18th Century Longboat by Ryland Craze - Model Shipways - 1:48

[Ryland Craze]

I thought I would give everybody an update as to where I stand on my Longboat.  A lot of good things have been going on in my life over the last three months and I just have not done much modeling on my Longboat. 

 

I was originally going to build my Longboat in basswood but made a decision that if I was going to spend the time on this excellent kit, why not upgrade the wood in the kit.  I got with Jeff Hayes at HobbyMill and placed an order for some boxwood.  This is what I received.

 

 

 

I probably could have ordered six less strips of the 1/8" wide boxwood as I cut the planks to an 8" length, so I was getting three planks per 24" strip of boxwood.  Here is a picture of my Longboat before I started planking.

 

 

I proceeded to install the two top strakes to define the sheer line and then I installed the garboard strake and one additional plank.  Then I started seeing other Longboat build logs and I carefully studied their garboard strakes.  I then realized that I had installed my garboard strake and the additional plank too far forward and was fearful that this would cause problems further on in the planking process.  I had installed these planks on both the port and starboard sides.  I carefully removed one side of the garboard strake and its companion plank and left the other side to do later after I replank the garboard strake. Cleaning up the rabbet joint took a lot of time, but the good thing is the lower hull will be painted further in the build.

 

I must admit that I have learned a lot from sitting on the sidelines these last three months watching the other Longboat builders complete their planking.  Their build logs have been an inspiration for me.

 

[michael20]

Hey Ryland,

 

   Your progress on your longboat is simply stunning. Are you going to bring it to the meeting Saturday for show and tell? I was going to bring my Hunter model and see about getting some constructive criticism on my sail making .  Great model, looking at how great it looks I think I'll have to put one on my wish list.

 

       Happy modeling.

 

      Marty G.

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Marty for the comments.  I may bring it to Saturday's meeting if I can get some planks installed.

 

You have done a great job on your Hunter and I cannot wait to see your sails.  You should be close to posting pictures of your model in the completed gallery.  You do excellent work at a fast pace.

[gjdale]

Hi Ryland,

 

Nice to see you take the plunge with the boxwood upgrade. I intend to do the same before starting on mine (which won't be for quite a while at the rate I've been going lately!)

[Timothy Wood]

Very nice work Ryland.....  You may want to bring her to our next meeting....     

 

Tim

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Grant and Tim for your comments.  I have learned a lot while building my Longboat.  It is really nice to see all of the Longboats being built.  I have learned something from everyone's build that has helped me on mine.

 

 I mentioned on another Longboat build log that I removed my garboard planks as I felt I was planking this boat incorrectly.  I removed one side and reinstalled a new garboard plank.  I followed BobF’s build log on how to do this.  I used a 5/32” wide strip of boxwood for my garboard plank. I have never installed a garboard plank in this manner, but it worked out just fine, especially after the next two planks were installed.  After the one side was installed, I replaced the other side.

 

 

Next, I added two 1/8” wide planks, which would be enough to plank to the bottom edge of the transom.  I had a lot of trouble bending the last ¼” below the transom as it must twist at least 45 degrees to lie flat at the stern.  I broke several of the boxwood strips as they were very brittle, even after soaking for at least 24 hours.

 

 

 

The hardest part for me was installing the three bottom planks.  After they were installed, I measured out the width of the remaining planks using tic strips on each bulkhead.  My longboat will use eleven planks on each side.  I was surprised to see that I will have very little trimming of the remaining planks to be installed.  The two pictures below show where I am currently in the build process.

 

 

 

I am a slow builder.  I have ten planks to install to complete the hull.  So I soaked an additional six planks over night and pre-bent them as shown below.  This should speed up the process.

 

 

I have really enjoyed the updates on the other Longboat builds and I look forward to seeing the progress of the other Longboat builders.

 

 

 

[Shazmira]

Planking looks like it is coming along very nicely! 

[Ryland Craze]

I continue to slowly make progress on my Longboat.  I have added four more planks leaving six planks left.  At this rate, I should be finished planking by the beginning of Summer of 2014.  Here is how the Longboat looks now:

 

 

I like these small cabinet scrapers that I got from Lee Valley.  I use them to take off the high edges of the boxwood planks.

 

Here is a shot of the bow:

 

 

I will continue planking from the top down.  I felt this was the easiest way for me to keep my planks the same width at the bow, since the bottom portion of the hull will be painted.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Ryland Craze

[dcicero]

Looking very good, Ryland!

 

 

 

Dan

[BRiddoch]

Looking great Ryland. 

 

      Bob R.

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Dan and Bob for your comments and for those members that hit the "Like This" button for my last post. Bob, I look at you Longboat build log as well as the other Longboat build logs that are posted. They have really helped my with the construction of my Longboat.

 

I found some time the last couple of days to work on my Longboat and I was able to install four more planks. That leaves me with two more planks to install. I hope to get them installed this week so that I can take my fully planked Longboat to the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society meeting this Saturday. I am sure I will shock some of the HRSMS members with my progress considering how long I have been working on this particular model.

 

Here are some pictures as to where my current progress is:

 

 

 

I will be glad to get the final two planks installed.  This has been a fun build and I look forward to continuing the building of this model.

