Norwegian Sailing Pram by Zack Soderquist - Model Shipways - Scale 1:12

[Zack Soderquist]

This will be my third build.  My first build was the 18th Century Long Boat by Model Shipways (Finished). I then started the Rattlesnake by the same company and realized I was over my head. The manufacturer then came out with the Shipwright series and I thought it would be good to go through the series. My second build was the Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Finished), first in the Shipwright Series. 

 

For this second model in the Shipwright Series, I purchased the entire Shipwright Series Bundle from Model Shipways. I now have another Dory but might be fun to get back to the basics down the road. 

 

 

The sailing pram does not come with ship plans but the instructions reference Mr. Simon Watts website to acquire the plans. The plans are for the full-sized boat but the model was designed off of these plans so can't get much better than that right? Well, you are unable to purchase the plans from the provided link. I think I saw somewhere that Mr. Watts passed away and the family has not maintained the download. However, after a little more research, I was able to find a site I can purchase Mr. Watt's plans. I was able to acquire the plans here: https://www.woodenboatstore.com/products/norwegian-pram-plans-and-book-digital?variant=17247483723866

 

[Zack Soderquist]

After opening the kit, here is what was received. Kit also included a sheet of 150 and 220 grit sandpaper (no photo).

 

 

 

 

[Zack Soderquist]

Pram laser cut sheets.

 

 

 

Based on other forum posts, I decided to upgrade my X-Acto to Swann Morton Scalpels

 

100 Blades: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083BQLFB8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Handle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056ZX1R8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Blade Remover (Safety First): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0082CW90M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

I also decided to go with white glue per the recommendations in the instructions. I found at the hardware store that Titebond makes a white wood glue.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Zack Soderquist

[Zack Soderquist]

On to the build. 

 

Step 1 is pretty straight forward. Remove the char, keep the edge straight. Instruction recommend using a set square to help with this. I thought I'd try using rubber cement to add a piece of sandpaper to the set square.

 

 

This however did not work very well. So I pulled out my Sand-It from MicroMark that I purchased for the 18th Century Longboat build.

https://www.micromark.com/Sand-It?gclid=CjwKCAiAtdGNBhAmEiwAWxGcUipEc9eXAmECR2RgDjJczoF0_eh6jYF80BKRO4qAEeyQbXio-2BY8xoCUmIQAvD_BwE

 

 

Worked much better.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Zack Soderquist

[Zack Soderquist]

The instruction for step 2 were a little confusing. 

 

I misunderstood on the first paragraph of page 8 and beveled the edge of the bow transom. There is another bow transom in the kit but I know it will eventually get cut off so I just went with it.  I was also confused about how you're supposed to turn the transom so that the bevel marks are facing away from you but the image shows the opposite. After reviewing the plans for the pram and looking at it closely, I realized that the photo was correct and proceeded. 

 

[Zack Soderquist]

Step 3

 

Straight forward enough. However when drilling the #55 hole through the transom knee a little splintering happened. If doing it again, I might have put some masking tape on the backside (on the knee) or started with a smaller bit. I'll see how obvious it is later and add some wood filler if I feel it's noticeable.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Zack Soderquist

[Zack Soderquist]

Step 4

 

On the part where is says to use a razor saw to make angled cuts was hard to make out. So after zooming in on the online PDF, I realized what they want you to do is to create cuts at the same angle as the bevel you will put on it. This gives you a nice clean edge on the notch.

 

Also, it says to bevel all edges except the outer most. Then realized it is so you can bevel the outer edge of both upper and lowers together.

 

 

[Zack Soderquist]

Step 1 - 4 (Bow and Stern Transoms) Complete.

 

[Zack Soderquist]

Step 5

 

Building Board. I had to use a file to clean up the slot for the two molds to fit. Make sure these molds are flush with the building board. The stern transom supporter was very loose in the slot so I added some painters tape to snug it up. I had to do this also to the slot that holds the bow transom. Like others, I broke a piece on the stern transom supporter but repaired it with CA glue and all is good. A couple other things, the instructions say no need to remove the char on the molds but I did take a light sanding to the nubs where the molds were attached to the tree so there is no impact of those during planking. Also, when the molds are flush with the building board, the molds extend beyond the bottom of the building board so I sanded them down level.

