Ship's Boat By KevinR - FINISHED - Model Shipway - Small

[KevinR]

Hi everyone. This is my first Build log. I have built several plastic models over the years but this is my first planked model. I chose this model because it was cheap and small. I figured it would be a good project to learn on. If I screw it up I would only be out $5.
Here is what was in the kit.

Not much to see.

I cannot see any details in the images so they are no help. If it was not for the line drawings I believe I would be lost.

My first step is to stain the parts. At this point I have not decided whether to paint it or leave it natural. I have a feeling that I will paint it to hide my mistakes.

(Edited to fix images)

[KevinR]

I have the transom and the forward bulkhead attached. I hope to have ribs attached soon.

[themadchemist]

Hello Kevin

 

I love this little MS boat kit, She's a great little kit but I would say this.... as a first build she may be a bit frustrating. The assumption that small equals easier doesn't always hold true in ship modeling. Not to say you've made a mistake by starting with this kit, just don't expect it to be easier based on size. I'm looking forward to seeing another of these built.

 

My build is linked in my sig if your interested and I'll be willing to answer any questions you may have.

 

Don't forget the first rule of wooden ship building (pretty much the same as with plastic), HAVE FUN! 

[KevinR]

The size is proving to be quite a challenge.

I have learned a few things along the way, just because the parts are laser cut does not mean they are the perfect shape. As for as the kit there are a few things that I would recommend are do differently.

1. The strips placed along the keel between the ribs, I would recommend just using one long strip and after the glue dries cut out the notches for the ribs. This will give you a straighter line to glue the planks on.

2. #1 former is shorter than the other formers. When you build the frame plan accordingly.

3. A block of wood to help shape the bow would be a good idea.

As for bending the ribs, I have no recommendation. I soaked the strips for an hour and they bent nicely around the formers, but as they  started to dry they kinked and split. I can sand out the imperfections, I was just hoping for nice round curves.

Does anyone have a recommendation for bending the ribs?

Edited December 31, 2013 by Kevin from Hampton Roads

[themadchemist]

That tight curve is a pain.  I used holly as it has better bending character and still had splitting. Luckily they split on the outer edge, which will be against the hull.

 

A method I found that worked to help prevent splitting on the holly was to clamp in 2 directions as in photo.

 

 

If that didn't help You could make a solid former like I did for the ebony stripe.

The full support would help support as it dries. I used a small block of cherry which was thicker then the frame for a more complete support

 

 

[Keith_W]

As for bending the ribs, I have no recommendation. I soaked the strips for an hour and they bent nicely around the formers, but as they  started to dry they kinked and split. I can sand out the imperfections, I was just hoping for nice round curves.

Does anyone have a recommendation for bending the ribs?

Yes, you need to soak your ribs for more than an hour. I soaked mine for 24 hours then steam bended them. Take a look at this post.

[KevinR]

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

Thanks Themadchemist and Amfibius for the help. I like the Idea of a the extra clamps and the steam iron. I had already decided to to try the iron today, but the wood has not been put onto soak yet. I will put it on to soak this evening and I can work on it tomorrow night after work.

 

I guess today I will look over some of my other kits to see what is next. Over the years I have purchased or received 5 wooden kits.

I have a model I started in 1988 The Schooner Yacht Atlantic by Scientific. I thought it was misplaced and stumbled upon it looking for tools.The hull is completed, but needs some touch-up. I think I may give it some attention today.

[KevinR]

Well accidents do happen. I planked the transom and while I was sanding the edges the keel broke at the bottom of the transom.

Lesson number 3: things break. I think if I was to do it all over I would plank the transom before gluing the ribs to the frame.

I have glued the keel back together. Hopefully this works, if not I will have to start over. Starting over would not be to bad, because I have already learned a lot and believe I can do better next time.

 

On to the good news. I am getting better at bending wood. What is working for me is to soak the wood overnight and then use the steam iron to bend it by heating then pull the wood up as I slid the iron off.

[KevinR]

I will be starting over.

 

The kit parts list said that the keel was 1/16" plywood. What I actually received was basswood. Plywood would be a better choice for the keel.

 

I will pick this up later.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Kevin from Hampton Roads

[CaptainSteve]

Bummer, Kevin.

What happened ?? Did the keel repairs not hold ??

 

Re: Bending planks. I find that a hair-curling iron does the trick. Borrow one from your Admiral, if you can. Depending on how thick the piece of wood is, I usually only need to soak it in water for 30mins to an hour. Apply pressure gently to form the curve you require and move the wood across the hot iron. Works even better if your iron has a clip.

And, yes, you can produce quite good ribs ... heck, when working on my ship's boats, I once made a (completely and utterly useless) wooden spring !!!

