Charles W Morgan Whaleboat by Salty Sea Dog - Artesania Latina - Scale 1:25 - POF - first wooden boat build - SMALL

[themadchemist]

Southern IL was hit extremely hard by the family farm meltdown. I knew families personally the were helped financially from Willie's Farm Aid. I my book Willie is my kinda person. Your lucky to have met and worked with him.

[NAZGÛL]

Id love to see that Golden Hind getting built next.

 

Looking at your pics, I think you are underestimating your skills. Myself I can only build what I feel strong passion for, so I cant really chose whats next. 

 

 

/Matti

Now that's funny!

 

I was going to wait until later, but these are the 4 kits in the running for the next build. I would appreciate opinions on what you all think I should tackle next. I was thinking about progressively working through more difficult projects, but the Golden Hind would be a jump to the deep end instead of wading through less complicated builds first. Dirk's (Dubz) Revenue Cutter Alert build has me pretty excited about the Dallas though... 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/700-usrc-alert-by-dubz-revenue-cutter-done/

I really like the trawler and the pinky but the Golden Hind would be a more useful 'stepping stone' to develop the skills that would be needed on the Wasa. So which should it be?

 

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[md1400cs]

Buck,

 

I'm a bit late to the party, but I side with the Golden Hind crowd. A great stepping stone for the Wasa. The GH will let you explore painting details which the GH certainly has. I also agree with the group that says that you are ready for a bit "deeper end". Your skills, and attention to detail are "way up there". My brother has the GH, though he never started it. I've seen the kit. Piece of cake for your skill set. And it is closer to a Wasa type compared to your other available choices.

 

Many of us will look forward to your new build log, whatever you decide to launch next.

 

 

Regards,

 

Michael

[Salty Sea Dog]

Sorry for the delay in posting. Last week was hectic and expensive. The 50 gallon 12-year gas water heater started leaking at, you guessed it, 12 years. It about killed me getting the old one out of the basement! All 3 dogs needed to get updated on all their shots, exams and rabies tags, and my front tire got a bulge in the sidewall and needed replacing. Been doing a lot of yard work too and have been busy at work. Still, it's all good and I'm happy to be working on the boat again. 

 

I decided that the finish was too uneven in the grooves of the wales and sanded the whole thing and lightly scraped the grooves with a razor blade. Wet-sanded the worst areas with 400 grit and followed up with 600 grit. Then switched to 1500 grit and baby oil. I was tempted to leave it at that -it looked good. I decided to go gloss again and padded one coat on to seal it from handling because I decided to cut a centerboard slot. I may "cheat" and spray the last coats of shellac rather than French Polish them to get a nicer coverage in the groves.

 

Matti and Michael and others - Thanks for your input for my next build. I will be building the Golden Hind next but eyeing the stern of the Eagle as a possible side build after the dinghy.

 

Keith - We haven't heard from you in a while and I hope you are well and just busy in your gardens. Sending healing thoughts your way since you were having a rough spell last we heard. Take care my friend.

 

JP- I performed an experiment and had some Shiner Bock and then played guitar. I think I sounded better!

[Salty Sea Dog]

11) Centerboard

 

This whaleboat kit has a large centerboard case but the plans and instructions make no mention about the actual centerboard. Looking at the Model Shipways plans for the New Bedford Whaleboat, I compared its centerboard length to the overall boat length and using that proportion, decided my whaleboat's centerboard should be a hair over 2" long. The keel is about .150" thick and I planed down a piece of mahogany until it looked about the right thickness for a centerboard (.070").

 

I love using a handplane and any excuse to use one is a good one. I use a bench hook to plane, saw and chisel small pieces. This hook uses a 2x4 front edge and a paint stick as a fence that are fastened with countersunk screws. To plane pieces thinner than the paint stick, you can use a thin sheet of wood as an 'auxiliary' fence. When taking very thin cuts, I skew the plane at about the angle shown.

 

Being a handplane junkie, I can't look at this without grinning! Full length tissue thin (less than .002”) curls! The large pores in mahogany make a Swiss cheese effect. Give me a beer and I could have fun just doing this for for a while.

 

I figured it would look better to make a slot in the keel for the centerboard rather than just glue it to the bottom of the keel. To start the slot in the bottom edge of the keel, I marked the start and end of the slot with tape and used a small-bladed marking gauge to score the sides of the slot.

 

A razor blade was modified with a Dremel cut-off wheel to make a scraper tooth slightly narrower than the centerboard so it would be less likely to chip the centerboard slot's edges.

