Orca by FlyingFish – FINISHED - Scale 1:20 - from the movie Jaws.

[michael mott]

An interesting build I am very interested in how your framing and planking will turn out.

 

Michael

[FlyingFish]

Thanks Michael, as a bit of a newcomer to all this, so will I!

[FlyingFish]

Have the frames true to within 1mm at the sheer, rabbet and at each waterline. Some adjustment needs and a couple rebuilt. Getting a sense of the shape of the hull now.  May remake the jig to simplify it and allow more room to add the floors ribs and ribbands.  Next step is to fair the edges of the frames. It's only at this stage that I feel I have a set of plans that are accurate to the original.

 

 

[FlyingFish]

A little progress…

Cutting the rib pockets out using my little home made chisels.

 

 

The rabbet has been moved to allow for the altered planking line amidships.

 

 

I’m learning to be more accurate with each one… might even have a half decent pocket by the time I get to No. 26!

 

 

Then on to prepare the frames so that I can fix the ribbands to them without gluing, and have some clamping points for planking later…

I use a simple little edge marker for this..

 

 

 

A bit crude, but it seems to work. When making this I wished I had a lathe and mill so that I could make one in brass, but making do with what I have available.

 

 

Then a happy hour or two on a 16” Draper scroll saw, listening to jazz helps with repetitive tasks.

 

 

The idea is to use my little 19mm clamps like so…

 

 

 

[FlyingFish]

On to the ribbands....

First need to cut some new stock - plenty of semi-green field maple left, and really like the way this works with hand tools.

 

 

 

Ribbands are 3.5mm square and 650mm long.

Rather than attempt to replicate the number that would be used in life, I have opted to place ribbands where they will hold the shape of the ribs when they are steamed in. I intend to bend the ribs to shape in advance, so if I get this right they will hold in place once fitted.

 

 

Using soft copper wire to hold them in place to keep the clutter of clamps down. 

 

Now on to a batch bend of the ribs.... nearly had a disaster here - used the best stainless steel casserole dish to heat the ribs - almost got caught by the head woman returning it to the kitchen cupboard. Phew.

 

 

Hope these turn out alright... we shall see.

 

[neilm]

Lovely steady work. Really nice .😊

[FlyingFish]

Thanks for the thumbs up!

Still steamin' and bendin'.....

 

 

 

 

 

Got some work to do to the bow section; it will be mightily fiddly once I get to the sharp end!

All this will come off again once all the ribs are steamed into their shape, so that the frames can get their final fairing sanding, and then planking lines worked out. Oh and I need more mini clamps - lots more!

 

 

[FlyingFish]

Thinking forward to planking the hull. Firstly, I've had a good look through the resources on this forum; really excellent tutorials etc - thanks to all of you for passing on this useful information - the depth of knowledge is tremendous. I've had tried to follow some of what I've read, but treat me as ignorant and you won't be disappointed!

 

Any tips or suggestions gratefully received, need my hand held here. My mind is full of drops strakes and stealers, edge setting and hood ends. Just love the language.

 

 

'Lining out' - I've no idea if this is the right way to do this, but I started by marking card strips at each station at the rabbet, DWL and sheer, then lining them up at the waterline to look at the proportions I got, S1 being at the stern.

 

My first thought was that the strakes below the WL would have to narrow too much coming forward until by S11 or 12 they would be too narrow. 

Strakes above the WL would widen going forward. So it seems to me therefore that the lower strakes might sweep up towards the stem to take up some of this space.

 

Looking at warlock's bow, the planking shows through the paint, and I've highlighted what lines I can see, which seem to bear this idea out.

 

 

So reading Antscherl's tutorial, I guess my next step is to get some thread and mark out on the frames how the planks might sweep up from the WL amidships in groups to the stem and transom. Have I got that bit right so far?

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

 

On 2/28/2021 at 8:33 PM, FlyingFish said:

almost got caught by the head woman returning it to the kitchen cupboard. Phew.

 You are either very brave or foolish. 

[FlyingFish]

18 hours ago, KeithAug said:

very brave or foolish

Oh it's got worse... gave her a lockdown haircut yesterday - now she looks like a wet chicken. I'm going out someplace for a bit.

[FlyingFish]

Made a quick jig for thicknessing strip planking, (credits to the Open Wood Shop You Tube channel). Wasn't expecting it to be so accurate. Shooting for 2.5mm; very chuffed at the repeatability.

[FlyingFish]

Progress has been steady, and perhaps a little painstaking.  But then I consider it a bit like taking a small Jack Russell terrier dog for a walk… for each single mile of the walk, the dog does two – and gathers scents and all sorts of doggie info along the way. An older wiser dog does not need to scamper about; he has learned all there is to know about the territory, and just pads along efficiently.

Well, here I am, inexperienced, tail wagging furiously but I have marked out the territory and covered the miles.  If you have stuck with me so far, thank you, you are very patient.

Preparing for Planking –

Fitted some of the floors painted in ‘antifoul’ and painted the keel and keelson and horn interior surfaces.

Did quite a bit more work on the frames fairing, trying to get as close to the pictures of Orca’s hull as possible.

