Fifie by Ken_2 – FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models – 1:32 - Scottish Motor Fishing Vessel

[David W]

Looking even better then the last post!!!

 

I just blew the summer's dust and cobwebs off my Fifie on Monday and decided that I needed a plank bender since the first planking layer is using spliced full length lengths of wood strips and will need some edge bending which the hair curler I had been using just isn't hot enough.

[Ken_2]

Diver:  I looked up the Sanson tug kit, and it looks like a beautiful boat.  are you going to do a build log for this boat?  I hope so.  - Ken

Edited November 2, 2023 by Ken_2
Added name, since the response did not follow Diver's comment

[Ken_2]

David:  This boat has stretched my planking skills, since there are so many planks.  Each with a different bend. - Ken

[David W]

35 minutes ago, Ken_2 said:

David:  This boat has stretched my planking skills, since there are so many planks.  Each with a different bend. - Ken

 

 

Ken, of the several Fifie builds I seen on the 'net, that planking has been the most time spent on this so called 'easy to mid level' model. My skill sets are woefully poor with the last planked model (airplane) being many years ago.

 

 

[Ken_2]

I drilled 1 mm holes in the timbers and pushed the nails in the hole.  I tried a nail pusher, which exerted a fair amount of force and created a chance for a bent nail or worse, a slip which would gouge the surrounding wood.  Hammering the nail also presented similar risks.  My nylon coated plyers were not wide enough to squeeze the nail in squarely, so I wrapped some plyers with several layers of electrical tape.  This cleanly pushed in each nail.

After dry fitting the top rail, I trimmed the stem and stern.  Then I painted the 4 parts of the top rails and glued the front portions on the boat. Then trimmed the aft portions of the top rails so they would fit and glued them in place.  I used white wood filler where the 2 halves met and sanded them smooth and brushed on more paint.  As you can see, there are still a few gaps to fill where the top rail meets the bow and stern.  I will experiment with wood glue and sawdust or mixing white and walnut wood filler or if I can cut and fit a piece of wood to see which hides the gaps best.

[Dsmith20639]

You should include a link to your youtube videos. Great job!

[Ken_2]

Thanks to Dsmith's suggestion, I will post a link to my youtube channel.  The following is a post to my 3rd video of building the Scottish Fifie (planking the deck).  (Thanks Don).

 

 

If you click on my channel in YouTube, you can find all three parts of the assembly of the Fifie, and several other boats I have built.

Ken - YouTube

 

[Ken_2]

I added the grating and the scuttles as well as a few scuppers.  I assume the nets are emptied on the grating, and the fish are tossed in the open scuttles and/or down the superstructure hatches.  The kit does not provide instructions for scuppers to drain water from the deck, but it was not too hard to add 4 token scuppers. 

I finally got around to building the boat stand.  This was a complex task that has taken a lot of time. 

1)      All the painting on the boat has had flat finish.  I think a black gloss finish would look nice for the stand.  I sprayed several coats of gloss black enamel on the 4 pieces, but the result was not glossy.  Especially on the edges of the MDF wood, which kept soaking up the paint.  So, I re-sanded the wood smooth, and used Tamyia grey sealer – two coats.  The result was much better.  Except some of the curved end pieces of the stand only received a light dusting of paint due to the angle.  So again, I sanded, sealed, and sprayed, waiting a day or more in-between painting for curing.  I learned a lot about gloss painting.  Sanding and sealing are most important for a gloss finish.  My final paint job is not perfect, but good enough.  I now know how to do better next time.

2)      I set the boat on the stand, and the “pitch” of the boat was not correct.  The bow set too low.  … So I sanded the middle edge of the rear frame since it held the stern too high.  Which of course means I need to repaint these sanded spots:  - again.

3)      With all this boat “on and off” of the stand, the paint job on the hull is getting scuffed.  I may need to retouch the paint on the hull when I am completed.  Hopefully this is just dust from sanding.

4)      I decided to place a felt cover on part of the stand that holds the boat.  Such coverings are common on trailered boats, so this is not too weird, other than the 70’ Fifie is not trailed.  After spray painting the sanded portions of the boat stand, assembling the stand, and gluing on the felt, it seems the stand presents the boat’s water line correctly. 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Ken_2
added "not" in the 3rd sentence.

