Royal Caroline by EJ_L - Panart - 1:48

[EJ_L]

Hello all!

 

I have discovered a long time ago that I cannot simply build one ship at a time. As I am only working on Royal Louis right now, and am nearing the halfway point, I found myself with the itch to start a new build. I do enjoy doing things this way as it allows me to switch back and forth between builds when I get to a point where I need more research or am simply bored with what I am currently doing. I was originally going to build Sovereign of the Seas, but every store I checked was currently sold out with no expected date of restock due to global shipping conditions. The one I found was priced far higher than normal and so I passed. Thanks particularly to Doris' breathtaking build of Royal Caroline, this beautiful yacht had been at the top of my wish list for some time and so I decided to go for it. 

 

As usual for me, I intend to heavily bash this kit, particularly to build out the interior cabins and provide lighting to illuminate those details. Working with a far larger scale than I am usually accustomed to, 1:48 compared to my other current build of 1:90, means that I will have ample opportunity for showing those details with clarity, and far less excuses for shoddy work... 😬

 

So please, pull up a chair and join me if you like. I build slow, so get a big bucket of popcorn and settle in. I hope you enjoy the journey.

 

First off, the unboxing. I will not go into too much detail here as these are all largely the same. What is inside is typical for a Mantua brand kit. Decent laser cut parts, clean wood and fair castings, fittings and some line for rigging. Nothing spectacular but the components will make a fine model out of the box. Some stuff I use, some I do not and will be explained as the build goes on.

 

 

[EJ_L]

To see what I am working with, I dry fit the bulkheads and decks together and this was the result. I'm going to have a lot to do. I have been working on this for a week now and I will show the modifications that I started on the next post. 

[EJ_L]

Frame modification is well underway. Before modding I did square up and secure all the bulkheads that were not being altered and I nailed down the scribed decking that came with the kit. This will be covered by a second layer of planking so I am using it as an underlayment.

I started the modifications by cutting away the bulkhead in the center cabin and extending the deck aft one more bulkhead. This will provide the space for the center cabin and stair wells to the aft cabin and hold.

 

Next I moved to the aft cabin where the majority of the work takes place. I began by cutting down the stiffening board provided in the kit as well as the 2nd to last bulkhead and the false keel to create a new deck.

 

 

Now the main deck runs evenly the length of the ship. However, this is still not accurate. The stair well area is raised above the middle and aft cabins and the aft cabin is sunk lower in the ship than the rest of the main deck.

 

So, I layered some wood to make a raised area for the stairs. Nothing will be visible below this area so the elevated deck can be false here. The notches are where descending stairs will eventually go. Though it is hard to see in the photos, the aft cabin subfloor was lowered again both to achieve proper elevation and to provide room for a new full sized deck underlayment.

 

 

Moving further aft, it was time to start cutting out for the stern lights and bench seating. This has been the trickiest as the arched supports for the counter were never designed to be exposed and as such, were far overbuilt. Many hours have been spent slowly and gradually cutting them down and coming up with new supports that will not impede the interior space. A lot of the concerns with the new design also impact the deck above. To determine elevations, I had to start to reshape the upper deck beams to more appropriate thicknesses. 

 

 

I also cut out the stern lights. These are oversized right now to allow for better shape and fit of the actual window panels later. This bulkhead we become largely reduced in thickness also. The reason is to allow for better contour of the stern decorations without making the windows appear to be tunnels in an overly thick bulkhead. This thickness reduction will also take place on the sides as well where windows will be placed. 

 

Still lots of modifications and redesign to do. Once I am satisfied with the new cabin areas, frame fairing will take place to get the hull in final shape. there will likely be a lot of added reinforcement that will need to be faired with the frames to accommodate the changes as many weaken the original frame design. 

[Old Collingwood]

I will sit  in on this one mate  - always love your builds.

 

OC.

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking forward to seeing this build!

 

Are you going to carve your own decorations for this one, like you did on your Soleil Royal?

[EJ_L]

Welcome aboard all!

 

I do plan on carving the decorations again. With the larger scale I am hopeful that I can get better results. I also plan on using a mixture of mediums to carve from. I have been getting nice results from polystyrene on Royal Louis as it is more forgiving than wood. I will likely use wood though for the large carvings such as the figure head as the larger surface is easier to handle and work with. I am thinking about giving modeling clay a try on this one as well. After seeing Doris' masterpieces and watching her videos of how she made many of her decorations, I feel that may be a good route to try. I was always better at carving in clay than wood and am always in favor of using the materials that work best for the modeler.

 

I have a ways to go and time to think on that however. I'm working steadily through the frame modifications and will begin fairing the hull next. This is what I call the "dirty work" of ship building as it flings saw dust everywhere, but once it is done and the hull is ready for planking, I intend to go back to Royal Louis for a while to continue working on her. She is about ready for another series of decorations to be carved and added on the bow and deck railings.

