Norfolk Sloop by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - Modellers Shipyard - Reconstructed Build Log

[Dan Vadas]

Hi all,

 

Thanks to the generous help of MSW member "lister" (Dave) who had saved my entire Build Log of the Norfolk Sloop before the Great Crash of February 2013 I've been able to reconstruct this build log.

 

I haven't included all the comments from the members who were following it, and for that I apologise - that would have been impossible as the posts can only be made by those members. I thank all those who followed my build at the time.

 

I have included a few pertinent quotes that changed the course of how I built the model. My thanks go out especially to John (Jim Lad), Anton (perthshipbuilder), John (Neptune), Jan (amateur) and David (hopeful) for their contributions in making this model as accurately as possible.

 

Below is an "Index to Points of Interest" for those who wish to see a particular stage of the build.

 

Index

 

The Kit

 

Gluing Bulkheads

Bow Fillers

Pedestal Mounting Nuts

Mast Support Blocks

Stern Filler Blocks

Sheer Strakes

Garboard Strakes - 1st Planking

Plank Taper Calculations

Plank Battens

Hull 1st Planking

Bending Bulwarks

Deck Planking

Margin Planks

 

Deck Treenailing

Fitting Bulwarks

Stem and Keel

Dummy Frames

Hull Treenail Marking

Hull 2nd Planking

Garboard Strakes - 2nd Planking

Making Treenails

Treenailing Hull

Making Grating

Cap Rails

Scuppers

Gunwales

Channels

Grating and Surround

Companionway

 

Hull Lacquered

Elm Tree Pumps and Windlass

Barrels

Rudder

Mast

Bowsprit

Gaff and Boom

Catheads

Fitting Bowsprit

Deadeyes and Chainplates

Mast Hoops

Shrouds

Backstays 1

Forestay

Topmast Stay

Backstays 2

Bowsprit Shrouds

Ratlines

 

Fitting the Gaff

Boom Stop

Sheet Cleats

Tiller

Throat and Peak Halyards

Sheet Horse

Boom Sheets

Boom Cheeks

Jib Rigging

Railings

Anchors

Making Sails

Bolt Ropes

Robands and Reef Points

 

Fitting Gaff

Fitting Jib

 

Model Finished

Making the Stand

[Dan Vadas]

The Kit

 

 

The Laser cut pieces - keel and frames, and also a stand with a laser engraved nameplate. Quality - very good.
 

The planking for hull and deck .... again, top quality. There are also two laser cut pieces at the top of the pic which will be the bulwarks.
 

A rather small amount of Rigging line (I will probably use Mercerised Cotton instead, I'll see what the kit stuff is like when I open the packs but it looks pretty good).

At top of the pic is an extra bulkhead which was sent to me after the kit arrived - there is a slight difference in the width to the originally supplied one, apparently it was an error MS discovered after they'd boxed the kit. I don't really know why they bothered sending it, because the original one was actually a bit TOO big and could have easily been faired into shape. A nice, and professional, gesture however.

 

The pack of Fittings ... again look very good quality.
 

 

Some of the plans and instructions .... quite a large booklet of them including a full size plan and side view. Some very good tips for novices are included, but the "planking" section isn't the way I'll be doing it.

 

 

 

 

A quaint little touch from MS - Matthew Flinders' cat "Trim", which he took on all his voyages. I have a copy of the book "Matthew Flinders' Cat", which is quite a good account of his voyages and well worth a read.

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

I've made a start, albeit a small one - I've cut the bulkheads and keel off the sheet and trimmed them up.

This would have to rate as the best laser cutting I've come across to date - after I cut the two or three bridges on each part with a chisel-point Exacto blade they just about fell out if the sheet and needed almost no trimming at all.

I'll leave the sanding of the edges of the bulkheads for when I fair them.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Gluing Bulkheads

 

I've glued the bulkheads to the "false keel". I'm VERY impressed by how easily they went on - no filing needed AT ALL to get a perfect square fit on every one, I didn't need to use any clamps to keep everything straight and square.

