HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne by Pitan - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[Pitan]

Moving forward 1 1/2 centuries from my (nearly finished) previous build, this is the new Vanguard Models Sherbourne.



Included in the box were a few extras; being new to ship modelling, I'd ordered a pin pusher and some crew who will, I hope, lend scale to the build.
Seen here with cordage, detail parts and the instructions.


Below the instructions and bubble wrap was the wood (and acrylic base).

In addition to the instruction booklet, there are 19 A3 sheets of plans and rigging guides.

 

[Thukydides]

This looks like a really nice little kit. Enjoy.

[Pitan]

Thanks @Thukydides, I'm impressed by how it goes together (see below).

The kit arrived last week, and I started building over the weekend.
I couldn't glue the hull then, but that didn't stop me doing some work.

A few smaller components were glued together:

 

From the left, this included the core of the stem, all the hatches, the companionway and the rudder and stern post.

I also started bevelling the bulkheads, keel cheeks* and deck support patterns.
These I glued up last night.

The hatch beams were added today.  I succeeded in snapping two of them, the foremost and one of the middle ones.
Recovery and repair wasn't too difficult.

These were followed by the stern frames (broke one of those too), the ply false deck and made a start on the transom.

The piece of string here is pulling the counter into the transom - none of my clamps would stay in place long enough to hold the parts together.

Impressions so far?
Apart from bevelling and char removal on exposed edges of the pear parts, none of the components needed fettling.  The parts just fitted.
The only part that could be difficult is the stern counter.  This has a double curve.  This was managed with an electric plank bending tool.


*Keel cheeks, my term.  Pieces that sit either side of the keel, slotted down locking the bulkheads in place.  Parts 19 in this kit.
These have been designed to form the bearding line (this is my first build that could've had a beard & rabbet).

Edited March 21 by Pitan

[Pitan]

Work has progressed on the Sherbourne, with the bulwarks on and a start to the first layer of planking.

This is my first PoB build, and I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is usual.

From the sides this looks OK, as far as I can tell, pretty much like most PoB builds.


Bow on, there may be an issue with the first starboard plank...

 

It is only after seeing that photo that I even noticed this, but that plank nay be very thin  after sanding.


Looking from below, this really does worry me.

 

Am I building trouble for myself here?  Or is this normal?

[wvdhee]

No, that's not normal. Every plank should be flat on every bulkhead and thinning should be the same, more or less for every plank. This will need a lot of wood filler and imho that's not what is supposed to happen.

Check out Chuck's planking videos, they'll help you a lot I'm sure 😊.

 

 

 

Edited March 22 by wvdhee
Link added

[Thukydides]

@wvdhee is correct. I would recommend taking off all of them and making sure you edge bend them enough. You will have a much easier time if you take them off and do it right now then if you try to compensate. Take your time and treat every plank as its own project.

[chris watton]

This picture of one of the bevelled and edge bent 1x5mm strips is from the Sherbourne manual. No tools were used except a Stanley Knife and steel rule for the taper after just a little soaking, and then while still wet, the bend was manipulated using just my fingers. I use this method for most bending, even for the huge Amati Victory hull.

 

Looking at your second plank down, it doesn't seem to have enough taper at the front. My basic rule of thumb is always taper to half the planks width, and then ease off a little once then planks start to run a little more naturally further down.

Edited May 20 by chris watton

[Pitan]

Thanks guys
I spent a little time stripping the planks off

 

Still need to clean up the glue, before taking another go.

[Ronald-V]

Congratulations with your purchase! This will turn in a wonderfull little cutter  

[Pitan]

Thanks @mugje, the kit is beautiful, I hope I can do it justice.

New planks have been added.  Just three per side as before, but a revised approach.

 

 

I'm using Chris's technique to define the bow taper, but an electric plank bender to shape the timber before, and after, glueing and pinning.
(Tried soaking, but haven't got the technique right yet.)

 

 

Edited March 24 by Pitan

[Thukydides]

That is looking much better. You will be glad you took the time to do it right.

[Pitan]

Thanks Thukydides.

