Swift 1805 by jarero - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - Virginia Pilot Boat - First Build

[jarero]

 

This is my first build and I am nearing completion.  I
will post as many pictures as I can and add comments from what I can remember
along the way.  I relied heavily on the build logs of the Swift that were
here prior to the catastrophic loss of data and now I will try to do my part by
posting what I can of my build.  Any and
all feedback is welcomed as I still have much to learn!

 

 

More about me here on the introduction page.

 

 

 

 

I want to give special thanks to a couple of people that had
previous Swift build logs that I relied on:

 

 

 

 

Jeff-E

 

 

 

 

Kinetikx

 

 

 

 

Moonbug

 

 

 

 

Even though Dan V. didn’t have a Swift build log I still
kept running into his posts and they were a huge help!

 

 

 

 

Enough talk, now some pictures…..

 

 

 

[jarero]

 

A few more pictures of her skeleton and progress on the
lower decks.  This is the first area
where this forum saved my bacon with the tip of adding balsa to give more
surface are to attach my planking.

 

[verbal329]

Thanks - I too am in the process of building the Swift and (had been) relying on the various archived build logs I found on this site. I'm sorry to hear that they may be gone (?), as having finished (I think) the inner layer of planking on the hull, I am struggling with the best method of attaching the gunwales...they don't 'sit' very naturally in shape against the hull, and I'm concerned about the relative 'even-ness' of them with respect to the inner planking (in place) and the outer planking (not yet in place).

 

What I mean:

1) I have glued in place the interior layer of planking on the pre-fab gunwale stock. When I force the gunwale-in-progress to conform to the shape of the hull and 'wrap-around', it is not an easy fit, and it's tough for me to guess how the inner/outer hull planking is intended to meet with it - should the inner layer of hull planking be flush (even) with the outer side of the pre-fab stock, etc.

 

If anyone has a completed Swift build long that includes these intermediate steps, it would be very helpful to have it posted.

 

John

[russ]

Jarero:

You have made a good start on your Swift. I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

Russ

Edited February 18, 2013 by russ

[jarero]

Thanks - I too am in the process of building the Swift and (had been) relying on the various archived build logs I found on this site. I'm sorry to hear that they may be gone (?), as having finished (I think) the inner layer of planking on the hull, I am struggling with the best method of attaching the gunwales...they don't 'sit' very naturally in shape against the hull, and I'm concerned about the relative 'even-ness' of them with respect to the inner planking (in place) and the outer planking (not yet in place).

 

What I mean:

1) I have glued in place the interior layer of planking on the pre-fab gunwale stock. When I force the gunwale-in-progress to conform to the shape of the hull and 'wrap-around', it is not an easy fit, and it's tough for me to guess how the inner/outer hull planking is intended to meet with it - should the inner layer of hull planking be flush (even) with the outer side of the pre-fab stock, etc.

 

If anyone has a completed Swift build long that includes these intermediate steps, it would be very helpful to have it posted.

 

John

John,

 

It is good to meet a fellow Swift-er.  I did not not plank either the inside or outside of my gunwales until after they were installed.  I am pretty sure that I understand what you are fighting here.  Did you pre-shape the gunwales before you planked the inside?  If not you may never get them to the shape you need without removing the planking.  I could be completely wrong though as I am a novice.  There may very well be another method of beating them into submission that one of the pro's will chime in on.

 

Best of luck!!

[russ]

The ideal method for these plywood bulwarks would be to use heat and/or moisture to bend them to shape. They can be soaked, preshaped, and pinned in place on the model overnight and then glued the next day. You can also make up a bending jig off the model as well.

 

If the piece is already planked, it will be tough getting it to form to the shape of the hull. You can try predrilling some holes and use some small brass nails to glue and pin it to the hull in the correct shape. There will be a gap at the bow large enough for the bowsprit to pass through.

 

Russ

[verbal329]

Thanks - and I don't mean to hijack Jared's build log, I've started a separate log elsewhere....now as soon as I figure out how to upload pictures in a reply, I'll put them up - but I can't seem to identify the icon to click on. (I saw it for the original post, but not for a 'reply'.)

