Chapter 7: Hull Interior Assembly

Hull assembly, the main part of the assembly, has been completed. The accuracy of the parts and the effectiveness of the jigs were a marked improvement over the structural model kits I have built in the past. I was able to assemble the main square frames section as well as angled sections such as cant frames and sterns very efficiently.

From this point on, I will begin the assembly of the hull's inner surface structure. In the old method, the service provided was frame-related drawings only. From this time onward, the assembly of various parts of the inner hull and outfitting has been added, making it as if it were a kit. So to speak, this is an unknown area for this system. As I have prepared many assemblies and parts drawings for this system, I would like to verify them in the assembly process from now on.

(1) Keelson assembly

The first step in the inner work is to assemble the keelson that holds the frames in place. Before that, do the final finish shaping of the inner surface.

Keelson     KS1 to KS5         1 ea. 5mm

* Detach the above parts and shape the burn marks. Chamfer the top edge of the keelson by 0.8 to 1 mm. If the offset in the center of the frame remains and the keelson is raised, you may chamfer the bottom edge of the keelson depending on the situation.

* Temporarily place the five parts, check that they mate in place, and glue them together to the center of the frames.

* The bolts will be embedded along the centerline of the keelson, as they will play a key role later. The materials can be used in your own way, but in my case, I used 0.5 mm black tegus (for bird repellent on balconies, etc.) after drilling a 0.6 mm hole to the keelson. Refer to Section 5of Chapter 9 (Nailing for instructions). The drilling position should be on the floor futtock of the double frame. See subsequent photos for the finished status.

(2) Deck clamps and inner panels assembly

Next, assemble the deck clamps, but first affix the cabin deck and upper deck clamps, which will be on the bottom. In addition, since the floor rider of the mortar pit is designed to be mounted on top of the inner plank, two inner planks are applied on the left and right sides to represent them.

Note that these planking materials are not included in the parts prepared by laser cutting, as they are made of regular strip materials. Refer to the indicated plate thickness and width, use your own strips or other materials as appropriate.

First, [Fig. 7-04] shows all these assembled. Here you can also see the state of the keelson assembled in the previous process. Note that the side where the bolt is fastened changes the midship (F00) as a border. This is due to the change in the front-back relationship of the frame with the floor futtock.

* Two inner planking are applied on each side. In the Pit drawing, the innermost board is usually attached to a removable board called limber board, which contacts the keelson at an angle, so we will avoid that area and start from the second board. Also, since the ends of the shape would be sharp due to the hull's squishiness if they were left as they are, I modified them to correspond to the joggling on the deck (I am not sure if this is how they are done). Glue the shaped planks while crossing 4mm wide scrap pieces [Fig. 7-01] [Fig. 7-02].

* The second piece of the inner planking is applied between frames F19 and A15, slightly beyond the front and rear pit decks. It is placed midway between the pit deck clamps and the first inner planking, but to ensure that the parallelism with the surrounding area, use the nearest Futtock joint line or similar as a guide for positioning.

* Measure and mark the top edge position of the pit deck clamps. This height position is horizontal over the entire length of the model for ease of assembly as a model, so mark the front, middle, and rear three points at the same height and attach the clamp there. The positioning of the front and rear is the same as for the second inner plank. Even if it is bonded horizontally, the inner edge will become slightly higher at the front and rear of the clamps due to the slight taper at the front and rear of the hull, so shape that portion so that the top surface of the clamp is horizontal.

* Measure and mark the location of the top edge of the cabin deck clamps. It is important to note that the underside of the deck should coincide with the top edge of the end of the second transom. Recall that the second transom has been processed a camber of the cabin deck. In other words, this is the underside of the deck. If there is any misalignment, fine adjustments should be made to affect the gun port height as little as possible. The front edge shall be up to the front edge of frame A19. 

As you can see when you apply the clamp here, the slope is gentle in relation to the hull's taper, so more B-bending (bent for wider direction) than was necessary for the outer hull is required. Even with B-bending, the rear inner edge will be higher than the marking position, so a slight grinding and shaping process is required for that area. If it is difficult to produce these in a single piece, they may be divided into two pieces.

