Browsing multiple build logs on various shipbuilder forums I have never thought, that one day I will open my own shipbuilding log. I just thought, that those types of logs a great responsibility to engage others in your build process: not just show what you do, instead, share your knowledge how you do it. I am hoping that someone may benefit the log and find it somehow valuable. I will try my best and make it fun to read, avoiding I did this…and I did that. But on the end, it is only you, fellow ship-model crafters who will make this future log interesting. Without further ado let me begin…
The Ship: Charles Royal Yacht, Period of the ship – 1674, Scale - 1/64, Nationality of the ship – England. All my research leads to believe that this Yacht didn’t exist, and it just a representation of the Charles Royal Yacht built in 1674 during the reign of King Charles II (1660-1685). The plans are made with reference to a number of royal yachts built in that era.
The Kit: Wile this is not a kit review, I ‘d like to give some thoughts about it. This is a single plank on bullheads contractions. This kit has improved the traditional composting scheme of the hull assembly by running the keel from solid wood instead of plywood! Yea, real wood! Laser markings on frames (bulkheads), stems and keels greatly help in positioning parts relative to each other, and the quality of bulkheads is great. All supplied wood was dry and very good quality. Although, I couldn’t find\figure out what species various wood is. The yacht's décor consists of a set of white cast metal, brass photo etching and laser-cut wooden elements. For the mast and spars, round billets of light wood are provided, and for rigging, there are light and dark threads of five standard sizes. Unfortunately, the blocks and deadeyes are made of plastic, which is its only significant disadvantage. But blocks are of the correct form and moulded with the shaves. The armament of the yacht consists of eight cast guns (while metal) on wooden carriages. The model is completed with three coloured flags printed on fabric and a stand with a "Charles Royal Yacht" sign. The model assembly of the sailboat is shown on a 20-page colour instruction (all in Japanese), and the drawings are given on three sheets of A3 format.
The kit price: $300.00 ~ 450.00 (US) Personally, I think it overpriced, I will explain why later in the log.
The build: Before I will put photographs and show some the progress, I’d like to explain why this kit brought attention to my eyes, and become a fun to build since January 2018. Thoughts are always ahead of actions, and mine were no exceptions. I have had to finish my project when thinking what to build next. I’d love to build a three-decker, with carvings and decorations and massive armoury but…I quickly realize that this will be a simple multiple years project, which I don’t want to engage on. I switch my interest to something less time consuming, however still have decorations an armament so I can get an end results much quirkier. The choice fell on a single-mast schooner or yacht. On one Russian forum, I found build log about Charles Royal Yacht and I found it very attractive from the pictures of a real model. This was a crucial bold point in my discovery, and… you are correct, I bought the kit!!
Here is what inside the box. I didn’t make pictures myself (never thought about my own log), so I borrow those from the site I bought the kit. If you have any questions, comments please reply. Remember this build log is for all of us, and without the input is obsolete.
…and the kit has arrived. It took three weeks to be delivered directly from Japan (Osaka). I was @ work when my wife called to inform that I have a box delivered. I am sure, most of us have that filling to immediately open it and see what inside. I cannot recall how fast I was home and the first thing…no I didn’t eat, no…I didn’t take off my close…I opened the box! The first impression was WOW!!!!! Every part has its own plastic bag with a yellow tag, and it was so many of those plastic, yellow tag bags!!!! As in all other models of the company Woody Joe, all the details are numbered, signed and sorted into places. There is no discrepancy and incomprehensibility. Wood strips nicely cut and have its own plastic bags. I took the manual in my hand and realize that I don’t understand a word, it is all in the Japanese language. But most written text where accompanying by coloured pictures making it a bit easy to understand. I spent more than a few evenings before virtually realize the assembly process, identify all the parts and familiarize myself with the correct order.
It was obvious, I will modify most (if not all) of the wooden parts and even some decorations. The kit designed as the single plank on the bulkhead, but the wood provided was rather bright and meant to be painted. I must say: JIM and PAINT are NOT FRIENDS!!! In all my past builds, I substituted paints with coloured wood, if possible. I took Swiss Pear billet from my stash and cut enough planks 0.5mm X 4.0mm to cover second planks layer. First change - double plank.
Once It was clear with correct parts positions, I proceed to assemble the frame skeleton. All bulkheads fit snag into the false-keel notches. Additional horizontal support pieces make the assembly very symmetrical in all axis, sturdy without the glue. I must admit, there was not much char from laser cut to clean, and each frame makes it notch without excessive force. Once I satisfy with the dry fit, I glue everything together. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos from the frame construction stage.
Before glueing all skeleton parts together, I have to plank a few bulkheads for the companion and royal family cabins entry (see the red arrows). I figured it would be much easier to glue them while they flat on the table, rather than vertically on the kell. The kit provided the bulkhead mark for proper poisoning planks. I made a decision and substitute wood from the kit with the Pear strips from the personal stash. All frame parts were glued together and left to dry overnight.
