BUILD LOG:
                  MY 1:16 NEW BEDFORD WHALEBOAT

                                                                              3/4" = 1'-0"    1:16  SCALE

                                                                               Log Started  09-05-2016
                                                                     MODEL COMPLETED:  01-10-2017
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                                                                  This log is current as of 04 - 28- 2018

               THIS MODEL HAS BEEN SOLD AS OF 04-28-2018
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Some time back I had located a model kit of the Model Shipways New Bedford Whaleboat.  It is a very nice 3/4" or 1/16 Scale model of the same Beetle Boats used on the Charles W Morgan whaler.  Having built 7 of the 3/16" scale boats for the Morgan, including one fully rigged out with sails) I wasn't sure I wanted to do another one at a larger scale, so I let some time pass and it sat on the shelf.  In actuality, I should have built this first before building the smaller scale boats.  I would probably have had an easier time as well as a better understanding of what these boats meant to the whaling world of the 1800's. Even though I am in the process of downsizing to go full time RV living, I still have the urge to build something.  This boat will be able to go with me and be built along the road as we travel as it is a sturdy, non fragile model as well as smaller than a model ship.  So the decision was made to go ahead and start building the whaleboat.
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Some of the initial dialog here will be somewhat redundant as Lester has covered some of this already, however, for documentation I will supplement with my own interpretation of some of the information about these boats.  Lester was invaluable when I built the 7 whaleboats for the Morgan, as can be seen in the vast amount of coverage allowed to the whaleboats in this entire build log.  It is my intention at this time, to build the model with the sails up and in the "water" the same as my Yellow Boat on the Morgan, as I still have a remaining piece I could use for the base that's from the real Morgan, however, as the build continues I reserve the right to change my mind and perhaps build it with the mock up of the davits, cranes and boat station others have chosen and the instructions provide drawings for those who wish to do so.   As mentioned, I never intended to build a whaleboat model of this scale when finishing the Morgan, however, here I am.   The construction of this model will be in  5 Stages; I the Hull Construction, II The boat details, III Gear and Tools, IV Masting and  V Rigging with Sails.  So let the fun begin! 

 
SEPTEMBER 6, 2016       START BUILD

​JANUARY 10, 2017          MODEL COMPLETED

The start of construction of the New Bedford Whaleboat kit by Model Shipways, Kit No. MS 2033.  As many build logs begin, photographs of the box and contents are photographed for documenting what one should expect  when opening the box, and then compared to a parts list for verification that all parts are present and accounted for. Therefore, the following photographs will show the box and contents as well as some closeups of laser cut parts, photo etched items, cast, wood strips and all components necessary to build a nice replication of these historic boats.  

KIT FEATURES
• Authentic plank-on-frame construction duplicates original construction techniques
• Laser cut basswood components
• Photo-etched copper fittings include harpoon, lance and cutting spade heads, knife blades, oarlocks and mast hinge   hardware
• Cast Britannia compass bowl and bomb lance gun
• Sailcloth & three diameters rigging line
• Six sheets of precise, highly detailed plans
• 150-page illustrated instruction book
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Next, the contents are photographed and verified against the Parts List for Inventory as well as a reference for a model shipwright that is not familiar with this kit but contemplating a purchase.  Many times manufacturers don't show you what you get which can help you decide if you have the skills to build it.  The contents can be very intimidating when all you see is dowels, sticks, strips and pieces of metal and your desire is to have a nice model of something you like.  Hopefully, once you see what's in the box, you can decide if the price is right and if you have the desire and skill to try and build it.  This is for an advanced skilled modeler, but it doesn't have to turn out perfect and could help to develop skills not yet acquired, so since it is relatively inexpensive - give it a shot!  If you mess something up, Model Shipways will provide you a replacement - free of charge.  One could not ask for a better warranty.

The following pictures are of the contents in the box.

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The contents minus the round plastic container showing the smaller parts.

The Laser Cut items

The basic mold and horses for construction of the Hull.

Laser-cut components

Laser-cut strakes, port and starboard.

Bag containing all wood strips and dowels as well as a tube containing the metal brass and aluminum metal tubes.

Contents of bag to compare to inventory on Parts List.

Plastic container with smaller components, sail cloth, photoetch material, small components and rope line.

Contents of Plastic Container with small parts and photoetch parts.

Photoetched materials.

Brittania gun and brass nails.

Small components.

Clamps provided in kit.

This concludes the items other than the drawing plans that are included in the kit.

Next is the setup for the build board where the hull will be constructed using horses to create and hold a mold to form the hull.

                   ***STAGE I - THE HULL CONSTRUCTION***

Just as building a real full size whaleboat, it is constructed by building a mold or form to bend the strakes over to form a properly shaped hull.  The first order of business is to cut out, sand and smooth the components that will form the jigs and horses to make the mold.  These are laid out over the drawings on Plan Sheet 1-A and properly marked.

Taking Plan Sheet 1-A, take the boat profile mold and mark the WL lines 1-4 on the wood as accurately as possible on both sides as this will be the reference lines for building the hull.  This type of construction is quite different from the Plank on Bulkhead method where the bulkheads are the framework for the planking.  In a Plank on Frame method which this is, the framework becomes the mold for forming the Plank Strakes to make the hull.  Mark both sides respectively as shown here.

Bow - Starboard Side, showing WL1-4,  (Waterline) as well as Section Mold 1

Stern depicting same layout and Section Mold 5.

Opposite side showing same markings

I intend to show quite a few photographs of this stage for constructing the mold to make the hull.  There are numerous pictures of this stage of construction, but I found that many are black and white or hard to understand or not clear.  It is my intention to show detailed photographs for reference to those who could use some clarification. Doing this stage is setting the guide for the hull construction.  If this is not followed almost "religiously", then the hull could be dimensionally "out of whack" creating a lot of problems in the strake planking alignment.   For beginners of this type of construction this can be quite confusing and therefore, more photographs of the stage should hopefully give more clarification of the instruction book and give visible aids to those who need it.  There are also some rather gross errors in the proper dimensions of the laser cut horses that are addressed as we progress.   For experienced modelers you can probably skip some of this.

Continue to transfer the WL lines onto the Form Molds 1-5 on both sides, marking forward and aft, stbd and port so that you always know where you are at when planking.  Be as accurate as possible in drawing the lines as they will be the guides for plank alignment.

Once the WL's are correctly drawn on the mold forms, it is time to dry fit these components together - do not glue at this point.

Once the fit is confirmed the next thing to do is to campher the correct sides of the form molds to correspond with the direction of the planks - 1 and 2 work forward and 4 and 5 work aft with 3 having no camphers.  The camphers remove about 50% of the thickness of the 1/8" thick mold forms in the direction of either the bow #1 and #2, and the stern #4 and #5.  Imagine a plank bending toward the bow, and then remove just enough of the molds side to flow into the bend of the hull, allowing the plank to bend naturally into the keel without bulges or sharp bends.  This procedure allows the strakes to lie flat against the mold and bend in the direction of the campher. These are easier to do prior to gluing this unit together.

A Build Board is necessary to mount the horses and mold frame to.  I selected a piece of 1/4" x 12" x 24" Birch plywood for the task.  At first I thought that 1/4" could be somewhat flimsy, but decided to try it anyway.  I think it's going to be ok for this.  Two centerlines were drawn on the work surface so that the horses could be lined up properly.

The horses are set on the build board and not glued yet - they are here for reference at this point.  The horse pieces needed to have the slot cut deeper for them to be able to sit flush on the build board.  These are the first mis-cut pieces to contend with.  The slots were cut from 1/8" to 3/16" deeper on all 3 horse units.

Everything is dry fitted and checked for accuracy prior to gluing.  I found some discrepancies in the laser cut slots that form the horses.  The slots did not line up properly to form the flat bottom required for flush mounting them to the build board.  Adjustments were made accordingly. 

Locate the lumber for making the top caps on the mold structure.  The profile cap is 1/8" x 1/2" x 22" and the mold caps are 1/8" x 1/4" x 22".  These are the only strips this size in the part strip bag.  There are 3 of the 1/4" strips, but only 1 is used for this step.

The strips are compared to the plan.

Notch each end of the Profile Mold according to the plans.

Carefully glue the top cap to the profile mold top, being sure to center them as closely as possible.  Care needs to be taken to ensure that the pieces are square which prevents any distortions when the planking is applied.  Prior to gluing it is a good idea to pre-drill several holes in the top of the cap to accommodate small nails to reinforce this assembly.  Using a small hammer then nail the cap to the profile mold as shown.

Turn the assembly over and secure in the vise.  Glue the mold forms 1-5 to the profile mold checking that they are square and plumb to the profile mold.

Turn the mold form over and secure in a vise.  Measure, cut and glue the top caps to the mold forms.

Once the top caps are securely attached this essentially completes the mold form.

The bow and stern horses were glued together.  Prior to gluing this I discovered that the horses and the curvature of the top of the profile mold do not match.  Having an understanding of the purpose of this mold I carved and shaped the horses to align with the mold top both to the bow and the stern.  Each end was spot glued to the horses and allowed to dry.  They are spot-glued because it will make it easier to remove once the hull is formed. The #3 mold is to center on the midship horse and cross-members, and then attach to the bow and stern horses accordingly, however, once the #3 mold is set on the horse, there are large gaps between the bottoms of the horses and the build board. Shims were cut and glued to the build board to accommodate the gaps from the board to the horses allowing a firm platform for the entire apparatus.  The main function of the horses is to allow a strong firm attachment for the mold to mount on.  It is not necessary to have them perfectly level but the closer it is the easier it is to work with.  There will be a fair amount of stress applied to the mold when the strakes are bent to accomodate the mold when forming the hull. 

NOTE:  These components are laser cut from Model Shipways.  To me, when you pay this much for a kit that includes a mold or structure with which to construct the model it should at least have correct measurements and fit together relatively well.  The discrepancies here are gross mis-measurements that do not fit well at all.  For a beginner, these errors could be extremely frustrating and could even wind up creating a badly constructed model or worse a complete failure.  These problems were easily fixed since I already knew what to expect and had been warned by my friend Lester whose build log is also included on this website.  I actually think that my parts might have been off more than Lester's.  The slots in the horses where the 1/2" wide profile mold top cap is to fit has to be widened also, about 1/32" to accomodate the top as it is too small.  I do intend to contact Model Shipways and inquire about these errors and will report back with an answer.  They are always responsive and usually have an explanation or correction.

This is a big disappointment in the quality control of this kit which has been around for a long time.  The strange thing is that all the parts match the plans so it makes one question the error or one's sanity.

The shim above shows to be about 1/4" thick, and the other end is about 1/16" thick.  With pre-cut laser parts there should not be any differences.

Stern end shown attached to the mold form and glued to the shim on the build board.

Bow end shown attached to the mold form and glued to the shim on the build board.

The Midship horse showing proper alignment.  The #3 top cap is spot glued in about 4 places as once the hull is completed it will need to be removed from the horses as well as the mold form resulting in a formed hull.