* Measure and mark several upper edge positions of the upper deck clamps. The front end of the clamp touches the keelson and the rear end extends to about the front end of frame A21 (to be cut later to fit the rearmost beam). This is an important part of the main deck height, but B-bending and shaping of the inside top edge is the same as for cabin deck clamps. If machining is difficult, divide the length into sections, etc., and adjust the placement, paying particular attention to maintaining the height spacing with the gun port.

* After the placement is determined, there is a section where the rear part intersects with the cabin deck clamps, and since the front-most cabin deck beam will be inserted here, the lower part of the rear end of the clamps is slightly shaved off to avoid interference with it. When these are completed, glue and fix.

[Fig. 7-03] and [Fig. 7-04] show the state of the system after all these steps have been completed.

(3) Rider assembly

The assembly of the parts that hold the various structures has been completed, and the structures will be built on top of them one after another. The first step is to assemble the rider that supports the heavy mortar pit.

* Assemble the riders, of which there are five pairs each in the front and the rear. Detach the -f, -p, and -s parts from each of the above parts per the same number, mark the front side of each, and then sort them into sachets or other containers so that they will not be mixed with those of other numbers.

* To match the inclination of the cut surface, the floor rider FR-f is inverted, and the futtock riders FR-p and FR-s are combined on its left and right sides [Fig. 7-05].

* The offset interferes with the scarf part, so it should be shaped so that it is eliminated. Here, too, burn marks are left as much as possible to simulate caulking.

* Once they are confirmed to fit well, they are glued to each other.

* Once dry, grind and shape the burn marks around the perimeter.

* Assemble all riders in the same manner [Fig. 7-06].

* Place each rider in position on the hull. See Keel-Deck drawing for front and rear positions. Since the front and back of the hull become narrower, first fit the rider under the pit deck clamps at the center and slide it back and forth into position. There, check and adjust the condition of the combination with the inner plank and deck clamps.

* [Fig. 7-07] shows the tentatively assembled state. After confirming the assembly, glue the pieces together. [Fig. 7-08] shows the glued state.

(4) Shell room frame assembly

In addition to supporting the mortar pit, there is a shell room, a column structure above the rider that stores the shells. Detach the next parts and grind off the burn mark.

* There are three frameworks, one front and one rear, and although the component composition is the same, note that the pillar alignment against the longitudinal support beams LSB (upper beams: 5 mm square) are all positioned differently in the width direction. Look carefully at the Pit drawing for positioning. Longitudinal support beams on both sides are positioned, so that the inner side of the pillar and the inner side of the beam are flush (the front and rear directions are symmetrical, so two identical beams may be made and used in different orientations). The central one places the pillar in the center of the beam. All three lower support beams (6 mm square) will have pillars placed in the center. This is because the outer surface of the frame on both sides is planked up [Fig. 7-10].

* In addition, since alignment of the pillars is important, I recommend that they are assembled using dowels. I used the 1mm brass rod used in the frame assembly as a dowel [Fig. 7-09].

* Once the frame is assembled, fit and glue the shell racks into the notches in the pillars. This should also be placed so that the outside is flush with the pillar on both side frames, and on the center frame, it should be aligned with the center of the pillar. Since shells are placed on top of the shell racks, there is a concave finish to improve their seating, but it can be omitted because it will not be clearly visible once assembled. The area where the rack protrudes from the pillar should be chamfered as appropriate.

(5) Mortar pit beams assembly, etc.

With the shell room frames completed, it is time to assemble them and the mortar pit beam that will be built on top of them to support the mortar pit. The following parts should be detached and shaped. Also, as they will be assembled in this process, detach the mast step parts, and perform the necessary machining to them after they are shaped.

