Constitution by Geoff Matson - Model Shipways 2040 - 1/76 scale

[Der Alte Rentner]

Geoff,

You've been quite for some time.  Too busy rigging to post?  

 

 

 

 

[Geoff Matson]

With spring time lots of outside stuff to get done. I do not like rigging so it is easy to find things to do first. I will be back hard at it this next week. Thanks for the interest and I will be posting soon

[Der Alte Rentner]

I know the feeling.  My shipyard seriously needs some renovation, my motorcycle needs an oil change, my wife's honey-do list is growing (and is encroaching on shipyard space as well as my time there), and a new keyboard will be arriving this morning, which will require assembly and at least a few days of dedicated time to pour over owner manual and get used to.  (Can't wait!)   The next zone of planking on my build may be delayed..

 

For someone who doesn't like rigging, you sure do it well.  😉 

 

I'm watching your progress carefully now, but will really zoom in to the details when I finally get to that stage of my build.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Geoff,

 

First, I'll say this again.  I wish you had posted the early work on the Constitution.  I just love the detail you've put into everything I've seen here.  

 

The photos below are the only ones I found providing a decent view of your spar deck planking.  I'm trying to decide whether to taper the planks ala Hunt practicum, or not.  Did you taper?  and did you scribe the butt joints?  If not, how did you manager the the plank ends that hovered over empty space between bulkheads?   

 

As an aside:  As I study the half dozen or so other builds I consult for tips and direction, I can't help but be impressed by the subtle differences in approaches.  Paint the coamings and hatches?  Stain them?  Leave them alone?  Likewise the decisions on how to tackle the deck.  Rivets on the bulwarks?  .. to name a few.   

 

Lastly,  If you ever compile your notes on masts and rigging and publish them, I'm a buyer of the Matson practicum!  I'm at least a year from having to deal with any of that, so you've got time.  If not, I'll be visiting this build log day and night when I get to that point.

 

Thanks for posting your outstanding build.

Peter

On 12/15/2018 at 5:15 PM, Geoff Matson said:

 

 

Edited August 14 by Der Alte Rentner
sigh, another typo had to be corrected. Why, do I have one in E V E R Y post?

[Geoff Matson]

Thanks for your interest in my build. I pretty much followed the Hunt Practicum for the deck planking. Yes I tapered the planks. I did not scribe any of the joints they were made by the individual planks. I used Bobs staining methods. Only problem now a days, is that Floqual paints are out business. I painted the mixture on and then scraped it with a razor blade. I was amazed how much it looked like the real planking on the Conny. Bob hit a home run on that part. I promise I will look back and try to find pictures of the decking. Because of the tapers it is kind like doing the hull planking, The only problem with Bob's pacticum is I feel he fell short on the rigging part. That is where I am right now and still hung up some parts and trying to figure out how to do things without turning it into a spider web. I did find a picture on the internet that shows an unusual picture of the rigging and I think I am on the right track as I am rigging from the bottom up and from the inside out. Take a look. Again, thanks for your interest.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

2 hours ago, Geoff Matson said:

The only problem with Bob's pacticum is I feel he fell short on the rigging part.

Exactly why I feel that you could produce a superior product by compiling all of your photos and experience into the Matson practicum. I repeat, I'd be a buyer!

 

I have only the vaguest recollection of rigging the Revell kit 50 years ago, but I think you are correct in the order you described. Basically Standing rigging first, running rigging last. And of course, bottom up and inside out. I do remember taking a lot of shortcuts, and making much use of CA glue instead of tying knots.

 

Thanks for confirming that you tapered your planks. I still haven't decided if I'm going to do that myself. First I have to come up with a butt joint plan and locate all of the places between the bulkheads that need support pieces added.  In the end though, I don't think I'm going to let historical accuracy drive my model build. To be sure, I will not be adding 4,000 rivets to the bulwarks!

 

That is a very interesting photo

 

Thanks again for all,

Peter

[GGibson]

3 hours ago, Geoff Matson said:

I did find a picture on the internet that shows an unusual picture of the rigging...

 

That's an awesome picture!

