Maine Lobster Boat by ahb26 - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - Scale 1:19 approx (5/8" = 1')

[ahb26]

I selected the Lobster Boat because I wasn't in the mood to take on a complex rigging-intensive project.  We've spent a lot of time in Maine - my family has deep roots there - and I've always enjoyed watching the lobster boats, even though I am allergic to the beasts.  This boat will probably become a gift for someone in the family.

 

As noted elsewhere, this kit has been revised recently and so some aspects of the build may be new to those who built the kit recently.  Originally, I believe this was a Laughing Whale kit. BlueJacket has updated it at least once since they acquired Laughing Whale.

 

Right from the start, I encountered some minor problems.  Nothing insurmountable, but it seems worthwhile to point them out as the log goes along to forewarn future builders, in case the problems persist.  I have progressed as far as planking, so the first few entries will catch up.

 

I started by assembling the cradle.  I discovered that the stretcher dowels were a bit undersize and the holes for them a bit oversize, resulting in a very loose fit.  I fixed this by wrapping the ends with glue-soaked paper strips prior to assembly.

The next step is to drill the rudder to accept a 1/16" brass rod as the rudder shaft.  I found that the rudder (and the stem and keel) were a bit on the thin side, 13/128" to be exact, leaving little space for a 1/16" hole.  I set it up on my drill press as carefully as I could and it still drifted slightly off line - not enough to be a problem, however.

I don't know how anyone could do this without a drill press - not I, certainly!  I had to sand the brass rod down some to get it through the hole.

[ahb26]

In preparation for assembling the bulkheads to the keel, I dry-fit everything.  I discovered that the fit of the bulkheads was very loose, due in part to the thin keel material.  I trial-fit the cockpit sole and found that it was too wide to fit between the bulkheads toward the stern (F8 and F9), and too long.  After puzzling over this for a while, I reshaped the sole plate as shown below.

This provided a snug fit against all bulkheads and no excess length at the stern.

 

Frames F8 and F9 have cutouts at the top to receive beams that support the subdeck, but the beams were not provided in the kit nor were they mentioned in the instructions, although they do appear in the photos.  I made up beams from scrap, including a slight crown which I traced from F2.

I placed the subdeck over the bulkhead tabs, and secured everything with rubber bands.  I wanted to use the subdeck to position the bulkheads before gluing them.

In addition to the bands holding the subdeck down, I used a band around the stem to hold the subdeck as far forward on the stem as possible.  I also used bands to hold F5 down tight in its slot, counteracting the natural flex of the subdeck.

I had previously noticed that F5 sat a little high and filed the slots to make it flush with the top edge of the keel. 

 

When everything was in place, I used thin CA in the bulkhead-keel joints, then reinforced the joints of F5-F8 with blocks.  (I didn't glue F3 and F4 at this time, partly to avoid having structure above deck level and partly because I intended to paint F4 before installing it. I also didn't glue F9, the sternmost bulkhead, wanting to wait until the cockpit sides were sorted.)

 

 

[BobG]

I really like working boats so I'll be following along on your build, Andrew. It looks like you are doing a nice job of managing the small difficulties you've encountered with the kit already. Good luck!

[Cathead]

I built this a few years ago as a gift for my mother, who loves Maine, and it came out great. I didn't do a build log but did write a review after the fact, which might be of interest and use. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this kit.

 

 

[ahb26]

2 hours ago, BobG said:

I really like working boats so I'll be following along on your build, Andrew. It looks like you are doing a nice job of managing the small difficulties you've encountered with the kit already. Good luck!

Thanks, Bob. 

 

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

I built this a few years ago as a gift for my mother, who loves Maine, and it came out great. I didn't do a build log but did write a review after the fact, which might be of interest and use. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this kit.

My mother-in-law also loved Maine.  This boat will be named after her (Helen) and the home port will be where they had a cottage (New Harbor).  I read over your review several times and the handsome product encouraged me to proceed.