This completes the Build board and Mold Form.  Once this is completed to your satisfaction it is time to begin constructing the hull around this mold. 

THE HULL

Starting with the Stem Post, Stern Post and Keel, collectively called the "Stems" locate the 1/32" x 1/8" x 22" strips in the wood parts bag.  There are 12 of these and they are taped together.    

Cut 2 of the strips into 3 - 6" pieces each.  Soak these pieces in water for about 20 minutes or until they are thoroughly saturated.

Form the Stern Post by laminating 3 of the strips - WITHOUT GLUING - by clamping them to the form mold.  All we are doing here is to bend and shape the wood around the profile curvature of the mold.

Follow this procedure on around the mold profile.

Stern Post in position and clamped.  Keep clamped until thoroughly dry so they will maintain their shape.

Repeat same procedure for the Stem Post (fwd).

Once the stems are clamped off, set aside and let thoroughly dry - over night if necessary.  The object here is to allow them to form the proper shape for gluing together later.

After sitting overnight, I took the clamps loose and removed the 3 pieces.  I put beeswax on the mold form profile so that any glue from laminating would not stick to the forms since they will need to be removed later.  The 3 pieces are glued and put back on the mold and re-clamped to form the lamination.  This process was not photographed, but the laminated stern post is shown after it is dry.  This process is repeated for the stem post.  The laminated piece holds its shape and is remarkably strong.  The same process is used on a real boat.

I made copies of the Upper and Lower Keel drawings at the bottom of Sheet 1-A, cut them out to make a pattern and spot-glued them to the proper size wood strip.  The Upper is 3/64" x 1/2" and the Lower is 5/64" x 1/2"  NOTE:  the Upper Keel refers to the piece towards the Build Board - when the boat is in it's proper position the keel of course is in the water.  The Lower Keel will be the outside piece that points upward at this stage since the boat is being built upside down or Keel up..  

I spot glued the paper pattern to the proper size wood strip, then using a small sharp plane and/or knife shape the keel parts to the pattern.  Mark the wood the same as the pattern once shaped.  This will help in aligning the keel pieces to the mold as well as each other when it is time to attach them in place.

Repeat the process for the Lower Keel piece and cut in the area for the Center Board.  The Upper Keel piece is not slotted at this time.  This process is stronger than cutting out both pieces during hull construction.  The entire slot will be cut out once the hull is removed from the mold. 

Mark each keel piece according to the plan.

The Stem and Stern pieces are trimmed and notched to accommodate the Upper Keel piece and put back on the mold to be held with a couple of clamps for stability.  Taking a file or sandpaper, a 45 degree taper is cut into the top edge of the 3 laminated stems from just ahead of the scarf joint to WL #4 creating a kerf or rabbit under the next layer of lamination.  This is to accommodate the Garboard and other strakes for the hull.

The 45 deg bevels shown for the Kerf, this leaves about 1/16" thick top to form the Kerf.  The Scarf Joint cut is seen to the left.

The Upper and Lower Keel parts are now shaped and marked accordingly, set aside and ready to be used.

Cut 6 more 3/64" x 1/8" x 6" pieces for the stem and stern posts again.  The entire structure will be 6 pieces per stem. Wet these as before and clamp to the first stems to let set up.  Again, we are trying to accomplish the bend for these so they are allowed to set up overnight.  They will be glued and/or laminated as before once set.

Clamp down as before on both stems.

The 45 deg bevel or campher can be see here on the 1st 3 laminates.

The 2nd set of 3 laminates has been removed from the forms and is ready to laminate to the 1st set and clamped back to the profile mold to set.

Once the glue has set, remove the clamps, drill several holes through the laminates and pin the assembly to the profile mold.  This is repeated for the bow.  This procedure holds the stems to the mold so that the keel can be formed.

The laminates and the Upper Keel are matched up, marked, cut and then cleaned up to make the keel.  This photo is just for making the fit.

The Upper Keel is now glued to the scarf joint in both stem and stern.  It is only glued to the scarf joint not any framework or molds.

The Lower Keel piece is now glued to the Upper Keel piece which forms a slight ledge for gluing the Garboard Strake to.  

The Scarf Joint with both keel pieces.

Top view of the keel assembly.

This completes the Keel Structure of the boat.

Hull Planking

The Garboard Strake
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Locate the 2 sets of laser-cut strakes, compare them to Plan Sheet 1-B.  Label each sheet "Bow, Port & Stbd" so that they do not get mixed up.  The Bow end is different than the Stern end so mark them accordingly.  Carefully cut and remove the Garboard Strakes.  The Garboard Strake on any ship or boat is the first strake to mount up to the keel.  It fits into the Kerf or Rabbet to seal the hull to the keel.  It will be the most important strake on the boat as it also aligns each side to keep the strakes uniform and even with each side.  The rest of the strakes will just lay up on top of the Garboard working their way up the sides.  When looking at the bow head on, the strakes should be even to the keel and each end should line up with WL #1 marks.

Line up the Garboard curved edge to the keel, moving it back and forth until the ends meet the mold and keel kerfs at the WL #1 marks.  Mark the Garboard at the center of the #3 mold giving a center work point once the glue is applied. This method allows for the ends to meet properly on the keel ends for alignment as mentioned before.  Just a point to mention here is to have plenty of strong clamps handy as this process uses a lot of them.

Once the points are established, mark a 1/16" line the length of the strake on the flat or straight side up.  Using a file or sanding block, make a 45 deg edge or campher - the next strake will lie on this.  Looking at this picture the 45 deg bevel is facing up and towards you on the flat or straight edge.

Soak each end thoroughly in water as this piece will be bent and twisted almost 90 degrees.  Place a line of glue on the curved edge of the strake, line it up on Mold #3, lay it over the upper keel and butt it up to the lower keel and begin clamping and twisting the strake to fit the keel with each end going into the kerf or rabbet.  Use as many clamps as needed to not only hold the twists but to form into the keel keeping it tight to the molds.  This gets tricky so don't get in a hurry.  Let this set up and dry thoroughly before moving on.

The Garboard lying on the upper keel and butting up to the lower keel essentially making this area "flat" or flush at this area without a protruding keel.

Repeat this procedure for the port side being cautious to keep the strake ends even on each end.  Set this aside to dry thoroughly before moving to strake #2.  I'm letting it go overnight before moving on.

#2 STRAKE:

Locate and cut out the #2 Strake in the laser-cut sheets.  The #2 Strake is different in that it has a bevel as well as a Seam Batten.  Draw a 1/16" line to use as a guide for a sanding block or file to cut a 45 deg bevel on the side to match the bevel on the Garboard Strake.  Locate the edge for the Seam Batten and glue a 1/32" x 1/8" x 22" trimmed to about 1/4" less than the length of the strake.  Glue the batten to the strake and let dry. The batten creates what is known as a Clinker Lap which is just a ledge  for laying the next strake.  Once Strakes #2 - #5 are completed all of the 1/32" x 1/8" x 22" strips will have been used.

As before, glue the strake with the 45 degree angles lined up to create a flush joint.  The batten can be seen on the edge ready for the #3 Strake.  Use as many clamps as needed to keep the strakes flush with each other.

The #2 Strake shown clamped to the Garboard showing the batten on the edge.

The #3 Strake only requires a batten for the #4 Strake.

The #2 Strake shown in place on both sides with the #3 Strake shown glued with it's batten ready to install when dry.

This is continued through #4 Strake on both sides.  Let this dry thoroughly or overnight.  The #5 and #6 Strakes are different so if this assembly is very dry it will make it easier and prevent a possible problem with the installed strakes shifting or causing problems by not being thoroughly dry.

Top View of hull strakes - Garboard through Strake #4.

Profile photo of hull from Keel to #4 Strake.

For #5 Strake, locate the 5/8" x 12" Cove Molding.  This will be used to form a curve or a "cup" in the strake so that the result is a curved hull shape instead of a sharp squarish bend in the hull.  

Thoroughly soak the strake in water, then put it in the molding.  Using strong metal clamps, clamp the center of the strake into the void of the molding to bend the cup or curve.  Be sure to make sure you're bending the strake in the right direction.  I marked mine so that I wouldn't do something the wrong way.

Let this strake dry completely before removing it from the molding.  Once you begin to remove it work very quickly to glue the batten to it and get it glued and clamped to the hull.  The longer this takes, the quicker the strake will begin to return to it's original shape.  This is a fairly sharp curve so being unclamped makes it harder to work with.  Once it is glued to the batten and Strake #4 it will retain it's correct curvature and shape.

Once un-clamped, glue the batten to the strake, allow to dry, then before the strake continues to strighten out glue it to the #4 batten and clamp them together as quickly as possible.

The #5 Strake glued in place, now repeat the same for the Port side.  The #6 Strake is similar but again different as it has a cup as well as a bevel on the upper side to accept the Sheer Strake which also has a bevel.

With the first 6 strakes completed and dried, I have decided that this would be a good time to sand the hull to remove pencil marks, glue and blemishes that might be present before moving on.

The Sheer Strake is added next.  It is beveled on both sides in opposite directions.  The outboard side is beveled out and the inboard side is beveled in to mate up with the #6 Strake.  The outboard side will mate to the Gunwale Strake next.

The Gunwale Strake is glued in place and for the most part overlaps the Sheer Strake to some extent with the upper edge flush with the top caps on each mold and the bow end will be open since it is about an inch short.  This will hold the Cheek Pieces later in the build.  Once this is glued to the hull use the 1/8" x 1/8" x 22" ribbands and drill and nail (in this picture I used pins to hold in place until I could replace them with nails), to keep the strake at about 90 deg to the hull.  The nails and ribband keep the hull from flaring out wards since there is not much holding them to the mold.

Profile Stbd view

Pins have been replaced by nails.  This is done to prevent the pins from getting in the way when removing the mold from the horses and working with the hull - the nails are not an obstacle.

Top (actually bottom side) view of completed hull.

End view of Bow showing the openings for the Cheek Pieces and prior to clean up.

Overall Stern view.

This now completes the hull form.  Now is the time to fine tune, clean up glue or filler that needs to be removed while it is still mounted to the horses.  Make sure you are completely satisfied with the hull's exterior before moving on to the next stages of construction.


Removing the Hull from the Horses
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To remove the Hull Mold from the Horses, I used a couple of different sizes of palette  knives and slid them under the Mold Top Caps where they were spot glued to the Horses.  Prying and slicing the spot glued areas starting with each end and applying pressure to the joints, just twist them as hard as needed to pop the spots, breaking the end away from the Horse.  Repeat this on the other end leaving only the Midship Horse still glued.  Hold on to everything tight so as to not drop something if the glue pops suddenly and releases from the molds.  It is not fragile so don't be intimidated by it.

The Bow end showing the Seam Battens from inside.

The completed Hull ready for the ribs and interior detailing, with the mold still intact.  Prior to removing the molds take a razor saw and finish cutting out the Center Board slot.  It is better to cut it here as you have the stability of the mold to hold everything securely.

