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

[Venti]

Hello!

This is my very first build of a model ship and I'm pretty happy I decided to go with the Dory first! The instructions seem to be pretty detailed but it's certainly different than what I expected... It is definitely making me learn ship part names which will be great in the long run. This is my progress after the first day... I kind of went out of order from the book and just glued most things together that could be glued so I wasn't waiting a long time between steps.

A couple of the things I'm not sure about when putting together...

• Is the Stern Cleat supposed to be the same shape as the Transom? Or is it supposed to stick out and be used for something else (like planking)? pictured below.
  
• When attaching the Stern Knee and Stem to the bottom of the boat, it has laser etchings for where they are supposed to be glued, but it stuck way out in front/behind the bottom... I put them centered on the boat and pushed them in so that the outer edge lines up with the bottom of the boat.
  

I appreciate any information/suggestions/help anyone has to offer me!

 

Edited 17 hours ago by Venti
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[Kenchington]

Good to see you working on this! I finished my dory two weeks ago and am now progressing with the Norwegian pram. They are working for me as learning experiences, so I hope they will for you.

 

A few points:

 

First: Be careful when you take things out of the sequence in the instructions. That can be done but could get you into trouble at times. At least read through the booklet, cover to cover, so that you can figure out what steps, if made too early, might block others.

 

Next: Yes, the stern cleat has to be wider at this stage. Later, both will be bevelled for the planks to lie against. The aft side of the transom will be narrowed, the forward side of the transom and aft side of the cleat will have the transom's existing width and the forward side of the cleat must be wider. You are on track so far!

 

Third: You are OK with the position of stem and transom, relative to the bottom planks. (The instructions are not as clear as they might be. I put mine where you have and it worked out.) In truth, it may not matter that much as you will be sanding both areas to make a good fit for the garboards and it wouldn't be a big deal if you had to take off a little more of one or another piece.

 

And lastly: If you haven't worked through the MSW build-logs for the dory kit, I would encourage you to study them all. I found a lot of wisdom there: Both the good ideas and the pitfalls to avoid.

 

Best of luck with your build!

 

Trevor

[palmerit]

Definitely check other build logs. You’ll see mistakes you can avoid. And you’ll find problems that are commonly experienced. Some model instructions are confusing or incomplete. Sometimes the model parts have changed a bit but the instructions have not. 

[JacquesCousteau]

Looks like a nice start! I second the suggestion to check out other build logs, they have a lot of useful information.