18th Century Longboat by Roger Carter - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1/48

[Roger Carter]

I have always been interested in boats, and growing up in Greenwich very near the National Maritime Museum I have always admired the fantastic models of ships that I drooled over in my frequent visits. Partially retired, and now time to have a go myself. 

 

I recently completed a Chesepeake Light Crafts model of one of their Skerries. And then the little Grand Banks Dory kit from Model Shipways. Both went well and now sitting on my office shelf. Time for a bit more of a challenge.

 

I fancied a go at the 1/24th Armed 18th Century Longboat. This was because of this wonderful site saying it may be achievable with my newly learned skills. Noting that the tiny 1/48 version is advanced and not for beginners like me. But fate took its course and I managed to get the 1/48 kit ridiculously cheaply on a certain auction site. So, I made the purchase with the intention of having a go, with no idea if I would get very far. But maybe I would learn something.

 

I am having lots of challenges, and the work is nowhere near the standard of others I see on here. But, I am making progress and thought it may be useful to share my progress here in a log to highlight the problems and solutions I am finding. I may even finish the model.

 

Cleaning up, creating the rabbit and glueing the frames was relatively straightforward. I would strongly recommend pencilling on a centre line on each frames and across the top edge. Invaluable for getting the frames straight.

 

I decided to brace the frames with scrap wood as suggested my many on here.

 

As you can see, my end of the kitchen table is quite tight. And as we have a new puppy in house, a good six inches around the table has to be left clear to avoid chewing accidents. Perhaps an advantage to starting this tiny model.

 

 

[Roger Carter]

And on to fairing and planking. Fairing went well (i think), i used nail filing boards that I found ideal as they could be gently bent to the contours required. Very tricky doing the fairing at the bow end.

 

The planking is unbelievably thin and fragile. But soaking in hot water a few minutes, and clamping around small cylinders was relatively successful.

 

One thing I never see in instructions, and rarely in build logs, is how you clamp planks onto such a tiny and fragile structure. In the instructions the pictures go from a bare frame to perfect planking in an instant like magic. I decided to use wood glue for the frames, but used CA on every third frame. This meant i could instantly fix the CAed frames and these acted as liquid clamps for the glued in between frames. probably wrong, but seemed to work extremely well.

 

Incidentally, the bit circled in the first photo inevitably broke off with the forces I was applying to get the planks on. A clean break, so i simply put it aside to glue back when the planking was finished.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by Roger Carter

[CiscoH]

Great start Roger.  this model is harder than it looks (small not = easy) but will give you an intro to every skill you need.  

also everyone breaks off the top of the stem.  

[Roger Carter]

10 hours ago, CiscoH said:

Great start Roger.  this model is harder than it looks (small not = easy) but will give you an intro to every skill you need.  

also everyone breaks off the top of the stem.  

I am finding it a real challenge. But very enjoyable. 

[Roger Carter]

The rest of the planking seemed to go well. But I ended up with an ugly bulge on starboard where I hadn’t been as careful with prep. So I had to cut some sections out and replace with small planks and filler.

 

The design of the kit was excellent and removing the bulkheads was a doddle, ending up with the lovely open boat look. 
 

Because of the errors with planking, I painted the hull ochre and white. The inside is ok and will be left as natural wood.  I thought I would try a weathered look like the original NMM model. So I varnished the fresh paint with a mix of varnish and acrylic paint for an aged affect. I am quite pleased with the finish, but may put on some more whitewash affect later. 

 

 

[Roger Carter]

Adding internal detail. Now I am starting to really enjoy the process. 
 

When i added the forward floor, I realised I hadn’t taken enough material from the keel and frames so it was going in too high.  Improvised a floor slightly further back to compensate. Wrong number of thwarts (look at plan next time!). Really enjoyed making the tiny windlass and painting in this part of the build. 
 

When the detail was finished I added the cap rails and immediately realised why it would be better done before detail. Almost impossible filing internal frames so ended up with a slightly wide cap rail. But overall pleased with how it’s looking. And barring disasters, I can actually see myself finishing this model. 
 

Already thinking about next model. Maybe a one masted napoleonic cutter. Any recommendation?

Edited September 2, 2023 by Roger Carter

[CiscoH]

great job Roger.  youre moving fast and it looks excellent.

i went from the 18th cent longboat to another model shipway’s kit, the Armed Virginia Sloop.  its a step up in complexity but not a 74 or something really crazy.  Directions are definitely dated though; you have been spoiled by Chuck’s clear directions for this kit.

