I completed this build in 2021 and what follows is the Log I created at the time.

Queen Anne Royal Barge circa 1702 –1:24 scale.

This build has been waiting in the wings for three years, long overdue to get stuck into Chuck’s wonderful creation of this early18^thc Royal Barge.

I can only hope that I do justice to this high-end kit.

I am fortunate that there are around a dozen recorded builds on MSW at various stages. Half of them are completed, so I will have the benefit of a wealth of experience from those who have gone before.

My first step will be to read through Chuck’s comprehensive build manual and the logs of my fellow members to get a feel for the build.

 

B.E.

24/02/2021

Post One

This involves the keel assembly and I was happy to follow the leads of JpR62 (Jean-Paul) and Chuck Seiler, by using scrap 1/32” sheet to assist the alignment of the inner keel pieces.

0681(2)

0697(2)

I utilised the fret cut out to hold the bow section during keel gluing and the inner keel sections.

0690(2)

The stern section is likewise fitted in a jig for gluing.

I also agree with Chuck Seiler’s approach of assembling the keel pieces as two separate sections and bringing them together only after tapering and the addition of the inner bow and stern keel pieces.

0703(2)

This is a long keel secured initially only by the central scarph and I share his concerns about the risk of breakage.

0709

Gluing the bow inner keel piece.

0713

…and the inner stern keel piece.

The stem, keel, and Sternpost require tapering.

The pieces are 4mm thick and will initially be reduced to 2.5mm. Final finish 2.38mm or thereabouts.

The taper runs down the stem, starting 18mm down from the head, and from inboard to outboard. The taper continues along the keel from top to bottom and is also applied to the lower sternpost.

To this end I have pva’d a styrene strip 0.25mm x 2.5mm along the parts to be tapered to give me a guide to the thin end point.

With the two sections joined the centre inner keel piece can be fitted which adds security to the structure.

0721

Initially I used pieces of scrap 1/32” sheet to centre the piece along the keel, but this didn’t give a good result; something must have been off, probably me, so I resorted to placement by eye which worked better.

Chuck mentions that the piece was made long on purpose and that sanding the after end may be required. In my case it did, reducing the keel slot size, the implications of which I have yet to find out.

The final tweaking of the tapering is now done making sure the inboard edges of the keel remain untouched so as not to affect the rabbet.

The final task of this part is to attach the transom piece.

Chuck makes the point about ensuring the transom is perpendicular to the keel.

0735

There are etched lines to assist centring the transom, but I then used my eye and diverse methods to try and check that the piece was vertical to the sternpost.

0746

One of the diverse methods I used to check the transom was level.

0741

Not quite as simple as may seem given the inbuilt flexibility due to the length and relative thinness of the structure.

0756

A coat of w-o-p and I can move onto the next part.

B.E.

01/03/21

Post Two

Prepping the frames.

 With the keel section completed a simple jig/building board is made to hold the keel straight and prevent warping whilst I attend to the Futtocks and frames.

0759

A slow process but valuable in the sense that it lowers the natural build pace. This is not a project to rush, deliberate movements and soft hands are I suspect essential to avoiding mishaps on this build.

0765

I started with the fore half and found that futtocks J – F required tape over the tabs to give a good fit, and Futtocks E -B required the building board slots easing for a good push fit. The final two Futtocks ‘A’ fitted without attention.

One slight hitch, I mistakenly glued a Frame O to Futtock A because the incised reference letter was closer to the O than the A frames on the fret. There are two Frames A and O.

My error was quickly rectified but I note it as something to watch out for.

0767

The aft half of the Futtock/ frames generally fitted without attention, only a couple required slot sanding, and none required the application of tape.

0819

Before going further I test checked each of the frame bottoms into the keel slots, most needed a pass with the sanding stick to fit in the slots.

I hesitated about what to do with the keel slot for Futtock 7. This was narrower because the long central keel slot section was slightly reduced to fit on the keel.

I settled on a combination of shaving a fraction off the forward edge of the slot and reducing the frame bottom. I didn’t want to thin the frame bottom too much lest it weakened the structure.

0832

0825

Having checked both slots and tabs the parts will now be taken apart and the building board support blocks added to the underside.

B.E.

