Lowell Grand Banks Dory by palmerit - Model Shipways - 1:24

[palmerit]

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). 

[palmerit]

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. 

[palmerit]

Definitely a different style of modeling, in an interesting way. 

[Mike Collier]

Yes, I started with this kit . I did learn a lot building these three boats and it was fun.

[palmerit]

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. 

[palmerit]

Next step will be planking after this dries. 

[palmerit]

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). 

[JacquesCousteau]

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.

[palmerit]

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). 

[JacquesCousteau]

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.

[palmerit]

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). 

[palmerit]

Starting to look like a Dory.