Endeavour by Bill97 - OcCre - 1/54

[Bill97]

Just opened my next project. I am going to attempt to build the OcCre Endeavour. This will be my first completely wooden model after years of building plastic. I see there numerous builds of this ship in the index and will look to each of them for help and advice. 

[ERS Rich]

Mucho important.  The instructions probably do not emphasize that planks must be tapered.  If needed look it up here, along with the concept of planking belts.  An understanding of planking is probably the biggest thing one needs to learn when getting started.  See my Constitution log, link below for pointers.
 

Have also found if you are on a certain step, it helps to look ahead in the instructions for addition images related to that step.

 

Good luck with your project!

[Bill97]

Thanks Rich. I will be looking forward to all advice. 

[Knocklouder]

Good luck on your journey,  

 

[Bill97]

And so it begins (Mar 2, 2024 for my reference).  OcCre tells me this stack of blocks, pieces of wood, and various parts will ultimately produce the Endeavour. We will see. Please feel free to follow along this journey and add your thoughts and advice. 

Edited March 4 by Bill97

[wvdhee]

Good luck and have fun with it 😁

[Bill97]

So I gather from my research and reading that it is absolutely imperative at the onset of this build that the two sections of the false keel be perfectly straight when glued together. Even off by a millimeter would result in further problems in the build. After glueing the two sections together and adding the reinforcement pieces I pressed the keel up against a metal ruler to insure it is perfectly straight. Knowing how important this is I am not rushing this step. After gluing it up I am letting it set overnight for the wood glue to dry. The next step will be to add the 10 frame pieces. In preparation I have cut these pieces loose, sanded them, and numbered them in order. 

[Bill97]

Added the 10 frame pieces. After I had them all glued in I temporarily placed the lower deck sections in to hold frames perfectly in place. 

[Bill97]

Decided to plank the deck with individual boards instead of using the long deck planking strips as the instructions direct. The layout included in the kit shows the deck boards being around 6.5mm long. I started the process of cutting all the strips into pieces that length. I also am covering the 4 sides of each small strip with pencil graphite that will ultimately resemble plank caulk when sanded, stained, and top coated. 

[Bill97]

Completed the decking on the starboard half of the lower deck. Plan to stain the two halves a weathered gray. OcCre instructions have the planks at 65mm in length and alternating planks for the butt joints. AOTS shows a length that the scale would be better around 140mm and a 3 or 4 alternating board butt. Used the lower deck to get experience since not much of it will be seen. Will change the layout on the upper decks. 

Edited March 6 by Bill97

[Hubac's Historian]

Yeah, I agree that alternating butts are fine on the lower deck, but a 3 or 4 butt shift looks much better on the main deck.

[Bill97]

Hey Marc and Ian. Appreciate you so much following my new build. I picked up the Anatomy of The Ship-Captain Cook’s Endeauvor, by Karl Marquardt.  I found the ATOS book by Longridge very helpful during my Victory build and hope the Endeavour version is just as helpful. 

Edited March 7 by Bill97

[Ian_Grant]

You seem to have started at your usual blazing pace, Bill. Looking forward to your model's assembly. Especially your first planking....😏.

[Bill97]

Ian that phase definitely has me doing some advance study. There are a few YouTube videos on building this ship. OcCre has their own which is nice. It however has the builder speaking in Spanish with English closed caption. Several builds here on MSW as well. Bending the first planking to fit the snub nose bow I understand to be tricky. Various methods are recommended for that purpose. Ian do you have any experience with building a wooden ship?

[Bill97]

Marc you commented that a 3 or 4 butt shift would look better for deck boards, and I agree. From your study what are your thoughts about board lengths?  Anatomy of the Ship indicates boards were in the 29-30 ft length. Other references I have read suggest board lengths that long would have been difficult to sustain for ship carpenters. Tall straight trees not always available. Longer boards also cumbersome to maneuver and store in hold. Basically suggesting board lengths would vary throughout the deck as repairs and replacements were carried out over the years. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  'Always wondered if deck planks were all supplied in exactly (or with a little over nominal for trimming) the same length ... so that there would be an EXACT staggered pattern with the next board joint being in the middle of neighboring planks.  I might prefer more of a herringbone effect, but suspect that there was some randomization in planking stock lengths, as well as the need to cut some short to get around drying defects such as twist, bow and warp ... plus bad knots or splits.

 

  This would then result in a more random array of plank joints - although a joint must be centered on a support for fastening.  As I recall, my Dad's 1:120 clipper model was planked with flat toothpicks and had such a random pattern to the joins.

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, I've only ever planked one hull and that was in the 70's (which may indicate how much I enjoyed it?). If it was me, with that bluff bow, I would fill ahead of the 1st bulkhead with soft wood and carve to shape.

