Viking Drakkar by Brumby - Disarmodel - 1:48

[Brumby]

Hello!  I have myself a Viking ship model and thought I'd put together a build log.  Its my second undertaking in wooden models, having recently wrapped up my first build on Occre's Polaris.  I got the Drakkar as a birthday gift and was very excited to pop it open and have a look.  Flipping through the instructions provided by Disar, I realized that Occre was really holding my hand through my first model.  So while I'm excited to share the progress I make on this build, I also think that I'm much more on my own with this build and fully expect to seek input from the community when I inevitably get myself into trouble!

 

I got the keel and bulkheads out of the rather thick board with only a little difficulty.  As I was dry fitting the pieces, I noticed a couple of things... First, all of the bulkheads were smooth.  Several Viking ship build logs I've seen here, notably Amati, a few of the bulkheads are notched to help guide the layering of the hull boards.  Since mine doesn't have that, I'll have to commit a little extra effort to measuring and lining things up. 

 

Second, the top of most of the bulkheads were not level with the keel.  This kit does not have a false deck, the deck boards are laid directly on the bulkheads and keel. I thought it very important that it all be level together, so I sanded or filled notches in various bulkheads until they were all level with the keel. And here lies my first mistake!  By making the tops all level, I'd now misaligned the bottoms of the bulkheads, to which the garboard strake is meant to attach.  So I've got some fairing repair ahead of me.

But I have had some good luck.  As I was preparing to start this build, my wife told me I had to fill my own stocking for the upcoming Christmas holiday.  A perfect excuse to go grab a few new tools!  Just a few small things but most notably a right-angle clamp that helped get the bulkheads into place.  And that's where I am now... I have a lot of planning, measuring, and marking to do on my hull pieces before anything else gets fastened.  I'll let you know when there is more progress.

[Louie da fly]

One thing to keep in mind is that you need to ensure a smooth run between the bulkheads so you get a smooth curve on the hull. Use battens or thread to show you the line and alert you to any discrepancies in the smooth curve. Then you can adjust the shapes of the bulkheads as needed.

 

Steven