for pointing it out though! 

[Nathan559]

It’s been a while, I got quite busy nearing the end of the school year and my progress slowed. July allowed me to make much better progress however. At this point I have finished the planning on one side of the boat and am only a few planks away from being complete on the other side. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to sand it smooth and get the primer coat on. 

[Nathan559]

The planking is done! It took me a while, mostly because I didn’t work on it steadily, but it’s complete. Moving forward it’s going to be time to sand and fill the little gaps then apply the primer coat. I am quite pleased with how the planking came out considering this is my first model. 

[MrBlueJacket]

Very credible job, Nathan. A little putty and you'll have a fine hull. I can recommend these fillers:

Auto glazing putty

Bondo

Wall spackle

plaster if Paris

 

I would stay away from carpenter's fillers, they dry too hard to sane evenly with the softer basswood.

 

Nic

 

PS - nice to see you last week.

[Nathan559]

On 9/7/2021 at 9:15 AM, MrBlueJacket said:

Very credible job, Nathan. A little putty and you'll have a fine hull. I can recommend these fillers:

Auto glazing putty

Bondo

Wall spackle

plaster if Paris

 

I would stay away from carpenter's fillers, they dry too hard to sane evenly with the softer basswood.

 

Nic

 

PS - nice to see you last week.

Thanks for the recommendations Nic! I ended up using the light spackle and I think it came out well. Progress has been slow due to a large workload in school, but I should have an update up in the next day or two. 
 

Nathan

[Nathan559]

At this point I have sanded the model down and put a base coat of white paint on it. First I sanded it using a mouse sander and 100 grit sandpaper to get the majority of the material off. Then I used 150 grit on the mouse sander to get it to a nicer finish before using wood filler. Then I used a light spackle to fill gaps in the hull and smooth out a few sections, and finally I sanded it smooth with 300 grit by hand. I ended up applying some more spackle and sanding it again with 300 before putting the paint on. Now that the base white coat is applied I am going to lightly sand it to take out some inconsistencies then paint the section above the waterline with a couple more coats of white until I am satisfied with the finish. Then I will draw the waterline and tape it to do the red below the waterline. Once the red is done I will use 1/8 inch black tape to put over the waterline to cover up any waviness and give it a nice sharp finish. Finally I will use varnish or some similar product to put a final finish on the hull before I move on to the upper works. I will be installing the rudder along the way as well. I’m hoping to make progress in a timely fashion, however I have a significant school work load so I cannot guarantee any timeline. I think it’s turning out well so far, and I am excited for the rest of the build. 

[Nathan559]

Finished the hill painting, attached the rudder, and mounted it to its cradle. The directions show it being mounted to a baseboard, but because I’m going to make that myself I am waiting until later to do so. It seems to be turning out well so far. On to the upper works. 

[turangi]

Model looks very nice! Good job.

[Steve Rongo]

I used a water base wood filler on the hull that easily sanded off to a fine dust. Next the entire hull was spray painted with primer.

I would like to paint by brush the hull bottom and above the water line.

Any suggestions to avoid brush-streaks? Thank you.

[Sam A]

Working on the same build. Trying to understand the sheer line and how it all comes together. Any pics?