Lowell Grand Banks Dory by Tigersteve - FINISHED - Model Shipways

[Tigersteve]

It’s been far too long since my last post. The Mayflower is on hold and I need to get back into building. I came across this Model Shipways kit designed by David Antscherl. While the workshop is in transition, this seems the perfect project to restart the modeling engine. 
 

The bottom three planks were glued and sanded when dried. Next, the six bottom cleats were cut and sanded to an appropriate width. The instructions state 1/8” width strip, but this does not match the laser marks on the floorboards or the drawings. Did Model Shipways change the original measurement of this strip? Anyway…

 

Assembly and installation of the stem, transom, and stern knee concluded today’s work. It is good to be back!

Steve

Edited September 5, 2021 by Tigersteve

[Tigersteve]

A brush was used to apply water to the underside of the boat to create the curved bottom. Most of the char was sanded from the inside of the frames before they were assembled and added to the building board. 
Steve

[Tigersteve]

Frames glued to building board.  The stem seems a hair askew. Not sure where my mistake was, but it’s not worth disassembling. Applied heat instead and clamped to a 1x2x3 block.
Steve

[DPhilbrick]

Looking good!

[Tigersteve]

Wanted to share some photos and description of my planking process for some of our new ship modelers to supplement the instructions.
 

1. After the plank is beveled as per instructions, soak in hot water for a few minutes and pre fit to the hull. Let the plank dry completely. (Photo 1)

 

2. Position the plank between a rubber band and hull and apply glue to the contact points (frames, stem, transom, bottom floor plank). I apply all glue with a toothpick. You don’t need much glue at all. You’d be surprised. (Photo 2)

 

3. Carefully shift the plank upwards and clamp at the bow and stern. Check for consistent plank overlap with the floor. Mine has less overlap midship so I will mirror that on the other side. (Photo 3)

 

4. Lift the build board to check all frames make contact with the plank. Cleanup excess glue with water and small paintbrush. Apply glue to any noticeable gaps. Add additional rubber-bands if needed. 
 

Address one plank at a time. It’s not a race and mistakes can be fixed. Next update when planking is complete. 
Steve

Edited May 28, 2021 by Tigersteve

[DPhilbrick]

Thanks for the tips, Steve.

[druxey]

Slow and neatly does it! You're off to a good start.

[Tigersteve]

After planking was complete I removed the boat from the building board and cut off the excess frames. I sanded them down so I could work on the finishing of the exterior of the hull. 
 

This is where you address your mistakes. Although I created the rolling bevels, I did not spend much time tweaking the fit to the adjoining bevels on previous planks. To address this I sanded the exterior of the planks as they approach the stem and transom. This created more of a taper and finished look. Sanding sticks and 320 grit sandpaper were used in these steps. 
 

At the stern I ended up with some excess curvature. I think this started to occur when positioning the broad strake at the bow. Must have pulled the plank too far toward the sheer. I didn’t notice the error at that point and it just compounded. Not worth ripping off planks, but I will try to make adjustments to the sheer by doing some light sanding later on. (Actually, I think the error is only on one side so I’m not even sure the cause.)
 

Next, I will clean up the interior of the hull.  Need some fresh wood filler for the seams at the bottom of the boat. I included some photos of the clamping methods used during planking. 
Steve

Edited June 17, 2021 by Tigersteve

[druxey]

Looks pretty neatly done to this point. There will aways be minor tweaks when building a model.

[Tigersteve]

To address the extra curvature at the bow I brushed on hot water to the offending area on both sides of the planks. Gently, I was able to press out the area to the correct shape. I held this for a few minutes, then applied heat with a hairdryer. I clamped the boat for about 10 minutes afterwards while it dried and cooled. This separated the frame in that area, but easily addressed with a touch of glue. The shape is much better at this point. 
 

Prior to this procedure, I was able to sand down the frames and attach the false stem. This was sanded to shape after the glue set. 
Steve

Edited May 31, 2021 by Tigersteve

[Tigersteve]

Side cleats installed. Here is the interior of the hull at this point. 
Steve

[Tigersteve]

Decided to install the bands next. The first photo shows the orientation of the band. The convex part of the curve should face up. This is counter intuitive, but it’s correct.
 

1. The band was soaked in water and clamped to the hull. Allow it to dry completely.
 

2. Apply glue to half of the band and hold it to the hull by hand while it sets. I started at the bow and lined up the band to slightly overlap the sheer. It should set quickly if you didn’t apply too much glue. 
 

