Closing up the Hull - Roland's Ship Building Blog

My previous Post was getting kind of long for closing up the Hull so I made a new Post.

I’m doing one side at a time because it’s all precision Plane-ing, Sanding to fit each Strake.

All the hard part is completed and I will miss this particular Phase of Ship Building, which is the Planking.

I realize that I have a few mistakes. .. Broken Planks, etc. But it all gets sanded down and the next Planking will cover it all.

Next is the Wales and upper Deck. 🤔🙄👍

I hate it when I miscalculate like this!!! .. 🙄🤔😫

I used to agonize when I first started out. I belong to several Model Ship Building Groups on Facebook and I often see guys who agonize over the smallest thing. Like being 1 mm off for example. I just shrug my shoulders. You just have to have a lot of patience and make the best of any mistakes. Shoot, you wouldn’t be a very good Ship Builder if you don’t make mistakes. That’s how you learn, right?

For my Wales, I’m thinking about trying out Glycerin and Hot Water to bend the Wood, as it’s a hard wood.

It really annoys me that I made a mistake on this Strake. I woke up and I decided to glue it. .. BEFORE Coffee!!! .. Well, I had it tapered and Pre-Bent for the Starboard side!!! .. Anyway… No biggy. .. Doesn’t look too bad. . 🤔🙄

Planking always seems like a journey to me… You take 1 Step at a Time…

I skipped over #18 on this side because of my previous screw-up.. .

Still turned out good. I used Contact Cement and Superglue for the very forward part that Bends around the Bow White Glue for the rest.

I was thinking to myself that in the next build, I’m going to shape some Balsa Wood between Bulkheads #1 and #2. I hate it when the Strakes go flat between those 2 Bulkheads. 🤔🙄😫

That piece of Wood jammed in there is my Pre-Bent Strake that I will shape to go into that hole…

👍😆🎉

Now I’m closing up the Hull which gives me a bit of nostalgia. I’m glad I made this Blog to keep track of my builds. 🤔🙄👍

I found that I have a little Gap in the Bow section which I’m fixing to close up.

Plane-ing the Strake from 5 mm down to 2.5 mm using my Ibex Plane. ..

Using Ibex Plane

I use these Clamps which allow me to stick the Strake into the hole and bend them around.

Applying the Iron to it prevents it from Cracking. I only use what works (for me) .. 🤔🙄👍

I’m just pre-bending these Filler Planks because the gap is odd. 🤔🙄😫

Closing it up is always melancholy. 🤔🙄.. For me anyway. Because after you do the Hull, you go on to a whole another Phase in the build. Which is one of the things that I love about this hobby.