I'm actually glad to see the closing strakes in this hull. I found myself having to do the very same thing with the Vasa, all the while thinking that somehow 'real' modelers don't have to do this. I have read that planks should never be less than fifty percent of their original width and I just don't see how that's always possible. Honing a strake on both sides down to a point, beveling the edges and making it fit glove like is very time consuming and in my case involving several do overs.
I think its even deeper than that Daniel. Real shipbuilders probably don't break the rules - but we are pretend shipbuilders making tiny ships that fit on a table in our entryways or living rooms. Personally I agonized over my hull planking and looking at my ship today I can honestly say that no one will ever notice I did it right other than a real ship-builder or folks on this forum. I'm glad I fought for that and for the things I learned but have to admit it was for myself rather than necessary to build a beautiful model.
Dear Peter. Thank you very much for your comment. Your observation about making paper templates is an excellent one and it is certainly a suggestion I would recommend to all builders out there. But ... I have found that with the Willem Barentsz, it is very difficult to work with templates because there is not a single flat part on the hull to work with below the wales. When trying to transfer the template onto wood you are doing so on a flat surface as you cannot possibly emulate the curvatures on this hull. Even the most carefully cut (according to the template) piece of wood is inaccurate when trying to fit it around a curvature or a vertical bend.
(You of all people will know this - just look at your Bluenose build and what happens when you have a Japanese saw in hand !) 
Hello Johan. I agree - it is excellent advice, but also see in my answer to @Peter Voogt Peter why it is not ideal on the Willem Barentsz.
As a complete “Novice” contemplating a museum type build is way beyond my capabilities. For your first build and also my first build, we’ve learned that “the kit in a box” is just the basic starting point and can be transformed into something special. Granted every builder on this or other forums can point out the “errors” in their creations, but those who view the end result only see a completed build to be proudly displayed for years.
As long as Starbucks is around the corner....
No, Starbucks is not around the corner. But ... I am very well prepared.
This should J-U-S-T be enough to see me through the closing of the hull.
Hello Daniel. Let me put your mind at ease straight away. Shaping planks to needle points and abandoning all planking "rules" does not make you any less of a modeler. The acid test in the end is how the model looks and whether or not you are happy with it. And let me tell you - as all real knowledgeable people on Dutch builds will tell you - in real life there were no rules as far as the Dutch were concerned. They used what planks they had available and if it was different on the one side compared to the other, then so be it. Like Hans said, very rarely was a hull truly symmetrical as ships were constructed from the shipwright's mind eye and experience - not from a rule book.
Hi Paul. You gave an excellent answer - except that Dutch shipbuilders very much broke the rules !!!
In fact, there weren't any to begin with as far as they were concerned. We cannot possibly emulate a build as it was done at the time. Just look at the Vasa and at how many different interpretations there are with regards to its build - let alone between different kit manufacturers of the same model. You wanted to build a beautiful model because that is what makes you happy - and in that - you have succeeded beyond beyond anyone's wildest dreams. I say this, because I certainly have not seen a more impressive interpretation of the Vasa than yours. That is what makes you happy and what makes you embrace this hobby.
Exactly Jan! Amen to that !!!
When following your build, one thing became clear to me: I'll stay away from building the "Witte Swaen" as far as I possibly can.
Nooooo Johan. When you are finished with Bluenose, you and I (among others) still have to build the beautiful Fluit. And if you think the WB is a challenge .....When following your build, one thing became clear to me: I'll stay away from building the "Witte Swaen" as far as I possibly can.
But again, I'm truly impressed!
In the mean I will continue my own struggles with the Bluenose...
I once read, but can't find the evidence anymore, that the shipwrights determined length and width of a ship and that those dimensions determined all other dimensions, including for example the rope diameters. Anyone with source references?
There are two main sources which give a bit of insight in the Dutch shipbuilding in the 17th century. Nicolaes Witsen and Cornelis van Yk both wrote a book about Dutch shipbuilding in the 17th century. The former curator of the Rijksmuseum, Ab Hoving, wrote a book in which he explained the works of Nicolaes Witsen. You should know that Witsen was a very educated man, but his style of writing was - to say the least - a bit confusing. When you try to read the original Witsen book (in old Dutch) you get lost very soon. Hoving managed to "open" the book and gave a clear explanation how ships where built - with the shipwrights (in Dutch bestekken or Certers, Charters or Cherters) as leading guide. These "bestekken" where contractual specifications about the length, width and depth of a ship, and if you combine this information with the method of construction as described by Witsen, you get a very large number of data about the ship, including diameters and lengths of masts, and the corresponding ropework. I don't know if this book is also available in English, but I will ask Ab Hoving.
Just as I was reading this post I got a reply from Ab Hoving - with this link:
What I am doing currently on the NL, is I divided the lower hull into 4 belts of planks. First I divided it in half, then I divided each half into two. With the 4 belts, I used graphic tape and followed the tick marks on the mid frames, but adjusted at the bow and stern to make sure the planks would follow a more natural curve. Then I saw that each belt required a different taper at the bow and stern to maintain the flow of planks without causing issues or leaving me with any fill in planks. There will have to be some stealers at the stern obviously. I then marked the belts from the tape to the frames and removed the tape.
