Emma C Berry by Kenneth Powell - Model Shipways - 1:32 - as a yacht

[Kenneth Powell]

Hello,

I built the stand.

I have a couple of very old, very dry pieces of teak and trimmed one to build it. It is so dry and void of natural oils, I was able to glue uprights onto the base and it adhered pretty well.

The felt strips also stuck.

I used Formby's Lemon Oil Treatment to give it some life and I think I heard slurping sounds from the old, dry wood.

It's a little dark now but it should lighten as the wood absorbs the oil.

I'll give it a couple of days and set the hull on the stand and start with the deck.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

Somehow my previous post was posted again. Probably user error.

Anyway, now that the stand is completed and in use, I started on the deck. The kingplank and bowsprit pawl bitt were installed. An old ice pick was used to scribe the kit-suppled kingplank then the grove was traced over with a HB 0.5mm mechanical pencil. I painted and stained now to make a cleaner job.

The comings for the cabins have also been added.

This really shows the layout of the fore and aft cabins of my idea of a pleasure boat. I've never built comings this way and I like it. With the Rattlesnake I just glued the hatches and gratings right on the deck. The process went fairly quick by trimming 1/8 stock with a #21 scalpel then cleaning up with a #11 blade and small file. And I still have all my fingers.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[ccoyle]

9 hours ago, Kenneth Powell said:

Somehow my previous post was posted again.

 

Fixed!

[yvesvidal]

9 hours ago, Kenneth Powell said:

This really shows the layout of the fore and aft cabins of my idea of a pleasure boat. I've never built comings this way and I like it.

It will be interesting to see how you treat this fishing boat into a yacht. I agree with you that the purity of the hull lines could have made for the prettiest pleasure yacht.

 

Yves

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks Chris for the fix.

Thanks Yves for the post. Plenty of work boats here in Biloxi have been converted to family boats by using the space of the hold. There's plenty of room for a salon or a bunk area.

 

- Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

All Decked Out

Planks installed with a few butts. I used a sharpie to mark plank edges with mixed results. In fact, it smeared a little during sanding even though I waited until the next day to let everything dry.

A #2 pencil maybe would have been better; lesson learned.

Next was sanding. First with 150 grit then 220 grit. For the tight spaces I put the boot to it.  I made this little sander from a piece that broke when I was making the stand for the Rattlesnake. It works well.

A note about this kit: The instruction manual, dated 1997 says the rudder stock pad is laser cut, but it is not. It doesn't exist even though it's on parts list, dated 1998 as part of the 3/32 inch laser set. The windless pieces are cut on the 3/32 set with the kingplank even though they are listed as being on the 1/16 inch set. Crazy!

The rudder stock pad was cut from stock and drilled at the appropriate angle. The plans called for it to be 1/4 inch wide, but that is too narrow for the 5/32 rudder stock - at least for me. So, I made it 3/8 inch wide and trimmed the deck planks around it.

Stained

I used Varathane Golden Oak. It seems to neutralize the bleeding sharpie.

You can see where the wood of the laser cut parts stained differently from the kit supplied planking strips. But that's okay.

Next up is constructing the bulwarks and I have a lot of reading and studying to do.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

 

[Kenneth Powell]

One of my photos got out of order in my last post - user error.

 

- Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

This past weekend was the annual blessing of the shrimp fleet here in Biloxi. It's a local tradition with the crowning of the Shrimp King and a pageant for Shrimp Queen and a special blessing mass at St. Michael church. The admiral's family takes it very seriously and decorates her dad's boat every year.

Her and her dad and one of the 5 brothers just getting started:

F/V King Arthur; a 42 ft. wooden Biloxi lugger built by local masters.

Of course, what's a parade without Ken and Barbie?

My father-in-law built the little dingie from the Expectant Father's Cradle Boat Book by Wooden Boat magazine. He strip-planked it and made it seaworthy for the grandkids to play with. We also tow it behind the shrimp boat during ceremonies for people to see. We have a blast.

I used the same jig to build an actual cradle for my son right before he was born; but it doesn't float.

Thanks for checking in - Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

Knightheads:

I actually thought ahead and strapped the stock wood for the bowsprit to get a more accurate fit.