3. Apply glue to the rest of the band and hold in place. The bands will be sanded flush with the sheer after the glue completely sets.

Steve

Edited June 3, 2021 by Tigersteve

[Tigersteve]

Gunwale installation was pretty straightforward. I used one of the risers to mark the frames. With a chisel blade, using the method in David’s instructions, I gently applied pressure and rocked the handle back and forth until I heard a snap. This was cleaned up with some light sanding. 
 

Installation steps were similar to those used to install the bands. Trim the strip a bit over length and clamp to the hull after soaking in hot water. After completely dry, shape the strip where it meets the bow and stern. (Always test fit!) Apply glue dots at each frame and in between each frame. Hold the strip in place with your fingers. Clean up excess glue with a wet brush or your favorite method. 
Steve

[druxey]

Progressing nicely, Steve. Neatness pays off!

[Tigersteve]

Thank you, sir!

Steve

[DPhilbrick]

Looking great, Steve.

[Tigersteve]

Frame head irons were created using scrap wood from the extra side cleats. These were glued and sanded to under 1/32” thickness when set. Next, I shaped and installed the Breast hook. 
 

Modifications of the bow and cap rail will reflect the photo of the dory shown below. I like this example and will be using the color scheme as inspiration. 
Steve

https://iscc.marinersmuseum.org/watercraft/grand-banks-dory/

Edited June 13, 2021 by Tigersteve

[Tigersteve]

Lost track of the number of coats applied to this model. It is getting closer to an acceptable finish. Light 400 grit sanding roughly every 5-8 coats. (Not exact science) 

 

Thought I’d post a photo while this process continues. Next update will include the installed risers. 
Steve

[druxey]

Coming along  nicely!

[Tigersteve]

The risers were installed by marking their center and ends. I lined them up with the garboard strakes. Below is a photo of how little glue is required.

 

These have been painted several coats and one sanding before the last coat applied. The interior is just about complete. After I complete tweaking the cap rail, I will take another close look at the interior and decide if the painting/sanding is complete. 
Steve

Edited June 17, 2021 by Tigersteve

[druxey]

Neatly done, although I might suggest that you scrape paint off where any glued joint is. Even if the glue holds, there is a possibility of the paint shearing if the riser were bumped.

[Tigersteve]

Thank you. I will test the joints and see if the risers are sturdy enough before proceeding. 
Steve

[Tigersteve]

Before moving onto the cap rail I decided to work on the thwarts. These are not just removed from the sheet and attached to the boat. You must make adjustments. Beveling the sides and notches where they meet the frames is necessary for a tight fit.
 

Quite a bit needed to be removed as they were oversized. I had to remake one thwart from scratch because I took off too much. I ran the thwarts over a 320 grit sanding block to create the bevel on the sides and used files to bevel the notches. These are not glued yet. 
Steve

 

Druxey, the risers are stable. This procedure was a good test for them!

Edited June 17, 2021 by Tigersteve

[druxey]

Glad all is well! Nicely bevelled and fitted thwarts there.

[lraymo]

Your Dory looks wonderful!  Love the color.  The Dory was my very first introduction to wood modeling, with a huge learning curve.  Loving how yours is turning out!

[Tigersteve]

I appreciate the kind words. David has designed a nice entry level kit. Many people gravitate towards Model Shipways English Longboat for their first kit, most likely because of its size. However, that is an advanced kit and very difficult. It turns out a very nice model. (Chuck writes fantastic instructions for his projects.) This project is much more relaxing compared to that one. 😎
Steve

[Tigersteve]

While test fitting and modifying the cap rail, one of the risers got snagged and needed to be reattached. This was an annoyance because it took me two attempts. The first resulted in an uneven pair of risers.

 

It’s always painful to redo something, but the result is worth it. The macro photos really make you pick apart your work!
Steve

Edited June 19, 2021 by Tigersteve

[druxey]

Ouch! See post #21. Next time, scrape the paint away where you will glue and that won't happen again. Good recovery, though.

[Tigersteve]

The painting process continues. I’ll share a photo of the exterior hull as it stands. There’s a bit of a sheen that I want to eliminate.
 

I’ve been alternating between exterior and interior. The interior needs more attention. I am also utilizing this project to hone my painting finishes. It will take a while. 

Steve

Edited June 28, 2021 by Tigersteve

[druxey]

Reduce sheen with Dullcoat or matt varnish. Looking very neatly done.