 

 

After all was done, I noticed the stern transom doesn't sit level in the supporter so I will have to keep this in mind and adjust when I start planking.

 

 

That's it for today. I will be on a business trip for the next week but will be on a long stay-cation for Christmas so looking forward to lots of time on the Pram.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Zack Soderquist

[Ryland Craze]

Zack, Nice start to your Pram.  Before you go any further, I would do something to the stern transom supporter to get it to sit at a ninety degree angle to the build board.  The stern transom should be parallel to the build board.  I normally do not like modifying jigs, but I would think the transom should sit flush with the build board.  Something looks off.

[Zack Soderquist]

I was thinking it should be flush too but noticed the bow transom is also above the baseboard by about 1/4 inch. I will have to find someway to get it parallel and aligned correctly.

[Ryland Craze]

You could glue some scrap pieces of wood to the outer edges of the build board where the transom meets the build board.  This would keep the transom parallel to the build board and also keep it from rocking side to side.

[Zack Soderquist]

Taking Ryland's advice, I took some of the part tree from the 3/32" plank sheets and glued to the baseboard. Ended up being a perfect fit for the spacing at the stern.

 

 

[Zack Soderquist]

I repeated the process at the bow and added some 3/32" scrap. However, I had to add a second piece due to the fact that I beveled the top edge of the bow transom. I test fitted the spare bow transom without the bevel and the 3/32" scrap would have been a perfect fit similar to the stern. The second piece on the bow transom support I had to sand down to get a perfect fit.

 

[Zack Soderquist]

Time to start planking. First I cleaned up the char on the keel plank. I used my Model Shipways Electric Plank Bender (https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Electric-Plank-Bender_p_635.html) to bend the keel plank. I have previously tried using this tool and did not have good success so I read some posts in Model Ship World about using electric plank benders and realized that I had tried doing it with a dry plank. So this time, I took a small baking sheet and added some hot water. I soaked the keel plank for a few seconds and wiped off the excess water from the plank. I then used the bender form and the plank bender. The large curve on the form is too extreme so I used light pressure and only bent it slightly as I rolled the bender. I only did an inch or two at a time and dry fitted the plank to the building board to monitor my progress. Wetting the plank made a huge difference. Satisfied with the keel plank I moved onto the bottom planks. Added the bevels and cleaned the char then proceeded to bend them with the plank bender using the same process. One of them I over bent so I flipped it over on the bender form and used slight pressure with the plank bender to reduce the bend.

 

After I finished bending both bottom planks and comparing their curves I realized I introduced a slight twist one of the planks. I I dry fit both bottom planks to the building board and used rubber bands to hold it in place. I will let this dry for a few hours or overnight and hopefully the twist should relax as they finish to dry. 

 

NOTE: The instructions do not say which way to bend the keel plank as one side has some laser etched lines. I noticed on other build logs that they bent the keel with the lines on the inside of the boat. But I think these lines are for lining up the skeg in step 12, so I bent the board with the laser etched lines on the outside of the bend.

 

 

 

Eyeballing the keep plank I think there will be a gap between the keel plank and the stern transom as well as a gap between the keel plank and the stern transom knee. The plank/transom gap should be easy enough to fix with wood filler. Not sure what to do with the plank/knee gap. I could try wood filler or a scarp piece of 3/32" to fill the gap. Or I could ignore it as it will likely not be visible on the completed model after the rear thwarts are installed. I'll have to ponder my options once I have the bottom planks glued in. 

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Zack Soderquist

[DanB]

I had a gap between the keel plank and stern transom knee when I was finished planking. It was not very big and I was able to slip some glue under it and clamp it with a clothes pin. They lines on the outside of the plank were helpful for lining up the skeg.

[Zack Soderquist]

I have attached the bottom planks and the keel plank.

 

 

However, not happy with the placement of the port side bottom plank or keel plank.. Not sure if the bottom plank needs to move out a bit or if the keel plank needs readjusting.

 

The bottom planks see equal distances on when measuring the laser engraved marks on the lower transom. The laser engraved marks on the keel plank is lined up with the center line I drew on the transom. The transom holder is slightly off of 90 degrees so it appears the centerline is incorrect in the photo but I double checked it and it's true. I measured the distance from the keel laser engraved lines to the edge of the keel plank and it seems the port side (right side in photo) is about 1 mm longer than the starboard side. 