 

By the way, is there no rebate to carve along the keel in this model?

[Bill97]

Ian OcCre has you build up the bow with pine blocks then sand and carve it down to the bull nose before adding the first planking. 

[Bill97]

Hello JPalmer. Appreciate you following. Love your country!  Have spent some time in Sydney and the Blue Mountains but not as far west inland as you are. 

[jpalmer1970]

Hi Bill,

Looking forward to seeing your progress with this build. 

[Bill97]

Lower deck boards installed.  Weathered the boards grey and darkened the caulk lines and nails holes. Seems to have worked out OK. As I mentioned above for the upper visible decks I plan to use longer planks and do a 4 board shift. 

[Bill97]

Welcome wvdhee to my build. Thanks for following. Please feel free to advise and comment. 
My wife and have traveled quite a bit in Belgium. Our daughter and son-in-law were stationed there with the US Army for many years. They lived in a little town named Jerbeze. We visited them many times and three of our grandchildren were born in Belgium. Really like Brussels and Mons. 

[wvdhee]

5 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Welcome wvdhee to my build. Thanks for following. Please feel free to advise and comment. 
My wife and have traveled quite a bit in Belgium. Our daughter and son-in-law were stationed there with the US Army for many years. They lived in a little town named Jerbeze. We visited them many times and three of our grandchildren were born in Belgium. Really like Brussels and Mons. 

Thanks for these kind words and yes I've been lurking here 😉 And it's looking great what you're doing!

I'm actually born in the Netherlands a long time ago and somehow ended up in Belgium, love and all that... My kids are going to school here or university so I'm kinda stuck here lol, but Liège is a great place to be stuck 😊

[allanyed]

On 2/28/2024 at 5:31 PM, ERS Rich said:

Mucho important.  The instructions probably do not emphasize that planks must be tapered.  If needed look it up here, along with the concept of planking belts.  An understanding of planking is probably the biggest thing one needs to learn when getting started.  See my Constitution log, link below for pointers.

This is an incredibly important comment if a realistic model is part of your goal.  In addition to the planking tutorials in the Articles data base here at MSW, if you have not already done so, study the four part tanking tutorial videos.  Part one--  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCWooJ1o3cM

Allan

 

[Hubac's Historian]

On 3/7/2024 at 8:15 AM, Bill97 said:

Marc you commented that a 3 or 4 butt shift would look better for deck boards, and I agree. From your study what are your thoughts about board lengths?  Anatomy of the Ship indicates boards were in the 29-30 ft length. Other references I have read suggest board lengths that long would have been difficult to sustain for ship carpenters. Tall straight trees not always available. Longer boards also cumbersome to maneuver and store in hold. Basically suggesting board lengths would vary throughout the deck as repairs and replacements were carried out over the years. 

Well, when simulating a deck with underlying framing, you have to first determine the likely spacing of the beams.  The hatchways are always a useful starting point for figuring this out.  Once you have a reasonable layout - and I don’t think this necessarily has to exactly match that of the Endeavor replica, it just has to be plausible and regular - you can then figure out, at scale, where planks land on beams within the 25-30’ range.

 

This is one of those things where, since you’re not making a rigorous, fully framed and exact copy of the original ship, there is some latitude, IMO, in executing the details.  The goal is an improvement over stock, and that the execution not be jarringly wrong.

 

Of course, the Endeavor is an example of a type of ship called a “Whitby Cat.”  If you did want to produce a fully authentic deck layout, I don’t imagine you would have too much difficulty finding original construction drafts that would show the deck framing.

 

It’s really up to you, as to how far you want to take it.

[Hubac's Historian]

BTW, Bill, you really are a master of weathered deck effects.  Looks great!

[allanyed]

I realize she was not a warship and it may be an OcCre design, but FWIW and maybe for the future, the deck planking shift patterns on British ships, according to Peter Goodwin in The Construction of and Fitting of the English Man of War, page 58, were as follows:

He goes on to say that these shift patterns were necessary so the deck was not weak.

 

Allan

 

 

[Bill97]

Thanks Marc!  I never considered myself a master at any of these building processes 😊.

 

Here is my second deck. I have finished laying the deck boards in what might be considered a modified 3 board shift. I still need to sand, shape, and weather it. 
 

allanyed I understand and have studied the needs when it comes the planking. I appreciate your advice. 

 

 

[Bill97]

Completed sanding, weathering, and installation of the 2nd deck. OcCre shows simply coating the deck with a clear varnish which results in a new natural wood appearance. I prefer the possibly more authentic looking of the decks with a grey weathering. The build continues with little drama so far, but I don’t expect that to last much longer!
 

[Bill97]

The last two deck sections planked and weathered. The two new sections still need to be installed.