HMS Beagle by vvvjames - OcCre - 1:60 - Second Build

[vvvjames]

Ahoy all, 

It's good to finally be at least starting this build log, I had to contend with a lot of shipping problems getting this kit from OcCre (the blame lies fully on FedEx). On its way to me, the package unfortunately took some damage, which I will go over in a bit!

 

So, for my second build I wanted to ramp things up a bit, choosing a larger scale and a very famous ship! The HMS Beagle! 

I have been doing some research on the history of the boat, going through build logs, and looking through a recently obtained copy of the AOTS book by Karl Heinz Marquardt.

I have some exciting ideas for modifying this kit!

Firstly, I made a ropewalk! And will attempt to use only made-by-me rope for the entire build, I'm excited to start using it, but it'll be a while. Here's some rope I've made so far:

Everything will be right hand lay from now on I promise. 

If you want to see a breakdown of the ropewalk itself, I made a post about it here:

 

 

SO onto the build!

I was excited to apply all the lessons I learned from the Albatros, especially the lesson on how-to-not-break-your-bulwark, but the "damage" that Fed Ex referred to was exactly 1 snapped bulwark. 

No big deal I hope, but it does feel like I'm developing a relationship with bulwarks akin to @Knocklouder with bowsprit. 

Glue is drying as I type this, and I have high hopes. 

I won't show off any pictures of the kit, as there are plenty of those on this forum, but everything else is undamaged and in good order! I plan on replacing as much of the kit with homemade or upgraded stuff as possible, I thoroughly enjoyed the few scratch built items on the Albatros, and want to expand that as much as possible with the Beagle. 

 

With that said, I am leaving for Chicago to visit friends (2 whole weeks), and will not be able to work on the boat until I am back:'(

If I get anything substantial done before then, I'll update the log, otherwise I hope you all have a fantastic holiday and new year, I appreciate all your talent and input and will be following along many builds while I'm away from my own. 

Best, 

James

Edited December 17, 2025 by vvvjames

[Knocklouder]

If you only break it once, it happens 

. Lol. When you get up to six times you brake it, it does make you laugh 😃. 

Best of luck on your adventure with this kit

Bob  M.

[Ronald-V]

Great looking rope! I'm probably going to attempt to make it myself also...but that's in the future.

 

I wish you all the fun with this build, good luck!  

[Geordie Tyne]

I am looking forward to watching this build come together. As @Ronald-Vsays, that is some great looking rope!
 

Regards

[vvvjames]

Yo ho all,

I wanted to share a quick progress update before leaving for Chicago tomorrow! 

The planking is done! I have to admit this Beagle model is much smaller than I thought it'd be. 

Just joking, but the planking on one of the ships boats is done!

It's good to get some practice in, It started so well then got a bit messy towards the garboard strake. Lessons learned!

 

As for the ship itself, I did install the deck planks, cutting 60mm strips and gluing individually instead of imitating planks with pencil on full length strips. I rubbed a pencil on the edges before installing each piece for the calking. 

I liked this at first, but I was misled by the OcCre videos on the butting pattern, also the scale is too big. I have ordered 3mm wide cherry veneer strips to use instead of the 5mm wide kit strips. I will just put these on top of the current planking. 

I also want to imitate the pattern from the anatomy of a ship book as much as possible for this second layer. 

Since I can't do much more on the boat until I'm back in town, I wanted to try making the doors as well. 

Just experimenting for now. I think the two on the left are my favorites so far! 

Anyway, I'm off to the Windy City, and will hopefully be able to visit the Chicago Maritime Museum while I'm there. Happy holidays and I look forward to seeing your builds progress!

Best,

James

 

 

Edited December 21, 2025 by vvvjames

[Geordie Tyne]

The doors on the left look great!
 

Happy holidays to you as well.

 

Regards.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Your ropewalk is setup with a 'top' (juggernaut) that runs itself up to the geared end as the rope is made - similar to a full-size rope walk, but constrained by the side line guides.  A large version I used to use at craft demos had a swivel on the far end to relieve excess counter-twist, while other versions use a crank.  Whatever way, the product comes out about the same.

  After using Chuck's Rope Rocket (judging the amount of twist by 'feel' and distance each end moves on the two-step process), the scale rope length is 'whipped' by hand to normalize any twist imbalance (that removes any kinks), then I'll step on one end and pull out the rope in sections to stretch it out ... this 'sets' the rope pretty good.  I use poly thread for permanency, so it is heat treated on a cookie sheet  for 5 minutes in a 320 degree F oven.

  Cotton doesn't need this if stretched with moistened fingers.  Old models rigged in just plain cotton thread can have deterioration, but laid scale rope of cotton should last longer ... but many (like me) are betting on poly for the long run.  Linen rigging - like the old fly fishing line used by old timers - holds up very well, just as fine linen sails have done.

[vvvjames]

Hello all!

I am back from my visit to Chicago, I have been really missing my model while away. I did get the chance to visit the Chicago Maritime Museum and admire the models there though. 

I returned to find the cherry planks I ordered before leaving had been delivered and I have been able to begin work on redoing the deck planks. 

King Plank:

Now these two pieces actually aren't the new wood, the new planks are just too thin to capture the king plank so I stained the kit planks and used those, I think the color matches well enough! 

Binding Strakes:

Now in the Anatomy of a Ship for the Beagle, there are two binding Strakes, however I decided to just do one, otherwise most of deck would be these thick pieces, and I really wanted the small planks to shine. I'm happy with this choice, I doubt someone will examine the ship and be disappointed by a missing plank, right? Right. 

And finally the smaller 3mm planks can shine for the rest!!

Current State of the Deck:

The cherry wood is a bit inconsistent with color but I actually quite like that, makes it more apparent that these are individual 100mm planks. I also threw on a margin plank(?) and may try my hand at joggling here as I approach the bulwarks, there will be enough joggling on the forecastle deck regardless. 

I'd like to thank @RobTBay and his build log for the Beagle. There was some fantastic deck work there that inspired me to redo mine. 

Anyway that's all for now! I'm so happy to be back at the workbench, and I'm already itching to start planking the hull, still a ways to go before then though. 

Happy new year, I wish you all the best. 

James

 

Edited January 7 by vvvjames

[Ronald-V]

Looking great! I agree with the colour variation...it's "alive" a bit more in that sence. How is working with the Cherry wood? I never used it myself, so I am curious

[vvvjames]

Thank you @Ronald-V! The cherry has been fairly soft but still holds up to tiny cuts and doesn't tend to split:) If my opinion changes after doing the joggling I'll let you know. Also it's a bit lighter in person, the pictures make it look quite dark. 

Edited January 7 by vvvjames

[vvvjames]

Fair wind all, 

The deck is planked! Huzzah!

Now that it's done I am happy I decided to redo the deck, I feel a lot better about this result. 

Also here is my first attempt at "hooking" planks:

Again I used kit planks stained to look like cherry for these hooks, as I don't order any cherry wood thicker than 3mm. Hindsight 20/20.

This is making me want to buy a table saw and start tearing my own planks... One day...

I wish I had hooked both fore and aft planks, but I still like the results, and the sharp planks will mostly be covered by stowed cannons later anyway. Onward to page two of the instructions 

Work time so far:

24:51:28

Best,

James

[Ronald-V]

Nice hookplanks!

[vvvjames]

Yarg all, 

I applied some wipe-on poly to the main deck, and while it dried I decided to have a go at planking the forecastle and poop deck!

Forecastle 

Boy oh boy I was really struggling to try and bend some planks laterally to make up the margin plank. I finally had enough and ran to my local woodshop and picked up some cherry veneer sheets in order to cut the margin planks. 

This was attempt #3 I believe, these are some tough cuts to make smooth with just an exacto knife, I yearn for a mini router, or a drill press (@tmj does wonders with a drill press). 

Anyway TIME TO JOGGLE 

This was incredibly satisfying to do, challenging and tastefully repetitive. 

Poop deck

According to the AOAS book, joggling for the foredeck, hooked planks for the poop deck! No margin plank on this one.

I was just a tiny bit off center, and it meant the hook planks lack a bit of symmetry, but they make up for it in heart. 

And I couldn't help but dry fit all the decks just to get a peek at the future:

I'm so glad I redid the deck, the cherry looks fantastic and the extra detailing feels worth it. Next, cabins and bulwarks (wish me luck).

Best,

James

Work time:

33:34:10

Edited January 10 by vvvjames

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

 'Looks fantastic, mate !  This will be a gorgeous build.

 

[Geordie Tyne]

Lovely looking planking. 

 

Regards

[Baker]

A very nice planking 

[tmj]

Looks 'GREAT'! Nice job!

[Cathead]

This looks like a great start so far. Very neat detail work on the planking.

[vvvjames]

Hello all, 

First of all, thank you @Snug Harbor Johnny, @Geordie Tyne, @Baker, @tmj, and @Cathead for the lovely comments, your encouragement means a lot. 

Second of all, its been a sad week in the workshop as my mom passed on Sunday and I've been using the Beagle as a distraction. I am thankful to have it and this forum to keep my hands and head occupied. 

I don't know why I decided to mention it here, but build logs are a journal of sorts, and I'd like to dedicate this ship and its log to my mom, as the Albatros was dedicated to my dad. 

Speaking of, here's some progress:

Doors:

If you remember earlier in the log, I had already made some, I made two more to match the best two from earlier, then sanded them all down to be as thin as possible. 

Door Framing:

I wanted to add some framing to the doors, and used 1.5 x 1.5mm balsa. 

Here's how it looks on the cabin:

Now, I liked the look but upon review of the AOS book, the door frames were much too big. I took a exacto blade to them and thinned them out, which you'll be able to see later in the post. 