There are several schools of thought concerning leaving or removing the boat hull from the molds.  Some think that leaving the mold and hull together yields more strength to the framing process.  Others choose to remove the mold being cautious to not damage the Gunwale while framing.  I tried both ways, installing a rib prior to removing the mold and actually preferred getting the mold off and out of the way.   This procedure was a bit challenging in that some glue managed to get between a strake and the profile mold, but I pried it  loose without inflicting any damage.  I certainly was glad that I applied the Beeswax to the mold as this prevented any further sticking.  

The hull and the molds are separated.  This completes STAGE I, the forming of the Hull.
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​                                                            ******STAGE II:  BOAT DETAILS:*****
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THE RIBS:

Prior to removing the mold, I marked the first rib location on the hull interior - this makes it easier to keep them square and evenly spaced. Since these ribs are laminated, I didn't worry about the broken part of the rib seen here since it will have a lamination.

****CAUTION:  Be sure to attach the first rib at the right location on the inside of the hull.  It would also be advisable to mark where the Thwarts are located to the hull so that adjustments to the Thwart ends is not required to square them to the centerline.

Center Ribs in place.  Note that one rib is on one side, and the other is on the other side of the line marked inside the hull.  In real life construction, this would be one rib all the way from side to side, however, in this model construction they offset each other.  Looking Forward, the Port Side Ribs are positioned, and the Starboard Side Ribs are Aft. This also shows that this piece is laminated, making each rib 2 pieces glued to each other, much as the stems were formed earlier in this build.  From the center of the boat working to the stems the measurement for the ribs so far are 85mm to 80mm long.  As this changes (shorter) they are noted accordingly going down to about 65mm.

To make the ribs even and spaced properly, make a spacer jig for marking a line to lay the ribs on to frame the hull creating properly placed ribs.

Continue laying the laminated ribs in their proper alignment.

Nine ribs in place, the ribs are the same spacing from stem to stern, starting in the center near the #3 mold location. The logical progression for me is to work from the center out, laminating both pieces to the rib before moving to the next. This, of course, is my choice of progression and is the discretion of the builder.

The Ribs are installed.

GUNWALES & CEILING:

The ribs are trimmed to 3/16" below the top of the Gunwale.  There are questions where it seems that some of the boats the top of the ribs were cut on a curve back into the hull and some are cut flush to the top of the Gunwale less the 3/16".  To me, it seems that to have the rib meet the Gunwale flush would offer more strength to a high stress area, so I have chosen that route.  Modeler's discretion.  The lower strake shown is the Laser-cut Ceiling Strake.  Mark the inside of the hull according to the plans for where to locate this strake.  The measurements for this is 5/8" where mold #3 was and 11/16" on each end.  The Thwart Riser is cut from 1/16" x 3/16" x about 17" (rib to rib) and glued in place.

Top view of boat at this stage.

Place the ceiling beams to the ribs fore and aft, which are 1/16" x 1/8" beams.

The wide ceiling strips are cut from the 1/16"x 2"x 22" sheet.  Follow the lines on the plans.  This is done for both bow and stern, and they are different, so be sure the measurements are correct.

Stern end showing Wide Sheet Ceiling Planks.

Topside view of Wide Ceiling Planks Port and Starboard.

CENTER BOARD TRUNK:

The Center Board is cut out from the laser cut sheet to use as reference.  The Center Board Trunk is made from the 1/16" x 2" x 22" sheet. Lay a test strip across the top edge of the Thwart Riser from side to side to simulate a thwart. Measure the bottom of the test strip to the keel.  This will be the height of the Trunk.  Two Thwarts will sit on top of the Trunk so they must be the proper height.  The sheets are separated with a 3/32" x 3/16" strip creating the Ledges. The Ledges are longer than trunk and also have a tenon cut to fit into the slot in the keel and allow the Center Board to move freely within the Trunk.  When fitting this to the keel, mark the ribs that are in the way and trim them.  The trunk should mount flush to the keel.

The Tenon shown at the end of the Ledges.  Drill the hole for the Pivot Pin at this time, but the Center Board will be dealt with later.

The Center Board Trunk dry-fitted to the keel.  Note:  the ribs have been trimmed to fit up against the trunk.

The Trunk is now glued to the keel.  Following the drawings, make the Mast Step from a 1/4" x 1/4" x 1-1/4" stock.  The Mast Hole is not drilled at this point.

MAST STEP:

The Mast Step is dry-fitted to the keel.

Looking Aft.

CEILING PLANKS:

Start the Ceiling Planks from the Trunk working up the sides.  Be sure to not plank over the Bailing Well at the stern.  This area is open to allow monitoring draining water from the boat.  It also has a drain plug which will be installed later in the build. 

Four Ceiling Planks are in place.

Continue planking as per plans.

Trial and error is the only way to shape the final piece to close up the Ceiling.

As seen here the final Ceiling pieces are oddly shaped to fit the opening.

Closing the keel opening completes the Ceiling.

CHEEK PIECES:

  CHEEK PIECES:  Draw the design of the Cheek Pieces from the plans.  Drawing all 3 dimensions will allow for more accurate cutting and shapes.  These are not as tricky as they look.  The provided block is 3/8" x 1/2" x 6" which is not the same as mentioned in the book.  This does allow enough material for variations from model to model and should be trimmed accordingly.

Fit the Cheek Piece to the Bow where the opening was left in the Gunwales.  The Stem is cut flush to the Gunwale Strake.

There is a scarf joint on both sides to accommodate the Gunwale Strakes and should be the same thickness so it is flush when finished.

The Cheek pieces installed with the brass roller in place.  There is a scarf joint cut into the Cheek Piece  to mate up with the Inwale piece.

The Cheek Pieces installed, the Stem has been trimmed allowing clearance for the brass Bow Roller.

THE INWALES: 

​The Inwale glued and clamped on the inside, full length of the boat.  It is 3/32" x 3/32" x length of inside from Cheek Piece to Stern Post.

The Inwale on the Starboard side glued at the Cheek Piece.  This should be sanded and cleaned up to finish.

THE GUNWALES:
​
Bow view showing the Gunwale shaping for blending to the Cheek Piece.  The Gunwales are made from 1/16" x 3/16" strips and are measured to length and cut.  They are then beveled or sanded 45 deg on top and bottom outside edges prior to gluing to the Gunwale Strake.  This has not been cleaned up yet.

The Stern Stem and Gunwale finish.

Port Side showing Gunwale.

RUBBING RAIL:

​Form the Rubbing Rail from a 1/16" x 1/8" strip following the measurement and form on Sheet 1 "Lines".  Once the parts are shaped, soak them in water and bend them to shape.  Let them dry so the glue will hold them to the hull. The bends are against the grain so bend gently so as not to break them.  I found it better to bend them stacked together rather than each separately.

The Rubbing Rail glued to the bottom edge of the Gunwale Strake.  Once glue has dried, sand the exposed edges to "round" them slightly.  NOTE:  The gunwale is also rounded on the edges.  Photos of other builds do not show these pieces clearly which make them very confusing, as well as the parts list which is not correctly identifying the components.

The rail in place showing the sanded edge.

Measure the Stern Post  on the plans and using a razor saw cut the post to the correct height.

COLOR SCHEME - PAINTING:

​Since the hull shape is now completed, this is a good opportunity to fill any imperfections or gaps, holes, etc., that need to be addressed.  I also like to use Sanding Sealer at this stage of model construction.  The filler was applied, sanded and then sealed with an Acrylic Sealer to prep the hull for painting.  I'm still pondering the color scheme.  I could use the Morgan's colors or do something that is different, but still within the original boats of the late 1800's.  I have seen some different options during my recent visits to Mystic and am contemplating what I will choose.

I had a catastrophic windows 10 failure last week (October 22, 2016) and lost the photos I had taken of this whaleboat. My friend Lester Palifka had photos of it and has graciously provided these for me.  This is the color scheme I will use on my model.  This boat was a custom order from a customer contracting with the Mystic Seaport to build it for him at a cost of around $30,000.   I believe that they cost around $60 - $65.00 in the mid 1800's and were expendable. 

Interior view bow to stern with the Tabernacle.

Stern view with Lion's Tongue and Steering Oar Brace.

PAINTING:

Exterior Hull ready to paint.

Interior is masked off for painting the Gunwales.  I chose a light satin yellow (Ocherish)  color to match one of the whaleboats at Mystic Seaport that I had seen on one of my last visits (the one shown above).

The light yellow paint applied from the Gunwale strake bottom up to the rail, the masking tape removed and the framework below the sheets is shown, which will be applied later in the build.

Masking tape is removed showing the color vs natural wood of the ceiling.

The upper Gunwales are masked off preparing the Ceiling planks to be painted.  These are painted  a light blue satin.

Ceiling is painted.  It's almost the same color as the masking tape.

The Ceiling is now Light Blue and the Gunwales are now Pale Yellow and ready to work on the interior.  The exterior will be White, with a color stripe on the Gunwale.  I'm not sure the color of it yet, but these are painted later in the build.  The Thwarts are to be a brownish and light yellow color to be determined.  I plan to compare different browns and chose a good contrasting color.  These are personal choices and since my Morgan whaleboats are all gray inside, I chose a different color scheme to be different.  Any combination is acceptable as most all of the vintage whaleboats show different types of colors.  

The exterior of the Hull is painted Satin White.

​The basic color scheme.

With a lot of research, I decided I would paint the Identifier Stripe red (doesn't clash too badly).  I now remember why I dislike masking tape so much.  I used both Tamiya and Scotch masking tape and neither worked without bleeding or leaking.  This procedure took 4 coats of white, 3 coats of both Yellow Ochre and the Azul Blue and a roll of tape.  The red stripe has required a lot of touch ups, so overall and allowing for drying, it has taken 5 days to get to this point.  I am still not totally happy, but ok for now.  I had to re-mask each coat to get the coverage right.  The most crisp lines were the hand brushed touch-ups.  

I have since discovered a way to stop the Bleed.  Once the masking tape is applied, spray the tape with a coat of satin clear.  Then, paint the area and when you remove the tape if anything bled it will be the clear - not the paint.  I learned this from the auto guys who paint for a living.

The Red Stripe after all the tons of masking tape has been removed.

THE THWARTS & THWART PADS:

The Thwarts are made from 1/16" x 1/2" strip. These need to be trimmed carefully to match the curvature of the Hull.  I had to modify the ends to accommodate the Ribs which in my case were not in the exact place they needed to be. This was nothing major, but it wasn't perfect either.  In retrospect, the thwarts should have been marked inside the Hull Shell prior to installing the ribs.

NOTE:  There is a serious mistake at this point in my build.  The Trunk of the Center Board is too short.  I measured from the bottom of the Ceiling Gunwale instead of the top.  It was too late to replace it without tearing up the bottom of the Hull.  I decided to add about a 3/16" extension to the Top of the Ceiling Gunwale.  It is visible in this picture. Please adjust the measurement accordingly so you don't have to scab on an unsightly piece as I did.  More than likely it's unnoticible with all the acccessories and such that will be installed in the boat.  The first Thwart I made is the one which is flush with the end of the Center Board and as can be seen here it required a small notch to be squared to the Center Line of the boat and the rib.

