Sloup by Dee_Dee - Corel - 1:25 Based on 'Bergere de Domremy / Shepherdess from Domremy

[Dee_Dee]

Thanks for stopping by my Corel Sloup build log.

The first photo shows the current status of my build and will be updated as the build progresses.

 

 

Corel missed the boat (pun intended) with labeling this model as 'Sloop'.  IMHO, there would be more interest if the kit was marketed as 'Sloup Coquillier / Shell fish Sloop'.  The Sloop Coquillier is a celebrated work boat with a long history from the coast of Brtittany, France, to the shores of the UK and beyond. 

 

From Corel's instructions:  The "sloup coquillier" was a boat typical of the Anchorage of Brest, in the Department on Finistere in Brittany (on the north-west coast of France), used to collect shellfish, in particular Saint Jacques shells ("Pecten Jacobaeus, the Venetian "Cape Sante"), and, to a lesser extent, oysters and other types of shell fish.  Attributable to the vast range of French boats with "cul carre" and "quille tombante" (square bow and strongly sloping keel), the sloup, like all popular boats, was the result of a complex historical evolution and structural adjustment to uses and environments.  The hull, little immersed and rather full astern, proceeding from the main frame towards bow, gradually took on a deep, net hollow V-section, culminating in the peak fishing point.  

 

Going forward, I will refer to this build as the 'coquillier' (AKA oyster smack.)  

 

The obligatory kit info: 

 

With no burn marks on the keel or bulkheads, it appears these were machine / die cut.  The quality is very good and these parts fit snug.

 

The quality of Corel lumber is a bit above average.  The first layer of planking is lime wood, a bit nicer than basswood. The second planking is tanganika and most of the dimensional lumber is beech.  The decking is plywood and appears to be mahogany, it's excellent quality and very flat.            

 

Corel instructions assume that the builder has some experience.  While there are 11 pages of instructions, (two pages / sheet), after removing the 'fluff', we're down to about two pages.  But the lack of instructions is more than made up for with the four sheets of drawings that progress in a logical manner.  The drawings are very detailed, contain a wealth of information and numerous part specific detailed drawings.      

 

 

I'm looking forward to building this boat and learning more about its history. 

 

Dee Dee

 

Edited on 8-3-2014 to update photos with ©

Edited July 12 by Dee_Dee

[Dee_Dee]

RESEARCHING INFORMATION

 

Chapelle's book was invaluable to build the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack and I spent many hours researching the build.  Uhmm, maybe I need to plan a trip to Brittany to do some research......    

 

I found this drawing of a hull that is very similar to the coquillier. This coquillier is about a foot longer than the MBLS, however the beam is almost two feet wider.  This drawing also shows one way to build the bow sprit, sliding through an opening in the hull and pinned to the samson post and ideas for accessing the fish wells and fore deck storage.  Also shows the use of belay pins, which I prefer.  Oh, so many changes I need to start planning for.  

 

Another way to do the bowsprit is an iron ring attached to the bow stem.

This photo is from Sophie's Maze's blog.  Sophie has numerous fantastic photos of various boats and great information in her blog from the area of Brittany.  I highly recommend visiting Sophie's blog.    

From   https://sophie-g.net/photo/bret/brest/bergere13.htm      Lot's of good photos and fantastic stories about the region.

 

 

I found numerous photos in this blog that show lots of little details.  Please visit this link for more photos.   

http://www.laroyale-modelisme.net/t9662-la-bergere-de-domremy    

 

Fore deck detail, the bowsprit slides through an iron ring attached to the stem and is anchored to the bow thwart.  The bitts on the kit drawing are 3" x 3", this photo confirms these are oversized.

 

 

There are two pieces of wood on the bow thwart that are used to anchor the bow sprit.  Need to find an photo that shows how the ropes were used to secure the bowsprit. 

 

 

You can see some latches on the doors to access the rear deck storage. These cockpit deck planks appear to be about 6" wide.   

 

The bow sprit, a couple of pairs of oars and the tiller being stored on top of the dinghy.  The cockpit decking shows a seam underneath the thwart.  