Stanchions are next.

 

Thanks for looking in - Kenneth

 

[Kenneth Powell]

Hello, Everyone -

I finished the stanchions and bulwark planking

Then added the cap rails and buffalo rails

Profile shot

I didn't go in the exact order of the manual because I wanted to have enough room to paint the bulwarks before the rail caps were in the way.

The laser-cut stern rail was too small when I fit it into position, I'm sure I did something along the way to cause it. So, I cut one to size from stock bass wood. It always seems that things dry-fit better than final glued result.

Adding hull details is next, then I'm going to clean and touch up everything before mast and spar construction.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Paul Le Wol]

Looking great Kenneth!

[Kenneth Powell]

Hello, everyone.

It's been a little while since I posted. Since then, along with life and stuff, I made and installed the stern mooring bits and the main sheet horse with its block.

Also, I've started building the cabin truck. I like how my panel door turned out. 

I'll continue to work on the cabin trunk and build the larger cabin trunk along the same lines.

 

I tried something new and attempted to blacken the brass rod used for the main sheet horse using Birchwood Brass Black.

It worked okay and I'll practice with it before I start on the upcoming brass work on the mast and spars.

If anyone has any tips and time savers, I'm listening.

Question - should I blacken the brass pieces before soldering or blacken the finished part?

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Dr PR]

I would do the soldering and and shaping or polishing first, then blacken the finished piece.

 

Birchwood Casey Brass Black does blacken solder at least as good, if not better, than it blackens brass. Note - I use tin/lead solder and I suspect it is the tin that is blackened, I don't know about silver solder or some of the newer lead free solders.

 

Be certain the metal is clean of oils and solder flux.

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks, Phil

I will certainly give it a go.

 

Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

Surprise, Everyone - portholes

 

Easy to make. Trace the eyelet and drill inside with tiny bit then finish with rat tail file. Also, I used a single wide plank because I didn't want the drilling and filing to cause damage to the joint.

I used these eyelets and just pressed them in. They are already brass so no additional painting. But I did paint the sides beforehand to make everything clean.

I simplified the framing because I'll cover the entire roof.

All finished

I left the hatch off this cabin and will place it on the front, larger cabin.

Spoiler alert ... I'll put 2 port holes on each side of the forward, larger cabin.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

Oops, looks like photos got out of order on my last post. User error, I'm sure.

 

- Kenneth

[Nirvana]

Kenneth, I just finished reading through your build log. I like your idea of making ECB into a yacht. 

She looks really good and will be a helpful guide for me, once I get to my kit.

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks, Nirvana for looking in and the compliment.

And now what I've all been waiting for: The second cabin is complete.

It's built just like the first only a little bigger. I used the left-over spacers between the intermediate deck beams from the laser-cut sheet for the cabin top beams. The curve was exact and had plenty of needed width.

Just had to sand off the char and cut to width.

All finished with the hatch cover and trunk in place.

I'm working on the rudder and tiller now and will then complete the other hull details.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

 

[Kenneth Powell]

Hello everyone

I've completed and installed the rudder and tiller

A trick everyone knows: I drilled tiny holes in the top of the rudder and bottom of the post and installed a trimmed pin to hold them stronger together than glue only.

The instructions call for round holes and straps, so here they are. I cut them from card stock.

The small tab at the bottom end of the keel broke off some time ago. It actually made it easier to install the rudder with its post, just slid right in.

The tiller fit right in the square hole in the post I made by drilling a round hole and cleaning it with a scalpel blade.

The metal parts in the kit are not the best and need a lot of cleaning and filing.

Be careful not to file off too much.

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

One thing I wanted to mention is that these eyelets at this diameter and the scale of the model give a port hole about 10 inches - a good size for a family boat.

Things are getting busy, so if I don't log on for a while have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Thanks - Kenneth

[Keith Black]

Kenneth, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours. 

[SiriusVoyager]

Very nice work!  I happened to see the Emma C Berry about two ago while being restored.  I would say that your model is currently more put together than the actual boat!

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks Keith and Eric for stopping by and your comments.

I've been piddling a bit on the EMC between honey dos and family matters and may post some photos soon.

 

- Kenneth