[EJ_L]

I know it’s been a while, but at long last an update. I have been working on the first layer of hull planking. Climbing steadily and I hope to be ready for a round of sanding by next weekend. I’m still trying to decide how I want to plank the finish layer and of what wood species. 
 

Here are some progress pictures showing the planking process. The first one also shows the flex tube that I installed as a conduit for the LED wiring. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[EJ_L]

First layer of planking has been largely completed. I now have a shaped hull to begin cleaning up for the second planking layer of a yet to be determined wood species. The kit came with walnut for the hull, and while I will use it for accent colors, I want the field to be a lighter coloring. I’m leaning towards a cherry wood at the moment… we shall see. 
 

The upper works still need to be cut and shaped as right now they are left long and high to be cut to correct shape later. I’m also having some issues with the forecastle elevation. To me, it seems awfully tall so I am looking back through drawings and the Anatomy of a Ship book for Royal Caroline to see what makes sense. 
 

On the interior, I have begun to locate and plan for the cabin builds. Not much beyond some measurements and markings thus far, but it all starts somewhere. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MESSIS]

Well started. Good first planking. Am sitting put here to watch your log. Am building the same kit... am at the stage of rigging through.

 

Christos

[Old Collingwood]

Looking good EJ    - very nice work mate.

 

OC.

[EJ_L]

Thank you all very much! Indeed, learning from each other, be it a new technique, historical data, or creative inspiration is a blessing of MSW. 
 

Christos, I have been following your log as well and your model is coming along beautifully. It is one that I have bookmarked and reference often. 
 

OC, Kurt, thank you both for the kind words. I feel rather intimidated by this build as there are several very beautiful models of her on here. 
 

Small update of work in progress. Picked out some different wood that I will be milling down over the Christmas holiday for the outer planking. In the meanwhile, I have been working on the interior bulkhead paneling in the aft cabin as well as figuring out the floor pattern. I will also be locating lamp placements for the lighting and paths for thee wires. 
 

 

 

[MESSIS]

 

2 hours ago, EJ_L said:

Christos, I have been following your log as well and your model is coming along beautifully. It is one that I have bookmarked and reference often. 

You are very wellcome and thank you for your nice words.

 

Wish merry Christmas to you and your family and stay safe.

 

Christos

[EJ_L]

More cabin progress has been made. Wall paneling is well underway and the LED's for two of the lamps have been installed. I finished designing the floor pattern and have begun building it. Very time consuming, but fun! A different sort of challenge than those normally faced with model ships.

 

I also took some time and milled down a pile of lumber for the outer planking. When I finish the cabin flooring I will switch back to planking to put the finish planks on.

 

To help with all of this, I got a new band saw for Christmas. Been needing one for a long time so when my tool store announced a sale, I quickly hopped in the truck and drove down to get one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MESSIS]

Floor pattern looks amazing!

 

Christos

[EJ_L]

Main cabin floor is complete! Now I can start to trim the room and install the aft seating in front of the stern windows. 
 

First though I will apply the second planking layer. Best to get that finished before I add too many interior details. 
 

Here are some pics of the floor in progress  as installed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by EJ_L

[Matt D]

That floor looks amazing, EJ!  Excellent, excellent work!!

[MESSIS]

Beautiful!

[Hubac's Historian]

EJ, this is all off to a smashing start!  I have really enjoyed watching your skill progression, from one build to the next, as you are never daunted by the opportunity to try something new, and you always finish with a model that is way better than the sum of it's parts.  I'll be following with great interest!

Edited January 24, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[EJ_L]

Thank you Marc! It is from people like yourself and the work and effort that you put into a project that inspire and push me to continue to try to improve. 
 

Well, the last few weeks have been busy ones as I have been working on installing the second planking layer. As of today, I have finished from the wales to the keel. 
 

The wales are in walnut as are the keel, stem and stern post. The lower hull has been planked in cherry. None of this has been sanded or finished yet so it is a bit uneven and faded in color. 
 

Next up I will flip her over to continue moving up the hull with planks. Still working through some of the upper color scheme and deciding if I want to represent the colors with natural wood or paint. This will really come down to what colors are chosen. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hubac's Historian]

Beautiful finish planking!  I am always amazed by the quick progress and lovely workmanship.

[EJ_L]

Upper-work planking installed. Caroline is now ready to take a trip to the wood shop for sanding and finishing. Once the finish is complete, I can start fitting trim and painting  the areas that will be painted. Deck planking and interior planking will follow. 
 

While the finish work is taking place, I will be switching back to Royal Louis for a while. Thank you all for the continuing interest.