• Starting the Hull

• First Planking

• Gun Deck Planking

• Upper Deck & Planking

• Hull - First Planking

• Hull - Second Planking / Rudder

• Sanding & Painting Hull

• Wale, Cheeks & Bulwarks

• Outer Decoration / Stern Facade

• Cannons & Channels

• Deck Fixtures & Fittings

• Preparing the Masts

• Preparing the Blocks etc.

• Rigging the Masts

• Main Rigging

• Take loads of time to study the plans and instructions, looking beyond where you are as there are several areas on the plans that show additional items on other sheets.
• Treat each stage as a separate project.
• When cutting any parts out ensure they are laying flat and you have a sharp blade.
• Deck Planking: Faults here will stand out! Take your time. It is a good idea to simulate the chalking between the planks. (I found this out after I had finished the deck planking). Be careful not to end up with caulking lines that look oversized or prominent. My best tip is blackening one, or both edges of the strip with a black felt tip pen. Try a tester piece first as different woods will soak up the ink. It is recommended that if the planking is less than 0,6mm - 0,5mm thick strips it is best not to try as the finished wood will probably be to poor. There are many methods for chalking and a look over the internet will produce more than a few results.
  • White PVA has a tendency to warp deck planking.
  • For a good deck finish butted planks work really well.
• Inner Bulwark Planking: It is a good idea to paint the first plank before seating it onto the deck, this produces a very neat finish with no paint spilt on deck!
• Use a primer for brass etchings before painting as this will help to stop the paint from chipping off.
• Gun Carriages: Rub the gun carriages on some sandpaper to produce a flat surface on their wheels. This will ensure they are seated well onto the gun deck.
• Cannons: I highly recommend that you do not fit the actual cannon until you finish your model as a knock could dislodge the carriage which could spell disaster!

Dictionary

• Bearding Line - this is the term used to indicate the tapered section of the false keel at either the bow or stern of the model. This is where the planks need to lay flat against the false keel.
• Planking Bands - temporary planking battens.
• Wooden ship caulking - Traditional caulking (also spelled calking) on wooden vessels uses fibers of cotton, and oakum (hemp fiber soaked in pine tar). These fibers are driven into the wedge shaped seam between planks with a caulking mallet and a broad chisel-like tool called a caulking iron. The caulking is then covered over with a putty in the case of hull seams, or in deck seams with melted pine pitch in a process referred to as paying.
• Stealers - the triangular shaped planks which fit the gap in-between the top and bottom of the planks.
• Bulwarks - the term refers to the woodwork running round the ship above the level of the deck. Figuratively it means anything serving as a defence.
• Capping Rail - the flat or rolled rail that runs along the edge of the ship.
• Timberheads - these are those knobby posts sticking up along the rail of a ship, usually forward, along the forecastle. They are used for belaying rigging lines and securing the anchors. At the bowsprit is another pair, slightly larger, known as the knightheads, which support the bowsprit as it passes outboard. These are all extensions of the frame timbers, top timbers as they are called at this height in the hull structure.
• Chesstrees - Either of two pieces of oak fitted to the topsides of a square-rigged vessel on each side of the bow through which the bowlines were fed; often decoratively carved

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