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

[MikJ]

Hi, this is my first ever build log for my first ever build.
I'm starting with what seems to be a beginner's classic. There are already many build logs for the dory, so at first I thought that it doesn't make sense to open another one. But even after reading through many of them, I realized that each new one is bringing new insights and tips and solutions to various problems, from the author and from the community. So I plan to describe at least the main steps of the build and probably ask for some advice from time to time. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

This kit is actually from Dusek Ship Kits (I'm in Europe), under a license from Model Shipways. Please tell if the topic name should be updated somehow. The main differences from the US version seem to be that the material is birch plywood instead of basswood, and the list of the kit contents gives the dimensions in mm.

 

So far I spent most of the time reading the instructions, trying to visualise how parts come together, and getting a feeling on the basic things like cutting the pieces from the wood sheets, sanding them and test-gluing some of the leftover scrap pieces.

 

One thing I'm not entirely sure about is how the beveling of the planks has to be done. After checking many forum pictures and also real-world boat pictures, I understand it like in the following drawings.
The first one is a cross-section through a frame, with the planks not to scale (and before sanding the garboard flush with the bottom). There will be some gaps between the frame and the planks, but probably very small at the scale of the model, so maybe even filled by the glue.
The second one would be a view along the stem, where the bevel increases, so that the planks fully overlap and the outer surface of the hull should be smooth.

Feel free to reply if you think that this is not correct.

                                                              

[ccoyle]

2 minutes ago, MikJ said:

This kit is actually from Dusek Ship Kits (I'm in Europe), under a license from Model Shipways.

 

Since it is manufactured under license, the name of the original manufacturer is appropriate.

 

I have also tagged your log as a "first build" -- this just alerts members to modelers who can use that extra little bit of help and encouragement.

[JacquesCousteau]

Looking forward to following along! I'm curious to see how the birch plywood is. Your understanding of the beveled planks is correct.

[robert952]

Make room. I am jumping on board the log.  

 

Good luck on your build and do not be afraid to ask questions.  

 

And, yes, adding to the build logs, even it there's a bunch out there, on the same ship/boat, you will bring a fresh perspective as you proceed. 

[MikJ]

Soo, it begins.

 

@robert952 there is room for everybody. Make sure you have a comfortable chair, it's probably going to take some time. I'm moving slowly, doing a lot of dry fitting and planning the next moves, which I see I actually enjoy.

 

I started by gluing together two of the bottom parts. Didn't want to put all three together at once, to avoid trying to align too many pieces and wipe two glue joints at the same time. I saw many people mention creative clamping, I think I'm on to something. The auxiliary wooden clamping blocks are covered in plastic wrap.

 

 

It is with some anxiety that I applied the glue, knowing it's a point of no return. It's with excitement that I removed the clamps to see the result.
One small issue: the two pieces are not perfectly aligned vertically everywhere. The shadow in the picture makes it look much bigger, it's actually very small. Maybe it's because the entire wood sheet seems to be very slightly curved, maybe it's the way I applied the clamps.

 

 

After reading about the technique on the forum, I tried to scrape the surface of the glued pieces with a blade, to bring them to the same level. It works nicely and also removes the remaining shiny glue stains, but I also created some tiny dents or cuts when pressing the blade on the surface. I need to practice this separately and try again after gluing the 3rd bottom piece.

Which came next. This time I adjusted the clamping to press more along the glued line. I hoped it would keep the parts more level, I'm not sure it made a difference.

 

 

The PVA glue I have starts to harden pretty fast, or it took me a long time to wet all along these (long) edges. I started by wiping the excess glue with a wet brush, but this required a lot of water and I was afraid it would dilute the PVA in the joint. I wanted to use something with which I can press harder on the surface to be cleaned. Cotton swabs work but leave behind some fibers. In the end a damp cloth was just perfect for the large, flat surface, cleaning almost all glue residues. I expect that this will not work on the smaller glue joints.

 

As somebody else around here called it, it's now at the surfboard stage  

 

 

Edited 13 hours ago by MikJ

[druxey]

With PVA glue, there is no 'point of no return'. If you use isopropanol (95% rubbing alcohol) you can unglue joints and correct anything you are not happy with. Water will take much longer to loosen a PVA joint, so removing any excess glue with a damp or wet brush before it sets should not disturb the joint.

[MikJ]

58 minutes ago, druxey said:

With PVA glue, there is no 'point of no return'. If you use isopropanol (95% rubbing alcohol) you can unglue joints and correct anything you are not happy with. Water will take much longer to loosen a PVA joint, so removing any excess glue with a damp or wet brush before it sets should not disturb the joint.

