11 - Upper Deck (1st hull) - Naval Cutter Alert [1777] 1:48 build log ~ Serikoff Ship Models

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11.06.2025

Chapter 11. Upper Deck (1st hull)

Upper (main) deck (preparation).

I will not go into details much, here all manipulations are exactly the same as before (with frames). First, I separated the parts from the dies.
Beams:

Сarlengs: (one was superfluous)

and Knees:

Then I eliminated all the holders and extra bits.

And now, according to the scheme, it will be necessary to assemble the deck... it will be interesting.

In the meantime, I sorted all the details into groups (I signed everything using all the same packages as for the frames) and all in anticipation.

More than 130 details in packages and inscriptions are very reminiscent of Mendeleev's table))) Ahahaha, this is how pedantic I am))

14.06.2025

Beams and Carlengs (body fit).

All preparatory moments are over and the upper deck can be assembled. And as always - first a little theory.

Anatomy drawings show how Beams and carlengs should be placed. But it is also clearly visible that some longitudinal slats (which strengthened the deck boards from deflection) of different widths. If you miss the moment of insignificant differences, then in addition to the standard size there are reinforced slats that were thicker. On my scale, it's 1.8 and 3mm respectively. I marked the latter in yellow.

In addition to those places where the slats are smaller in number and made thicker for reinforcement, there are also places where such slats were placed around the hatches or to strengthen vertical elements.

It was simplified in the set, but I decided to add this point. Plus, I decided to completely redo the workpieces for all these rails.

First, the wood for the slats from the set is lighter and spotty. And secondly, and most importantly, the structure of the side surfaces is very ugly, which is clearly visible in the bottom photo.

Plus, the slats are cut in a strange way (it would be better if they were cut on a saw), otherwise the fibers remained from boron, which will need to be constantly removed.

But before assembling the deck, you need to understand one of the most important points!

The two inner bands of elings (carlings) run strictly parallel to each other and naturally perpendicular to beams. And they are divided into several groups. For clarity, I marked them with different colors. In front, the blue 4 pairs are parallel in 2 lines. Rear 5 pairs of greens similarly. Well, according to the same principle, 2 pairs of purple and separately in a pair of red.

Why am I all.. It is necessary to place the longitudinal elements so that they are strictly parallel and perpendicular (excluding any diagonals) otherwise the deck will walk back and forth from the foreground and background.

The two side strips run as if in an arc, and beam 88 separates them. In a real ship and anatomy, the longitudinal elements really went along small arcs, but the kit manufacturer simplified this and made the assembly easier by shifting the slots. Since all the elements go perpendicular to the beams but with a slight offset, so that in general it seems that this is an arc, but in fact they hit the steps. I hope I explained it clearly.

Now, chronologically, how I collected everything in order:

First, I fitted the front element of the deck (knee) along the profile so that it sat in place.

Then I created a flat edge of Carlengs. Since they were almost perfectly fitted in length, there were slight irregularities at the end. Therefore, I slightly touched the grinder and pressed the side surface to the disk, creating an even edge. The main thing is not to overdo it, since all this is approximately 0.1 mm no more.

Then on the sandpaper canvas, I polished all 4 surfaces.

I did the same with the sides of the beams.

The upper surface can be polished by sliding rolling motions.

And I polished the bottom surface with sandpaper wrapped on a large cylinder.

Then I clipped the excess at the edges of the beams.

I didn't make any adaptations to accurately calculate the length of the beams, as they should be slightly shorter than where they are, but not much to avoid falling out. And why so - I will tell you below.

Since the length of the carlengs has already been calibrated, part of the holly can be assembled without glue.

I collected naturally inside the hull, but for clarity I showed that the deck can be safely removed without glue and it can stick together.
And here is the build order:

First, I adjusted the front knee, then I adjusted the beams and nearby cardings in groups. And only then the very first carleng. Since the space between beams is more important, and then you can adjust the space between beams and knee.

The second very important point that I have already mentioned is the distance between the beams and the body. It is necessary in order to be able to slightly shift the beams to the right or left, thus it is possible to adjust the evenness of the lines of carleng, which should be strictly parallel.

This is probably the biggest trick in deck assembly. The place in the blue circle will not be visible at all. On the side of the knee, on top of the drainage, and outside the skin. Therefore, a small gap will not be visible, but the ability to move beams is very important for building good geometry. And yet, do not glue everything as you fit. It is better to collect everything without glue and then if it is necessary to edit the geometry, if something has become crooked, otherwise if you glue, it will already be so.