Since I mention the glueing process in earlier post, it worth to mention the glue types I am using during assembly and build. All wooden parts are glued together using the different brands of PVA. For all other parts, I am using CA glue. (see photo) You may wonder why? Well, the answer is rather simple as you can guess. Different glueing jobs require different glue types. Various holding strength, different viscosity and time to complete tasks. Here is the list.
Lineco Neutral pH Adhesive: Very thin, dries fast and clean, doesn’t clog. Excess glue is better to remove before it completely dries, other vice leaves a transparent film. Recommended use for finishing planking layer. Glued parts may be used (lightly) after 1-hour dry time.
Titebond I, II, III: Superior strength, slow to dry and such longer assembly time. The primary use for structured parts, bulkheads assembly (as you need time to adjust). Fully dries in 24 hours.
Elmer’s WoodGlue Max: Ideal for the first layer of planking and tight joints. Also good for framing. Bonds super strong. Wood Glue Max contains real wood fibres for superior staining. Dries fast and clean.
Moment Stolyar Super PVA: A friend of mine brought from Russia. Excellent all-purpose wood glue. Dries fast and clean, bonds strong.
M5T: this is my best friend in CA family. Very, very thin almost like water. Penetrates into holes easily, bonds strong dry in seconds. Doesn’t clog when dries! Primary use photo etches parts. Glued parts couldn’t be blackened, also glued wooden parts will not be stained.
M1100G: is the brother (or sister) to M5T except it is thick viscosity. Both an excellent glue
ZAP – doesn’t need advisement. Widely use among modellers all over the world. This one is very thin and fast. Doesn’t bond strong and when dries leave white clog.
Rapid Fuse CA: I use it as a utility glue. It is rather thick. If you need temporary glue parts, then it can be easily broken apart.
…and I am asking to board this log again. After 48 hours, the glue completely dried. I took the hull in my hand, it feels pretty solid across the board, and symmetrical if you are looking from eyesight towards bow from the stem and backwards. NOTE the bow former wood piece, it is not supposed to be glued to bulkheads. It will help to bent bulwarks to the sternpost and form the shape of the bow. Also, NOTE the bulwarks has laser cut marks in the bow area. You can simply form the correct curve in your hand without steaming or water soaking first. I think it is nifty addition by Woody Joe. Don’t you think, folks?
After the hull frame completely dried (at least 24 ~ 48 hours) it is a good time to ‘fair’ the hull. So…what exactly Fairing the hull? Well, it is the process of beveling the outside edges of the bullheads, so the hull planking will sit flat against them. ‘Fairing’ creates the final shape of the hull. A proper “Fairing” will make planking job much easier. Take a 0.7mm x 1.5mm strip of flexible wood that is as long as the hull. Place it against the bulkhead edges as if you were planking the hull. This “batten” will help you determine when the hull is properly faired. Initially, you will find that the batten doesn’t come close to sitting flat against the bulkhead edges. This is especially true at the bow and stern. For this purpose, we will use a sanding stick, I have made specifically for this purpose. It is long enough to stretch across five or six bulkheads. This stick is very convenient as you can switch between various sandpapers easily: just peel an old sanding paper strip, use double-sided sticky tape to affix new\different grit. First, we use a fairly coarse sandpaper 150 grit to fair the hull initially. Then we switch to a 220-grit paper. Then just start sanding. One direction ONLY. The direction could be towards the bow or the stern, it is up to you. However, if you start ‘fairing’ from the stern to the bow you DON’T move sanding stick back-and-forth, ONLY one direction! Then stop and test the batten strip along the hull again to control the ‘fair
Here is what Chuck Passaro said about ‘Fairing control’:
Test the hull using a batten strip at varying levels along the model. Test it close to the keel as well as up along the sheer line. Slide the strip up and down along the bulkhead edges carefully looking for areas that are not faired properly. You might even consider temporarily pinning several battens onto the hull so you can examine them even more closely. Try and match closely the general run for the actual hull planking if you do this. Look for areas where the batten reveals unsightly dips or waviness when viewed from at different angles. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but there is one thing I always notice about POB models. When a hull is not faired properly, the planking just does not sit properly against the hull and you will see the abrupt bending of the planks across any bulkheads not faired enough. I do understand that this part of the project is not fun. It makes a huge mess and lots of dust. It can also be awkward at times to hold the hull in order to fair the hull close to the keel. It also takes a considerable amount of time. But do take your time and try not to rush through it.
Get ready for the planking the hull with the first layer. Don't go too far... it is coming up next.
Alright, folks, we have arrived at the hull planking stop. We will spend here quite a while as we have to plank twice. WoodyJoe designed the kit as single-plank. My biggest challenge was that I have to PAINT the hull. I don’t like PAINTING as I never do it right. Leave plank as is, was not a good idea either, they are light. I have no choice as to assemble as double-plank. Hence, I decided to use Pear wood as the finishing plank.
Despite that it takes more time, I like double-planking method. First, it gives you a second chance to recover from mistakes (if any). You can spackle and sand, spackle and sand, again and again until it is perfect. Not a very pleasant and clean process but… the results will pay off. Second, you can always put less expensive wood on the first, and exotic wood as second layers. The wood supplied by Woodie for hull planking and deck planking in my optimum was the same wood, just the different thickness’. I couldn’t figure out what kind of wood it was. It looks like a pine in my eyes.
