Lowell Grand Banks Dory by Reece - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:24

[Reece]

Hello Model Ship World members. I’m Reece and I'm a new boat modeler.

 

I decided to start my start my journey with the Model Shipways Shipwright Series. The first build is the Lowell Grand Banks Dory. I don’t have all the pictures from this build but I have a fair amount and wanted to post this for those that may be looking for references in the future.

 

I thought this was a great introduction to ship modelling and thoroughly enjoyed my time spent on the project. I definitely learned a thing or two and look forward to applying those to my next build in the series.

 

Here are some of the steps I struggled with on this build and how I corrected them:

1. I had trouble aligning the bottom/stem/transom assembly with the frames and building board. This is something I should have spent much more time on because it ultimately affected the outcome of the planking. I should have spent some more time getting the stem and transom holders securely placed. Some slop here caused the transom to not be exactly perpendicular to base of the building board and resulted in the planks being slight asymmetric when viewed from the bow. I ended up just sanding this as best I could and the planks are slightly uneven. Lesson learned for next time for sure.
2. My seat risers were slightly off and had to be removed and reattached as it made the thwarts out of level.
3. I tried to thread the beckets without applying CA to the tips first. This caused me to waste an entire section as it unraveled before my eyes. I was able to salvage this step with the remaining pieces by dividing the remaining rope in half and giving myself extra material to work with beyond the recommended 4" section. I think in the end the pieces ended being about 5 1/2" each. I had just enough and was able to trim the excess to match the pictures in the instructions.
4. The oars. I was too heavy handed when sanding the oars and completely lost one when it snapped in my hands. Yikes. Luckily the kit includes an extra laser cut piece probably for this very reason. I ended up snapping the hand holds on several of the oars as well and had to glue some little pieces of balsa I had left over to make them look somewhat like the pictures. Not my finest moment but I’ve definitely learned a lesson here that I can use on future models. I’m not totally satisfied with the shape and look of the oars. I might try to revisit in the future if I’m looking for something to do.

 

Other Notes:

1. I found the section on the thole pins was slightly different.  In the instructions it mentions using a 3/64" dowel and cutting the pins to length.  I spent some time looking for this until I realized that a dowel was actually not provided but was replaced in the kit by a strip of 3/64" balsa.  I ended up cutting this in half and shaping it on a drill press.  I inserted the balsa half way into the chuck, set the speed on the lowest I had available (approx. 500 rpm), and then proceeded to very lightly apply sandpaper to the strip as it spun.  I flipped the balsa piece in the chuck and repeated.  It made short work of creating the dowel.

 

Overall I had a great time with this kit and would definitely recommend anyone who’s curious about building it to give it a go. Its a great model to learn some basic ship modelling skills on.

 

The completed Lowell Grand Banks Dory.

 

Attaching the sheer plank.

 

The Dory right side up and about to clean the frame tops.

 

 

Gluing on the starboard gunwale.

 

Attaching the cap rail after painting the model using the recommend Hull Yellow Occre and Bulwarks Dark Green.

 

Close up of the bow after rebuilding the stem top so that it was aligned better with the cap rails.  This was a result of poor original alignment of the bottom/stem/and building board before planking.

 

Using the handle of a model knife to force the becket into place after applying the watered down PVA glue.

 

Cutting and installing the thole pins.

 

Attempting to fix the oar handles.

 

Another shot of the completed Lowell Grand Banks Dory.

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Reece

[druxey]

Well done, Reece. You've learned a lot out of fixing and re-doing things. This will stand you in good stead for your next model. A very respectable first model indeed!

[ccoyle]

That's a fine result, Reece. Display it proudly!

[Ryland Craze]

Excellent job on your first build.  You have learned skills that will help you on future builds.

[Baker]

Nice work on your first model

[allanyed]

Super congrats Reece.   Looks like you got a great start with the dory model.  One little trick to make the handles round, if not tapered, is to drill a hole in a piece of brass, aluminum or steel,  cut a couple slots and then chuck it in drill or drill press and run down the handle area.  Picture below when I used it to round the axles on gun carriages.

Allan

 

 

 

 

[dcicero]

Very nicely done model, Reece.  And on that whole "build it, tear it apart, do it again" thing?  I've just learned to accept that that's part of ship modeling.  I look at it this way.  I build every model twice ... at the same time!

 

Dan

[Reece]

@allanyed - Thank you for the tip.  I'm definitely going to try that on the next kit in the series - the Norwegian Sailing Pram.  I'll be sure to post how that goes.

 

@dcicero - Two models for the price of one! 

[dcicero]

Re:  "Two models for the price of one!"

 

And they only take up the space of one model!

 

 

Dan

[MBerg]

On 1/23/2022 at 12:25 PM, Reece said:

tried to thread the beckets without applying CA to the tips first

I have mine in the mail and am browsing builds to learn while I wait. What is CA in this context? some sort of adhesive?

 

Great job on your first build btw!

Edited April 18 by MBerg