Hi Ronald, without seeing pictures of your problem this is difficult to be definitive on. What I will say is the deck pieces are precision cut and is unlikely to be the problem here. I'm also assuming you are referring to stage 17 where you set about nailing the deck in place, what you don't mention is whether you have completed the process by applying glue to the joints. I have to assume you haven't.

The stage you are at is probably the most critical stage of all, as is mentioned in the official build. It is so important to ensure the keel is straight and true, from there it is also important all frames are set square to the keel on all planes. It is from here that all other measurements and fittings are based. Any deviations from this can and most often do lead to further more serious problems further into the build. The mast holes need to line up on all decks otherwise you may have problems fitting the masts later and when the masts are fitted you are likely to see they don't sit straight. With the size of this ship this will be very noticeable.

Without seeing pictures of the problem I am not prepared to say you can carry on by widening the holes, it is certainly not an action I would recommend. My advice would be to remove the decks, find out what's causing the misalignment problem and put that right before continuing. If you haven't glued the decks in position then it shouldn't be too much of a problem to remove the deck.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Alan

no they weren't yet still have a few nails left to put in
Ronald

Looks good Ronald. As long as the edge of the decks run all the way down the centre of the keel and the mast holes line up then you're good to go.... Am so pleased you sorted this rather than simply widen the mast holes, this way you are removing the risk of this causing problems further into the build. Great also you have now worked out how to post pics, it really is a big help to us when you need assistance.....Well done....

Look forward to your next update.

Regards

Alan

Hi Ronald, I’ve been having a much closer look at your pics and actually zoomed in on them. To be honest I think you may still have an alignment problem. The first pic shows the join between the 4 deck sections to be off by quite a lot. These 4 section need to meet exactly on the centre of the keel, and the deck sections need to meet in the middle of the forward and stern bulkheads.

The second pic appears to show the keel running down the right side of the mast hole instead of down the middle.

The third pic again shows the 4 deck sections are not matching up correctly

The final pic also appears to show the keel running down the right side of the mast hole rather than in the middle.

You need to look at this and confirm for yourself that all 4 deck sections meet exactly in the middle of the keel. If they do and you haven’t had to force anything then the mast holes should line up exactly.

If the deck sections don’t line up as described then this is a good indication of alignment problems with the keel not being and straight and possibly the ribs not being fitted fully square on all planes.

Take a look at the 5th picture down on the official build, you will see how all 4 deck sections line up exactly where they join and run down the middle from bow to stern.

It may just be the photo angles that are making it appear that the keel is running down the right side of the holes, only you can determine whether they are true or not. Would advise you take another close look to be sure as this really is one of the most critical parts of the build. I know this is not what you want to hear but I can only advise on what I see.

Regards

Alan