Lowell Grand Banks Dory by AreyPotter - Model Shipways - 1:24 - First Build!

[AreyPotter]

And so it begins! 

 

 

Felt like a kid on Christmas as I opened up the kit. The quality of everything seems very good and the tool kit had even more stuff in it than was listed on their website. I know the cutting mat is curled like crazy (flattening it now with good results) but I was too excited to begin.

 

 

Right off the bat, I've already made a few mistakes but am learning from them. I mainly need to slow down and be more precise with my placement before letting the glue cure. I also think I need to look at the build from all angles as I'm gluing, as I was solely focused on laying pieces where they're marked on the wood and didn't realize it looked off until I zoomed out and looked at the model as a whole. 

 

The very first cleat/thing I glued was slightly crooked (middle left cleat in the 2nd photo), but the bigger issue I think is the transom is also slightly crooked as you can see in the last photo. I got a little confused on this step as these terms are all new to me and I glued a couple pieces in the wrong order. I may mess with it a little to see if I can get it a little straighter, but I'm just gonna try to learn and move on from most of these things for now. Hopefully it won't cause too many issues down the line, but only time will tell!

 

-Scott

 

[druxey]

Festina lente - make haste slowly!

[Dan Poirier]

Exactly right on the importance of precision early in the project! It'll pay huge dividends later compared to hurrying early. (Ask me how I know...)

 

[JacquesCousteau]

I'm looking forward to following your build! On the crooked transom: if you're using white glue, it comes off very easily with a bit of rubbing alcohol and can be re-glued once it dries.

[SiriusVoyager]

I think one of the biggest issues I have found as a beginner is making sure that anything that is supposed to be at a right angle, is actually at a right angle.  It is very hard to eyeball it.  Having a couple of perfectly square blocks that can be clamped to one or more sides will be helpful.  I use Legos since I have them readily available.

Edited July 14 by SiriusVoyager

[Desertanimal]

Good luck with the build. Move slowly and triple check your steps. The biggest help to me was reading build logs and having them handy for photo reference. 

[AreyPotter]

3 hours ago, JacquesCousteau said:

I'm looking forward to following your build! On the crooked transom: if you're using white glue, it comes off very easily with a bit of rubbing alcohol and can be re-glued once it dries.

Thank you! I have already looked through your build log a few times haha. I'm using yellow wood glue which came with the kit, not really sure of the differences, but I was going to try taking it off like you mentioned. It's hard to tell which little mistakes can be worked out later and which will have a larger impact!

 

1 hour ago, SiriusVoyager said:

I think one of the biggest issues I have found as a beginner is making sure that anything that is supposed to be at a right angle, is actually at a right angle.  It is very hard to eyeball it.  Having a couple of perfectly square blocks that can be clamped to one or more sides will be helpful.  I use Legos since I have them readily available.

That's a good tip. I started off very confident and already am wondering how people do this so precisely haha. It's way trickier than it looks. But I will definitely try that.

[AreyPotter]

Alrighty, made a little more progress and a lot more mistakes haha. 

 

 

Gluing these frames was a tad tricky as I get used to the fine motor dexterity required for this hobby, but all in all they look pretty good. It was a little nerve-wracking as I went to glue the bottom onto the frames and slip on the rubber bands without it moving too much, but fortunately I think it turned out pretty well and looks straight! This is despite my continuing troubles with the transom, as I accidentally broke the transom holder while I snugged it into place

 

 

While waiting for the bottom to dry, I tried shaping an oar like I saw in @Jacques build because it seemed like fun. It takes a little while with just 150 grit sandpaper but it was indeed fun! I think I can get the paddle a little thinner but I'm happy with the shape and the rounding, except for the handle which became a thin stick before I even knew it. I will have to be much more careful with the remaining oars and I guess this will be my practice one! Anything to distract me from the upcoming planking, which I am nervous/confused about after reading the beveling instructions haha.

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Very nicely done! The bevel on the planking is definitely confusing at first. 