I haven't cut the bottom of the carlengs into the beams and slats into the carlengs yet, that will be later. In the meantime, I like the way it looks and the pace... thought it would be slower...

17.06.2025

As already by tradition, let's start with the theory! In anatomy, two variants of the anchor mechanism (Windlass) are common and modified.

This is what the usual looks like.

Pawl bitt pin (bar marked in yellow) is behind beams (marked in red).

And this is how the modified anchor mechanism (Windlass) looks like.

A couple more details appear (pawl bitt post) (marked in blue) and they are placed above the beam! And the Pawl bitt pin (bar marked in yellow) is in FRONT of the beams (marked in red).

And this is how the kit manufacturer came up with this node...

Pawl bitt post (marked blue) placed behind beams! And at the same time there is a tie-in both in the parts themselves and in the beam (which in such sizes is unacceptable due to the loss of strength of especially the beam). Pawl bitt pin (bar marked in yellow) is also in front of beams (marked in red), but with a large insert into beams, which is unacceptable for the same reason.

But unfortunately, you will have to do just that, because any displacements will lead to errors and not docking with other elements. But keep that in mind. That all this led to the fact that the instructions incorrectly indicated the grooves for Pawl bitt pin.

That is, according to the instructions, the grooves are placed behind the beam, although they should be in front of it!!!

Therefore, I decided to assemble the anchor mechanism, and for one and the winch mechanism, in order to accurately fit these elements into the hull before assembling the deck, and this is very important!

To do this, I extracted all the parts from the dies (only wooden).

Then he removed all the holders from the parts of the winch. (we will not talk about her today).

And here are the details of the anchor mechanism, so we need them...

Details 6,7,8,9 are two bars Pawl bitt pin. They first need to be glued together. Before that, polishing the gluing place for perfect docking.

I did not glue the Pawl bitt post parts, since they still need to be refined, but now I only need their dimensions. I connected both pairs of these above parts to the beam and saw the gap...

I had to cut the beams even more to eliminate this gap.

By the way, I will be redoing the Pawl bitt pin for many reasons. First, they should not be two-part. Secondly, the wood of these parts is very light and very mottled, which is very infuriating. It is a pity that almost all beams with such spotting... but I definitely won't redo them.

Now I have a place for fixing the beam on the upper beam and it remains to find a place for fixing to the lower beam, and naturally a place for fixing the beams from below, to the hull of the ship. All this needs to be adjusted to the fixation of the upper deck, otherwise it will not be possible to get there later.

And for this you need to assemble part of the upper deck for the upper stop (limitation) of the beams.

To connect beams and carlengs, you need to cut a little second to make them flush.

To know exactly how much to cut, you need to insert carleng into the beam and mark the cut line with the blade from below. Then carefully cut off the excess. Even if you cut a lot, it will still be hidden inside the beam, the main thing is to glue it flush with the upper surface.

After that, I glued two middle carleng to the first beam.

Used PVA and ruler to keep parts perpendicular!

It is advisable to immediately remove excess glue, especially in places where it is not possible to grind otherwise there will be stains after coating with oil. The top surface will be polished, it is permissible on it.

Also, we must not forget about imitation of nails. it must be done BEFORE gluing. Then it will be to put it mildly - not convenient.

Thus, I glued together the two front beams and glued two knees along the docks. By the way, they crash into the side carlеngs!

Then I glued that piece of deck through one carling to the front canopy, but I DIDN'T stick it all into the hull.

Naturally, before all gluing, you need to make imitation of nails (bolts) everywhere.

After everything sticks together, you can get this piece of the deck...

... and glue the side members.

I glued them not in the hull, as they are too small to hold them well, plus they completely sat down.

After that, I fastened the elements of the anchor mechanism with rubber bands and now you can accurately calculate and shorten them in length...

... and the main thing is to determine the correct position of the grooves for the bars (pin) in the lower beam.

Actually, for this, all the manipulations were done! In order to finally complete the lower deck and before fixing the upper one, it was possible to cover everything with oil to the level of the upper deck, since after fixing it it it will be sooo difficult, if at all possible.

P.S. and also, a small spoiler... I printed my second case on a 3D printer... but I'll tell you about it later, I still need to show the scan model... will be interesting!

To finally close the issue with the lower deck - I lay out work on the final beam.