 

The mistake I've made is that, as you point out, I've (just today) planked and tung oiled the gunwales before shaping them - a momentary lapse of reason I'm afraid. For the inner hull planking, I used a steamer and that worked quite well. Putting the planking on first wasn't a bright idea, though perhaps they would still steam okay, but now that they have the tung oil on them I'm not willing to use our cooking steamer. Hmm. I do actually have a second Swift kit (see my own build log for that tale, once I get it populated with images), so I can always abort these gunwales and use the second set - but they seem to have a slightly different curvature to them.

[jarero]

Thanks - and I don't mean to hijack Jared's build log, I've started a separate log elsewhere....now as soon as I figure out how to upload pictures in a reply, I'll put them up - but I can't seem to identify the icon to click on. (I saw it for the original post, but not for a 'reply'.)

 

The mistake I've made is that, as you point out, I've (just today) planked and tung oiled the gunwales before shaping them - a momentary lapse of reason I'm afraid. For the inner hull planking, I used a steamer and that worked quite well. Putting the planking on first wasn't a bright idea, though perhaps they would still steam okay, but now that they have the tung oil on them I'm not willing to use our cooking steamer. Hmm. I do actually have a second Swift kit (see my own build log for that tale, once I get it populated with images), so I can always abort these gunwales and use the second set - but they seem to have a slightly different curvature to them.

If there is a good hobby shop near home you could pick up some ply in the right thickness and trace out the pieces and make new ones.  That is a real bummer, sounds like you put a ton of work into making them nice.

 

To answer your question about posting pictures in "replies" there is a button that says "More Reply Options" in the lower right hand corner when you are replying to a message.  When you click that it brings back the option to attach files.

 

Jared

[russ]

I agree that you could get some sheet wood and trace out another piece. It would not necessarily have to be plywood either. Basswood might do a good job as well.

 

Russ

[jarero]

Here are a few more random pictures showing some of the progress:

 

 

 

[jarero]

Now it is time to start work on the deck. I don't seem to have any good pictures showing how I formed it, whoops. I soaked it in hot water and then used about 8 billion rubber bands to attach it to the ribs so that it would take on the necessary compound shape.

 

You can probably tell that there are curves on two axis:

 

 

 

 

Now I made a crude jig to cut the planks to the desired size:

 

 

Oh look, a big stack of them (but not even close to enough yet):

 

 

I had read on the forum at some point about someone using a pencil to color the sides of the planks to give it a more realistic look. When I tried this I used too soft of a lead and it created a lot of dust that covered far more than the edges. When it came time to install the planks I realized I made something of a mess. I was secretly holding out hope that once I sanded the deck that it would look ok.

 

 

 

Wow! This looks terrible in the picture not to mention the sample area that I tried stain on. How will this ever look good?

 

Not half bad I supposed. Yep, I made my nails with an awl and a fine tip sharpie. Geez, newbies!

 

Sanded, stained and installed. Has a really cool weathered look that doesn't show very well in the pictures. I might event try this "technique", and I use that word loosely, again in the future.

 

Edited February 19, 2013 by jarero

[slagoon]

Nice work! Then again it is my job to encourage you... but really, isn't my husband doing great?

[jarero]

I spent a bunch of time holding up planks against the ribs trying to make sure that everything was going to go together smoothly. I ended up shaving off some wood here and there for fine tuning. Until I got to the dreaded #7 rib. I couldn't figure out what the heck to do with this thing since it sat so much lower than all the other ribs. Once again model ship world to the rescue. I found a number of others had corrected this issue by simply adding some material to the rib.....

 

So it seems that my forks are really close to the right shape for #7. Just don't tell my wife.

 

Forming the pieces for #7

 

Installed.....

 

Edited February 23, 2013 by jarero

[russ]

That is an ingenious way to handle that problem. Very clever.

 

Russ

[jarero]

I really procrastinated on this next step. I probably read too many horror stories about planking the hull. Well here goes nothing.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All things considered I think it came out ok. If this kit didn't have a second layer of planking I would be a little worried at this point. Fortunately I will have an opportunity to cover up any warts with the second layer.