04/03/21

Post Three

 Bringing together keel and frames.

The futtocks are sufficiently firm in the base board, and the frames sit cleanly in the keel slots, so I can move onto the next stage.

0838

Support blocks added to the board underside.

The prime concern now is to ensure that the frames are properly centred in the build board, the keel is vertical and centred along the frames, and the final fixing and tweaking is achieved before the glue starts to set.

Chuck mentions in the blurb that there is a little wriggle room in the slots of the build board so the frames can be shifted left or right.

0839

This does not seem to be the case with my kit, there is no leeway to tweak the Futtocks in aligning the keel along the top.

With the Futtocks fixed I am limited to ensuring that the keel is vertical across the top.

0843

Sighting along the set up the keel does not sit naturally centred across all Frames.

Warp in the keel is not the issue.

0850

The mismatch in aftermost frame 10 is clear to see here.

0851

If Frame 10 is centred it throws several of the others out.

0854

I am reluctant to introduce ‘wriggle room’ into the building board slots but I do need to resolve this issue before I can move on.

B.E.

05/03/21

Postscript

Having disassembled everything again I think I have found the issue.

The tabs in the board feel ok for removal but from beneath there is no ‘wriggle’ gap apparent. From the top laying the Futtocks on the board there is a gap of around 1mm.

The board slot cut must have a slight inward angle to it top to bottom which prevents the futtock tabs from moving.

I will take a shave off with a micro chisel and try again.

 B.E.

Post Four

 Completion of Keel/frames assembly

I did a little more work on the slots and tabs to give the lateral movement necessary to align the frames. I concentrated on the underside and didn’t touch the upper edge.

I also took Chuck’s advice and made a pass of the sanding stick across the tabs.

0862

The keel then fitted much better and I felt confident enough to apply the glue.

0924

The forward section went somewhat easier, but I still managed to break the tab on the single frame H, temporarily secured with Tamiya tape.

0918

0923

0915

0912

0914

0913

Moving on to fairing.

 

B.E.

06/03/21

Post Five

Fairing.

I approach this job with a degree of trepidation, being aware of the damage that can be done by a simple lapse of concentration in holding or manoeuvring, or a degree too much pressure put on the frames.

Chuck re-iterates this point more than once.

Using the fret from the Futtock sheets, I practised sanding the edges with a variety of different grade papers to gauge the removal effect and effort required to achieve it.

0929

I am using a finger sander with P150 and P240 papers, and Sheet P240 papers were also used.

Using a fine touch was uppermost in my mind but even so a couple of frames dislodged from the keel at the stern, but it was easy work to re glue them.

The process mainly seems to consist of cleaning off the char with actual bevelling only being applicable to the forward four and aft five Futtocks/frames plus the Transom board.

0935

I use a 0.7 x 6mm Boxwood strip to check the lie of the strake across the Frames.

I am taking this very slowly, a lot of the fairing I do is along the vertical line to clean the char to avoid putting lateral pressure on the frames.

This also has the effect of easing the friction when applying the necessary lateral strokes to fair the forward and aft frames.

I didn’t do too much fairing at one time lest my natural inclination to complete the job got too much and the speed of working picked up.

0930

With the test strake fully sitting across all frames at various points I decided it was time to move on.

A coat of wipe-on-poly is applied.

0942

0943

0939

0953

The planking phase beckons.

B.E.

09/03/21

Post Six

Planking begins.

The positives

Chuck has designed this kit with pre spiled planking.

The materials are excellent.

The instructions are clear.

There are excellent build logs providing the benefit of experience, and I read them all before moving to a new section. One would be a fool to forgo all this valuable information.

There are only three strakes which reduces the error element that can creep into fully planked builds.

The Negatives.

None as such, but the planking is quite delicate, and care must be taken to avoid undue pressures that may result in breakages of plank or frame.

In the event of disasters Chuck does supply a get out of jail card in the form of spare planking sets.

To avoid such setbacks, I will try my best to achieve a no tension fit of planks before I commit to glue.

I start on the Portside.

0963

Tick strips prepared and sanding sticks assembled.

0967

I use Tamiya tape to define the bevelling area.

0974

I soak the plank and heat treat to impart the bend into the bow.

In practice this amount of bend is not required, a shallower curve is sufficient.