By the way, I do not plan to do even minimal or partial plating of the lower deck with boards. Even in places where there will be stairs - they will soar in the air if in life they rested only on the deck board. I also do not plan to install the boiler inside the ship. I looked at the photos of other masters, well, the boiler is very much lost there behind all the details of the deck. In the set, the boiler is a work of art and I think I will collect it and install it on a stand near the ship. There is a boiler on one side and a pair of anchors on the other. Such a kind of installation, and all this can be well considered. But this is still in the plans, everything needs to be checked.

In the meantime, after fitting, I made grooves for the bars and glued the final beam of the lower deck. I had to make these grooves with a margin, a little wider, to avoid if later it would be necessary to adjust the position of the beam. Since this place will be covered by an anchor mechanism, this is not a problem.

And this is how Pawl bitt pins bars will be installed in the future.

I adjusted them in length and when I redo them, I just need to repeat all the sizes on the new ones.

Well, as they say, now the lower deck is ready. You just need to make an imitation of nails outside the case, glue the keel and can be covered with oil... This is what you want most... though fearful, seeing a tree under butter is a thrill.

In the meantime, in anticipation, I will soon go for the second case printed on a 3D printer... eh, how much work there will be on it.

*This was the stage of constructing the Second Hull (which I already showed earlier). And now the work on the deck continues.

18.10.2025

Since I'm currently actively working on the test pieces with imitation bolts and nails (and this takes time), I can't continue with the sheathing yet, so I've returned to the first hull (skeleton) and am continuing to work on the Upper Deck.

On the right is the finished deck section, on the left are the new parts. And the carlings (parts EL09 and EL06) with missing grooves for the small transverse parts (ledge).

I had to make these grooves as shown in the photo above. Then I glued the third beam.

Let me remind you that the deck will be filmed until the very last moment (at least that's what I plan to do, and then we'll see how it turns out).

I've written before about how I build a deck, but here's a quick step-by-step description:

We have a fore-and-aft section and, say, any beam, and we need to glue four carlings to it.

1. First, I place all four carlings side by side, making sure all the ledge grooves align (otherwise, they will be glued crookedly).

2. I place knees on the sides so that their ledge grooves also align with the carlings.

3. I calibrate one end of all the pieces so that they fit neatly and evenly against the desired beam.

4. I insert the deck section into the hull and place the next beam in its place. I align the carlings with the grooves of the existing beam and determine how much it needs to be shortened relative to the new beam.

5. I calibrate the carlings' length on a grinder and then join everything together without glue and place it in the hull. If everything fits, I glue them together using clamps.

6. Then I remove the deck fragment and...

7. ... I glue the knees, the front part with PVA glue, and the small rear part with CA gel. Before that, I sand the parts on all sides and create imitation bolts. By the way, I also sand the carlings on all sides, just like the beams before fitting and gluing them together.

The end result looks like this.

If you're having trouble understanding the process from the text description, let me know, and I'll try to take step-by-step photos. I think it'll be clear to anyone who's building this kit, but I'm not sure.

So far, the deck has been easy to remove and reinstall...

...and most importantly, this deck can easily be installed on a second hull...

...and we're considering duplicating this deck to quickly and easily create a duplicate for future planking.

So, almost 1/3 of the deck is already complete, but there's still a lot of work to do...

20.10.2025

So, let's go into a little more detail. Any beam-to-beam assembly begins with adjusting one carling beam to length.

Then I calibrate all 4 to the same size (I make sure that the grooves match, they are circled) and sand all the parts on all sides.

Then I create grooves in the carlings so that they sit completely in the beams and do not stick out above the deck level on top.

Then I glue everything in place, carefully monitoring the parallelism of the carlings. If necessary, the beam has a small amount of offset, allowing for precise positioning while maintaining parallelism.

After that, I prepare the Knees: I sand them on all sides and make imitation bolts.

Then I pull the deck piece out of the hull and glue the prepared Knees.

Before this, all the manipulations and details were practically unchanged, but between the next beams there will be a mast insert, and I have two sets of parts for it.

I chose the best ones and at first I did everything the same as I showed before...

... and then glued the first two parts: After and Fore partner chock.

Afterwards, I glued the ring-shaped part, making small gaps between all the parts for better visualization later.

I still haven't found the name of this part, but I'm thinking of not gluing the triangular filling chock pieces on. I like this unfinished look.