[ahb26]

With most of the bulkheads installed, I was able to trial-fit the cockpit sides.  I temporarily replaced F4 in the keel, inserted the cockpit sole, and started working the sides into position. 

I discovered that they needed to be notched where subdeck beam at F8 crosses, and that they were too long.  Here is how they were modified to fit:

I was now ready to paint the cockpit areas and glue everything in place.  I selected an accent color (Kelly Green) and painted the cabin door trim - the rest of the cabin wall and the cockpit sides were painted white, and the cockpit sole painted gray.  I glued F4 and the sole into the bulkhead structure.

With F3 also in place, I was finally able to glue on the subdeck.  This was generally straightforward except at the rear of the cockpit, where all my little spring clamps were called into play.

At this point, another problem became apparent: The top edges of the cockpit sides had a gap, both horizontal and vertical, to the edges of the subdeck.

After more head scratching, I noticed on the plan (just one sheet by the way) what appeared to be the cross-section of a small coaming around the cockpit.  I made up three sections of 1/8" square basswood, which fill the space nicely.

I have painted the finish deck but decided not to install it yet - a good choice since planking (a topic for the next entry) would not have been kind to it.

[ahb26]

Thanks for the likes!  Progress has been slow, partly because other things are going on but also because planking is not my strong suit.  I know enough about it to be dangerous but not enough to be sure of myself, so I procrastinate.

 

The kit includes two huge bricks of balsa from which small filler blocks for the bow may be carved.  Some builders have dispensed with these but I decided to give them a try, in part because I've never made them before.  The first one took roughly forever to carve and shape, but I eventually got it close enough to glue in, figuring I could fine-tune it during the process.

I realized that I could use a thinner piece so that only the stem end of the plank was supported.  This made for much quicker shaping.

In this photo, the garboard strakes have been installed.  The kit comes with two laser-cut garboard strakes, each 1" wide and tapering to the bow.  I didn't like the way these fit - they seemed a bit short - so I used individual 1/4" planks instead.  In retrospect, I wish I had tried a bit harder with the laser-cut pieces, since I had to use up eight planks that I will need to replace.

 

When I installed the sheer strake, it required a bit of coaxing at the stern to conform to the sheer.  For the next strake down, I used a stealer to ease the run of the plank.

At this point, I needed to think about how to handle the different widths of planking at each bulkhead.  I was already tapering each plank at the bow.  Now I made up tick strips and tapered the full length of each plank according to what the tick strip indicated.  I discovered that I really had to wrestle the plank into place at the midpoint with this approach. It was time to fall back and regroup.

 

The instructions recommend using 1/8" wide planks to get around the turn of the bilge, and the kit provides plenty of them.  I started working down (up in the photos) from the sheer with these planks with no tapering.  They went in with no difficulty.

So that is where things stand.  I am going to try tapering the 1/4" planks again, except this time I'll soak them prior to hanging.  Eventually, I'll run out of room at the bow and stern but I'll deal with that when it happens.

 

[ahb26]

After alternating planks on each side, I decided to finish one side in hopes of learning lessons to apply to the other. So, the starboard side is done (apart from trimming at the transom) and a fine mess it is.  It will take a lot of sanding and filling to make it smooth, and I am not sure how fair the result will be.  The planks have a sharp edge bend amidships and that may result in a visible break in the curve of the hull.  We shall see...

 

I went through contortions to reduce the plank count into the remaining space at the stem:

There was more space at the stern and a single drop plank was sufficient.

From a distance it doesn't look too bad.

However, the potential break at the midpoint is visible.  I think this occurred because I tapered the planks in each direction from there, resulting in a build-up of width.  I probably should have maintained a constant plank width across the middle few frames and just tapered a bit at the ends.

 

I think the port side is in better shape than the starboard was when I stopped alternating sides.  I'll see if I can do a better job of letting the planks tell me where they want to go.

