21ft English Pinnace by Mike Y - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:24

[Mike Y]

First of all, thanks to Chuck for designing that amazing kit.
It's really a pleasure to build, everything is so well thought through! Especially after AL kit, not so well designed and with idiotic instructions
If you care not only about the result, but a relaxing process - then buy that kit, you would not regret.

The kit content quite standard - manual, laser cut details, various basswood strips for planking:


End result should look as close to this teaser as possible:


What's in between? Let's look in the manual:

No, really not, the manual is the best I ever saw, you can take a look here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6432389/Pinnace/MS1458-Pinnace-Instructions.pdf

I do not plan to make any interesting adjustments to the build, but will try to build it as accurate as I can.
So maybe it would be interesting to beginners, nothing more.
Would appreciate any kind of feedback and advices from a more experienced builders!

Edited April 17, 2014 by Chuck

[Mike Y]

First of all, such nice boat requires a solid, but light dock. I don't have a dedicated space for modelling, so I share the table with my kid, and need to quickly rollout all my stuff and then hide it back:

 

Tapered the false keel, and also a bit tapered the real keel (just for a sake of beauty):

 

[Mike Y]

Made a simple, but practical tool that helps to align frames properly. Lego allows you to build some small helping constructions that are quite strong, parallel and easy to modify on a fly.

 

This is the dry fitting phase, so don't mind that frames are not aligned yet. I align one frame, glue it, then go to the next one.

 

It's also easy to control the horizontal alignment:

 

And the perpendicularity to the keel:

 

The lego frame slides tightly along the building construction.

 

Result of a first evening (nevermind the bush cricket on a background, as I said I share that table ):

[Chuck]

Looks fantastic....Dont forget to check out these photos of the pinnace in the NMM museum.  This is the pinnace I based the kit on for teh most part.  

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/gallery/image/5287-london-517/

 

You will notice a few changes or omissions that I made to keep the kit more simplified.   If you have any questions at all please let me know.

 

Chuck

[Mike Y]

Your "simplified" variant is much more elegant then the "original" one!

Colors are brighter, and that weird transom on original boat that looks like it should fall off if you accidentally step on it

 

Weird question, but did you ever considered designing a beginner-level models, like for kids? Something that you can use to introduce a 10yr old kid to modelling, but instead of using a cheap chinese crap - you pay twice more, but get a well thought through kit, that is a pleasure to build? 

[Chuck]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

I actually have thought about it...but its one of those ...where do I find the time.......things.   I am sure I will get around to it at some point.

 

Chuck

[Mike Y]

Started a planking, found a problem.

The first frame (K) looks mounted too high. The top plank do not follow a smooth curve. On a drawings there is no sign of a higher front frame, so I thought that I did not inserted it on a full length while glueing.

But then I checked the photos in a manual, page 5 (top and left photos), and they also show the front frame mounted higher then next frames.

If you draw a plank line on a sticky tape, front frame creates an ugly step:

 

If I want a plank to make a smooth curve - then top frame pokes a bit and should be shortened. Not a big deal, I do not think it would be bad for the hull, but want to doublecheck before cutting.

 

Chuck, I would appreciate your advice, what is a better option? Or am I really made a serious mistakes and glued the front frame higher then it should be?

[Chuck]

That looks great.    Yes the top frame pops up a bit.   Your planking run looks real good.  Proceed as shown in those photos.

 

Chuck

[Mike Y]

Aha! Ok, will relax and cut off the poking pieces of top frame after planking

Thanks for a quick reply!

[Mike Y]

It was trickier then expected

If you just put the top plank into the bow "slot", then it's just going vertical, without following the hull shape:

 

 

 

To make planks follow the shape of the hull, I lifted to top plank a bit higher on the bow, and tapered the second plank.

In hindsight it's pretty obvious, no matter how you bend the planks, they should be tapered. But I was too much following the instructions, and surprised that it was not mentioned there (or I was not reading carefully?)

 

So that's how the bow looks like when second plank tapered and first plank lifted higher (it's just halfway inserted into the bow slot):

 

 

The second plank was also a bit tapered on the stern:

Edited January 6, 2014 by Mike Y

[Mike Y]

Don't mind a bit dirty hull, I will remove the glue traces and sand the hull later, when it would be completed.

 

Also, thanks BobF for a nice way of making a plank bending templates - attach the sticky tape to the previous plank, paint the pencil line like you are simulating the caulking, bend the plank according to that template:

 

[Mike Y]

In a meanwhile, added a third planking level and made a base for a slipway-style model stand. It would be painted black and I will add some diagonal supports for the boat when the planking would be completed.

Still not sure how that stand will look in reality, so maybe there would be a second iteration.

[Mike Y]

Now I dry fit soaked planks using a paper clips, they dry overnight, and next evening I glue them. One pair of planks per day, but turned out to be easier then bending and drying!

