Plank on Bulkhead Ship Models

[Smuckatelli]

I installed the wale line plank and began planking  the starboard side. By the time I finished it, it was completely screwed up. I tried mixing black paint with glue and applied it on the inside but that didn't help.

[Smuckatelli]

 I tried a different method for the port side by tearing off the wale line and doing a pre- build of the first 8 planks at the bow. This method was a vast improvement over the first attempt. I ended up pulling the starboard planks off and re-installing new planks.

I then started planking the inboard bulwarks, I used balsa wood on the gun deck.... my end up paying for that later on.

[Smuckatelli]

I gave a shot at making some scrolls for the rails. Not exactly as the directions....but these things are really small.

[Toonces]

Wow, that is really, really cool.

[Smuckatelli]

Finished the weather deck inboard bulwarks. Started working on installing the wale line with thicker planks. This separates the upper part and lower part of the hull. I let the planks soak in hot water for five minutes and then gently bent them to lay on the bulkheads.

[Smuckatelli]

I finished the port side wale line..... now it is time for geometry.... The taped planks are what I will use plank the hull below the wale. The tricky part is that as it gets closer to the bow, the planks need to be thinner while maintaining the same amount of planks. The stern will have stealer planks. I'll put the garboard strakes in tomorrow, section off the hull and then start cutting grinding, bending.......

[Toonces]

Working on something like that must be so damn cathartic.  I really should look into getting into a hobby like this.

That ship you did in the first post is incredible.

[Smuckatelli]

Working on something like that must be so damn cathartic.

It really is but it is a double edge sword. Mrs Smuck is starting to wonder if it was a good idea because I spend so much time in the office working on it.

From the other 'learned' perspective... when you screw something up, like I did with the port side planking above the wale; you can tear it down and rebuild it. That in itself is a valuable 'muscle memory' type event. 'No matter how badly you screw up something, you can always fix it with some time, energy, and a new perspective.'

The ship in the OP, that was my second attempt at these types of models. The first one was the Enterprise, I ended up deep sixing it after I completed the hull. I was deploying, the hull looked like crap.

The OP ship; Privateer Prince de Neufchatel was my second attempt. I completed the hull before I got married so time wasn't a big factor in it. The deck fittings, Lt Smuckette (3 at the time) helped with that. We PCS'd to Spain and the ship sat for a while until friends and family from the Czech Republic started showing up for vacations. Mrs Smuck, Smuckette, and friends and family could speak Czech while I worked on the rigging. The moment I stopped working on the rigging, they would switch to English or pause and translate what was being said. The time spent finishing up the ship helped make the visits much more enjoyable for all.

For something like 24 years I didn't build another one until this. Through raising the kids, childhood cancer, birthdays, graduations, Commissioning .... just couldn't justify it to myself to build another. That was a mistake, there is no deadline to complete these ships. There were many times in the past 24 years that spending a little bit of time working some planks... would have really helped relieve pressure.

I do have to say, I am on a timeline with this ship though. Lt Smuckette ordered the ultimate Model Shipways USS Constitution for me last father's day. She has been ordering it, paying for it and then getting her money refunded. Eventually she will discover the one place that has the model. In the meantime, I am relearning the good and bad about building these models. I didn't find out until a couple month's ago that Mrs Smuck and the kids have been trying to get that model for me for the past 20 years.

[Smuckatelli]

I divided the hull into 4 sections, I'll focus on one section at a time beginning at the wale. I transferred the width from the fan onto the first two planks. These planks will run from the bow to bulkhead c on both sides. After I trimmed them to the proper width, I soaked them in hot water for 5 minutes and then placed them on the hull to dry. Once dry, I'll glue them on and continue........

[Smuckatelli]

I started the first 4 strakes below the wale over the weekend. The tape helped decide the areas to be planked. The tape also got in the way of the clamps so I took the tape off. I did 2 more strakes figuring that the base one would keep everything good. After the third strake, I put the tape back on and discovered the starboard side  was riding higher that the port side. I ended up sanding the starboard side level to port. Lesson learned; after each strake, put the tape back on and over use the compass for measurements.

[Smuckatelli]

Last night and tonight I put the 4th strake on and focused on the bow and stern. I used the fan to get the bow measurements but I know need to widen the forward planks to avoid making a lot of stealers. You can see the 4th plank down, on the bow is thicker than the first 3. I have 11 more strakes to put in so now I am forced to do math to make sure the planks will go all the way down to the bottom of the ship.

[Smuckatelli]

With the curling iron, I was able to get 2 more strakes of planks on. The bow required adjusting the 6th strake. The port side is wider than the starboard which evens the strakes on both sides as I get closer to the keel. The stern is coming along well. No need to put the planks in boiling water for 5 or more minutes followed by twisting and sometimes breaking the plank. Now it is just wet the plank for a minute, work the iron over it and repeat as needed to get the right shape on the hull.

[Smuckatelli]

Placed the garboard strake +1 against the keel. That was probably the toughest one to do. It shouldn't ride up the bow and when it ends in the stern, it is almost vertical. I should have gotten that curling iron earlier.

[Smuckatelli]

Finished planking the hull. Tomorrow night install the rails and then outside for some heavy duty sanding. Hopefully by the weekend I'll be able to prime and paint it. Need to step up the pace. Our SWO will be here soon and she does the cannons.....as she did back in 97.

[Smuckatelli]

Lessons learned: I got lost in the planking, major mistake was after about 60% of it was completed doing strakes on both sides....I switched over to finishing the starboard side only. Like trying navigate after a helicopter drops you off and you're not exactly sure of where you are to begin with. In squid terms its like launching 18 zodiacs, three at a time until you have the company on line off the oceans side of the ship. By the time all boats are out and you start the 20 nautical mile navigation to the shore......you are really taking a guess-ta-mit based on the tide, current, and how much distance was covered by the ship as the company was forming up.

The first picture shows what happens when you don't focus. The second picture.....I should not have made that strake so thin.