[JSGerson]

I've been following your conversations from afar about tapering the deck planks and I'm confused. I understand tapering of the hull planks because you're working on a curved surface. Just about every one of my planks near the the bow and stern were tapered. But the only tapering I've seen on the deck planks is where the planks converge and/or nibbed are at the bow. None the of images I've seen of the actual Constitution deck planks converge. Or are you talking about something else?

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

The plans that came with the model shipways kit shows that the planks get narrower as they approach the stern. Look at xken's build.   He put tick marks all along his carrier deck to aid him in tapering the planks. I think it's similar to the way you plank the sides of the hull.

 

I've looked at five different builds here at model ship world, and of the five I've checked, three have done the tapering and two have not.

 

Do you have another image of The Spar deck taken from perhaps midships to the stern? Preferably from above?

[Geoff Matson]

I planked my deck using Bob's practicum and the ship plans. The bow is wider and stern is narrower. I planked from the center of the deck outward to the water ways. I then tapered the planks to fit accordingly at the bow and stern to the water ways. I hope this helps you. My way is not right or wrong, but it is the way I understood the practicum and the plans. There are a number of outstanding builds of the Constitution on MSW any of which will help you with your Constitution. 

[JSGerson]

As near as I can tell, the tapering is subtle, but I will check it out in more detail when I get to that stage' Peter, here are a bunch of overhead shots of the stern. Any tapering is hard to see in these photos.

 

Edited June 29 by JSGerson

[Der Alte Rentner]

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

As near as I can tell, the tapering is subtle,

It is indeed, but it's there -  from roughly bulkhead G fore and aft.  Clearly discernable on the plans (page 4). Look closely at the planking detail next to the bowsprit coaming.  Also look at the planks close to the centerline from the fife rail aft. And the coup de gras is on page 20 of the instruction manual. "Deck planks taper for and aft and usually follow the curve of the bulwarks. Consequently, Mark the top of the bulkheads beforehand for the planking runs."

 

So, It's not really a question of are they tapered? Rather, one of, do I want to do so?

 

Among the premier build blogs at this site, there is no real consensus. Some of the best, including yourself, have done it, others have not.

 

Thanks Jon 

[Pete Jaquith]

Tapering the quarterdeck planks on my Fair American was worthwhile and not that difficult.

Shipbuilder.  Images 127 & 131 show the quarterdeck and Image 132 shows the process.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Having just completed 80 strakes (with four to five planks per strake) of tapering on the hull, I really would rather not do more of it for the deck, if I don't have to.. 

 

I'll decide after I've completed planking the center section stem to stern around coamings and hatches.

[JSGerson]

Beautiful planking job Pete!

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 6/29/2024 at 9:14 AM, JSGerson said:

As near as I can tell, the tapering is subtle, but I will check it out in more detail when I get to that stage' Peter, here are a bunch of overhead shots of the stern. Any tapering is hard to see in these photos

 

I know this reply comes well after your posting, but I happened to be reviewing Geoff's build log this morning, to see how his galleries looked, when I revisited this entry.  To my eye, there is definite tapering aft of the main hatch.  I agree however that it's hard to tell what's going on on the foredeck, but it seems less so.  Anyway, now that I'm past that problem, I'm happy with my half and half approach - tapering the aft end, leaving the foredeck untapered.

 

As usual, oh master of the photo archives, thanks for providing this much appreciated reference material. 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Geoff, It's been too long since I last checked into your build log.  But every time I do revisit it, I am astounded by the quality of your workmanship.  Your work on the galleries is outstanding.  (No) thanks to you and Unegawahya's sterling example, I'm asking myself how to modify my technique to include clear windows.  I wonder how it would look if I just took a photograph of the interior of the gallery (to scale of course) and placed it flush with the inside of the glass panes.  (For those wondering why I would do that, I'm presently considering a filler block instead of an open compartment behind the windows..)

 

Again. Kudos to you Geoff.

 

 

P.S.  One of these days - before the snow flies, I hope to get out to Harvard to meet you and to see your Conny in person.  (Sorry, it's been a much busier than expected summer.)