I am a newbie and before I embark on my first build I am reading as much material on the subject as I can. Mastini's book "Ship modeling simplied" has been recommended. On page 26 of his book in the second last paragraph he sets out his method of aligning the keel and the frames and false deck and his method of gluing. He suggested that after you set it up on a keel holder and get everthing in symmetry you apply glue to all the joints and then left it dry. It is clear that he doesnt disassemble it and apply glue to the inside of the parts. I think it is clear that he applies glue just to the outside of the joins. He is obviously a very qualified person and his method should be respected. All other posts etc I have read seems to indicate applying glue to the insides.
Does Mastini's method have any drawbacks e.g. strength.

 

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Laurie,
I'm new also, and use the same book for references as well. I am now planking my hull and have found a few inconsistencies in my symmetry. The repairs were time consuming, and patience testing, but makable. But, Since your glueing will eventually be hidden, and if your symmetry is good to excellent, perhaps you are right to apply the glue to the outside, rather than risk getting your keel and frames all wee wadley again. Others with more experience may disagree, and I suppose I would have to defer to their experience.

 

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Hi Laurie,
The more surface area of wood to glue, the stronger the joint. Not disturbing your frame symmetry to glue is tempting. But taking it apart to glue all the joints means less risk of it coming loose later in the build- then you'll curse! There are ways of helping keep the symmetry when glueing (inserting small equal sized right-angled blocks between your keel and spars for example) I'm not saying I'm right or there is a definitive answer, it's only one opinion. They say there's more than one way to skin a cat - what a stupid thing to say!!!!! Good luck with your build whatever you choose - it's your boat.

Regards,

Rudea (Chris)

 

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I use the false deck to get the bulkheads aligned, then glue rectangular blocks between the bulkheads and the keel plate to hold the bulkheads in position. Once the glue is dry I pull up the false deck to get access to the tops of the bulkheads and keel plate for gluing. Then I glue the false deck down. I do not wait to have all of the bulkheads in place before I start gluing them to the keel plate - Just enough bulkheads to make sure the false deck is properly aligned. That depends on how tightly the false deck fits.

 

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Hi Laurie,

I've built several plank on bulkhead models, gluing from outside the joint. I've never had a bulkhead come loose, but if you're worried, you can reinforce the joints with wood strips laid into the joint. The main thing is to simply work one bulkhead at a time to make sure it dries straight and even, regardless of how you glue.

I like to glue in stiffeners between the bulkheads to minimize any flexing of the bulkhead or keel while working on the model. By the time the first planks go on, you're already dealing with a pretty solid frame.

Clare

 

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