1:64 Vanguard H.M Cutter Alert - My first wood build

[McNemo]

I found some time to get started on my first kit: HM Cutter Alert by Vanguard. I am not new to model building; however, the wooden ships have always been a lofty an intimidating goal I never thought I would work my way up to until recently. Time to dive in headfirst.

Let me just say this would not have gone as smoothly as it has, if it were not for the tips and advice of all of you here on this forum. (and Olha's Youtube channel as well). I do not know what I could possibly have to contribute with this build log, but I will definitely be greatful for your words of wisdom and encouragement as I progress.

So far, I am impressed with the quality of the Vanguard kit. The laser cutting has been fairly precise, with only a minimal amount of filing needed for a smooth fit when assembling the pre-cut pieces. I was able to work my way through the initial assembly of the framing. I used the sub deck to experiment with a thinned solution of the pine tar "boat soup" that I use on my real boat. I thinned it a bit more than needed and barely got a blush of color out of it, but at least the model has that real-ship smell now.

The next phase I have to look forward to is the main deck. I would like to lay planks and simulate trunnels, using the included single-piece stamped boxwood deck piece as a subdeck or template. I would like to fill the space between frames and fair the hull before I get to try my hand at planking. I have lots of marine coosa-board on hand that I could fill the space with, but I may hold off until I can get a hold of some suitable wood instead.

Hopefully the tools and materials for my next stage will be at hand, and I will have another update in the next couple weeks!

 

[Uwek]

a very good kit - I will follow with big interest - good luck and have fun

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I'm currently building a Vanguard Models, sailing trawler 'Erycina' in 1:64 scale. When I've finished the model I thought of building Vanguard's 'Alert'. I'll watch how you progress with your model, with great interest!

 

[McNemo]

I took the week off betwixt Christmas and New Years... so I had a little time to tinker around with the build. As usual, I got side tracked, and went down a completely different rabbit hole than I had originally intended.

It all started when I picked up a Vanguard 16 ft cutter kit. As a small boat enthusiast it just did not seem right to have a ship model without a tender. Naturally I gravitated to this kit because the construction details would allow me to customize it a bit to replicate my (1:1 scale) 18th century Royal Navy yawl STORM, that I row and sail. A scale version of my actual boat would make a nice accent to any future models I make in that scale. ALERT is getting a yawl.

I started on the little boat because I thought it would be a good learner to figure out how to plank a wooden hull, and any egregious rookie mistakes I could work out on the little cheap kit before impacting the main project. As predicted, I deviated from the instructions to get the characteristics of my boat to show in the model.

Here is how things went:

At first it started like any other kit. The framing stations and the accompanying jig were amazing. I am definitely going to look for more kits that use this system of build in the future!




Then my crash course in planking happened. My results looked rough, but with a little thinned wood filler coating and some sanding the hull faired nicely.




After the hull was sorted the instructions call for removal of the framing stations to free the hull from the jig. In hind sight I would have used less glue had I known how difficult the cleanup would be to sand and smooth the inside. Fortunately the framing stations were in the exact position of the sawn frames of STORM, so when it came time to add the ribs they hid most of the boogers.



Next came the painting of the hull and customizing of the thwarts. The photo etched floors were different than the ones I have on STORM, however they are such a minor detail that I was expecting to have buried under so many other parts that I just stuck with the original brass floors rather than attempt my own. I did cut out a couple slats from both the port and starboard sides to better fit the hull. The thwarts included in the kit were slightly off in dimension than what I was trying to replicate. I ended up using bits of the parts-template material to fabricate my own. I finished all the "raw" wood parts in the exact same pine tar, turpentine, and linseed oil "soup" mixture that I use on STORM.



A few more structural details got installed, such as gunwales and blocks for thole-pins (again, not part of the kit) and then it was time to go completely off the beaten path and try to replicate my sailing rig... The original kit has no provision for a mast or sails. I worked out the mathemagics and built a scale mast and sprit out of a bamboo BBQ skewer.



Annnnnd here is where I messed up. Everything went together beautifully, however I do not have a rope-walk setup at my disposal just yet. My bolt rope was a piece of the thinnest tarred seine twine I had in my rigging bag, and the thread I had on hand was just too dark for the fabric I used. The seine twine is stiff and unforgiving, and my sail acquired a strange twist as I sewed it to the fabric. I also used thin AC glue which wicked into my sail material (cannibalized from an old pair of boxer shorts, dyed with tea). Needless to say I was unprepared for this stage.



I did not glue the rig in place, nor install the main sheet or the blocks yet since I have decided I'm not happy with the sail. With a little more planning and practice I think I will have a far better result. Anyhow, considering this little boat has taken precedence over ALERT as officially my first wooden boat build, I am not too disappointed in the results. Especially since this little f***er is just under three inches in length! I am definitely thinking that the tribulations of this entire learning experience are going to be much easier when I apply it to the much larger ALERT!

And in closing, I am remiss that I have not included any pictures of STORM to compare the model to... so here She is!

 

[McNemo]

Some time around midnight last night as I was trying to sleep, the thought occurred to me that I was erroneous in replicating the sail rig as if the boat was underway. I went back this morning and built another mast/sprit/sail rig in the stowed condition. I am much happier with this one. Now that I can place it aboard ALERT and get a visual on how it may display, I am undecided if it will be stowed aboard or perhaps towed behind on the display stand... that is a decision for the future though.

Moving on to ALERT: The keel, stem, and sub-deck has been added to the frame. I acquired a large chunk of basswood that I am going to source pieces from to fill the spacing between the frames. The project is going on pause for a couple weeks until I find an appropriate saw for the job.

 

[Uwek]

Bravo and congratulations for finishing this small project in the main project
Very well done

 

[Uwek]

I found some time to get started on my first kit: HM Cutter Alert by Vanguard. I am not new to model building; however, the wooden ships have always been a lofty an intimidating goal I never thought I would work my way up to until recently. Time to dive in headfirst.

Let me just say this would not have gone as smoothly as it has, if it were not for the tips and advice of all of you here on this forum. (and Olha's Youtube channel as well). I do not know what I could possibly have to contribute with this build log, but I will definitely be greatful for your words of wisdom and encouragement as I progress.

So far, I am impressed with the quality of the Vanguard kit. The laser cutting has been fairly precise, with only a minimal amount of filing needed for a smooth fit when assembling the pre-cut pieces. I was able to work my way through the initial assembly of the framing. I used the sub deck to experiment with a thinned solution of the pine tar "boat soup" that I use on my real boat. I thinned it a bit more than needed and barely got a blush of color out of it, but at least the model has that real-ship smell now.

The next phase I have to look forward to is the main deck. I would like to lay planks and simulate trunnels, using the included single-piece stamped boxwood deck piece as a subdeck or template. I would like to fill the space between frames and fair the hull before I get to try my hand at planking. I have lots of marine coosa-board on hand that I could fill the space with, but I may hold off until I can get a hold of some suitable wood instead.

Hopefully the tools and materials for my next stage will be at hand, and I will have another update in the next couple weeks!

Hallo @McNemo
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY

How is your project going?

 

[McNemo]

Thanks Uwek!

This project is on hold during the summer months while I concentrate my time on the big boats. Once the late Fall/Winter Nor'easters set in I'll be back indoors to work on ALERT.

Cheers!