The Cuddy Boards:

The Cuddy Boards need to be cut from a 1/16" x 3" sheet and are not included.  The boards are 1/16" x 3/8" x 24" strips cut to the proper measurement overlapping the Gunwales.  There are 8 strips, which I then glued edgeways to each other.  I chose to round the edges between the strips to form a  better look (my opinion).  Once the glue has set, align the assembly to the sternpost and draw a pencil line under the assembly and along the Gunwale from underneath. Trim to fit the rail.  Then trim to fit just inside the Gunwale and round the outside edges.

​CUDDY BOARDS & THIGH BOARD:

The Thigh Board is made from 1/8" x 3/4" strip.  Take measurements from the plans for location of cutout and round the edge as before.

 The Cuddy Board trimmed and the Lions Tongue is shaped and fitted.  These pieces are just dry fitted to the boat for now.  In my opinion, these should be painted as much as possible prior to gluing to the boat.  This allows a better paint job with less touch-ups.  I applied sanding sealer first to accomplish an even match to the yellow.

Side view of boat showing the Thwarts and Cuddy boards.

Stern view showing Cuddy Boards and Lion's Tongue - all dry fitted.  I recommend painting or staining these prior to gluing to the boat - it's easier at this point, try not to get paint on the glue surface for better adhesion.  There are also holes to be drilled in the Cuddy Boards and the thigh board prior to installation.

I decided to go ahead and paint the rails and rubbing rail black at this time.  The boat is easier to handle at this point so painting seemed to make sense to me.  The colors of course, are the builders choice.

View shows color scheme - are we gaudy or what????

Starboard aft view.

The Cuddy Boards w/Lions Tongue, Thwarts and Thigh Board have been cut out and fitted.  The notches for the ribs can be seen here - these are the adjustments to square the Thwarts to the Center Line.  These pieces are painted prior to the installation.  I chose a brown oxide acrylic paint.  These, of course, are the builders choice.

Interior prior to installing the Thwarts.

Components dry fitted prior to gluing to double check the fit.

Bow Thigh Board and #1 Thwart.

Stern, showing the Cuddy Boards and Lions Tongue.

Overall view showing color scheme.

BOW BOX:

The Bow Box Sheets are cut to fit, painted and glued.  This is made from 1/32" x 3/8" and cut from a 1/32" sheet since they are not provided.

View showing Bow Box Sheet.

KICKING STRAP:

The Kicking Strap will be the first detailing area of the boat as it is part of the Thigh Board.  Choosing to do this prior to gluing is much easier.  It can be constructed as a sub assembly and then permanently attached to the boat when it is completed.  This loop would be properly tied into an Eye Splice Loop knot in reality, however, that is not practical due to scale, so instead I made a loop and seized it.  The line is the .040" beige line.

A knot is tied about 3/4" from the loop which is what is glued to the underside of the Thigh Board.

Inserting the unlooped end of the kicking Strap from the underside of the Thigh Board over to the adjacent hole pulled tight and then glued from the underside to secure it.  The Lance Tails are made from 12 lines of .008" beige line 3/4" long.  These are glued together on one end, seized and glued in the other hole.

A second line, .008" is looped through the larger .040" loop and seized.  The other end is folded back against itself and glued  to form a "handle" or something to grip.  The Bow Lifting Strap Loop is made using a 3/64" Dia Brass Rod (again not provided) and forming the eye around a dowel or using needle nose pliers.  This can be soldered or left as is.

The brass Lifting Rod/Eye will be blackened or painted black to finish the  Bow Box and Thigh Board.

At the thigh indention, I found a piece of very thin leather that was part of an old chair.  I cut a small piece and formed it to the curvature of the indention.  Any other leather required in this build will be cut from this piece.  It's really thin folks, keep it to scale...

The Thigh Board is completed and glued to the Bow Box and the boat.

LION'S TONGUE & LOGGERHEAD:

Using my Proxxon DB 250 Wood Lathe (for anyone interested) see my Proxxon Store - I am an Authorized Proxxon Tool Distributor and offer a Combo Kit of the lathe and all accessories to model ship modelers: http://www.proxxontoolsdiscount.com) or this website also has links throughout the site.

The DB 250 Lathe is set up with a 3/8" collet and a 3/8" Dowel (not provided) to turn the dowel into the Logger Head. The Logger Head is used to wrap a couple of turns from the Harpoon line to create drag and control of the line when a whale was harpooned and running the lines.

The measurements are penciled to the dowel as to what needs to be turned.

The rough turned Logger Head prior to using progressive grades of sandpaper to sand all of this to final turning.

The sanded Logger Head in the Lions Tongue.

I chose to use Minwax Light Oak stain and a Satin Clear Varnish to finish the Logger Head.

Finished view, stained and varnished.

​THWART KNEES AND PADS:

The Thwart Knees and Pads for #3 Thwart are cut to fit and painted, ready to install.  Each Thwart Knee will be different so be sure to follow the plans.  Several ways to cut the Knees are depicted in the Mystic Archives, some are flush with the Inwales and some tend to extend past to form a curvature.  The curvature method is my choice as it tends to exaggerate the pieces and is quite strong.  I also chose solid wood instead of laminated.  Builder's choice again and each Knee will need to be formed to fit the inside areas of the hull planks as well as sized to proper length per the plans.  These are cut from a 1/16" thick sheet and the pads are 1/16" x 1/4" strips cut to length.

The first Thwart Knees installed and painted to scheme on Thwart #3 in the middle of the boat.  I chose this starting point to help my "feeble" mind keep track of which side gets pads or not.  Builders choice.  The Thwart  Pads alternate from Port to Starboard.

Thwart Knees and Thwart Pads installed on #3 and #4 Thwarts.

The Thwart Knees are completed with the exception of #1 Thwart as this will be assembled with the Tabernacle.

NOTE:  #2 Thwart has the Knees running full length of the Thwart.  The pad is narrower on each side to accommodate the 1/16" thick Knees and all is the full width of the Thwart.  This is essentially doubled for strength to compensate for the the stress on the mast and sail.  These really are row boats and not sail boats, but for practicality they accomplished building something that could serve as both. The Mast Ramp is shown between #1 and #2 Thwarts.  This is a guide or trough for the Mast to follow to set up in the securing hole in the Mast Step.  The hole will be drilled once the Tabernacle is in place.  The end of the mast is to be turned down to about 3/16" and a 1/8" hole will be drilled to accommodate the "pin" end of the mast.  Once the Tabernacle is installed the mast will be turned with the lathe and the hole drilled for the end to fit and be square to the keel.

MAST TABERNACLE:
​

The Tabernacle on the real boat I'm replicating.

Tabernacle Variations documented in Mystic's Archives.  The bottom drawing is my reference.

Photo etched hinge for the Tabernacle to accommodate the mast.

The size I wanted for the Tabernacle, 3/32" thick was not a wood size that I had in my stock.  I laminated a 1/16" and a 1/32" sheet cut to proper width and length to make my Tabernacle from.

Using the Hold-n-Fold photoetch Bending tool, I formed the hinge loops from the 3 photoetch pieces.

Closer view showing the hinge loops.  By using a photoetch tool, it creates sharper and evenly spaced bends which helps keep things square and even.

The Hinge Loops are shaped further with round tipped pliers around a straight pin to form the loops and pins.  Once formed they will literally, be a Hinged Pin....no pun intended.  The pin shaft is then trimmed flush with the hinge loops.

The prepped hinge ready to use.

The shape of the Tabernacle is drawn on the board and the Mast Hinge is in place but not yet attached.

The Tabernacle is cut out to allow the Mast to follow the Mast Ramp, the hinge is cut from the Tabernacle allowing it to bend aft to lay the Mast down for stowing, the brass hinge is attached to the Tabernacle and the wood block which lifts out with the mast when it lays down.  Since this is a static model, instead of cutting this out, the builder can heavily scribe these lines to replicate them being cut out, especially since this would need to be  a tedious cut and need to be very near perfect to look right.  The brass can be left shiny or painted black or color of choice.  I like shiny brass, so it will remain so.....Navy thing I guess...

The Tabernacle is completed.

COMPASS AND COMPASS BOX:

I found a nice Compass Rose that I liked and shrunk it down to 1/4" Diameter (original size above is about 5" Dia).

The Compass Tub is painted copper and the 1/4" Compass Rose alongside.

The Compass Box is constructed from 1/32" x 7/16" x 5/16" pieces and the rails are from 1/32" strips.  This is stained light oak and spray varnished prior to installation.

The Compass Box ready to install.

The Cuddy assembly is now completed and glued to the boat.  A 1/2" Cleat is installed and the Lifting Rod/Eye is bent to proper shape, painted and attached.  The Compass is glued to the inside of the Box and then glued to the underside of the Cuddy and works like a drawer.

Lower view of Cuddy.

This completes the Cuddy and Compass.

BOW CHOCKS

The Bow Chocks are cut from a 3/16" x 5/16" x 6" strip.  This is a 3 dimensional cut, so follow the plans.

Frontal view showing taper of Bow Chocks.

The Bow Chocks are completed.

PREVENTER CLEATS:

The Preventer Cleats are carved from a 1/8" x 3/16" x 3/4" strip and glued to the rail about 9/16" from the Thigh Board.

Preventer Cleats painted and glued in place.

STANDING CLEATS:

The Standing Cleats are carved from a 3/16" x 5/16" x 1-1/4" strip.  These are beveled on the bottom and ends back towards the Gunwale plank, painted and glued to it.

FOOT BRACE:

The Foot Brace is cut from 1/16" x 1" x 1-1/2" Strip, (not supplied),  the plans show the arc.

SMALL CLEATS AFT:

The small cleats are cut from 1/16" x 3/16" x 1/2" strip, painted and glued inside the Inwales near the Cuddy.

ROWLOCK PADS:

The Rowlock Pads are cut from 1/16" x 7/32" x 1" (not included).  Each end is beveled and rounded and a 3/64" hole is drilled in the center to accomodate the Oarlocks.

The Rowlock Pads painted and glued to the respective locations shown on Plan Sheet 3.  Take the measurements from there.

Closer view appears to be "fuzzy", but it is just raised grain from the basswood and is mostly viewable due to the camera being unforgiving.

PEAK CLEATS and TUB OAR CLEAT

The Peak and Tuboar Cleats are used to "Peak the Oars" which is a maneuver that takes the ends of the oars and inserts them into the holes in the Cleats.  This would be done when approaching a whale after harpooning and lancing, to secure it for transport back to the ship.  This way the oars are secure but out of the way and the oar blades are in the air and out of water and the crew can move around the boat as well as not being in the way of the tub lines. This is also used when undersail and rowing is not necessary.

