Xebec. An Amati model by Mike Dowling [COMPLETED BUILD]

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Location
Sutherland, Scotland
Greetings fellow masochists!!

This is my first build log on this forum. I had been using another site but it was all getting a bit prissy and perfectionist for me so I thought I would give this one a try.

I have made a lot of models now so I won't list them all on a completed page. Suffice to say lots of boats, carriages, planes etc etc.

This particular boat I thought was a bit different so I will give it a try.

Pictures of the box and contents to start with. Picture instructions useful, Italian script not useful. However there is a small extra supplementary leaflet with English instructions. Four sheets of plans although one is just of the laser cut pieces. Wood seems to be of good quality as are the various metal pieces, sailcloth, pendants and thread all included.

So, here goes with the first set of pictures.
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Many Thanks for starting this building log.
I was every time fascinated by this type of ships - I will follow your log with big interest
Good luck - and a lot of fun
 
First instalment!

All the bulkheads adjusted, fitted, squared and now glued. Not too many problems here. A couple needed shims to get the height right and one needed a little removed to lower it a bit. I did try to take a wee bit off the front two as trying to fair them once fitted was going to be a nightmare. They will still need a bit more. I am really not very good at fairing bulkheads. I seem to take too much off or not enough. Anyway I will not try any more until I have the deck fitted (which it does) and glued on to give the whole thing more strength.

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Salutations amis masochistes !!

Ceci est mon premier journal de build sur ce forum. J'avais utilisé un autre site, mais tout devenait un peu pointilleux et perfectionniste pour moi, alors j'ai pensé essayer celui-ci.

J'ai fait beaucoup de modèles maintenant donc je ne vais pas tous les énumérer sur une page remplie. Autant dire beaucoup de bateaux, voitures, avions etc etc.

Je pensais que ce bateau en particulier était un peu différent, alors je vais l'essayer.

Photos de la boîte et du contenu pour commencer. Instructions illustrées utiles, écriture italienne inutile. Cependant, il y a un petit dépliant supplémentaire avec des instructions en anglais. Quatre feuilles de plans bien qu'une ne soit que des pièces découpées au laser. Le bois semble de bonne qualité, tout comme les différentes pièces métalliques, la toile à voile, les pendentifs et le fil inclus.

Donc, voici la première série d'images.
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Je vous souhaite beaucoup de plaisir dans la réalisation de ce modèle, je viens moi-même d'ouvrir ma boite du Cherec Le Requin à l'échelle 1/48. Je prévois pas mal de nuits blanches car bien que j'aie un peu d'expérience ce modèle me semble très différent de ce que j'ai déjà fait mais je suis tombé amoureux du modèle. Bon amusement.
 
Greetings fellow masochists!!

This is my first build log on this forum. I had been using another site but it was all getting a bit prissy and perfectionist for me so I thought I would give this one a try.

I have made a lot of models now so I won't list them all on a completed page. Suffice to say lots of boats, carriages, planes etc etc.

This particular boat I thought was a bit different so I will give it a try.

Pictures of the box and contents to start with. Picture instructions useful, Italian script not useful. However there is a small extra supplementary leaflet with English instructions. Four sheets of plans although one is just of the laser cut pieces. Wood seems to be of good quality as are the various metal pieces, sailcloth, pendants and thread all included.

So, here goes with the first set of pictures.
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Hello Mike, I have the Ocre Cazador under construction. So far so good. Opposite the pure Algerian "Pirate Chebeke", the military ships naturally also have a dinghy. However, there is no information, models, paintings, drawings, plans, etc. on how the boat could be launched into the water. The usual precautions, rigging, etc., do not seem to me to be practicable. All dinghies were actually only towed, which also makes sense with the speed-oriented construction. I think this deck storage was taken over from somewhere at some point and copied over and over again. Do you have any information about this? I will of course keep track of your log. I wish you success !:)
 
Hello there and welcome.

I have often wondered the same dilemma when making models. I have no idea how a miniature sailor would launch a lifeboat from the middle of a ship without removing loads of rigging whereas boats like the Beagle or Endurance have the lifeboats at the sides and/or rear which allow for easy launch and retrieval. I am not a seafarer, just a model maker and have no information on the subject but I am sure you have raised an interesting point for discussion. Do keep watching even though the Xebec has its lifeboat in the middle!!
 
The painting above deck level is done. I have also painted black the areas where the many gratings will go so that they don't show so much at the end. The main deck is on and planking begins. I usually try to plank decks off the boat but for this one it is just not possible as the deck is a little narrow in places and gaps need to be covered. I think this could take a while!
 
Hello there and welcome.

I have often wondered the same dilemma when making models. I have no idea how a miniature sailor would launch a lifeboat from the middle of a ship without removing loads of rigging whereas boats like the Beagle or Endurance have the lifeboats at the sides and/or rear which allow for easy launch and retrieval. I am not a seafarer, just a model maker and have no information on the subject but I am sure you have raised an interesting point for discussion. Do keep watching even though the Xebec has its lifeboat in the middle!!
This is not a real problem on other ships with other rigging, see sketch. With the Chebecke it is, because these possibilities are not given due to the lack of yards etc. I have already expressed my thoughts and doubts about the correctness here at SoS several times, but unfortunately I have not received any helpful feedback.
 

