17 - On the Decks p.2 - Naval Cutter Alert [1777] 1:48 build log ~ Serikoff Ship Models

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Chapter 17. On the Decks p.2

28.02.2026

Rudder feather.

I'm continuing to work on the rudder.

I made the rudder, like the stem and sternpost, using two colors of pear wood (dark and light).

Marking, contour milling, profiling... well, the photo should make it more than clear what I did.

That's pretty much it for wood; the most interesting part comes next – working with metal. That's a whole other topic.

12.03.2026

Before I can finally start nailing the deck, I need to determine the position of all the useful parts on it. Today, Pins.

This is the second and last time I've tried this burr, and it's going in the trash. Just junk...

I decided to make a simple jig. The principle is simple: sandpaper is glued to a cylinder, which moves precisely along a single path, limited by positioners.

To correctly locate the pins, you first need to accurately position the bowsprit and then determine the correct position of the pins.

After determining the dimensions, the next step is simple processing according to the drawings.

Fitting:

The result after treatment with 000 steel wool. I highly recommend using it for finishing the parts! Specifically, from Borma Wachs.

This isn't the final work yet. The forward parts will still need milling. The lower parts will be reinforced with pins through which they will be glued to the deck. All current work is aimed at precisely positioning the nails on the deck boards.

And now, another fitting:

I'm a little surprised myself that it turned out this way. After the boron fiasco, I thought I'd never achieve such a result...

16.03.2026

A small addition to the previous post.

All parts are made primarily to understand their placement on the deck, their dimensions, and their relationship to each other. Since there are no precise drawings (only the anatomy), this is essential.

The red square holes are for the pins that hold the bowsprit in place. They should be through-holes, but for a neat fit, I'll install the pins on top. I'll reinforce the connection with pins that I'll glue into the pins. Holes will be drilled in the deck for these pins, and below, they'll fit into the load-bearing plates under the deck.

The blue squares (large and small) are simply placed on top of the deck, as in the original. The green ones should be through-holes, but since there's no load on them, I'll simply glue them on top of the deck so there's no need to cut anything.

CORRECTION! The line drawn on the deck is not the center of the beam. Therefore, I corrected and adjusted the nail positions. In the photo below, the red line is the center of the beam. The red squares are the nails that were 1/5 embedded in the beam. The blue ones were simply fixed on top of the deck.

After all this, I calculated the nail positions, which is essentially what I planned.

As for the pins on the first unit, all the manipulations are the same. The one exception is horizontal routing, since the entire height of the piece doesn't fit under the router.

So, as they say, feel the difference...

Unfortunately, the lower parts are completely different from the original, as they're cut into the beam, which is unacceptable, but that's how it is.

I made a slightly different shape for the top... And I still can't decide which one I like best. I'm thinking maybe trimming the top rectangle off the second unit's kit a bit. So that its height matches that of the first unit... hmm...

So, here's the result:

Yes, unfortunately, there is a cut into the beam, but as I said, I won't change it. Everything is as it should be on the second unit, and that's more important to me.
Oh yeah, and the distance between the pins is 8mm, not 10mm as it should be, but this can't be changed because there's a cut into the beam...

19.03.2026

Bitt Pins.

Most of the processes are very similar to what I have done before.

Testing the pins to correctly locate the beam position relative to the pins and other elements. Here's what nailing in this area will look like:

The red squares are the pin holes (in the original), but I'll be gluing the pins on top of the deck and reinforcing the joint studs . There will be two holes in the deck for these studs. This will make the fit much easier and create a more aesthetically pleasing finish than with the mortise-and-tumble option.

Sanding must be done at a certain angle (selected by eye), so that in the end the knees stand vertically, despite the fact that the deck is arched and not strictly horizontal.

I'll still be finishing the knees for the first hull just before they're secured. The knees for the second hull will still need to be treated with steel wool, bolted, and so on. But most of the work is done, and most importantly, I now know where and how to nail.

