| The first step was to create a set of patterns. To do this I used the line drawings I found online of the Hinckley 21. It, too, is a Carl Alberg design which is reported to be identical to the Triton. I took a print out to Kinko's and blew it up around to 500%. I knew I wanted the model to be about 34" LOA (~1:10 scale), which meant a draft of about 4.5". So I kept adjusting the copier settings 'til I got it just right. This put the stations 2.25" apart. The resulting "template" will be made available shortly. I made 14 copies of this template since there are that number of stations (Sta. 0-13) on the drawing. | 
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Next I cut the 14 cross-sections on the each of the drawings, so I had 14 cross-section templates which were traced onto 1/4" plywood. (Might as well over-build the model, too.) The important part here is to cut the paper templates and the plywood in such a way to get the proper sheer line. | |
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Lacking a scroll saw, I clamped the jigsaw up-side-down in the benchtop vise. Not bad. I cut out each cross-section keeping a 2" wide tab at the top so I could glue them into a temporary jig. IMPORTANT: Take your time to cut thee cross-sections carefully. This will save you a good deal of sandpaper and epoxy later. Also, I hollowed out cross-sections for Sta. 1-8 by drilling a hole and cutting about a half inch in from the edge. This will reduce overall wieght (room for more lead in the keel) and provide space for the electronics. | |
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Next I needed to create some way to hold all these cross-sections (ribs) fixed so I could start the planking. This is where those tabs come in: I took a piece of scrap plywood (3/4"x2"x36") and cut 1/4" notches in it to recieve the tabs on the ribs. The notches were spaced a 2 1/4" apart (measured from enlarged line drawing) the ribs were held in place with hot glue (easy to pullc apart after planking. Because the notches weren't quite deep enough, I had to glue spacers in between the ribs to make sure they were all parallel and vertical (again with hot glue for easy removal later. The last step before planking was to carve a transom. There is no secret to this part; it requires a good deal of "eyeballing". I bought a 3"x3" block of balsa and traced the the outline of the last station as a staring point, just started whittling away from memory until I decided it looked okay. This piece was superglued to the aft rib (Sta. 13). | |
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Ah, finally the planking. This proved to be the most enjoyable part so far. From what I've read, a good deal of modelers use western red cedar to plank their boats. I decided to use basswood, since I could find any cedar strips. Basswood is a little more dense than balsa and, I think, less brittle. I bought 3/8"x1/8"x24" strips. The 1/8 " thickness allows for a certain margin of error to sand down high spots later; I would have gone any thinner. I started the planking at the sheerline. The planks were fastened to the ribs with superglue and the occasional brass tack. Edge-to-edge gluing of the planks also helped to keep them in place and achieve a smooth surface. When towards the bow, I realized that I had no stem. It turned out to be no big deal. I carved some pieces to put between the ribs to act as a stem, but they never really came into play. I just egde-glued several courses of planking (enough to get me to the nex rib) before gluing them to the foward ribs. After they were glued to the ribs, I took an exacto knife and cut off the excess to get a reasonable curve for the bow. A little more massaging with a wrasp and it was looking pretty good. Once I got the the waterline, the planking was starting to knuckle so tapering was necessary. I continued tapering until I got the planks running pretty much fore and aft. This was perfect for planking the keel. Right before I started the keel, though, I glued a strip of basswood along the back edge of the keel so I would have something to which to glue the planking. | 
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More to come... |