The 4 Peak Cleats are cut from a 1/8" x 1/4" x 1" strip.  The cuts are a bit tricky and are drawn on each piece in the above picture.  There are two curving surfaces and the top corners are rounded off.  A 1/8" hole is then drilled to accomodate the oar ends.  Finish as per your choice.  I chose to stain mine and satin varnish them since these are working parts of the boat and subject to a lot of abuse.  The Tuboar Cleat is the same, only it's thickness is 1/16" to make clearance for the Line Tub.  NOTE:  The Tuboar Cleat is mounted above the Gunwale Plank and attached to the ribs to make sure it had enough clearance above the Line Tub.

These are shaped and ready to stain and varnish.

The 4 Peak Cleats are installed and at the top and bottom left, with the Tuboar Cleat to the lower left of this photo.

Looking forward.  NOTE:  The Peak Cleat shown above is an error!  It should be mounted to the ribs above the Gunwale plank straight up from where it is now).  With this type of Tabernacle, the cleat has to be higher in order for the oar handle to fit in the cleat hole without interference from the Tabernacle - this is the same reason the Tuboar cleat is mounted above the Gunwale plank.

Overall view.

STEERING OAR BRACE:

The Steering Oar Brace is made from 1/8" x 1/4" x1" strip.  The lower piece is notched to 1/16".  Mark from under the rail so that the cut will follow the angle of the rail.  I painted this the same light yellow color of the Cuddy.  There are several variations that were used, so again it's Builder's Discretion.  There are 2 Stiffeners that mount just forward of the Cuddy - see plans. 

RUDDER, TILLER, PINTLES & GUDGEONS:

Nothing beats a Resistance Solder Iron when it comes to making small brass parts.  I have set mine up to use for making the Gudgeons and Pintles.  The Gudgeons are the the Lower Hinges for the Rudder to hang and are mounted to the boat.  The Pintles are the Upper Hinges and are mounted on the Rudder.  The Pintles have a pin that goes into the Gudeons to hinge the Rudder.  The Resistance Solder Iron will solder the pins to the Pintles.  NOTE:  The Rudder hangs on the boat - not the other way.

The Pintles are shaped to the Rudder thickness and a brass pin (nail) is inserted into the joint formed around the pin. This is being held by the grounding vise of the Resistance Solder iron assembly.

The soldered Pintles ready to be cleaned up.  The Gudgeons are formed to fit the Keel and Stern area.

The Rudder is shaped according to the plans and the Pintles and Gudgeons are fitted to the Rudder and dry fit to the boat.  The 2 holes are 3/64" for the Trip Line and Tricing Strap to be added later.

The Pintles are fitted to the Rudder.  The Tiller is made from a 1/16" x 1/4" strip, taper per the plans.

Stern view showing the Gudgeons and the Steering Oar Brace installed.

Rudder and Tiller in place.  A pin was inserted through the Pintles to secure them to the Rudder.  The Steering Oar Brace is in place on the Cuddy.  Leather was placed in the crotch of the Brace to cushion the Steering Oar when being used.

RIGGING THE RUDDER:

Starboard side of the Steering Oar Brace.  To rig this, follow the plans, starting with a Knot in the Sternpost then through the bottom of the Brace to the upper hole in the Brace.  The line is formed into a loop on the end and seized. A Lanyard is seized to the Line.  (It is a smaller diameter line) The Lanyard is then tied off on the small cleat on the Lion's Tongue.  The purpose is to secure the Steering Oar when underway and give the Coxswain leverage.

Portside view showing the same lines.

The top line on the Rudder (knot) is the Trip Line, and the lower one is the Tricing Strap.  The Trip Line is to release the Rudder from the hinges and the Tricing Strap secures it up against the port side of the boat when securing the boat for lifting aboard the "Mother Ship" for stowing.  The Tricing Strap runs to the Cuddy, through a Fairlead hole securing to the inner port cleat.

The starboard side showing the knot for the Tricing Strap - lower line.  The top line is the Trip Line which runs through a Fairlead hole in the tip of the Lion's Tongue, across the Cuddy and the through another Fairlead hole in the Cuddy then tied off to the inside starboard cleat.

Top of Cuddy with all lines in place.

GUNBOX AND GUN:

The Gunbox is made from 1/32" x 1/2" x 2-1/2" sheet.  The angled sides fit the shape of the Starboard Bow Ceiling. The hinges are made from cardstock.

The Gunbox is stained the Light Oak color, Satin Varnished and glued to the Starboard Bow Ceiling.

The Whale Gun is a 7/8" bore, Christopher C. Brand, #1 black powder, Percussion Cap, short rifle gun.  It shot a Bomb Lance which was a small rocket type projectile with fins that once shot would penetrate the whale and explode if they were lucky, otherwise it would just penetrate the whale and hopefully hit him in the brain, killing the whale and allowing the boat to harvest him.  For our purposes this mostly consists of cleaning up the metal cast part and painting it to look good.

The painted gun is laid on the box, which normally would store the gun, but for our purposes we want to display it. I will probably build a Bomb Lance and a Gun Harpoon to display with the Gun. 

For Information, the classification of the Brand Guns, ca. 1849:

Cast Iron Stock, Percussion Cap, 38" Length

#1 Gun, 7/8" Bore wt. 23 lbs
#2 Gun, 1-1/8" Bore wt. 19.5 lbs
#3 Gun, 1/-1/4" Bore wt. 19.0 lbs

The recoil from these guns is so severe that it would usually always kick the shooter back into the Midship Thwart (#3), so a Lanyard would be tied to it in case it wound up overboard.  The Bomb Lance weighed about 3 lbs.  It also could fire a Gun Harpoon which is addressed later in the build.

HARPOON CROTCH:

The Harpoon Crotch is made according to the plans and installed on the Starboard Bow Inwale.  It is a removable item and only used once they had a whale otherwise it was stowed under the 1st Thwart.

Overall view.  The Harpoon Crotch was stained light oak and spray varnished to keep the natural look.

HARPOON AND LANCE RACKS:

Using the Photoetch Bender, the copper Harpoon Rack is bent at it's center.

The bending blade is pushed under the copper and is then bent upwards 90 deg to start the bend.  The copper is extremely strong as it is hardened. 

The rack is bent around a pin to form the area to accept a pin once the Harpoons are in the slots for securing them to the boat.

Once formed the racks are blackened.  Blackening is a chemical treatment for turning brass and copper metal "black" without having to use paint.

The Lance Rack (3 slots) completed and mounted to the forward Thwart Knee on the Port side.

The #2 Thwart looking aft showing the Harpoon Rack starboard, and the Lance Rack to port.

STEERING OAR PAD & TUBOAR CROTCH:

The Steering Oar Crotch is cut from 1/8" x 3/8" x 3/4" strip (not included), shaped with 1/4" opening and a 1/2" brass Belaying Pin CA glued through a hole drilled into the bottom.  This will replace the Oarlock when the Oars are Peaked and keep the Oar elevated.

The Steering Oar Pad plug is cut from 1/4" x 1/4" x 3/8" strip and shaped according to the plan.  The plug is covered with leather and has an eye in one end for the Lanyard.  The plug would be pulled and the handle of the Steering Oar would slide into the Leather to secure the oar when using the sail.  The Tuboar Crotch is shown to the right inserted in the Oarlock Pad.

Lanyard end for Steering Oar Pad.

Looking aft.

OARLOCKS & LANYARDS:

The Oarlocks are cut from the Photoetch sheet, then bent to shape.  A small brass nail is inserted in the hole, then Resistance Soldered.  They are then blackened and served to help prevent wear on the oars.  For those unfamiliar with serving, it simply refers to something (mostly rigging lines) that is wrapped with a smaller line for strengthening areas that are subject to fraying or chaffing.

Starboard side showing 2 Oarlocks served and installed.  The remaining 3 are done the same.

Topside view.

Starboard View.

Lanyards tied to the Oarlocks.

GROMMET & THIMBLE FOR SHROUD LANYARDS:

I used a 3/16" Bullseye and .012 Beige line to form a Grommet or Thimble.  It is drilled through the Inwale with one end tying off under the #2 Thwart and the tail is loose so as to be able to adjust if necessary.  The Grommet will tie off by use of a Lanyard to the Shroud Grommets when the Mast is raised.

Both Grommets or Thimbles shown on #2 Thwart and the top rail.

CENTER BOARD:

The Center Board is completed at this point.  I purposely left it to last because I was using my Vise with 1/16" pieces that fit through the slot in the Center Board Trunk as a build stand to hold the boat steady while working on it. This allowed for removing the boat from the vise or changing ends easily without risking damage to the Center Board, which would be difficult to repair.  A copper rod was inserted through the Pivot Hole in the Trunk, Center Board and other side of the Trunk to allow the Center Board to be raised or lowered while in the water.  It is then cut flush with the Trunk boards.  The Cap for the Center Board Case is cut from 1/32" x 3/16" strip, painted and glued to the case. The small steel rod Lifting Strop is shown in front of #4 Thwart.  The Center Board can be controlled from here.  If in the "lifted" position, the rod would lift above the case and is hinged therefore, laying over on the Cap, sliding under the Midship Thwart Cleat to secure it.  The top handle is shaped to make a hand lift.

                 THE WHALEBOAT HULL AND FITTINGS ARE COMPLETED.  

With the exception of making 2 small knives and a hatchet for the boat this completes the Hull and Fittings.  This is a good time to double check your work and make any corrections or touch-ups that need to be addressed before proceeding.  

                                 OVERALL COMPLETED HULL VIEWS :

Bow view looking aft.

Forward View #1 and #2 Thwarts and Thigh Board.

Topside view.

This completes STAGE II,  

 ***STAGE III:  WHALEBOAT GEAR***

BOMB LANCE FOR #1 GUN:

In reviewing the project I decided now is a good time to add this feature.  A Bomb Lance is made from a 1/16" x 1" Dowel (17" x 7/8" to scale) by sanding one end to a point and adding fins to the other.  The 4 fins are from cardstock. The fins would fold back into the Lance to load the muzzle and then retract once fired.  The Guns would typically have a Double Nipple, Double Percussion Cap configuration.  The extra power at ignition would light the fuse in the bomb, which was a slow burning fuse, igniting the bomb after about 7-8 seconds.  This gave the projectile time to reach and penetrate the whale and not blow up prematurely.

GUN HARPOON:

The Gun Harpoon is named after it's inventor as the Oliver Allen Gun Harpoon.  It was a short, rather light weight Harpoon fired from the 7/8" Whale Gun.  Consisting of a 4 Flued short Harpoon, with a Line Tub Line tied to it at the shoulder of the shaft and fired from the Gun at fairly close range.  It was used to snag the whale and hold on to it.  A wild and dangerous boat ride could easily be expected...sometimes even catastrophic for a whaleboat.  It is made from a short 1/16" shank, iron shaft with copper flues and stowed near the gun box.