 

I'm wondering if it will truly matter in the final build. I could use wood filler and score a new line for the starboard plank at the rear to make it appear even. Thoughts?

 

[Zack Soderquist]

I followed DanB's advice and glued and clamp both transom knees so they look correct. However, this sucked in the transoms so i had to adjust the stern transom support in about 1/16" to accommodate the slight change. I did this by increasing the notch in the support with a scalpel.

 

 

 

[Zack Soderquist]

While I am still contemplating what if anything I should do with that keep plank. I have moved on and added the bevel and the rabbets to the garboard planks. Came out pretty well. Did a practice rabbet on a piece of scrap. Instructions recommended using a chisel to shape the rabbet. I opted for using my scalpel and scraping it in, then cleaned it up with a standing stick.

 

[Zack Soderquist]

Ok, I made a decision about the keel plank. Instead of ungluing the plank and the transom knee, I decided to sand down the port side of the keel plank trying to keep a nice smooth curve to it. I didn't want to take it too far, but this did help make it less of an eye sore.

 

[Zack Soderquist]

I found something that I felt made gluing easier. I ordered these Mini Glue Cups for eyelashes. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PNVBZ8N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

 

Although pink, they are very useful. Glue doesn't dry out quite as quick and they are very cheap so cleanup is just to toss it. I did find I needed to use a small piece of tap to stick it to my cutting matt as it is very light and the viscosity of the glue causes it to want stick to the brush when loading it with glue.

[Zack Soderquist]

Planking now completed. Ran into a few things that I will highlight.

 

First, I had some gaps in my planking that I used some Bondo Filler to fill (rust red)

 

 

 

I got the sheer planks to hit the mark on the transom.

 

But there was an overlap of the sheer plank where the upper and lower transom meet. I notched these out so it looks right. I broke off a tiny corner of the sheer plank on one side so used Bondo filler to fill it back in. Here you can see the notch and the Bondo fix.

 

Although I hit the mark on the rear, I came way short of the mark on the bow transom.

 

 

 

Final thing I noticed after finishing the planking is that my bow transom is not square. Not sure what to do about it, if anything.

 

 

Should I just leave the bow transom the way it is? Or go through the process of trying to unglue it and reposition it? Wondering if it might end up being one of those thing that only I would notice on the completed model. Thoughts?

Edited January 8, 2022 by Zack Soderquist

[Zack Soderquist]

Completed Step 12 & 13 with the Skep and Bilge Keels. Also you can see the notching of the sheer planks at the rear transom better in this photo.

 

[druxey]

I suppose the question is whether the bow transom will bother you. If so, changing it will be a good exercise in correcting things. Most, if not all of us, have a bottle of rubbing alcohol handy for ungluing things. For instance, just yesterday I unglued an item twice and re-made it for the third time because I knew it would bother me if I didn't correct it.

[DanB]

Mine also was a bit off square. I think the building board allows too much movement at the bow transom. I did not correct it as I thought it would involve ungluing multiple strakes and since I had already trimmed them I was to sure I would be able to reattach them.

[Don Quixote]

Are you still building this? I'm reading the instructions now and plan to start mine soon. Your log has a lot more details than some others.

[Claire7]

Agree! I’d love to see more of this build. I just started mine and it has already helped a lot!

[Zack Soderquist]

Wow, has it been that long since I worked on this? 

 

I am still at the same spot I left off at. But I will restart this project.

 

Restarting at second step 13? The dagger board case.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Zack Soderquist

[Zack Soderquist]

Step Second 13 - The dagger board case. Pretty straight forward. Also started step 14  and added bottom frame 1.

[Zack Soderquist]

Finished up step 14 bottom frames. Be sure to set the print size to 100% for page 4.. otherwise fit to page which is my default may not print it out precisely. 

 

Couple other notes. After marking with the tick strip, I measured from bottom frame one and added marks higher up so it was easier to line up square. Also, after the first frame marks I realized the pencil marks were kind of dark and hard to get at to erase or sand after gluing in the first frame. So for the other frames I marked them then slightly sanded them so the marks were just barely visible prior to installing the frames. I'll be painting this hull so this step was probably not necessary but if I was staining it, then it would be important.