Dragen by Jayhawk - Billing Boats

[Jayhawk]

Hey There! After a lengthy pause (which was filled by other non-shipbuilding projects) I've pulled out the Dragen from Billings. The level of difficulty was the reason I started the Will Evered. I'm just going through the parts now, and looking at the plans. I've also taken a look at the other builds of the same boat. When building the Will, I often complained about the lack of detail in the plans, and didn't think it possible that any other model would have even LESS information. I was wrong. The building plans for the Dragen leave even more to the imagination!

[bolin]

Even more benefits of a detailed build log then😀 Maybe you can blaze a trail for others to follow. Looking forward to see what you will do with it.

[ubjs]

https://internationaldragonsailing.net/the-dragon/

 

[Jayhawk]

On 4/10/2022 at 4:50 AM, ubjs said:

https://internationaldragonsailing.net/the-dragon/

 

Very cool info! Thanks for the link.

[Jayhawk]

Proceeding with the usual. I've seen some other builds, and I probably won't be as ambitious as those!!! My original intent was to stain the entire hull, but now I'm not sure that my skill level is currently up for that full reveal. Looks like I'll paint below the Plimsoll line...

[Jayhawk]

OK, now the interesting part begins.

[Jayhawk]

So, I did some rethinking and decided to not use the supplied planks. they're just too wide. Found some a 1/3 narrower and I think they'll look better. So I ripped them off (well, used some vinegar and heat) then finished planking and filling the hull below the waterline.

[Jayhawk]

I had a chance to sand some more, and a couple of coats of primer.

[Jayhawk]

Here's a shot of the original planking at the bottom, and the narrower planking I'm going to use.

[Jayhawk]

Definitely like the smaller planks better.

 

[Jayhawk]

But still a lot of sanding and filling to do!

I decided to use wood instead of that crappy piece of metal for the skeg.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Jayhawk

[Jayhawk]

changing the primer color, ready for some stain.

[Jayhawk]

More changes coming, I'm not really happy the way the wood took the stain. But not sure what I can do about it now.

[Jayhawk]

More than disappointed in the unevenness of the stain. It's not the filler, just wood. But I'm going to leave it until I come up with a solution.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Jayhawk

[Jayhawk]

Yeah, I changed the color again. The red just looked better to me.

[ralph j h]

if you don't use metal skeg, won't be able to sail..extra lead is required anyway

[bagpiperuler]

I've been given a very old Billings dragon kit that's missing various bits. Very interested in the detail you've shown. The mahogany strips and sheets for cutting out supplied are very brittle and its going to be a real challenge to make even a reasonable job. I'm doing a Yorkshire One Design model for a friend who had one. It is a smaller but similar boat to the Dragon but I've only got the plans and I'm finding it a challenge too !! One question is  about the planking. Earlier in your log you said that you were using narrower planks than those supplied. Is that the case with the photo above where the keel is red. There are two real wooden dragons here in Granton harbour and their  planking is definitely narrower. You have five strakes from gunnel to water line. I'm down tomorrow to scrub our boat's bottom so I'll have a look to count them and let you know if you are interested. A piccy is possible.

[bagpiperuler]

On 9/25/2023 at 9:45 PM, bagpiperuler said:

I've been given a very old Billings dragon kit that's missing various bits. Very interested in the detail you've shown. The mahogany strips and sheets for cutting out supplied are very brittle and its going to be a real challenge to make even a reasonable job. I'm doing a Yorkshire One Design model for a friend who had one. It is a smaller but similar boat to the Dragon but I've only got the plans and I'm finding it a challenge too !! One question is  about the planking. Earlier in your log you said that you were using narrower planks than those supplied. Is that the case with the photo above where the keel is red. There are two real wooden dragons here in Granton harbour and their  planking is definitely narrower. You have five strakes from gunnel to water line. I'm down tomorrow to scrub our boat's bottom so I'll have a look to count them and let you know if you are interested. A piccy is possible.

The full sized wooden dragons here in Granton have nine strakes between gunnel and waterline and they all seem to have very little taper from midships to bow and stern. One of them is a Petersen and the other is a Borresen. The former has lap joints and the other is scarphed.

[RolBerg]

On 4/6/2022 at 8:56 PM, Jayhawk said:

Hey There! After a lengthy pause (which was filled by other non-shipbuilding projects) I've pulled out the Dragen from Billings. The level of difficulty was the reason I started the Will Evered. I'm just going through the parts now, and looking at the plans. I've also taken a look at the other builds of the same boat. When building the Will, I often complained about the lack of detail in the plans, and didn't think it possible that any other model would have even LESS information. I was wrong. The building plans for the Dragen leave even more to the imagination!

Try Mamoli, must be the worst there is. Not only is the lack of instruction bad but there is not even enough wood in the kit.