Lancha Chilota by JacquesCousteau – Scale 1:32 – Chilean Coasting Sloop

[JacquesCousteau]

I have yet to visit the Caribbean, although I hope to someday. It's interesting what gets taken up and what doesn't. About a month ago, I visited the small river town of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. In the 19th century, it was a relatively important port, where goods from Oaxaca were brought by trajinera barges (which interestingly have very little in common with the trajineras of Mexico City) to be transferred to ocean-going ships, but river trade declined after the construction of a railroad across the isthmus of Tehuantepec. Today fishing for local markets is a common activity, and fishermen have totally adopted locally-made fiberglass boats. Interestingly, they favor smaller, narrower vessels than the pangas I've seen elsewhere, while fishermen in the nearby seaport of Alvarado use both types. Below, the smaller vessels are in the foreground, while the tour boat at back left is the type of panga I've seen elsewhere.

 

Boatbuilding in Tlacotalpan:

 

Back to the lancha: while finishing planking the deck, I sanded down the already-complete starboard side. As can be seen below in comparison with the unsanded port side, sanding really made a difference and got rid of most of the unevenness.

 

Continuing on the port side, I finally was down to the last plank, which turned out to be slightly smaller than its starboard counterpart. Rather than the trial-and-error method I had previously used, I decided to follow my hull planking method and use tape to mark out the plank.

 

This helped in getting the rough shape, but there was still a lot of trial-and-error testing, sanding, and testing again. Finally, it was on. I was then able to remove the hatch coamings and mast partners and sand the deck.

 

 

 

I still need to use a finer grit of sandpaper on everything. Next, I need to build the hatch covers, which with the coamings will be stained and painted the same as the deck.

 

[Jim Lad]

Well done! That's a really nice looking deck.

 

John

[wefalck]

Mexico certainly is a more developed country than many African and perhaps South Asian countries, and has access to the materials for making GRP hulls.

 

I would probably now stain the deck, then apply sanding filler all over before sanding with finer paper.

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks, all! 

 

I've never used sanding sealer under an acrylic wash before, so I decided to test how it looks with some scrap decks. I also was curious as to whether I could achieve an acceptable color with solely acrylics instead of alternating layers of stain and acrylic washes. 

 

On both scrap decks, the left half was left untreated before painting, while the right half received a coat of sanding sealer followed by a light fine-grit sanding. The top scrap deck was colored with alternating acrylic washes using colors directly out of the paint jar. For the bottom, I mixed specific colors and made washes out of them. For the top scrap deck, the four combos are, from left to right: 1a) black and dark brown washes on untreated wood, 2a) the same but with an added caramel-brown wash, 3a) the same colors as 2a but on wood treated with sanding sealer, and 4a) black and dark brown washes on sanding sealer. For the bottom scrap deck, the four combos are, from left to right: 1b) mostly a dark gray wash with a bit of dark brown wash on untreated wood, 2b) more dark brown wash on untreated wood, 3b) the same as 2b but on sanding sealer, and 4b) the same as 1b but on sanding sealer.

 

Overall, while I quite liked the gray color, I think the top scrap deck looks closest to the brown decks that appear in photos, and 2a looks pretty similar to my favorite result from earlier tests with stains (which is just above the scrap deck in the photo). As a result, I think that I may not need to use stains after all. As for the sanding sealer, I had thought that it would even out the grain. While it did that for the first few layers, I feel like the unsealed wood ended up pretty consistent.

 

I've also made progress on the hatch covers. For the fore hatch, I found several possible construction methods. One, seen below, just uses a few crossbeams to hold the hatch planks together.

Source: https://www.memoriasdelsigloxx.cl/601/w3-article-86081.html

 

However, I decided to go with the slightly more complex construction shown below, where a boxlike frame fits around the coaming. The frame will make it easier to prop open the hatch with a stick, as in the photo.

Source: https://www.carlosvairo.com/galeria-puerto-montt-lanchas-chilotas

 

I began by making the frame out of 1/16‐inch square basswood strip, building it around the coaming.

 

I then planked it. Photos show that the fore hatch was planked side-to-side. I think it looks slightly bulky in the closed position, but when I hold it open, the size looks better.

 

Finally, the exterior will be colored to match the deck. But I suspect the interior would be a bit less weathered, so I only applied a bit of wash there.

 

The main hatch is a bit more complicated. As seen below, it's open at front and back, and there are lightly cambered crossbeams notched into tall side walls.

