1941 Chris-Craft Barrel Back by ESF - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters

[ESF]

This is a build log for the 1941 Chris Craft 17 foot mahogany runabout (aka the barrel-back) kit by Bluejacket Shipcrafters.

 

Those who have followed my previous builds may be asking “what have you been doing?”  Well, apart from Covid work from home (with requisite toilet paper search), which involved babysitting a computer screen all day; and an attempt to build the Bluejacket Skiff with my grandson, which has taken a back seat to swimming, golf lessons, school activities and playing with friends, I completed a few non-nautical projects.

 

First up was a large (4 foot wingspan) balsa model of the B-24 Liberator from a kit sent to me by my brother.  He said my late father told him the Liberator flew out of the English base where my father was stationed during WWII.  A first attempt that shows good effort if you don’t look close, although I was happy with the canopy masking.

Next was a small plastic biplane, built to commemorate a hair (and stomach) raising flight my grandson and I took at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, located near the historic village of Rhinebeck, New York.  The results below are another first attempt, not only at a small plane but also of a handmade waterslide decal.

The last was a labor of love.  There’s a lot of family history behind it but suffice it to say that over 35 years ago I made a three foot tall teddy bear (from a Brooke Shields Moon Bears pattern) for my son, and a doll for my daughter with nightie and slippers in honor of my late mother, who loved sewing, children and things that endure, not necessarily in that order.  More recently I followed that up with three more bears for family members young and not so young.  Daughter in law suggested vests which added a certain panache.

Now that we’re up to date let’s get back to the water.

 

When I was a young lad my parents took my sister and me to Lake George in upstate New York.  My primary obsession was Fort William Henry at the southern end of the lake, but conveniently there was a boat ride service operating across the street from the fort.  The conveyances were drop-dead gorgeous mahogany boats, both double and triple cockpit.  I still remember the intoxicating burble of the engine exhaust and feeling of limitless power as I experienced my first powerboat ride.

 

My fading memory is sitting in a triple cockpit, but considering I have zero experience with bright finish mahogany models I thought the smaller double cockpit barrel-back would more likely yield a successful result (Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry:  “A man’s got to know his limitations”).  My goal was to build it with no filler, tight joints, upholstery (there’s that fabric link again) and a shiny finish.

The kit arrived in a timely manner and included the usual assortment of strip and sheet goods, laser cuts, well done drawings and an instruction manual.

Initial setup requires a flat and stiff build board. Two pre-made closet shelves from the local DIY store that I glued together for stiffness were a bit belt-and-braces but met the specs nicely.  After serving their purpose they’ll be good for a heavy load of stored junk if I build a very narrow closet.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

Bulkhead construction is underway.

I thought I had unnecessarily complicated the baseboard by using two blocks at each frame location but the gap allowed freedom of movement for the ancient framing square.

Bulkheads are set.

Battens, chines and sheer are installed and left long for trimming to the inner transom.

The inner transom needs a gentle curve.  An old piece of styrene from the Vance build had just the right flexibility to provide a line for tail marking and cutting.

A nod and thanks go to Chuck and his fine tip for easy peasy bending.  My crude version of a steam station works quite well for bending and twisting.  After a finger stroke of water I place the iron on the plank and gradually pull the plank out from under it, bending and/or twisting as I go.  Works for strips and flat pieces like the inner transom too.  As Chuck said it is really fast and repeatable to get just the right curvature.

The inner transom needs to be square to the keel spline which is a bit awkward since the spline is behind the transom.  A pin through a pinhole in the transom and a corresponding hole centered in the spline helped in alignment.  Of course, the hole in the spline had to be drilled three times before it did what it was supposed to do.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[MrBlueJacket]

Looks like you're off to a good start!

 

Nic

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest.

 

Nic (Mr. Bluejacket), thanks for your kind words and encouragement.

 

To Admin, thanks for correcting the title.

Inner planking starts with diagonal basswood on the hull bottom.  Mistakes here would be reflected in the covering layer.

