• Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.
  • PRE-ORDER SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR FIRST ISSUE WILL BE JAN/FEB 2026

Le Coureur 1776 1:48 (CAF) by Salty

A little more planking, plus I have made a start in holes for the nails. I have an electric drill with a few flexible shaft which made it quite easy. I am going to try 0.6 mm copper wire, but won’t start until I am happy with the finished planks.

IMG_3320.jpeg

IMG_3322.jpeg

I am scraping the planks as I think this gives a crisper finish than sanding. The photos show some things that I missed that could do with more work, despite the fact I tend to work with magnifying reading glasses.

Kind regards

Salty
 
Paul, I tend to take pictures with my iPhone which look OK on the small screen with lower resolution, but get some nasty surprises when I look at them on my iPad which has a much larger screen and higher resolution images.

I am a little more than half way through planking and am reasonably happy with the spacing on the stem and stern, although the area of the bilge on the stern post has been quite difficult.

IMG_3331.jpeg

IMG_3333.jpeg

In the bottom photo you can see I have reached the section where the hull will be open.

Kind regards

Salty
 
Here she is with both sides of the clinker planking completed.

IMG_3427.jpeg

IMG_3428.jpeg

IMG_3429.jpeg

As you can see, the planking is in various stages of finish - more refined near the keel, to a complete mess further up. I think with a bit of effort I can tidy things up and have everything looking respectable in the end.

In case you were wondering, Le Coureur is resting on a length of ebony. I bought a couple of pieces with the idea of using it for the gunwales not on this ship, but on a future project perhaps. In any event, they have been very useful supports while the ship has been upside down when being planked.

Kind regards

Salty
 
Hi Salty,
Not sure how you can properly provide the gain on the forward portion of the planking with the morticed frames but wondered if this is explained in the kit. The planks never ended with an overlap as they could not seat properly in the rabbet as can be seen in your photos. CAF has a good reputation, so it is surprising they missed something so basic.

Allan

Picture and a thousand words..........

1766843503123.jpeg
 
Allan, thank you for your post.

The diagram in your post is referenced in both the CAF instructions and the ANCRE monograph and shows the most common way of making the gains with a progressively increasing bevel. There no specific information about what how much to bevel use, that’s left to the discretion of the builder.

After a bit of research, I discovered gains can also be formed with a rabbet

cutting-a-gain-1200x741.jpeg


I just found cutting a rabbet was easier for me to get a nice fit. I don’t think there’s necessarily a right or wrong way to go about it, just so long as the stepping effect of the clinker planking reduces to almost nothing at the bow.

There aren’t too many instructions in CAF kits, but there’s enough, particularly when read in conjunction with the plans. They are more about what needs to be done, not how to do it.

I have now finished the gunwales and bulwarks:

IMG_3443.jpeg

IMG_3444.jpeg

There’s still a bit of finishing work to do trimming particularly on the stem and transom.

As you can see, I have made a start on the nailing as well. I am using 0.6 mm copper wire and there’s probably 2000 or so to do. I’m doing an hour at a time, but will work on other things in the meantime.

Kind regards

Salty
 
Although it’s not been difficult work, finishing the hull has taken a long time. I have chosen to scrape the planks as it leaves a crisper finish than sanding. I am happy with the results of the nailing as well. Although there are a lot of them, I don’t think they overpower the look of the hull. Further, I am pleased to report only one drill bit was killed in the entire process.

IMG_3445.jpeg

IMG_3448.jpeg

IMG_3452.jpeg

Kind regards

Salty
 
Last edited:
Very impressive build! Your attention to detail on these lap joints is amazing. I haven't followed any builds that use these. Impressive.

Your treenails/nailing look perfect. Not too much and the contrast with the planks looks great too.

I'll continue to follow your wonderful build! Thanks for sharing.
 
Brad, thanks for your encouragement. I think your La Salamandre looks fantastic. Even with a kit of La Salamandre, I found the stern framing difficult so I can only imagine what it would have been like to do it from scratch!

Paul, thanks for your you also. Your Le Saint Philippe looks magnificent! That’s the type of work I push myself to achieve.

Over the last few days, I have been building and installing some of the bulkheads (and deck beams they sit against):

IMG_3455.jpeg

IMG_3456.jpeg

The hatch and frame have bevelled edges so the hatch can slide. I was a bit dubious about whether it could be done as the bevel is something less than 0.5mm, but it works! The notches had to be cut into the bulkheads to accommodate the carlings as the top follows the curve of the deck beans.

Kind regards

Salty
 
Alan, the rabbets are cut with 2 and 4 mm chisels (see the second picture below). Le Coureur is 1:48 scale, which I think is big enough to let you recreate most things as they would be in the real world. At smaller scales - 1:64 and 1:72 - I wouldn’t like to attempt tings like the hatch in post 31.

Kurt, thanks for visiting. I suspect there won’t be a clear view of the interior, but you’ll get some impression all the same.

Next it’s the mast step and the ballast box (complete with tiny dovetail joints):

IMG_3461.jpeg

IMG_3459.jpeg

I think I am on the right track with Le Coureur as the internal fit out is reasonably straightforward to date and there’s not been any adjustments necessary to get things into place. She’s starting to look like a ship…

Kind regards

Salty
 
The mast well:

IMG_3467.jpeg

The main mast had a fair rake and the hole in the deck fitting is slightly off-centre to allow for this. This is one of the many thoughtful touches in this kit - not described in the instructions, but can clearly be seen in the plans and the kit parts.

There’s also a pillar which goes under the beam just forward of the mast well. The pillar has some notches so the crew could climb out of the cargo area and through the hatch adjacent to the mast.

The decking on the ballast box:

IMG_3480.jpeg

I was in two minds about whether to simply lay the planks across the frame (as in the instructions) or recess them (as in the plans). In the end, I went for recessing, mostly to show off the frame, although recessing might have meant the planks wouldn’t need to be permanently fastening so the area below could be accessed. Because I chose recessing, I had to make two beams running fore and aft in the section with the mast well to support them.

The instructions are also a little ambiguous what timber to use. I assume it’s cherry given the amount of provided in the kit, but there is a small amount of maple provided for some areas below deck. For the sake of consistency, I have gone with maple as it’s used on the main deck as well. I think the maple will be a nice contrast to the rest of the fit out below.

Kind regards

Salty
 
Salty said:
Alan, the rabbets are cut with 2 and 4 mm chisels (see the second picture below). Le Coureur is 1:48 scale, which I think is big enough to let you recreate most things as they would be in the real world. At smaller scales - 1:64 and 1:72 - I wouldn’t like to attempt tings like the hatch in post 31.

Kurt, thanks for visiting. I suspect there won’t be a clear view of the interior, but you’ll get some impression all the same.

Next it’s the mast step and the ballast box (complete with tiny dovetail joints):

View attachment 568161

View attachment 568160

I think I am on the right track with Le Coureur as the internal fit out is reasonably straightforward to date and there’s not been any adjustments necessary to get things into place. She’s starting to look like a ship…

Kind regards

Salty
Click to expand...
Impressive woodwork. Congrat on your skill!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top