Sea of Galilee Boat by LyleK1 - FINISHED - SE Miller - 1/20 scale

[LyleK1]

I ran across this kit totally by accident when I purchased some books from Scott Miller. He has some history with MSW.

His version of the boat discovered in 1986 intrigued me from the first time I saw it and I just had to build one!

It has a history that is both mysterious and timeless with implications of biblical references (after all, it was found in the Sea of Galilee!).

This will be a birthday present for my dad. He turns 86 in mid-August. 

So, my time is limited and it may be impractical of me to try and build it in two months... We'll see!

I'm also reading the book of the same name written by Shelley Wachsmann. I just started it but it has some good background on the discovery and recovery of this boat. I enjoy learning the history of each vessel I build.

 

The kit is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The unveiling will happen next! 

[Louie da fly]

Sounds like a great project. Looking forward to seeing your progress on this one.

 

Steven

Edited June 9, 2021 by Louie da fly

[TOM G]

I think you will have it completed before his birthday. 👍

[LyleK1]

1 hour ago, TOM G said:

I think you will have it completed before his birthday. 👍

Maybe... if USPS can actually deliver it!

It was due yesterday and now the tracking says "It's arriving late" but no date...!

...control the things you can and don't worry about the other things, right?

I'll update the log as soon as it arrives.

[Chuck Seiler]

    I am looking forward to this build.  Louie, pass the popcorn.

[Chuck Seiler]

    Checking out Scott's site, I see he has 2 versions; one is square rigged and one is lanteen.  Which is correct?  Given the propensity of lanteen sails in Arab boats and the Mediterranean Sea, I would think local building custom and wind patterns would say that is correct, but.....?????

 

    Any thoughts?

[Chuck Seiler]

    Asked and answered.  The Excavations of an Ancient Boat from the Sea of Galilee by Shelly Wachsmann, 1990  states it was a square sail.  The Migdal Boat Mosaic from first century CE indicates this as well.

[LyleK1]

19 minutes ago, Chuck Seiler said:

    Asked and answered.  The Excavations of an Ancient Boat from the Sea of Galilee by Shelly Wachsmann, 1990  states it was a square sail.  The Migdal Boat Mosaic from first century CE indicates this as well.

Correct! I’m reading the book now!

[Chuck Seiler]

Yowza!  What a mish-mash.  The keel was made from 2 different types of woods and the rest from pieces-parts left over from whatever was laying around from older boats.  Sounds like that Johnny Cash song where he builds a car from parts he got from the junk yard.

[Louie da fly]

Though the lateen is now known to have been developed earlier than previously thought -  as evidenced by this tombstone, dated to the second century AD

 

   

 

this is the only evidence for such prior to the 5th century; all other contemporary representations I'm aware of show square sails. So a square sail is far more likely for the Sea of Galilee ship, which is dated to the first century AD.

 

Steven 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Louie da fly

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Of course, the tombstone image may be an artistic device to 'fit' the sail into the space limitations on the piece.  A square sail wouldn't fit if the yard was perpendicular to the mast in this apparently unique example.  Opinions will vary, and the way the lateen was 'invented' may have been by tipping the yard down toward the bow while bundling the corner of a square sail at the for end of said yard.  

[LyleK1]

Good news... The tracking number shows the kit will be delivered today...

Bad news... I'm gone for most of the weekend!

Hoping it will arrive before I leave. Knowing USPS, it's nearly a foregone conclusion that it won't!

 

[LyleK1]

Weekend plans cancelled... bad weather!

The kit did arrive today!

It was packed fairly well in a USPS priority mail tube (triangular shaped):

 

Everything is divided into taped together bunches... all marked with writing on a piece of tape:

 

The CD has the instructions... 54 pages with lots of pictures and pretty concise directions. I've read them all the way to the rigging section and found it to be easy to follow with the exception of a couple places that will probably be clearer when I get to it!

The first real noticeable thing is that the wood is all rough cut! It is a soft wood and will sand very easily... So, not a big deal for me.

The wood is a light Mahogany and Boxwood.

The strongback pieces are clearly marked and the positions of the forms are already marked on the base board:

 

The envelopes have various pieces for the finish work... rope, fish net, oars, anchor, etc.:

 

Tomorrow I'll do a proper inventory and get the strongback assembled. Hopefully a few planks too!

I have a pretty decent supply of wood and will more than likely replace some pieces to embellish the model just a bit.

I've never done this style of build and am looking forward to it... more in a day or two!

 

Edited June 12, 2021 by LyleK1

[Louie da fly]

12 hours ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

A square sail wouldn't fit if the yard was perpendicular to the mast in this apparently unique example.

 

Possible, but in my opinion it would be fairly easily possible to represent a square sail, even if somewhat too narrow, in the space available, without having to slant the yard as shown. It seems to me if it quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

 

There has been a lot of academic discussion of the origin of the lateen sail - not only where it first appeared, but when. It was thought for a long time that the lateen originated among the arabs and appeared in the Mediterranean quite late, but there has now been quite a bit of evidence suggesting a much earlier, Mediterranean, origin for it.