 

 

This photo shows how the hull cleats for the halyards were made and used.  This boat is a lot longer and shows the height of the free board and again, you can see the size of the foredeck planking.  That 'telephone pole' is the bow sprit.  

This photo from 'Boating in Brittany', located in Brest, France, they offer sailing classes on these classic boats. 

Find more information here:  http://nautismebretagne.fr/fr/pages/detail/603/229/

 

The history of these boats are celebrated at various festivals, such as the Breast and Douarnenez Festivals.  I need to find and add some photos from these festivals to show the various paint schemes.  

 

Need to go through the prints and decide on some of the changes I'll be making and start building.  

 

Thanks for stopping by

 

Dee Dee 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Dee_Dee

[hexnut]

Looking forward to watching this one develop.

I just did a quick keyword web and image search for: "coquillier en fête" , there are some pretty cool paint jobs.  I also like the flair of some of the bow registration numbers. 

This should make a great model, thanks for sharing!

[captainbob]

I'm pulling up my easy chair for this build.  Should be fun.

 

Bob

[Griffon]

I will follow your progress. I really like the pictures you add to your build log.

 

Seem to be a nice boat.

 

Ben

[Dee_Dee]

Bob,

I really like these boats, they are like a living history that is celebrated.  I definitely plan on adding the bow registration numbers.  Most likely, the hull will be black, with a blue two tone cockpit and maybe a highlight strip, but I do like those red decks.  But there's a lot to do before I get to the painting.  

 

Bob,

Glad to have you following, I've learned so much following your Lettie G. Howard build.  

 

Ben,

Welcome aboard.  I like to do a lot of research about the boat I'm building, reading, photos, the photos in the above post were from a French blog.  So, there will be lots of photos!  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Dee Dee

[Dee_Dee]

And the build begins!

 

First part to be added to the false keel was the bow filler.  The leading edge was faired for added glue surface for the planking.

  

 

 

Bulkheads #3, 4 and 5 were added using blocks to keep them square.  The cockpit false decking is integrated with the 5th thru 9th bulkhead, so these were all fitted as one and then glued.   The false deck made it easy to make sure the bulkheads were square and level. 

 

The false decking has tabs that fit into #5 and #9 bulkheads.  

 

Forward false decking tab

 

Aft false decking tab

 

Cover photo from the kit box.  

 

 

Before I start the planking, I need to do some planning and make final decisions on the changes I want to make and when I need to make them. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, comments and suggestions are welcome. 

 

Dee Dee

Edited October 22, 2021 by Dee_Dee

[egkb]

Hey there Dee_Dee.. looks like I caught this build almost from the Get Go !!  she is indeed a smashing looking boat with a small Beam to Length ratio which isn't readily apparent from the kit box photo (am judging it from the photo you popped in showing the Deck pieces laid out on top of the plan) seem to have an almost Galway Hooker or Kinsale Hooker profile (I always preferred the Kinsale version  the Galway always looked brutish by comparison)

Looking forward to what you are going to do with this sweet little boat!

 

All The Best

 

Eamonn

 

BTW .. Sails or No Sails ?

[Azzoun]

Great Pics Dee-Dee, looking forward to watching this build.  

[timo4352]

I'll be on board for this build too. It's a neat looking boat. I should've got it when it went on sale recently, but it'll come around again. I hope.

[Dee_Dee]

Thank Crackers. 

This is the only project I have going.  

 

Eamonn

Yep, you're in from the Get Go!  Welcome aboard!

You are spot on the coquille is similar to the Galway and Kinsale Hooker.  So far, the major difference I see is the sides of hull on the Galway and Kinsale Hooker curve inboard, whilst the sides of the coquille are vertical.  Here are some prints from the Galway and Kinsale Hooker. 

 http://www.tradboats.ie/index.php

 

 

 

Sails?  Yes, I will be adding sails.  The coquille kit came with sails, but they are not the best quality, so I will make my own.          

 

 

Josh,  thanks for stopping by.  Hope the house hunting in the Big Easy is going well.  From New Jersey to the Big Easy, that is definitely a 'Culture Shock!'   The boats of the

 

Check out Russ' scratch build Biloxi Schooner.   