 

A kerf was made in a scrap of wood with a razor saw and the razor blade was positioned so the tooth would be centered in the keel when the wood block was against the side of the keel. A clamp holds it in place. The grain in the wood scrap  is perpendicular to the kerf to get a better grip on the razor blade and avoid slippage. Some tape was wrapped around the other end of the exposed razor blade. I probably should have spent an extra minute looking for a longer scrap of wood. The contact face on the wood scrap was sanded smooth and rubbed with paste wax.

 

It worked pretty well. The razor blade tooth was stabbed into the ends of the slot to mark it off before scraping out the slot. I used the tip of the razor saw to further deepen the sides of the slot as it was carved out.

 

The finished slot.

 

So now I'm trying to figure out how far a centerboard would stick out. The one in the New Bedford Whaleboat sticks out really far leaving a gap above the back top edge. The keel on this AL kit is much taller than the keel of the NB whaleboat's, so with a pivot up in the centerboard case, I don't think there would be a gap. Maybe something like this?

 

I made a shorter centerboard because the other looked big. Is this too short?

 

 

Maybe something in between? Any comments would be welcome and appreciated.

In Chapelle's “American Small Sailing Craft”, Figures 15 & 16, he compares whaleboats from the the 1st half of the 19th century with the 2nd half. My AL kit looks more like an early one while the NB whaleboat looks like the later one. Supposedly the early ones had no centerboards....hmmm. The earlier whaleboat has a taller keel than the later one.

 

[augie]

Ok, I'll take the bait (and display my ignorance).

 

Wouldn't the centerboard only be deployed when under sail?  I'd think it would be tricky lowering it if being towed behind a leviathan!  And you've got a pretty substantial keel there.

 

That said, aesthetically I would think it would be good to show it's there and personally like the uppermost photo.  It adds that 'certain something' and you did one heck of a job on it.

[JPett]

Ahoy Buck

 

This from the guy who isn't ready. Your wood working skills are so far superior to mine it isn't even funny

 

Being a minimalist I would go with the just barely option. It might draw attention and prompt a question. Will it also be visiable on the inside.

 

PS: Nice post BTW

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Augie! Yes I beleive the centerboard would only be lowered while under sail. A lifting strap would pull it back into the centerboard case when using oars or during a Nantucket sleigh ride. After the whale tired and they finished it off, they could raise the mast and sail and lower the centerboard for the long journey back to the ship.

 

I think the keel (and definitely the prow and stern posts) are too wide. It would probably require making a new rudder to follow the shape of a thinned down stern post. Thinning the keel would make the half lap joints look off too. If I knew what I've learned since I made those parts back then I would have done them different. Thanks for the nice words!

 

Hi JP! The only thing visible from inside the boat will be a small hole towards the back of the centerboard case with a rod with a looped handle poking out of it. Thanks for the kind words!

[mtaylor]

Hi Buck,

 

Beautiful work on the planking.  And a great "how-to" on making the slot.   I'm with the others, just a hint of the centerboard to draw interest and show that it's there.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Mark!

Thanks for dropping by to my build log and your kind words! When you say a hint of the centerboard, do you mean less than my shorter version? Maybe just barely poking out and the lift strap fully exposed and laid flat atop the case?

[mtaylor]

Buck,

I'm thinking just about where you have it in the second photo, maybe a tad less.  And yes, the lift strap showing out the top of the case.  I think it depends on what you are using for a display stand.

[augie]

Well, it's unanimous.  Good conversation and a concensus!

 

Didn't mean to imply your keel was too thick.  Actually, I love it as is.  This is a skiff for trophy whales.

 

Just don't "Call me Ishmael" 

[Shazmira]

Beautiful work as always Buck, yes, I like the minimalist approach as well, the first photo to me, seems out of scale, my eye is drawn to the centerboard and I miss the rest of the gorgeous build. But that is just a girl's view of things.

So what is your next build btw, and do you have any others on here that I can look at? Your wood working skills are top notch so I wish to learn from one of the best.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Thanks Mark - I will make the 2nd one a tad shorter.

 

Augie- I guess I have just been thinking the keel was a little clunky. Trophy whales?  That would be one big fireplace to mount one above!

 

Robbyn - I think your view is right on target! Thanks for the awesome comments too. My next build will be Mamoli's Golden Hind and I don't have any other builds done. This is my first boat but I got a stack waiting!!   You have been flying through your build -the ratlines look great. To quote someone famous (Augie), I may not be that good, but I'm slow!