The first layer of planks is on, still needs sanding and filling.

 

Three stealers per side, one each at the bow, the stern, and amid-ships (is this last a stealer?)


 

 

 

FWIW, I re-used two (of six) planks from my first, failed, attempt.  The reset were fresh items in the kit.

Sanding next, then filling

[wvdhee]

Nicely rescued 😊 if I may, do try to do the tapering the same for all planks for the second planking, looks better imho.

[RossR]

That looks fantastic.  I need to learn when to start over sometimes.  

[Pitan]

Thanks guys
Work has started with the second planking layer.

 

The planks in front are supposed to be colour graded, a change of light and viewing angle suggests some revision is in order ... except, these are all due to be painted white.

[Pitan]

A quick note to say the second layer of planks is on, and filled.

 

And now with the stern post.

 

 

[SighingDutchman]

Just bought this kit today. Will be following your lead in building it, as you are doing a great job!

[Pitan]

Sherbourne now has outer bulwarks and some paint.

 

I have an alignment issue with the starboard bulwark at the bow:

Need to think about a solution to that.


A question.
I'm thinking about adding sails.
Is there any guidance for adding sails to an 18C cutter?

FWIW, the kit has three yards on the mast, main and driver booms for the gaff, and a retractable bowsprit.

 

[Pitan]

Deck and inner bulwarks are now on:

 

 

The missing numeral disappeared when I dropped the hull - at least there were no masts or spars to break.

[SighingDutchman]

You are making very rapid progress. Looking good!

[Pitan]

Been a while since my last update, my apologies if this post becomes too long.

The main cause of my delay was a self-inflicted problem.

The instructions tell us to make sure the eyebolt openings in the spirketting patterns line up with those in the inner bulkheads (parts 32 and 33, L & R).
Thing is, these parts fit the hull very nicely, and I didn't think about the holes until it was too late.

This left me with eyebolt holes very much out of line.

 

Sorting that out involved several iterations of filling holes and using a jig to line up and drill new holes.
This is, essentially, the jig I wound up with; a simpler style would be better.

 

Holes are now drilled, gun wales and rails have been added, along with a small colour change.

 

The starboard looks fine, but I have some fettling to do port stern timer (sp?)

 

Oh, and that starboard bulkead, at the bow, is now filled.

 

Don't think I'll try to correct that colour, it takes some looking to see the issue.

[Thukydides]

Nice fix, one of the great things about wood is there is almost always a way to fix just about any problem if you are willing to put in the time.

[Ronald-V]

You came far in just a month time! Great progress, looking good so far  

[Isaiah]

Looking really good. I like how you redid the first few planks, it’s not easy to do that! 
 

What paint did you use for the hull? I’m looking at maybe airbrushing.

[Pitan]

6 hours ago, Isaiah said:

What paint did you use for the hull? I’m looking at maybe airbrushing.

I may have primed the lower hull white (if so, that would have been an acrylic rattle can car-primer).

Top colours are Admiralty paint, based on a set offered by Cornwall Model Boats for the other Sherbourne kit.
(One each of: Dull Black, Ironwork Black, Matt White, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre)

Think these are normal acrylics, very opaque, and a little thick for airbrushing. I hand brushed, but they might work thinned for airbrushing.
Where possible, I painted parts off the model, and touched up by hand after.

HTH

[Pitan]

This build has been quiet of late, I've been thinking about adding sails, and final displaying of the model.

So far, I have two ideas that might work:

1) based on a painting of an 1806 vessel, HM Revenue Cutter Wickham by Robert W. Salmon (1775–1851), photographed in Kings Cutters and Smugglers (E. Keble Chatterton, 1912).
The original painting is, I believe, now at the Campbeltown Museum  (link: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/hms-revenue-cutter-wickham-164013).

Reviewing the source image, there are some changes needed in this sketch.  Any suggestions for improvements and guidance would be welcome

2) another thought, is something more conventional

 

Again, there will be changes needed here - suggestions would be welcome.

