Lowell Grand Banks Dory by LoydB - Model Shipways - 1:24 - First Build

[LoydB]

Lifelong modeler and woodworker, about to retire maybe. One of the things on my modeling bucket list is building a serious gunship wooden model. I'm also cognizant of the fact that, if I tried to do one of those as my first project would almost guarantee a rage quit. Instead, I'm going to work through several smaller kits first, beginning with Model Shipways Grand Banks dory. 

 

If you are a degenerate football (American) fan as I am, there are going to be many hours watching NFL and NCAA games. I find it very conducive to modelling, as you only have to look up for 6-8 seconds, then do some building between plays and during commercial breaks. I've cleared all the tools that are Gundam/plastic model specific and am ready to get started.

 

[robert952]

This seems to be a great model to start on for a first build. Don't be afraid to ask questions.  Ships are a bit different that Gundam. 😁

 

Good Luck.

[LoydB]

And so it begins.  

[LoydB]

Not sure if I should post questions here, or do a thread, but I’ll start with here. The frame sections are not tight in the slots on the building board, and I’m not sure how to fix that so they are at 90 degrees without gluing them in. Tape? Putty?  Suggestions appreciated. 
 

 

Edited September 28 by LoydB
Clarification

[JacquesCousteau]

If I remember correctly, I added some scrap wood to the edges to keep the frame sections lined up and tightly held in position.

[Kenchington]

Mark a centreline on the building board, then on each of the frame units. Line those up, add Lego blocks and masking tape to keep all square (sanding the slots in the building board if necessary). Then check, check and check again! Small errors in the initial set-up will only get worse as your build moves ahead -- and none of us want that.

 

Trevor

[palmerit]

Lego blocks work great - they can be clamped or rubber banded down, or even glued. 
 

You can put a few dabs of glue - more and it’ll be a pain to free the build frames from the build board. Look ahead in the instructions to see how you free in later - it’s good in general to look ahead in the instructions. 
 

And definitely start by posting questions to your own build log. 

[palmerit]

Our house is awash with Legos. We added shelves in my younger son's room to showcase his large models. But I actually ended up buying a cheap set of faux lego blocks that are all the same size (these are classic 2x4 bricks, but there are other sizes):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BM4SM9T8?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5&th=1

 

[LoydB]

@JacquesCousteau @palmerit I've got some knockoff Legos arriving tomorrow, thanks for the suggestion.

 

@Kenchington The centerline is fine - I just need to make sure the frames are perpendicular to the build board and the boat bottom.

[LoydB]

After a lovely four-day family vacation at the coast, I unpacked the knock-off Legos and worked on the build board.

 

 

[LoydB]

Not pictured, but I used the one-piece bottom, so I scribed between the planks to give it some definition. Sanded the frames, and then glued up!

 

 

[LoydB]

Last night I did the bevels on the frames. I've got one frame that's not perfectly centered, but I think it will work out ok after dry fitting the garboard planks. 

 

Looking at how thin the planking sheet is, getting the bevels on them right is going to be exciting...

 

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Nice work!

 

If a frame's out of alignment, it would be much easier to correct it now before it throws off the run of the planking. If you've been using pva glue, you can loosen it with rubbing alcohol. It's hard to tell from the photo how misaligned it is, though.

[LoydB]

On 10/9/2025 at 9:09 AM, JacquesCousteau said:

Nice work!

 

If a frame's out of alignment, it would be much easier to correct it now before it throws off the run of the planking. If you've been using pva glue, you can loosen it with rubbing alcohol. It's hard to tell from the photo how misaligned it is, though.

 

Thanks! I will see if I can loosen the frame piece. This is the only one far enough off that I could actually measure it.

 

 

[palmerit]

Alcohol or acetone - potentially with a few applications - will work. You’ll want it to dry overnight before regluing. I got impatient trying to pry apart glued pieces and got a scalpel blade in my palm. 

[LoydB]

@JacquesCousteau @palmerit

 

Thanks guys. I managed to get it apart without breaking anything or cutting myself.   Didn't see the tip about waiting 24 hours before it was already reglued and clamped in. I'll make sure it is bonded solid before I start on the planking.

 

 

[LoydB]

Did the beveling on the garboard planks last night, and worked a little more on beveling the frames. I'm going to start the shaping this evening. The whole rolling bevel thing in the instructions didn't really become clear until I started working on it, then it made sense.

 

 

[LoydB]

Started bending the garboard planks.

 

 

[LoydB]

Both bent, will start glue up this afternoon.

 

 

[LoydB]

When attaching the second garboard plank, the transom snapped off the knee. Emergency CA and kicker was deployed. I also filled some small gaps in the bottom. Moving on to the next set of planks today.

 

 

[mandolinut]

The planking will stabilize the transom.  Keep up the good work.

[LoydB]

Shaped and installed the first broad plank. I need to be more aggressive on the inner bevels on the other one, I'm going to have to do some touchup sanding to get rid of the stairstep.

 

 

Edited November 5 by LoydB

[LoydB]

Put on the second broad plank. With it added, I finally felt the cradle was stable enough to sand the bottom smooth without risking the cradle breaking. I need to start sanding and beveling the sheer planks now.

 

 

 

Edited November 13 by LoydB

[LoydB]

Got the sheer planks shaped, glueup tonight.

 

Edited November 21 by LoydB

[Kenchington]

Coming along nicely!

[LoydB]

On 11/21/2025 at 11:23 AM, Kenchington said:

Coming along nicely!

 

Thanks!

[LoydB]

Ok, finished off the sheers last night and released from the frame. The exterior has been sanded through the entire micromesh set.

 

ANYONE READING THIS LOG IN THE FUTURE PRIOR TO BUILDING:

The planking is incredibly thin/delicate, and using clamps on it is a crapshoot at the bow and stern. It's mostly not visible from the exterior, but the interior view shows plainly where breakage occurred. What I eventually did was use superglue to tack down the plank on the bow, just using finger pressure to hold until it sets. Then wood glue for the rest, except the last one on the stern, which was back to superglue.

 

 

[Kenchington]

4 hours ago, LoydB said:

The planking is incredibly thin/delicate

Sure is! I got by without turning to Superglue but it needs a lot of care, first to only use the minimum required pressure and then to have the force bear on the stem or transom, not on the unsupported plank. I didn't do a build log for my dory but, looking back at the photos I took, I did the garboards with the kind of rachet clamp that allows you to only squeeze as tight as you choose. Later planks that couldn't be grippe that way got rubber bands, with a clamp to the baseboard to control both tension and the angle of the force applied.

 

For me, and probably most others, the dory build is a lesson in creative clamping!

 

Trevor

[palmerit]

2 hours ago, Kenchington said:

For me, and probably most others, the dory build is a lesson in creative clamping!

Definitely. I’ve used what I learned combining rubber bands, clamps, clips, and lately hair pins, on these smaller kits on bigger builds. Basswood is (too) easy to sand and it gets fuzzy (can combat with sanding sealer or shellac and a light sanding). It’s used in all Model Shipways / Midwest kits - some people replace with other wood. The Vanguard models I’ve built only have something like basswood (lime wood) as the first layer of planking and it’s a good bit thicker, with the rest stronger wood.