Source: https://www.carlosvairo.com/galeria-puerto-montt-lanchas-chilotas

 

There should be around 8 or so crossbeams. These posed a challenge: how could I make so many and all consistent? I also didn't want to make them by bending wood, as if they naturally opened a bit, the hatch sides would be pulled out at an angle. Moreover, that's a lot of notches to carve, and the notches are very fragile. My first attempt at the sides had to be discarded when the wood split around the notches. After some thought, I decided that modeling is in part about tricking viewers by taking advantage of what will be hidden on the finished build--like the underside of the hatch. I then carved just three crossbeams--enough to provide a decent gluing surface for the covering--and will glue on the exposed ends of the rest afterward. From the outside, it will look like a proper hatch, but on the inside, it will be greatly simplified.

 

I then glued together the framework. Next up I'll need to fair the top slightly before adding the covering.

 

Edited February 11 by JacquesCousteau
Added image

[Jim Lad]

More nice progress to savor! 

 

I like that photo of the hatch propped open. Judging by the smoke being emitted, it must be pretty choking below!

 

John

[JacquesCousteau]

19 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

I like that photo of the hatch propped open. Judging by the smoke being emitted, it must be pretty choking below!

Undoubtedly! Every written account I've seen mentions the crew (who were often all family) huddling below around the stove for warmth against the cold wind. 

 

A bit more progress on the main hatch. First, I applied a gray wash to the basic framework, so that I won't have to deal with so many glue stains inhibiting the wash later on. Second, I thought the hatch cover looked a little long (although I think it should be longer than the opening, given that it's open on both sides you'd want some overhang) and the middle beam was a little off-center, so I trimmed the over-long side and reattached the crossbeam. I then added the false crossbeam ends, making them from tiny bits of the same material which I pre-colored with a wash.

 

They were extremely tiny, and I lost a couple when they popped out of my tweezers (thankfully I made extra). Hats off to those of you who work in tiny scales. I glued them to the sides of the hatch cover framework and faired the tops once the glue fully cured overnight, sanding very cautiously.

 

Once the hatch cover is planked, it should trick viewers into thinking that all those crossbeams are there, unless they look closely. I then began planking, again using pre-wash-colored planks. The exterior will receive further coloration later.

 

Finally, two questions: 

 

1) I've been finalizing the sanding of the hull. Unfortunately, there are still a couple low points at the bow (see below). If I add a bit of filler here, will it still leave the individual planks visible once I paint the hull, or am I better off just sanding more?

 

2) Unfortunately, I dropped the hull on the hard floor while sanding, and it dented the aft end of the keel (see below). I suppose the best way to deal with this would be to cut out a larger squared-off chunk around this, replace it, and use sanding and filler to get rid of the cut marks?

[wefalck]

Sometimes repairs can make things worse ... are these digs and dents very obvious? If they blend into the general rougher look of those boats, I would leave them like they are, particularly, when the areas are to be painted anyway.

[Glen McGuire]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

Sometimes repairs can make things worse ... are these digs and dents very obvious? If they blend into the general rougher look of those boats, I would leave them like they are, particularly, when the areas are to be painted anyway.

Completely agree with Wefalck.

[Keith Black]

 Jacques, you can try soaking the dent with hot water, maybe it will swell back into its original shape. I'm learning to embrace the imperfections in my work and try using them to tell a more honest story.  

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. I have to admit that I feel a bit conflicted sometimes between striving to get things as best as I can make them (at least in parts that will be visible on the finished model) and wanting to leave things realistically imperfect, the latter of which can be a bit tricky to get to scale. After considering your comments and thinking about my goal to represent a working boat, I decided against trying to repair the ding in the keel, and to just sand a little more at the bow to minimize the low spots. I also finished planking the main hatch, and applied a base wash to the top of the fore hatch.

 

The next steps will involve making some decisions about how to display the model.

[KeithAug]

I'm sorry the i missed this log until now. Great technical approach to the planking and fine result. Well done.

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks, Keith!

 

I'm considering options for how to handle the hatches. For the fore hatch, I'm fine leaving the interior empty. In actual lanchas, the space ahead of the mast was used for a heating stove and as shelter for the crew, with very minimal furnishings. The hatch opening is small, and with the hatch propped open as below, it's covered enough that it doesn't bring attention to the lack of detail below deck. I should note that the prop is just a bit of notched scrap, and it will be replaced. It also fell in the hatch twice.

 

The main hatch is trickier. If it's open just a crack, the interior looks empty, unless there's direct light, in which case the central spine is very visible, as seen below:

 

I rolled up some tape to test options to cover the spine. First, a barrel from the Syren barrel kit, which I made a while ago for the canoa but didn't end up using. I don't think this looks particularly convincing.

 

I also chopped up a very rough coffee stir stick to try to simulate a shipment of lumber. Unfortunately, it looks a bit odd to only have it in the middle of the hold, and it's pretty visible how it just ends when it reaches the bulkhead, spoiling the illusion of a cargo load.

 

So, I'm considering either closing the main hatch, or just adding a flat piece of wood painted black extending from the spine top out to the sides, so that it will just look uniformly black inside.