There's no twist or bend whatsoever in the keel. There's no horrible scorching on the laser-cut edges either, just a slight discoloration which I've left on the bulkheads for now - it gives me a good guide later on when I do the "fairing".

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Bow Fillers

 

I've roughed out and glued in the Bow Filler blocks.

First thing (no pic) was to trace around the stem and bulkhead #1 on each piece. These are Limewood - kit supplied. A little harder to sand than balsa, but they should take both pins and glue better.

The pics are pretty well self-explanatory .... the whole process took me about 20 minutes.
 

 

 

 

 

 

The clamping arrangement I used to hold the blocks while the PVA glue dries (overnight).

Note the sandpaper glued to the faces of the trigger clamp - stops it from slipping on odd surfaces like this.

It's always a good idea to coat BOTH faces of any part you are gluing with PVA to ensure you have a maximum amount of adhesion.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Alternative Method for Clamping Rounded Pieces

 

Another way I've clamped parts like this is shown in the pic below.

I shape two pieces of scrap wood that create two parallel faces and glue them to the uneven faces with CA. I clamp the sections together until dry, then cut and/or sand off the blocks.

This trick can usually only be done on parts that won't be seen, as the CA would soak into a "finish" piece and create problems later.

An alternative to using CA would be to glue some sandpaper to the curved faces of the blocks - that usually supplies sufficient grip.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Pedestal Mounting Nuts

 

I've fitted some "nuts" into the "false keel" to which the mounting pedestals will attach at the end of the build.

I made two "nuts" from some 10mm x 6mm brass bar into which I drilled and tapped a M4 thread. These will take 4mm Stainless Steel bolts when the time comes.
I slotted two holes in the "false keel" to take the nuts.
 

Next I cut four "L" shaped pieces of 3mm pine, and four square pieces from the same stuff.
 

After inserting the nuts into the slots I marked their centres and glued the "L" pieces to the "false keel".
 

When the glue dried I removed the nuts and drilled a 4mm hole on the mark on each, going past the nut about 10mm to allow for any bolt protrusion through the nut. Then I re-inserted the nuts and screwed the two bolts into them to make sure nothing went out of alignment, then epoxied the nuts to the keel and also epoxied the square pieces over the lot.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Mast Support Blocks

 

I've also fitted the Mast Support Blocks, which for some reason MS have as being fitted on Page 17 - after the Planking is finished if you are following the Instructions page by page.

There seems to be a mix-up in the order of the pages - anyone else doing this kit, please make a note of that.

Instead of using scrap ply for these blocks as suggested I cut and used some Pine.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Error in Kit Transom

 

I've discovered another error with the kit. This one's a bit of a trick to work out.

Modeller's Shipyard sent a replacement Transom. Apparently there was a problem with the outer shape of the original.

The problem is that the slot in the replacement is far too long. If you were to push the transom down until the slot bottoms out (as you would) the transom finishes at deck height.

WRONG - the top of the transom should finish flush with the ply bulwarks (to be fitted later), 13mm above finished deck height.

I only discovered this after I'd already glued the Transom to the "false keel" - I actually looked at the pictures in the Instruction book (a habit I've unfortunately lost since building the AL "Supply" - the instructions in that kit were so woeful that I threw the book away early in the Build and went my own way).

No big deal - a brushing of Isopropyl Alcohol on the glue join, waited 15 seconds (yes .... that's ALL it took) and the transom virtually fell off.

I've re-glued the transom at the correct height, now I've just got to wait until it dries.

BTW - the last pic was only a "dry fit" for the camera - I've actually turned the transom around so that the bevel on the top is the RIGHT way around.

 

I've also glued a couple of support strips (5mm x 3mm) under the deck on the transom. This should strengthen the whole assembly quite a bit as I'm doing the fairing and planking.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Stern Filler Blocks

 

I've added balsa filler blocks to the stern, and faired the hull. I've also thinned down the Bearding Line. A pretty easy job compared to some I've done in the past - the frames are cut very well in this kit.