                         WHALING AND BOAT GEAR

​The average Whaleboat carried a lot of gear on board as well as 6 crewmen.  When harvesting a 50 ton whale the boats were prepared for any contingency.  The tools and equipment carried on board each had their purpose and job and there was no extra space for excess.  

COOPERAGE:

The art of Cooperage (making barrels) goes back thousands of years.  There was always a "Cooper" on board a whaleship making and repairing barrels and kegs.  The wooden barrels and kegs are all made the same consisting of wooden Staves and metal Hoops.  The pieces shown above are how we will make our Barrels and Kegs.  For our purposes the construction method will be shown for the Stern Line Tub, which is the largest and then only the finished tubs and kegs will be shown since the methods would be redundant.  This tub consists of 8 pieces total.  The round pieces are the bottom and top of the barrel, with the cross pieces being a frame and the 4 stave forms make up the staves.

The frame is constructed with the crosspieces and top and bottom.

The Staves are marked off according to the plans - essentially there are 5 staves per quarter.  Note:  the staves are wider at the top so be careful of your measurements.

The pencil lines are then "scribed" with an awl to form the individual staves without cutting all the way through.  This allows for the stave sheets to bend around the frames and be glued to form the tubs.

The Staves glued to the frame to form the Tub, stained and spray varnished.

The Hoops installed on the Tub.  I attempted to make these from brass and solder them together.  This did not work well nor did it look good so this method was not used.  These Tubs are installed inside the boat so mostly all that matters is appearance.  A 1/8" wide length of cardstock is cut, painted and glued to the tub to form the Hoops.  This is quite acceptable in the modeling world and looks much more professional.

The Stern Line Tub in it's position inside the boat.  The line will be added later.  This Tub holds 1,200' of line or 200 Fathoms.  

I will be constructing the various tubs and kegs and alternating constructing the oars.  This breaks the monotony of duplication and gets the job done.  Each item when completed will be photographed and added to this log.

The top of the tub is covered with PVA glue, then a 5' length of .40" manila line is cut.

The .40" line is then coiled inside the tub from the outside in.  The glue will dry clear.  A loop is formed at the end of the line by unraveling about 1/4" and gluing it back to itself, wrapping the uncoiled strands around the line​  Two Beckets (handles) are made by drilling 2 holes in the sides and gluing a black .18" line forming the Becket.  The other Becket is 180 deg on the oposite side.  These will be tied to the Thwarts by a Bridle..  .

The Stern Line Tub is situated between the #4 and #5 Thwart.

The Waist Line Tub is smaller than the Stern Line Tub but made the same.  To add the line it took 4' of .40 Manila rope.  It also has a Loop made with the end of the rope.

The Waist Line Tub is situated on the Starboard side between #3 and #4 Thwart.  This Tub, being smaller, carried the same line as the Stern Tub, however, the capacity was such that it could only handle 100 Fathoms or 600 ft.

The Lantern Keg assembled.The smaller these get the trickier they are to put together.  The pieces provided for the Staves are too big to fit properly, so just as in real Cooperage they have to be trimmed to fit.  The photo makes this look like it has lint on it and is to be wiped off.

The Lantern Keg is stowed under the Cuddy, however, for our purposes it will be in front of the Cuddy due to the Compass Drawer being in the way.  The Drawer would be closed when not being used allowing a bit more room.

It's starting to get crowded.

The Water Keg, with a Plug and a Faucet hole.  It needs a little clean up to remove the "fuzzies".

​The Water Keg is positioned between #3 and #4 Thwarts alongside the Center Board.

The Piggin is similar to the other Kegs, however, this does not have a top and is open, as well as one of the Staves is taller and made into a handle.

The Piggin is used to bail water from the inside of the boat and is stowed in the Bailing Well in the Stern.

The standard Bucket is placed forward of the Center Board and aft of the #2 Thwart.  There could be anywhere from 1 to 4 or 5 buckets on board - I guess it depended on room...

THE OARS AND PADDLES:

There are 6 oars on the average Whaleboat.  This Oar is the Midship's Oar which is the longest oar besides the Steering Oar.  The oars are all constructed the same only the lengths are different depending of what they are assigned to do.  They are marked so that the crewmen know which oars go to each member depending on their assignments.  The blade is drawn off for shaping and the 3/16" dowel is sanded or cut to form the wedge which is the same as the cut out on the blade.  This is the Loom of the oar. These will glue together accordingly and then be sanded to finish.  NOTE:  The Steering Oar blade is longer than the other 5 so be careful choosing the proper blades for the oars.

The Blade and the Loom are dry fitted together to assure the fit.

The Oar Handle is formed by turning and sanding with the Proxxon DB 250 Lathe.

The Blade fitted to the Loom and ready to sand and finish.

The oar handle inserted in the Peak Cleat and the Tub Oar Cleat in the "Peaked Position", shown stained and spray varnished.

The finished Blade/Oar  without markings.

The finished oar and tub shown for display but not finished completely.

The five Boat Oars "Peaked".  These are just dry fitted and permanently installed towards the end of the build.

From the topside view from forward moving aft, ****NOTE:  The lengths vary according to usage, the oars follow the Thwarts and are as follows:
​
#1 The Harpooners Oar
#2 The Bow Oar
#3 The Stroke Oar
#4 The Midship's Oar
#5 The Tub Oar

The Steering Oar is a larger Oar with a handle, used for additional steering control over a Rudder, allowing for quick changes of course or direction when dealing with a whale.  NOTE:  this is the longer blade.

Bow view of Peaked Oars.

STEERING OAR:
The Steering Oar is made from a 1/4" dowel and is a large, long, heavy oar for the Coxswain, therefore it also has a handle to help him handle it and maintain control.

The handle is made from 3/32" dia dowel and turned on the Proxxon DB 250 Lathe, which can handle such small diameter dowels.  A 3/32" hole is drilled into the 1/4" Loom for the handle to fit into.

All of the oars laid out to show relationships and lengths.

PADDLES:

The Paddles are made similar to the Oars.  They consist of the paddle Blade and a Loom made from 1/8" dowel.  There are 6 of them (1 for each man) and stored under the various Thwarts.

The Paddle displayed alongside the Water Keg.

The other 4 Paddles are made the same and displayed leaning on the Thwarts.

Looking aft showing the Paddles.  They will be stowed under the Thwarts so that they can be used when needed but mostly stay out of the way.  These boats get extremely loaded down with equipment.

LANTERN:

The Lantern is a tricky item.  There are several ways to attack this challenge which I have not seen anyone else address and in particular Ronnberg who skipped it altogether.  This could make for a very good photoetch project and a good addition to the kit.  I started experimenting with a piece of .005" brass sheet.  Drawing the outline to essentially make a rectangular box (this looks like a pizza box before folding) and highlighted it with a black sharpie for the camera.  This was cut out with small shears to the basic shape.

I attempted to use the resistance solder iron, but did not like the results and it was hard to hold on to because of the size.  The windows are drilled out and squared with a diamond faced micro file and the crossbars are CA glued to the cutout windows.  Where the bends are measured off, they are scribed with an awl on the reverse side to facilitate the bends required to make the rectangular box.

Once bent to shape, assembled, and CA glued together, a small 1/8" wide piece of brass is formed to make the chimney or vent with a round top is added to the top as well as a .020" wire handle .  Once happy with the construction it is painted a copper color, since it was made originally with copper or tin.  This is not exactly the way I wanted it, but based on it's size I guess for now I'm happy with the results.  I might choose to remake it with sharper lines at some point, but I'm not sure.

The completed Lantern positioned next to the Mast Hinge for now.

THE DROGUE:

The Drogue, or "drag" is tied to the tail line of a harpoon to act as a drag on the whale.  Many times a harpooned whale will dive 10 or 15 fathoms and the drag helps to tire him out or cause him to surface again.  This battle continues until the whale gives out or dies.  There are several different type of Drogues, this one being a plank style, and others can be of the Coopered Type which is a heavy bucket tied the same with Bridles from the bottom of the bucket to the line loops about 30" above the Coopered Drogue to tie on to a Harpoon line.

The Bridle Lines are tied off with knots on the bottom crossing over diagonally forming loops which are seized.  The loops then tie off on one of the Line Tub lines, then to a Harpoon. 

The Drogue stows under the #3 Thwart.

Topside view of boat and most equipment.

GRAPNEL HOOK:

A Grapnel Hook is formed using 2 pieces of .042" or 3/64" Brass Rod about 3-3/8" long, bending them to form the hooks and loop.

The two pieces slide together, clamped and resistance soldered.

The lower loop is cut to length, shaped and cleaned up.

The Grapnel is cleaned up, blackened and a .025" line is coiled, tied, and then tied to the loop using a Bowline Loop knot.

The Grapnel is stowed under the Bow Box.

KNIVES, SHEATHS & HATCHET:

The knives are photoetch copper.  Since I occasionally have been known to make hand made custom knives, I just happen to have a nice piece of Pre embargo 1970 Asian Ivory.  The Ivory, was legally obtained by me in 1966 from a knife maker supply company here in the US, but I never used it, until now, some 52 years later.   So I'm going to use a small piece to create real Ivory scale slabs for the handle material.  I might even try my hand at Scrimshaw perhaps --- should be interesting at this scale.

The knife blades cleaned up, sitting next to the Ivory material and ready for the Ivory slabs.

The 1/32" x 1/4" x 1/16" Ivory pieces are cut from the larger piece and CA glued to the Blade.

The knife handles are shaped and polished using diamond files, fine sandpaper and a rotary tool.

The Sheath for this knife is mounted inside the Bowbox and for our purposes it will be displayed unsheathed and on the Thigh Board.  Scrimshaw???

SCRIMSHAW:

Using a diamond coated, pointed grinding tool, I will attempt to Scrimshaw a Star at the Hilt and a Whale shape towards the Pommel.  The handle piece measures:  .298"(19/64) x .111"(7/64)  or 6.55 mm x 2.85 mm.

Scale perspective for knife and scrimshaw.

This actually turned out better than I thought it would.  I really wasn't sure scrimshawing something this small was possible, but it was.  Anyone that's ever worked with Ivory, understands how hard of a material it is as well as how difficult it is to cut, polish or scribe it and if it gets hot it smells like you're burning the dead.  The enamel is quite thick and it must be scribed over and over to accomplish the cuts and lines.  It took about 2 hours just to cut the 4 small slabs  1/32" x 1/16"  x 1/4" from the larger piece, another hour or so to grind to scale and CA to the Handle and about an hour to cut the star and whale.  This is a scale 14" Bowie type knife with a 10" Blade and a 4" Handle. India Ink or Black Enamel paint is used to color  the Scrimshaw.  Here it is pictured back on the Thigh Board with the star and whale blackened and the blade silvered.

​SHEATHS:

The Bow Sheath is mounted to the bulkhead inside the Bowbox so that it is handy for the Harpooner if needed.

The Stern Sheath is mounted on top of the Cuddy, making it available to the Coxswain or a crewman working aft if needed.  The sheath is made from 2  1/32" wood strips, hollowed out inside, glued together and covered with leather, then glued or could be nailed to the Cuddy.  Knife is sheathed and also has Ivory handles.