 

What is particularly unusual about this example is the clarity of the representation and the early date. The next earliest representation I'm aware of  is the 5th century AD Kelenderis mosaic, which strictly speaking shows a settee rather than a lateen;

 

 

But certainly the overwhelming majority of representations of ships from this period show a square sail and I'd be very surprised if the Sea of Galilee ship had anything else.

 

Steven 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

9 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

 

Possible, but in my opinion it would be fairly easily possible to represent a square sail, even if somewhat too narrow, in the space available, without having to slant the yard as shown. It seems to me if it quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

 

There has been a lot of academic discussion of the origin of the lateen sail - not only where it first appeared, but when. It was thought for a long time that the lateen originated among the arabs and appeared in the Mediterranean quite late, but there has now been quite a bit of evidence suggesting a much earlier, Mediterranean, origin for it.

 

What is particularly unusual about this example is the clarity of the representation and the early date. The next earliest representation I'm aware of  is the 5th century AD Kelenderis mosaic, which strictly speaking shows a settee rather than a lateen;

 

 

But certainly the overwhelming majority of representations of ships from this period show a square sail and I'd be very surprised if the Sea of Galilee ship had anything else.

 

Steven 

   Gosh, I'd not heard the term settee (sail) before, so I Googled it and Wikipedia 'characterized' it (with illustration) as a lateen-like sail with the 'front corner cut off' to make a quadrilateral sail.  hen I looked at the tombstone in question again and can plainly see that the front (downward) end of the sail exhibits this quadrilateral form - that is, there is a short vertical edge of sail below the end of the yard !

 

  By George, you've got it ! (say I).  The 2nd century tombstone sure seems to depict the settee sail design - the same one shown in the 5th century mosaic (and Wikipedia).  The earlier work is a pretty good work piece of art rendered in perspective (note the difference in the sizes of the figures and the receding prow of the boat).  This suggests that the settee came first (whose basis is a modified square sail), and the lateen evolved from that.  How cool is that?     Johnny

[LyleK1]

I've made some decent progress!

The first steps were to build the strongback. Straightforward and pretty simple:

The board came pre-marked with a centerline and locations for each of the forms. The post at the stern is not part of the boat but comes in real handy later

I glued the marked form pieces together. Again, very easy and straightforward:

The only real issues was making sure the pieces were flush at the base. I used regular wood glue for this portion of the job to ensure I had the ability to adjust the pieces, if needed.

Next, I glued the forms down on the board per the instructions:

I used the thick CA glue for this process. The center two forms were not perpendicular and I added a brace to fix that problem.

The keel and stern post came pre-assembled. I still had to shorten the post a bout 1/4" and heat and bend the keel section near the stern as it was not curved correctly... an easy fix. Once satisfied I glued it down per the instructions:

The sternpost is glued to the board and the scrap blocks are glued to the post and the board. When it is time to remove the boat from the strongback, I'll simply cut the post even with the blocks (per the instructions).

I used a few nails to ensure the keel ran straight over the centerlines of the forms.

And then added the bow section using the same method as the stern:

So far, so good!

Next I'll be laying the first planks.

[Chuck Seiler]

Lyle,

 

    The Excavations of an Ancient Boat from the Sea of Galilee by Shelly Wachsmann  (hereafter known as Wachsmann-Excavations) shows the planks have diagonal butt joints.  Will you be modeling that into your build...or leave well enough alone?

[LyleK1]

The first two planks on each side are full sized planks (width). The first fits into the notches cut into each form. I had to modify the form closest to the stern to accept the plank at the right angle. The stern end needed to be sanded to the proper angle to meet the sternpost. Once achieved it was glued into place using a medium thick CA (I'm using that for all the plank ends, per the instructions). The remaining plank is fitted into the notches, cut at the bow and sanded slightly to match the bow piece.

The first plank:

 

The second plank was done the exact same way:

I tried various clamps to  get the fit as perfect as possible, using some to keep the "clinker" effect to a minimum and the others to hold the seams between planks nice and tight. Once everything is  fitted, I used a thin CA to "weld" the joints between the planks being as careful as possible not to get any of the glue on the forms... not sure how successful I was and I'm sure I'll find out later!

The next several planks are tapered and I received the kit with the tapering already done.

The process to prepare a plank is as follows.

I heated and bent the plank just to help ensure they don't break.

Some light sanding and forming at both ends:

And then gluing into place just like the first two planks.

Clamps hold the planks against the forms and against each other. At the stern, the previously mentioned (and shown) post comes into play to keep the clamps from sliding off:

And at the bow, I've modified a clamp by gluing sandpaper to the clamp surfaces to keep it from sliding off:

It works really good!