 

I also started drilling holes in the keel for the mounting. I'm still leaning toward displaying the model upright, and would need to prep this now before anything is glued to the topsides, but the holes will not be very noticeable if I end up displaying the model resting on its bilge. Drilling was done very carefully, slowly ramping up in size, and regularly checking that everything was perpto the keel.

Despite this, it ended up slightly off from perfect, but I don't think it's anything that's beyond the normal slight give of brass piping.

 

Finally, I applied a sealer to the hull below the wales, in preparation for painting.

[Jim Lad]

Nice progress. Perhaps your idea of the black painted insert is the most practical.

 

John

[KeithAug]

On 2/14/2025 at 6:32 AM, JacquesCousteau said:

Unfortunately, it looks a bit odd to only have it in the middle of the hold, and it's pretty visible how it just ends when it reaches the bulkhead, spoiling the illusion of a cargo load.

What sort of cargo would she typically carry? It would be nice to try and show it.

[JacquesCousteau]

3 hours ago, KeithAug said:

What sort of cargo would she typically carry? It would be nice to try and show it.

Good question! A lot of lanchas were involved in the lumber trade. Many also carried farm produce to sell at markets. A few sources also reference carrying livestock, although I have no idea how you'd get any large animals in and out of the hold (sheep may be doable, though). The chief problem with showing a cargo in the hold is that the bulkhead limits the cargo to only the rear of the hold. Looking at it from many angles, it's very clear that the cargo arbitrarily stops at the bulkhead, making it look odd--lumber would undoubtedly extend a lot further forward, for instance. That said, I still plan on portraying cargo, it will just be on deck instead of in the hold. Plenty of photos show lanchas with fairly crowded decks, so a bundle of lumber or a few sacks of produce wouldn't look out of place.

 

I've been working on painting the deck. I think it's nearly there, I may just scuff it up a bit in high-traffic areas around the hatch.

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Following up: A lot of photos showing decks crowded with cargo show lanchas in port, and you would expect them to usually store things below while sailing. But, there are at least some photos, such as the one below, showing cargo (in this case lumber/firewood) being carried on deck while under sail. I would assume that this was usually only done for short voyages.

Source: https://losbarcosdejuanvasquez.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/la-lancha-velera-que-transportaba-lena-y-maderas/

 

Incidentally, the photo also shows the lancha towing a couple of tenders. I've been considering whether I want to try making one, but work is about to pick up a lot and I may just focus on the lancha itself.

[Keith Black]

 Great deck work, Jacques. it looks fantastic. 

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks, Keith!

 

I realized that I forgot to mention that I did end up just placing a black board across the bottom of the hatch interior, to keep the keel assembly out of sight. From a couple angles, if the light is just right, you can see the edge off on the sides--it had to be a bit short to fit into the hatch--but it's practically unnoticeable otherwise. My goal is to suggest that, while there is an interior, it's too shadowy to see any details, adding interest to the build compared with battened-down hatches.

 

I've also begun painting the hull. Usually you want to start with lighter colors, but in this case the transition will be covered by the as-yet unmade rub rail, and I won't be painting the topsides until I've built the bulwarks. So, black it is for the lower hull. At the moment it looks terrible and uneven, which I've come to understand is what you want in a first coat. Many, many subsequent coats will follow. The final coat(s) will be with a slightly less intense shade of black, but for the base coats, the tint straight from the bottle works fine.

 

Finally, I've begun looking at some other furnishings. Comparing the plan drawings with photos, some parts--like the bowsprit support--look a little undersized in the plans. I'm less certain about other parts. Does anyone know what a typical rudder thickness for a seagoing, ~30-foot-long boat would be?

[Bryan Woods]

JC, your work is so clean! I’m anxious to see all the layers of finish you’re going use. I have on my shelf a fishing boat kit from  Diorama World that I’d like to weather.

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks, Bryan! I actually can't say that I fully recommend that anyone follow my path on painting the deck. When applying the successive washes, I came across a problem that I hadn’t encountered on my tests: with all that water, the deck wood expanded and contracted a bit even though it was glued down. As a result, some small gaps opened up in the planking, and the edges of some planks curved up a little bit. I don't think it looks too bad from normal viewing distance, but if you run your finger along the deck, it's noticeable. I think I should have let the deck dry for several hours, or even overnight, between each wash layer. In the future, I may experiment with fewer wash coats and/or using artist's pastels (people like FriedClams have done amazing things with them). Perhaps using thicker deck planks would have helped, as well.

 

By now, I've mostly painted the lower hull, although I'll likely do some touch-ups and perhaps one last coat later. I've also glued the mast partners and hatch coamings in place, although not the hatch covers yet. I also lightly sanded parts of the deck that would have seen more foot traffic and wear.