 

 

Thanks again for stopping by

 

Dee Dee  

Edited February 9, 2016 by Dee_Dee

[Dee_Dee]

Finally figured out the major changes I'll be making in this build

 

Single Planked - This is a no brainer  I'll use the kit supplied lime wood, which is a bit heavier / harder than basswood.  My goal:  NO FILLER ALLOWED!  So I will need to take my time with each plank to get it right.  And if it's not right, well, I will just have to do it over!  (Fingers crossed!)

 

Bowsprit - Definitely will add a bowsprit using the black iron ring mounted on the bow stem and anchored on the bow thwart.  The back end of the bow sprit is square, and fits between two pieced of wood mounted on the bow thwart.  A rope runs through the bowsprit to anchor it to the thwart.  In post #2 (above), in the 6th photo, you can see the squared end of the bowsprit and the two pieces of wood on the bow thwart.

 

Transom Height - In the kit, the top of the transom is at the same height as the cap rail.  In post #2, the 5th photo, you can see the top of the transom is 5-6" higher than the cap rails.  This looks much nicer.  I'll build this up in layers.   

 

Access door under rear deck

This photo gives a great view of the hinged doors to access storage under the rear deck. 

This photo is copyright protected, so please copy and paste this link.  Really nice photo! http://www.pbase.com/image/65376766

However, to do these, I will most likely need to extend the length of the rear deck.  Currently, it measures 40", but thinking I might lengthen it a bit, or raise it.  ..... or neither and just install the doors.  

 

Access hatch on fore deck

This is another copyright protected photo of the same boat and another really nice photo:  http://www.pbase.com/debetencourt/image/65376767

This one shows some nice details of the rigging.  At the bottom of the mast and to the right, there appears to be some type of hardware that might be the access to the storage under the fore deck.  So, humm, an opportunity to add detail.   

 

Fish wells

In this same photo, you can there is a definite split on the cockpit decking.  The instructions for these boards are sort of goofy, but the prints show that after the decking is done, add 3 planks at 90*, but do not glue them down.  I'll scan the drawing when I get there and hopefully someone else will know or have a better idea. 

 

Cleats - The kit came with 12" long, metal cleats and all of the lines were tied off on a cleat.  These cleats are so big, they remind me of clown shoes, you know, about 7" too long!   But no metal cleats allowed on this build.  Instead, I will use belaying pins or wooden cleats as shown in the photos above.  (Yeah!  I finally have a reason to order something from Model Expo and I can finally get the 5mm cleats I need to finish my MBLS!)

 

So, those are the changes I've decided on so far, there may be more.  Since none of these changes are impacted by the planking, I can finish off adding the transom, fore and aft false decking and start planking! 

Yeah! 

 

Thanks for stopping by, questions and comments are welcome!

 

Dee Dee

 

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Dee_Dee

[Azzoun]

It's going well, we put a deposit on a apartment with an attached garage so I'm excited to set up a shipyard there. And between you, me and MSW, I'm secretly hoping my job search takes a while so I can spend my days modeling and exercising, but don't tell wifey. But the people are incredibly nice here, I'm liking it here. Tonight entertainment is a Jazz cruise on the Steam stern wheeling riverboat Natchez on the Mississippi, should be fun.

Edited May 22, 2014 by azzoun

[egkb]

Thanks for the Hooker info Dee_Dee, I was thinking strongly of doing a scratch Kinsale sometime in near future (have a few kits to get through first though   )

 

All The Best

 

Eamonn

[Dee_Dee]

Eamon,

 

This is where I got the info for on the Kinsale.  This books sounds really fascinating.  Check out all the various publications under the publication tab.   

http://www.tradboats.ie/index.php

 

Dee Dee

[egkb]

Thanks Dee_Dee, I have that book, friend of mine (Since passed away) did some of the Drafting Lines for it, and another did one of the sections in it (The Arklow Yawl, sadly not a pretty boat, very high freeboard which ruins the lines   )  I was on that web site a while back and got plans re the Kinsale (and had them scaled to be able to do a build directly from them) but hadn't seen the ones you discovered! 

 

Thanks again for the info !

 

Best of Luck

 

Eamonn

[Bindy]

Is there room for one more?

 

This looks like an interesting build!  Thank you for the information and pics so far, particularly those relating to the research.  It makes it all come to life!