The kit-supplied Limewood Bow Fillers came up really well - a bit harder to sand than balsa, but they turned out a fair bit more accurately because of that.

Looking at the pictures, I still need to touch up one or two areas on the stern blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Sheer Strakes

 

The planking has started. I've decided to "double-plank" this kit. I'm not a great fan of double-planking, but I'm making this kit pretty well "out of the box" to assist any other builders who are new to the hobby.

I'll be adding my own touches as far as detailing is concerned, and I'll probably deviate from the kit instructions at times if I think there is a better or easier way to do certain things. I'll try to remember to make a note of these additions and/or deviations as I go - others may prefer to simplify a few things.

First ones to be fitted are the two Sheer Strakes that will sit hard under the pre-cut ply Bulwarks. These are fitted 3.5mm below deck height for the length of the hull - the bulwarks need support at their lower ends and will be glued in the resulting gap.

I started by marking out the 3.5mm line and drilled a 1mm hole in each bulkhead just above the line to take the pins. As the bulkheads are only 4mm thick the pins split them fairly easily, so pre-drilling is necessary.

Next I used my Plank Bender (shown below for any newcomers who haven't seen it in use yet) and bent the planks to curve around the bow.

BTW - these two planks, and the Garboard planks, will be the only ones that I'll be laying in a full length. The rest will be laid in three sections for easier fitting. I'm doing these four in full lengths to determine an exact line for the others.

Then I applied a liberal coating of PVA to both the plank and the bulkheads and held it in place with the plastic-headed push-pins. Note that I don't hammer the pins through the plank itself but alongside it. The shoulder of the pin clamps it to the bulkhead. This avoids splitting the plank, and is the way I do it when "single-planking" to eliminate holes in the planks.

I'm leaving the pins in to let them dry thoroughly.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Garboard Strakes

 

To fit the Garboard Strakes I first tack glued three pieces of scrap the thickness of the finished keel (5 mm) to the "false keel", making sure they were perfectly centred and in line.

Then, following the marks I'd made previously, I tapered the KEEL edge of the Garboards and glued them on.

Also, because the forward ends of the strakes narrow to a point at the bow, I glued a couple of scraps of planking underneath them between bulkheads 1 and 2 for extra support.

The Keel will fit perfectly in the gap without much further work (a minor bit of filing where the strakes twist near the stern is all).

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank Taper Calculations - how I do it.

Some will tell you to use a Dressmaker's tape or paper strip to measure the face of each bulkhead (or frame) to work out the difference in length of each - thereby calculating the width of each plank on each bulkhead.

That works - sort of. There is a considerable error (up to 2 - 3mm overall) because you will actually be measuring the INSIDE face of the plank. I prefer to measure the OUTSIDE face, with the thought in mind that it's easier to take a bit more off than it is to add a bit on (I'm going to plank this like a "single plank hull" ... just for the fun of it .

The main problem with measuring the inside face is that it allows nothing for the bevels that will be needed.

My solution is to bend a scrap of the planking material to suit the largest frame ( in this case #3), roll it tightly around the frame and trim it to a good fit.

 

Then I straighten out the piece and measure it. This one was 88.5mm.
I note the measurement on paper.

 

 

Then I use the same piece for most of the other bulkheads, but I measure the "leftover" at the garboard strake and deduct that from the length of the strip. For example, bulkhead #7 was 3.5mm shorter which gave it a measurement of 84mm.

For the bulkheads near the stern that curve into an "S" I used a paper strip - the inside and outside curves pretty well cancel each other out, but I allowed 1mm extra.

I noted all the measurements next to the bulkhead number. I actually did BOTH port and starboard in case there was any difference - most bulkheads were exactly the same, some near the middle of the hull were within 0.5mm - close enough in anyone's book.

I divided 88.5 (the longest one) by 5 (my planks are 5mm) and came up with 17.7. This means that I need 18 planks to cover the largest bulkhead.

Then I divided the measurement at each bulkhead by 18 to get the width of the plank at each bulkhead and noted the measurements.