20.03.2026

Flue.

I spent a long time thinking about how to use the frame around the flue, since it was clearly shown incorrectly in the anatomy, given the discrepancy between the side and top views.

In the photo above: on the left is the version from the anatomy, on the right is my version.

The advantage of my version is its logic. The boards rest on the beams and carlings. The flue frame also rests on them. And the height of this frame is also slightly higher to prevent water ingress.

Now about making the frame around the flue.

What the result looks like on the first hull (the part is not finished yet, it needs to be finished with steel wool and bolts installed).

And the most important thing is how it looks on the second hull, since I plan the position of the nails based on the arrangement of the parts.

I haven't made any pumps yet, but I used the template to determine the location of the nails...

... and now I have the position of almost all the nails and the only question left is the rear line along the rear small deck... but for that I need to close the issue with the rudder, but before that I need to close the issue with the rudder loops... and this is a very big topic and I will start it soon.

23.03.2026

Platform Deck.

What I'm doing now isn't very presentable, and there's not much to see, but in fact, this is one of the most important things—the calculations—so that everything will be correct in the future. I'm finishing up the nail calculations on the deck. And today I'll make a small platform (a small deck in the stern). Ironically, it wasn't shown in the original drawings, and Goodwin interpreted it exactly that way, although it's not certain that it even existed. But I've already started using these drawings, and there's no turning back. And I started with the step between the main and small decks.

This step covers the main deck boards and now I can see where the nail line will be.

At the end of one board in each joint I made a chamfer, where I poured glue and made an imitation of a caulking seam.

Now here's a platform with nail placement calculations. There's a window sill line on the sides, so this detail will cover some of the boards, and this needs to be taken into account in the calculations. Regarding the middle four beams, although they are specified with two nails per beam, I disagree. The boards are significantly thinner here, and the beams are also very thin, plus the distances between the beams are small, so one nail per beam (above and below the middle of the board) is more than enough. Incidentally, all the details aren't finished yet; this is just a preliminary fitting.

P.S. I spent a lot of time examining the stern structure, studying all the elements (so many hours that my brain almost exploded), and unfortunately, due to so many inaccuracies and contradictions in the anatomy, I have to invent everything as I go, spending a colossal amount of time and effort on it... I understand that few people are interested in this whole specific topic of inaccuracies and corrections, and especially the reasoning behind my options, so I will simply show how I do it, and if anyone is interested in why exactly this way, write in the comments, I will be happy to answer.

24.03.2026

A small addition to the previous post, so as to close the issue with the platform (small deck).

The dowels don't look so-so yet, but they'll show their worth under oil, but for now, that's all... and now it's time to continue working on the stern... and I like what's already turned out... The colored, figured slats look pretty good... I'll show you soon.

26.03.26

Shaped Rails.

Today I have something to show you. Something to brag about, you might even say. I've once again been convinced of the correctness of my color choice. Of course, the full picture isn't yet clear (since there are no blue slats), but I'm frankly pleased with the way it's turning out. I'm often self-critical of my work, but even I liked this one.

But I'll start from the beginning, namely, from the place where I accidentally miscalculated and glued the railing with an indent... and so I decided to cover this flaw. It might seem like a small thing, but due to its tiny size, I had a real hard time getting it glued in place.

But before that, I cut a railing cutout for the port sill. The job doesn't seem complicated, but it's a very important one... the slightest imperfection could ruin the finished parts nearby.

Before showing you the heroes of today's post, I made nails for the stern.
I showed you how I made them using birch toothpicks, so I won't repeat myself, but here's how I made the black nails.
The principle is essentially the same, but instead of toothpicks, I cut small slats.

And finally, here are the shaped rail:

Tuck rail.

I glued together four strips (three made of yellow boxwood and one of black hornbeam). Using a pre-made template, I first scraped off a 4 mm thick strip and then trimmed the excess on one side to 3.2 mm. Here's the result: