Cutty Sark by GarryA - Billing Boats

[GarryA]

I purchased a Billings Cutty Sark kit in 1985, while in the UK.  This kit traveled with me back to NZ, sailed with me across to Australia in 1989, and now retired, I have both the time and space to commence it.

I served my apprenticeship as a Wooden Ship and Boatbuilder in NZ and in my years of boatbuilding, I have acquired a lot of Teak, Kauri, Honduras Mahogany and other timbers and these will probably replace the majority of the timber in the billings kit.

I have a set of the Campbell Drawings and I scanned these and scaled them up 162% to match the size of the Billings Drawings and at that stage, decided to loft out the hull, doubling up on the frame spacing of the billing model build from these drawings.

I am now at the fairing stage and have the deck cut out and marking out details before laying the teak deck.

[kinch]

watching with much interest.  I am at a similar stage with a more recent Billings Kit (564), 1:75.  This is my third attempt at what began around thirty-five years ago with a smaller 1:96 version (also Billings), but which did not survive garage storage during a much-travelled career in healthcare.   I resurrected enthusiasm last year and, as a complete novice with neither engineering nor a naval background, I proceeded to make every possible error (based on my subsequent research and reading).  Frankly, I need to consult my copy of 'Miller's Dictionary of Nautical Words and Terms' merely to follow some of the conversation.  Nevertheless, despite completing the 'build' of the standing rigging, I finally decided to throw in the towel, research and read some more before acquiring a further '564' to try again.

 

Nothing like perseverence (I was a soldier at one point in life, but my only claim to insights into model ships came from visits to the Glasgow Transport Museum as a child and from my late father, who designed the pumps for the Royal Yacht Britannia - his grandfather was a ship's carpenter back in the day...must be the genes!

 

In any event, I have constructed the Keel, squared the Ribs and installed the main and aft decks - marked these for planking but am about to commence fairing before adding some supporting filling (balsa) at the fore and aft ribs.  Any and all inputs gratefully accepted - particularly on an appropriate planking plan for the hull (I am musing over the use of a fan-plan).