[Wawona59]

Hi Scott, You are making good progress on your Dory.  Don't let mistakes discouraged you.  Making mistakes and fixing them are just part of building ship models.  The bevel of the planks can be confusing at first until you see what is going on.  The Dory is clinker-built which means the planks overlap each other.  The lower plank needs to be slightly beveled so that the next plank lies smooth and fair over it.  The following diagram shows the difference between clinker built and carvel-built.  The bevel can be accomplished using an emery board or sandpaper backed by a piece of scrap wood.  As you progress in the ship modeling hobby, many of the Plank-on-bulkhead (POB) models you will build will be carvel-built.

 

 

Take your time, visualize what you are trying to accomplish and all will be fine.  Most of all, enjoy the ride; this is a hobby after all that we do for fun and relaxation.  I hope this helps you.

 

 

[Desertanimal]

If you get a chance, look at my build log. I think I’ve got some close up photos of the beveling of the planks. The main bevel is pretty straightforward, the rolling bevel on the other side is a little tricky until you see what’s going on. 
Keep at it! 

[Capt. Kelso]

Good start with your build. Another option for making oars, a piece of wood dowel and scrap wood. The top oar in the photo is the kit oar, I wasn't happy with them. 

[AreyPotter]

On 7/18/2024 at 6:51 PM, Wawona59 said:

The following diagram shows the difference between clinker built and carvel-built.

 

Dang, thank you for that! Learning about boats and their construction is such a cool extra piece of this hobby. That helps it make a lot more sense. And also now makes me realize I glued the garboard in the wrong orientation - whoops! I feel pretty good about how I sanded the bevel. However, since I didn't fully understand it at first, I accidentally glued the bevel facing the inside of the boat. Now, looking at your diagram and rereading the instructions it's finally clicked how/why it's supposed to be on the outside. I'm still quite happy with how it's coming out and, while I know it may affect how the next plank lies, I'm gonna keep rolling with it. This dory will be named the S.S. Rough Draft.

 

On 7/19/2024 at 6:57 AM, Capt. Kelso said:

Good start with your build. Another option for making oars, a piece of wood dowel and scrap wood. The top oar in the photo is the kit oar, I wasn't happy with them. 

 

Wow, your homemade oar looks so nice. I tried shaping a second one from the kit and it turned out much better this time, but yours is next level!

 

Some more pictures below:

 

 

The dry fit turned out really well and, while I know people get creative with their clamps with great success, the simple setup from the instructions worked well for me.

 

Gluing/sanding the garboards was a step I was really looking forward to, as I feel like this is where the boat really starts to take shape. My overlap of the garboard edges over the bottom of the boat was a little uneven, but I'm loving it. Where the plank meets the transom is so satisfying.

 

 

Finally, very rookie question, but does anyone have a good method for wiping off sawdust from the wood? I always give the base a few taps on my work surface but a lot of it still clings on. Thanks!

[druxey]

Dust? A small brush or old toothbrush works well. Resist using a vacuum; sooner or later - generally sooner - it will swallow a vital part of the model.

[AreyPotter]

Whew, although I continued chipping away at the dory, life got a little busy and I could never find the time to reply with updates! And before I knew it I was actually finished with my first model. I don't have any good, instructional photos or helpful tips for tricky parts, but fortunately, those are widely available in many other, more detailed build logs. I'm mainly just posting a dump of the photos I did take along the way.

 

 

Bobby pins continued to be the best darn tool I had, as well as these other hair clips that I stole from my wife. It is not hard to see the plethora of mistakes and gaps in my dory, but overall I really enjoyed building this model, learned a lot, and am happy with the final outcome.

 

 

I had a surprising amount of fun with the painting, as it's rather therapeutic and really makes the boat come to life. I didn't bother spraying it before painting, as suggested in the book, so the wood looks a little rough, but I still love the final product. I fully intend to keep learning the craft and improving my skills, but at some point in this build, I decided to just have fun with it and not worry about the imperfections. Even from the beginning, I was never too enamored with the dory but knew it was the right place to start for a beginner. I am much more excited to start working on the Norwegian Sailing Pram next, though - it is a beautiful boat. That one I plan to focus a little more on and try to perfect stuff when I can. Thankfully, I've already found many more helpful build logs for that as well!

[JacquesCousteau]

Congratulations on finishing, very nicely done!

[druxey]

Simply completing your first model is an accomplishment in itself. Well done! You are moving up the learning curve.

[Dan Poirier]

Looks good! I like the dark red paint on the bottom.