18th century English Longboat by Chuck - FINISHED - c.1760

[Chuck]

I would like to think so...by leaps and bounds.  But you should get an impartial opinion from the many customers who use my blocks and rope.  

[Nirvana]

I think I am one of many that can vouch for the quality of Chucks products.

So much better than what is provided in the kit.

It's time to make another order from Chuck.

[jonny.amy]

I have been told by my girlfriend (the Admiral) that I am not to start the kit until I have finished Sherbourne, and we have let our new addition (a Cocker Spaniel puppy)settle in to the house for at least a month. So I won't require the blocks straight away, but I will definitely replace them.

 

I will look at the parts list and the parts required tonight, and get back to you soon.

 

Before I go ordering anything, I just want to clarify that you can ship to the UK?

 

Cheers

Jonny

[Chuck]

I will ship anywhere in the world....

 

 You will need

 

 

1 pack of 3/32" singles

1 pack of 1/8 singles

 

1 pack of .008 tan

1 pack of .012 tan 

1 pack of .018 black

1 pack of .012 black

1 pack of .008 black

 

 

Chuck

[jonny.amy]

Thanks Chuck, I had just got to checking the parts list online.

 

I will hopefully be pacing the order soon.

 

Jonny

[Nirvana]

I have a question regarding the hull planking material. After reading build logs on this site, I was expecting these planks to be 1/32 inches thick ( 0.8 millimetres in our units). The planks I have received are 0.02 inches thick ( 0.5 mm)

 

Tony, I was surprised reading your question and found the measures in mm.

I knew UK has been going through a "metrication" which started a long time and I thought the program stalled. Some reading later and I found the opposite. Seems like one of very few areas in UK using Imperial units is the speed limits on the road.

 

Chuck, how hard would it be to have the metric measurement in future instructions along with a secondary imperial. I think most of us builder are very used to the metric. I enjoy building this little boat.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Nirvana

[jhanson]

Thanks Chuck,

I just started this build and ordered today blocks, rope and planking from you and others. I just realized I have two of these kits so I'm considering building one as purchased and one with updated components. I will most likely donate one somewhere for a community benefit. I will try to start a build log but my camera skills are very limited. I only have my tablet and I'm not sure of the resolution. This looks like a really nice kit and I'm anxious to get both of them going. I have the first one to the point of having the bulkheads faired and I'm waiting for the new planking material. I really appreciate the effort you have put forth to put these kits and instructions together. You have given me inspiration to develop my skills in this hobby.

 

Thank You

 

John

[PAnderson]

Hello Chuck,

I am in the process of building this kit. What a joy so far. But I have run into a small problem. Because the mast is painted black in all of the pictures and the plans don't show it, I need to see the relationship of the upper bands on the mast to the shives I drilled into the mast. Where are the bands located relative to the shives. Can you help please?

 

Paul

[Chuck]

Its really difficult for me to say other than to measure from the plans.   Did your kit come with the plans.  You should be able to measure from the sheave holes to where the bands are located.

[Chuck]

See attached....sheet two.

 

 

26ftlaunchsheettwo.pdf

[PAnderson]

Yeah, I should have checked that sheet. My bad. Thanks Chuck.

 

One thing I noticed too is that my plans are out of scale by a large amount. If I hold my boat against the main plan view, the boat, from transom to the tip of the bow, is about 1/4" longer than the plans. Is this a printing error from Model Expo?

[Chuck]

Probably....or the parts were cut wrong.   Just measure the scale bar on the plans.  Each segment should be 1/4" long.

[Etcher]

This kit is on my Christmas wish list!

[PAnderson]

Then may your Christmas wishes come true.

[Turatopgun]

Thank you for a beautiful boat.  I am just starting out and feel somewhat beaten already as I am attempting to build a ship as my first model (it was given to me  by my son so I have to make it. Wish me luck and a lot of patience.

[JDClark]

Probably most of you know this, but the Model Shipways Longboat kit is available on Model Expo's eBay store for $19.99 + s&h ($10 US, $16 Canada, $22 World). It's part of their promotions to get people building wooden kits.  Think I'll use the plans and laser cut parts from the kit, and replace the rest with Crown Timberyard wood, and Chuck's rigging items.

[J T Lombard]

JD

Which upgrade kit would be easier to work with the boxwood or swiss pear?

 

regards

 

J

[Burroak]

J I think the main difference in the two woods you mentioned would be the color. The pear wood is a little darker

 

Greg H.

[Nirvana]

J,

When it comes to wood upgrade. I think most of us went with the boxwood, this including me. Very nice wood to work with.