As for the ring-shaped detail, I don't think it ever existed in that form. The mast was secured with spacer wedges driven between the mast and all the other components, filling the entire space that constituted the ring-shaped detail.

But visually, it looks nice, so I decided to leave it as is.
But maybe I'll change my mind and remove the ring and glue in the triangles... I have spare parts, I can change my mind several times

Almost half the deck is ready, now it's just Ctrl C - Ctrl V... but if only it were that fast in reality.. )))

Update:

I'm still thinking of removing the ring and gluing in triangles to make it look right. Yes... it looks better with the ring, but it's no longer right. So, I think I'll redo it, especially since it's very simple. According to anatomy.

The exterior is still natural—not final. Everything will still be sanded and polished flush with the deck, but I'll leave small gaps between elements to better visualize individual details.

25.10.2025

Continuing with the deck... today I managed to complete three spans at once.

The new additions are the prefabricated knees that connect the front and back of the deck.

The important thing here is to connect them so that the connection itself is in the right place, and the edges of the connection with the beams are precise, but it is also important that the grooves on the carlings and knees match, so that the partitions are parallel to each other.

The second point is that almost all the carlings run parallel to the ship's axis (highlighted in red in the diagram below). However, the outer carlings, from the middle to the stern, run at an angle (marked in green in the diagram). This is important, as the carlings now need to be prepared in pairs (two middle and two side ones, ground at a slight angle).

Well, everything else remains unchanged... first I glue the carlings to the beams and then glue the knees outside the hull.

The deck keeps growing and growing... and this is what it looks like relative to my hand.

I'm one span and 2/3 are already ready...

And here's how it looks in the ship's hull... in first!

But it's also no small matter that she easily fits into the ship's second hull...

...and what a shame it can't be cloned. Cautious ROTF

We'll have to make a simplified version for the second hull, so we can then cover the entire deck with planks.

27.10.2025

We're continuing the photo report. Nothing's changed, so I'm only showing progress.

Almost finished... two more spans and one beam left.

There will be one issue at the very end, since the final beam is already glued in place and the cleats need to be reinforced to ensure they are held in place while polishing the deck away from the hull, but more on that next time... )))

29.10.2025

Continuing with the upper deck.
And finishing with the penultimate beam...

Everything here remains unchanged, but things get more interesting further down.

The last beam was already part of the hull, and it ended up lower than it should have been...

The place in the red circle is closer:

1.3 mm is a lot to ignore, because if the boards on this model were nailed, there would be a bend in them.

And since I'll have deck planks on the second hull (and the hulls are exactly the same), I need to calculate everything here and repeat the same steps to ensure the deck planks are aligned correctly.

But that's not all... The beam ended up being further from the second-to-last one, and the keels and knees didn't reach it...

Therefore, I decided to make an overlay on the beam, increasing its height and width.

The picture above shows the profile of this escutcheon in green. This is actually beneficial, since the deck is removable and the final carlings and knees would be fragile without the final beam, so the escutcheon will strengthen the structure at the end.

Yes, unfortunately the place where the top and side panels connect will be a little visible...

...but almost all of this space will be covered by knees and carlings.

The side carligni here are a little more complex in shape, which are placed under the knee.

Well, here's what the entire deck looks like from both sides (without crossbars and without sanding yet).

The rear section of the hull looks like this. (The gaps between the deck and the hull are larger than necessary, but otherwise the deck wouldn't be able to be removed. These gaps will be covered by the waterway, and that's where the glue will be to secure the deck in place after its final positioning.)

More than 100 parts and here is the result in the case (not glued yet).

Now comes the big work of removing excess glue, rough sanding, and then securing the Ledges. I haven't yet decided how I'll implement it all... but more on that later.

31.10.2025

The other day, I was once again tidying up the details. I need to understand what will be on the deck, what will be underneath, and all the necessary items to consider when attaching the Ledges.

But before that, I decided to sand the deck.

And almost ruined several days' work!!!

At first, I used a soft pad to smooth out the biggest bumps, but I overdid it and didn't see this in the dust:

I accidentally mixed up the sandpaper (they were the same color) and created what initially seemed like an irreparable flaw... grooves in the beams between the dwarfs...

I had no idea what to do next and thought this was the end, so I barely slept...

...but before bed, I figured out a fix. I glued 240-grit sandpaper to a small piece of wood and slowly began to trace the curved profile along the beam..