0977

This photo demonstrates the direction of twist that is required to enable the plank to sit square in the stem rabbet.

0980

With the twist imparted the plank lies correctly.

The clamps are applying very little pressure, sufficient only to hold the plank in place. Lateral pressure on the frames must be avoided at all costs.

0986

Before I fix the first plank I prepared the Starboard side so I can gauge the uniformity of the pair.

0988

0985

A little more dry fitting and fettlin’ required before I commit to glue.

B.E.

11/03/21

Post Seven

First fixings

I have spent most of yesterday faffing around with the first planks.

The final tasks before gluing is to bevel the plank for the bow /rabbet fit and trim the plank to terminate at the forward Futtock ‘O’.

The Portside plank went on fairly easily, but the Starboard version not so. To my increasing frustration the ca initially refused to grab on several of the Futtocks.

The bow strake/rabbet connection was particularly stubborn and in the end I left it until last and used pva which allowed me to tweak the level to match the Portside.

0991

There is an element of flexibility in the as yet unsupported stem, and it really needs holding in the vertical line whilst the first plank is applied.

1013

1012

1007

1001

0993

0996

1018

1009

I am satisfied with the outcome, and not a little relieved that this first critical task is completed.

 

B.E.

12/03/21

Post Eight

Progressing the planking strakes.

 I begin with the Starboard aft first strake which is a simpler arrangement than the bow section.

1024

Dry fitting the aft plank.

I imparted a shallow bend to assist the plank to lie flat across Futtocks 8 and 9, followed by a shallow outward bend between Futtocks 10 and the transom. This is to create a concave sweep running into the Flying Transom.

1025

This photo shows the concave curve that will run to connect with the Flying Transom.

1027

As with the stem, a support block is temporarily fixed to the board to support the Transom and counter any lateral pressure when gluing.

At this point I haven’t glued the aft plank to the transom, I will do that once the second (Portside) plank is fixed, and I can tweak the set up with both in place.

1030

Aft piece shape.

1051

The Transom is held steady for the gluing.

1050

1036

1048

1063

A small block of balsa is used to support and protect the transom.

B.E.

13/03/21

Post Nine

Fitting planks 3 and 4

This is where the clinker comes into play.

Port and Starboard can get a little confusing when it comes to these pre spiled planks. What initially looks like the outboard face of Plank 3 on the fret is in fact the inboard face.

When working with the hull inverted I have to remind my addled old brain that Port is on the right and Starboard on the left.

Having bevelled the inward face of plank 3, the corresponding bevel of plank 1 is carefully pared down at the bow to allow  plank 3 to fit into the stem rabbet with a feather edge.

I find the 2mm Swann-Morton chisel blade perfect for this.

1071

The plank is water/heat treated to form the bend around the bow, and a small amount of lateral twist is imparted to the end of the plank to allow it to sit flush against the stem rabbet.

1069

With the plank temporarily in place the aft end can be marked for trimming on Futtock 2.

As with the first planks I prepare both sides before any glue is applied.

 The Portside plank went on without trouble using ca, but I keep a small pot of acetone at hand to clean off any overspill on the face of the plank.

The main concern now is to ensure that the opposite side plank has a uniform meet at the bow rabbet.

1073

For this reason and to give me a little tweak time I used pva for the rabbet join and the first two Futtocks.

This allowed me to sight along the bow and make any minor adjustment before clamping in position. Use of ca would have precluded this.

1078

Light pressure is used and the model is set aside for the pva to cure.

1083

Plank three successfully (I hope) attached. I continued to use pva which worked out ok.

1084

It will stand a little more feathering into the bow but that can wait awhile.

Onto Plank 4

Very little fiddling needs to be done, I did impart a little twist towards the end to allow the plank to lie flat without tension across Futtocks 9 and 10 and the Transom.

01100

At the sternpost I added a balsa support piece to brace the planking for gluing the extensions beyond the transom.

1106

The final plank 4 goes on without incident.

1113

1108

1111

At this point the clinker has yet to be feathered out at the stern.

Onward and upwards to the sheer strake.

B.E.

17/03/21

Post Ten

Completing the planking.

Three planks per side to complete what is the Sheer strake.

