Friendship Sloop by gsdpic - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:12

[gsdpic]

Just about ready for another coat of primer.  I hope it will be the last but don't know for sure.

 

 

[gsdpic]

Thanks for taking a look and hitting the like button.

 

I've applied the next coat of primer and I also patched up that little hole between the stern post and transom.   Obviously I need to do more filling and sanding around there once the glue dries.

 

Looks like I still have a few small spots elsewhere on the hull that I want to add some filler to, and then another round of sanding and priming.   So far I've just used 120 and 320 to sand it.  I think this time I'll go to a higher grit and try to get down to a final smoothness, then one last (I hope) coat of primer).

 

I am still thinking white or off white top sides and green or greenish blue hull but I have not settled on anything 100%.  I am almost ready for that but should determine what other parts, like the rudder and rudder post, should be painted at the same time.

 

And pay no attention to the clock in the background, I obviously don't.  I took those first two pictures around 9am on April 24, not last Friday night 😆

[JacquesCousteau]

Very nice work, the hull's coming along great!

[gsdpic]

Primer coat number 3.  I am going to resist the urge to use any more filler and just sand this down a bit and do one more coat of primer, once this coat cures a bit more.  There is one place where I have just about sanded through the planking but I have access to that part of the inside of the hull so I can put in some reinforcements.

 

[gsdpic]

I've done more sanding and yet another coat of primer.  It is still far from perfect but getting better, and of course without the bright lights the imperfections are less noticeable.  I will also say I do not recommend that wood filler I have been using.  It seems difficult to get a good smooth finish with it, and somehow it seems inconsistent when you sand it....sometimes it sands off easily other times the edges continue to show even after sanding.  This latest coat of primer is still curing; I'll probably decide tomorrow if I am going to work it more or say it is good enough.

[gsdpic]

Ok, one more round of sanding and priming.  I swear I am done this time.  I'll let it cure a day or two then do some light sanding, draw a waterline, and add some color.  I bought two more rattle cans of paint....and off white for the top sides and a dark green for the bottom of the hull.

 

[Glen McGuire]

5 hours ago, gsdpic said:

I swear I am done this time. 

The title of a George Strait song comes to mind...  😃

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trosuoi172s

 

[gsdpic]

On 5/3/2025 at 3:31 PM, Glen McGuire said:

The title of a George Strait song comes to mind...  😃

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trosuoi172s

 

I wouldn't know a George Strait song if it slapped me in the face, but I can see why that song came to mind.  Note that I did not say how many iterations of sanding and spraying I was going to do with the color coats.  

 

And speaking of that, I finally sprayed on the topsides off white color.  The color is not quite as off white as I expected but it will do.  And yes those flaws in the finish on the side do bother me a bit so I guess I am not done sanding.  Once I am satisfied or tired of it, I'll tape off the water line and repeat with dark green below the water line.

[gsdpic]

Ok, I sanded down the color coat (just once!) and repainted and it is looking good.  Now to mark the waterline, tape it off, and paint the hull with the dark green paint.

 

Haha....I see now some of the test prints from my recently acquired 3d printer in the background.   I took this shot by my computer instead of in the modelling room.

 

[François de Saint Nazaire]

Gary,

Better day after day. Bravo

[gsdpic]

Thanks for the patience.  I finished the other project I was working on (though as always, tempted to start another) and have been through several iterations of tape and paint, both green and off white.  It was tricky to get a decent water line with the shape of the hull (and my technique, no doubt) but I think I am at the "as good as it's gonna get" stage.   I'll likely still do a bit of light sanding at some point and then go over everything with a satin clear coat just to unify the finish.  Both the green and offwhite are satin but still there are some variations in shininess.

 

[gsdpic]

Ok, I have declared the hull painting done and I have mounted the hull to the baseboard.   The baseboard is reused from an abandoned build of the model shipways Niagara.  The cradles are included in the Friendship Sloop kit.  They are laser cut mahogany which I sanded down a bit to round off the corners and finished with a tung oil finish.   Pay no attention to the box in the back left corner of the table.  That is definitely not another side project that I started 😁

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Nice job, the paint work looks great! As does the base. Your photos really highlight that, despite being a relatively small boat, this is quite a big model.

[Glen McGuire]

I agree with JC.  Very nice work on the paint job.  Looks fantastic.  Now about that mystery box in the background...

[gsdpic]

Thanks Glen and Jacques for the comments/compliments.  And yes it is a good size model.  Even without the bowsprit in front and the gaff hanging off the back, the hull as shown is right at 2 feet long and about 7.5 inches across.

 

I've begun the relatively quick job of planking the deck.  Obviously everything will need to be trimmed up once I complete it and all the glue dries.  As you can see, the planks in the front and middle section do not quite line up.  For the middle section, I just cut one piece of wood into a bunch of approx 2 inch sections and that piece of basswood must have been ever so slightly less wide than average.   But I don't think it will matter at all once I get the cockpit and coaming installed.  I will likely just leave the deck natural, maybe add some wipe on poly for a bit of protection and smoothness.

 

I do kind of struggle with this build.  I sometimes think I should do x, y, and z to try to improve on the kit and add some details or whatever, then I look at my stash of car kits and think maybe I'd rather finish this and work on them.   So for now I am sticking to straight out of the box.

 

 

 

[gsdpic]

Another quick update.  I've completed the deck planking and did a rough cut around the outside and inside edges.   I did a little sanding of the outside edges but have more to do.  Oh, I also cut out the hole for the mast as you can see.

 

[gsdpic]

The cabin sides and cockpit coaming sides are two laser cut parts, one for each side of the boat.  Here I am trying to bend the pieces.  I first soaked the front half in hot water for a while (15-20 minutes) then carefully clamped it to a small sauce pan while also applying more heat with a hair dryer.  The sauce pan is obviously not an exact match for the curve of the front of the cabin but it is a lot closer than a straight line.  I'll probably let it dry over night then unclamp it and see what I have.  Assuming it works I'll repeat the process for the other end of the pieces to accomplish the curve around the back of the cockpit.