Le Martegaou by Bryan Woods - Billing Boats - 1:80

[Bryan Woods]

This is a flat bottom boat used to move goods on the river and coastline of France in the 1800’s. I was thinking it would be easier planking experience with only half the hull:-) I read all the instructions about 20 sentences and 6 black and white figures. This build looks like it could be a challenge for me. 
 The spine, bottom and frames are 3mm plywood. I spent about a hour freeing them from the sheet.
 

 

After cleaning some of the charr,  I dry fitted all of them and placed the deck on hoping to see the plan in my head.

 

 

It didn’t come to me instantly. Looks like I may try finding it in a dream tonight:-)

 

Some of the questions I have right off the bat are. It doesn’t look like the notches in the deck line up perfectly with the frames. The middle one looks out of plum to me. I’m thinking I may glue the spine to the bottom and the 3 center frames all at one time and dry fit the deck to hold them in place. Then maybe do the 2 at a he stern and then the other 2 at the bow?

 

The stern dips down a little, leaving a gap between the spine and frame 7 and also a small one (you can’t see) at frame 9. 8 is that little piece holding the deck up.

 

 

There is one other build log here, He did one at a time. I’m not sure I will have the success he had, doing it like that. Any suggestions are welcome. 
 

I guess these things wouldn’t be as entertaining if they went together easy without a lot of thought:-)

[ccoyle]

Ah -- the sort of vessel "Lucky" Jack Aubrey would have been snapping up during his time in command of Sophie.

[JacquesCousteau]

Looks like a very interesting build!

[Bryan Woods]

Well if my plan came in a dream, I can’t remember it:-) I sat down and carefully removed the bottom. Tried to imagine the order things should be done and decided to glue the spine to the bottom first. I skipped over the areas where the frames connect.

 

 

Then I reassembled the deck supports and deck and held it down with rubber bands. I added extra bands on the frames that needed more tension. After the spine sets up, I’ll remove the deck and glue the 3 center frames next, then replace everything till it sets. Like I planned earlier, repeat for the frames at the stern and bow.

[Knocklouder]

Good luck on this one, popcorn in hand as they say.

Bob  M.

[Glen McGuire]

I'm on board too, if Bob will share his popcorn with me.  

[Bryan Woods]

Frames all glued, mast step installed. I did a bit of painting in areas that I would probably make a mess of, later in the build. 
 

 

 

Edited Friday at 12:14 AM by Bryan Woods

[Bryan Woods]

Reading through the other build log on this sight, they laid black thread between the planks. It really defines the planks. I was excited to get it going. In fact, I don’t think I did all the other non- boat related things yesterday I was supposed to:-) I think it was well worth it. 
 

 

That said, I find if it takes me days to get done, what could have been done in hours. I don’t spend as much time finding my mistakes.

[Bryan Woods]

The deck slipped right on with no problems. After fairing the hull I softened the bulwarks and clamped them to the hull to let them dry.

 

 

on the stern I cut a groove so I had a stop for the plank.

 

 

At the bow, I may cut the excess off when I glue it.

 

 

While I was setting thinking about which end  to start gluing. I started looking at the rigging. The drawing is all there is, and it looks like spaghetti hanging on a fork to me 🙂

 

 

If anyone has any helpful tips on that subject, please speak up 🙂 Just in case here’s the rest of it:-)

 

 

After all that filled my brain, I wasn’t feeling like a gluing session, so I carved  a scale figure. First was a pekingese. She’s a little bigger than scale. That was as small as I could go 🙂
 

Then Captain Kirt.

 

 
I plan on getting started back in the morning. Here’s Captain Kurt and Macy.

 

 

You can see them better in this one.

 

 

 

 

 

[Glen McGuire]

2 hours ago, Bryan Woods said:

If anyone has any helpful tips on that subject, please speak up 🙂 Just in case here’s the rest of it:-)

Here's how I read the drawings.  In the first drawing, F71 and F72 probably indicate different thicknesses for the lines.  F700 (and other F+3 digits) indicate different size blocks.  Each circled number points to a specific rigging line.  You will have to figure out where each numbered line is tied off, then trace its path though the blocks till it disappears below the bulwark.  The 2nd drawing is the belay plan and shows where to tie off each of the numbered lines.  I can't tell from the drawing which ones are tied to belay pins and which to cleats.  Maybe the little circles, like for 1, 4, 8, 11 are pins and the little ovals are cleats?  

 

That's my guess anyway!