* Determine the length of the mortar pit beam. It is important to note that the beams to be assembled are not simply length-matched, but the lengths to port and starboard are determined individually, with the beam's original center precisely aligned with the hull's center. The reason for this is that the various parts, which are placed in the center of the hull or distributed from the center, are mortised into notches in the beam, otherwise they would be joined in a serpentine fashion, and the structural beauty would be lost.

* To make this construction very easy, a thin thread is passed over the center line of the jig top plate as shown in [Fig. 7-11] (substituting a photo of a cut model). Simply tape one end in place and hang the other end with a small weight. To use it, insert the beam between the thread (C) and the center of the keelson (A: center of the bolt in this case) at a viewing angle such that they overlap as shown in [Fig. 7-12] and align the center line (B) drawn there so that they also coincide. B is marked the center of the beam notch with a pencil. 

* In this state, the beam is inserted from the wide side of the hull, and the portion that interferes with the inner surface of the frame is shaved off. In some places, the grinding surface must be beveled to get a clean close fit with the inside surface of the frame.

* After the beam is adjusted, it is assembled with the shell room frames. The bottom of the shell room frame fits into the notch of the rider and the top fits into the notch of the mortar pit beam. Furthermore, the frame will be vertical, so fine-tune the notch position, etc., as needed. Then, glue the mortar pit beam in place, making sure that the notch of the mortar pit beam fits into the frame and that the two ends touch the deck clamps without gaps. The pit beam is straight and uncambered for ease of assembly.

* Assemble the two mast steps, which are part of the ship's bottom structure, and assemble them in place. For the main mast, the four parts are glued together and then ground to a width of 11 mm. In addition, the area where the mast is inserted is mortised.

* The completed state is shown in [Fig. 7-13] to [Fig. 7-15]. The filling pieces and standards are not yet assembled here, but if they are to be installed, they will be assembled at this time.

* The structure is now much more three-dimensional. What we do not want to forget here is the painting. Structural models are often treated with oil finish, rather than colored painting, to express the texture of the wood as it is. I am also planning to use a natural Watco oil treatment for the finish. Oil treatment is done at the end of the process because it unbales bonding, but it must be done in a timely manner for areas that will not be brush able later. In the figure, most of the shell room is coated with oil, but this is done before the mortar pit beams are glued in place, so you can see that the top of the frame, where the gluing is located, remains uncoated. The presence or absence of coating can be easily seen by the change in texture, so please refer to this as the timing for coating as such changes will occur at key points in the future.

(6) Cabin deck assembly

From here, the main work inside the hull, the assembly of the various deck structures, begins. The first of these is the cabin deck. The pre-processing common to all decks includes beam assembly and notching of the curling, which is explained as follows. Since many parts are similar in shape, after detaching them, manage them by marking them for identification or separating them in sachets so that they cannot be mistaken.

* The deck beam is notched for assembling the carling, but to prevent carling from snaking after assembly, the notches are independently processed, and beams are formed in a three-layer structure. To assemble it, first glue three parts (A, M, and F) of the same number by using guide pins (1 mm in diameter) as in the case of the frame [Fig. 7-16]. At this time, the gluing surfaces should be sanded clean and free of dirt, and care should be taken to prevent the edges from being worn out by the sanding process. Also, the CB-01 does not come with a front (F) component.

* Sand off the burn marks on the top surface. There is no caulking in the notched area either, so carefully remove burn marks in the depth direction. There is an allowance for sanding but be careful not to grind too wider than the carling width.

* Draw the reference center line for cutting both ends of the beam and assembling it to the hull. Note that this is not the physical center of the beam, but the center of the symmetrically placed left and right carling notches [Fig. 7-17]. Even if the relative position of the carling is secured by the three-layer structure of the beam, neglecting this centering process will result in a snaking carling line.

* Carling is used by cutting the prepared rectangular parts CDC1 and CDC2 to the specified length with referring the curling drawing. At this time, the overall length should be cut a little longer (about 0.5 mm) at first to absorb assembly errors. And be sure to position each notch from the bow end of the carling, not the center of the carling [Fig. 7-18]. This will ensure the relative position of the ledges between the carling and allow the ledges to be assembled parallel to the beam. Also note that portside and starboard are symmetrical. The shape of the notch should be rectangular as shown in the beam, but for models, it can be a notch with a slanted cross section as described in the parts drawing.

