18th c Ships boats by Blue Ensign – FINISHED - Vanguard Models -1:64

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Jason,

Chris has provided a great service to the ship modelling community by producing this range.

So many other offering are less than convincing and need a lot of work to make them even half decent.

 

Post two

 

Connecting keel and bulkheads

 

I experienced a little trouble slotting the keel into the bulkheads that have been placed in the slotted board.

 

I found it necessary to fine sand both bulkheads and slotted keel to get the two to come together, and the keel to sit fully down on the bulkheads.

 

Too much pressure could spell disaster to the keel, and slow and easy is the way to go.

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Once satisfied diluted pva was applied to the joints, and the stern board was glued into place.

9980

The fit of the bulkheads in the building board is a tad loose so as with the cutter build I added spots of pva beneath a couple of the tabs to secure the boat to the base.

9973(2)

With everything set overnight I can begin the fairing process.

 

 

B.E.

 

21/01/21

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Three

Fairing and planking – on hold.

The vulnerable stem piece is on my mind as I prepare to start the fairing.

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With good reason, as before I even start the stem piece comes away with the slightest of touch, and then breaks into three pieces.

9987(2)

This is not going to work as the stem with its rabbet is a critical piece, requiring lateral strength to hold the plank ends.

Once the stage is reached whereby the first planking strake is secured in the rabbet the whole process then becomes stronger but getting there is the issue.

9993(2)

It may be that my example is particularly weak, but having this fragile upright extension cut with cross grain is probably a contributing factor.

I think I need to remodel the stem cut on the longitudinal grain and form a scarph joint to hold the remade piece more securely.

 

I may be some time. 🤔

 

B.E.

21/01/21

 

 

[bruce d]

Commiserations. Broke mine too but yours looks trickier. I am about to do some tests with UV curing glue on wood, will let you know if it proves useful.

[Rik Thistle]

B.E.

 

#32... cross grain is probably a contributing factor.

 

I've experienced similar breaks with small cross grain parts in ship kits, and in other items from everday life.

 

The perfect solution is to change everything to a more robust material but that's impractical. 

 

I suspect the best fix of a bad bunch is to make the part that breaks out of a tough plastic or a workable metal (that can be correctly painted/coloured) , and also move the 'break point' further down into the part where there is real strength in the wooden item. That means removing 'good' wood till a strong enough joint section is found.

 

The part has already broken twice....and things do come in three's, they say 😉

 

Richard

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Several hours later...…..

Post Four

Fixing the stem

 

This entails cutting a new stem piece from some spare 1mm Pearwood sheet.

0999(2)

Rough cut shape

 

0004

Cutting the scarph, the etched saw blades are perfect for this scale of work.

 

0008(2)

Fairly easy to shape a new part, final shaping will be done later.

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A scarph is then cut in the stem below the level of the break

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The new piece is glued and pinned.

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A little bit of shaping.

 

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Hopefully, this new piece will be more robust.

 

 

B.E.

21/01/21

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Five

 

Fairing and Planking – resumed.

 

 

With the stem hopefully fixed the boat is once again inverted on it build board.

 

024

I have taken the precaution of fitting a stem guard to the board, those familiar with Chris Watton’s kits will recognise its origin.

035

Sanding the mdf bulkheads is almost too easy, need to guard against removing too much by frequent checking with a test board along the hull.

 

Despite my soft hands and using fine grade sanding paper the Pearwood stern board (Y11) snapped in two where it fits over the stern post.

 

In this case the vertical grain is a weakness when it comes to lateral fairing.

030

I re-glued the part but took the precaution of using it as a template to make a horizontally grained version if needed.

050

The degree of fairing to get a fair run of planks can be seen in this photo.

 

 

The kit blurb suggests using pva to glue the planking rather than ca.

PVA is my preferred method but securing the planks on this tiny hull is a lot trickier using pva than using spots of ca.

 

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For the initial planking runs I used inverted Amati clamps and any other suitable holding devices that came to hand, sometimes bent into diverse shapes in an attempt to hold the planks in place.

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Pins fitted thro’ the base board at the stern hold the plank against the stern board.

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Heat is used to create the bow curve into the rabbet.

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The first plank has a convenient shoulder to sit against and doesn’t require tapering.

 

 

With some relief, once the first planks are on the whole structure becomes stronger with both stem and stern board secured.

 

 

B.E.

24/01/21

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Rik Thistle]

This is very useful since I am currently about to put the first plank on my Flirt's boat.