​HATCHET:

A Hatchet is made from the coppered photoetch blade and a slotted 1/16" x 3/4" dowel, then stained a natural rough wood color, and the blade is blackened.  A variation could be to form the copper photoetch around a rod forming a "hole" in the metal to insert a wood handle into much like a hammer is made.

The hatchet is displayed on the 5th Thwart.

Top view of boat with oars and all Deck Equipment.
​

HARPOONS, LANCES, SPADE, BOAT HOOK & WAIF:

These items will be added as they are completed.

HARPOONS:
​
​

A Harpoon is made from an 11/64" dowel.  I chose to finish this piece like a nice tool, however, in real life they were made from just about any kind of tree branch or shrub as they were extremely disposable.  I have seen twigs used for harpoons on other builds, and it's not my favorite way to display things, so I chose to make it a "little bit better" (my opinion) by using the dowel, and weathering it to look rough. This of course, is builder's choice again....anything is good for this.   The head is copper, and Resistance Soldered to the shaft, which is .048" Brass Rod.

The Double Flued Harpoon after weathering and blackening is displayed on the Harpoon Crotch.  It is rigged by creating a loop at the head and running it to about 2/3 distance toward the end of the handle.  It is served with .018" Brown Rope in 2 places along the shaft ending with a loop on the end for attaching to either Tub Line prior to Harpooning a whale.

LANCES:

A Lance is made the same as the Harpoons, but different lengths in the shafts. The Lance is shown alongside a Single Flute Harpoon (ca. 1840)  for comparison.  

The Double and Single Fluted Harpoons on the Harpoon Crotch and the Lance lying on top of the Port  side Thwarts.

The Harpoons typically were stowed on the Starboard side and the Lances and other tools were stowed on the Port side.

​WAIFS:
​

A WAIF is merely a flag to tag the whale with once the boat crew has killed it.  This allows the ship to find the whale as well as notifying the ship that the boat had a whale they were attempting to bring back to the ship.  This is made with a red piece of material 1-5/8" square, attached to a .01" x 5-7/8" dowel and barbed on one end.

The Waif was typically a red flag for visibility mounted to an expendible wood shaft and barbed by cutting into the shaft.  Since the whale would be dead, the Waif only needed to survive the event, not secure the whale such as harpoons and could be reused so wooden barbs worked fine.  I have seen quite a few whaleboat models, but not one using the Waifs so I want to make sure we show one here.

The Waif was rolled and tied until needed and stowed towards the aft end of the boat generally under the Thwarts. Typically, there were 2 Waifs carried per boat, but to conserve space for our purposes we will only have 1.

 
BOAT SPADE & BOAT HOOK:

The Gun Harpoon, Spade and Boat Hook shown on the bench for size reference.  The Gun Harpoon was made a few frames back but shown again here.  The wood shaft has a steel bottom (to seal the breach after the powder and greased patches or cloth were loaded) and bands that have parafin in them to lubricate the muzzle as it is fired.

The Spade is made with a 1/8" shaft and the copper blade.  This is considered the "old" style as it is a thick blade.  It is painted a Rust color for contrast and probably really was pretty rusty.

The Boat Hook is made from 3/32" dowel and the Hook is made from .020" copper  wire and served.

These items all stow under the Thwarts until needed.

Topside View showing all of the gear.
​

The Lower Boat is completed with the Hull, and all interior details and equipment.  At this point the oars are dry fitted into the Peaked position.  Now is a good time for any touch-ups and repairs or forgotten items to be sure you are ready to proceed.  

           THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS WILL SHOW THIS STAGE FROM ALL VIEWS FOR REFERENCE:

Starboard Bow

Forward Topside View

Aft Topside View

Portside View

Overall view looking forward.

                            PORT & STARBOARD VIEWS WITH ALL GEAR:

As crowded as things are getting, I decided to only make 3 Harpoons and 2 Lances.  The gear shown in the picture is for reference, they are not stowed yet.  So even as crowded as it is getting, there will still be room for the 6 member crew.

Many of these tools will be stowed below the Thwarts freeing up some space.

Looking forward with Lances and Harpoons.

Port side view.

Port side overall view.

This build will be fully rigged, with the Mast, Sprit and Sail.  No explanations of stowing the Oars, mast, sprit, sail and or equipment will be discussed or shown in the remaining steps for completing this model.  Some choose to display on sectional Davits such as on the Morgan, some display without sails and equipment partially stowed, and some fully rigged.  I haven't chosen the rigging type yet nor the shape of the sail or sails.  I have seen various rigging methods on the boats at Mystic, and will chose one of the Beetle Boat configurations.  

If you are building your Whaleboat to be stowed or hang from Davits, I hope this Build Log has been helpful and or insightful and that you have enjoyed following along.  Don't forget to make the mast, sprit and sail to furl and stow on the boat to finish it.  Any questions or need of pictures, please contact me through the Contact Us Page and I will try to be as helpful as possible.  For those of you who are rigging your boat the next section of this log will be covering the procedure as we continue.  Any variations, additions, other methods, tips, please send pictures and I'll include them in the gallery.  Use the contact page and we'll go from there.

​

                             ***STAGE IV: ***        

​                                    MASTING AND RIGGING:
​

Stage III is now completed.  Stage IV, the Masting, Rigging, and Sail Stage is next.  There are many variations of rigging the whaleboats depending on ship, location and other reasons depending on the Captain's wishes. Ronnberg's variation is based on the Laboda.  The Beetle boats were the most prolific in the New England whaling ports and will be the rig that will be replicated here.

All of the equipment and tools will be removed from the boat during the Masting, Rigging and Sail installations.  This allows for all of the movement and twisting that takes place during Rigging and Masting so that nothing is broken or lost when it falls off.  Once this is accomplished, the gear and tools will be permanently stowed in their proper places.

                                        STAGE IV
                          ***MASTING & RIGGING***

As mentioned above, the boat is stripped down with all gear removed.

The Whaleboat Gear is removed and set aside until the Mast and Sails are made and rigged.

The bare boat ready for Masting & Rigging.

I've been studying different rigging and set ups that were used during the whaling era since I started the build of not only the Morgan, but this Whaleboat.  I didn't want to just do what everyone else has done and copy Ronnberg's plan or not rig a sail for a static display.  Chosing a variation has been a difficult choice.  This type of rigging was around 1910 which is a little later than I planned, but by chosing this style it will allow for more details as well as being  a different variation.

LUG SAIL WITH JIB:

This set-up is a variation of a Spritsail Rig.  The Spritsail is a form of four-sided, "fore-aft" sail and its rig.  Unlike the Gaff where the head hangs from a spar along its edge, this rig supports the Leech of the sail by means of a diagonal spar or spars named a "SPRIT".  The forward end of the Sprit is attached to the mast but bisects the face of the sail, with the after end of the sprit spar attaching to the "Peak" and/or the clew of the sail.  It is said to be the ancestor from which the common gaff rig evolved in 16th-century Holland.  Historically, spritsails were the first fore-and-aft rigs, appearing in Greco-Roman navigation in the 2nd Century, BC.

Lug Sail Specs.

Since this is the type of rig we will make I think it is time to show the Nomenclature that might be used during the rest of the buld.  The Jib is not shown. Some of you might be familiar with this so it is provided for the benefit of non-sailors or a refresher for the "Old Salt's".

Reseach in this area really got vague.  There is very little information available as to how to rig the sail or sails on these boats.  Most of the information talks about it but there are no pictures or diagrams on the subject.  Chosing the method of rigging this boat has been frustrating at least.  I will take a very interpretive means to rig this boat and will include a lot of photographs and verbage to describe this method and reasoning behind the decisions.  Hopefully this will provide a logical progression to create a different model from what the other builders have chosen.  Again, modeler's choice as to how to proceed.

MAST HOOPS:

This method for creating Mast Hoops is a "time old" way to easily make wood hoops of any size.  What seemed like a simple process which I have done many times in the past turned into an all day affair due to a number of errors and problems on my end - getting old I guess.  One simply drills a hole about 1/16" larger than the item (mast) desired to hoop into a larger piece then insert a dowel the same size as the hole.  Since our Mast is 1/4" in Dia. we will make our hole 5/16".

The 5/16" dowel is then inserted into the hole and centered.  Spot glue one end to hold the workpiece but allow it to be removed easily when finished turning.

The work piece is turned down to about 7/16" (1/4" mast, 5/16" hole and 1/16" on each side to make 1/16" thick ring or Hoop).  Once turned and sanded satisfactorily, use a parting tool to mark the 1/16" Hoops.

Using a Micro Razor Saw, the Hoops are cut while turning on the lathe, just cutting them until they come loose on the dowel.  Make 10-12 when you only need 4-5 while they are still on the dowel as they do break easily.  Probably a finer grained  wood such as Poplar or some of the hard woods would be better material than the Pine I used.

The Hoops are laid out after being cut from the work piece.

The Hoops slipped onto the Mast.  They will be stained a dark color for contrast and varnished to add some strength. The Mast had been shaped during the construction of the Tabernacle and Mast Hinge with the lower end turned down to 1/8" Dia to align withthe Mast Step.  It was stained and varnished so that the surfaces match up with the proper
diameter holes.

                                                                      IN MEMORIUM:

                                         "COSMO" - MY FIRST MATE  
                                                                         April 2007 - Dec 23, 2016

​                                  May you have gentle breezes and calm seas my special little 3 pound friend

                                               *************************

MAST:

The Mast was made back at the time the Tabernacle was built.  It was made from 1/4" dowel, sanded and turned to shape.  It was turned to 1/8" on the lower end and tapered to fit through the hole in the Mast Hinge and insert in the hole in the Mast Step, stained and varnished.  Since deciding on how the boat will be rigged, sheaves and cleats have been installed.

At the top of the mast is a hole to accomodate a pin which will secure the Shrouds to the Mast.  The 1mm Sheave is milled to handle the Jib Sail Halyard.  At 90 deg is another sheave and a milled slot to accept the Shroud Cleat.

SPRIT BOOM:

The Boom is turned down to 3/16" (from 1/4") on the lathe and a step is turned on the outboard end.  To attach to the Mast; a Yoke is made and a Rope Parrel installed to secure it.  This is stained and varnished.

SPRIT POLE:

The Sprit Pole is turned to 15/64" and each end is turned to accomodate ropes for rigging.  A Sheave is milled to accept the Halyard Line.

The Yoke and Rope Parrel are slid over the Mast, the larger milled slot now has the Cleats inserted.  The hole where the line is protruding is temporary, holding the Halyard Line.  Two Cleats will be inserted through the holes for securing the other lines later in the build.

Top of Mast showing Sheaves, Cleats and Pin for Securing the Shrouds.

The Mast Hoops are placed on the Mast, the Halyard is run and the Sprit Pole is hung.  This procedure is not permanent yet as several more things must be done prior to making the sails.  The lower end of the Sprit Pole will be attached by use of a Snotter.

