Yakatabune by SighingDutchman - FINISHED - Woody Joe - 1/24

[SighingDutchman]

Apologies that this is not a proper build log, as I actually already finished the boat, but I thought I would post it here anyway as it might contain some useful information for anyone building this boat him/herself. For that purpose, I have inserted some 'tips' into the build log, things which I noticed and might be of use to others. There is, at the moment, one other build log for this boat on ModelShipWorld, by Catopower (link) and anyone thinking of building this boat should definitely check that log out as it is great, and far, far superior to this sorry excuse for a 'build log' I created here. Catopower's build log also contains a good description of the kit, so I won't bother with that in mine.

 

I started this kit about two months ago and finished it last week; all in all, it probably took me about fifty hours or so from start to finish. As a novice and not very talented builder, even I found the whole process very easy - and very enjoyable. The kit is of good quality and the instructions, although in Japanese, which I cannot read, are very clear. Every single step is explained in high quality photographs, with minimal text which, if so desired, can easily be translated into English or other languages using Google Lens, a free app for both Android and Iphones.

 

The kit is a conventional plank on bulkhead model, making the internal construction, as I understand it, quite different from what it would actually have looked in a Japanese period boat of this kind as they did not use the Western style plank on frame method. But that is all 'under the hood' and invisible so does not really matter for the final appearance.

 

The fit between frames and false keel was great - resulting in the picture below.

 

The hull is subsequently made by attaching the pre-shaped hull planks to this frame, only two per side. The two hull planks slightly overlap, leading to a kind of clinker build. Subsequently, the deck is constructed out of several loose planks, in several parts.

 

Tip 1: the wood is of a Japanese cypres, which is beautiful (and surprisingly fragrant) but very soft. Finger nails, pieces of dried glue on the cutting mat, etcetera, all make dents in it very easily, so take care when using it. It also sands very quickly, so is easy to over-sand.

 

Tip 2: the wood has a range of colours, from light beige to quite a bright shade of red. They enhances the appearance of the boat, but I also demands a bit of planning when, for example, making up the decks. You will probably want to vary the different shades accross the decks, to create a more balanced appearance. I only found this out when it was partially already too late.

 

After installing the decks and some other parts, it was time to install a walk plank + railing on both sides of that where - eventually - a little house will be placed, in which guests could be entertained, which was the ultimate purpose of this river pleasure boat. Constructing those railing is not difficult, but take care to follow the curvature of the boat when making them, or they will not properly fit later.

 

Here they have been installed onto the boat.

 

Tip 3: between the walking planks and the house, there is a gap, which shows the internal construction of the boat. This is, I feel, an oversight by Woody Joe, and is a bit ugly. It will hardly be visible once the boat is finished, but it won't be entirely invisible either, so I chose to fill it with a filler on each side, made from some scrap pieces of the wood supplied in the kit. The gaps are visible in the photo below, taken before insterting those fillers.

 

At this time, I created the little sliding doors, which will later be used in the house. There are twenty of those, and they consist of seven elements each. I found this the most fiddly and least enjoyable part of the build. The glueing surfaces are small, and it is difficult to keep everything exactly square. And precision is important here, otherwise the doors won't slide when placed in their slots later. And there are no spares, which brings me to:

 

Tip 4: although the kit is of high quality, Woody Joe has been a bit stingy with materials. The amount of material is just enough to create everything. You will have virtually nothing left over at the end of your build. So, take care not to make any mistakes, particularly since the Japanese cypres wood is very difficult to get if you don't actually live in Japan. This is not meant as criticism of the kit, merely as a warning to take things slowly so no material goes to waste.

 

Some pictures of the sliding doors below:

 

Tip 5: One are where I felt an improvement could/should be made was at the stern. The internal construction of the boat is visible here, if looking at the ship straight from the back. I inserted some filler pieces made out of scraps here, to hide this, as I thought it looked off. If you want to do this as well, it is much easier to do at the beginning, before you attach the side planks. I found out too late, making the fitting more difficult. Photo's below show the stern before and after fitting the filler pieces.

 

 

Tip 6: The kit comes with 150 or so little copper rectangles, which need to be fitted to the side planks. To ensure that they were spaced evenly, I used the true-scale drawings, from which I cut out all the little rectangles, attached them to the boat and traced the rectangles onto the planks with crayon, so I knew where to stick the actual copper rectangles. That seemed to work well. Photo below of the result.

 

I am all out of tips, so will conclude this 'build log' with some photos of the finished boat.

 

I really enjoyed this build. It is easy and very relaxing and, although far from perfect, I am fairly satisfied with the final result. Catopower, in his build, chose to stain the wood fairly dark, which is historically more correct and looks great. But since I quite liked the variation in wood colour, in particular the reddish tones here and there, I only applied a matt varnish.

 

Will try to create a proper build log for my next build, but hopefully this all-in-one-go log can be of use to someone some day nevertheless.

 

[ccoyle]

Beautiful result!

[SighingDutchman]

Thank you, Chris!

[Knocklouder]

Congratulations nicely done  indeed. 

[Paul Le Wol]

Congratulations on completing your Yakatabune. Fine looking boat and great pics!

[GrandpaPhil]

Congratulations!  Very well done!