Fitting planks to hull & glue

[Brett PritchettParticipant @brettpritchett81112]

Hi all,

I’m a raw newbie. I bought a Billing’s Monterey boat kit for my 9 year old son Matthew for Christmas & so far we have built the hull without planking & fitted the initial deck.

 I do not know what to do re the hull planks and would really apreciate some advice as follows:

1) Do I need to steam them to bend them to approxiately the correct shape before fitting?

2) Billings suggest pinning them in place while the glue is setting, but the plywood bulkwarks (or whatever you call them!)  seem to split easily and I am not happy to try and start inserting pins into them. Should I use this method or do you have other suggestions? e.g. clamps of some sort (strips are not very deep)…

3) The glue I was advised to use by the model shop is Titebond ‘original Wood Glue’. However I am not convinced that this is waterproof and indeed managed to steam two incorrectly glued compenents apart with the kettle.. Does this matter once all on the outside is painted? (I am worried about water getting inside too). Should I be using a different glue??

4) Billings also suggest finishing the hull with a putty to seal it. What sort of putty should this be?

 Thanks for your help,

 Brett & Matthew Pritchett

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Brett and Matthew

Take a look at my latest build………….Jeanie Deans at War gallery……….it`s all there

Don`t use nails or pins…………….plenty of elastic bands is the answer

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello to Brett and Matthew and welcome to the site.

Its very nice to see a father and son building a model boat and the monterey is a perfect choice to start with.

Old Uncle Bob is a master model builder and his methods of construction are something that even experienced model builders can learn from, I would only add to his comments on nailing planks by saying that aswell as elastic bands you can also use dolly pegs (off the washing line) as cheap and easy clamps.

Some planks will need steaming as they tend to splinter when bent dry; a simple method is to hold them over the steam from a kettle for a minute to soften them.

Most of the wooden model builders use basic waterproof PVA to stick the wood together and twin pack epoxy for the harder bits. Both of these gules are available at the local DIY stores e.g. the PVA could be EVO-STIK in the blue container and the epoxy could be Araldite (I use the rapid set)

I haven’t used putty to seal a hull since 1974 but a standard glass bedding putty will do the job you just have to make sure that it is well worked (mixed in your hand until soft and warm), I tend to use car body filler which is quick to use, sands very smooth and adds strength to your hull.

Please post some photos of the build so that we can all enjoy the project and don’t worry about making mistakes as we have all been there (I still make some monumental errors and I have been building for years)

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Using putty to seal a hull is totally ridiculous!……………..I begin to question all the instructional advice supplied with the kit, having read that!…………..I suspect a language translation error?

Fibre glass resin is ideal for the job………….applied with an old flat brush…………or one of those cheapos from the pound shop

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Bob

I took the putty reference to mean sealing the joints between the planks rather than sealing the wood itself a bit like caulking a full size plank built boat.

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Paul

I was going to mention that the old vintage pond yachts used to have the deck sealed to the hull with putty…………..the deck was removed at the end of the sailing season, to allow the hull to dry out.

Putty is really nasty stuff…………especially when it is fresh!

Old Uncle Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

I quite like fresh putty but I think that goes back a long time to being a plumber as it was also my job to reglaze windows in the days before double glazing (you must remember those days Bob, gas lights and the knocker man)

Fresh putty is great for your hands and makes them softer than any modern hand cream, due to the linseed oil.

paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello again Paul

In the old days, we were told that putty was deadly poisonous……………….I think it contained lead!

Linseed oil and sugar is a great hand smoother…………..you try it!

Old Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Old Uncle Bob

As I remember you older engineering types used to add red lead paint to putty to make it more useful as a jointing compound in things like chariots and siege engines.

paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Brett and Matthew

We expect some sort of responce to our input……………Have you found our comments useful?

Bob Abell

[Brett PritchettParticipant @brettpritchett81112]

To pin or not to pin that is the question!

[Brett PritchettParticipant @brettpritchett81112]

I’m not sure what happened but the last few posts seem to have dissapeared!

We have found your comments extremely useful, thank you for your help

We still do not know whether to glue one plank at a time or prepare all planks and do all at once as one at a time seems a bit tedious & would take a long time!

Also we tend to think that one would glue the centre part of the boat first and then the prow and bow second so as not to force the planks away ehne they bend..

Any comments on this would be apreciated. We have started taking photos so we can show our progress (which I must say is not very quick, but we will get there!!)

Brett & Matthew

 

 

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

You need to look at my Great Eastern gallery

 

One pair of planks at a time…………..It can`t be rushed!

 

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Brett & Matthew

 

Uncle Bob is right again, you cant rush a planking job as you can only work at the speed the glue sets

If you try to rush it will just cause a problem.

 

Paul   

[JC Uknz 1Participant @jcuknz1]

I noticed in a ‘Wooden Boat’ article that the planks had been extended past the bow and tied together … it was a sharpie style hull.

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