Fortunately the curved inner transom was a tight fit to the bottom planks.

Toward the bow the bottom planks become more twisted.  Bring out the iron.  Fiddling was needed at the keel line to ensure a good fit between planks in every direction.

The stem required a progressive bevel and flattening of the stem face to accommodate the planks and to fit it to the false stem.

Inner side planking followed, starting at the middle and working to the ends; lapped over the bottom planks, curved to shape the transom barrel back, and blended to meet the bottom planks at the bow.

Fortunately the inner planking came together with nothing more than a good (good equals extensive) sanding needed to make a  smooth base for the mahogany planks.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

 

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest.

After the initial sanding, the completed inner hull and side planking yielded a reasonably symmetrical shape.  I learned that even having a building board and try square is no guarantee that all bulkheads will be perfectly aligned.  The bulkhead tabs, being glued and clamped to the building board blocks after aligning with the square, kept the center in perfect register; but there was still opportunity for the port wing of one bulkhead to sneak a few millimeters out of a perfect spacing, relative to the starboard wing and adjacent bulkheads.  I didn’t realize it until the inner planking was finished.  Small though the error was I had to chase it throughout the build.

The port quarter view below gives a preview of the challenges to make the barrel back, starting with rolling the plank across its width.  The steam iron (on the no-steam setting) was used in-situ to help form the roll.

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

In the spirit of baby steps the first outer planks were placed at the transom.  Deceptive little devils.  Each one required a drop of water and gentle ironing to conform to the inner transom curve, adding to my anxiety at the effort that will be required for the remaining planking.

 

The top transom planking will be installed later, after the hull and deck planking are set.  Apparently the orientation of the transom-to-deck planking joint is opposite the orientation of the transom-to-side and bottom joints.

Having never built a double planked hull, and knowing that there will be little tolerance for poor plank shape in a bright finish hull, it was pleasantly surprising to realize I could template each plank with Bristol board (stiff art paper) pinned to the inner planks.  I made most of my mistakes at that level before tracing the final shapes on the mahogany strips.

Per the instructions, the hull planking starts at the keel, using a strip beveled along the keel edge for a close fit with its neighbor.  Since the hull and side are curved, the remaining planks must be beveled along one edge for a tight fit.  A slight wobble that originated in part of the keel created opportunities for unwanted adjustments in both the inner and outer planking along the keel line.

One bottom plank stealer was needed near the bow to ensure adequate plank widths at the stem.

As the planking neared the chine it became apparent that the joint between bottom and side planking must transition from a sharp edge to a smooth blend as it approaches the bow.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

Edited February 3, 2023 by ESF
moved one line of text to the next line so it doesn't appear to the right of the picture

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

The side templates were next.

The side plank at the chine looked simple to start (as shown), but ended up requiring much massaging to blend with the hull planks, not only of the plank itself but also the underlying inner planks to ensure a solid base.  My obsession and trepidation with this part of the build will probably seem humorous, and more like child’s play, to those who have completed far more complex geometry on bluff bowed ships.  I have a renewed appreciation for all who attempt and succeed at such projects.

Side plank clamping was aided by the inner planking, and in some cases hindered when previously installed items got in the way.  The glass jar amidships is full of steel shot.  It was used as ballast for the Zebulon B. Vance RC sailing, prior to the current assignment of holding the Chris Craft in place.

The top two strakes on each side were worked in pairs to follow the compound curvature while remaining within the dimensions of the existing planks.  Below is a finished example.

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

The whiskey plank installation was a time for celebration with an almost scale sized glass filled from the Admiral’s private store of caffeine free diet soda.

A few small open joints were filled with a mixture of Titebond II and mahogany sawdust, pressed in with a finger and immediately sanded.  Hope this doesn’t disqualify me from my goal of building with no filler.

The forward planking managed the transition from a sharp chine to a smoothly blended bow.

In the interest of brevity only the port planking is shown but the starboard is the same in fit and sanding.