 

I had already decided I needed to heat the first plank (and the others) to curve it inwards to meet the rabbet, and also needed to greatly feather the plank end catch onto the rabbet.

 

Should all the planks catch into the laser etched rabbet gap, or is CA glue used to position the plank end adjacent to the rabbet line?

 

Any advice gladly received,

 

Richard

 

PS: I like the two pins at the other end to hold the plank curve.

 

Edit: I've now got the first plank on...CA and a slight wideneing of the laser cut rabbet has done the trick.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Rik Thistle

[Blue Ensign]

Unlike the revised Cutter kit the Yawl kit doesn’t have a lower rabbet.

Only the first two planks fit into the stem rabbet on the Yawl  kit. The others will have to butt up against the stem.

With very little to get a purchase to clamp at the bow I think I will have to revert to ca for the bow area across the first two bulkheads and use pva for the rest of the length.

I haven’t quite worked out a strategy for the subsequent planks yet.

 Cheers,

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Six

Planking continues.

 

The second strake which also slots into the bow rabbet is now fitted. This strake is also untapered.

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Even with a rabbet this plank proves difficult to clamp close to the first two bulkheads, and a degree of inventiveness is required.

0075

The stern area is also tricky to hold the plank firmly against both stern board and adjacent plank.

00109

Looks like some bevelling is required between planks.

0107

The question now is how to proceed?

 

 

I have decided to use ca to glue the bow area strakes. This is a tricky area to clamp and without the benefit of a rabbet may prove a frustrating exercise.

 

The main issue with ca is marking the wood surface particularly on the inside which is difficult to remove, and won’t be obvious until the frames are removed.

 

The get out of jail card is that the forward area of the Yawl is covered by a Fore deck which will cover any minor internal marks.

 

Between this area and the stern I will use pva which can more easily be cleaned as I work along.

 

I wanted to get an idea of how the planking will work out.

 

22 planks are supplied in the kit, 20 will be required to plank the hull, leaving two spares, one of which has broken during  the bending process.

 

I think that probably two extra planks each side would cover the risk of running short of useable planks.

 

The third plank requires heat bending and tapering from the third frame forward.

 

00111

Using ca across the first two frames takes a lot of frustration out of the process and wetting the plank end aids rapid grab.

 

00115

For those who don’t know, what you see in these photos are Hairdressers sectioning clips, very useful for clamping  lightweight objects where a firm but not fierce grip is required.

They can be bent and filed into different shapes to suit and get into places where even other small clamps won’t fit.

 

Having spent most of the day fitting three planks I have a growing appreciation of the fortitude shown by Mr Hatch in completing numerous of these teasing little beasts.

 

 

HeyHo

 

 

B.E.

26/1/21

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Seven

...and more planking

 

 

Things start to get a little more interesting from the fourth strake.

Bending both with the grain and laterally is indicated at the bow in addition to the taper.

 

So the procedure is.

Mark and taper.

Mark and edge bend

Round bend

Bevel

Hope it fits 🤔

 

My newly found hobby of how many clamps can you fit onto a 105mm hull continues.

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Even so more options are needed.

 

As the planking continues the clamping space gets smaller and I didn’t find the Amati clamps particularly useful in these circumstances, effectively they are too large and don’t get a good purchase against the plank and frame.

 

00133(2)

Whittling down some cheap wooden clothes pegs to suit make  convenient clamps to hold the strakes.

 

00132

One type has a frame width slot on the back leg to fit over the frame.

 

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The other type is shaped to fit between the frames to hold the strakes together.

B.E.

28/01/2021

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Richard44]

21 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

 

My newly found hobby of how many clamps can you fit onto a 105mm hull continues

I had the same trouble with my older cutter kit - I think I also used strips of masking tape wound around the hull. Great fun 🙂.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Eight

 

…. and more planking

 

As the planking progresses a jig to secure the plank/stem connection proves useful.

00144

A new version is required for each succeeding strake.

 

00165

Each plank now takes on an individual shape but as the edge bend comes close to the end, I live in fear of breakage of the bow tip.

I soak the planks well to reduce the risk.

 

The seventh strake is the last one before I fit the Garboard plank, and the first that I taper toward the stern.

At this point the blurb does suggest that the planking now be worked from the keel upwards fitting infil/stealer planks to suit.

I have decided to fashion the Garboard Planks from the 0.6mm planking sheet that secures the standard planks.

 

 

00176

Useful strips can be cut from the outer frame which allows the Garboard to be cut slightly broader than the planking stock, which is both authentic and hopefully eliminates any awkward thin slices to complete the planking.

