Meta by bolin - Billing Boats - 1:40 - original fore-and-aft schooner rig

[bolin]

Finally! Actually a bit earlier than I had expected, the last plank is installed. The progress of the planking has been good, and I have been able to put a bit more time into building than I thought.

There is still a bit of cleaning up to do. Some of the scarf joints has sticks out a bit. But overall I'm satisfied with the result. The picture below shows the worst part in the worst side light.

 

 

 

 

[Dave_E]

I see many builders who’s planks are in sections. I would assume they are to scale length that a ship of this size would use? Did the kit come this way or did you cut the long planks down that were supplied? Other than authenticity sis there a reason to plank like this, easier or harder? Just doing some learning here. 😊

[Wintergreen]

If I'm not mistaken Bolin replaced the kit supplied planks with beech instead. Billings kits usually contains full length planks of inferior wood.

Looks good Bolin. I also see you have used a four-shift for butt ends. Nice!

[bolin]

My choice to use shorter planks is primarily to have them in scale length. There are very few trees that give planks that are 25 m long 😉 I have not been overly pedantic about the length of the planks, a few may be slightly over long. But as Toni Levine mentions in The Ship Modeler's Ten Step Program workshop, "nothing says kit build as much as end to end planks". I wanted, at least, the impression of realistic plank length and butt shift pattern.

 

In a way, it is also easier to fit the planks when they are shorter. It might take longer, but I think it's easier to avoid mistakes and gaps with shorter planks. You also don't need to add glue to the full length of a long plank and get stressed by adding clamps along all the length before the glue starts to set up. (I'm using PVA glue, not superglue.)

 

The kit came with full length strips for planks, and no instructions on more realistic plank lengths. I have replaced the wood in the kit and researched planking techniques from various sources.

[bolin]

Today I have been busy scarping the hull. On the picture below, the different types of scrapers I have are shown. For this purpose, I think that scrapers are quicker and more precise to work with than sandpaper. Of course, you need to sharpen them quite often.

The result thus far

I also remembered to drill holes for the stand now, while I can still handle the hull upside down. I plan to use the same type of mounting as I did on my medieval longship, a cradle in plexiglass with a central brass pin that fits into small holes in the keel.

 

And finally the stem piece is glued in place. Now that I look at the photo, I see that there is a bit of more cleaning up to do of the planks.

 

 

[Wintergreen]

Nice progress bolin!

 

Funny that, that it isn't until you post your photos you realize how much more there is to sand/scrape 😄 

 

[Keith Black]

 Bolin, the hull turned out really nice.

[bolin]

Thanks Keith and Håkan.

 

Yes the camera lens is sometimes a more discerning observer than your own eye. The field of psychology likely has an explanation for that… I just find it curious.

[bolin]

The next step is to start with the bulwark. From here on, I will more or less leave the kit and its instruction. Most of the upper structures were changed during the ship's life, until the shape that is represented in the kit. So I need to do my own research. This post will mostly be for me to think through and confirm that my deductions are sound.

 

The following picture is the best close-up I have, and I will come back to it for many details.

Regarding the bulwark, I find two details in this picture. First, at the bow, it looks like the bulwark is not as thick as the hull planking. Second, the man standing on the deck looks to be standing on something. If the deck was level with the white line, he would have very long legs.

 

I have the following plan (from https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024765524/ritning) for a cross-section of another ship from the Baltic Sea of about the same size and period.

However, I don't think it is representative of how Meta was built. On many pictures of schooners from the same time as Meta it looks that the waterways are very thick and wide. As in the following picture, of yet another ship, from about the same time. This would explain the height of the man in the picture, so I think it likely the Meta looked the same.

 

I don't know why they were constructed like that. Maybe they had the same purpose as wales, to strengthen the hull?

Cheers

Tobias

 

[Wintergreen]

About the waterways... from my build of Atlantica they state clearly that the waterways were thicker than deck planking and usually not cut down into the deck beams. Hence the ledge or step. On Atlantica deck planks are given at 60mm and the waterway 80 mm and they are cut down into the deck beams. On a working boat it will probably look like your last picture above.