[Ken_2]

The holidays really slowed my boat work, but I sure enjoyed the family time.  I am now back working at my slow pace.  My next task was to turn my attention to the rudder installation.  I planked the rudder and sanded the planks to align with the hinge cut-outs and propeller cut-out.  As I installed each hinge on the stern post, I bent each hinge arm so it would conform to the stern post.  I installed the lower hinge on the stern post as low as I could get it and installed the corresponding hinge on the rudder.  The middle hinges were more of a problem.  First, I wanted the middle hinge to be below the white waterline mark.  So, I had to lower the cutout on the rudder a millimeter or so.  Second, I could not figure out how to add the hinge parts separately; one hinge to the stern post and the mating part separately to the rudder.  Just not enough room.  So, I added the assembly to the rudder. 

I then “dry fit” the rudder to the boat, marked where the red and white paint should be and then painted the rudder.  Next, I added both top hinge components to the rudder and nailed the hinges to the boat.  Sometimes I used my plyers wrapped with electrical tape to squeeze the nails into the holes and other times I used a 4 oz hammer and pounded them in.  I used a short nail in 1 or both of the provided holes.  But where the 2^nd hole was close to an edge, or the nail interfered with other parts, I cut the 2^nd nail very short and glued the top of the nail so it looked like it was nailed.

[Ken_2]

I've been preassembling many of the deck parts in preparation of installing them on the deck.

[Ken_2]

The pilot house or wheelhouse was more complicated than I expected and is an assembly by itself.  This assembly took some time!  I stole the idea of adding controls from Ras Ambrioso’s Fifie – Thanks Ras.  

[Ken_2]

It took some time to finish the fish hatches.  I had to narrow each hatch since they were a bit too long and wide.  Then I enlarged the holes provided for the post with rings and painted all sides of the hatches.  The real time was spent figuring out how to install the rings onto the posts – (the holes in the post are 0.5 mm).  Once all 52 rings were on the posts, I added them to the hatches.

[Ken_2]

I tapered the aft mast and spars and collected all the hardware.  There are many parts, but nothing seems to be complex except the skill to rig a block to a yard (there is nothing like practice).  Also, the sequence of assembly is not defined.  However, the instructions provide pictures that clearly define the result.  I am thinking I will hoist the aft sail, but not the foresail.

This assembly remined me that my skills for handling small blocks and thread need improvement.  I spent time studying YouTube and several “writings” I have.  But for me, practice is the main way I learn.  My rigging, stropping, and seizing improved as I went along.  But. I am sure this is a skill I still need to study and improve.

I struggled to like the color of the tapered plain walnut dowels for spars.  The various acrylic colors I painted onto the spars only made things look worse, so I tried a couple of stains.  I ended up using a semi-transparent golden oak.  I brushed it on, and then wiped it off quickly.  This seemed to enhance the look.

[Ken_2]

I’m not sure of the next steps of the assembly sequence, but I will focus on assembling the superstructure onto the boat.  The rudder chains needed installation first.  Then I added the “fish pen” and then the roller assembly for the nets.  The roller assembly is fragile, so I will remove it from the boat until the boat is completed, where I will determine the display configuration, and likely put them in then.

[Ken_2]

I decided to install the two masts onto the boat before I add other equipment.  These masts seemed wobbly when seated in the deck and superstructure.  It seemed to me that I need to add the shrouds and stays to get the mast angles correct and secure before I proceed.  I had previously added the blocks and rings to all the spars.  The next step was to add the 6 ends of the shrouds to the mizzen spreader band (157).  The drawings showed the lines being seizing to these 6 loops, so I practiced my seizing (see below).  Once I reviewed seizing, I chose some 0.3 mm thread from another boat and seized the 6 shroud ends to the mast.

