Fifie by woodartist - Amati - 1/30 scale

[woodartist]

After almost completing Lady Isabelle, by Chris from Vanguard Models I knew I wanted to do another model by Chris. Lady Isabelle created plenty of challenges for a newbie yet it was gratifying to be successful and learn new skills at the same time. I have yet to complete the rigging on Lady Isabelle. Having never done any rigging it is all new. The challenge I have is that I only have complete use of one arm, I have severed the motor nerve for my right bicep so I am unable to lift my right arm. I can put in place on a chair arm or table and then have limited use of my right hand. The challenge is not being able to elevate the arm or hand so tying knots or doing seizing is a one handed process, even with the use of a third hand clamp it is very difficult. So far after 40 hours of work I have gotten two  blocks seized and one hank completed. It is exhausting mentally to do it. So I decided to do another boat and work on the rigging for just two hours a day, with the hope of eventually getting it the masts at least rigged. I decided to do the Fifie because it is 1/30 scale and hope that rigging will be easier with the bigger scale. We shall see. Because there are some great build logs for Fifie by DSmith20639, PJG, Tim Moore, and Ken I will not show the box or parts. However, I will echo their sentiments that Chris Watton is a great designer of boat models. I will concentrate on showing how I have been able with my physical limitations to complete some tasks which may be helpful to other newbies who have not yet gained the skills of the awesome model makers on this site. The first pictures below show the keel clamp I have made. It Is able to hold a long keel. it can rotate forward and back ward as well as left and right. It is essential to me being able to reach things with both hands simultaneously. It also shows the aluminum quarter rounds that I use to make sure the bulkheads are perfectly square. I have 4 of them to completely lock the bulkhead square. I also have them in 1/2", 3/4", 1", sizes in lengths of 2" and 4" so that they can be used on smaller scale models, like Lady Isabelle and larger scale models like Fifie.

• After almost completing Lady Isabelle, by Chris from Vanguard Models I knew I wanted to do another model by Chris. Lady Isabelle created plenty of challenges for a newbie yet it was gratifying to be successful and learn new skills at the same time. I have yet to complete the rigging on Lady Isabelle. Having never done any rigging it is all new. The challenge I have is that I only have complete use of one arm, I have severed the motor nerve for my right bicep so I am unable to lift my right arm. I can put in place on a chair arm or table and then have limited use of my right hand. The challenge is not being able to elevate the arm or hand so tying knots or doing seizing is a one handed process, even with the use of a third hand clamp it is very difficult. So far after 40 hours of work I have gotten two  blocks seized and one hank completed. It is exhausting mentally to do it. So I decided to do another boat and work on the rigging for just two hours a day, with the hope of eventually getting it the masts at least rigged. I decided to do the Fifie because it is 1/30 scale and hope that rigging will be easier with the bigger scale. We shall see. Because there are some great build logs for Fifie by DSmith20639, PJG, Tim Moore, and Ken I will not show the box or parts. However, I will echo their sentiments that Chris Watton is a great designer of boat models. I will concentrate on showing how I have been able with my physical limitations to complete some tasks which may be helpful to other newbies who have not yet gained the skills of the awesome model makers

[woodartist]

I have an assortment of clamps which is very helpful. You can never have too many clamps. On the Fifie you need some deep clamps to secure the super structure and deck pieces to the bulk heads. As other builders have noted the MDF used for the super structure and bulkheads is very hard and it takes supreme effort to piece with pins. Having the keel firmly secured in a vice is essential. Clamping is easier than pinning and I only use pins where I was unable to get clamps. Long bar clamps are also helpful in keeping the super structure squared up with the bulkheads. Also as noted by others the parts are not number identified on the parts and the bevel lines are not marked on the bulkheads or the other pieces so it is critical to mark them before removing them. I did that but still made a mistake on the piece below because i beveled it on the wrong edge. There was plenty of scrap MDF material and I was able to cut another one out.

[woodartist]

When planking it is easier for me to lye the boat on a flat surface. To protect it and keep it from moving I take a large roll of rubber shop shelf liner and make a tick wide bed to lat the boat on. One of the lessons I learned from the Lady Isabelle build was that when you have a double hull it is critical to get the rabbit at least as deep as the thickness of the first layer of planking.I did not do that so i had to have paper thin edges on the plank ends. Also MDF does not cut as cleanly as wood, so a very sharp knife is essential to get a sharp rabbit. I made a knife cut with a sharp blade and then used a v tool chisel to clean out the cut. That leaves a crisp edge. Because the bulkhead ends that extend above the top deck are going to be removed and replaced with other wood beams it makes installation of the first two planks more challenging. If you glue the planks to the bulkheads it makes it more difficult to remove them later. I found it easier to install the 2nd plank first by gluing it to the edge of the top deck and that portion of the bulkhead below the top deck, and to pin it in place also. Then install the top plank by gluing the bottom edge of the top plank to the top edge of the 2nd plank. This requires some creative clamping. A clamp that keeps the two planks in line a plank the squeezes the the tow planks together and a clamp that keeps both planks in line with the bulk heads. So if you look closely you can see the clamp sequence.

[TurkSailor]

Ahoy!

 

Good to see another Fifie being built!

 

You’ve made great progress. It’s a really solid kit. 

 

I too have admired the logs here, good luck!

 

Cheers! 

[woodartist]

Because the Fifie is so large there is a large expanse between the bulkheads. When yo plank such a wide expanse it helps if you use small clamps to align the current plank with the prior plank. This is not always possible but it sure reduces the amount of sandig when you can.

[woodartist]

Some observations regarding planking on Fife: The thicker pear pieces that are to be used for the first planking, are much harder to bend than the thinner planks of walnut for the second planking. I was able to plank 8 rows without tapering on the pear first planking and could do 11 rows on the second planking of walnut with out tapering. In the instruction manual the pictures show the keel pieces that appear to be the same wood type as the second planking. That appears to be a consistent practice of the boat designer Chris Watton. However, since Chris left Amati, that does not appear to be the practice. The instruction manual discussed the possibility of not painting all of the hull to show off the beautiful walnut used to plank it. Because the keel is now made with pear wood that is not a realistic possibility. I tried staining the keel to get it darker to match the walnut but could not get a good enough match to do that so that beautiful walnut will be painted. Having the keel a different color than the planking just does not work. I do like the shape of the hull and it is easier to plank than most models.

[woodartist]

This is a photo of the finished 2nd planking on Fife. The walnut is beautiful. It is a shame to have to paint it.

[woodartist]

How to mark waterline for painting.

I am trying to mark the waterline for Fifie by Amati. The manual shows that the hull is placed on the provided cradle to mark the waterline. the plans show the distance on the bow and stern for the waterline. At the bow the width of the stripe is 1"+ at the stern the stripe is about 3/8". I measured and marked the stripes width on the bow and set up my marker with those widths. I used the marker and the stripe does not narrow but remains the same width at the stern as the bow. When the boat sits on the cradle the at the location where the boats fits the shape of the cradle. the bow ad stern are at approximately the same level. If that is true how can the stripe narrow at the stern? What have I missed. She pictures below for illustration. The first pictures are from the manual my boat pictures follow.