[michael20]

Hey Ryland,

You are on a roll now, Once you get the hull planked the rest of the build will roll on. My biggest problem was finally figuring out the rigging, even though the drawings were great I got stumped where there are only four belay pins to tie to and several other lines that needed to be tied off somewhere...Thank god for the other builds going on and plenty of pictures to study, I think I have mine close to right. I'll be bringing it to our meeting Saturday. I hope you would be willing to help a poor computer illiterate post some pictures here on MSW. You have done a great job Ryland and I will be ribbing you a bit until you finnish this one.

 

 

Happy modeling,

Marty G.

[Rustyj]

Hi Ryland,

 

I see that you’re slow and steady pace is picking up some speed! Don’t worry about

how long you are taking just keep up the excellent work.  

[Maury S]

clean job of planking.  Just wait 'til you fair the inside!  lots of time and patience.

Maury

[Chuck]

Almost there Ryland.  That looks very good.  You have achieved a nice run of those planks. 

 

Chuck

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks guys for the encouraging comments.  Yesterday was the ideal modeling day with the cold rain and ice that kept everyone inside.  I was glad that I could take advantage of the bad weather.

 

I hope you would be willing to help a poor computer illiterate post some pictures here on MSW. You have done a great job Ryland and I will be ribbing you a bit until you finish this one.

Marty G.

Marty, I will be glad to take some pictures and resize them for you so that other members of MSW can see the excellent job you did on building your Longboat.  For someone coming from plastic modeling to building wooden ship models, you have accomplished a lot with your skills in such a short period of time.

[michael20]

Thank you Ryland,

I've been itching to put some pictures out here on MSW.

 

Happy modeling.

Marty G.

[Timothy Wood]

_{Looking Sweet!}

[Ryland Craze]

Finally finished the planking while watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday night.  Now the really fun part begins.

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Looking great Ryland.  Glad to see you having fun with it.

 

Chuck

[kurtvd19]

Looking real good Ryland.

Kurt

[alde]

Your boat looks fantastic. I will be watching this one.

 

Al D.

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Chuck, Kurt and Al for your comments and to those that hit the "Like This" button.  This is a fun build and I am enjoying it much more since I have finished the planking.

 

I have managed to get some more work completed over the last several days. 

 

Using a #11 saw blade that I purchased from Micro Mark (#11Saw Blade) I gently cut the tabs holding the bulkheads.  I braced the center of the bulkhead using my thumb and put pressure on the side of the longboat using my forefinger. 

 

 

After the tabs were cut, I gently wiggled the bulkhead unti I felt it snap.  This was a very satisfying feeling.  The bulkhead felt like balsa wood after working with the boxwood planking.  After removing four or five bulkheads, the inside of this little model started looking like the inside of a full size boat.

 

 

And here is a picture of the Longboat with all of the bulkheads removed along with my X-Acto knife with the #11 saw blade.  This is a well designed kit and I like the way the bulkhead removal turns this kit from a plank on bulkhead model to a plank on frame model very easily.

 

 

I took this model to the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society meeting today and it drew a lot of attention from the members.  I hope I can find the time in the coming weeks to continue working on this build.  It is a lot of fun and a great diversion from my job.

[alde]

Ryland, Thanks for the tip on the #11 saw blade. I just ordered a couple along with a few other small items. Looks like a super useful tool.

[Ryland Craze]

Finished thinning down the bulkheads.  I feel that I am working with an egg shell as the hull is very light.

 

[Ryland Craze]

It has been a while since I have posted to my build log so I thought I would update my progress on my Long Boat.  I thought I had finished thinning down the frames until I had several modelers look at my Long Boat model at the Northeast Joint Clubs Show back in April.  It was pointed out that my frames were still too thick as shown in the post above, so I thinned them down more and also worked down the frame at the bow.  I am happy with the result now, as this will allow me to install a very narrow cap rail.

 

I gave the inside of the long boat two coats of Watco Danish oil (thanks Toni) and it really brought out the boxwood tone of the wood.  I then jumped ahead in the instructions and installed the floorboards since the interior of the boat is very easy to work with.  I plan to make the platforms next and hold them for installation in the future.  Then I will make and install the caprail.

 

I have an advantage over a lot of other Long Boat modelers as I have spent hours studying the build logs of other Long Boat builds that are further along in their builds than I am.  I thank them for their posts as they have given me different ideas and options to use in my build of the Long Boat. 

 

[michael20]

Looking dynamite Ryland,

Your going to really move on this kit now.

 

Happy modeling,

Marty G.

[Stuntflyer]

Very nice Ryland. You're doing a great job. Looking forward to seeing what ideas and options you decide to use.

[Jason]

Very nice!  Great smooth planking job.

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks everyone for your comments and Likes.

 

Marty, I appreciate you letting me pick your brain for ideas and solutions when I get stumped.  I am sure that your wife gets a lot of positive comments on your Long Boat that she is displaying in her office.

 

Stuntflyer and Jason, your build logs have really inspired me. I refer to them often and have printed many of your pictures for reference. Jason, I am also following your Syren build log as I want to build mine sometime in the near future.

 

I have spent some time tonight converting a balsa cutter that I got from Micro Mark into a tool to scribe the lines on the risers and the thwarts (seats).  I am happy with the results on scrap wood.  I will post pictures of this at a later date.