The cabin deck ledge is designed with a width of 1.2 mm, but the prepared ledge material is 1.5 mm wide. Either machine this to 1.2 mm and use it or use the ledge material as is with a notch width of 1.5 mm when notching the carling.

* Begin placement of deck structural components. The orthodox method of assembling the beams one at a time on the deck clamps is explained here. The beams are assembled starting from the shortest, i.e., the aftmost part. According to the BeamLayout-Cabin drawing, the aft end position of the aftmost beam (CB-06) is 36 mm from the rear reference line, so mark the position on the clamp by measuring as shown in [Fig. 7-19].

* The black thread is passed over the jig top plate in the same manner as when the length of the mortar pit beam was determined, and the excess portions at both ends are cut while maintaining the center position of the beam. In particular, the rear beam will have large bevels at the top and bottom, front, and rear, due to the narrowing of the frame, so carefully determine the end shape and overall dimensions to avoid inadvertently shortening it too much.

* Temporarily fix the beam and align the knee (CHK-06, CLK-06) between the transom and the beam. If they overhang, it can be adjusted by shaping as needed, but if there is a gap, the beam must be pulled in closer to accommodate the gap. In the case of a cabin, a front-to-back misalignment of the beam rarely affects anything else, but in the case of an upper deck, it can cause several problems, so care should be taken to prevent this from happening in the first place. Once adjusted, glue each part [Fig. 7-19].

* Read the spacing from the drawing to the next beam and adjust the length of the next beam (CB-05) [Fig. 7-20]. In this photo, the carlings and ledges are also assembled, but this was done on a trial basis; it would be more efficient to assemble all the beams and knees first. Also, as you get used to it, it is more efficient and cleaner to glue the knees to the front and back of the beam and shape the outer edges that contact the frame together. Once the shape and dimensions are determined, glue them together.

Watco oil should be applied to the interior of the hull from the deck clamps down [Fig. 7-20].

* The carling is placed between each beam. It should be slightly longer, but the length adjustment is always made at the aft end (stern side). Naturally, the absolute length is not the drawing dimension, but the dimension between the notches between the assembled beams for absorbing the assembly error. If a longer beam is forced to fit, the beam may bend, resulting in loss of parallelism and problems with the next assembly.

* The ledges will be placed between the carlings. Here, the notch has not yet been machined in the area where the ledge fits into the lodging knee. The reason is that if the notch is machined before the knee is assembled, there is a risk of misalignment against the notch position of the carling due to assembly errors because two pairs of knees are inserted between the beams. Make sure to measure the position of the notch as it will be machined according on the actual model. Also, the notch shape can be diagonal. At this point, however, the jig top plate is still attached, which may interfere with processing. Therefore, the notch position is marked by aligning the carling against the knee and beam combination that has been adjusted in shape, and the notch of the knee is machined. After these are assembled on the hull, the detailed notch adjustments are made, and then the ledges are assembled.

* In theory, a short ledge will have a reasonable amount of camber. If you are concerned about processing with straight bars, glue the ends of the ledge with the ends slightly lifted from the carling surface, and then shape the entire deck surface to round the top surface of the ledge.

* The state of entire cabin deck is assembled is shown in [Fig. 7-21]. After the gluing is dry, the entire structure is shaped and sanded with a fine sanding block.

Even if the contact surface with the inner surface of the hull appears to be cleanly finished, slight gaps in the edges may remain uneven because of the individual shaping of each beam unit. If this is a concern, you can add a strip of material with a cross section of about 1x2 mm that represents a waterway to both portions.

One way to assemble the deck is described in the forum of the Association's website, where the whole of deck is assembled on a desk and then assembled into the hull. It is extremely helpful, so refer to it and choose whichever way you prefer.

