ZEEHAEN 1639, 1:37.5, Dutch fluit from Dutch Explorer Abel J. Tasman by Marcus

[Maarten]

Hi Marcus,
This kind of butt is called a scarph. In Dutch it is a half hout verbinding.

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Maarten, thank you
Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Worked on the bow most of the day. Figuring and creating a bowsprite holder.

Strengthening the deck.

Glued deck in place.


Used card to make a template of where the bowsprite goes.


With a hand drill, drilled a hole through the bowsprite, deck and part of the wood. The drill bit kept it all in place while i could draw the lines for the holder.

The area where the bowsprite goes into the ship, is there a name for that area?

Bowsprite holder.


Dry fit planking and bowsprite.

Once i have planked that area and made a hole in it, I can slide the bowsprite with some glue into the holder.

Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Thank you for all the likes.

Finishing up on the location of where the bowsprite goes into its holder and the little deck located at the tip of the stem.





Started working on the bowsprite panel. Cut a piece of veneer by 0.5mm wider than the actual location of the panel so it is both a tight fit and slightly bowed or curved. Started paneling the veneer with 5mm wide cherry strips.









I still need to raise the wall from hull by 4mm. So then it is even with the other side.



Bowsprite panel can be removed for easy adding 2 cathead squares, 1 gunprt and 3 steps.

Once the glue dried the paneling was marked for the catheads and gunport.





Gunport has been cut out. Tomorrow the 2 cathead squares will be removed.

Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Thank you for all the likes.

Preparing the second layer of cherry planking. Most of the planks will be 20 cm long with a Dutch scarph joint on each side. There will also be smaller lengths.

Put the planks in some water as they will cut better without splitting. Once the scarphs are cut the planks will be dried.



Top plank is to show what the scarphs look like when cut.
Middle plank is to show when the scarphs are together.
Bottom plank being cut to make a scarph.



Close up from a scarph being created.



I will be creating joints on about 80 planks. Not all joints will be created now, some will be made when I plank the ship.

Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

I know that planks on real ships are shaped according to the lines of the ship so when the time comes to plank the second layer, the planks will be soaked again for easier bending and following the lines of the Fluit.
Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

When the weather is warm I don't work on the boat, I work outside in the garden. We did have some rain in between so I worked a bit on the Fluit.
I used tracing paper and copied the curvature of the wales from the plan and transferred the lines to the hull.


Compared to what I initially installed as the lower wale, the one on the plan follows the curve of the Fluit better. My original wale has a too steep of a curve towards the center of the hull.


Then attached 2 long planks as a temporary lowere wale.

It takes about 8 strakes from the keel to the bilge and 6 strakes from the bilge to the lower wale.
Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Started with the second layer of planking and using cherry as the 2nd layer and walnut for the wales. Practicing with getting the scarphs correctly placed together and doing it near the keel as this is an area which most people will not see if I make a mistake. Once I get to the bilge area I should be good at it.

I will be planking for a while.

Marcus

 

[Kurt Konrath]

Slow and steady wins the planking race, going too fast leads to error or re-do's which we hate both...

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Thank you for all the likes and comments.

2nd layer of planking continues.
I have looked at other planking from Fluits on a Dutch forum and they are different for every fluit build. Some have close to the same as my Zeehaen.

My bow is not as bluff as some of the ships in 17th century Dutch merchant ships book. So there are mistakes I have made. I sanded too much wood from the bow and instead of a tight and small curve, it is a much larger curve. It has been suggested I should fill it out where my bow is dented. I will do that through planking.

This is not the only Fluit I am building, I plan to do another one with cannons and will be smaller in length but the same scale.

So I did a few more strakes. Two strakes a day.

Scarph joints ar3 working out very well.

Adding steelers at the early stage of planking.

Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

My gadget for cutting scarph joints. Piece of 1mm thick brass at 25mm total length and the curved areas are each 2.5mm long.



So the straight area is 20mm long. I use a x-acto knife holder to hold the 'scarph joint cutter blade' and with a hammer pound on the cutter to create the joints.


Also I filed an edge on the cutter.
Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Thanks for all the compliments, comments and likes.

We've been having some very nice weather (30 to 34°C, I love the heat) so no work on the boat. Nice weather = outside in the garden.

Did do a few strakes here and there last week when it was raining.

Scarph joints.

Creating the joints is working out nicely. I am very happy with the progress I am making.

Marcus

 

[Kurt Konrath]

Why wouldn't the scarf joints not be more staggered, being adjacent to each other would seem to make a weak seam in the hull.

 

[flying_dutchman2]

I agree with you. I have tried to stagger the scarphs as much as possible and it does not always work. I have to take in account the bluff bow and the steep curve in the stern area. Furthermore, the first couple of strakes close to the keel was a practice. It will be painted and in general no one will see this.
From the bilge and up I will do a better job of staggering the scarphs.

Presently I created planks of 20cm long, this includes the scarphs on each end. Dry-fit and glue them on the hull.
I can cheat a bit by glueing a 45cm plank on the hull and then at every 15 to 20cm create a scarph joint with the scarph cutter. I have done this to see the difference between that and having the planks pre-cut.

It makes for a nicer cut and gives it a tight fit at the joints.

Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Planking continues.





Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Now comes the fun part.
The scarph joints that are next to the stem of the bow are copied from the 'Statenjacht Utrecht book'. I find that it has a neat appearance. What I don't know is that was it used on fluits. It makes sense as these planks need to be hooked into the plank next to it. I have re-done some of the planks like this instead of letting them go into a point (in Dutch that would be, naar niks).

The following picture shows how the planks will becoming together. Once dry I will cut them lengthwise so two planks become one.

In general the width of the cherry planking is between 6.2mm and 6.5mm. Once I started planking the 'hips' of the Fluit, the planks are between 5.9mm and 6.1mm in width. Slightly narrower but it makes for an easier lateral bending of the planks.

I've made several mistakes with shaping the frames of the hull and now I am paying for it by using slightly narrower planks and fiddling with the narrower area in the middle of the hull. Live and learn. I won't be making that mistake on my next Fluit de 'Langewijk'.
Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Thanks for all the likes.

Second layer of planking on one side below the upper deck is completed. As I mentioned before planking the bluff bow is an exercise on its own. Planking the hips is not as difficult as I thought.

Planking the sides from the upper deck up, should be easy. Once all planked the sanding begins.
Marcus

 

[flying_dutchman2]

The second layer of planking is finished on main area of the hull. What is left is the sides and the hip area.
Once planking is completed there will be much sanding to do to get it all nice and even.
The final planking will be the last planks for the wales.

I did some dry fitting of positioning the different decks and masts as this will give me complete picture of what it will look like.








Marcus

 

[Steef66]

Nice work Marcus
Stephan Kertesz

 

[flying_dutchman2]

Today wasn't as hot so I decided to do a rough sanding on the part of the hull that has a second layer of planking.

I sand an area and leaving the sawdust on the hull. Then I take a mixture of glue and water and brush this on the hull mixing with the sawdust pressing this in the cracks that are between the planks. I do this until the cracks are eliminated and the hull is smooth.

The black square on the bow is where I sanded a bit too much. So I will cut it out and re-plank the area.

Marcus