HMS Kingfisher/ King's Fisher - Tedboat [COMPLETED BUILD]

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I was recently asked to post a photo of Kingfisher/ King's Fisher, in a different thread, and had members asking me to do a log, and also had a fair number of 'likes'.
I bought the kit from Bob Hunt at Lauck Street Shipyard, but unfortunately it is no longer available, which is a huge loss as it is such a superb kit. However, as Bob says, he can't compete with the Chinese on costs.
There are however a number of members out there who have the kit, but have not yet made a start, and a lot of the building techniques/details are common to any ship of the period.
My effort is nearly complete, so I'll run a series of photos illustrating various building points.
Tell me if you get bored!

HMS Kingfisher (also spelled King's Fisher or Kingsfisher) was the second ship in the 14-gun Swan class of ship sloops, to which design 25 vessels were built in the 1760s and 1770s. She was launched on 13 July 1770 at Chatham Dockyard, and completed there on 21 November 1770. She took part in the American Revolutionary War, enforcing the blockade of the Delaware Bay, and served in the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet, near Cape May, New Jersey. While under the temporary command of Lieutenant Hugh Christian, she was burnt by her own crew to avoid capture on 7 August 1778 in Narragansett Bay during the Battle of Rhode Island. (Taken from Wikipedia)

The fully framed kit is at 1/48 scale, and comes out at around two feet or 600mm on the gundeck, so makes a reasonably sized model.

IMG_5670a.jpg

In the building jig, frames going in, with all the other frames hanging up above. The jig has been modified from the kit as supplied, with each section bolted through the baseboard and held in by a butterfly nut (See below) They were then fully aligned with a horizontal batten running fore and aft. It meant any section of the jig could be accurately removed and replaced as necessary.


IMG_5676.JPG

Sections of jig as described above.




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Frames going in, with spacer blocks between each frame. The horizontal battens across some of the frames are temporary, and help in the alignment. The centreline is marked on the crosspieces, and a thread run from bow to stern just above them. It is then possible to align your viewpoint using the thread and the keel to ensure the frames are centralized. Any misalignment can then be rectified by removing the offending part of the jig and easing the slots as necessary. It really works!


IMG_5671a.jpg

Closer view of sharp end. The kitchen roll paper is protecting the ends of the bollard timbers (or knightheads)



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And the blunt end.



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Being typically perverse, I decided to add all the infill timbers between the frames just above the keel. (Not included in the kit)



IMG_5707.JPG

Ann is still wondering what happened to her roll of gardening wire - It is ideal for attaching temporary battens to the frames to keep everything lined up as you insert the spacer blocks at the top of the frames.


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Hull fully framed, blocked, jig removed and faired up internally and externally. Upper deck clamp in place to hold the gundeck beams. The rather odd hold-down construction in the centre is a temporary measure to hold the keel down as I corrected a slight hog in the keel, caused by some of the infill timbers above the keel being slightly too thick.

A good place to stop - will post more in a few days.
Any queries, then just get in touch.

Ted
 
Thanks for keeping promises, Ted!! look like you had real fun building her. As Uwe already mention, very interesting assembly jig, I have never seen anything similar (not that I've seen most of the building jigs) :p but this one is really unique. Also, what came with the kit? Do you have to cut and assemble frames or frames were laser cut and you need to assemble? Any information would be valuable to us.
 
Gday ted boat
Snowy here I've been woo ship modelling for about 3 years now( can't remember) and have loved building the amati adventure as a starter kit and now the occre frigate Diana which is about 1 to 2 months off finishing.
I'm astounded by this form of framing I'll be watching with great interest
Thank you
 
Thanks for keeping promises, Ted!! look like you had real fun building her. As Uwe already mention, very interesting assembly jig, I have never seen anything similar (not that I've seen most of the building jigs) :p but this one is really unique. Also, what came with the kit? Do you have to cut and assemble frames or frames were laser cut and you need to assemble? Any information would be valuable to us.

Jim,
98% of the timber in the kit is boxwood, and it's been milled out, rather than lasered. No charring of timbers, and you can retain a very sharp edge on everything. The milling process leaves a slight dimple where it plunges into the wood - you can see it on the edges of the frames in the photos above. Bob makes all the parts very slightly oversize (3 or 4 thou) so you can sand down to the level of the dimples.
All the frames consist of five or so sections assembled over a paper template. All the joints are then treenailed (or Trennelled).
The jig is very solid, particularly after the modifications I made, and this solidity enabled me to keep everything exactly where it should be (or most of it anyway!)
As you are aware, all the parts of this sort of ship have a fixed relationship to each other - get the start wrong, and you will have problems further down the line. I have made several errors on this model, but the main hull is fully aligned, and has enabled me to iron out problems as they arise.

Bob, keep on looking for the kit - they do turn up now and then, but Bob only made about a hundred kits, and they are sought after.

Ted
 
Jim,
98% of the timber in the kit is boxwood, and it's been milled out, rather than lasered. No charring of timbers, and you can retain a very sharp edge on everything. The milling process leaves a slight dimple where it plunges into the wood - you can see it on the edges of the frames in the photos above. Bob makes all the parts very slightly oversize (3 or 4 thou) so you can sand down to the level of the dimples.
All the frames consist of five or so sections assembled over a paper template. All the joints are then treenailed (or Trennelled).
The jig is very solid, particularly after the modifications I made, and this solidity enabled me to keep everything exactly where it should be (or most of it anyway!)
As you are aware, all the parts of this sort of ship have a fixed relationship to each other - get the start wrong, and you will have problems further down the line. I have made several errors on this model, but the main hull is fully aligned and has enabled me to iron out problems as they arise.
Thank you for the detailed answer, Ted. Fantastic work, watching precisely. Lot's of learning...keep those photos coming!! Ok Great job.
 
Great to see you here, Ted! There are a few of us Lauck Street Forum refugees here at SOS!

Guys: This is a great kit, and Ted has done a fantastic job with it. You will REALLY enjoy this log!
Aw Gee Dave - you're too kind! Redface
Nice to see a few familiar faces - I'm still posting on the LSS Forum, but fewer responses these days.
Ted
 
Hello Ted
Welcome to the Great SOS Form, it, nice to see you here. Great job you are doing on your framing, that sure is a very nice kit. I am working on the Oliver Cromwell with Harold Hahn plans, yours seams much easier. Just love your framing building jig, will have to look into this on my next build, that is if I ever finish this one, ENJOY.

Regards Lawrence
 
Hello Ted
Welcome to the Great SOS Form, it, nice to see you here. Great job you are doing on your framing, that sure is a very nice kit. I am working on the Oliver Cromwell with Harold Hahn plans, yours seams much easier. Just love your framing building jig, will have to look into this on my next build, that is if I ever finish this one, ENJOY.

Regards Lawrence
Hi Lawrence,
Many thanks!
More photos will follow shortly

Ted
 
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