[Dee_Dee]

Bindy,  

 

There is always room for one more, especially You!  My interest is building working boats and learning everything about that boat, including recipes for today's catch!  Yum!  

 

Take care and let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.    

 

Dee Dee

[Azzoun]

You've been quickly turning my attention to working boats, tugs have always held my fascination.  I saw plenty this past week!

[Dee_Dee]

Josh

 

What I like about working boats are the stories they tell, about the people that work on them and the people who live in the small towns along the coast.  Tugs are cool boats, they all do the same thing, but yet, they are so different, pending where they ply their trade.  Have you seen Russ' scratch build of a Biloxi Schooner?  Russ has done a few other working boats from the Biloxi area and his build logs are fascinating reads.    

 

Dee Dee

[Dee_Dee]

Normally, between build posts, I like to accomplish more than I have with this post, (adding just one plank.)  However, I came across something that is so "WOW?" and wanted to share with you.  Whilst this is a bit long, if your planning on building this boat, you might find this helpful.     

 

The transom height is one of the planned changes, so before I glued the transom, I layered on a piece of 1/32" birch plywood.  I glued the transom to the false keel and started playing with the first plank and fitting it along the tops of the bulkheads.  For some reason, it just did not look right. 

 

This construction drawing shows the first plank following the tops of the bulkheads, even spacing between the top plank and each deck and the top of the plank level with the top of the transom.  It wasn't happening, not even close. 

 

 

I did some comparison measuring of the blue print of the distance from the top of the decking to the top of the top of the top plank and some variances showed up.  The blue numbers are measurements in mm from the blue print.  The red numbers show what the measurements would be if the top plank was aligned with the top of the bulkheads.  With the exception of the aft deck (5.0 vs 3.3), it doesn't look like a lot of variance, but it all compounds and there is no way to get that even spacing. 

 

(Please note:  I made an oops with the bow deck actual, the 8.1 should be 7.5)  

 

It took a while, but I finally figured out how to resolve.  The critical section is the cockpit and that distance measures 19mm at each bulkhead.  Since the planking is 5mm wide, I measured up from the top deck 14.5mm (0.5mm fudge factor) and marked off where the bottom of the first plank would line up with.  This line was carried forward to the bow deck and aft to the aft deck.  This will make more sense with pictures. 

 

This first photo shows how short the cockpit bulkheads are.  The first plank was glued on with an even spacing for the length of the entire deck.  (I wanted to raise this plank another couple of mm, but the bulkhead in the middle only half of the plank is attached to it.)    

 

Here's the bow and the even spacing continues, the top of the deck is 8" below the top of the plank.  The cap rail will add another 2".     

 

The fore deck and main deck

 

Well, it looks like I didn't need to add the extension to the transom!  The extension is 10mm and was planning to take it down to 3".  It's only 1/32" thick, so I will just leave it on and make adjustments with the thickness of the transom planking.

 

 

This may not seem like a big deal, but it will be a big deal when I start adding the inner planking.    

 

Thanks for stopping by and wading through this long post.

 

Dee Dee

Edited January 1, 2016 by Dee_Dee

[Azzoun]

ha - you're going to make me feel self conscious about my "long posts" - i get a little chatty sometimes with mine

[Dee_Dee]

Did it work?   

Your chatty posts are fun to read, this one is just on one tiny little detail.  Anyway, don't you have some homework to do?  ha ha! 

[Azzoun]

I'm tired of homework, I'm doing now.  Trying to establish and mask off a waterline right now on the Sharpie, needed to touch up a spot, waiting for paint to dry.

[Dee_Dee]

I've made some progress, so it's time for an update!  

 

The Corel instructions / prints are, shall we say, a bit less than vague about the top plank, garboard strake and planking.  So I made my plan for the planking and got started.  Before I added the first plank, I defined the line where the planking needs to land on the keel.  After the first plank, the garboard strake was added.  This was an adventure, as every mm of this strake needed to be shaped to get it to fit tight against the keel.  The first five planks and the garboard strake are smack dab on the line.  

