USS Constitution by GGibson - Model Shipways - 1:76.8

[GGibson]

Yep, sorry, gang…  Another Constitution build log…

 

Those that have read any of my posts on my recently-completed Santa Maria build log or seen comments that I have made on some other’s current Constitution build logs are probably aware that the Model Shipways’ USS Constitution was next on my shipyard list.  I am excited to get this one started!

 

I purchased this Model Shipways kit back in March 2024 when Model Expo had a huge discount sale so, along with a store credit I had with Model Expo, I was able to buy the kit for cheap cheap and could not resist adding this historic ship to my shipyard.

 

 

So, since that March date, I have been trying to do as much research as possible, jumping in, taking notes and asking questions on several of the current Constitution build logs.  In that research, I have acquired numerous books and documents that everyone is familiar with and that I am sure I will continue to use as resources during this build:

 

Anatomy of the Ship: The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution – Karl Heinz Marquardt

 

USS Constitution 1812-1815 (Blue Jacket) – Laurence Arnot

 

Ship Model Making, Volume III, U.S. Frigate Constitution – Captain E. Armitage McCann

 

Constitution Close Up: Minutiae for the Modeler and Artist – Cmdr. Tyrone G. Martin

 

 

As I was preparing for this build after I bought the Model Shipways kit, I also purchased Bob Hunt's complete Constitution practicum and, as others have done, will use it as an additional resource during the build process.

 

I was fortunate when I began this model shipbuilding hobby a few years back to find this Model Ship World website, where we can share ideas, ask and answer questions, receive praise in our triumphs and receive comfort in our tribulations.  Active Constitution builders that I have been following and that have been invaluable in my preparation include @JSGerson, @mtbediz, @Der Alte Rentner, @Unegawahya, @kmart and @Geoff Matson.

 

I have also reviewed some amazing completed build logs by @xken, @usedtosail, @Modeler12 and others. 

 

Thank you to all!  You are all to be commended for your model shipbuilding skills and your ability to find solutions in difficult situations.  Even though I am sure to stumble often, your collective display of perseverance will hopefully carry me through to a magnificent completion… however long it takes! 😅

 

With all that said, the $64,000 question is… what version of this iconic Constitution will I be building?  Well, you could probably conclude from my reading list above that I have really wanted to concentrate on the 1812 version.  But there have been countless times where I have changed my mind to its present-day version.  I never really considered the original 1797 ship version, or the 1927 and 2015 major revisions.  I’ll do my best to stay as close as I can to that 1812 Captain Issac Hull model.  If I can steal the term that Tom ( @usedtosail ) used several times in his awesome build log, my Constitution will strive to be “1812-ish”.  And, as several others have done, I will do some kit bashing, and I will have a detailed gun deck and some form of exposed spar deck.  I’m even taking a trip to Boston this fall and, of course, both a Fenway Park ballgame and a Constitution tour are on the itinerary. Let’s just say right now, though, this will not be a historically accurate museum piece, but rather I will enjoy building it as mine.  I am guaranteed to get frustrated multiple times in the build process, but I will definitely have fun.  And that’s what it’s all about…

 

So… the month of June is going to be a busy “family time” month with grandkids visiting, so I probably won’t get much done in the coming weeks, but I’m looking forward to this journey.  I will encourage and I appreciate all the comments, advice and criticism fellow builders have to offer.  Y’all are awesome.  Carry on. Thanks…

 

[Geoff Matson]

Nice to see you jump into the deep end of the pool!

[Unegawahya]

That’s great news! I’m excited to see your work and solutions for what’s coming up!

[Der Alte Rentner]

Welcome aboard Gregg.  I doubt the planets will align, but my wife is trying to get me out to Boston sometime in the fall as well. If calendars permit, maybe we can tour the Constitution together.  

[popeye2sea]

You should shoot for Sep. 19th timeframe. I can make it worth the trip with a Constitution turnaround cruise. Gregg will be there, also.

 

Regards,

 

Henry

[mtbediz]

This is great news. I'm looking forward to you starting your Conny build.

[Flyfisher]

Howdy and welcome to the club. Looking forward to seeing your progress and innovation. 
 

Jim

[GGibson]

20 hours ago, mtbediz said:

This is great news. I'm looking forward to you starting your Conny build.

 

Thank you, Mustafa!  Your build has been a great inspiration for me.  I appreciate your work and your advice.