 

Last I wrote the plank width on each bulkhead, this saves a fair bit of referring to the paper-work.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank Battens

 

Temporary plank Battens are quite useful, especially on this particular shape hull. I used two to get the "run" of the planks - that is, the way the planks want to "run" naturally without any lateral bending.

 

You will notice that when I ran a batten the length of the hull halfway down it finished up 1/4 of the way from the deck at the bow.

A further batten 1/4 of the way from the keel to halfway finished up on the halfway point at the bow.

What this means is that the tapers at the bow will not be even - I'd already suspected as much from the shape of the bow.

This phenomenon is shown in the picture of the "Norfolk Replica's" bow planking, where they taper quite severely halfway up the hull - TOO severely to my way of thinking, mine won't be quite like that.

 

 

All the tapers I worked out previously will be OK, with the possible exception of a couple at the stern which I haven't looked at yet.

I'll work the bow tapers out as I lay the planks, but at least I'm forewarned now.

 

The same battens as they finish at the Stern - obviously some Drop Planks and Stealers needed here :

 

 

After some readjusting I worked out the general run of the planks at the stern :

 

[Dan Vadas]

Hull 1st Planking

 

I'm going to do a "plank-by-plank" description as I go to assist anyone following who's building this kit to make them aware of any problems I come up against, and also to save them a fair bit of working out and measuring (hopefully).

The top of the Bulwark Strakes (aka Plank 1) are set 3.5mm below the level of the deck for the whole run, and must follow the deck exactly to fit the lower edge of the bulwarks neatly. (See pic below). Note the unusual "hump" at the bow - this is NOT a mistake.

I made these strakes in one full length. No tapering or bevelling is required, or recommended for that matter.

There IS a small mistake in either the Starboard bulwark, or more likely my planking. I have a small gap between the top of the strake and the bottom of the bulwark between bulkheads 1 and 3.

I only found that out just now when I checked the fit of the bulwarks. Perhaps it would be a good idea to bend the bulwarks and mark the bottom on the bulkheads BEFORE fitting the bulwark strake. Unfortunately the instructions have you bend and fit the bulwarks AFTER all the planking is completed. Something to watch out for.

Nothing I can't fix easily though. Oddly enough, the Port side bulwark fits perfectly.

For easier laying I'm making the rest of the planks in two sections. Plank numbers are taken from bulkhead 5, as there will be stealers and drop-planks confusing the order later on if I numbered them from the bow or stern. Plank 1 is the bulwark strake, plank 18 will be the garboard strake.

Plank 2. I made this to finish on bulkhead 3. It tapers to 3.5mm at the bow for a distance of 50mm. There is a Half Stealer which starts on bulkhead 6 and finishes at full width at the stern.

Plank 3. This finishes on bulkhead 5. It tapers the same as #2 in the bow, but runs full width to the stern. This one gets a good twist for the last 30mm at the stern. I soaked that bit and pinned it to the hull to dry for 10 minutes to make it easier to glue.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Bulwarks

 

Whilst waiting for glue to dry I thought I may as well bend the laser-cut ply bulwarks.

I soaked the ply for about 10 minutes in cold water. I put them into a plastic bottle filled to just past the exit point of the bend.

Then I clamped them to a tin that was 5mm smaller in diameter than the curve of the bow, to allow for a bit of "springback" and let them dry overnight. They bent quite easily, and evenly.

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 4 - The taper at the bow comes back up to 3mm over the 1st 50mm, it finishes on bulkhead 4. The 2nd half is a full-width to the stern, with a twist and a 45 degree bevel over the last 50mm.

Plank 5 has a 3mm taper as well, and a slight bevel over the first 50mm. This plank fitted with no lateral bending apart from the mid-section which is still following the sheer.

The rest of the plank is full width to the stern, with the usual twist from bulkhead 8 to the transom. There is no bevel at the stern.

 

Plank 6 - the bow section is the same as plank 5. The stern also has a taper to 3mm and a bevel, both over the last 70mm.

