Sea Port Model Works 65' Workboat / Lighter

[ReadingBob]

Still enjoying this build, Bob.

If SeaPort can't help and you up against a wall, chances are I could print a cleat if you can reference exactly what you're looking for.

Thanks RR!  That's a very generous offer.  I think I have something that will suffice if I can't get Sea Port to provide me with one.  Gotta love this forum and how willing folks are to lend a hand to one another.   

[ReadingBob]

Just give Bruce a call

Thanks for the suggestion Jim.  I may do just that (and order some more stuff from him while I'm at it  ).

[tom.boyd.125]

Bob,
Glad you tackled this project. Your modeling skills show off great in this boat.
Tommy

[ACL1504]

Bob,

I agree, this will make a great addition to Red Hook, especially next of Langford Ice. 

Tom 

[ReadingBob]

Bob,
Glad you tackled this project. Your modeling skills show off great in this boat.
Tommy

Thank you Tommy and thanks for following along.  I'm in the home stretch now and I'm pleased with how it's shaping up.   

[ReadingBob]

Bob,

I agree, this will make a great addition to Red Hook, especially next of Langford Ice. 

Tom 

Tom,

I haven't quite prepared myself for the challenge of Red Hook Wharf but I'm getting close.  At least I know where the kit is.  I think.   

[ReadingBob]

Just give Bruce a call

Thanks for the suggestion Jim.  I may do just that (and order some more stuff from him while I'm at it  ).

I just spoke to Bruce and he was more than happy to provide me with a replacement cleat.  In turn, I was more than happy to order another ship and a couple of Sylvan vehicles too boot.     

Great customer service! 

Just to reiterate something - I know I had four cleats when I started the build.  The kit wasn't missing one.  I lost it.  It'll probably turn up when I don't need it anymore.  Isn't that how it always works. 

[Keep It Rusty]

Good news Bob!

Great customer service can't be beat!

[ReadingBob]

Okay....time to wrap this puppy up so I can move on to the 2021 Forum Build Challenge.   

There are a few places where the sheaves have to be mounted in the brackets which require cutting a short length of brass rod to serve as an axle.  After drilling a hole in the bracket the same size as the brass rod I ran the rod through the hole and then nipped it off with an old pair of flush cut rail cutters I keep on the workbench.


Putting the rod through the bracket and sheave can be a bit challenging but it's manageable. 


I took a break from working on the mast and built the two Front Hatch assemblies.  Pretty basic box construction.  I didn't bother painting and weathering everything first.  I decided to do that after they were assembled.


After the two Front Hatch assemblies were completed the bottom needs to be sanded so they sit with the top level.  This is necessary because the deck curves upwards toward the bow of the boat.  Here they are without being sanded and you can tell they don't look right.


I took a course piece of sandpaper and started sanding the bottom holding the piece tilted to match what I thought was the angle of the deck.  I had to be careful to make sure I was keeping it oriented the way it would sit on the deck and sand in that direction rather than doing it sideways.  This was just a lot of sanding and then checking the way it sat until it looked good to my eye.


As I was checking to see if I had sanded enough away I found using a square gave me a better visual representation.  Tom would put a bubble level across the top until he got it absolutely perfect but I don't have one of those so I just worked on it until it looked right.   


More in a moment...  

[ReadingBob]

Getting closer to level....


The tires that are mounted on the side took a little time.  I used 5 minute epoxy to glue them to the side and a pair of self clamping tweezers to hold them in place until the glue set.  I already ran some thread through them represent the rope used to mount them to the ship.  I'll glue the thread in place later with some ACC.  Over the top and down the inside.


Back to the mast.  There's a couple of places were some brass sheet stock needs to be cut to a short length and hole drilled through the center of it to represent a plate.  Then these glued to both sides of the mast and hole is drilled through the mast.  I glued one in place first, then drilled the hole through the mast so I'd know where to position the plate on the opposite side.


To glue the plate on the opposite side in place I ran a pointy thing (yeah, I don't know what that tool is called) I use to mix glue, mark spots in wood, etc. through the hole in the plate and then stuck it in the hole in the mast.  That made sure the holes lined up when the plate was positioned on the mast.


Back to the tires (tyres for Mike  ).  I ran a little medium ACC (not my favorite type of glue) up the thread after trimming so there was just enough to go over the edge and run down the inside a bit.


Then I held the thread in place with some tweezers until the ACC grabbed.


More in a moment...

[ReadingBob]

I didn't take any shots of running the rigging because that's really just tying knots and pulling line through holes.  Nothing very exciting to see.  That was the last step of the build.  Here are some final photos.  I played around with making some water for it to float on.  It didn't come out great because the Thick Gloss Gel I was trying to use was very old and pretty much unworkable but hey, it was just a throw away base to practice on so I learned not to try to use old stuff like that that's starting to kick.      











Trying some night shots with various lights in the room off or dimmed...


More in a moment...

[ReadingBob]

And more...
















Summary up next....

[ReadingBob]

Summary

I had a lot of fun building this this kit.  It was challenging for sure and not one I'd recommend for beginners.  It is a craftsman kit without a doubt and a great value for the price.

The instructions were top notch.  There's quite a bit of information in them and you may have to jump around a bit to match the text with the diagrams but most things are explained pretty well.  I deviate from the written text here and there.  The way the instructions read the structure (Deck House/Pilot House) gets build first and then painted after assembly.  I painted the components first and then assembled them.

The castings were clean, crisp and had minimal flash.

The part I lost was quickly replaced with a phone call to Bruce at Sea Port Model Works.  A+++ for customer service.   

What more can I say?  I'm pretty happy with the end result I was able to produce with this kit and will feature it in a prominent location in front of the Red Hook Wharf is/when I get around to building that one.

Now to go find a shelf in the garage where I can store it until I need it. 

Thanks for following along and posting comments along the way!     

[Keep It Rusty]

Well done, Bob. It looks fantastic. And those night shots with your lighting really sing.

[deemery]

What Craig Said!  This has been a fun build to follow, because the "structure" was out of the ordinary and some of the problems and solutions were unique.


dave