 

4 hours ago, Flyfisher said:

Howdy and welcome to the club. Looking forward to seeing your progress and innovation. 
 

Jim

 

Thank you, Jim!  Likewise looking forward to watching your build, as well, sir!

[kmart]

Gregg,    Welcome to the Connie Club.

I'm pulling up a chair  It's a looong build  but well worth it.!   

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, kmart said:

Gregg,    Welcome to the Connie Club.

I'm pulling up a chair  It's a looong build  but well worth it.!   

 

Thank you, sir!  From reviewing everyone else's build log, it's definitely going to be long.  My current plan is for me to outlast the build! 🤷‍♂️😅

[JSGerson]

Per your PM that you have officially started your Constitution saga, I am honored to join you and the rest of our group as a follower and look forward to your next postings.

 

Jon

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

...I am honored to join you and the rest of our group as a follower and look forward to your next postings.

 

Thanks, Jon! You have truly been one of my inspirations, watching your Constitution build and appreciating the research you have done and that you share with others. 👍

[Der Alte Rentner]

Added your build log to my Followed Content today and noticed you changed your ID photo.  In keeping with the start of work on Conny?

[GGibson]

11 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Added your build log to my Followed Content today...

 

Thanks, Peter!

 

11 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

...noticed you changed your ID photo.  In keeping with the start of work on Conny?

 

Of course!  I've got to represent, right?!?  🤷‍♂️🤣

 

OK, I keep telling myself I am not going to start any cutting or gluing until after the upcoming annual summer stay from grandkids, but I am doing some prep work by cutting up plan copies of keel parts and bulkheads, drawing reference lines, rabbet lines, gun deck cut lines, etc.  So, here's one of my first silly questions... What is the purpose of the vertical reference lines coming down from the Bulkhead O slot?  Is it just demonstrating how all of the bulkheads should slide down in their respective slots and be positioned against the bulkhead former?  Well, duh...!  If anybody understands an alternative purpose, I'd be interested in learning!

 

 

Dang, in just dry fitting the three bulkhead former pieces, I can see that this is going to be a big ship!  Yay!

Edited June 11 by GGibson

[Der Alte Rentner]

14 hours ago, GGibson said:

Dang, in just dry fitting the three bulkhead former pieces, I can see that this is going to be a big ship!  Yay!

Until you start messing with the small stuff, like 1/8"double blocks..  I wish it were twice the size! 

 

The vertical reference lines are there to assist you in keeping the bulkheads perpendicular to (hmm, what exactly are they perpendicular to?)  the future deck or provide parallel spacing between bulkheads.  I must have missed that detail in my build, or thought it pointless.   The horizontal reference line is to help correctly place the bulkheads on the false keel.  In the photo on the left, note the intersection of reference lines at bulkhead F.  In the one on the right, note that I did not use the vertical reference lines.  My build log has no reference to how I kept the bulkheads perfectly vertical. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but, I do have this note: 

 

"It seems that all this prep work with the reference lines may have been academic. So far, every part I’ve slid onto the false keel has bottomed out slot to slot and the reference marks have all lined up."

 

Have fun!

Edited June 11 by Der Alte Rentner

[GGibson]

Well, I’ve had a little bit of shipyard time even while the grandkids are visiting, so thought I’d provide a short update.

 

Of course, like everyone else has done, I had multiple copies of the eight-page plans made and will use one of those copies for my “cut-up plans”.  So, I cut out all of the bulkhead and bulkhead former drawings in order to transfer the various markings and reference lines to the ship’s applicable pieces.

 

 

 

On the plans for the bulkhead former, I cut out the bearding line so that I could trace that line directly onto both sides of the bulkhead former pieces so that a rabbet could be made.

 

 

 

As I had stated in my initial post and like several other builders had done, it is my plan to bash a detailed gun deck.  So to do that, I will need to trim 3/32” from the bulkhead former pieces and from the gun deck level on each of the bulkheads (1/32” for the basswood sheet base plus 1/16” gun deck planking strips).  I grabbed my compass that has a point on one end and lead on the other for markings.  However, it is only able to squeeze down to a 1/8” distance, so it would not work for this.  I was able, however, to find a really nice, heavy compass on Amazon that worked well in scribing the necessary 3/32” lines.