The side planking is reasonably aligned with the transom and thank goodness the joints are pretty tight.  Final sanding is being withheld pending installation of the port and starboard covering boards (actually half inch thick blocks but more on that later).

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[Roger Pellett]

Beautiful!  It looks like Bluejacket furnished some quality mahogany for planking.

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

 

Roger, thank you for your kind comments.  The Bluejacket mahogany was first rate.  I was leery of working with mahogany since my experience on a previous model showed it to be stiff and brittle.  I think the combination of Bluejacket’s wood, steam bending and using templates to minimize overbending all contributed to the final product.

Once the hull and side planking was installed, attention turned to the deck and cockpit.  This area requires stringers and center sub planks to establish the profile for the covering boards and to provide a landing for the sub deck.  It also requires accurate perimeters for the fore and aft cockpits since the deck planking terminates without benefit of any covering trim apart from the cockpit perimeter tube cushion.

 

The cockpits contain floor (ceiling?) panels, inner side panels and support panels for the seat cushions.  The side panels must be blocked to the hull side structure to allow a fair line for the covering boards.  The hull bulkheads serve as the forward and aft cockpit area enclosures.

The instructions show a choice of two seating arrangements.  One is for the kit-supplied cloth seat covering to be applied directly to the seat support panels.  The other is to paint the kit-supplied basswood seat back and cushion blocks, after carving to fit.  Since the kit cloth was green and I fancied a red interior I chose to shape the basswood and decide how to finish it later.

Once the top of the port and starboard side planking was planed and sanded to meet the sheer stringers, and after the floor panels were placed, the inner sides were fitted to meet the deck stringers.  Clothes pins came in very handy to hold loose pieces during test fitup.  The side panels required tapered blocking at the leading and trailing edges to ensure good contact with the panels and the adjacent hull side structure.

Much sanding and planing of support panels, cushions and side panels was needed for a tight fit, especially since I was trying to accommodate the several millimeters of bulkhead layout inaccuracy mentioned earlier in the build log.

While taking a break from the cockpit adventure I primed the instrument bezels.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

I thought it would be easier to finish the cockpit panels before installing them, and since the bulk of the finish would be hidden from view it was an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of stain and varnish.  What a topic.  There are many blog, forum and other online opinions regarding the right color, base material, brand, application method, prep and final finishing; both in and out of the ship modeling community.  What is gospel for one is heresy for others.  It reminded me of a comment I heard from a retired sailor working on the USS Slater in Albany, NY when I told him I was researching the correct gray color for the Zebulon B. Vance.  He said, “Just pick one you like; they used whatever they had when painting during the war, sometimes

two or more different colors on one ship.”  Maybe I should have asked his opinion on foam or bristle brushes (what kind of bristles my son?), rough or fine nap rollers, rattle cans or an airbrush.

 

On one forum a fellow said he was pleased with Minwax oil based color Gunstock 231, since he felt it gave a reddish tint that approximated early post war Chris Crafts.  It was available locally so I happily jumped off the finish merry-go-round and picked up small cans of stain and the recommended pre-stain conditioner.  I also grabbed Minwax Helmsman spar urethane for consistency between stain and finish.  The Helmsman was described as clear gloss but it actually has a slight amber tone.  More on that later.

As I worked the interior panels I realized that stain color, especially a semi-transparent stain, was only one part of the finished appearance.  The color of the mahogany had a significant impact as the photo shows.  The photo also shows where I grafted in small extensions to the two aft side panels (bottom right in the photo) after a test fit showed the panels to be a bit short in length.

In the end, stain agonizing was minimized when the interior panels came out well.  While trying to capture the shininess of the spar urethane I realized more sanding will be needed, both in the wood and between coats.  I also started to see the importance of multiple coats in creating depth.

The perimeter basswood stringers survived multiple fitting attempts and gave a reasonably symmetrical base for the upcoming port and starboard covering boards.  There is considerable taper to the forward deck, not only in width but also in height which means mucho carving and sanding of the covering boards, from a starting thickness of about a half inch to the finished thickness of an eighth inch or less at the bow.