For this work I have the hull the right way up as I find it easier to see and check the fit.

1126

I work with the model atop of the kit box which gives me a comfortable working position.

1128

The first bow plank (5) requires a bend to follow the bow curve into the rabbet and also a little twist so it lays square to the rabbet.

A little tricky this one, on my build anyway; getting the plank to sit tight down on lower plank between the first Futtock and the rabbet was the main concern but a hairline gap should be covered by a moulding.

The middle section (6) simply requires cutting to length and ensuring a close butt joint to the previous plank.

The aft section (7) required a little shallow bending to round Futtocks 9 and 10 without tension, but I found it the most tricky to attach to the Transom and the extended plank run.

1135

I devised a bamboo pole support system to hold the plank tight against the Transom. Balsa wood support blocks prove useful in this situation.

1138

The final plank is put into place.

It may all look a bit dramatic but the pressures are light and hopefully sufficient to produce a good bond.

1142

I left the hull to cure overnight.

1148

I have started to feather the clinker towards the stern, more to do but I think I will wait until I have fitted the Flying Transom which will stop any flex in the planking.

1145

1146

1155

The next stage is to fit the Flying Transom.

B.E.

20/03/21

I still have this kit in my collection. When I've recharged, I might dig it out.

So nice to see this kit in pictures again. And a lovely one at that.

One of my favourites Chuck, I also hope to add Cheerful and the Medway Longboat.

Maurice (B.E.).

Thanks for posting this. I have this kit to be built. Your build log will be my go to for reference.

Post Eleven

Flying Transom.

This is another tricky piece to hold in the correct position whilst the glue bites.

1192

 I used pva and bamboo poles to secure the angle and to support the Flying Transom whilst the glue bites.

It allows me time to sight and check the Flying Transom   set-up from various angles.

1201

1208(3)

1214

With the Flying transom in place I use a template taken from the plan to mark the curve down from the underside to the Transom base.

1224

The stern area is then taped up to provide stability for the next stage.

1226

I then carefully pare down to this line using a No 11 scalpel.

1228

The plank ends are then sanded back to the Transom face.

1234

1232

1231

The next stage sees her released from the base and the removal of the frame centres.

B.E.

21/03/21

 

Post Twelve

A Barge emerges.

A point in the build that I suspect many builders are pleased to reach.

The hull is removed from its building board. I took this slowly and carefully as advised by Chuck, and it didn’t prove too onerous.

I now have my first sight of the model the right way up unencumbered by the board.

1235

Front part of the board removed, so far, so good.

At this point I was tempted to add the Garboard strake as shown in Chuck Seiler’s build, which would also no doubt help to counter any tendency for the hull to hog, given the length and fineness of the keel.

I rather liked to look of it, but I also liked the view of the deadwood at the stern which would be obscured by the Garboard strake.

Decisions, decisions, but in the end I opted for the original Chuck presentation.

1238

I modified the building board for the second stage of the build as suggested in the instructions. Stem and stern post supports are necessary to hold the hull secure.

1242

I am a big fan of Balsa blocks to support models whilst working.

They are endlessly re-worked I to suit each new project.

1244

The barge is now held firmly in place for me to begin the business of frame centre removal.

1246

For this delicate operation I am using an etched fine-toothed scalpel saw.

1286

The whole process went very well, a few of the frames broke away from the planking but were easily re-glued, and there were no breaks in the frames themselves.

1281

Once cut, the centres came away easily using a gentle rocking  motion. The discarded centres will no doubt come in for other projects.

My covid hairstyle continues to develop, and still several weeks away from a barber, but who needs a barber when you’re busy building a Barge.

1278

With all the centres removed I can now sight along the hull and clearly see whether my fitting of the Transoms looks right.

1287

It looks ok to my eye, but stare at something too long and……….

1290

A chance to compare this 36’ Royal Barge to my 21’ Pinnace, both at 1:24 scale.

1292

1295

1298

Four weeks fairly steady work to reach this point and I have what looks like a Barge in Frame.

Back under its cover for the Pinnace, and onto what Chuck describes as the most delicate stage of the build.

I suspect progress is about to slow down.

 

B.E.

24/03/21

Post Thirteen

Cap Rails and frames

I can’t say I’m looking forward to the slow and delicate process of adding the cap rails and fining down the frames.