 

 

[ahb26]

Almost there...

Finally!

Trimming, sanding, filling, sanding etc. yet to go, but I'm relieved to have reached this point.  This side is a bit cleaner than the other but still somewhat haphazard.  Four drop planks at the bow...

and some poor planning at the stern, resulting in the odd angled filler piece.

Hoping for smoother sailing, er, motoring from here on!

[MrBlueJacket]

One you putty and paint, no-one will see those odd planks. Good work!

 

Nic

[ahb26]

Five weeks on, more or less - the holiday season with its usual alarums and excursions - and in between, sanding, filling, masking, priming, painting, trimming: the hull is basically finished, with just a few deck items to add.  Here's a quick summary.

 

After initial sanding and filling (with MH Ready Patch), the first coat of primer reveals more areas needing work.

Sand, prime, repeat until satisfied or patience is exhausted.  Then mask the waterline and attempt the first coats of the hull color. (It looks grey in the photo but is actually bright white.)

There was more filling and sanding and painting until I couldn't stand it any longer and removed the masking tape, revealing the previously applied waterline.

Both the waterline and the red-brown paint beneath it needed touch up.  I used paper guides to position the rubbing boards on the side of the hull:

Next step was gluing on the pre-cut sheet deck. 

In order for the deck edges to lay tight against the cockpit coaming, I had to scrunch the deck sheet in such a way that it wouldn't lie flat on the foredeck.  I cut about 1/16" out of the center in that area, resulting in a visible seam.  I have a plan for that, once the cabin is installed.

At the stern, the deck sheet isn't quite long enough to reach the front edge of the transom.  In this photo, the 1/16" square toe boards have been installed along each side of the hull, but a similar sized piece across the stern would not quite cover the bare wood, so I used a 1/8+x1/16" strip there.

 

Final step was to install the sheer strakes (which I had prepainted in the trim color) along the sides and across the stern - and here we are.

I will work my way into the cabin next.

[ahb26]

Thanks for the likes - much appreciated.

 

I have added some deck items.  Chafing strips and cleats at the stern -

At the bow, chocks (on the supplied pads), the as yet unpainted samson post, and my solution for the section of decking that I cut away to allow it to lay flat on the foredeck.

I plan to paint the plank down the middle (king plank?) white to provide some visual interest.  Final installation must wait on completion of the cabin.

 

As I worked with the cabin sides, I noticed a problem that could have caused some real headaches.  The inside surfaces of the cabin are marked where they are supposed to glue to frame 4.

As you can see, with the forward ends and vent windows aligned, the frame marks do not line up.  If one were to glue the cabin sides on the marks, the front ends would be misaligned, as would the cabin and vent windows (not that that matters so much).  In order to keep the laser marks hidden, I chose to use the marks on the port side (LCB2) as the frame 4 reference, leaving the starboard frame marks about 1/4" ahead of the frame.

This is all dry-fit.  In preparation for bending the cabin walls to shape, and lacking a wide enough clamp, I made up a fixture from 1/4" square stock (left over from Emma C. Berry) that goes through the vent windows and holds the sides firmly against the frame.  After the wood has been moistened, the forward ends will be pinched together to the correct width and allowed to dry.  That's the plan, anyway.

Note that I had to cut away a slice of the window frames to clear frame 3 - on both sides.

 

The instructions for this step seem to date from another time, when frame 2 protruded above the deck.  They say that the cabin sides should be glued to frame 2, but frame 2 is completely under the deck.

[ahb26]

Well, we're having fun now! Since the deck and cockpit have already been painted, I decided to build up the cabin in such a way that it could be removed from the frames for spray painting, saving me the trouble of masking and potential overspray.  To do that, I added bracing to prevent the assembled cabin from twisting and coming apart.  In the first photo, I've added two wide strips under the vent windows.

The micrometer is being used to hold the frames snug against frame 3, since I don't have any clamps that large.  Next, I glued on the cabin front against cleats.