Edited January 3, 2014 by CaptainSteve

[KevinR]

The glue held, the wood below it did not.

 

It broke with the gran of the wood. The piece was just to small and my hands to big.

 

I am thinking about buying a sheet of plywood and starting from scratch. The plans has the keel and formers. I will just have to try my hand at cutting out the small parts.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Kevin from Hampton Roads

[KevinR]

I have the plywood and will be starting over.

[KevinR]

Today IO cut out the new keel, transom and forward bulkhead. I added filler blocks to the bow. I still need to cut out the new formers.

[KevinR]

Hi everyone. I was able to get some work in this weekend and here is where I am at.

I finished cutting out the formers and worked on getting the ribs shaped. I found the what worked best for me was to soak the 1/16x1/16 inch strips for about 4-6 hours and to slowly wind it around a 1" dowel and let it dry. I still had some strips splinter, but I came to the conclusion that they were going to splinter no matter what.

I have the ribs glued into the formers now. I need to glue the formers to the base and then attach the keel to the ribs.

 

 

[KevinR]

I have the keel glued to the frames now.

 

I dry fitted the shear lines and see that the bow is going to need additional work to get a proper fit.

[KevinR]

I had some free time today due to the weather so I planked the transom. I am now back to where I was when the stern post broke on the original.

[KevinR]

Well it has been a while since I posted anything on the ships boat. I wish I could say that it was because I was to busy working on it to take the time, but I did not get back to it until yesterday. I started the planking, and I think it is going better than I expected. I found that my clamps do not seem to work well on this size. The Titebond sets quickly for wood glue, so I have just started holding the planks in place until it sets (about 10minutes).

The first plank did not get as close to the stem as it should. I did not notice because the clamp hid it from me.

 

I would like get the planks along the keel placed today. Is it easier to bend the plank and then shape it or shape and then bend? I would appreciate any critique and suggestions.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Till next time, see Ya!

[Ryland Craze]

Kevin,

 

I like to pre shape my planks and then bend them to lay over the frames or bulkheads.  I will do the final shaping once the plank has been bent.

 

Check out the Longboat build logs for planking techniques and ideas.  I followed BobF's build log (Bobf's Longboat) as he had excellent pictures and text on his planking.

 

Also check out the MSW Database articles on planking.  I like Chuck Passaro's Article on Planking and his Planking Fan.

 

Your Ship's Boat is coming along just fine.  I will be following your progress.

[KevinR]

Ryland, Thanks for the complement and the information.

[KevinR]

I stayed busy this weekend and got some planks on. I learned a lot doing the planking and broke a few planks along the way.

[dgbot]

You are doing good Kevin. Keep up the good work.

David B

[michael20]

Your little boat is coming along quite nicely Kevin. I was also a plastic modeler and I think the experience helped me start in the wood ship modeling but then again you always learn new things along the way. Keep it up, you are doing great, as with plastic modeling, the more you do, the more you learn, the better you become.

 

Happy Modeling,

Marty G.

[KevinR]

David and Marty thanks for stopping by and the complements.

[KevinR]

Here is the latest. I have most of the port side planked. I just need the stealer.  I should be able to finish planking this weekend. I see lots of mistakes in the planking, but I think it looks OK. There are several things I would have done differently.

I appreciate all tips, tricks, hints, suggestions and critiques.

 

Till next time, see Ya!

[JSGerson]

It looks like your patience is paying off. She's really starting to take shape. I just hope I do as well as you. I just have to ask, what is with the coins? Are they there to indicate scale or port from starboard or both?

[KevinR]

The Coins are just for scale. Do I need to mark port and starboard?

[JSGerson]

Cute!

 

Since you started over and had to make a new keel and jig, are you using the original kit basswood for the planking? Are you planning on paint or stain the wood?

[KevinR]

The keel and formers are replacement plywood. The rest of the wood is the basswood strips that came with the kit. As for as painting it, I will wait and see how well it cleans up after sanding. Even then, there are some mistakes that bother me, so painting may help hide them.

As you can see the planks are not the same size. I tried to shape a plank with my xacto and over did it. I had to use the plank because I only have what came withe the kit. I found that I have a lot more control sanding the planks.

Edited to add picture.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Kevin from Hampton Roads

[JSGerson]

Painting is not an option I'm considering at this point as the boat will be on board my unpainted Rattlesnake. The only deviation from the natural wood color on the ship is the black trim. I didn't have ebony wood so the black is painted. I'm like you, I'll see how the basswood looks and if I have to, I'll stain the wood. I'm looking forward to your next progress report.

 

Jon

[KevinR]

I like seeing the wood grain, but I am a messy glue-er.