The Cap rails are first fitted and then the frames and rails thinned down to achieve a consistent 5/64” width along the entire length of the rail.

I scratched my head a little over this.

As we in the UK have used the metric system for many years, (Napoleon did at least win this campaign, eventually) for ease of working I need to convert.

5/64” as a decimal = 0.0781 x 25.4 = 1.984mm

The finished rail is indicated as a hair less than 3/32”

3/32” as decimal = 0.09375 x 25.4 = 2.38mm

I was a little puzzled as the working width seemed less that the finished width, but by less than 0.5mm.

I decided to aim for a working width of 2mm.

First things first, the frame tops are to be levelled flush with the sheer strake.

Chuck is right these took more work than first envisaged.

 I started with the Starboard Bow rail.

This needed a deeper recess at the stem point to allow it to sit at least flush at all points with the planking at the bow on the outboard side. (Probably something to do with my fairing of the bow area.)

1308

Once set, I fitted the Port side rail which was no trouble at all.

1310

The long centre rails were trimmed and fitted next without issues.

The final stern strips involve a little more work, bevelling to meet the Flying Transom and notching of the Transom to take the rail.

This begs the question how much of a notch? Given that the finished rail should be 5/64” or 2mm in my world. I opted to make the notch 2mm including the thickness of the Sheer strake.

I pre-cut the stern rail from the Flying Transom forward to Frame 10 to a 2mm profile.

1311

The rails needed one further tweak, a slight edge bend to follow the inward curve as the rail meets the Transom.

Here the lower Starboard rail has been subjected to the treatment.

1314

The ‘tweaked’ stern rails.

1321

Stern Rails in place, the pre thinned area aft of Frame 10 will eventually be continued along allowing for a flare at the bow.

1319

1326

1320

Sanding down of the rails to be flush with the exterior planking is mostly done, a little tweaking here and there.

I now need to work out my approach to the internal fairing of the frames.

 

B.E.

28/03/21

Post Fourteen

Fairing and thinning.

I felt myself getting a touch of the modelling yips trying to decide on the best approach to this task.

At first glance the fining down of the frames and thinning of the rails seems a task fraught with danger given that there are some 46 delicate frame sides to reduce to a uniform and elegant shape.

I decided to start at the stern area taking in the aftermost five frames.

1410

I am using a No11 scalpel blade to pare away in an upward motion to achieve a narrowing curve up to the rail.

This reduces sanding time, creates a nice clean line, but has its risks in that I am working with the blade coming towards my steadying fingers at the rail.

For this reason, a fresh blade is used every two or three frames, keep it sharp, keep it clean.

1411

Once I have pared down the frame to rail level, I sand the rail horizontally and repeat the exercise.

I use a pair of dividers set a tad over 2mm to score the width of the rail which I then line with pencil as a guide.

I picked up on Rusty’s log where he describes his use of a simple width gauge to check the rail width as he progresses.

1412

The difference to the yet unworked frames is clear. At this point I decide to move onto the following frames and reduce them to the same degree before returning to fine tune the whole set.

1413

In my next post I hope I will show the successfully completed frame reduction task, but this may take some time.

Cheers,

B.E.

29/03/21

Post Fifteen

Completing the fairing of frame and rail.

The method I trialled on the first few frames worked out well.

Use of the scalpel speeded up the process, and I also used the scalpel to carefully reduce the width of the rails which saved a lot of sanding.

1414

Having sanded the outboard of the rail flush with the planking I used dividers to lightly score the near finish line which was sufficient to prevent the scalpel point running off-line.

1421

I used a template from the plan to guide the shape at the bow where it meets the stem post.

1428

Not there yet but getting closer.

1433

Using the width gauge to check a uniform width of 2mm

Once satisfied with the rail I turned my attention to fine tuning the frames.

1434

The simple width gauge can be seen lying on the frame centres.

1438

1435

1442

1444

1445

The prominent sheer is apparent in these shots.

1439

It can be difficult to know when to stop, but I think I’m there with the rails and frames.

Test fitting of the floors may prove me wrong in relation to the frames.

I think some tidying up is required before I proceed to the next stage.

B.E.

01/04/21