 

I'm using the fan / tick method for planking and decided on 20 total planks per side.  I made tick marks on the port side, the planks taper from 2.3mm at the bow, to 5mm at bulkhead #7. So far, the planks are hitting the targeted tick marks and landing on the line.  The blue tape around the stem is to protect it from getting banged up.  To protect the keel from getting banged up, I added a 1/64" / 0.4mm strip of walnut.  

 

In my last post, I mentioned how the instructions / construction drawing do not match the blue print.  The planks taper from 2.3mm at the bow to 5mm at the 7th bulkhead.  I'm thinking it is possible to plank with the first four planks being straight as shown in the drawings / prints:  The number of total planks at the bow would drop from 20 total to 16-17 with 2-3 stealers.  But stealers are not shown on the prints.......   

 

 

In this photo, you can see the top plank run back to the transom.  The tops of the bulkheads will be removed when the planking is completed, so I'm trying my best to use minimal glue on the bulkheads.  

 

Like the garboard strake, the last plank added in this photo had to make a 90* turn, but this one was a bit easier since I had 2.5" / 65mm to make the turn.  

 

If I was to start over, here are some changes I would make:  (Hey!  I like doing the research and I want to make it right!) 

-Currently the cockpit floor is 23" below the top of the cap rail. The top plank and the decking need to be raised / dropped to increase this height closer to 36". 

            Remake all of the bulkheads/keel and increase the height 5-8" to raise the top plank. 

            Drop the height of the cockpit floor 5-10".  I'm thinking for the reason the current cockpit floor height is due to the false

            framing that is added after the bulkheads are removed.  But that would be an easy fix. 

            The transom would also need to be raised.  

-Make a rabbit in the keel for the garboard and bow planking. 

-Add a rabbit on the stern edge of the keel.  I'll add the rabbit above the garboard strake and the garboard strake will need some major reshaping.

-The first planking is 5mm x 1.5mm, 4mm would have been better.  The second planking is 6mm, if I was doing a second planking, I would replace it with 4mm. 

 

I'm definitely enjoying this build.  The planking is going well, but I'm not taking any chances!  After I add 3 or 4 more planks, I'll re-do all the measurements and make any adjustments.  Even though the hull will be painted, I want the hull planking to shine through the paint. 

I like the quality of the wood in this Corel kit!  All of the strip stock is straight and nicely finished.  Also the plywood for the decking was flat (unlike the decking for another kit on the shelf.)      

 

SO!  That's where I'm at and I'm really liking this build! 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome. 

 

Dee Dee    

Edited January 1, 2016 by Dee_Dee

[egkb]

Sweet looking planking going on there Dee_Dee , plenty of twists and turns involved  (just like a good book eh   )

 

Stay Well

 

Eamonn

[Dee_Dee]

Eamonn,

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Good catch sighting Andy trying to slink thru Montreal during the F1.   

 

I just finished the thriller called "As the Plank Snaps!"  In the stillness of the evening the next plank is being added.  The quiet was broken with a loud and distinctive "SNAP!".  Yep!  the  starboard plank #5 snapped off aft of the 8th bulkhead, right where it makes a twist and edge bend.  Oh fiddle stixs!  But, there was a happy ending!  It's fixed and it adds a little character to the hull!

 

Now I'm trying to figure where / why these black lines are appearing on the edges of the planks.  It looks like a gap between the planks, but the planks fit very tight.  In the second photo, you can see the snug fit on the ends of the planks.  It's not causing any problems, just curious.

 

 

After I add three more planks, I'll start planking up from the garboad strake.  

 

Back to the ship yard!

 

Dee Dee

Edited January 1, 2016 by Dee_Dee

[M. Pajulahti]

Hi DeeDee,

What an interesting build. I've build Corel's Flattie, and it's great to see how different those little boats really are. Great work so far!

Markku

[egkb]

Dee_Dee, my Ballahoo hull has a lot of ahem 'Character' too...      I seem to recall reading that book too and the follow up's called 'The Plank Cracked' (think Hitchcock was involved with this one) and the equally great 'Brokeplank Mountain'...     ^_^    

 

Looking Good by the way!

 

Stay Well

 

Eamonn

[JesseLee]

I agree it adds character

Edited June 10, 2014 by JesseLee