One thing to watch out for (I should have mentioned this earlier). Make sure the edge of the already laid plank is free from any dried glue, especially where the pins go into the bulkheads. A needle file does the job very quickly.
 

Plank 7 - forward section the same as the last few. Stern section the taper comes down to half-width - 2.5mm - and extends to the final 80mm. There is a bevel for that length as well.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 8 - Usual in the Bow. The Stern tapers to 2.5mm over the last 80mm.

This plank is bevelled for it's entire length apart from the last 30mm at the stern.

My next few planks will need Drop Planks at the Stern, as is shown by the rapidly converging "batten" lines at the stern :

 

 

Plank 9 - Usual in the Bow. The stern tapers to halfwidth for the last 30mm, and ends halfway between bulkheads 8 and 9, terminating in a Drop Plank. The whole plank is bevelled to 45 degrees.

Plank 10 - Usual at the Bow. The rest of the plank is identical to plank 9 apart from the stern end which is cut on the opposite 45 degree angle for the Drop Plank.

The Drop Plank starts at the end of planks 9 and 10. Its forward end is cut to suit the 45 degree cuts in the planks. It starts at full width, and tapers to half-width at the transom.
 

 

I've included a pic of the tapers at the Bow - they are all even both sides, although some don't look like they are .... trick of light and shadow.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 11 - the Bow section needs tapering to half-width now ..... the curvature of the hull is changing.

I've finished the bow section of the plank on bulkhead 3. From there an "intermediate" plank runs to bulkhead 8 - this one is tapered from bulkhead 4 to it's end, and finishes at half-width with a diagonal cut for another Drop Plank.

Plank 12 - the same as plank 11, with the diagonal cut the opposite way.

The Drop Plank starts from the end of 11 and 12 at full width, and finishes on bulkhead 9 with a diagonal cut. It tapers to half width in it's length.

All the above planks are bevelled 45 degrees from bulkhead 1 to the ends. The section from the stem to bulkhead 1 only needs a slight bevel.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 13 - Bow section tapers from half-width over the first 85mm, and finishes on bulkhead 4.

The rest of the plank is done in one piece, and it's a bit different to the others.

From Bulkhead 4 to 6 it is at full width, then tapers to 4mm at bulkhead 8 and back to full-width at bulkhead 9, where it's cut on a diagonal to suit the drop plank on plank 12. From that cut it tapers to half-width at the transom. This makes it a "Half Drop Plank" I suppose.

This plank is bevelled slightly for it's full length.

 

I've added three pics showing the overall progress so far - only 5 planks to go each side.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 14 - I've had to fit a Drop Plank in the Bow. It runs from the stem to bulkhead 1. The plank runs from the end of the drop plank, with a taper from half-width at it's start to bulkhead 3. I finished it at bulkhead 6 (I have a couple of shorter lengths I want to use up). From this bulkhead the plank continues to bulkhead 9 where it ends in a diagonal cut. It's tapered to half-width over the last 30mm. This plank is beveled all the way.

Plank 15 - starts at the drop plank on bulkhead 1 and is tapered to bulkhead 4. I finished it at bulkhead 7. The next section is another "Half Drop Plank" which ends at the transom. There's a pic below of the stern part of the plank.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 16 - The bow tapers and bevels as per the usual to bulkhead 1.

Rather than trying to explain it - because of the unusual shape of the hull at the bow and the "transition" at the stern I've had to do some unusual things myself - I thought I'd do it with pictures instead. There is multiple tapering in this plank.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

I've just done a re-calculation of my plank widths and realised that they won't quite fit with only 18, so I am cutting the last few to fit an extra one in (I really should have done this about 4 planks earlier - it would have changed the way I laid the last few - doesn't matter, I'll still be able to recover).

