Bluenose by rvchima - Amati - 1:100

[rvchima]

Bluenose was a 285 ton Canadian fishing schooner launched on 26 March, 1921. She was built to compete for the International Fisherman's Trophy held in alternate years off Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, and Gloucester, New England. She won the race in 1921 and every other race that she entered after that. She is depicted on the current Nova Scotia license plate and the back of the Canadian dime.

 

There are LOTS of Bluenose builds on MSW, with kits offered by four companies in three different scales. I made an unofficial count of the kits listed as FINISHED.

Company              scale      no. of logs

Amati                    1:100             3

Billings                  1:100             2

Artesania Latina   1:77               8

Model Shipways   1:64              11

 

I decided to to build the Amati kit, mostly because I have built a few of their models am running out of space for larger models. Of the three Amati Bluenose build logs on MSW, only one has much detail. I will link it here so I can refer back to it later. It was completed 10 years ago, so I don't feel too bad adding another Bluenose build.

Bluenose by SimonV - FINISHED - Amati - Scale 1:100 - first wooden ship build

 

[rvchima]

What's in the Box

Seems like not much for €106.99, but that's what kits cost anymore.

I love the "EASY TO BUILD MODEL" text on the box. Easier than many of the models I've built lately, but with a planked hull and full set of sails this will be anything but easy.

Planks, dowels, thread, blocks, and a few miscellaneous parts.

Three pages of full-sized plans.

Three sheets of laser-cut parts.

Two flags on adhesive-backed cloth, and cloth for sails.

and a booklet with one page each of instructions in English and Italian, and about 20 pages of drawings.

[Kenchington]

50 minutes ago, rvchima said:

She won the race in 1921 and every other race that she entered after that.

Here in Nova Scotia, I'm likely to get burned in effigy (if not in person!) for admitting it, but Bluenose did not win every race she was entered in. She did not even win every series of races, though she did win every International Trophy series, from 1921 on.

 

Besides, Puritan would have left Bluenose astern in anything but a hard blow, if Ben Pine hadn't run the big halibutter onto the Sable Island bar before she could race. No shame in that: The halibut fishery landed their huge flatfish fresh (on ice) and the schooners had to get their catches home to Gloucester before they deteriorated. The Lunenburg salt-banking fleet had to lie on Grand Bank, slowly filling their holds with split and salted cod. The two fisheries needed different schooners and, when racing-fishermen were developed from the two types, the one led to a light-weather flier, the other to a powerful vessel better able to use winds that were uncommon on the summer-time racing courses.

 

Trevor

 

And a P.S.: Please don't use either of those crude parodies of the modern Canadian flag! Bluenose never wore the Maple Leaf, which was only adopted many years after she was lost!

[rvchima]

Starting on the Hull and Deck

The frames popped out of the laser-cut ply and fit perfectly on the keel. I planked the two thin plywood sub decks by gluing down full-length strips and then notching them with a chisel to make individual boards. The technique is described here. I stained the decks with two coats of Minwax Golden Oak and finished them with Minwax Polycrylic satin from a rattle can.

 

When I test fit the decks on the keel they didn't line up in the center. Low and behold, the keel was warped about 4 mm off straight. Darn, I wish I had noticed that before I added all those frames. I ended up notching a piece of poplar to go around the frames. Clamped to the keel from below it held it straight while I glued the decks in place. The decks held the keel straight afterwards.

I've started the planking using the technique described in the book Ship Modeling Simplified: Tips and Techniques for Model Construction from Kits by Frank Mastini. Basically you glue the planks to the frames with CA, and glue the planks to each other with PVA (carpenters' glue.) The CA hardens in a few seconds and holds the planks in place, no nails needed. I do about three frames at a time. Oh yeah, I have a hot plank bender now and am using that to roughly shape the planks before attaching them.

The kit comes with a simple stand, but I usually prefer to mount my models on a permanent base - much easier to handle during construction and afterwards. But the sub keel on this model is just 2.25 mm thick, too thin for screws. I don't know what I'll do - maybe turn some wood pedestals and glue in place later?

[rvchima]

2 minutes ago, Kenchington said:

Here in Nova Scotia, I'm likely to get burned in effigy (if not in person!) for admitting it, but Bluenose did not win every race she was entered in. She did not even win every series of races, though she did win every International Trophy series, from 1921 on.

 

Besides, Puritan would have left Bluenose astern in anything but a hard blow, if Ben Pine hadn't run the big halibutter onto the Sable Island bar before she could race. No shame in that: The halibut fishery landed their huge flatfish fresh (on ice) and the schooners had to get their catches home to Gloucester before they deteriorated. The Lunenburg salt-banking fleet had to lie on Grand Bank, slowly filling their holds with split and salted cod. The two fisheries needed different schooners and, when racing-fishermen were developed from the two types, the one led to a light-weather flier, the other to a powerful vessel better able to use winds that were uncommon on the summer-time racing courses.

 

Trevor

 

And a P.S.: Please don't use either of those crude parodies of the modern Canadian flag! Bluenose never wore the Maple Leaf, which was only adopted many years after she was lost!

Trevor,

Thank you so much for the history corrections! I'm just repeating the text from the Italian instructions. Regardless of her win/loss record, she sure is a beautiful ship. Thank you also for the tip on the flags. I will certainly not use the ones supplied with the kit, and if you can suggest any alternatives I see what I can do. 

[GGibson]

Have fun with this Amati Bluenose, Rod!  I built the Model Shipways 1:64 scale Bluenose a few years ago, and it was truly the most favorite ship I have worked on.  I really had a fun time building it.  Enjoy your build!  I'll try to peek in periodically. 👍

[Kenchington]

Rvchima:

 

No questioning the beauty of Bluenose! Maybe one day I'll have paired models of her and Puritan and get to study their differences.

 

1 hour ago, rvchima said:

if you can suggest any alternatives I see what I can do

Ahh!!! Just what I needed this evening: An excuse to explore some vexillology!

 

I've thumbed through some of MacAskill's photos of the racers. Curiously, the Canadians seem to have followed yachting etiquette and hauled down their ensigns when racing, while the Yankee schooners appear wearing the Stars and Bars. Odd.

 

There is, however, at least one photo showing Bluenose when out for a sail with a crowd on board (some sort of outing for someone, I guess) and she then wore, as expected, the old Canadian ensign -- the defaced Red Ensign that later became a national flag. According to Wikipedia (OK: Never the most reliable source!) that was approved for use on British ships registered in Canada from 1892 (when there was, in law, no such thing as a Canadian ship). However, there was no official, nor standard, form of the defacing until one was adopted in 1922. Still, unless you wanted to be pedantic about showing Bluenose as she was in the first months of her life, the 1922 ensign would be the best one. Again following Wikipedia, it looked like:

Note that the maple leaves were then green, as they remained until 1957.

 

Trevor