Very tidy job, coming on great.

Mark

Have been having a look at the problem you outline and from what I can see I would say the use of spacers to fill the gap you are experiencing between the ribs and the planks will not solve or improve the problem as you progress, in fact it is likely the problem is only going to get worse the more planking rows you add. It would be helpful if you could take the last pic again from the same angle and showing the whole of the bow. Try zooming out a little and think you'll find that will solve the focus problem.

As for the second part of your question. This type of problem around the bow and stern is mainly down to two things. The first is not tapering the planks enough. or incorrect tapering and the second is from trying to force planks to sit against the previous row fitted. When fitting planks they should be bent to fit the curvature of the bow and they should be allowed to sit where they want to go, ie, there should be no need to apply any lateral force up or down in order to get the plank to sit flush against the previous row. The lower edge of the plank being fitted also needs to be chamfered so it sits flat against the previous row. Forcing planks into position may solve the immediate problem but causes problems the further you progress.

A few more pics would help us see more and perhaps come up with a way forward.....

Regards

Alan

Here is a clearer picture of the bow, if I need to remove the planks I would have to take off about 4 or 5 rows. Because I am going to copper plate it if I fix it now fill the gap it will create I can fill and sand all smooth.I narrowed chanferd a plank you can see what kind of gap I am dealing with.

Hi Willie,

Have been having a look at the problem you outlined and it looks to me as if the problem really started as soon as you started planking the lower hull, from there your problem has just got worse and will continue to do so the further you go. The fitting of spacers to fill the gaps between the planks and the frames will solve the problem for that plank but will increase the problem on the next row.

I took a special look at your 4th image of post #23 and from there could see the planks had not been tapered enough nor were they chamfered along their bottom edge. Noticed that the planks appear to rise and fall as they go round the bow rather than flow in a neat straight line. Lastly, the droppers you have fitted don't appear to fit very well and don't appear to narrow down to 2.5mm at the end, neither are they bent to match the curvature of the bow.

My recommendation would be to strip back the bow planks to the plank immediately above the gun ports. If you have used PVA then stripping back is quite straight forward by using a small brush and some hot water. Paint the water into the glued joints and after a little while the glue will soften enabling you to prize the planks away. Once done give the ribs a little clean up.

Once you're at that stage, study closely build stage 32 of the instructions, especially the part that covers the fitting of dropper planks. I would also advise you watch closely stage 32 of the Video Build:

https://www.youtube.com/...XtNDxaTXiP&index=14

The video shows very well the step by step process of fitting dropper planks and should guide you along the way.

When you come to tapering the planks then take your time in getting a neat taper all the way along and then chamfer the lower edge so it sits snuggly against the previous plank fitted. This would negate the need to apply lateral force to the plank in order to get it to fit. Always apply the taper to the lower edge of the plank, this then leaves a nice straight top edge ready to accept the next row of planks.

I would suggest you fit the first dropper complete, then post up on the forum so we can see how it all looks.

Hope this helps..

Regards

Alan

I got the plank off and I have to say it wasn't as bad as I expected. There was some damage but repairable. I installed a temp plank on both sides and I will start from there.

Hi all:
You might want to grab your favorite beverage this could take while. Here are some pics, of where I am at so far. I did what you suggested and removed the planks all the way back to the lower deck at the bow and at the stern. I did leave the center planks on the ship. Replacing them went pretty well they were laying better. Until I got further along to about row 15 and again started to go wrong again so I dropped back and redid those. I thought about redoing again but I was getting nervous about damaging the ribs.
As you see it is not the best it will need a lot of sanding and fill but as stated before I was planning on copper plating the hull anyway. I do have another option and that is adding a walnut or mahogany veneer strips to the lower hull below the waterline. What are thought about that?
The next time I build a hull I thinking about install filler blocks between the ribs ant the stern and bow to help give me a visual reference on the shape. Secondly I would add temporary battens along the length of the hull between the wale and keel. On a ship this size I would probably use 3 or 4 a side, again for visual reference and subdividing the hull into smaller sections.
I am going to frame the ports out before I finish the last 10 rows of planking. After I complete the filling and sanding of the hull do you apply a sanding sealer to the outside ship?
Thanks again for the help and encouragement any and all comment will be welcome.

Yes I will be copper plating and painting the ship. It definitely takes some practice but I am really enjoying it. Thanks for all the help.

Coming along nicely and looking good

Nicely done and coming on excellently.

Mark