Edited February 23, 2013 by jarero

[russ]

From what I can see, the planking looks pretty good. Filler is okay to use on the first layer if you need it.

 

Russ

[jarero]

From what I can see, the planking looks pretty good. Filler is okay to use on the first layer if you need it.

 

Russ

Thanks Russ. I did learn a lot from that experience and where I feel I could do a much better job next time I don't know that I would be comfortable with a single plank model just yet.

[jarero]

While I was waiting for the hull planks to dry and take shape before glueing them I decided to kill some time with the rudder.

 

 

 

[jarero]

Now it is time to put on the gunwales...

I raided the kitchen um, tool shed, for another form to shape the pieces.



Here is where I made a rookie mistake. I assumed that the pre made gunwales were the right length for Swift so I started glueing them at the bow and by the time I got to the stern I realized that they were about an inch too long. This wouldn't have been a big deal to trim except the stern end has an arched notch cut out of them. I used a contour gauge to get the shape, traced it on the pieces and then cut them down to match the original profile. I think you can tell by the picture that these aren't as tidy as the original laser cut pieces....


 

[jarero]

Now it was time to start planking the insides of the gunwales as well as planking the area that the rudder goes through (don't know the name of it).

 

 

[russ]

Nice work on the rudder and the stern planking.

 

Russ

[jarero]

Thanks Russ. I was pleasantly surprised how well they came out. I wish I could say the same for the rest of it but that's part of learning.

Edited February 24, 2013 by jarero

[slagoon]

Wait till you see more! He has lots of deck fittings on it now...it looks magnificent.

[Adrieke]

your deck planking came out pretty good. i had a similar experience when i stained the hull of my virginia but after some sanding it gave that old used look .

 

its cool that you both are in to the same hobby

[Sjors]

Hi Jared ( and Sarah, I know you read this to)

 

Anja (my wife) told me that you also has a build log so I bring you a visit…...

It looks good.

The weathering of the deck turn out nicely.

The planking is not bad.

When you close the hull, you can sand it smooth (with filler)

That should be no problem.

I will follow your progress.

 

Sjors

[jarero]

your deck planking came out pretty good. i had a similar experience when i stained the hull of my virginia but after some sanding it gave that old used look .

 

its cool that you both are in to the same hobby

Thanks for the nice words Adrieke.  Do you have any completed pics or a build log of the Virginia?

 

Hi Jared ( and Sarah, I know you read this to)

 

Anja (my wife) told me that you also has a build log so I bring you a visit…...

It looks good.

The weathering of the deck turn out nicely.

The planking is not bad.

When you close the hull, you can sand it smooth (with filler)

That should be no problem.

I will follow your progress.

 

Sjors

Sjors - thanks for taking the time to look at my build and for all the positive encouragement with Sarah's builds as well!

 

Someone said there was at least one other husband/wife team on here.  Now I know who it is!

[Sjors]

It's not only us Jared,

 

You also have Frederica & Vasilias and You and Sarah and then we of course.

It's nice when the better half also loves building.

No we can go to the ships without something like……Are you going again upstairs ( or where you have your build )?

 

Sjors

[Adrieke]

jarero

 

there is a link to the finished model pictures in my signature

i am not sure if i will rebuild the log of her. it was my first build and posting it helped me a lot . not sure if it would be any good for anyone else now

[jarero]

jarero

 

there is a link to the finished model pictures in my signature

i am not sure if i will rebuild the log of her. it was my first build and posting it helped me a lot . not sure if it would be any good for anyone else now

Very nice, looks better than my first build!!! I see the similarities to the Swift though.  Is it based on an actual ship or is it just the likeness of a type of ship the same was as the Swift is?

[jarero]

It's not only us Jared,

 

You also have Frederica & Vasilias and You and Sarah and then we of course.

It's nice when the better half also loves building.

No we can go to the ships without something like……Are you going again upstairs ( or where you have your build )?

 

Sjors

Good to know there is more of us couples out there although it is still pretty rare I imagine.

 

I never have to worry about leaving my wife behind to go work on a model because she's right there with me if she hasn't beat me to it!