palmerit Posted October 8 #1 Posted October 8 (edited) Okay, so after deciding to purchase the Duchess of Kingston by Vanguard Models to be my second build (while continuing to work on my Vanguard Sherbourne), I reflected on my mistakes (that I certainly learn from) and how often they occur and considered how much I just spent on the Duchess and what a more serious mistake might mean, and decided to maybe get some more practice on less expensive models first (well, second, third, and fourth). I just got the Model Shipways Shipwright Series, which consists of the Lowell Grand Banks Dory, followed by the Norwegian Pram, and then the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack. I know these model might be a bit more “old school” than the more modern Vanguard designs. But I figured they’d force me to do something different, mistakes would be on a far cheaper model, and they’d be easier to work on while also doing my Sherbourne. I wanted another model (in this case three small ones) to have something to work on while waiting for glue and paint to dry on my Sherbourne parts (like I am now). Edited October 19 by palmerit JacquesCousteau, druxey, Ryland Craze and 2 others 5 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 8 Author #2 Posted October 8 I can definitely see the difference in the kind of wood this model uses. The basswood is very soft, fragile, and fuzzy compared to the wood used in the Sherbourne. I’m going to have to treat this one gently. Thankfully, it’s small. Ryland Craze, JacquesCousteau, robert952 and 2 others 5 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 8 Author #3 Posted October 8 Definitely a different style of modeling, in an interesting way. druxey, JacquesCousteau and SiriusVoyager 3 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
Mike Collier Posted October 9 #4 Posted October 9 Yes, I started with this kit . I did learn a lot building these three boats and it was fun. Ryland Craze and robert952 2 Quote
palmerit Posted October 11 Author #5 Posted October 11 I understand now how the “engineering” of Vanguard models is so different from older school models like this Dory. Constructing the frames involved gluing a couple of pieces together and gluing them to cross plates. There isn’t a ton of guidance in terms of putting the pieces together and it’s easy for them to get misaligned. After setting the frames into the building board, I discovered that one was misaligned, had to disassemble and reglue into alignment. SiriusVoyager, JacquesCousteau, Ryland Craze and 1 other 4 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 11 Author #6 Posted October 11 Next step will be planking after this dries. Ryland Craze, SiriusVoyager, robert952 and 1 other 4 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 13 Author #7 Posted October 13 Making progress on the Dory. While easy, it’s definitely not as self-explanatory as the Sherbourne (and the instructions and photos and illustrations for the Dory aren’t quite as helpful). SiriusVoyager, Scott Crouse and JacquesCousteau 3 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
JacquesCousteau Posted October 13 #8 Posted October 13 Looks like it's coming along nicely! Not to be overly critical, but one thing you may want to watch out for is how you're clamping the planks at the ends. Due to the difficulty of clamping there, it's very easy for the planks to end up pressed inward, causing a sort of bottleneck shape that looks off and can make it hard to fit the cap rail. robert952, SiriusVoyager, druxey and 1 other 4 Quote Current Builds: Lake Chapala Canoa de Rancho (1:32) [Scratch]; Lancha Chilota Coasting Sloop (1:32) [Scratch]; Completed Kit Builds: Model Shipways Dory (1:24); NRG Half-Hull Planking Kit (1:48); Midwest Maine Peapod (1:14) [Kit] Completed Scratch Builds: Xochimilco Trajinera (1:32); Juana y José Cross Section (1:32)
palmerit Posted October 13 Author #9 Posted October 13 4 minutes ago, JacquesCousteau said: Looks like it's coming along nicely! Not to be overly critical, but one thing you may want to watch out for is how you're clamping the planks at the ends. Due to the difficulty of clamping there, it's very easy for the planks to end up pressed inward, causing a sort of bottleneck shape that looks off and can make it hard to fit the cap rail. You’re right. I’m learning how to work with this soft basswood. I loosened them a bit now that the glue has set. I did end up bending one of the frames pretty bad when I attached the garboard plank because I had clamped it (as opposed to clamping a rubber band). Thankfully, this softwood can also “bounce back” a bit and if you really wet it down and reshape it (I reshaped the frame element by clamping a couple of flat pieces on either side). robert952 and JacquesCousteau 2 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
JacquesCousteau Posted October 13 #10 Posted October 13 That's great! One of the benefits of working with wood is that it's possible to reshape and repair a lot. I found that bobby pins worked well as clamps, providing enough pressure to hold the wood in place without breaking it. robert952 1 Quote Current Builds: Lake Chapala Canoa de Rancho (1:32) [Scratch]; Lancha Chilota Coasting Sloop (1:32) [Scratch]; Completed Kit Builds: Model Shipways Dory (1:24); NRG Half-Hull Planking Kit (1:48); Midwest Maine Peapod (1:14) [Kit] Completed Scratch Builds: Xochimilco Trajinera (1:32); Juana y José Cross Section (1:32)