 

 

Dont forget to put some scrapmpieces between the clip and the plank, otherwise it will leave an ugly traces. Soaked basswood is much softer then I thought

Edited January 11, 2014 by Mike Y

[Mike Y]

Slowly moving, not sanding the hull yet (sonce planks are really small), so sorry for bad surface and glue stains.
One side looks ok, while other side is too much bent. Was always trying to keep the hull symmetrical, but failed. Probably its not fixable, except replanking from the scratch. Any kind of stealer plank would be too visible. But now I gained a lot of experience how to plank it. Maybe strip it totally, remove all planks and plank with boxwood, because now I know how?

Good side:


Bad side:

Edited April 14, 2014 by Mike Y

[Mike Y]

Installed gardboard planks. That was quite easy, but more time-consuming then regular planks.

Result on a "good" side:

Gap for remaining planks is quite consistent, looks ok.

And here is the other, "bad" side. Planks are overtapered on this side.

The gap is widening closer to the front part of the hull.
Will try to slowly fill it by a weirdly shaped remaining planks, let's see if it is fixable, or I will need to tear down the whole side of the ship and re-plank.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Mike Y

[Chuck]

That looks very good.  Well done.

 

Chuck

[Mike Y]

Thanks, Chuck! Really looking forward for a hull "birth", when it would be sanded and frame fillers removed

[Mike Y]

Installing final planks. Gaps for remaining plank have a bit different width, so on one side I will have two thin planks based on regular strips, and one other side - one plank made from a wider strip.
Shaped that strip, bit after soaking it obviously become larger and do not fit into the gap anymore. Another illustration why one shoild never glue soaked planks :

Edited April 14, 2014 by Mike Y

[Mike Y]

Yahoo! Finished the hull planking!

Looks ugly before sanding:

 

(Yes, wood is of different color, no more basswood!)

 

But much better after sanding:

 

 

Final sanding would be done after a treenails imitation. Planks are quite thin, dont want to sand them too much

 

Now it really feels like a boat!

[BRiddoch]

Mike,

     I am following your build closely as this model is next in line for me.  Quick observation, after looking at the instructions, I was under the impression that the top 2 planks were to extend beyond the transom.

 

                       Bob R.

[Mike Y]

Bob, you are right. I just decided to drop that "false transom", don't like how it looks

 

Also, since the "natural color" of basswood turned out to be quite pale, and different planks have different colors - will stain it a bit.

[Mike Y]

Slowpoke detected, it is me!

I was sure that MS pinnace is the same as MS longboat, but without masts. MS website promise that lengtth is equal. But, no! I had a growing suspicion, hey, longboats in other build logs looks shorter then mine, thy is it soooooo long?

 

It looks like Pinnace is a stretched longboat, 24 frames instead of 16.

 

Which gives me around thousand treenails, if i use "two treenails per frame per plank" pattern. That is a hell lot of toothpics! But looks like I have no choice.

 

Sanding cant fix all planking mistakes, if you dont want to have a holes in the hull:

 

Wide stealer plank is better then two thin straler planks, but worse then a properly precalculated evenly sized planks

Edited January 27, 2014 by Mike Y

[Mike Y]

Bob, your model is one of the cutiest! If you dont mind, can I steal your treenail pattern? It is the best!

[BRiddoch]

No problem.  I was going for cutiest.

 

    Bob R.

[BRiddoch]

Mike,

      The length of the Longboat includes the bow sprit.

 

                   Bob R.

[Mike Y]

Time for a warm lamp light!

Very easy to mark treenai holes with a small spotlight. Planks are thin and frames are neatly highlighted

[Mike Y]

Treenail imitation in progress. It turned out to be faster then I thought, average speed is about a hundred nails per hour, including drilling. Holes are 0.60mm, I did a series of tests on scrap planks, 0.60 is the best looking compromise. 0.70 too big, while 0.50 is too tight, a lot of glue is not getting into the hole, some nails fall off.

 

 

Nice hedgehog

 

The trickiest part would be cutting off the toothpics and remainings of glue, with a very little sanding. Some planks are too thin after previous hull sanding..

Hobby knife should do the trick!

[42rocker]

Very Interesting idea with the light and the hedgehog is cute.

 

Later Tim

[Mike Y]

Here is how shaved hedgehog could look like:

 

This dremel nylon disk brush turned out to be really good tool to remove remainings of the glue:

 

Example:

[Mike Y]

Treenailed one side of the ship. Will do same for other side, and then polish and then cover with wipe-on poly.

Question: what is the best way to polish basswood?

Tried a smooth sandpaper, then scraping with sharp blade, still not smooth enough, wood fibers are poking in various directions. Is there any trick? Maybe I should make it a bit wet and the polish? What about different polishing wool or cotton disks that are used with dremel, can you use them with wood?