This was a delicate operation.  Here's the cabin off the boat:

and set in place:

You can see the additional cross brace I added at the front to make sure it doesn't come apart.

 

I need to fettle the cabin roof some before I paint the cabin, but I can't glue on the roof until the cabin is glued in place because I need access to the inside of the cabin.

[ahb26]

Thank you for your interest and likes. The pace is picking up a little.

 

I decided to go ahead and complete the cabin assembly, including paint, before attaching it to the deck.  I think I've come up with a sequence of operations that will permit it.

 

Today I sorted the cockpit roof.  I ran into another inconsistency between instructions and parts, this one requiring some modifications.  The instructions indicate that the small tabs on the end of the roof beams should be glued into corresponding notches in the longitudinal beams that support them.  However, the notches do not exist.

These parts are all made of plywood, and I had no appetite for trying to cut the notches into plywood.  Instead, I made up short cleats out of 1/16" square stock and glued them inside the longitudinal beams.  I cut the tabs of the beams and glued them to the cleats.

This worked out pretty well, and the cleats will be invisible from most angles.  With the windscreen frame set (not yet glued) in place, the support structure for the cockpit roof is complete.

I had to take about 1/16" off the top of the windscreen frame to bring it level with the rest of the beams.

 

I'm ready to do some painting in preparation for installing the cabin roof, windscreen frame, and cockpit roof. With luck, everything will fit together and the resulting assembly will slip into place on the deck without complaint.

[ahb26]

Thanks for the likes and for your patience.  I think this lobster boat is finished!

 

I managed to install the cabin/cockpit without too much drama and, unfortunately, no photos until I glued on the pre-painted cabin roof.

Another stretch without photos while I finished detailing the cockpit area, installed the crane, and made up the lobster traps (which do not bear close inspection).  I shaped and primed the buoys...

and chose colors for them.  I rigged one buoy to a trap and hung it over the side (thanks to Christopher Janki for that idea) and left the remaining traps and buoys loose.  And that was it!  Here are the final photos, against the convenient background of my spray area representing a storm at sea.

She is named Helen E. after my mother in law.  My wife's parents had a cottage in New Harbor and she loved the area.  We have spent a lot of time there.

 

As I documented in this thread, this build was not without its challenges.  I am generally pleased with the result, but there are things I could have done better, and of course much opportunity for additional detailing that I didn't pursue.  (Most photos of working lobster boats show what can charitably be called a mess of stuff.)

 

Next up is another lobster boat - Midwest's Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack, now made and sold by Model Shipways.  Building these Maine workboats is bittersweet, as the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine push the fish and crustacean stocks further north and regulations designed to protect right whales hamper lobstermen.  (I'm in favor of protecting the whales but feel for the lobstermen.)

 

Thanks again for looking in and for the likes.

[Cathead]

Looks great!

[gsdpic]

Well done.  The green and white is eye catching.

[BobG]

You've made a really wonderful model, Andrew. I love the green and white color scheme and the lobster traps are very cool. Well done! 

 

I have often thought that a lobster boat would be a good choice for trying to make a heavily worn and realistically weathered model of a hard working, fishing vessel. One benefit would be that the weathered and worn exterior would more easily cover up my mistakes!

 

I'm looking forward to following your next project too. Good luck! 

[ahb26]

Eric, Gary, Bob - thanks for the kind words, and thanks to all for the likes.

 

A lobster boat would be a great subject for weathering, although to get an authentic look I think you would have to pile much gear into it (some in disreputable condition).  Weathering is a whole different skill set and I am amazed at what the skilled can do.  There are many examples in the non-ship model section under Shore Leave.  Plastic models have come a long way since I was building them as a kid.

[MrBlueJacket]

Great job. As promised, your customer file shows 10% off the next kit you buy from us.

 

Nic

[pwog]

Really nice job! She looks great!