[NAZGÛL]

^{The finish is extremely nice, Buck! Im a fan of rough and dirty looks, but man, Im very impressed! Well done.}

 

^/Matti

Edited May 24, 2013 by NAZGÛL

[S.Coleman]

Doing great for your first build! Looks amazing.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Matti - I like the distressed look too and it is something I need to learn. I will be bugging you when I start experimenting with pastels and dry brushing.

 

Scott - Thanks for checking out my build and the kind words!

 

Best wishes,

[mtaylor]

Buck,

 

Check out Frank's (riverboat) build of the Supply. 

[Salty Sea Dog]

12) The Son of Making Little Stuff

 

Earlier I had mentioned the problems I was having with the soldered joints on the bands around the line tub barrels popping loose with changes in humidity. The wood would swell just enough to pop the bands which would fly off and hide. I could have switched to bands made of paper, but as my wife would tell you, “Stubborn” is my middle name. I don't know why she tells people this and she should know what my middle name really is after 27 years of marriage. Anyway, here's the fix. The bands were re-soldered and a hole was drilled for a brass nail to pin the joints. The nail and joint were soldered again.

 

The excess nail was trimmed off and the cut end was peened on my great big little anvil (it is being held down with a c-clamp). The anvil is from Model Expo and it has really been handy.

 

Knowing that the wood would swell again, a big relief hole and a relief cut parallel to the grain were made in the floor of each line tub. New cardboard floors were made.

 

The cardboard was painted and held with a drop of glue opposite the relief cut. My thought was that would allow the wood to move freely. This fix seems to be working, so last night I started coiling rope. I'm starting to like this rope stuff!

 

Best wishes,

 

[augie]

Perhaps 'tenacious' would be a better middle name ????

[JPett]

Ahoy "Tenacious B"

 

Are you using silver solder

[Salty Sea Dog]

JP- Just using regular solder. I don't have the equipment for silver soldering but I think it requires a torch. The bands were initially soldered while wrapped around the tubs and held with vise grips which would have been risky with a torch!

 

 

By the way, when you look up tenacious in the dictionary, isn't that a picture of you?

[Shazmira]

Great fix Buck, I think you got it nailed this time around!

[Ferit]

Hi Buck,

These are really the pieces of craftsmanship ...

[themadchemist]

Wow, lots going on over here, centerboard slot cutting, ring band soldering, rope coiling.....

It's good to be back around. Nice work Buck.

You mean the center board isn't gonna be working? I have a strange feeling the double dog dare may flash from somewhere over that one.

 

Seriously, nice work and congrats on the Golden Hind decision.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Keith! Really glad you're back! I feel like I'm doing a lot of little things but not getting much done. It's still a blast to work on though.

 

This one won't have a working centerboard. The centerboard case was constructed on top of the floor boards in this kit and the pivot would need to be lower than that because of the thickness of the keel. I guess if it was just a drop-in centerboard instead of a pivoting one...nah - I'm getting too fired up about the Golden Hind to back track now!

[themadchemist]

LOL

I had you thinking about it though

I dont know about you, but for me...sometimes the little details that take forever are the most gratifying. After all, its all in the details. I think either centerboard works, I think it really depends on the way you plan to mount her. A whale boat is such a great piece to use in a diorama.

 

I cant remember were I saw it, most likely an MSW builder, but Ive seen the mounting of one whale boat on the tail of a whale as it was trying to flip the boat. It was a great display piece.

[Salty Sea Dog]

I cant remember were I saw it, most likely an MSW builder, but Ive seen the mounting of one whale boat on the tail of a whale as it was trying to flip the boat. It was a great display piece.

 

I was blown away by that too! That was Scoot's New Bedford Whaleboat. He had a log on MSW1. There's a  pic in post #66 in the "Latest Full Profile Photograph" thread in the "General section. Very nice Scoot!

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1589-latest-full-profile-photograph-of-your-build/page-5

[Salty Sea Dog]

OK, I'm a goofball! I have never done modeling with threads before, but I'm grinning like an idiot. I know you more seasoned ship builders can do this stuff in your sleep but it's new to me and a challenge with my baseball mitt hands. I got in a little time with the boat last night and finished coiling the larger line tub and made an eye on one end. I've wrapped a whipping around the eye and made a practice becket knot to the eye. The smaller tub's line will tie with a becket knot to the eye of the big one.

 

The bosun inspecting the knots.

 

Question: Is there a better way to end whippings than just cutting off the excess and gluing the end down?

[Shazmira]

Buck, I use this method. Got it from someone in the rigging topic area

http://www.shakuhachi.com/Y-BindingRepair.html