[JDClark]

J,

Both are good to work with. I might choose Pear, just to have something that is different than most.

[J T Lombard]

Thanks all for your opinions.

 

regards

 

J

[JDClark]

Time to vent. I received the Longboat kit from Model Expo today. The quality of the kit does a major injustice to Chuck's design work, and his modeling skills.

 

I had already planned on using just the laser cut frames from the kit, and replacing everything else. I have already received Chuck's blocks and rope, and was going to order the wood from Crown. If you look at this photo of the laser cut parts, you can see that even they are not usable. Notice how wide the kerf (laser cutting line) is. It should be no wider than the scribed bearding line, or at the very most, the width of the lines making up the letter "A". The width of a laser beam, when properly focused, is 0.005". I measured the kerf lines in the kit, and they are around 0.040", eight times wider than they should be. Whoever set this up for cutting, failed to focus before running the parts. I have had a laser for 18 years, and this is unacceptable work. I could redraw the parts from the plan sheet in the kit, and cut them myself, but it's too bad I have to. 

 

If I can trace over the kit plans accurately enough, I'll recut the frames and keel parts, but even the drawings are printed in a low resolution, so the lines aren't crisp.

 

Fussy, right? Just very disappointed in the kit. I'm glad I got this on ME's eBay site as a promotion for $19.99, instead of the $69.99 regular price. Basically it's $20 for the drawings.

 

John

 

[Chuck]

Indeed that is awful laser cutting.  With Basswood the kerf should be very very thin......not much power is needed to cut through that stuff as it is only 1/16" thick.   Too bad.

[Nirvana]

John,

That is bad laser cutting.

ME should sent you a new kit.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Nirvana

[GuntherMT]

I'd certainly ask them for a replacement.  The laser-cut basswood parts in my USN Picket Boat kit have a kerf so thin that my #11 X-acto blade won't fit into it.

 

This made me curious, so I pulled my long boat kit off the shelf, and this is what it looks like:

 

 

Notice how much crisper the corners are compared to yours.  Call them and ask for a replacement.

 

[Nirvana]

I'd certainly ask them for a replacement.  The laser-cut basswood parts in my USN Picket Boat kit have a kerf so thin that my #11 X-acto blade won't fit into it.

 

This made me curious, so I pulled my long boat kit off the shelf, and this is what it looks like:

 

laserkerf.jpg

 

Notice how much crisper the corners are compared to yours.  Call them and ask for a replacement.

 

Just look at the identification letter "A"

[Nirvana]

Indeed that is awful laser cutting.  With Basswood the kerf should be very very thin......not much power is needed to cut through that stuff as it is only 1/16" thick.   Too bad.

Chuck,

I just wondered if a laser cutting is so bad, would it be possible for us to get help through you?

In such scenario as above I would be really happy to pay you for the cost to get it done properly.

Just a question....

Edited April 27, 2016 by Nirvana

[Chuck]

Well.....that would probably be right on the line of of copyright issues....

 

BUT,  if you guys can wait a bit,  I plan on coming out with a 1/2" scale version of a longboat kit that is a bit more advanced.  The shallop is being done first however.   It will be framed similar but with both futtocks and floors like a contemporary model.  Plus after learning a bit more and tweaking the design concept somewhat,  many other improvements were made.  Its basically taking the design concept to the next level.

[JDClark]

The difference in "A's" is interesting. The one on the set of frames in my kit takes maybe a quarter of the time to scribe with the laser as the other block type, so that's probably why they changed it. That is the default basic text style in AutoCAD.

 

Even the kerf in Brian's kit looks too wide, however. As Chuck said, bass wood is soft, and easily cut by a laser, so the cut lines should be thinner than in either of our kits, and without so much charring. I used to cut bass wood parts for model railroad kits that were up to 5/16" thick, and the edges were a caramelized brown, not black. The thinner stuff, like in these kits, was a light brown, with a very thin kerf. The black charring indicates an out of focus laser beam.  

 

It's possible they are not refocusing when they change materials on their laser table. Just guessing, however. 

 

John

Edited April 27, 2016 by JDClark

[Roubaix]

Hi Chuck,

 

I plan to start on this 18th century long boat kit purchased from ModelExpo in 2015. It's a great kit. The instructions are very detailed and easy to understand. 

 

http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MS1457

 

The kit has a mast and rigging details. It's a simple kit. Now, I wonder if it's possible to add sails to this model. I want to learn how to sew sails. However, there's no sail shape templates and rigging details on the plans. So what would you recommend?

 

Thank you.

 

RB