Plank 17 - The taper at the bow comes back to 3/4 of the way to bulkhead 1, where it's at full width for 30mm and then starts tapering down to 4.5mm at bulkhead 4 and continuing to halfwidth at bulkhead 7. Between bulkheads 7 it suddenly comes back to full width between bulkheads 8 and 9 where it finishes with two diagonal cuts to take two full stealers which continue on to the stern.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Plank 18 - this one gets cut sharply at the bow to roughly follow the line of the stempost. It has a small taper over the first 30mm, continues full width to bulkhead 4 and tapers to 3.5mm at bulkhead 6. From there it tapers back to full width at bulkhead 8, and is cut for a Half Stealer continuing on to full width at the sternpost.

The half stealer is between plank 18 and plank 17.

Plank 19 is cut and tapered in similar fashion to plank 18 at the bow. It continues almost full-width to bulkhead 8 from where it tapers to half-width 50mm from the sternpost and is cut to receive a short stealer.

This is the final plank, I carefully sanded whatever sections were a tight fit to the garboard strake until it was a neat fit into the gap.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

I've given the starboard side a rough sand with 80 grit paper to get out all the bumps and hollows.

It took an hour to do the whole side - one of my fastest yet . In spite of the way the planking looked in the pics it was all within a fraction of a millimetre, and sanded flat quite easily.
 

 

The stern area - this requires a delicate touch to get right, it's not hard to take TOO much off where you don't want to. I used the "half-round" sanding block in pic 5 for this area - the flat block did the rest.
 

 

 

I won't finish sanding the hull (with 180 grit) until I have the deck planking done and the bulwarks fitted.

BTW - NO filler will be required .

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

I've started cutting the Norfolk Island Pine planks for the deck and hull.

The large billets on the left of the pic are 5mm thick, from which I cut the 0.8mm thick planks.

These are turning out quite a bit better than any kit supplied ones I've ever used. Gotta love that Byrnes Saw .

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Deck Planking

 

I've started the deck planking.

First I had to work out the positions of the Cargo Hatch and Companionway.

Here I have a complaint about the kit - the plans are not full-size and they also don't have a measurement for the positions of the deck furniture. Annoying, but not an insurmountable problem - thankfully it's a fairly simple kit without a lot of furniture, or I'd have scanned the plan and blown it to actual size myself.

I measured the deck length on the plan compared to the actual deck length on the model. I came up with the figure of 1.3625. If you measure the plan and multiply by that number you get the actual measurement.

First I laid one plank the full length of the deck on the port side, with one edge exactly on the centre-line. This is to ensure I work exactly straight in the various sections.

I cut 7 planks to 115mm. Then I used an "Archival Ink" felt pen to simulate the caulking on one edge of them - this stuff doesn't "bleed" into timber like normal felt pens do.

I laid 3 of the planks on the port side, and 4 on the starboard to bring me to the forward edge of the cargo hatch. I've left it a couple of millimetres into the hatch opening - I'll trim this exactly when I've made the hatch.

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Next I cut 10 planks at 75mm and fitted them between the cargo hatch and companionway, and from the companionway to the transom.

I also cut 2 planks at 180mm and fitted them alongside the planks in these two sections.

The next planks will run from bow to stern and will need "butt shifts" - none of the previously laid planks needed them as the planks were all under 25 feet.

 

[Dan Vadas]

The major part of the deck planking is finished.

I've only used a few "butt joins', done in a "three shift", along the sides of the boat where the planks were over 25 feet in length.

Pic 1 shows the bow of the boat before sanding, the next two pics are of the sanded deck - note how much neater the "caulking" looks now ..

My next job will be fitting a Margin Plank around the sides of the deck, and "joggling" the planks into it where needed. This is one of my DEPARTURES from the kit instructions, which don't have this plank - however it WOULD have been used originally.

 

 

 

[Dan Vadas]

Margin Planks

 

To fit the Margin Planks I first used a compass to draw a line parallel to the edge of the deck. This will be my reference point for the trimming still to come.

I've cut two planks for the Margin Planks at 8mm wide to allow for a bit of trimming.

I bent two sections of these laterally for the shallow bends - which start at bulkhead 3 and continue to the transom - by soaking them for 20 minutes in cold water and used a simple jig to bend them. These need to dry thoroughly before I can continue.