 

 

Lining out-

As previously shown, I used card (tick strips?) at each station to mark the sheer DWL and rabbet and then used a thin plank along the DWL the see how it would lie as it came forward and rose towards the stem at each waterline. Some spiling will be needed here.

Using the reference photos of Warlock I decided on the plank width for the deadrise bilge and topsides. A few test fits to see what edge setting; bending or steaming might be needed, and a plan emerged.

Used a fan template to transfer the planking widths from the tick strips to the frames at each station. Then waxed the edge of each frame to stop the CA glue sticking.

 

 

 

 

Then prepared stock for planking.

After considering Tulip and Beech of which I had some seasoned offcuts I decided to keep with the maple as it really does machine well, and my wife planted it, which makes it nicely home grown.  My only slight concern is that it was felled in December and has only had a very brief time seasoning. I recon that once cut to size and left in the shop for a few days it will do most of it is shrinking before I fit it. I also have enough to build a fleet.

The garboard and broad strakes band will have 1.6 x 5.8mm nominal planks. The commons at the turn of the bilge slightly narrower. The topside band will have 1.6 x6mm which will narrow somewhat forward.

A happy hour or two produced a decent stock which I have brought into the house to dry a little before fitting. Leaving on a radiator is a sort of kiln drying, and hopefully prevents gaps appearing later.

 

This mini plane is exactly right for shaving the planks to width – 2 thou per pass. I've got the blade razor sharp.

 

 

Ready for planking… the widths are set out on the ‘lofting floor’ and the Stanley knife jig takes a fine shaving off where needed.

 

The planks fixed with PVA glue to the rabbet and on their edges, and CA to the ribs.

The garboard and first broad stake are fiddly to get at, but after that it goes more easily.

The next post should see planking moving on now.

 

 

 

[Matt D]

Those tick marks look good.  I hope your planking goes well.  Farewell and adieu.

[neilm]

Fantastic work. So neat and detailed.

[FlyingFish]

Thanks for the thumbs up! 

10 hours ago, Matt D said:

Farewell and adieu

'For we've received orders for to sail back to Boston!'

[FlyingFish]

A spell of mild dry weather distracts me to spring tasks, but time for a few planks to be fixed....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[neilm]

Fantastic. Are those special bulldog clips or adapted ? Great idea.

[Harvey Golden]

Brilliant binder clip mod!  I glued dog-legs onto clothespins to do the exact same thing, but they just don't grip as well. Lovely project too!

[FlyingFish]

Thanks for comments and thumbs up. Just ordinary binder clips with a third arm held in the spring - can't claim credit, saw it on here somewhere I think. They are very 'handy'.

[FlyingFish]

The warm settled weather continues, and outside jobs call, but inbetween a little progress.

 

 

... and finally the whiskey plank (or cup of tea in my case).

 

 

Fillin' Sandin' and scrapin'...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mostly happy with the way this went, but one plank in the middle threw the symmetry, but pulled it back later. Sheer luck I say. 

 

[FlyingFish]

Bit more sandin'... 

 

 

 

Time to clean up the transum..

 

 

and take out the frames....

 

 

 

Test fit only of the first floors - 

 

 

Adding last few ribs where frames obstructed then earlier...

 

Most of this happened because the grass cutter broke. Must break something else tomorrow...

 

 

[neilm]

Fantastic work. Great skill !

[FlyingFish]

'Hooper – full throttle!'

Orca needs an engine. It will only be seen through the hatch, but it is an important part of the plot – if the engine hadn’t died, Quint would still be in one piece…

However there is no shot of the engine in the movie.

 

The only reference I can find out there for the engine suggests it was (surprisingly) a 4 cylinder petrol (gas) engine.

No idea what make, so let’s go with a Volvo Penta 130 which would be about right, I think.

A little research and scaling later…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FlyingFish]

'I'm not talkin' about pleasure boatin' or day sailin'. I'm talkin' about workin' for a livin'. I'm talkin' about sharkin'.

 

So the engine is ready for the installing on the boat. Quint no doubt would be pleased that we have got him a second hand somewhat beaten up power plant.

It's down on the dock on a pallet...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

I think that the beaten up nature of the engine makes it more endearing but shouldn't the pallet be stained with oil? Noting how knackered the engine looks surely the odd seal or two should have gone?

[FlyingFish]

32 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

shouldn't the pallet be stained with oil? 

Like the one that they brought the rudder control on you mean?

[FlyingFish]

It's no wonder Quint blew the engine, look at the state of it.

 

 

 

Anyway the rudder control is fitted - let's hope he doesn't break that.

 

 

[FlyingFish]

Planning out the next steps.. spring tasks (and the start of the fly fishing season) prevent much more getting done... some guesswork here, little is shown in the film of the interior. If you know differently, I'd be pleased to be corrected.

[Roger Pellett]

A couple of thoughts.

 

Moulds, Ribbands, Steam Bent Frames, you built her just like they would have built the real thing.

 

Models of small craft are not easy to build because of the small scantlings that support the planking.  You did a great job.

 

Roger

[neilm]

Post a few on here. We all would be interested ☺