Modeling a seine boat for the mackerel fishery

[jlefever]

Several years ago, I built the Model Shipways Benjamin Latham and really enjoyed the project. I’m even fairly proud of my results (see link at the end of the article).

I’ve noticed a number of Latham projects underway elsewhere on the site and that got me wondering if I could be of any help to other modelers.

Since many of the Latham projects appear to be at least as good and some much better than mine I’m not sure what help I can provide.

One thing I remember about building the kit was the instructions and materials provided for the ship’s boats were either below the standard set by the remainder of the kit or simply nonexistent. The plans for these boats included in the kit, on the other hand, were excellent.

I had a lot of fun, basically scratching the ships boats so perhaps someone could benefit from my experience and discoveries.

The Latham’s plans depict very typical boats that were used to work the purse seine net used in the mackerel fishery, a dory and a seine boat.

The image above shows my Latham model with the dory aboard in the waist and the seine boat as it might have been towed. The kit instructions indicate that while bigger fishermen carried the seine boat aboard, the Latham was too small and her seine boat would have been towed to sea.

A small error occurs here, the tow rope is too long for one used when offloading the days catch, the boat should be towed even with the roller on the rail, and too short for towing.

 

The two following images come from a wonderful old book, The Fishery Industries of the United States, U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, Government Printing Office, 1887.

If you can find this book, it’s filled, with drawings of the fishing industry ranging from native Americans in canoes to whale ships. It includes drawings of ships fishermen, equipment, fish, maps and a good deal more. This is how fish were pulled from water in the U.S.at the end of the Nineteenth Century.

The first image depicts the general form of a seine boat along with some of its characteristic equipment.

The second image shows a seine boat and dory at work. Having rowed the purse sine net around a school of mackerel, the crew is putting their backs into drawing in the purse line, hopefully closing the bottom of the net under the soon to be helpless school.

So, here’s how I made my little model.

I started out by copying and cutting out the seine boat plans. The plans were glued to a 12” plywood plank. I then cut out the half breadth sections. Since the half breadth lines are truly half breadth, I needed to make additional mirror image copies to create the full bulkhead profile. The paired sections were glued to scrap wood, trimmed to shape and these bulkheads glued onto the plan.

I think the stem and stern pieces were the only kit pieces I used. They were glued between the first and last bulkhead and the plank. The bottom portion of these bulkheads, between the keel and the end platforms, will remain in place as the model is completed. A keel was fashioned and spanning the bulkheads, was glued to the ends.

Next, I bent the top strake or plank, sitting next to the rail, to the bulkheads. It’s only glued at the stem and stern.

As I started the planking, you will note that scrap wood blocks have been added to the bulkheads below the first strake in order to keep it from slipping out of place.

 

I applied the planking, using 1/32 thick strip stock working from the keel down and the railing up, working on both sides in parallel.

Planks are edge glued, avoiding as much as possible the bulkhead formers and held in place using a variety of clamps, wedges, rubber bands, etc. as required.

Planking was finished in a couple days.

With the glue set and largely dry, I cut the model off the plywood. With a double ended boat it’s hard to tell but here the stern is to the left and the bow to the right.

Three of the formers simply fell out as the model was lifted free. The remining formers would prove easy to snap free.

 

Next were the boat’s ribs. I made these slender pieces by plaining them off the edge of a 1/16” sheet of basswood.

Looking ahead to a fully ceiled boat, the practically minded modeler might suggest that the ribs could just as well have been left off.

I enjoyed adding them and think they contributed to getting the hull thickness more nearly correct, besides they add cross grain strength binding the planking together.

With most of the ribs in place, I’ve started on the “oarsman’s soul, the flat floor below the forward thwarts, presumably where the oarsmen placed their feet while rowing.

In the bow you see a remaining part of a bulkhead. At this point with all side-to-side support gone, the hull was showing a tendency to squeeze together at the bow. For the same reason, part of the bow and stern bulkheads have been left in place where they will eventually be covered.

In this view you see the remaining ribs added at the bow and stern, the oarsman’s soul has been completed and steersman’s platform has been added at the stern.

In this view you can also see the rub rail, two planks below the yet to be installed rail.

Here you see our boat after the bulk of the ceiling has been added (yes, the ribs are now nearly invisible).

A thwart stringer and thwarts have been also been added.

The gap between the thwarts amidships is the space where the purse net was carried as the boat was rowed in a large circle, hopefully around a school of mackerel, while the net was paid out. One end pulled by the seine boat, the other by the dory.

In this view the ceiling is completed (the ribs are now completely covered) and I’ve started installing bits meant to resemble thwart knees.

You can also see the small platform in the bow.

Now the hull has been primed with white paint, Rails have been added, the thwart knees completed and a cuddy installed in the stern where misc. equipment can be stored (note the door and toggle to keep it closed).

In this view the first coat of paint has been applied. Apparently, it was common to paint seine boats completely white and several references indicate the red(ish) stripe and green bottom.

I’ve added a pump log and fabricated seven rowing oars and one steering oar.

Here the first hardware has been installed, a davit to work the net purse lines, a pair of lifting eyes (passing though the thwart and on to the keel), towing eyes stem and stern and along the port side a set of eyes to which the net tackle could be attached.

The pump has been equipped with a handle but the spout which carried the pumped water overboard is not shown as when it was not in use, it was commonly carried in the cuddy aft.

Here I’ve fabricated the oar rests. These racks or rests allowed the crew to work the net without tripping over a boat load of loose oars. I suspect the oars were not stowed in this location, as I have modeled them, while the boat was unoccupied and under tow.

Finally, here she is complete and with the Latham’s other boat, a humble dory. Both were used to draw the seine net around the school and the dory served as a tender while the catch was brought aboard the schooner.

At 1:48 scale, the seine boat is about 9 1/2“s long and the dory 3 ½” long. I really enjoyed these little projects and I hope you enjoy my story as well.

Thanks for looking, I hope my thoughts will be useful.

 

Jim

 

 

[thibaultron]

A fine model!

[Harvey Golden]

That is exquisite!  Always nice to see Henry Wood Elliott's illustrations too. I haven't got the book (perhaps it explains in it...), but it seems unusual for an open boat to have a complete ceiling.   Beautifully done!

-Harvey

[thibaultron]

Available as ebook on Google Books.

[Elia]

Jim,

 

It is good to see your modeling again.  I remember your Latham build well, including this seine boat and the dory .  Wonderful work.

 

Elia