 

Thank you for reminding me! I read about this and wanted to test it, but forgot about doing the experiment.

By the way, can you re-apply PVA directly to the unglued surfaces, or do they need some treatment first?

 

It's also true that the brushes I have at hand are soft, I have to look for some stiffer ones.

Edited 11 hours ago by MikJ

[MikJ]

Soon after, I'm looking at the placement of the stem and the transom assembly. How I am going to glue them in place while keeping them aligned in all directions is still a problem to be solved.

 

Until then, I'm trying to figure out where exactly the transom should be placed relative to the bottom. There are markings on the bottom for the stern knee, but they do not fit exactly to the dimensions of the knee, so I feel this could leave a bit of freedom.

I tried this schematic drawing of the options I see.

• If I align the stern knee exactly with the marking on the bottom, the transom hangs a little outside of the bottom, like in the first drawing. I didn't expect this (but what do I know about boat building?), so it made me think about the other variants. I just have a vague feeling that this configuration could leave a small gap later on between the transom and the garboards.
• I am tempted to go with the one in the middle. I cannot really visualise in 3D how everything will fit later around this area, just again I feel it could be a better configuration, where the bottom, knee, transom and garboards all meet at the same point.
• Finally, I'm wondering if the configuration on the right side could be more stable mechanically when actually building a real-life boat

Maybe somebody who already built the dory could say if the fore-aft position of the transom really matters.

I'll stop overthinking it, as any possible gaps will be very small anyway.

 

[JacquesCousteau]

I couldn't remember how I did it on mine, so went looking. I don't discuss it in my build log, but there's a photo in the post linked below showing what looks like your second/middle option.

 

 

[JacquesCousteau]

The issue is also discussed in Bryan Woods' build log:

 

 

[palmerit]

This is how I did mine (the middle option). From what I recall, there’s a fair amount of sanding (faring) to get the planks to lay flush. I don’t remember if there are later instruction steps that might help make it clearer. 

Edited 5 hours ago by palmerit

[druxey]

If you dissolve a PVA joint, just scrape the jelly-like remnants off and reglue. As there is very little water content in the alcohol (5%) you can do this right away.

[MikJ]

Thank you for your replies!

@JacquesCousteau I had seen your photos and to me it also looks like the 2nd option. And somehow, I completely missed Bryan's log until now. Compared to other builds, he has many pictures with some unique views.

@palmerit I would say that this is more towards option 1, and one of the few pictures where the assembly is visible. But it's interesting, I read now your log of the Midwest dory and the same question came up here: 

 

In the end, the exact positioning here is probably not so important, I hope I'll have some time tomorrow to continue with it.

 

[Kenchington]

2 hours ago, MikJ said:

glue them in place while keeping them aligned in all directions

I wasn't brave enough to do a build log for my first model but I did take a few pictures. For the stem alignment, I lined up the dory's bottom with the building-board lines, then used squares lined up on the perpendicular as supports:

The transom needed a bit more, with pencil line laid off equally either side of the midline:

 

2 hours ago, MikJ said:

where exactly the transom should be placed relative to the bottom

You have think in 3D and visualize the fit of the inside of the plank to both bottom and transom. The garboards must follow the edge of the bottom and lie on the edges of the transom. For that to work, the edges of the transom have to meet flush with the edges of the bottom. But the transom has thickness where the bottom has taper, so the forward face of the transom must be as wide as the bottom where they meet, while the after face will be bevelled to match the taper of the bottom.

 

My picture is lousy but, such as it is:

 

 

Trevor

[MikJ]

27 minutes ago, Kenchington said:

the forward face of the transom must be as wide as the bottom where they meet

Yes, that's it! Thank you, it's a very good summary of what I was trying to figure out, and why the 1st option doesn't look exactly right to me.

 

...5 minutes later: this is certainly true if the transom was attached (somehow) directly to the bottom. But there is also the stern knee sitting "in front" of it. I'm not 100% sure, maybe the transom could be moved slightly behind the end of the bottom, and the knee would take up some more of the beveling. Unfortunately, I don't know how to express this better, maybe I'll try sometime to pick up a 3D CAD program that I used in the past for some very simple stuff.

[Kenchington]

You are right: If the knee is wide enough (is large enough in its "sided" dimension -- in boatbuilding terminology), then some of the bevelling that produces the taper for the garboards to lie against (the "bearding") could come out of the knee.  I can't now remember whether the dory kit goes together that way but worth thinking about.

 

Trevor