 

Next, I decided to use the dimensions from drawing 7 to locate where to seize the wooden thimbles (202) to the lower end of the shrouds.  I hope the thimbles end up somewhat even with the deck and one another.  I will do a dimension check before I permanently fasten the thimbles and cut and seize the shrouds.  Again, I practiced seizing rings.  First, I used just the seizing thread, but as hard as I could work, I could not get the thread to provide a solid grip around the thimble.  It seemed like an awkward push would knock the thimble out.  Also, after time, the line will relax, become looser, and again the ring could be knocked out and worse disappear, being so small.  (There were no spare rings provided).  I thought about gluing the line to the thimble, but I ended up adding 0.4 mm black wire.  Next will be the stays, and this should create a firm and stable aft mast, mounted to the Super structure.  After this (a week or more) will have to study what comes next.  Any suggestion about better assembly methods or the future sequence of events will be appreciated.  Comments or suggestions are appreciated, even if I have finished the task - I try to use lessons learned on future boats.

[David W]

Ken - you are doing a great job on this model!!

Those fish hatches are a real pain with that post and ring assembly. I think it took me over an hour to assemble the first one for the wheel house door then decided that it was way out of scale and just used the post but then the door on my model has been modified to slide and open - which was a fun as well as pretty easy endeavor since I already made the roof a bit larger. Still not sure that the hatch rings are 'right' yet as they too seem to be too heavy. Looks like those blocks need to be redrilled with a bit larger hole when I get to that point.

 

Makes me  snicker when the front page of the Amati IB says that it should take 100-150 hours to build. HA!

 

Edited February 18 by David W
added a word

[TurkSailor]

Very inspired by your work. I’m well behind on my Fifie and certainly didn’t take as much care with the first planking as you did. I’m very nervous to tackle my second layer.. however I’m glad it wasn’t just me. The curves on this boat call for so much twisting. But I’ll admit, I adore the shape! 

[Ken_2]

I used the kit drawings to determine each shroud length.  I placed a ruler against the upper shroud ring, stretched the shroud, and made a loop where the thimble should be placed.  Using forceps, my vice, and various clips, clamps, and coarse language, I installed the thimbles and blocks.  I gave up on using wire to hold the thimbles in place, since the forceps and glue worked just fine.  Once the shrouds were terminated with thimbles and blocks, I seized corresponding thimbles and blocks to eyelets.  I used the drawings to locate where to drill and glue the eyelet assemblies.  Then I wove the thimbles of the shrouds to the thimbles of the eyelets.  Now that the mast and shrouds are installed, I started to place some of the aft deck equipment (the pilot house, various cleats, etc.).  I noticed one of the shrouds was too long, so I undid the one lower shroud thimble, and shortened it and reseized it so that all of the thimbles would be of similar length.  Now I see that the forward shroud blocks are connected with black line rather than the tan line.  I guess black line represents standing rigging, whereas these blocks must be used to adjust the mast rake and are thus running rigging (tan).  I’ll change the line to tan.  I’ll install more of the aft running rigging and the smokestack, and turn my attention to the foremast.  I plan to rig it to support a derrick boom.  From there I will install some of the forward deck equipment.  There is still a lot to do!

 

I agree with David (above).  I had hoped to be completed in 12 months.  It is near the end of February (14 months), and I have not yet started on the small boat nor even decided on my display configuration.  Now I am hoping to be completed by June!   I did log my time during planking, and it took me 280 hours to finish the 2nd layer of planks.  Clearly, I am slow, but clearly, Amati's estimate of 100-150 hours for total build was optimistic.  Good insight David - Amati's estimate is off.

[David W]

Ken, your Fifie is really looking nice I'm envious of your progress in only 14 months - which is about what I have on mine. Setting up for an R/C system took way longer then expected with a better/larger prop shaft, motor, ESC, receiver and battery mounts. I have made up most of the individual deck items plus made a larger rudder. I'm currently fixing a messed up area on the first planking layer.

Oh and your next 'challenge' will be the @#$% supplied fishing dory which will probably only take 20 hours or so!

 

Looking forward to your next update

[Ken_2]

Thanks David!