 

00183(2)

Planking these bijou models is time consuming, I have now been seven days on the planking and still not completed. In the same time frame I had completed the first planking on the Fifie build.

00182(2)

00181(2)

Moving onto the last phase now with only three planks per side left to complete the hull. Three planks will just about do it providing I don’t break any in the shaping process.

 

 

B.E.

30/01/21

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[bruce d]

B.E. sorry of I missed it, but what is the thickness of these planks?

Looking good!

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Bruce, the planks are nominally described as 0.6mm in thickness but mine actually measure 0.7mm +

Cheers,

 

B.E.

 

 

[Rik Thistle]

Planking these bijou models is time consuming...

 

In fact, building these little boats is a whole lot more complex than first impressions may hint at.

 

Your planking is looking very smooth...my Flirt boat's planking is a bit more rough and ready but still seems to require just as much preparation, bending, shaping etc as larger kits do.

 

These kits are an enjoyable challenge, even though some parts have to handled with (very soft) kid gloves due to their fragility.

 

Richard

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

They certainly are a challenge and the fragility is a result of the use of near scale  timbers, which do produce the most authentic looking boats I've seen at this scale.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Nine

Completion of planking

 

00190

The final spiled planks butt against the Garboard.

 

00207

One more plank to go.

00205(2)

This is a tricky plank to shape and I tweaked the Garboard to get a reasonable fit.

 

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00210

A relief to complete the planking but a fair degree of fettlin’ is required before she’s released from the building board.

 

0211(2)

This is all that is left of the planking material, a close-run thing!

 

blurb 34 indicates - fitting the wales (from the planking sheet).

On the planking sheet the wales are not separately identified, so they must be represented by planking strips, and I have insufficient to make the wales.

 

Not a disaster for me as I am using Ebony strip for the wales, but I think additional strips in the kit are needed, to give us fumble fingers a little more leeway.🤞

 

 

B.E.

01/02/21

Edited February 1, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Ten

 

Released from the board

 

 

To fill any minor gaps I use diluted pva and Pearwood dust, it’s then just a case of sanding until a finish is obtained.

 

Snipped across the central bar the bulkheads came away without trouble with a simple twist with pliers.

00216

With the bulkheads released, the internal planking can be fully assessed.

00219

Only a little ca staining at the bow end which will hopefully be covered by the fore deck.

00231

Use of pva for the majority of the glue work bore fruit in that cleaning up of the internal boarding only required a wetted paintbrush and a micro chisel, the excess glue just came away.

00230

The hull is very delicate, and a light touch is still very much required, take care not to apply lateral pressure to the hull sides.

 

00247

The next stage is to add the internal frames; the blurb simply says glue short lengths, inside the hull around 5mm to 6mm spacing – as shown in photo 23.

00248

Once the ribs are in place the hull becomes much stronger.

 

 

 

As with the planking I seem to have come up short with the ribs(Y28) but I used one of the seat support strips (Y27) for the shorter ribs, which were sufficient at a pinch.

 

 

The kit has four internal seat support strips but only two are required, I think the kit would benefit from a couple of extra rib strips.

 

 

 

B.E.

03/02/21

Edited February 3, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Beef Wellington]

That is some mighty fine planking BE at this size, really highlighted after your cleanup and finish.

[Rik Thistle]

The next stage is to add the internal frames

 

They look spot-on...much better than my chunkier, straight things which were added after the flooring was done.

 

Can I ask what thickness of wood you used that allowed the frames to closely follow the curvature of the inside of the planking?

 

Richard

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Jason and Richard.

@ Richard -  the frames are the kit provided stuff 1mm x 0.7mm, it  bent quite easily with dipping in water. The stuff is a lot finer than supplied with the now withdrawn original cutter kit.

 

POST 11

 

Internal fittings

 

 

With the ribs installed I now need to work out the fit of the boards and gratings.

 

The lower parts of the ribs need paring away by degrees to allow the brass etched gratings and boards to sit properly down.

00253

A square has been cut out of the bow grating to take the heel of the Foremast.

00259

A temporary mast fitted thro’ the bow deck and grating.

 

 

I am using the AOTS Pandora book as my guide which has a 22’ Yawl as part of the boat allocation.

 

00225

I re-scaled the drawing to fit the hull at 1:64 and it is a pretty good fit.

 

00255

I did reduce the length of the Bow deck by removing the plank adjacent to the mast fitting which allowed for better thwart spacing which were otherwise a good match.