Paper templates are included in the kit for the covering boards, three to each side.  I traced them on Bristol board for stiffness.  I learned quickly that the templates are only a guide and a starting point.  The covering boards start as one lump of mahogany.  Sharpen up the tools.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

Once the instrument panel was sanded and finished along with the cockpit panels, the instrument faces were fitted to the trim bezels (now painted chrome silver and the bezels were installed in the panel.  Sounds simple, but as old Rose said in Titanic, “The reality was somewhat different”, or words to that effect.

 

The trim bezels extend through most of the instrument panel similar to a porthole window.  The blue faces were a screen shot scaled down to fit and printed on copier paper.  Thanks go to the Antique Boat Center of Cleveland for their advertisement of a similar barrel back.  A balsa disc was cut for each bezel and a blue face was glued to each disc.  The disc was mounted into the bezel, leaving a little reveal at the forward edge so the instrument looked recessed.  The reveal depth was set with a scrap of balsa during press fit of the instrument disc into the bezel.  The completed panel was glued to the front bulkhead in the forward cockpit after painting the bulkhead flat black.

The forward sub deck bends in two directions, necessitating multiple rubber bands and clamps during gluing.  The bow photo shows how thin the covering board will be at the forward end.

The aft sub deck and center sub deck between cockpits were installed after being fitted to the structure and covering templates.  The curves on the center and forward sub decks were adjusted from their laser cut profiles to match the as-built conditions so they would align with the interior panels.

The covering board templates were trimmed for close fits to the sub decks.  The outboard edges were left wide for now.  This was an iterative process involving the cockpit panels, the sub decks and the transom.  A little off here, a little adjustment there, and a little reconsideration along the way.  Chasing millimeters.

Once all parties were in agreement the covering board templates were traced onto the mahogany block and cut out with my new handheld jigsaw.  Crude compared to a table mounted unit but got the job done.  And after planing, scraping and sanding, the covering boards will bear little resemblance to the rough blocks anyway.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

 

gsdpic, thanks for hanging in there.  I truly appreciate it.

The first of many, many covering board test fits.  Each adjustment required removal and replacement of a board, with attendant rubber bands and tape to snug things up.  The boards curve with the deck cross slope, the deck sheer, the side plank sheer and the fore and aft tapers.  Every adjustment in one dimension impacts every other dimension, and every adjustment requires tweaking of the zig zag joints between each covering board.  Oh boy, this fits, now that doesn’t; and why doesn’t this side look like the other, and OMG none of it sits tight to the side plank sheer, and that joint was closed but now it’s open….  The stuff that dreams are made of.

 

I thought about trying a Dremel for some of it, but with no room for filler and a one speed Dremel I stuck with the slower but gentler option of all hand work.

The progress photo gives an idea of the amount of covering board material that must be removed.

Eventually the covering boards decided to work together and were glued in place with outboard edges and height above deck all left proud for later shaping after the deck planks are installed.

The deck planks are started.  I pre-stained the planks with the hope that the “caulk” strips, which are styrene slightly taller than the planks, would remain a nice bright white.  The pre-staining brought out the color differences among the mahogany strips, which I took advantage of by creating a symmetrical pattern of dark and light strips.  Both planks and strips required progressively sharper bevels where they intersected the caulk strips at the covering boards.

I mocked up the aft planks and numbered them to ensure the color pattern would match the fore deck.

Once the fore and aft deck planks were installed I ran a piece of tape at each caulk joint that would carry through the cockpit divider area.  This space calls for one caulk joint each side with a transverse plank between, and shaped pieces of mahogany on each end.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

 

Prowler901, thanks for the Wow!

Shaping the hull included creating a progressive roll along the length of the sheer; blending side and hull bottom planking at the chine approaching the bow, blending the false stem into the hull, establishing a smooth line for the decking around the cockpit, and sanding down the “caulk” lines to be flush with the deck planks.

