6 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Flattening sides has the side benefit of ensuring yard and mast caps are aligned and centered with a little preplanning and marking. I may try to fake the fore and mizzen to do the same with an insert at the base.

Thanks Glenn for the heads up, see I knew we all will be better off with your going first.

You're welcome

POST 3 – COMPLETION OF HULL FRAME ASSEMBLY AS DETAILED ON PLAN SHEET 1

This post details the assembly phase as shown on the frame assembly plan sheet 1 and covers build manual instructions 1 to 58.

 

The first task was to remove the bulkheads 1 to 15 along with the bow and transom patterns. Next the initial pre-fairing task is undertaken whereby the following items edges are tapered to the laser etched guidelines:

• Bulkhead 1 and associated bow patterns

• Bulkhead 2

• Bulkhead 15 and associated transom patterns

 

With that complete the bow and transom pattern were glued in place.

Bulkhead 1 and bow patterns pre faired and located on the main keel

Bulkhead 15 and transom patterns located on the main keel

 

Next all the bulkheads were added to the main keel, quickly followed by the two keel doubler patterns. Locating pegs were inserted to ensure the doubler patterns are correctly aligned.

Once that once done various longitudinal support strips were added. The hull frame was now a lot more rigid and the bulkhead were locked in position. It is important to note that no glue is used for this phase of the assembly.

 

Next the orlop deck base was added, which was glued in place. Next the limewood laser etched orlop deck pattern was glued and clamped in place. Some of the support strips were raised while the clamps were in place

This is how the hull looks, noting the orlop deck pattern clamps are still in situ.

Next the lower and lower stepped decks bases were added. No glue required as locating pins are used to ensure these decks are held in the correct position. The limewood laser etched deck patterns were then glued and clamped in place.

Lower Stepped Deck Clamped in Place

Lower Deck Clamped in place. I did add extra clamps after taking this photo to hold the hatch openings in place along the edge where the stepped deck is located. Please see my note in a previous post regarding the slot on bulkhead 8 for the main mast This needs to be either opened up, or the main mast needs flattening to fit.

 

Next the three lower hatches were added to the lower deck. Before they were fitted I did mask the inner section and painted the outer edges black.

Hatch 1, there was a small amount of paint bleed but given where this hatch is sited I do not think it really matters.

Hatch 2, there was a small amount of paint bleed but given where this hatch is sited I do not think it really matters.

Hatch 3, there was a small amount of paint bleed but given where this hatch is sited I do not think it really matters.

Next the ladder for the orlop deck was assembled. I used a straight edge and glued the top and bottom rungs in place. I used the lines on the cutting board to ensure everything was squared off.

 

Once the glue had gripped the other side of the ladder was added. I used the lines on the cutting board to ensure everything was squared off. I did remove the excess glue shown in the following photo.

Once the glue had gripped the remaining rungs were added. I then brushed some diluted glue into all the joints.

 

The two outer edges of the ladder were given a light sand to remove any excess glue and rung material. The two outer ladder side patterns were then glued in place. The completed ladder was then glued in place.

 

The final task required to complete the hull frame assembly plan sheet 1 was to glue the bow frame base in place.

This is how the model now looks. You may have noted that I have also fitted the gun deck beam ledge patterns which is the first stage of the hull frame assembly plan sheet 2

 

That's another task completed. I think it turned out OK.

I wish I could take credit for this artistic masterpiece. However, @Jim H very generously sent me the non-fiction figurehead, prepared by his very talented friend for his prototype build, for my model. Words can't describe how touched I was by this offer and how brilliant the figurehead looks. 👏😁

And here is that figurehead in the manual's image:

Just now, Jim H said:

And here is that figurehead in the manual's image:

I just have to build my Surprise to the same standard as @Jim H prototype model to do the figurehead the justice it deserves 😁

I haven’t decided for which version I will purchase, but the carronades are currently in the lead.

POST 4 - TEST FITTING OF RIDING, MAIN TOPSAIL SHEET AND MAIN JEER BITTS

After giving the lower and lower stepped deck a WOP I thought it would be prudent to check what slots into the various cutouts on the lower deck. I have previously checked fitting of fore, main and mizzen masts in their respective holes, noting the slight adjustment that is need for the main mast, please click on link for more details. Bulkhead 8 Post

The slots are for the:

• Riding Bitts

• Main Topsail Sheet Bitts

• Main Jeer Bitts

MISSING IN ACTION?

Both the Riding and Main Jeer bitts are located on the 5mm pear wood sheet. This morning I spent 40 minutes checking the various pear wood sheets looking for the 5mm pear wood sheet. I also checked the various small boxes. I looked at the plan sheets to see if it was typo in the build manual and in fact these bitts would be found on a 4mm or 3mm pear wood sheet. But no, these parts are 5mm pear wood.

I was all set to message @Chris Watton to ask for a replacement, as the sheet had not been included in kit. However. knowing the time and effort Chris puts to to laser cutting these sheets and the time and effort Chantelle puts in to packing these kits I thought it was very unlikely the 5mm pear wood sheet would not have been included in the kit.

As a last resort I went to my general waste dustbin, where I had deposited the kit packed bubble wrap, and lo and behold the missing sheet was finally located. I then did a full check of all the other wooden sheet against the part plan sheets A through H to make sure I had not done the same thing with another sheet. All the other wooden sheets were accounted for.

Riding Bitts Test Fit
The riding bits are located in slots aft of the foremast, as can be seen in the photo below.

The bitts will be fed through slots on the gun deck, once fitted as can be seen below before they slot into place on the lower deck.