[Ken_2]

I used my Homedepot laser leveler to level a wooden platform, requiring two shims.  Then, ensured that the cradle was level.  I set the boat in the cradle with the stern 20 mm lower than the bow.  The laser line confirmed the lower part of the boot-top to be level with the water line.  I then used the pendicular laser feature of the laser level to set the masts straight fore and aft as well as “square” port and starboard.  Once squared up, I glued the masts in place.  They are slightly off from straight up, but close enough for me.  A real boat would rely on the stays and shrouds to keep the masts straight and over time, the crew would adjust them as needed.  However, since the thread used in the model will relax over time and will allow the masts to sag, I used glue to hold the masts in place, since there is no crew to make corrections! 🙂

[Ken_2]

Next I installed most of the equipment on the deck, rigged most of the forward derrick mast and boom, along with most of the coiled lines.

[Ken_2]

I turned my attention to the lifeboat.  This took more time than the pilot house! – very time consuming.  I assembled the frame, laid the garboard and wale planks, and proceeded to lay the planks in between.  I narrowed the for and aft sections of these planks, but as I neared the bottom, the twist on the planks was significant, and required that I edge bend these.  The lifeboat’s planking was not as smooth as I was hoping, even after sanding.  Oh well. 

[David W]

Ken, that Fifie is really looking great.

Congratulations on assembling that lifeboat so nicely. I suspect that there were more then a couple strong words said while building it.

[Dsmith20639]

Never thought about using my laser level when building my models.  Good idea.

[Ken_2]

I am heading into the “home stretch”. 

I finished the 31 net floats, and I am working on the brooms.  These were tricky, and it took me several tries to get some decent looking brooms.  As you can see below, I have two brooms, and a third in work.  But some of the broom bristles (thread) on the finished ones look funky.  I will keep making more until I get 3 that are at least good on one side.

[Ken_2]

Next, I tackled the aft sail (as the fore mast will be rigged as a derrick).  I liked what Tom Lauria said and showed on his YouTube channel, “Making Sails for Ship Models from Silkspan, Parts 1, 2”.  I’ve been wanting to learn how to make more realistic sails.  Since the cloth provided in our kit was a bit thick and coarse for me, I took the chance to learn more about sails.  Tom stated that Silkspan is thinner than cloth and comes closest to real scale canvas and is equally suited for furled sails.  All my model boats are display with all sails aloft.  So, again, I am taking this opportunity to learn how to furl my model sails.  Tom’s instructions are very clear, so I won’t repeat them here.  I will say I have always had problems following instructions, and this is no exception.  His video shows that he painted the silkspan before he cut the sail out.  I cut the sail first, but the result turned out good anyway.  He also showed using strips for the edge seams.  But I had my wife sew the edges, as I am familiar with this “look” and it was easier for me (she did the work!)

Below, on the right is a cardboard cutout derived from the drawings.  To the left is my silkspan sail with the sides sewed.  The upper part of the picture shows the Titanium acrylic and the foam application rollers he used in his video.  Silkspan is a paper product which is sold under many names and was hard for me to find.  But I found some on the internet from a model airplane kit manufacturer, Sig Manufacturing.  I bought SILKSPAN TISSUE GM [MEDIUM] [Pk of 6 sheets].  Of course, after re-reading Tom’s YouTube description, I see he lists Bluejacket Shipcrafters as providing it as well.

The next picture shows the painted sail with those miserable 3mm rings.  Since the sail is paper, I am being very careful not to tear it.  I am giving some thought on how to mate these smaller sail rings to the larger mast rings.  This may be tricky!  I plan to take some pictures with the sail hoisted, and then permanently furl the sail for display.

[David W]

Ken. once more. looking fine

Those brooms - take a look at those cheap single use brushes at Home Depot/Lowe's. They are sold as 'chip brushes'.

I haven't made any up yet but any light colored paint brush should work. Those 31 net buoys were easy to paint and a fun project. After drilling the hole I stuck mine on a tooth pick set in a chunk of Styrofoam  and went at it. Two coats of orange add the eye and done.

 

 

[Ken_2]

I have assembled the boat, as you can see in the following pictures.  Next I will furl the sail and display it furled.  Later this summer I will paint the captain and build a display case, neither of which I have done before.  Thus the next post with furled a furled sail will conclude this build log. 🙂 

[JacquesCousteau]

Very nicely done!