palmerit Posted October 14 Author #11 Posted October 14 Definitely a bit of a challenge doing a single plank hull compared to the double plank on the Sherbourne (on top of the other differences in design and wood). druxey, JacquesCousteau, robert952 and 1 other 4 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 14 Author #12 Posted October 14 Starting to look like a Dory. JacquesCousteau, robert952, Scott Crouse and 3 others 6 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 17 Author #13 Posted October 17 (edited) Making progress. Edited October 17 by palmerit JacquesCousteau, Ryland Craze, SiriusVoyager and 2 others 5 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 17 Author #14 Posted October 17 Almost ready to paint. (The cap rail is added after painting.) Desertanimal, JacquesCousteau, SiriusVoyager and 2 others 5 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 18 Author #15 Posted October 18 Got the first couple coats of paints applied. While I have an airbrush, here I used the Model Expo paints that came with the trio of models. I didn’t want to experiment trying to thin it for the airbrush (or search for and order matching Vallejo paints), so I just used a paint brush. I did thin it a good bit with water since it was pretty thick, almost house paint consistency. Better to do a few thin coats than apply one or two thick coats. druxey, robert952, ccoyle and 3 others 6 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 19 Author #16 Posted October 19 I don’t know if it’s the model, me, or both (mostly me I think). The thwarts (seats) are supposed to slot into the frames, but the boat seems to be too wide in places (especially in the middle). If the boat was too narrow, I could narrow the boards. The thwarts being too narrow, there is not too much I can do (except recreate the thwarts with new would, which I’m not inclined to do for a boat I just did for some more practice). Come to think of it, I think when I put the planks on, I didn’t ensure that they were fully touching with frames in a couple places, especially in the middle. Then I had to wet the frames to get them to touch the planks and that widened the boat enough to have the thwarts no longer fit. A small error that’s corrected can impact something later in the build. robert952, Ryland Craze, SiriusVoyager and 3 others 6 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
JacquesCousteau Posted October 19 #17 Posted October 19 It sounds like you've done a good job of figuring out the source of the problem! If you're mainly interested in this build as practice, scratchbuilding some properly-sized thwarts could be a useful skill-building experience. Ryland Craze, SiriusVoyager and robert952 3 Quote Current Builds: Lake Chapala Canoa de Rancho (1:32) [Scratch]; Lancha Chilota Coasting Sloop (1:32) [Scratch]; Completed Kit Builds: Model Shipways Dory (1:24); NRG Half-Hull Planking Kit (1:48); Midwest Maine Peapod (1:14) [Kit] Completed Scratch Builds: Xochimilco Trajinera (1:32); Juana y José Cross Section (1:32)
druxey Posted October 19 #18 Posted October 19 Thwart #4 seems to be in backwards. robert952, SiriusVoyager and Ryland Craze 3 Quote Be sure to sign up for an epic Nelson/Trafalgar project if you would like to see it made into a TV series http://trafalgar.tv
palmerit Posted October 19 Author #19 Posted October 19 11 minutes ago, druxey said: Thwart #4 seems to be in backwards. It was. Thankfully, they were just laid in place when I took the photo. robert952, SiriusVoyager, Ryland Craze and 1 other 4 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 19 Author #20 Posted October 19 Shaped the oars just with sanding sticks and sand paper. They’re supposed to have a thin part at the end but I misshaped a couple and ended up just rounding them all. Ryland Craze, SiriusVoyager, davec and 2 others 5 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 19 Author #21 Posted October 19 Adding the beckets (ropes) to bow and stern. JacquesCousteau, davec, Knocklouder and 4 others 7 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
palmerit Posted October 19 Author #22 Posted October 19 Second started, first finished. druxey, SiriusVoyager, davec and 6 others 9 Quote Current Builds: Sherbourne 1763 (Vanguard Models), Norwegian Pram (Model Shipways) In the Queue: Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways), Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) Completed Builds: Lowell Grand Banks Dory (Model Shipways), 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Kit (NRG)
ccoyle Posted October 20 #23 Posted October 20 Great finish! Congratulations! Ryland Craze, robert952 and palmerit 3 Quote Chris Coyle Greer, South Carolina When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. - Tuco Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, DS Børøysund
JacquesCousteau Posted October 20 #24 Posted October 20 Congratulations on finishing, nice job! palmerit, robert952 and Ryland Craze 3 Quote Current Builds: Lake Chapala Canoa de Rancho (1:32) [Scratch]; Lancha Chilota Coasting Sloop (1:32) [Scratch]; Completed Kit Builds: Model Shipways Dory (1:24); NRG Half-Hull Planking Kit (1:48); Midwest Maine Peapod (1:14) [Kit] Completed Scratch Builds: Xochimilco Trajinera (1:32); Juana y José Cross Section (1:32)
SiriusVoyager Posted October 20 #25 Posted October 20 Very nice looking Dory! robert952 and palmerit 2 Quote - Eric Drafting: Sultan Arab Dhow Finished: Norwegian Sailing Pram, Lowell Grand Banks Dory, Muscongus bay lobster smack, OcCre Palamos, San Francisco Cross Section
Capt. Kelso Posted Saturday at 11:40 AM #26 Posted Saturday at 11:40 AM Nice job! Ryland Craze 1 Quote
Knocklouder Posted Saturday at 11:47 AM #27 Posted Saturday at 11:47 AM Nicely done, Congratulations. Bob M Ryland Craze and robert952 2 Quote Start so you can Finish !! Finished: The Sea of Galilee Boat-Scott Miller-1:20 , Amati } Hannah Ship in a Bottle:Santa Maria : LA Pinta : La Nana : The Mayflower : Viking Ship Drakkar The King Of the Mississippi Artesania Latina 1:80 Current Build: Royal Yacht, Duchess of Kingston-Vanguard Models
druxey Posted Saturday at 12:42 PM #28 Posted Saturday at 12:42 PM Well done! Ryland Craze and robert952 2 Quote Be sure to sign up for an epic Nelson/Trafalgar project if you would like to see it made into a TV series http://trafalgar.tv
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