 

Tools included two paint scrapers (the wider one was most useful since the curved blade reduced digging in at the edges); old and new coarse and fine files, an old Stanley block plane (amazing how good those old plane irons are); a new Stanley mini-plane (not much use except in very small areas for taking off very little material), and of course stiff and flexible backed sandpaper ranging from 80 to 400 grit.

Finally the time had come for installing the last transom plank.  I suppose it is arguable that this should be the whiskey plank but the plank shown earlier is my story and I’m sticking to it.  It was a challenge getting the plank in place.  I had let the covering board blocks run long before I realized they needed to be flush with the inner transom, to allow the final transom plank to cover the ends of the covering boards.  It took awhile to sand down the end grain of the covering boards without damaging the edge of the mahogany plank below.

 

Unfortunately this view highlights the sanding and scraping marks in the deck, created while trimming the styrene caulk lines.  Stupid of me to think I could take those lines down without damaging the pre-stained deck planks.  Now I had to include the deck area as part of the hull staining project.  All that effort to keep the caulk white and now it would be back to orange-red.  Bummer.

Well, at least the joints were pretty tight and the staining was uniform.

I’m particularly proud of the zig zag joints and the way the covering boards flow smoothly from deck to hull sides.

 

Those caulk lines need some hard thinking.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[Jack12477]

On 1/30/2023 at 11:09 AM, ESF said:

built to commemorate a hair (and stomach) raising flight my grandson and I took at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, located near the historic village of Rhinebeck, New York

Steve, I live directly across the river from there. Been to the Airshow a lot but not daring enough to take a ride.  But I did get to talk with the founder Cole Palen on a number of occasions. One of the Engineers I worked with flew in his airshow as the drunken pilot "Col I am smashed" as I recall! 

 

Just discovered your build log. My college roommate had a Chris-Craft on Candlewood Lake CT. Fantastic boat. As I recall his was a square stern. 

 

Pulling up a barrel to watch. 

Edited February 6, 2023 by Jack12477

[ESF]

Hi Jack,

 

Good to hear from you.  Thanks for joining the build and for your likes.

 

When we took the flight we gave the pilot a tip, more to say thanks in advance than with any expectation.  Total safety briefing and equipment consisted of a warning not to stand near the propeller before boarding, and a single lap belt covering the two of us.  The flight was wonderful and the low sides of the front cockpit allowed spectacular views.  Everything was smooth and level but when we turned back from the river the pilot took us on a steep dive, followed by a steep climb and a whoop-de-do over the top. Positive and negative G's all in about 40 seconds.  Bug-eyed but had a great time.  Highly recommend it.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

Online videos of Chris Craft restorations have been an inspiration during the build.  While ruminating on the stained caulk I found two episodes that showed essentially the same approach to caulking deck joints.  In both cases each side of an open joint was masked with painter’s tape to protect the mahogany, before installing and cleaning up the caulk.  Well, if it worked full size why couldn’t a similar approach work here?

 

The obvious problem is getting something narrow enough to scrape the caulk without damaging the planks.

Luckily fate was with me.  The narrow edge of a small flat file just happened to fit within the caulk line.  A few careful strokes and the stain color was gone, leaving shiny white smiling at me.  Fire up patience, grab the tape and away we go.

The caulk restoration went much quicker than I expected.  The experience masking the B-26 cockpit canopy proved invaluable.

In fairly short order (okay it was hours over a couple of days) the caulk lines returned to their original splendor and final sanding could resume.

With the caulk catastrophe behind me the first spar urethane clear coat was applied, promptly yielding a few sags so I could learn finish restoration too.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[Prowler901]

Absolutely beautiful work, Steve!  Nice job on "re-surfacing" the caulk as well.  I also like that you specifically chose to stagger the colors of the mahogany strips in the planking.  It turned out very striking.

 

Todd

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

 

Todd, I appreciate your kind words.  Thank you.  I like “re-surfacing” since it more accurately represents what I did.

