USS Constitution by Flyfisher - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96

[Flyfisher]

Hello all,

My name is Jim Martin coming to you from South Carolina and I’m tackling Bluejacket’s notoriously difficult Constitution. This will be my third model, having recently completed the HMS Beagle. 
I have been lurking on the logs of most other builders, both Bluejacket and MSW. I plan to shamelessly copy your best ideas giving credit wherever possible. I’m a slow builder so don’t post a lot, and my technique is pretty average. I hope you guys will bear with me and provide help as I join a bunch of others who all seem to be doing a good job.

I have marked the hull, cut the templates and shaped the profile.  Now to shape the hull.

 

 

  Finished Beagle 

 

The only pic of me at Nic’s place in Maine 

The first tool-to-wood action: removing the stern plug

  
 

The only tip I can offer so far is that the instructions called for scoring a centerline along the keel rabbet. Since it was difficult to keep track of the line, I used a string fastened to the bow and transom and marked and scored it along that line 

[ccoyle]

Welcome aboard! As you can see, I'm here in the Upstate. I don't fly fish, but I have used ultralight spinning gear to fish the Saluda River up this way.

[Flyfisher]

Hi Chris

[KurtH]

Welcome to the very small but courageous Bluejacket Connie builders.  Mine was my first wood model kit, so it was a true baptism by fire.  If you followed the plan for the cutting out of the hull profile, I would like to recommend that you test fit the PE transom provided by BJ before you plank the hull.  You may find that the upper transom portion of the piece hangs out in space, and additional material may need to be added to the lower counter to correct the problem.  A diagram of the cause of this problem appears at the beginning of my build log if you are interested.  Also, if your carved hull is like mine, it has a counter clockwise twist to it, causing the sternpost to cant to starboard, and the stem to cant to port.  My apologies if you are already aware of these issues.

Best of luck with this build.  I will be following your build with great interest.  I am fascinated by the creative and resourceful solutions modelers bring to these challenges.

Edited February 8 by KurtH

[g8rfan]

Hi Jim,

Glad to see you got a log going. Just wanted to concur with Kurt on the transom issue, I had the same issue and thanks to him was able to catch it in the beginning. Easier to fix while you are shaping the hull than later. My hull didn't have a significant twist in it.

 

Good luck on the build

 

Frank

[Flyfisher]

Thanks KurtH and G8rfan for the heads up. I’m going to check both today. 
 

In the meantime, I have been carving the template stations with a ¼” gouge from the centerline to the stern. What strikes me most is that the depth of the cut is deeper on the starboard side than the port.

Port

 

Starboard 

 

Next up, I’m going to make an initial pass on the starboard side to smooth the hull and see what the profile looks like.

 

Jim

[KurtH]

One thing that I forgot to mention is that my hull was and is asymmetrical, being wider relative to the center line on the starboard side than on the port side.  Yours may or may not have this problem, but I would suggest checking for that just in case.

[Avi]

I messaged privately but not publicly. And I need to comment here so I get posting notifications. Welcome to our club!

[Flyfisher]

I have completed shaping the hull using the templates, but I ran into some trouble with the bow.

 I marked the bottom of the template (or the base level I was aiming for) with red washable marker.

 

 

The templates showed a steep cut along the keel before flaring out at the bow. I stupidly didn’t look at any reference photos, just plowed ahead until I realized it was way off course and I needed to fill about 2 inches to restore the right profile.

 

So, using leftover planks and shaping them as I went, I managed to fix my screw up 

There’s a sign over my bench that says “Pay Attention Dummy”.

Upcoming: hours of sanding and filing and finishing 

 

Jim

 

 

Edited March 5 by Flyfisher

[Flyfisher]

Thanks to @KurtH, I was able to redo the lower part of the stern counter to both match the profile and cover the transom.

 

But this created another set of issues 

 

When the profile is correct, the sternpost is too long by about ¼”. 

 

So, I cut a notch to make the sternpost fit. 

Much closer, but now I’m not sure this is the right fix. Should I leave the lower counter with the right profile and shorten the sternpost (and rudder) or file down the lower counter to its new position??? Or what???

 

I’m hoping someone with BJ experience can offer advice.

 

Thank

 

Jim

[KurtH]

According to the instructions, a piece representing the keel is to be glued to the bottom of the hull carving.  I did not shape my hull in such a way that the keel was a part of it.  The stern post, keel, and stem with stem knee are all to be added after the shaping of the hull is completed.  I wish I had taken a photo of the hull before adding the stem, but here is a pic of the hull showing the added stem and keel.  You cannot see the stern post, but it is there:

Having fallen into the trap that I described at the beginning of my log, I cut a large notch out of her stern and glued in a block, and worked from there.

Unfortunately, I failed to get the shape right.  It looks nice but it is not as accurate as I wanted.  It is too sharp below the waterline, especially at the bows.  Looking at the photo of Lawrence Arnot's build which appears on the title page of the instructions, I see that he did not get it right either.  His is too bluff.  If I were in your position, I would contact BJ to see about the possibility of getting (buying?) a new carved hull, but that is because I do not see a way of adding enough material to correct your problem.  I am not that experienced, so maybe someone can suggest a solution for you.  Perhaps Nic at BJ can suggest a better remedy.

[Flyfisher]

This may be a solution, although it might not be the right one. 
I don’t really want to go all the way back to a new hull as @KurtH has suggested, but if I restore the profile and affix the sternpost at that height, it almost matches the keel. Then I can keep the rudder the right length and attach all the gudgeons and pintles in the right spot 

 

So, do you think that makes sense?

 

Thanks

Jim

 

PS. It was a good idea to ask @MrBlueJacket to weigh in with his thoughts. Thanks for the suggestion 

[KurtH]

Looks like your arrangement for the sternpost and rudder will work.  Best wishes for success!