Windows:

So these are more kit provided brass parts that I wanted to make myself. I glued some film to a strip of veneer, I was hoping the film would have a window-like sheen:

I then bent and glued music wire to act as bars:

There is some glue to clean up but it really isn't noticeable because of how small these things are. 

Here's the final results (thin door frames included):

Bulwarks:

I pre-bent the bulwarks quite well this time to avoid my mishap with the Albatros, they were much easier to glue on, still a bit finicky but not stressful. 

Keen eyes may note one of the cannons holes is not cut out. I did this on purpose because the layout of this aft-most cannon hole is different in the AOS book, and it will be easier to replicate with that frame still attached.

Here's how it looks in the book:

Look at me thinking ahead. 

Anyway that's where I am currently. Planking of the inner bulwarks is in progress, I'm using the thinner 3mm cherry planks to match the book.

Current work time:

50:05:57

Best and well wishes,

James

Edited January 16 by vvvjames
Grammar

[Knocklouder]

My condolences about your mom, thoughts and prayers my friend.

 Great looking ship. 

Bob  M.

[ccoyle]

Condolences on the passing of your mother. It's a thoughtful gesture to dedicate your model to her.

[Cathead]

Two of my models have dedications or otherwise strong ties to loved ones who have passed. It's lovely that you considering your Beagle in this way.

[Baker]

 Also my condolences about your mother.

Nice work on the Beagle. 

[Ronald-V]

My condolences for your loss...and wish you all the strength to get through this difficult time 🙏

[Geordie Tyne]

My condolences for your loss. I wish you and your family strength and healing at this time. 

[vvvjames]

Hello all, 

Thank you all so much for the kind words, and it is good to know that there is precedence for dedicating models. I have been working on the boat off and on when I feel up for it. It has been a great distraction when things get overwhelming. 

Here's some progress:

Inner bulwarks lined:

As mentioned previously, I used the smaller cherry planks to line the hull, it looks very nice alongside the deck I think. 

I need to repair a few planks that splintered while cutting out the cannon holes, that step continues to challenge me. 

 

Planking Begins:

I decided to plank the outer bulwarks first, and then go garboard plank up once they are done. I am attempting bow to stern planking, with no sharp ends like the kit instructions. 

If I had used 4 full sized planks above the first one I placed, there would have been a 1mm gap at the top, so I ended up thinning 5 planks instead. Challenging, but the result looks great. I will finish the starboard side, then on to the hull!

Work time:

61:17:19

Best, 

James

Edited January 18 by vvvjames

[vvvjames]

Ahoy all,

It feels like its been ages since the last post but I just checked and it was actually only a week ago. Time is moving very weird lately, and I feel all out of wack. 

I haven't gotten much done, but have been thoroughly planning out the hull planking and reviewing tutorials. I think I'm getting the hang of it? We'll see. 

Bulwarks

I have (mostly) finished the outer bulwarks. 

Gun ports on the starboard side still need to be cut. 

 

Hull Planking:

I tick-marked the hull to the best of my abilities, and have finally begun planking the hull! 3 careful planks on the port side and the garboard strakes are all I have so far. Not much but it's a good start:)

Installing the garboard strake is quite challenging, I do hope it is easier on the next boat whatever that may be. 

Still a sad shipyard here, but things are getting a bit better. 

Work time:

71:10:12

Best and well wishes,

James

Edited yesterday at 11:00 AM by vvvjames

[embojo]

Dear James, I have been reading through your build log to date. It looks great and another inspiration for starting my Occre Beagle. I was sorry to hear of your loss, It is just past the second anniversary of my mothers death at 99 so I fully understand the feeling. What a nice idea, to dedicate the build to her.

 

I have been studying the Marquardt book assiduously. I bought it 20 years ago hoping one day to build a Beagle, and now largely retired, that day is finally approaching ! I love your deck planking and will try for something like that. I am also impressed by your hull with nicely tapered planks. Are you going to add the wider wale plank like LucienL rather than the kits third strake at the waterline? I have the NRG Half Hull Planking Kit and plan to make that first, for training, before starting on the Beagle.

 

After reading Marquardt and other sources, there are several issues that seem quite uncertain about the Beagle. I suppose that is inevitable given the relative paucity of accurate contemporary evidence. And even Marquardt, while probably the best available source, is his take on the evidence, leaving some room for your own interpretation!

[Mowzer]

If there's one thing I wished I'd done differently on own Beagle build- which I finished recently- it would have been to do a beautiful deck like yours. 

The lime supplied with the kit just ends up looking too much like freshly-sawn DIY-store pine, to my eyes. 

I've read so much here on MSW about what colour would be most authentic for decks- so probably sun-bleached, holystone-scrubbed oak, which would presumably be pale grey or the light brown of new oak.  And yet your cherry deck feels authentic: like weathered wood that's been at sea. 

Maybe this is one area where I prefer the artistic interpretation to what might be historically accurate. 

I'm trying to say that your Beagle looks fantastic.