[Roger Carter]

Lots of work preparing main mast and bowsprit.  Real trouble making the ball truck at such a tiny scale. Had the bright idea of finding a suitable button to use instead. I don’t know what button are made from, but epoxy glue would not stick to it. Went back to the wooden one I had fashioned and used that.
 

Using a drill and sand paper as described in instructions to shape masts worked really well. But watch you don’t get friction burns.
 

All the tiny fittings are a real struggle fit my 64 year old eyes and sausage fingers. But I am quite pleased with the finished look.  

[allanyed]

Very nice workmanship Roger!  Do the plans call for the aft most thwart?   Contemporary plans and models that I could find and photos of your kit box do not appear to have it so wondered if this sometimes was actually done.  It would seem that a thwart there would interfere with the davit when it was in use.  Below model is from RMG, SLR 0330  https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66291  I believe the side benches sat on the aft most thwart or in a mortise as shown at the circled area "A" on ZAZ5814 plan below.

Again, really well done model!!

Allan

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by allanyed

[Roger Carter]

On 9/3/2023 at 8:49 PM, allanyed said:

Very nice workmanship Roger!  Do the plans call for the aft most thwart?   Contemporary plans and models that I could find and photos of your kit box do not appear to have it so wondered if this sometimes was actually done.  It would seem that a thwart there would interfere with the davit when it was in use.  Below model is from RMG, SLR 0330  https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66291  I believe the side benches sat on the aft most thwart or in a mortise as shown at the circled area "A" on ZAZ5814 plan below.

Again, really well done model!!

Allan

 

 

[Roger Carter]

Thanks. Nowhere near the standard of others on here. It’s so tiny. I think I made a rookie error with the thwarts. Next time I will try and get things right. 

[Roger Carter]

So it finished. Far from perfect, but pleased with my first attempt at something more complex. 
 

The rigging was a nightmare. My eyesight wasn’t up to the task. Neither by manual dexterity. I won’t be attempting the Victory anytime soon.

 

A few pics of the final stages below. 

 

I mounted the boat on a couple of pawn chess pieces from an incomplete chess set. Quite pleased with the look.

 

I really enjoy open boats. And the wood work and painting were my favourite tasks. And no rigging please. I have the English Pinnace kit on order for my next attempt. And then I fancy scratch building a Thames Ceremonial Barge. I will start to look for some plans. 
 

 

[SkiBee]

Roger, Outstanding work for you second ship!  Cisco is right, small does not equal easy.

You might try the Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack as your second ship, it will give you some additional practice planking before the Armed Virginia Sloop.  I started a solid hull as my follow-on to the Lobster Smack, a challenge in a different way then planking.  Good luck in your next challenge.

 

[allanyed]

Looking really good Roger. 😀 I agree with the comment from Skibe about the Lobster Smack.   If the plans and instructions are followed, the Antscherl designed series and designs from Chuck Passaro are great ways to go for learning and for yielding accurate models.  

Allan 

[Roger Carter]

49 minutes ago, SkiBee said:

Roger, Outstanding work for you second ship!  Cisco is right, small does not equal easy.

You might try the Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack as your second ship, it will give you some additional practice planking before the Armed Virginia Sloop.  I started a solid hull as my follow-on to the Lobster Smack, a challenge in a different way then planking.  Good luck in your next challenge.

 

Thank you I really enjoyed it. And finished with something far more presentable than I had expected. I will take a look at the kits you mention thanks. 

[Roger Carter]

16 minutes ago, allanyed said:

Looking really good Roger. 😀 I agree with the comment from Skibe about the Lobster Smack.   If the plans and instructions are followed, the Antscherl designed series and designs from Chuck Passaro are great ways to go for learning and for yielding accurate models.  

Allan 

Thanks for the nice comments. 

[GGibson]

Very nice build, Roger!  As others have stated, the Lobster Smack was a good ship for planking!  Keep us updated on what you decide.  Always fun to watch others' build logs.

Edited September 8, 2023 by GGibson

[Ryland Craze]

Congratulations Roger on finishing your Longboat.  This is not an easy model to build, but you did a great job on building this model.

[JMak]

Roger....

 

Fellow beginner here. I am on the very first step (beveling the rabbet on the false keel) and I want to make sure I am doing it correctly. My inclination was to take a file to the edges but as I began I was feeling that this was very imprecise and I fear either the rabbet won't be deep enough or that I file down to too fine a point that the keel doesn't glue on properly.

 

What tool and method did you use to get that bevel right?