 

 

  

 

After I marked the 3/32” cut lines on each of the bulkhead former pieces, my initial thought was that it would be easier to trim the individual bulkhead pieces separately, before gluing each of the halves together.  So, I cut a few of the 3/32” pieces off of the starboard side of the front bulkhead former piece and… SNAP.  The back-and-forth motion of the saw on the thin layer was enough to break off a part of the area between the F & G bulkheads.  OK, ok… Time to glue the bulkhead former halves together in order to make it thicker and more solid.

 

    

 

Having thicker bulkhead former pieces made it much easier to trim them down to their required height.  And, as has been discussed before in other build logs, although not technically necessary, I also trimmed the mast hole areas by the 3/32” amount, as well, and will make those adjustments to the masts when I get to that point.

 

    

 

As I did with the bulkhead former pieces, I also used my new compass to scribe the 3/32” lines onto each of the eighteen (18) bulkheads (although I don’t think Bulkhead R will be shortened but I’ll verify again beforehand).  I also want to verify how Bulkhead B will be addressed with its bowsprit notch.

 

I think it is important to note that, as seen by the picture with the ruler, the scribe line is not a straight line across the entire bulkhead width.  Since the deck is curved slightly, the beams are not a straight line and we need to maintain that curve as best we can when we make the cuts.

 

 

 

I will use my Dremel and the Dremel stand to trim the gun deck levels from each of the bulkheads.  I am thinking, though, that I will not fully remove the spar deck beam supports until after the bulkheads are fixed in place on the bulkhead former.  That update will be provided in my next build log entry.

 

So, not much of an update on my Constitution, but I had enough notes written on what had been done so far that I thought I’d get it into the build log.  I appreciate those who are following this and providing support, likes, comments and criticisms.

Edited Friday at 03:50 PM by GGibson

[Der Alte Rentner]

21 hours ago, GGibson said:

So, I cut a few of the 3/32” pieces off of the starboard side of the front bulkhead former piece and… SNAP

Been there, done that, brought home the t-shirt.  😉

 

As for trimming the gun deck levels with Dremels and a Dremel stand, I'd like to see some details on that when you get around to doing it.  My thoughts were gravitating to a router table solution, maybe using a guide registered on the parallel edge of spar deck.  Not having a Dremel tool or stand, I can't really picture what you'll be attempting.  

Before you get too far along, I'd suggest you take a look at XKen's build to see if you might want to consider using a carrier deck to facilitate deck planking later.  If so, you might want to trim off some more material to accommodate the thickness of the carrier deck.  I retrospect, I wish I'd done that and spared myself the chore of filling all the gaps between the bulkheads with filler blocks.  

 

Ken's post is on Page 4 post #95.

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 01:27 PM by Der Alte Rentner
added CORRECT link to XKen build log

[JSGerson]

Just a tip: DO NOT throw anything away. For instance, When I removed the horizontal braces (beams) from the bulkheads, because I was anticipating the fabrication of the gun deck and more realistic positioning of the beams based on the US Navy plans, I marked which bulkhead they came from and kept them. They were subsequently used when I put in the new spar deck beams because they had the proper deck camber, which I  also traced onto the additional newly fabricated beams. Sometimes you need to reproduce the shape of something, you might be able to use the precut shell to reproduce a replacement part or a matching curve/shape of something.

 

Jon

[GGibson]

9 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

As for trimming the gun deck levels with Dremels and a Dremel stand, I'd like to see some details on that when you get around to doing it...

 

 

Hey Peter!  Thanks for the comments and recommendations.  In all of my research of completed and ongoing Constitution build logs, I saw that it appears that Jon used a Dremel or similar tool on his bulkheads (Page 5, Post #140) and Tom (usedtosail) used a Dremel and stand on his bulkheads (Page 1, Post #19).  As I mentioned above, it is my intent to wait until the bulkheads are in place before cutting and removing them, which is what Tom did on his build.  Seems like it worked out well for him, but I'm still fearing snagging one of the long bulkhead frames.

 

9 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Before you get too far along, I'd suggest you take a look at XKen's build to see if you might want to consider using a carrier deck to facilitate deck planking later.

 

 

Ken's Constitution build log was also one of those completed logs that I read extensively and have referred back to frequently in my preparation.  And I recall his discussion about the carrier deck, but I took it to mean basically the same process that others have used in having some type of base sheet under the gun deck planking, no matter whether it's plywood, basswood or some other type of flat base.  I'll look at how to best fill those spaces between the bulkheads, though.  I'll read some more on that.  Thanks for the heads-up.

 

8 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Just a tip: DO NOT throw anything away.... when I put in the new spar deck beams because they had the proper deck camber...