The reason they are cut into the deck beams on Atlantica is the inconvenience of standing water on deck. On a work boat with a limited life span I guess they didn't care that much.

 

And the bulwarks are also thinner than the planking. I haven't the numbers, but about half the thickness. Planking on Atlantica is 65 mm thick as reference.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Wintergreen

[bolin]

I have worked on planking the bulwarks. Based on some educated guesses, general dimensions from for example the cross-section plan I showed earlier, and photos, I decided on 1mm thick and 4 mm wide planks.

 

First, I added the "outside" of the waterways, which protrudes a bit from the hull side. The bulwark stanchions from the bulkhead prevent adding the plank properly.

 

Since I will replace the plywood stanchions from the bulkheads, I put tape to prevent glue from sticking.

 

And now the last plank is installed.

 

 

[Wintergreen]

Very nice planking bolin!

Very nice 🙂 

[bolin]

Tack Håkan

[Nirvana]

Ursnyggt!

Very nice!

[bolin]

The bulwark is now completely planked. I have added a strip of mahogany as a contrast color in place of the painted white stripe on the original. This wood was actually part of the content of the kit. The first of the kit material that I have actually added to the model. Otherwise, I have only cut things away and replaced them. 😄

 

I have also installed the false deck. The kit supplied deck had warped and cracked, so I didn't want to use that. I only used it as template and made a new from lime wood.

 

The bulwark supports are also from lime. Since I don't have a detailed plan, I made an educated guess about dimensions and spacing. They are closer together along where the shrouds will be attached.

 

[bolin]

I have focused a bit on the stern. As I have already described, I have filled in the cut-out for the propeller. There are a few other things that I think I need to modify compared to the kit.

 

The plan does not show typical pintles and iron bands, instead there seem to be a rod running through a series of sockets.

I have found some pictures that indicate a similar construction. However, I suspect that this might be a change made after the installation of a motor and propeller. I will go with a more traditional mounting of the rudder. The picture below shows the typical coloring and decoration of the transom of these schooners. Meta was no exception.

As I did with the white line on the side, I will however make the white border in wood of another color.

 

First I made a jig. I use 1 mm walnut for this. They were soaked for a half a minute in hot water, and then put in the jig to dry.

 

 

Th

The two holes for mooring lines in the transom were made by drilling a larger hole, in which a 4 mm walnut dowel was inserted. Then the real hole could be drilled in its center.

 

[bolin]

I have started planking the deck. For this I have bought a 0.5 mm maple sheet, to replace the kit's precut deck that I have already discarded. I don't know the real dimensions of the deck planks, but from the blueprint I posted earlier (from another vessel) and photos of similar schooners, I think that 150 mm is about right. So, I have ripped planks using a knife and a steel ruler that are slightly narrower than 4 mm. This method requires that plank edges are sanded to get a smooth edge, so they end up about the correct width.

Before installing, I use a soft pencil along the edges to simulate caulking.

 

 

[Wintergreen]

Looks about right to me, the planking width that is.

Good progress Bolin.

 

Keep it up!

[bolin]

...and tonight I put in the last planks along the sides of the deck. When looking at the photos, I see that there is still some minor cleaning up to do. But otherwise, the deck is done.

 

I elected to plank the full deck, even though there will be hatches, a deck house and an aft cabin. I hope that it made it easier to get a smooth and even surface. The king plank and the planks joggled into will be mostly covered. I made it mostly for fun.

 

[Wintergreen]

Deck looks good. Shifts are laid properly with three shifts lengthwise and four sideways. Nice 🙂 

 

Out of curiosity, why did you plank the aft deck in line with the bulwarks while the main deck is laid for and aft?

Usually work boats had their decks laid for and aft as I understand.

If it was just for fun, then it's all right, your the shipwright 😉 

 

Keep it up!

[bolin]

Well, the aft deck was a bit of play time. Most of it will be covered by the cabin. The joggled planks was just for testing out how to do it. However, I believe that the cabin is of the type that leave an even walk way along it’s sides. I have seen several photos and models that seem to show that the planks follow the bulwarks. The angle of the planks aft of the cabin I cannot explain by anything else than artist’s expression.