...and to my relief, everything worked out. 90% so far... I'll do a little finishing touches on the rest once I install the Ledges.

Here's the result:

While fixing my mistake, I naturally ended up taking off a couple of tenths of a decimal place, but all the joints were completely smoothed out and the deck became as smooth as possible. But this experience taught me a lesson: you need to check everything carefully and keep a close eye on things so you don't miss your mistake in the dust! I advise you to do the same.

Ledges.

I once prepared the material for them because I really didn't like the wood from the kit, but I had to redo everything again.

I carefully studied the anatomy and realized that the partitions weren't all the same size. I made them the same way. Most of the partitions were 1.6 mm thick. 1.8 mm thick in wide spans and stress zones, and more than 2.5 mm thick (I'd left a 3 mm buffer) in specific areas near gratings and other objects.

I'll make a diagram a little later.

Now a few words about the fixation. I glued them with PVA TiteBond II.

I glued them to the knees, making a bevel beforehand to provide support and to make it look from above that the connection was made authentically.

And in the carlings, where thicker partitions need to be secured, I widened the groove.

And as I already mentioned, it's important to constantly consider the anatomy of the placement of partitions of varying thicknesses and consider the practical elements on the deck, like the pawl bitt pin in this case.

In the photo above, I've indicated the dimensions of the partitions, so you can see the variety in such a small space.

And here's the final result...

...and as you've already figured out, I'm leaning toward the second option with the bulkheads. In any case, I'll try the second option first and see how it looks and how the lower deck is visible. And if I'm satisfied with everything, I'll change the knee grooves on the opposite side, where there are no bulkheads, since they don't look right now and need to be made as authentic as possible. That's the goal for now...

03.10.2025

I'm continuing to fill in the gaps. (But the second meaning of the phrase is to fill the empty space between words where we put the space button)

Earlier, I showed the first two flights...

...now, in detail, what's in the third and fourth spans.

Almost everywhere, it's 1.6 mm, except for the reinforcement area, where there are only two crossbars; there, it's 2.4 m. This area (!) will be implemented after fitting the anchor mechanism. And where 3 mm is indicated, that's the edge of the lattice, and this width is needed so that part of the crossbar serves as a stop for the lattice and the other part serves to secure the boards next to it. I'll show this in detail later when installing all the parts on the deck.

Next are the 5th and 6th spans.

Here, a 3mm lintel is fixed near the chimney (for the same reasons) and near the winch. 1.8mm lintels are also fixed along the winch elbow. They are also fixed under the cannon, which is located above the beam marked 1.8mm. In other places, standard 1.6mm lintels are used.

The logic here is clear (not always visible in the anatomy, but judging by other anatomies and the overall logic) that in standard locations, 1.6mm lintels are used. In places where the distance between beams is greater, 1.8mm lintels are used. The same applies under the cannons, to reinforce the space beneath them. Where elements protrude from the deck, up to 3mm lintels are used to support and secure the boards next to these elements. I'll draw a full diagram later, after all the lintels are fixed.

And a few words about my choice for the deck.

I forgot to clarify... my projects, as a rule, aren't based on anything standard... I'm building two hulls at the same time (I don't think anyone has done that before). I'm building the second hull on a plastic base (again, probably a first). And overall, I'm building the kit a bit differently from the instructions (anything is possible, improving it somehow). So, I want to make the deck a bit different too. ))) I've seen decks planked halfway, but I've never seen crossbars on just one side, and that's one of the reasons I want to do it this way. And it's not because I'm unique, no, no! Not at all. I just want to do something new, something interesting, because repetition doesn't generate that much interest, does it? And the second reason is the visual overview.

Even in this small fragment, it is clear that the lower deck is much more visible without the lintels, which makes me happy.

P.S. Just don't tell me that the difference between 1.6mm and 1.8mm is not visible, I've already noticed it myself... )))
Just kidding, if you look closely, you can see it.

06.11.2025

Today I was able to complete 6 spans at once...

I was guided by anatomy and (naval) logic, but that doesn't mean I can't make mistakes. So, the decision is yours; here I'm simply showing you how I did it.

So, here's the almost finished deck. It's still missing the last two spans, but it already looks interesting!

P.S. Once again, I'm convinced I did the right thing by only making half the crossbars. The lower deck is clearly visible through the empty spaces, and another very positive aspect is that the work is going almost twice as fast, which is a definite plus.

27.08.2025

Today I finally finished the last two spans...