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The two decks are now planked. Quite a fiddly job because of all the cut outs. They have had one coat of satin varnish just to seal them. The next stage is to sand off some of the edges where they protrude past the bulkheads and fair the rest. The penultimate bulkhead is very wide and will need a good bit of reduction. Fairing is not my favourite job as I can never decide how much to take off despite testing all the time with a strake. I never seen to get it quite right either removing too little or too much. Let'DSCN2921.JPGDSCN2922.JPGs hope I can do better this time!
 
Looks like decision time with respect to the deck gratings. The Amati kit shows them framed above the deck level although Boudroit’s ‘la Requin’ makes a convincing argument that they should be set flush with the deck. Probably worth some thought. If you use this option scuppers should be added below deck level. The round gunports and sweep ports also present some problems with respect to concentricity and alignment. I ended up drilling them on a drill press with bits of increasing size using a jig to hold the model and backing blocks on the interior to prevent tear out. I tried filing, using a mockup of the bullwork, but found drilling to be a better option. Best wishes for success.
 
Thank you so much for the message. The deck gratings will all have a surround which would make them proud of the deck. If I were to make them flush it would require considerable enlargement of the holes which I have a feeling would then get in the way of the gun placements. I have been giving thought to those gun ports and realise that these could be tricky. The position of the scuppers are quite well shown on the instructions and I don't anticipate too much of a problem ... famous last words!
I like the idea of drilling the holes with a press but I am not sure how I could make a suitable jig to hold the hull properly.
 
Well now, here is a lesson to all model ship builders. I made a fundamental error which I have never done before. This kit comes with a large plan sheet showing the bulkhead parts and a small sheet showing the sheet they are cut from. Having done loads before I took the numbers from the small sheet and pencilled the pieces with the correct numbers double checking that they were correct. What I didn't do was check them on the large sheet but went ahead and glued them on! I didn't realise at that stage that the large and small sheets were different. So the bulkheads were glued on in the wrong positions. Number 8 should have been 10, 9 should have been 8 and 10 should have been 9.
Still I moved on without realising and put the main deck on and planked it. Dear oh dear another mistake. I should have made the deck planks longer between the bulkheads for final trimming but, because I didn't I had some complicated patchwork to do to meet the hull planking.
So, it was not until I was well through the first hull planking that I realised my error with the bulkheads. It was far to late to undo what I had done so I had to try and adjust the planking to compensate. Therefore this first planking is probably one of the ugliest I have ever done but, I think when I sand it all down the situation is retrievable. The upper parts of the hull should be fine with second planking and they are the ones that will show. The lower hull will eventually be painted white so with some ingenuity, filler and lots of paint I might get away with it.
The moral of this story is that correct placement of the bulkheads in the first place is essential. Check once, twice and then check again just like cutting lengths!!
Anyway, some pictures for you to see if I am going to get away with this or not.

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Well now, here is a lesson to all model ship builders. I made a fundamental error which I have never done before. This kit comes with a large plan sheet showing the bulkhead parts and a small sheet showing the sheet they are cut from. Having done loads before I took the numbers from the small sheet and pencilled the pieces with the correct numbers double checking that they were correct. What I didn't do was check them on the large sheet but went ahead and glued them on! I didn't realise at that stage that the large and small sheets were different. So the bulkheads were glued on in the wrong positions. Number 8 should have been 10, 9 should have been 8 and 10 should have been 9.
Still I moved on without realising and put the main deck on and planked it. Dear oh dear another mistake. I should have made the deck planks longer between the bulkheads for final trimming but, because I didn't I had some complicated patchwork to do to meet the hull planking.
So, it was not until I was well through the first hull planking that I realised my error with the bulkheads. It was far to late to undo what I had done so I had to try and adjust the planking to compensate. Therefore this first planking is probably one of the ugliest I have ever done but, I think when I sand it all down the situation is retrievable. The upper parts of the hull should be fine with second planking and they are the ones that will show. The lower hull will eventually be painted white so with some ingenuity, filler and lots of paint I might get away with it.
The moral of this story is that correct placement of the bulkheads in the first place is essential. Check once, twice and then check again just like cutting lengths!!
Anyway, some pictures for you to see if I am going to get away with this or not.

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Sorry to hear about the mistake happened - but it is not only by yourself, also we have to blame the manufacturer for not preparing the docs properly
Seems that the main problem happened here, which was ( I guess) the bulkhead 10.....
I think you can reduce the problem with some fill between 10 and 11 and sand down the first layer just close to the bulkhead at 10

Shit happens or like we say "Ship happens" ;)
 

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I did more or less what you suggested but, rather than fill the 'gap' on the low bulkhead I managed to persuade the planks just to pretend the low one wasn't there!! I think it worked quite well. I will add some pics later to show the filled and sanded result.
 
I don't think my first planking looks so ghastly now and I reckon I might have got away with the error! I am finishing off the first planking on the sides of the rear deck and the unusual transom. The red grill was brown plastic and quite tricky to cut to the right shape. I would have preferred it to have been wood as with most kits but I hadn't any long enough lengths of grill making strips to do it. Now it is painted I think it looks ok.

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