While watching the clear dry I knocked together a simple oak base, finished with the same stain and spar urethane as the boat.  The oak takes the stain color slightly different, making a little contrast to the mahogany.

As the coats built up, the boat took on a pleasing appearance.  The instructions called for a base of four coats before turning attention to the hull bottom paint.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[Paul Le Wol]

Steve, that is one incredibly good looking boat!

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

 

Paul, thank you for your kind comments and enthusiasm.  I really appreciate it.

After the base urethane coats were thoroughly dry I turned attention to the bottom and the Britannia (non-lead) metal parts.  BIN has been my go to primer for years, way before ship building.  It’s a bit thin and more than a bit stinky but it covers well, hides all sorts of stains, dries very fast, and leaves a nice surface for top coats of just about anything.  Just make sure to ventilate well if you decide to roll an entire bedroom with it to seal up a layer of pink paint (ask me how I know).

A piece of rigid foam insulation makes a pierce-friendly base for any items on a stick or projected pin.  Upside down painters tape on a stick takes the rest and is easily turned to give access to all sides.

The bottom planks showed a bit through the primer and paint.  In my mind that’s okay and more in keeping with my goal of no filler and an honest representation of a planked hull.

This is the first time I tried a separate waterline and it was interesting to see the number of re-maskings required along the same layout line, exacerbated when I needed to go back and add more coats to the bottom and sides.  I burnished all the tape edges with the end of a basswood plank sanded to eliminate sharp edges.

After a few very small snots were excised with an X-acto the waterline stood clean and reasonably sharp.  It may have a slight curve but it seems to mostly go away when the boat is upright.  Time for more masking to allow finishing the clear coats.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[Knocklouder]

THAT is very nice !!   

[gak1965]

That is genuinely amazing work!

[MrBlueJacket]

Besides burnishing the tape edge, you can put some clear paint on the edge to prevent bleeding.

 

Nic

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

 

Knocklouder, thank you for your kind feedback.  The toasting pirates remind me of several visits I have made with grandson in tow, to the Whydah pirate museum in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts.  I highly recommend it.

 

Gak1965, thanks to you too for your encouraging comment.  I appreciate it.

 

Nic, thanks for the hint.  I had previously read it in your great newsletter but managed to not remember it at the right time.  Another Bluejacket newsletter tip was most helpful when doing the waterline masking.

While laying on more coats I took a few photos to see if the depth of finish would be visible.  The samples are below.  The reflections are from two Luxo lamps (worklights with adjustable arms) that light my work area.

The barrel back sides near the stern were the most challenging to get smoothly curved, starting with the stringers and working up through the basswood inner planks and into the mahogany.  Still have a few small ripples that impact the clarity of reflections, but I’ve worked the wood and finishes about as far as I dare without breaking through any of it.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.  To those who have hung in there, double thanks.

By now I had my fill with masking so I turned my attention to the cockpit.

Before starting the seating work the cockpits must be wrapped with a soft plastic tube to mimic a bolster.  Since the tube is glued to the edge of decking and the tops of the inner side panels there was a good deal of woodwork trimming, filing and sanding to provide the requisite backing.  I was concerned that if I pre-finished the tube the paint would crack when the tube was bent, and a painted tube would be harder to glue.  I installed the tube raw and masked (guess I wasn’t completely filled up) around it for painting.

 

The seat cushions started with tracing the kit templates onto basswood and cutting the blanks with a coping saw.  Corners and edges were fitted and eased with the trusty Stanley, files and sandpaper.  After seeing a three cushion seat bottom in several online barrel back renovations, and after understanding that the seat bottom cushions also served as personal flotation, I sawed them into three parts each, followed with easing of the cut edges.  Seems to look like they belong there, even against a one piece seat back.

 

I chose a stretchy fine weave red fabric to mimic the red upholstery I had seen on several full size boats.  Yes, I know the real upholstery was leather, but the scale model size leather bits at the local fabric shop were too small and the wrong color, and the real leather was too thick with too large a grain.

