Billings St.Roch Build Log

Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
5
Points
3

Location
Abbotsford, BC
I bought the Billings Kit of the St.Roch to start back into building wooden boats. The laser cutting is nice, much better than the die cutting was. BUT in the last 40 years, see they have not updated the instructions or the plans! With a back ground in CAD, CNC, CAM, if a student handed the drawing and assembly instructions, they would upset at having to take the course over again.
Now if a billings kit looks like something you would like to build, you can do it by going slow and asking lots of questions. So I will carry on and post pictures unless the Admin tells me to stop....LOL

Boat1.jpgBoat2.jpg
 
Have finished the planking on the haul, which was where I made my first mistake. Some one forgot to tell me to start on top and work down,,not on the bottom and work up..
I had I think 3 planks on the bottom when I figured out the planking would be easier working down so had to remove the bottom planks and start again.
Now have the haul sanded down, couple more times with the filler for small area's and more primer and the haul would be ready to paint. Here in is the next major problem seems Sea Blue paint is not in Canada. I have another project I am working on that needs Basswood strips so will wait tell I know how much of that I need and guess order it somewhere that might have the Vallejo colour. I have the code for the Vallejo that is suppose to be about right,,close enough for me.

The next major problem I have is figuring out the little shack (ok wheel house I think) have looked at several builds on the net and some have the front flat, some have a slight curve to the front. My guess is it should have a slight curve?

Boat3.jpgBoat4.jpgBoat5.jpg
 
Hello, James. It is hard to give you suggestions without clarity. Can you show some images or plans?

BTW, very good work on the hull - smooth lines. Thumbs-Up
 
Hi James,

I am new to Ships of Scale but finished the St. Roch not long ago. I used a lot of photos I found online, especially from the Vancouver Maritime Museum, to help me.

I don’t think the colour of my hull is exact but it’s close I think. If it’s any help I used Vallejo #71.114 a blue grey for the superstructure and hull. For the lower hull Vallejo #71.039 hull red. Be aware Vallejo change the colour descriptions sometimes so I found using the numerical codes easier to reference sources, especially if I need another bottle of paint.

The St. Roch has a curved wheelhouse front. A bit more fiddly but I think it looks better matching the supplied lower wheelhouse deck plate. I took a photo of mine just now and I’ll attach it to this post.

I added extra details that are not in the kit, for example a compass binnacle with a flinders bar for’d of the pedestal and black sphere correctors on each side.

Hope this helps.
Regards, Roger

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I bought the Billings Kit of the St.Roch to start back into building wooden boats. The laser cutting is nice, much better than the die cutting was. BUT in the last 40 years, see they have not updated the instructions or the plans! With a back ground in CAD, CNC, CAM, if a student handed the drawing and assembly instructions, they would upset at having to take the course over again.
Now if a billings kit looks like something you would like to build, you can do it by going slow and asking lots of questions. So I will carry on and post pictures unless the Admin tells me to stop....LOL
Hallo @JamesN
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
How is your work on the St.Roch going? Any updates would be interesting .....
 
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