 

Next, the bulwark stanchions are an interesting detail. On many other vessels, the stanchions run through the covering boards and are practically extensions of the frames. In contrast, on most lanchas, the stanchions sit on top of the covering boards, and have a wide base narrowing toward the top. The most common shape was a sort of stepped design, seen below in the vessel in the foreground, but some other designs were also used: see the trapezoidal design on the lancha in the background below, for example.

Source: https://www.bibliotecanacionaldigital.gob.cl/bnd/629/w3-article-164722.html

 

Another photo showing stepped stanchions:

Source: https://www.carlosvairo.com/galeria-puerto-montt-lanchas-chilotas

 

While the stepped design was most common, some other designs were also used, such as those below on the Marisol del Carmen supporting a very low bulwark.

Source: https://www.sigpa.cl/ficha-colectivo/carpinteros-de-ribera-de-lanchas-chilotas

 

The plans I have show stepped stanchions. However, while I'll be following the stepped design, I will need to modify the dimensions a bit. The plans show a 7/32‐inch tall (on the model) bulwark that extends up above the bowsprit, leaving a bit of a gap. However, most photos of lanchas (including those above) show the bowsprit level with the bulwarks or with the cap rail. My bowsprit is made from a 3/16-inch square piece of basswood. So, I'll need to reduce the height of my stanchions to 3/16-inch, something I wish I had realized before preparing 7/32-inch wide strips of 3/32-inch thick scrap wood.

[Paul Le Wol]

Great photos Jacques. I think that even a seasoned weathering expert would have a tough time emulating the deck in the last photo!

[JacquesCousteau]

21 minutes ago, Paul Le Wol said:

Great photos Jacques. I think that even a seasoned weathering expert would have a tough time emulating the deck in the last photo!

Thanks! Yeah, it's definitely a tricky pattern. It looks like there was some sort of sealant placed over the deck that was bleached by the sun and for some reason only wore off along the center of each plank. Meanwhile the wood that shows through varies from a weathered gray to quite dark (possibly damp patches?). Not to mention the panels of some other material placed aft over the deck. It's also worth noting that written sources agree that lanchas usually just left the deck and hatches in bare, unfinished wood. The Marisol del Carmen was a more recent lancha, though, so presumably they applied something to try to better preserve the wood.

 

The full photo is interesting as it shows that the white covering wasn't fully applied on the port side. Interestingly, the hatch coaming looks to be bare wood. There are also other details that aren't very clear--I'm not sure what purpose the big rocks have, for instance, they may be holding down the floor mat placed over the deck?

 

Source: https://www.sigpa.cl/ficha-colectivo/carpinteros-de-ribera-de-lanchas-chilotas

 

[Jim Lad]

A very interesting photo that shows typical long term wear on an old workboat! By the way, I love the bloke steering with his foot crossed over - I just hope he doesn't need to turn to port too quickly! 🙂

 

As for the wear on the deck planks. I suspect that the planks are slightly cupped and have thus worn only on their upper surfaces as the crew have walked on them over a long period.

 

John

[JacquesCousteau]

@Jim Lad, I think you nailed it!

 

Cutting out the stanchions was a bit time-consuming. Photos of two lanchas--the Quenita, upon which my planset is ostensibly based, and one of Vairo's--both show ten stanchions per side. Having trimmed a length of 3/32‐inch-thick scrap wood to the right height, I then used the razor saw to cut identical lengths, employing a stop for this purpose. 

 

I then cut the notches, using a few bits of scrap to make a crude jig to properly measure the sides. A larger, better jig would have been much more exact. However, photos show that the stanchions were often a bit irregular in real life, so I filed this under something to learn from in potential future builds that may be more exacting. I found that a thicker blade worked better for this work.

 

Eventually I had quite a little pile of stanchions. 

 

I decided to pre-paint the stanchions, rather than paint them after attaching the bulwarks and risk having the finish ruined by gluestains. Based on Vairo's photos, I am painting them with a gray wash, so that they look lighter than the deck but also a bit weathered. I also made the fore stanchion pieces (which come to a wedge around the bowsprit) and the aft rail.

 

At this point, I'm realizing that I have a bit of a problem. Originally I was going to glue and pin the stanchions in place 1/32-inch inboard of the edge of the hull, and then glue the bulwark to them. However, not only may it be difficult to line up the stanchions like this, but due to the deck camber, the edge of the deck isn't always perpendicular to the edge of the hull, so if I glue the stanchions directly to the hull, they're likely to bulge outward in places.

 

With that in mind, I'm thinking that it may make more sense to make the bulwarks first: curving them with the use of hot water, painting the inner sides with a gray wash, then attaching the stanchions at predetermined points, and only then attaching the topsides to the hull. I'm not sure, though, how well this will work.