 

Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue was used to adhere the fabric to the basswood blanks.  I applied it to the edges and backs only, to avoid having bleed through on the seat faces.  This allowed me to wrap the corners and edges and avoid stitchery.  I can sew bears with a machine but I’m not at the level of an upholstery miniaturist.  A caution:  Even a thin fabric takes up room.  I had to trim both seat backs and seat bottoms to provide clearance with the inner cockpit surfaces, in several cases only after removing freshly installed fabric to gain access to the basswood.

The floor shifter is a 1/16 inch aluminum tube with a round plastic headed sewing pin glued in the end.  To make the round head blend with the tube I dipped the assembly in chrome silver paint and hung it upside down to dry, then repeated the process a few times to get some buildup at the joint.

 

I’ve seen a variety of finishes and styles for the steering wheel, but I liked the simplicity of a white wheel and spokes with a chrome bezel and black button.  Another caution:  While I drilled the steering wheel shaft on an angle as described in the instructions, I left a little clearance between the shaft and the underside of the instrument panel, to avoid damaging the panel with the drill.  This proved problematic when I set  the front seat base and upholstered seat bottom cushion.  The wheel almost touched the cushion.  The fix, such as it was, involved removing the seat bottom fabric, sanding the seat bottom basswood until it cried uncle, and installing new fabric.  I gained enough separation so a skinny legged driver might be able to wedge under the wheel.  If I had to do it again I might even notch the instrument panel to gain more height for the steering wheel shaft.  Fortunately the seat bottom cushion is kind of tucked down and it’s not completely obvious that it’s thinner than the back seat.

More templates, more masking tape.  The windshield is one of those items where you wish you had more hands.  But it laid out reasonably well after sanding a good bevel along the bottom edge and very carefully bending the Britannia metal side brackets.

After the test fit the “glass” was put aside while the brackets were painted.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

The kit includes a piece of self-adhesive chrome to simulate the chrome plated work at the bow, stern and around the hatch cover.  A wallpaper roller helps burnish it in place.

The kit also includes a small square mahogany strip to hide the joint between the sheer planks and the covering boards.  The boat pictures online typically show a chrome metal strip along the joint so in lieu of mahogany I purchased thin chrome pinstriping tape of a width that approximates the real metal strip.

The pinstripe tape also serves as the protective edge on the spray rails which were shaped from a mahogany strip.  I’ve seen examples of both double and single tapered rails and chose the single taper based on the kit drawings.

The kit chrome makes a reasonable representation of the metal hatch framing, but what to do about hatch handles?

I had some brass railing balusters and brass wire left over from a previous build.  With little fillets of medium CA the assembly is a fair stand-in for the real T-handles.

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.

The installed windshield is the child of the two types that appeared to be offered for the barrel back.  It has the framework of the standard windshield, which came to a point in the middle, but the straight alignment of the “Bugatti” style optional windshield.  More by accident than design.

Cushions were finally placed into the front cockpit.

Flags came in the kit, along with a helpful instruction to wrap them around a dowel to give them a wave.  Worked great.

 

Metal bits were installed on the deck after a few coats of chrome silver paint and a little black at the step inserts.  I wasn't ready to tackle chrome plating, partly due to cost and partly to lack of enthusiasm.  My excuse is the chrome silver is more subtle.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[ESF]

To those who dropped in or gave likes, thank you for your interest and support.  To all who have stuck with me since the beginning, thank you so much for taking time out of your days to share in the experience.

And now some beauty shots.  As I was completing the spar urethane I contemplated trying a cutting and polishing effort using automotive products.  I purchased a bottle of each, but when I tried it on a plank cutoff I found it left a slick surface that nothing would stick to. Abandoned that idea.  The unpolished urethane will be easier to touch up.

 

And without further adieu,

More to come in next upload.

 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Steve

[Knocklouder]

That is so well done. You have to be so happy.  Congratulations!!