Enterprise Maryland 1799 1:51 [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Rowboat]

Some issues to think about ....

All this work generates a lot of sawdust and wood particles, so I find myself vacuuming many times during a work session.
Also, using cutting tools I've nicked myself two or three times drawing blood. This is a dangerous hobby .
I also dropped a number of tacks (brass nails) on the flooring,never to be seen again .
Lastly, no tool seems to be just right.
I find myself using multiple tools to accomplish a simple job like cutting scuppers.

I've seen pictures of other modelers finished scuppers but did not see their methods.
I just assumed it must be easy if there is no "how to do this" posts. Obviously, I got this wrong!

Enough on that subject.

Some work I've been doing on the side.
First I reinforced the poop housing.
It felt flimsy.



The cannon and carriages that came with my kit are not like the ones in the manual.
I put one together but did not glue it and don't like the look.






I'll investigate some alternatives or beef these up, depending on what i find.

Lastly, I started work on the transom/rudder.
This time the blue prints don't match the wood cuts in the box.
Here's the blueprint.


Here's the cut out blocks that are supposed to match, placed on top of the blue prints.


Don't know if it's a common occurrence for these issues or if I just got a "not to good" kit.



That's it for this post.
Lots of work going on.
Can't believe I've been working on the model for over 4 months .... and don't even have a finished hull .

 

[Rowboat]

Looking at the pictures in the manual it appears that the 2nd planking is done before attaching the Stem, bottom Keel, and stern piece the rudder attaches to..
Does this sound correct?

Also does the interior hull (above deck) get the second planking?

Thanks for any responses.

 

[JScolum]

You overdone with this deck.

​

 

[MystRacing]

I clean constantly while I'm building as well. Just my nature it has it's advantages though it does slow things down as well. A certain amount of DNA being deposited on the model will be useful for future space aliens to figure out who built the model. Read up a little on wood carving. Studying the methods used in wood carving has really reduced the amount of random blood samples around my shipyard.

Also, on the canons, I think the sides should be outside the lower flat part with the sides angled toward each other. If this was obvious to you, or you checked the instructions and I'm wrong by all means ignore me.

 

[Rowboat]

@JScolum
Thanks for the reply though I'm not sure what is over done. The images you posted are similar to mine but not exact.

@MystRacing
Loved the space alien comment.
I did try the sides angled as well, but seemed flimsy. In pictures i've seen the carriages are hulking masses of timber, needed to hold the weight and impact of firing a cannon. I'll probably thicken the sides and base.
Always appreciate the replies...

 

[MystRacing]

I'm not super experienced, but I've never planked a hull before attaching the stem, keel etc. doesn't mean it's wrong but I wonder how a person would ever get the Garboard strake on (That's the one along the keel) or get the ends exactly the correct length. I also run the rabbet up the bow which gives me a groove to place the end of the plank in on the bow. This makes a clean line and holds the end of the plank in place. Look around at other builds and see what you find.

Dave did a really good planking tutorial starting on the about second page of this thread

None of the 3 ships I have built had 2 layers of planking inside the gunwales. But I have only done 3 wood ships so far.

 

[Uwek]

Also, on the canons, I think the sides should be outside the lower flat part with the sides angled toward each other. If this was obvious to you, or you checked the instructions and I'm wrong by all means ignore me.

I agree here also - take a look at these drawings, and you will see how the gun carriage should look like

 

[Rowboat]

@Uwek , thanks.
Awesome photos, that's what I'm looking for in a gun carriage.
Now the question is , can I make mine look like the pictures ?

 

[Jim J]

A project isn't being done right if there isn't a little blood . Just keep a box of band-aids handy.

 

[Jimsky]

@Uwek , thanks.
Awesome photos, that's what I'm looking for in a gun carriage.
Now the question is , can I make mine look like the pictures ?

Until you will try, you will never be sure! It may not look exactly like on the photos, but...they will be similar and most important - made by you! BTW, this is where the scratch builds begins, by bashing e.g. fabricating parts by yourself! Don't be afraid to try! Isn't it fun to make your own?

 

[Rowboat]

In a holding pattern on this issue of attaching the Stem, bottom Keel before the second layer planking.

I was planning on just doing the 2nd layer planking but not sure if that would hide the butt ends of the planks.
For now, I'm using test pieces of planking to get a better feel for what needs to be done to attach the Stem and bottom Keel first.

Looks like I would need to cut a small angle on the stem and keel of the hull, for the .5mm planks to fit into.
And that's the issue, cutting into the "filled and sanded" hull.
Concerned I'll make a mess of it all .

On another note, the kit comes with two stern hatches (metal), that fit on the back.
The hatches are 2 pieces each, one inserts into the Stern and the other is a hinge lid.
Playing around with the hatches I noticed they did not close all the way.
So I squeezed them shut! Bad idea, as one hinge broke off.
So now I'm waiting for my glue job to dry to see if the hinge works.

There's a lesson in there somewhere.

Seems like I'm creating more work for myself .