 

00262

Next up for fitting are the stringers which support the thwarts.

 

These are fitted 3mm below the rail which accords with the 1:128 scale drawing in the Pandora book.

A simple gauge was fashioned to check the height as I fit the stringers.

00264

The Proxxon vice allows me to level the boat and with one stringer attached the second is applied, and temporary thwarts used to sight the level across the boat.

 

Off-level thwarts can spoil the look of a boat.

 

I next need to work on making the etched gratings and boards resemble wood.

 

 

B.E.

04/02/21

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Twelve

 

Making wood out of brass.

 

 

I did think about replacing the decking board etch with planks but decided to keep the etched version as it matched the bow and stern sheet gratings.

 

After a thorough cleaning with soapy water, scrubbing, and sanding, followed by an acid dip, I chemically blackened the parts which will give a better surface for painting.

 

Having given the etch a base coat of Humbrol 93 I applied a thin streaky coat of Humbrol 94, followed by a dry bushing of sand yellow weathering powder.

00315

Between the boards I ran diluted black/grey water-based paint, and gave the whole thing a wash of dark brown weathering powder immediately wiped off.

00317

I spent a fair bit of time fiddling with the gratings / boards to get a fit I was happy with.

The gratings should fit above the boards, and I added support timbers where the gratings meet the boards.

 

00322

I also used my Muirneag Skipper to check the relative heights of the stern sheets and grating.

 

00323

It is reassuring to note that the scale figure confirms the  correct  height of the internal fittings.

 

 

Well done Chris 👍

 

00329

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These are just the temporary thwarts used to check the positioning.

 

As can be seen I have decided to part paint the Yawl as I quite liked the combination of colour contrasting with the Pear-wood natural finish.

00291

I used Light Ivory (Admiralty Paints) for the lower hull, and Flat Red (Vallejo) for the Gunwales and internal planking down to the stringer line.

 

The remainder will be the natural Pearwood finish enhanced with wipe-on-poly.

 

The kit suggests a more simplified approach of painting the bottom white up to the wale which is a perfectly acceptable scheme, particularly for later period boats, but I prefer to have the contrast of the natural wood.

00296

The waterline was gauged by eye and by reference to bow and stern points on a yawl plan.

 

 

 

Still a way to go with the internal fittings.

 

 

B.E.

06/02/21

Edited February 6, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Thirteen

 

Inboard works

 

 Yawls were fitted for sailing and it has taken my fancy to mast and rig her mainly because I have the reference source (Pandora AotS book) and not many models show the set up on these small boats.

 

None of this aspect of the build is part of the kit.

 

Before I can glue the thwarts in place, I need to fix the position of the tabernacle for the Main mast heel and test the fit of the masts.

 

00334

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The dimensions of the masts and yards are given in the AotS book Pandora.

00339

Only need the heel fitting at this stage, the upper taper to 1.5mm at the peak can be done later.

 

A little speedier progress now, the thwarts are glued into place, the brackets added.

 

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00357

I have decided to fit the wales at this point.

 

00353

These are pre bent to assist ease of fitting.

00374

I used tiny spots of ca to fix the wales.

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00362

 

 I now need to add the Gunwales and think about the rigging fittings.

 

 

B.E.

07/02/21

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Fourteen

 

Gunwales

 

The Gunwales are laser cut Pearwood and what a delight they are.

 

Finely detailed and incorporating the thole pin sockets they were a good fit along the sheer line.

I had left the thwart brackets long to butt the gunwale against and they perfectly position the strips.

I use ca spots to secure them to the boat.

 

Atop the Gunwales are fitted the Splash boards at the bow and stern.

 

Altho’ these are a mere 1.5mm deep Chris has managed to include an engraved pattern on the face to reflect the mouldings that often featured on these parts.

 

The splash boards require a little bending to suit the run of the Gunwale particularly at the bow, and then they were pva’d into place.

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00390

Painting these intricate areas is a time-consuming exercise; lay a coat down, photo it, recoil in horror at the macro, sand using thin sanding sticks and fine paper, repeat the exercise. 😉

 

 

Great value for money these bijou offerings from Chris, where else can you get endless hours of pleasure and pain for a mere Twenty-five quid. 🙂

 

 

Lovin’ this kit. 👍

 

 

B.E.

08/02/21

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Fifteen

Fitting the rudder.

As with my approach to the cutter build I have discarded the provided rudder with its brass etched facings in favour of a new rudder cut from Pearwood scrap.

00397

The thickness matches the etched ‘sandwiched’ original but the length is left slightly longer to give me more leeway in the positioning of the tiller.

