Cazador Xebec - OcCre 1:60 [COMPLETED BUILD]

Bulkheads are in!
I made sure they were square top to bottom and side to side. I used Titebond wood glue on the bulkhead to keel joint. After ensuring a bulkhead is square, I cut some small blocks out of spare wood to CA glue to hold square on both sides of the bulkhead. That way I don’t have to worry about it moving while I go on to the next one.
After the last bulkhead at the stern was glued, I noticed it had a slight twist...sigh! So I measured corner to corner from the previous bulkhead to the last at the stern. That verified what I was seeing. So I glued a spacer block on the side that had less of a gap and verified again. This frame is true front to back! I always hate dealing with bows and twists, but it has to be as close to perfect as I can manage.
Now to install the lower mast supports along with a few other supports and stiffeners I am adding to keep the false keel straight.
Pics below...
 
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Today was the main deck. It’s about 2mm thick and doesn’t want to bend too easy. I test fit it and it was an effort to bend in place to check. There is a bend going up towards the bow, and the entire deck rolls down hill towards port and starboard sides. So you end up with a compound curve at the bow.
So I ended up soaking it in hot water for about 10 minutes prior to installation.
Then I put on Titebond...and the race was on! They tell you to use the tiny nails provided and then file them flush afterwards.
First of all try nailing a tiny nail. You have to hold them with a small pair of needle nose pliers, while you get started. I soon realized I needed to use a punch. I have the perfect one with a pocket for the head of the nail. This made life much easier. I just used the pliers to push the pin in enough to where I could start using the punch. But being tedious work I was starting to worry about the glue drying before I finished putting in all these tiny nails!
Also while nailing towards the outer edge of the bulkhead, I had to wedge blocks under them to prevent flexing of the whole frame. Nail doesn’t want to go in when the force is being deflected.
But I persevered and soon I was going back and sinking the nail heads below the deck with the punch. No filing necessary!
I did notice the hole in the deck for the mast at the bow does not line up properly...sigh! I will cut that out and adjust when I plank the deck.
Pics below...
 
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Adjusted the foremast hole with a rat file and test fitted.
Started planking the bulkhead and the deck. Tedious work, penciling the edges of the boards.
I am using a H pencil, so it’s a soft lead and won’t roll the edges too much.
I am using Titebond wood glue to put them on, and spreading it on the back of the board with a tooth pick to eliminate squeeze out. Going good so far.
Pics below...
 
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Ok...I planked around the foremast to adjust that hole with the mast in place. Making serious progress...music is essential to taking your time and not rushing, at least for me. I get lost in the music and enjoy the work.
Anyway, I won’t continue to bore everyone with deck planking photos. Next update will be once I finish and trim and sand. Then I have a few decisions to make on nails and stain.
See you then...
 
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Well I pushed myself last night and finished the main deck planking. Did some sanding today and I’m close to being ready to stain. The model shows a medium stain color, however I’m tempted to just clear coat it. But it may look more like a sail boat with a light wood deck. Any thoughts on this?
 
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I am fairing the hull, my least favorite part of the build! Decided to get that out of the way.

Next I will stain the deck and install the door on the bulkhead. Door will be fun, will do some painting and dry brushing on it.

I finished the door and took a pic. It’s really small, so only so much detail I can do. I still have to add the handle.
 
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This is the part where I complain about instructions. I see them as a suggestion and not an absolute! Sometimes things just make better sense using a different technique or in a different order than the instructions tell you. So my advice is always read ahead. In fact I spent an hour reading and looking at the entire instructions and images to see the work needed ahead and the logical order of things.
Did you know that the Couronne was the first ship build purposely as a war ship by the French?

Before that they where using conversion of merchant ship or purchasing from other country.

Also the wood used to build her came from a forest of a noble that was not friendly to the king and he almost not paid for it (and that noble he was not very happy about it), in fact the king used all the wood of that forest on subsequent ship with almost not paying for it.
 
Added nail holes, stained...then hit with steel wool to weather some. Overall pretty happy with it. Looks darker in pics for some reason?
And I installed the door I painted on the bulkhead. The door handle they give you us is a hoop on an eye (you have to put hoop on eye with tweezers). It’s all brass and I painted silver hinges...lol. Looks like I need to get some gold or copper paint. Will paint hinges and bolt heads to match.
Pics...
 
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