 

[Jim J]

When doing the second layer of planking it really isn't necessary to cut in the "rabit"(?) before attaching the .5mm thick outer layer. That's really only needed when you apply the first layer when the bow, keel, and stem are added first. Most of the time you can apply the second layer with just a little cutting and/or sanding to get the planks to fit properly

 

[Rowboat]

I made an executive decision to mount the Stem , keel bottom and stern pieces before 2nd planking.
The stern piece went on easy enough, though it is shorter than the pictures show.

The Stem, however, was a problem.
The pieces did not fit the curvature of the hull and needed to be cut.
So I cut it .... incorrectly. What was I thinking!



Now I am trying to piece together something that resembles a Stem.





How dumb, I just cut the piece wrong. I'm beating myself up over this. ...

 

[Rowboat]

Previously I did some work on the rudder.
Not the best looking rudder I've seen but it did fit in place and swiveled.





I think I will paint the stern, rudder , keel and Stem. Or stain them.
Any thoughts on that?

 

[Rowboat]

More rudder pics...
I almost attached the rudder, then realized I needed to do the 2nd planking first.
What a rookie move that would have been .

I nailed the brass pieces to the rudder and cut off the excess nail.
I should have glued them first to make the job easier
.








I believe once it's attached it will look fine.


For those wondering how the rudder handle goes though the deck, I drilled a hole first and then used my metal round sander.
It is narrower at the front and wider at the handle.
This allowed me to drill it down to the perfect fit.
Hmmmm, I think that's the first time I've used "perfect" describing anything in my build. LOL.

 

[Rowboat]

Funny how when working we drop things , screws, nuts, nails. etc. and can't find them.

I was working on the stern piece and wanted to nail it to the keel.
Hit the nail once and it popped out and onto the floor.

Take a look and see if you can find it in this pic.




I searched for a while and gave up.
All I could think is , "you're going to step on that with your bare foot. OUCH."

Later in the day I got on the floor and crawled around, Ah ha, found it.
Look closely and you'll see it ended up under the plug!
WTH What are the odds?

 

[JohnBlackthorne]

Rowboat,
Capital progress and detailed chronology on your Enterprise Maryland 1799 1:51!! I have been anxiously awaiting the delivery of this exact model from Constructo for a while, it should arrive this week! It will be my first ever wooden tall ship model, or any type of model for many, many years. The fact that you began this journey without the manufacturer's instructions or prints inspired me, well done. Also, that you were able to obtain the instructions from a fellow modeler was impressive.
Regardless, your post and many of the communities responses (with pictures and suggestions) further prompted me to register on this page, not something I do often. I've attempted to set up a modest work station in a spare room, I'm sure there's plenty of additional tools I may need, but thanks to your post and other's like it, I think I'm set to begin once the kit arrives. My first task (if I can keep my word) is to fully inventory the contents, that task seems to be a serious suggestion from numerous tall ship modelers. Anyway, cheers and your model looks outstanding! Thanks for the many tips thus far, I know more than a few will come in handy in the coming months.

 

[Rowboat]

@JohnBlackthorne ,

Welcome aboard!

Do plan on setting up a build log ?
I agree on the inventory part, knowing what every part is for before building saves time and confusion as well identifying missing items.
I did that to the extent I could, though things like;
there were supposed to be a number of sepelli wood pieces sized 2mmX6mmX600mm but the width and height was all over the place.

Definitely read through @Pathfinder65's build log as well. Heed the lessons learned from everyone.

Also google search for "Enterprise 1799 by mikiek - Constructo - 1:51" , another source of information. Pictures are worth a 1000 words.

I am excited for you to get that ship.

Good luck and happy building

 

[Rowboat]

A lesson in frustration....
AS mentioned earlier I broke one of the stern port latches.



Then I mangled the Stem piece ...



So I fixed the port latches and attached them to the finished back of the poop deck.
Here's the progress. Used my "third" hand tool to hold everything in place while the Gorilla glue dried.


Turned out okay but you can still see the latch does not fit flat, I'll glue some support behind it later.


The poop stern (my wording, lol) then got some thin wood glued to both sides.
Then trimmed and put on decorative end pieces.and clamped.




Finally add the latches...




Well, that fixes my first mistake.
Next post, fix the Stem.

 

[Rowboat]

The Stem took some time.
Using the original pieces on the model was out of the question. I decided to build my own.
I used walnut wood, very hard to cut.

First I need to get the curve of the hull correct.
I used this tool purchased from Harbor Freight.


Then I drew the Stem using the broken pieces for the top and bottom and connected using that curve.


Transferred that to a piece of cardboard, colored yellow so my eyes could see (lol).

Then transferred to the walnut wood, keeping the correct curvature.



Cut out the Stem and did some sanding... unfortunately the piece flew off the sander hit the door and broke! .

I glued it back together and went about installing on the model.
If you look close you can see my patch job.
To attach, I drilled some small holes and put in 3 nails and glued.
Put them in lightly so I can remove them later.



Once that dried I did some light sanding.
Then I turned the model over to work on the stern.

While moving the model I managed to hit the Stem on the table, ......
... you guessed it. Broke!
Gotta laugh about that or else ........
Anyone seeing a pattern here.


My repair job.




Now you know know my lessons in frustration.