00421(2)

On the model a small eyebolt with a fine brass pin silver soldered into it made for the pintles, and eyebolts for the gudgeons.

The lower pintle was fitted to the sternpost, it was longer than usual for ease of location. The upper one was fitted to the rudder.

 

0412

This arrangement was to facilitate ease of removal and re hanging whilst the boat was in the water.

0402

I think it’s time for a general tidy-up.🙄

0443(2)

0426(2)

0427(2)

0439(2)

0440(2)

I still need to treat the Pearwood hull with wipe-on-poly and add the rudder straps, but for all practical purposes the basic boat is complete.

 

Before I proceed further, I will attend to the iron hull fittings for the rigging.

 

B.E.

10/02/21

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Sixteen

 

Thinking about the rigging.

 

I first needed to work out the relative scale sizes of the masts and the sprits.

For this I go to Steel who gives the dimensions in his 1794 work.

 

The mast lengths are 2½ times the breadth of the boat which gives a mast length of 72mm.

The Sprit lengths are ⅛ more than the length of the mast giving a length of 81mm.

 

Steel also gives the relative details of the sails.

 

The sails will be made from 21gsm Modelspan using a re-scaled plan.

I had to go back eight years to my Le Praetorian build to refresh my memory on making small scale sails.

0448

The Modelspan is taped over a cut-away box, ensuring it is large enough to cover the required sails.

0450

Diluted pva slightly discoloured with yellow ochre, is painted over the Modelspan.

0453

Hairdryer on hot is used and the Modelspan dries taut.

0455(2)

The Modelspan is removed, taped over the patterns, and is cut out leaving a margin.

0458

 The sails are overpainted with a diluted off-white water-based paint.

 

0460

The hems are folded over and 0.2mm line is used to form the bolt ropes with cringles in the four corners.

Pva is used to seal the hem.

 

 

Before I proceed further, I need to test check the fit of the sails and work out the position of the Snotter to take the heel of the Sprit.

 

0469(2)

The sails are only roughly laced to the mast at this stage.

 

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I think it will be easier to rig the sails off-model.

 

 

B.E.

11/02/21

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[tkay11]

I like the idea of folding over the seams. Till now I’ve been making them as strips, following Antscherl’s method.

 

Tony

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Tony, at small scales it is a convenient way to secure the bolt ropes, and slits can be put in to pull the cringles through where required..

 

Post Seventeen

 

 

Rigging attachments

 

 

Eyebolts and ringbolts are not such an issue but four sets of plates secured to the wales to take the stay rigging present a problem because of their very small size.

0481(2)

Attached to these will be simple tackles utilising 2mm single Syren blocks and 0.1mm Morope line.

0482

Holding such a small boat securely necessitates knocking up a small jig, not very pretty but it is effective.

Here the hull plates have been ca’d into place.

 

 

Then there’s the Snotter; up to a few days ago I didn’t have a clue what this was, but Steel provided the answer;

A short rope, spliced together at the ends and served with spun yarn, seized to the size of the mast leaving a bight to fit the lower end of the sprit which it confines to the mast.

 

 

I pondered how to produce this at the scale involved, and finally settled on a simple seizing of a line around the sprit and the mast.

 

0487(2)

At the fore lower part of the mast there is a cleat to take the sail halyard. This is too tiny to use any pre-made cleats, but a small eyebolt cut at the ring top allows a cleat to be fashioned.

 

The halyard is attached to the nock of the sail and runs thro’ a sheave in the mast head.

 

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For the remainder of the rigging, I need to do a little more research as I am hampered by a lack of clear drawings for the belay attachments for the sheets and other lines, and there does seem to be variances in the set-up of the rig.

 

John McKay’s Yawl drawings in the AotS Pandora differ from the sprit rig shown on a Pinnace by Marquardt in 18^th c Rigs and Rigging. 🤔

 

 

B.E.

13/02/21

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[tkay11]

I'm not sure whether this is of interest, as it doesn't really apply here, but as I have been quite puzzled myself about lateen rigging it was good to find specific diagrams for the Allège d'Arles (1833) which illustrate how it was done on the Mediterranean coast, and is still followed on the French and Italian coasts for small boats:

 

It's quite a neat way of doing it.

 

Tony

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Tony,

Lateen rigs were used on naval boats and there is an example shown in the Pandora book of a Pinnace with such a rig (but without the fine detail).

These yards needed to be shifted around quite often so a simple set up as shown would probably apply.

 

B.E.