Clamps are installed:

And thin CA to "weld the joints:

 

I've completed five planks on each side, alternating as I go to keep thing from getting out of whack.

Here is where I stopped for today:

 

One or two more planks and I'll be to the curve in the hull and things will get a bit tougher but nothing like working with walnut as is being used on the Bounty in the background!!

More in a few days.

 

[LyleK1]

21 minutes ago, Chuck Seiler said:

Lyle,

 

    The Excavations of an Ancient Boat from the Sea of Galilee by Shelly Wachsmann  (hereafter known as Wachsmann-Excavations) shows the planks have diagonal butt joints.  Will you be modeling that into your build...or leave well enough alone?

I read that as well, but no, at this scale it hard to follow the exact method. The Mortise and tenon joints would be interesting to build in a bigger version.

But not on this scale.

[Chuck Seiler]

    You are making great progress.

 

    Uhhgggg!   No, not the actual mortise/tenon joints themselves.  That would be some chore.  I was thinking more the line of the actual joint.

[LyleK1]

52 minutes ago, Chuck Seiler said:

    You are making great progress.

 

    Uhhgggg!   No, not the actual mortise/tenon joints themselves.  That would be some chore.  I was thinking more the line of the actual joint.

Are you thinking plank to plank seam?

If so, they are quite tight right now but that changes after the next plank or two... I'll need to cut the bevel into about three rows of planks. Shouldn't be too tough.

[Chuck Seiler]

    No, I am talking about the joints plank-to-plank along the same strake.  Attached is an example, but with far too many joints.  Figure 5.12 and Foldout 1 of Waschmann show these, but hard to see.

 

[LyleK1]

7 hours ago, Chuck Seiler said:

    No, I am talking about the joints plank-to-plank along the same strake.  Attached is an example, but with far too many joints.  Figure 5.12 and Foldout 1 of Waschmann show these, but hard to see.

 

Gotcha!

Interesting… I had not seen or read that in the book. Maybe I’m not far enough into it… over halfway but no mention of it.

At any rate, as you’ve seen, the planks are a single run on the model.

[LyleK1]

I've managed to get one side planked to the seventh row and the other side to the sixth.

Pretty easy....... well, that changed with those two rows as the curve of the hull is in play now. I've had some difficulty with the planks wanting to pull away from the frame:

I used a piece of scrap to pull the frame together and glued into place. It held for the two planks but popped loose when I was fiddling with the clamps!

On to the next idea:

I read on another build log that he tried soaking and clamping the plank to pre-shape it. I've done it many times with harder woods but I think I'll try it tomorrow. It might relieve some of the stress of making so many bends on a single plank!

 

[LyleK1]

The next several planks need to be carefully bent/twisted and sanded to meet the very sharp curve of the hull.

As I mentioned above, this wood is much softer than what I'm working with on the Bounty (Walnut). It's very easy to shape. Especially, if you soak it a few minutes. I used my hands to make the bends and twists. Once the shape is close, I beveled the edge butting into the next plank by sanding. Also, I'd clamp the plank to the forms to let it completely dry while clamped in place.

Here's a few pictures of the progress:

It has taken a lot of clamps to hold the shape while the glue dries. Making the turn to bottom of the hull is quite sharp.

 

Gonna try to get out on the big boat this weekend!

So, I'll get back to this next week.

BTW, I just finished reading the book mentioned in the first post of this log.

If you're interested about the possible histories of this boat and the region in general, it's worth the read. I enjoyed it and gained a lot of insight on the history too.

[LyleK1]

Working on rounding the hull from side to the bottom:

The bend required between the two clamps is a difficult one. I broke three planks before I finally got it!

 

Some shaping and sanding to do before gluing it down:

 

I hope to have the hull done by next weekend... maybe a bit optimistic! These planks are quite difficult to shape. It takes multiple steps and some soaking! 

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by LyleK1

[Chuck Seiler]

How long are you soaking your planks?

[LyleK1]

8 hours ago, Chuck Seiler said:

How long are you soaking your planks?

I started at 10-15 minutes... and on the last plank it was closer to an hour.

Additionally, I bent it a portion of the way using heat and then re-soaked it for another 20-30 minutes before making the final adjustments.

As you can see, it is clamped in place with just the cut and sanding left. It should drop right into place now!

[Louie da fly]

Coming together nicely, Kyle.

 

Steven

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   I read an article on the 'Jesus boat' recovered in Galiliee ... is this the same boat as the one in this thread?  The boat in the article in Biblical Archeology Review showed the the strakes were composed of many oddly shaped planks (some of them short) that were fastened together with lashings passed through severely made holes in the plank edges where they abut.  The whole thing looked like a big 'jigsaw puzzle'.  The article suggested that valuable wood resourced back them was used with a minimum of waste ... it reminded me of some Inca stonework where all the oddly shaped blocks were fit together so as to remove a minimum amount of material, yet be snug against each other.    Johnny