SNOTTER:

A Simple Snotter is tied to the Mast by use of a Clove Hitch with a twist with the loose end going around the Sprit Pole, for adjusting the angle and securing it to the Mast.  This is secured to a cleat and allows for quick release of the Sprit Pole  for furling the sail or stowing.  This knot would sometimes have a knot tied in the end of the loose end of the Constrictor Hitch adding even more stability which is what I will do when I tie it.

A Right Hand Constrictor Knot.

A Left Hand Constrictor Knot.

SHROUDS & LANYARDS:

The Shrouds are the "guy wires" for the Masts and usually on ships are served from top to bottom.  On a small boat, just the areas needing strength  or "protection"  from chaffing are served. They support the Mast and rigging. Serving consists of wrapping a small line around a larger line which increases it's strength and helps prevent chaffing.  This is best accomplished with the use of a Serving Machine, which allows the main line to be turned and wrapped with the smaller one keeping the serving tight and uniform.  I've set up my Domanoff Serving Machine (see Tools and Resources Page) Alexey Domanoff is a special friend and I highly reccomend his tools.  He is located in Minsk, Ukraine and has excellent customer service.  I have many friends who use his products.  Preparing to serve the Loops of the Shrouds which fit over the Mast.  A .021" line is to be used for the Shrouds, wrapped with a .008 thread type line.  It is started with a needle.

Close up of Server with the needle threading the serving line through the Shroud line.

About a 1/2" line is left bare and clamped to the machine.  About 1-1/4" is served around the Shroud line.  This is finished with the needle and gluing to insure that the line won't come unraveled.  This end of the line will mate with the opposing line to form a loop that will go over the Mast which is shown later.  This will be repeated for the other side, then the 2 lines will be served together and form a loop which will drape over the Mast top.

The 2 ends are overlapped and served together to create a loop to fit over the top of the Mast.  The serving is straightened out prior to draping it.

The Loop is draped over the Mast top and over the Cleats with the Pin installed to hold in place.

The Shrouds are pulled taught to shape the loop.

A 3/16" Bullseye is hooked on Serving Machine and the serving line is inserted and ready to serve the Bullseye end of the shroud which will be about 5/8".  Measure the Shroud length to have the Bullseye end at about 1" short of the  lower Bullseye on the boat to allow for the Lanyards that will secure the end of the Shrouds and pull them taught.

After serving the Shroud Line around the Bullseye, the Lanyard is served into the Shroud moving back along the already served area towards and ending at the Bullseye.  The Lanyard will be run through the Bullseye on the boat to tighten the Shrouds to the Mast, similar to the Deadeye Rigging on a ship.  These should be measured so that the Bullseyes are equidistant on Port and Starboard.

The completed Shroud should look something like this with the served loop at the top or middle, allowing for the 1/4" Dia Mast and the 2 Bullseyes served in with the Lanyards extending about 4-5" past the Bullseyes.

The Shroud is draped over the Mast top and secued to the boat with the Lanyard making sure that the Bullseyes are parallel to each other and the Lanyard lines don't cross or twist, making a clean rig.  These are just dry fitted here and will be tied off permanently once the sails are attached.  Applying pressure on either side will square the Mast and Lanyards. 

Starboard view showing the Shrouds in place.  This is a dry fit and the lines are not completely taught.

A Guide line is tied to the Boom with two half-hitches on each end.  A rope is made into a loop on one end and run through the Guide Line which serves to create a "Vang" like rig for controlling how far to extend the boom either port or starboard whenever under sail.  This line ties off on either port or starboard cleat (on edge of Inwale in background of picture) depending on which way the boom has swung.

The Guide Line is about 3" long and runs from over the Tiller to just in front of the Coxswain's Cuddy.  The ends have a short tail as these are working lines.  

CONSTRICTOR KNOT W/SNOTTER LOOP:

A Constrictor Knot is tied around the Mast which as mentioned before is a Clove Hitch with a Twist and a Loop on the other end.  The end of the rope is left with some length as this again is a working line.

The Snotter line is formed with a loop on one end which hooks over the turned shoulder of the lower end of the Sprit Pole forming the supports for the Spritsail Sail.  The Snotter line is run through the loop on the  Constrictor and is tied off to a cleat on the Mast. This type of setup allows for a crewmember to quickly pull a line or unhook it from the cleats quickly and efficiently when dropping the sails or stowing them and lowering the Sprit Pole from the Mast.  In the reverse it also allows for quick setup when rigging the sails to chase a whale.  All of the previous lines are dry fit until the sails are attached to the components.  The hole at the bottom of this picture where the 2 lines are inserted will be used to mount the 2 cleats where these lines will tie off.  Currently the lines are run through the hole to provide the correct profile for the sails with all spars in place.

This completes the Mast, Boom and Sprit Pole and their rigging and they are dry fitted until the sails are attached, then everything will be permanently installed and properly secured.

BOW TOW LINE:

A rope coil is made from the .040 line and a loop on the running end of the rope.  This is used to throw to the main ship to help secure the boats.  This line is about the same length of the boat.

A 1/16" hole is drilled through the area below the Gunwale and through the Keel.  The end of the rope is inserted through the Keel and formed into a loop.  The rest of the rope and coil is attached to the Bow Box and the Looped end is threaded through the Kicking Strap line in the Thigh Board.

Rope laid in the Bow Box.  The Knife Sheath can be seen attached to the small aft bulkhead in the box.

Overall view of completed boat, mast and rigging, now prepared for the Sails.

                                           STAGE V
                                             SAILS:

To make the sails, I removed the Mast Assembly from the boat and laid out 4 sheets of paper taped together to form a pattern.  The corners are marked on the paper and lines drawn to represent the sails.

The Sails are drawn in pencil on the paper, making a pattern.  The cloth provided is too small to make our sails since we modified the design.

The Admiral was kind enough to offer up for sacrifice an old king size pillow slip (good weight and thin).  It was promptly butchered into a sort of square shape to form into the sails.  Not sure of what I was doing, 2 lines were penciled off onto the material to form the Luff (vertical) and Foot (Horizontal Boom) of the Spritsail.  Using 3.5mm Bullseyes for Grommets, they were tied off in a line with .021 rope, at the proper locations.  The Hoops tie off to these Grommets for attaching to the Mast.

A 1/8" line was drawn on the sail.  This line is where the edge will be folded over and glued, to not only form the inside edge, but to attach the line inside the seam of the sail, which also makes for a nice edge.

The edges where the grommets are placed are cut at 45 deg angles to the inside penciled line and then using Fabric Glue (Aileen's Original Tacky Glue) the line is held tight and the fabric is folded over to complete the hemmed edge. The corners are rounded since they will recieve pressure from 2 different angles.  The sail should be ironed smooth at this point.

This stuff is so good, I had to share a picture of it.  What I really like about it, is that when you fold over the edge into the glue, it grabs it, yet for a little bit it is still pliable so you can move it if needed and it dries invisible.  Good stuff!

The Cringle, (corner) is turned just a bit in the picture, but shows how the Grommets are exposed.  The Grommets will be tied to the Wood Hoops on the Mast and the loose threads will be trimmed.  The corner Grommet is called a Cringle. I contemplated sewing these folds, however, all sewn sails I've seen look out of scale and too thick.  Also, I can't sew (learning curve I don't need right now), therefore, glue seemed the best choice here, and it works really well. There will be a few seams (10) in the sails as we progress.

The sail consists of 10, 1-1/2" strips of fabric.  A 1/8" wide edge was glued over to form a seam or hem , then the next strip is glued over the 1/8" wide strip.  The 1/8" line can be seen in pencil at the bottom of the strip.  This will be folded over to form the next seam.  This means that 1/4" is added to the width for each seam.  A 1/8" x 1/8" square is cut out at the Foot to accomodate the 2.5mm Bullseye or Grommet.  The lines that are tied to the Grommet are glued under the fold before it is folded over securing it to the sail.

The first 5 strips are shown here and the 2.5mm Grommets at the bottom and the 3.5mm grommets along the mast side or right.

The 3.5mm Grommets shown on the Luff and the 2.5mm Grommets shown on the Foot.  This procedure continues until it is 10 strips wide or about 1/4" short of the end of the Boom. 

The completed Spritsail laid over pattern.  NOTE:  The corners or Cringles, have 3.5mm Grommets instead of 2.5mm.

The Spritsail laid over the Mast components for reference.

JIB:

Jib is made from 2 sheets, marked and cut out.

A .018" line is used for the Jib Lines, glued to the inside of the seam.

Spritsail and Jib laid out on plans for reference.

Mast Components and Sails laid out and ready for permanent assembly.

Hoops are lashed to the 3.5mm Grommets for the Mast.

Hoop and Grommet showing lashing.

Working on the Bench the Mast componants are installed permanently, and the Grommets and Cringles are lashed to the Boom and Sprit Pole as well as the top and lower Mast Eyes.

Port Side of Spritsail.

Closer view of the sail rigging and the Snotter rig.

Mast top showing sails and rigging with the Mast Eye.

Mast is re-installed permanently.

Topside view.

Jib is rigged through sheave at the top, tied to a cleat in the Bow and to the Fairlead on the Mast.

Port Bow.

Starboard Bow.

Port Side View.

Starboard Side View.

This now completes the Sails.  This has been an interesting part of the build in that I've never made sails or worked with real cloth material before.  I'm impressed with the qualities of the fabric glue, but it is not very forgiving once the two pieces come in contact, therefore, these sails aren't perfect, but they are satisfactory with most problems being some stretching of the material when trying to glue the edges.  Once it stretches you just have to work with it.  The other option is to start over, however, it would take a ton of material and patience because one stretch or wrinkle and it's time to start over.   Nonetheless, I'm happy with the end result.

RE-INSTALLING WHALING GEAR:

The Gear is laid out again and ready to re-install permanently.

Gear laid out.

The Gear is re-installed on the boat.  Most of this is Ca glued to secure everything.

Forward view.

Portside view.

Port gear.

Port Bow view.

MARKING THE OARS AND FINISHING UP:
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The Oars are marked according to their Oar Station from I to IIIII.

The oars installed in "Peak" arrangement.  Nice sunny day so I took pictures outdoors.

The Base for the model is an exceptional piece of wood.  As mentioned earlier it was cut from the Bowsprit of the Charles W Morgan during it's restoration, and was a gift from the senior supervisor at the Dupont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Ct.  The other half of it is used for the base on the Morgan model to the right. If the aft end of each piece is lined up together then this would show where the cut was made to make 2 pieces from it. This is all documented with photographs of the piece and the Bowsprit, where it was cut from, as well as the worker still squaring the original. The photographs are shown during the Finishing Up and Final Pictures on the pages of this site.  

A couple of Dolphins added.   Made from sculpting clay, fired in the oven and painted.

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                      THE MODEL WAS COMPLETED JANUARY 10, 2017

​                                                                      This Log is current as of:  01-10-2017

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