I looked into the manual, and realize that I don’t have to reinvent the wheel to lay down planks. The first and necessary was to glue bulwarks in both board and starboard. They came as 2 pieces: from stern to the middle, and from middle to the bow. In the middle of each plank, they have a lock so they can align single piece. Each top of the bulkhead has a notch to accept bulwark. Because of the notch, you have to try really hard to glue bulwark a wrong way.
Working from bulwarks down the kill I just followed the manual pattern
Here is the result of it
I lay planks a few planks for each side and wait until glue fully dried. At one point I start from the keel and move towards the middle. In a few weeks, the first layer of planks has completed. I made some dust and sand away about 0,5mm to accommodate finishing (second) layer. Here is the results:
Shaping the hull makes a huge mess and lots of dust left all over the place. It also took a considerable amount of time. Recall, I would have to remove 0.5mm from each side to accommodate finishing planks and keep the body size in-tact.
As the next step, 'Woodie the Joe' suggested painting Transom. What is the keyword, folks? Who said Paint? You are correct! NO PAINT for Jim. Woodie provided a laser cut out of wood (not plywood!!) single piece. User’s manual suggested to paint in the red colour inside, and black colour outside.
Well…, I have left no choice as to make my own transom part. Found suitable in thicknesses’ and colour wood, using jeweller’s jigsaw the new transom makes it way to life. First, the pilot holes were drilled in each corner of the windows using a 1.5mm drill bit. Technically speaking, one hole per window should suffice. However, I found it is more flexible manoeuvring using multiple holes. One more suggestion: when working with jigsaw cutting inside don’t cut on the line, instead leave enough material 0.2~0.3mm for the files to shape.
To shape windows edges, we will use one of my favourite tools – ‘Barrette’ needle file. It’s unique shape, and only one flat working side makes it an indispensable tool. Here is a diagram (sorry, I am not an artist) and technics when shaping the edges.
While moving the file make sure it is 90 degrees against the filing object.
Never move the file back and force. Move the file ONLY one direction: from TOP to BOTTOM. This should be true when working with any files.
Start from one corner and while moving file down, slide to opposite corner. Then start from the ending corner and slide to the next. Make a full round, check the shape and start again.
Press lightly against the edge while moving the file. Don’t make more than a few runs on a single edge.
While shaping single edge ‘keep an eye’ on other edges, careful not to overshare corners.
I know, it is not easy. But only repetition and practice will help you to archive great results.
Hi Jim, I am watching this build cllosely, I have done a few Woody Joe builds motly there JAPANESS MINI KITS as CHRISTMAS PRESENTS they turned out quite nice, i will do a bigger one this comming Year either there EGYPTIAN SHIP or a larger version of some of there TRADIONAL JAPANESE PRODUCTS, BUT FIRST NEED TO CLEAR THE BOARD OF UNCOMPLETED MODELS. Don
Bonjorno shipwrights! Today, we are finishing stern and second layer hull planking
The last session, we have finished installing transom and counter. Once glue completely dried, I made it final shape by removing excess wood and make it even. Now it is ready to accept finishing planks. It is important to understand that stern planks should go first, before start planking the hall. I use two type of wood: for dark colour African Ebony, and for light wood - Pearwood. The counter will be covered with decoration. Basically, I use the same technique when cover transom with the first layer. Using a micro mitre saw, cut plank 45 degrees and glue to each side of sternpost until all covered.
Before hull covered with finishing planks, wales were installed. I have a great idea to purpose Ebony, however, neither of my techniques help to bend planks around the bow. I decided to use wood supplied by Woodie. Strips 4 x 2 mm was soaked in a hot water, bent around the bow and left overnight to dry. Next day, I glued them in place. Once completely dry, I use ‘MinWax’ penetrating stain to darken the wales. It WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE!!! For some reason, the stain has never completely dried. kinda a mystery... After a week I wiped out and left as is. (complete story later in the log).
Pearwood above the wales and African Ebony above the gun ports.
Finishing planks were glued the same order as the first one. Plank at the bow and stern were narrowed. Black pencil used to simulate caulking.
Don't lose any sleep over this my friend. I believe ebony is so brittle, it almost impossible to bend.
Wonder why the black in the Wales didn't dry? Must be a reaction to the wood, climate etc.
Happymodeling
Greg
What is the keyword, folks? Who said Paint? You are correct! NO PAINT for Jim. Woodie provided a laser cut out of wood (not plywood!!) single piece. User’s manual suggested to paint in the red colour inside, and black colour outside. 
Found suitable in thicknesses’ and colour wood, using jeweller’s jigsaw the new transom makes it way to life. First, the pilot holes were drilled in each corner of the windows using a 1.5mm drill bit. Technically speaking, one hole per window should suffice. However, I found it is more flexible manoeuvring using multiple holes. One more suggestion: when working with jigsaw cutting inside don’t cut on the line, instead leave enough material 0.2~0.3mm for the files to shape.