 

 

Thanks for the tip reminder, Jon!  I remember your comment in your Constitution build log about this very item.  You will note on those last couple of pictures in my post above that I have already written the bulkhead letter on the spar deck braces so that once they're cut off, I'll know where it came from!

 

Quick question looking for input on the placement of the bulkheads.  In Bob Hunt's practicum, he mentions placing Bulkheads A-K with the printed letters facing the stem and Bulkheads L-R facing the stern.  I recall someone else mentioning that they had to fidget a bit with their bulkhead placements so they fit well in the respective BHF slots.  Did anyone have issues?  My obviously initial intent is, once trimmed, for all of the newly-created gun deck bulkheads be level and even before placement and, once inserted, for them to all line up with their marked reference lines.

 

I hope to get back this weekend to working on tapering the BHF from the bearding line to the rabbet, getting the three BHF pieces connected, attaching the keel and stern post, and getting everything in a keel klamper vise so that I can have it ready for the bulkhead placement (whenever I finish getting those trimmed).  We still have grandkids but trying to find late-night time to get into the shipyard.

[Der Alte Rentner]

9 hours ago, GGibson said:

Hey Peter!  Thanks for the comments and recommendations.  In all of my research of completed and ongoing Constitution build logs, I saw that it appears that Jon used a Dremel or similar tool on his bulkheads (Page 5, Post #140)

 

Ah!  So, the Dremel is basically being used like a drum sander.  In the instance where Jon has removed the spar deck beams, I think I'd prefer to use my belt sander.  Not having "kit bashed", I don't know if removing the spar deck beam is part of the process.  The belt sander would be useless if it remained.  In the end, use whatever gets you closest to the finish line (double entendre intended).. 

 

 

9 hours ago, GGibson said:

Ken's Constitution build log was also one of those completed logs that I read extensively and have referred back to frequently in my preparation.  And I recall his discussion about the carrier deck, but I took it to mean basically the same process that others have used in having some type of base sheet under the gun deck planking, no matter whether it's plywood, basswood or some other type of flat base.  I'll look at how to best fill those spaces between the bulkheads, though. 

My point in bringing up Ken's carrier decks had more to do with his needing to compensate for the thickness of the carrier decks themselves.  He had to trim the beams another 1/64" because he used 1/64" plywood for them.  (Ken's logs:  page 4, post 95  and page 13, post 369) One of the reasons I thought his approach was preferable was that he could plank the decks off of the hull, not merely to avoid the use of filler blocks..

Edited Saturday at 01:39 PM by Der Alte Rentner

[JSGerson]

Quote

So, the Dremel is basically being used like a drum sander.  In the instance where Jon has removed the spar deck beams, I think I'd prefer to use my belt sander.  Not having "kit bashed", I don't know if removing the spar deck beam is part of the process.

I have a Byrnes saw (an absolute must), a Byrnes thickness sander (hardly used), a disk sander, a 20 year old Dremel drill press stand (horizontal and vertical positions only - no 45 degree), a 50 year old Dremel scroll saw (noisy as hell and lots of vibrations), a corded Dremel-like tool,  a cordless variable speed Dremel tool, and a small wood lathe (hardly used). But, I don't have a drum sander, router, or belt sander. So I've use the Dremel drill press, as a disk sander, a router, and as a drill press. I make do with what I have. At 78 years old, I'm not investing in more stuff, so I have to make do with what I have.

 

If I had a belt sander (which I have no experience with) wouldn't it be prone to sanding a flat edge? The use of the "drum sander" allowed me to  maintained the camber. Whether I could have done that with a belt sander as easily, I don't know.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 6/28/2025 at 9:53 AM, JSGerson said:

Whether I could have done that with a belt sander as easily, I don't know.

My belt sander uses narrow strips of sandpaper - about 1".   That camber you're referring to is fairly shallow and is easily shaped on the belt sander.  I keep the sandpaper well worn, so it's not aggressive and it's very forgiving. With the tiny drum element on the Dremel, I'd be worried about putting dents into the camber.  Throughout my build, I have used a drum sander to great effect, but for this instance, I don't think you can beat the belt sander.  I guess it comes down to which tools you have the most experience with.  I still don't know how Bob Hunt managed the results he did with the curved X-Acto blades - in places where a fish tail or straight chisel (IMHO) was my preferred tool.  

 

BTW, I'm talking about this:

 

not this:

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Der Alte Rentner