MS: 18th Century Longboat - WIP

Tom ...
Starting a "ship" build. First time doing a build like this. Very excited about it but will most likely fail miserably. Already took an hour and a half to get the first step done (pic #1) and I managed to break the tip of part of the "false keel".

I'm also going to have to learn a lot of nautical terms. The instructions are very detailed but I have to keep looking up the meaning of words, like "rabbet", "fairing" and "transom"... getting an education.

Bill Newcomer
Tom, I wish you all the best on your new endeavor.

JD
Wow that looks hard, you sure you want to put yourself through this Tom? 😛

Tom ...
Thx Bill!
JD, so far so good... though I noticed when I was doing the "fairing" that one of the bulkheads was not sitting down all the way. Had to use denatured alcohol (meths) and a heat gun to undo the yellow glue for that joint, which worked out well, and was able to reseat the bulkhead properly.

Going to do fairing for one side and then post a picture to show the difference from the un-faired side. Basically it's the sanding the bulkhead edges so that the "planks" that get laid down longways will contact with the full surface of the bulkhead/rib edges for maximum gluing contact.

Tom ...
I've "faired" one side of the boat. A slow and delicate process, particularly for this tiny model. Made a trip to Walgreens, which is akin to Booths in the UK, to get some nail files for the job.

Treehugger
Interesting subject, I've always been charmed by the smaller wooden kits that should look great when finished. 🙂 I never got around to try it out myself. My older brother built a fishing boat though, with lol "wooden" planks on the ship's hull.

Maverick212
Following

Tom ...
Wow. Took me forever to get the two first planks down. This is challenging for sure but actually enjoying it so far. Already eyeing other kits to buy... 🙂

Treehugger
You might like the USS Constitution (iirc), a frigate. I have the French Acheron one in plastic (from the movie Master and Commander), same ship class, and I tend to think galleon ships look a little silly myself. I like frigates.

Tom ...
Thanks, Treehugger. I think someday I will try to build a frigate but my bent currently is more towards fishing boats, tugs or eclectic boats like Model Shipways #MS2261 USN Picket Boat. I'm also amazed how expensive the kits can be but it makes sense as I'm sure it's a niche market and the kits can be very detailed. Have to say I do love working with wood. There is something really satisfying about it.

Tom ...
Got the second plank down. Took the same amount of time as the first: too long.

The secret here is definitely being able to bend/shape the planks effectively. I think having such a small hull makes it more involved so hopefully other models are not so demanding.

Also hate working with CA as you have less than a second to place the plank correctly. I would rather use wood glue but there's no good way to clamp.

Treehugger
Are you supposed to start adding planks up on top by the deck and not at the bottom? Somehow I thought one had to start at the bottom.

Chaz Gordon
Nice,

Greg Baker
Oh, great looking so far!

Tom ...
Thx, guys.

Treehugger, from most of what I have read, and the instructions for this kit, the typical method is to plank from the bottom and the top and meet in the middle. It's a little more involved than that as each plank has to be tapered depending on the curve/length of each bulkhead/frame. I'll be documenting this in the next set of updates, assuming I don't totally cock it up. However, the two top planks are not tapered and form the "sheer" for the hull, which is the slight curve from bow to stern.

Ben M
watching

Chaz Gordon
Nice going Tom, so far you seem to be keeping your head above water and not floundering at all.

Chaz Gordon
Seriously, you can't take me anywhere.

Ben M
You're dripping with humor today.

Christian W
Interessting.

JD
Yeah I've got many irons in the fire... Why not use this extra time to learn another skill, like Shipbuilding?

Tom ...
Yay, got one plank down tonight. Only took best part of 3 hours.... This is like doing a puzzle, only you have to make the pieces yourself.

Half of my time was figuring out the planking plan. Used blue tape to get the length of a bulkhead and then divide it into 9 intervals, i.e. 9 planks. Luckily most of the bulkheads/frames are the same effective length so I think I can get away with very little tapering except at the bow and the "middle" plank.

The bottom plank I just installed is called the "garboard strake" and it's was really a bit of work to shape it right. I think it worked out well except for the bow end. There is too much of a curve into the keel. Man this is a learning curve too. I might have bitten off more than I can chew.

Off now to have a mug of grog... I mean beer.

Tom ...
Wow, this build is kicking my butt. Definitely not a beginner kit as far as the planking goes. Unlike most ships, where you don't see the inside of the hull, here it is very noticeable if the planks don't fit perfectly (or close to perfect) on to the frames. Also being a relatively small hull makes planking even harder.

So I decided to purchase a true "beginners" kit from OcCre: scalemates.com/kits/..007-polaris--1296794 and see how I fare with that. Just having a larger model should make it much easier to start with.

There are also step-by-step videos to go with it: Youtube Video

In the meantime I'll plug away at this one. It's just going to take a long time to get good at bending the planks to fit the contours of the frames properly. I'm also figuring out that I could have better faired the frames to being with to make planking a little easier.

Bob Hall
Epic Project Tom, This looks sweet ! You definitely have more patience than I, good sir !

Richmond
Tom when it comes to planking here are 3 links of a true master at work (Chuck Pasaro)

modelshipworld.com/t..uck-finished/page/3/

Youtube Video

shipmodelsocietyofnewjersey.org/downloads.php

Chris Greathouse
Looks like a fun project! Watching!