The tabs that locate in the slots are a tad to long so the riding bitts do not sit flush with the lower deck. This is because they sit on top of bulkhead 3 which prevents the full insertion, as can be seen in the next photo.

The question is @Jim H @Chris Watton should these tabs be trimmed so the riding bitts do sit flush with the lower deck. I will get a better feel for this once the gun deck has been fitted so I can see how the riding bitts look but I believe the tabs will need trimming.

Main Topsail Sheet and Main Jeer Bitts Test Fit

The main topsail sheet bitt is located fore of the main mast and the main jeer bitt is located aft of the main mast. There are also 6 off holes for the hand pumps where their 3mm dowels will locate into.

As can be seen in the next photo these items will fed through slots / holes on the gun deck before they slot into place on the lower deck.

There was no issue with fitting these items in the slots / holes provided.

I am now in the process of removing the various gun deck beams and adding them to the hull.

Quick note....these two parts are shown the wrong way round.

Just now, Jim H said:

Quick note....these two parts are shown the wrong way round.

Many thanks and it is noted. I was only checking the parts would fit in the slots provided so I was not overly concerned with the orientation.😀

Photos of the various bitts the right way around, just for @Jim H 😄

The gun deck beams, which can be seen in the following photos, are in test fit stage so they have been not glued in place. I have also added a note about the correct orientation of gun deck beam 12.

Riding Bitts

Main Topsail Sheet and Main Jeer Bitts

Gun Deck Beam 12 Orientation

It is important to place gun deck beam 12 the right way around as there are slots for the main topsail sheet bitts on this beam, as shown by the blue arrows on the next photo.

Where does part CF 6 go, there are 2 of them?

41 minutes ago, John Carleton said:

Where does part CF 6 go, there are 2 of them?

I suspect it is now an obsolete part. Probably at some point during the design process it may have sat beneath CF 5 but then Chris / Jim discarded during the prototype build process.

POST 5 – INITIAL WORK OF HULL FRAME ASSEMBLY AS DETAILED ON PLAN SHEET 2

There is quite a bit of assembly work detailed on frame assembly plan sheet 2.

 

The first task, after fitting the gun deck longitudinal support strips is to glue gun port deck beams 0 to 23 in place. It should be noted that gun deck beam 12 must be orientated so the topsail sheet bitts can slide in the slots provided. These depth of these slots will need to be adjusted as detailed in the build manual.

 

Next the gun deck carlings are added. Checks are made that the fore, main and mizzen mast will pass through the holes provided and locate in the holes in the lower and lower stepped decks.

In all the ensuing photos the parts are only being tested fitted. Once I am happy with how these parts fit together I will glue the various parts in place as per the build manual instructions.

Fore Mast Test Fit

Main Mast Test Fit

Mizzen Mast Test Fit 

Next the bow and bowsprit patterns were added, along with their longitudinal support beams as shown in the final three photos below.

 

Glenn,

This build log will be invaluable to all of us waiting for our kits. At this rate, you'll be done before mine even arrives!

POST 6 – HULL FRAME ASSEMBLY AS DETAILED ON PLAN SHEET 2

It has been a productive day. I have one more task to finish before the hull frame assembly is as shown on plan sheets 2.

 

The first task was to modify gun deck beam 12. This is to allow the topsail sheet bitts to be positioned and supported. I used a craft knife for this task and then used a square mini file to finish off the task.

Photo of the modified gun deck beam

 

 

Photo of the modified gun deck beam with bitts test fitted

Photo of the gun deck beam in place and bitts test fitted.

 

 

When adding the foremast carlins I noticed an area, indicated with blue lines and red arrow in the next photo, were fitted with a carlin in the build manual photo. As can be seen below this is not the case with the kit supplied carlins.

 

Eventually the penny dropped, thanks to a hint from @Chris Watton, why this had been modified. The next photo shows the reason. There needs to a gap so the riding bitts can be fitted.

 

And now a photo with the riding bitts test fitted again.

 

The next photo shows the bow support patterns glued in place which are now supporting the bow patterns.

 

 

Next the various longitudinal support patterns were added. This took a bit of time, to ensure these patterns were fully inserted. Here are a couple of photos showing the hull after these patterns were added.

 

Next the packing piece in bulkhead 15 was removed. I used a craft knife, initially to score the holding tabs, before twisting to release. The 2 sets of stern frames (inner, middle and outer) were then added followed by the two cross member support patterns.

 

And now a couple of photos of the longitudinal patterns

 

Finally a photo of gun port frames 1 and 2 in position.

 

looking good Glen

I can't believe the progress you have made.

It would take me a couple of months to get to that stage. Looks great.

29 minutes ago, Aunt Emma said:

I can't believe the progress you have made.

It would take me a couple of months to get to that stage. Looks great.

Thanks. Come today stop for a couple of days due to grandparent duties.

POST 7 – HULL FRAME AND FAIRING HULL

It was now time to apply diluted glue to all the joints. I inverted the hull and placed it on two sandpaper coils as shown below.

I brushed diluted glue into all the joints and then left it for 24 hours to fully dry out. As the glue was curing I assembled and inserted the temporary bulkhead support strips, as can be seen in the next couple of photos.

The next task is to fair the hull. This is not a task that can be rushed. The hull requires careful manipulation of its position when fairing the hull. It is taken me around 4 hours to fair the right-hand side, Thankfully all the bulkhead ears are still in place. Fingers crossed the bulkhead ears will remain in place when fairing the left-hand side. It would have been easier if I had pre faired the hull doubler parts prior to fitting.

looking good, hope to do mine on sat