[bolin]

Actually, I was working on the stern and transom. The deck was a bit of distraction.

 

Now I have returned my focus aft.

 

The transom has received a whitewashed field just above the waterline. The real ship had a similar field in natural wood color. As I don't plan to paint the hull, I wanted another color scheme that gave a similar impression.

 

I have also made a rudder, and hinges from brass.

 

The hull has finally received two coats of shellac.

[bolin]

The next step is the top of the railing. I made a jig on the work table for getting the correct curve.

Then I edge bent two strips and glued them together on top of each other. In this way, the handrail would keep its shape even after I removed it from the jig.

After that, I needed to do the last things that required the hull to be turned upside down. That is to drill the hawseholes. The outside is lined with a disk of walnut.

 

The holes from the deck is lined with black paper.

 

With that out of the way, I could start adding things that will prevent me from easily invert the ship, like the davits in the aft.

 

Cheers

[bolin]

The next step is the cabin. Again, it is an interpretation from grainy photos, combined with details borrowed from photos of similar ships or models.

 

 

I'm currently working on a skylight.

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by bolin

[Wintergreen]

Looks like a good old cabin or deckhouse to me 🙂

 

Keep it up!

[bolin]

The cabin has gotten a skylight. A little project in itself.

I have also made a box to cover the steering geer. It has the dimensions from the kits plans. The plans places the wheel on tha aft end of the cabin. However I think that that is a later arrangement. This fits better with the photos I have. I have also found a model at the maritime museum I Stockholm that has this configuration.

The wheel is actually from the kit, and it looks really good. In the picture it is only temporarily attached, as is the whole box. I will add it permanently when I attach the rudder.

 

I have also made a small deck house, as seen on the historic pictures.

Edited April 11, 2022 by bolin

[bolin]

I continue with the buildings and fittings on the deck. Next are the hatches. I made the guess that the original hatches had about the same area as the deck houses that were added later. This also fits what can be seen over the railing in later photos. I have also found a plan for a similar ship (although slightly longer) that gives the hatches as 11'7" by 8' English feet. This measurement correspond well with the other sources, so that is what I decided on. The height of the coaming I also estimated from photos of similar ships.

 

I built the hatches as separate assemblies.

When I tried them in place and compared with other sources, the angle looked to be a bit steep. The forward hatch also looked to be a bit long. There was not enough room to place the winch between it and the main mast.

So I disassembled the hatches using alcohol. Then reduced the angle and shortened the forward hatch.

The hatches will be covered with tarp. So there is a bit more to do before they are finished. My reasoning is that, since I plan to present the ship with sails, the hatches should be covered. No captain would leave harbor in the Baltic without securing the cargo.

[bolin]

The progress of this build has been slower the last couple of weeks. Other things have come in between, such as a trip to the Netherlands with the "Friends of the Vasa museum". It was four very interesting days, with visits to several museums and other maritime themed places (including the Rotterdam harbor).

 

Back home, I have finished the hatches.

 

The top is covered in thin dark olive colored cloth, which has been soaked with two coats of shellac.

The metal clamps are made from thick paper, and glued in place.

And the finished result.

[clearway]

Nice work on the tarpaulins, i use tissue paper and enamel paint to imitate them (acrylic paint no good as it wrinkles the tissue).

 

Keith

[bolin]

The trip to the Netherlands was very fun and interesting. However, it turned out to also gift me with a sample of the Coronavirus. The security queues at Schiphol airport on the way home were far from orderly, and quite long. I think that was where I caught it. As I'm vaccinated, the sickness wasn't too bad, and while recuperating I have been able to continue forward with the next installation on the deck.

 

In the photo below, there is a construction just fore of the main mast that the boom and gaff are resting on.

I interpret that as a winch of the following type. (The photo is from the 50 year older brig Gerda of Gefle, but I think it could serve as a prototype.)

 

I salvaged some cogwheels from a broken timer.

The final result does not quite work. For that, I think I would have needed some better precision tools, like a lathe.

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by bolin