Doing a joint build with my son Joshua. We are building the Mississippi Class Pre-Dreads. He needs to build a ship by himself, so I thought we could build two together and he can watch each step I do and mimic it. Great way to learn, and I get a big plus.... Father-Son time! Joshua is doing very good with the Mississippi, better than I thought. Here is the log for my ship, the USS Idaho(BB-24). Cutting out the Frames. I use wood glue to place the templates onto the plywood. I find most other methods leave a sticky residue on the wood when removing the paper. I don't like leaving the paper on the wood afterwards because it increases the chance a joint may fail. After cutting the outside of the frames, I move to the deck. I leave the inside of the frames till later. I cut a strip of plywood just a little larger than the intended beam of the ship, then I mark a center line down the middle of my plywood strip. Then I take my measurements off of the plans and transfer them to the plywood. Then mark the width of the frames as well and scribe the lines for the ribs with a small square. When thats done, I also mark any pertinent locations such as turret barbetts so I can plan out things before cutting. I DO NOT use the template to mark the outside edge of the deck! It never fails, most plans are not symmetrical. There is nothing worse that trying to place things when you cant get a decent measurement off the center line because the hull is not symmetrical. To make the deck lines, I use my frames and a Flex Curve used for drafting. You can find them at any Staples or Office Depot. I place the frame in it's place and mark the edge of the frame on the plywood. Be sure to mark the "Long" side. Frames near the ends will need to be flared and you want the widest edge of your frames to be flush with your deck. Once I have the frame edges marked, I use the curve. I bend it till I get the desired curve of the hull as well as insuring the edges of the frames all meet the curve. Then I scribe the line...... This gives me a neat, clean line that fits my frames exactly. One point here that I did not get a photo of. If your frames are planned out symmetrically, you can make one side of your deck with the curve, then use a piece of paper ( I use thin clear Lexan) and make a template of the side you just marked. Then flip it and trace the other side... tada, a symmetrical hull. Here is the hull cut and the frames at their locations... And on the plans... Now I mark any cross beams to keep the hull from bending later. Afterwards I can cut the bow beam out... Then I mark the desired thickness of my frames and cut the center out as well as all the rabbits. Here is a shot of the Idaho, the St Louis(Jeff's boat I am building) and the Evstafi (Clark's boat I am building) Once I have my cuts done, it is time to get rid of the paper... I so hate this, but I can not stand to leave it on. I use a rasp to remove most of the paper quickly and then use my sander to remove the rest. Doesn't take too long. Still sucks! Then I glue the ribs, starting on one end... I also have some thin balsa strips, so if I have any ribs that are loosely fitting, I can shim them up some till it is tight. Then I place the keel sections in place.... The glue I use is Titebond III waterproof. A shot of Joshua's Mississippi (right side) and my Idaho on the left. He is doing so good...
I am now stealing the Flex Curve technique. I have several sets of plans that I deem unusable because the frames and the deck do not match. This little trick might be the perfect solution. Thanks!!
Pushed ahead and finished the hull.... I like to use balsa wood for my water channel. Plus When I design the frames. I put in the areas for the balsa and for the channel.. makes it all easy.. I cut a section the width of the frame opening, being sure to have grain of wood running the length of the ship... Then I mark the outside perimeter and cut the length needed to be flush with the outside of hull. I then transfer the 1" below waterline mark for the solid area... I always use a little more than 1" to be safe. Now that the solid area is marked, I can fill in the rest.... I cut the angle needed so the wood fits in nice and snug... Then I place it in, glue it and shave off the excess till I get to the pen area. I missed a photo or two here... I take more wood and glue inside the hull frames so that I can sand the inside smooth and level to all the frames. You will be able to see this on the next inside shot... Here is the wood in place before using a planer to smooth it down. Makes the sanding easy... You can see the water channel very clear here. Those frame sections in the channel will be removed after the hull is glassed later on... I use a 1/32" thick, 4 ply, wood to skin over the area for the channel and also where the pump will sit. I will remove the wood inside from this area after the glassing.. this gives a nice channel and very sturdy ship. I have t5o be sure the stern has the 45 degree angle solid area.... The stuffing tubes installed...... I have the props so close a piece of paper will barely fit... Now it is time to fill in the stern around the stuffing tubes... The finished look... Inside area for the rudder servo Preping the glass So sticky...... I will put one more coat of resin over the bottom and the hull will be done..... time for the insides and super...
You will be happy to know he's getting into the build-to-order biz. He's developing a website (as part of his homework for his IT degree) that is currently very much a work-in-progress. But I'll give you a sneak peek: SpudWerks Shipyard
Are there any more pics of these builds? Did they hit the pond yet? I'm pouring over the plans I was given and thinking about a father-son build of two of these so, any tips you could share would be greatly appreciated.
Spudsy recently moved to a new house, the shop is in the process of being re-assembled. I'll see if he can post up more pics