In either of these cases, I'll need a bowsprit.  Vanguard supply two options for the bowsprit bitt, one with a 5mm round hole, and an alternate with a 4mm square hole.  Vanguard supply some 5mm dowel for the former; I chose the latter.
To make my bowsprit, I ordered some 5mm square walnut, and made a bowsprit based on Vanguard's suggested dimensions.

Bitt with side and top views of my bowsprit.

 

The bowsprit is pierced for an outhaul.  My plan is to split the wood, and glue it fore-and aft of the bitt.


Somewhere in Kings Cutters and Smugglers, there is a remark that revenue cutters looked like vessels with a cargo of boats.
With this in mind, I ordered a couple of boats from Vanguard; an 18' cutter and a 22' yawl.

18' cutter

 

22' yawl

 

[Pitan]

I've started work on the 18' cutter and the yawl ... and taken a look at Vanguard's Hornblower figure.

The 18' cutter

 

Loose on its building cradle, the cutter has been fairly standard up til now.

The yawl

The yawl has been a little more eventful, with both the stem and stern posts breaking off.  The stem I found and glued back; the stern post I had to fabricate from spare wood.


Ship's officer (based on Vanguard's Hornblower)
#

 

Vanguard's figures are beautiful, but they generally represent Napoleonic characters. Sherbourne was a mid-eighteenth century vessel, and would have seen earlier styles.
So far, I've removed Hornblower's bicorne hat together with his epaulettes, and started cutting back his coat to suit an earlier fashion.
 

Edited May 25 by Pitan

[Pitan]

A quick update on the 18' cutter, this is now fully planked, and the planking filled & sanded.

 

 

I should have reduced the planks more ate both the bow ...

 

... and stern.

 

Hopefully, I'll do better on the yawl.

The 18' cutter is a little big to live on Sherbourne's deck

 

 

 

[Pitan]

I've made some progress with the smaller boats.

I mentioned earlier that the stem and stern posts on the yawl broke.
The stern post survived, and looks reasonable despite further accidents. Unfortunately, when planking, I missed an issue with the stern post bending forward, with its attached transom.

 

Short of ditching the vessel, all I could think to do was extend the keel of the yawl.

 

This will change the look of the hull, and (IMO) mean she'll need a larger rudder to overcome the stabilising influence of that keel (hence filler in later images).

 

Beyond that, the main build has been uneventful.

 

If I were to build the yawl again, I'd add the knees to the benches (term?) before adding the gunwal.  Adapting their heights would then be much easier.
Another tip - I added the yawl's rowlocks to the gunwals before gluong the gunwals to the boat - this gave some pins that could guide final shape.

 

I am reasonably pleased with the decks, which were painted yellow ochre (Admiralty Paints), then dry brushed with raw umber (Golden Fluid Acrylics).

Still work to do on these boats ...

 

 

Edited June 4 by Pitan

[Pitan]

Back to Sherbourne, the masts and spars have been shaped.

 

In the kit, Chris gives a choice of bowsprit bits, one with a round hole, and another with a square opening.
I decided to use the square, and made the bowsprit from 5mm square walnut (the supplied dowel is 5mm walnut).  There is a short tenon to allow me to fit the bowsprit into the bit's hole (4mm square).

Lacking a lathe, I'm more comfortable making tapered masts and spars from square section wood than the round dowels supplied.  As far as I recall, the only kit supplied dowel I used was the lower mast (it has no taper, though the top is narrower), spars with a taper were made from square strip.

Masts dry fitted

 

Aside: of the three yards suggested in the kit, I've only made the lower one.
This is because I want to add sails.  Often, near contemporary paintings show just the one yard, quite low on the mast - maybe as low as 2 man heights (10-12 foot) above the deck, sometimes higher. 
For example, works by Robert Salmon:
The Scottish Lighthouse Board's tender (https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/robert-salmon-british-1775-1845-the-scottish-ligh-91-c-92142e49ab); you may also find this called a Naval Cutter, but the ensign otherwise.
HM Revenue Cutter Wickham (https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/hms-revenue-cutter-wickham-164013)

Revised sail plan suggestions:

Based on the Scottish Lighthouse Tender

Based on HM Cutter Wickham