* The deck structure is a combination of the main deck beam, lodging knees, hanging knees, carling, and ledges, so it is important to maintain their mutual positioning. In the above approach, assembly errors will be concentrated in the front, so be sure to adjust for these errors, usually after several beams are assembled. In such a situation, as our predecessors have said, it is important to envision the assembly procedure several steps ahead and, in some cases, to decide on the final procedure by performing temporary assembly, etc.

(7) Upper deck assembly

The next deck assembly is the upper deck. The procedure is similar for the cabin deck, but some new assemblies will appear. Also, since many structures and outfitting will be attached here, maintaining the beam's interrelationship with them is an important requirement. Therefore, carefully work while considering how to assemble them so that assembly errors do not accumulate as much as possible, and where to adjust if errors become negligible. The parts used here are as follows. If you are going to detach them in a batch, do an excellent job of identification management afterwards.

* Most of the upper deck ledges are designed with a width of 1.5mm, but as with the cabin deck, I felt that this was a bit slender for this ship's model, so I decided to make these with a width of 2mm. The prepared ledge material is 1.5 mm wide, and only a few 2 mm wide pieces are available, but if you wish to create a 2 mm piece, cut out the missing pieces from a 2 mm board or otherwise process them.

* Partner chocks have also been omitted from the list to be laser cut as parts, so create your own shapes added within the FillingChock drawing. The layout drawing will eventually be revised.

The deck is assembled in the same manner as the cabin deck for if they are the common portions. However, the upper deck is the widest part of the hull in the center, so the assembly should be done from the bow side for the front half and from the aft side for the rear half. Looking at the BeamLayout-Upper drawing, it can be seen two lodging knees facing each other between beams UB-07 and UB-08 and their directions are reversed. In other words, this is the part with the maximum width, so the direction of assembly will be changed this point.

Now I will explain each operation based on the BeamLayout-Upper drawing.

Note: A thicker ledge was prepared in Version 2.0 and a partner chock was added.

Partner chock                    PC1 to PC4                    1 ea.                       2mm

First half of deck

* Remove burn marks from upper deck hook and add camber. The amount of camber is shown in the DeckHook drawing, and the height difference between the center and the edge is about 0.8 mm. Note that there are lines on the top surface indicating the position of the carling notch, which may be obscured by sanding. Extend the position of the line on the side of the surface, and after shaping, the notches are machined according to the line.

* Adjust the positional relationship between the deck hook and the beam UB-01. The front position of the UB-01 is 32.5 mm from the front reference position and is connected to the deck hook via the hanging knee UHK-01. Once the length and bevel adjustments have been made from the center of the UB-01, each component is adjusted for consistency. By design, the top of the deck hooks will be at the top edge of the keelson, but do not worry about slight misalignment. Priority is given to securing the sheer lines of the deck. However, if the adhesive surface is not stable because only the side surfaces are glued as is, a 2 mm high piece of scrap wood can be placed on the deck clamps so that the bottom surface of the deck hook can also be glued.

* Unlike the cabin deck, on the upper deck the lodging knee fits directly between the beams without the hanging knee. Therefore, in subsequent work, it will be easier to ensure parallelism if the corresponding numbered beam and lodging knee are glued together before machining the ledge groove. Here, ULK-01 is glued to the rear surface of UB-01.

* The UB-01 is temporarily fixed in place and finishes the carling notch machining of the deck hook, then proceeds with the positioning and machining of the ledge notches. Work with attention to maintaining right angles between carling and beam and parallelism between ledge and beam.

The upper deck is a regular combination of several of these parts and is a typical part of the beauty of the structural model. Since this is the part that is most visible from the outside, work should be done with the utmost care to ensure that there are no excessive gaps between the parts and that the parallelism and right angles are maintained correctly. Hereafter, the concept remains the same even if the type of component changes.

* When all of these are finished, each is glued and secured to the hull.

In subsequent operations, the lodging knee is assembled on the deck clamps raised 2 mm from the deck clamp as well as the deck hook. The reason is that the notches in the deck clamps on the actual ship for the beams are omitted in the model. If this makes the fixation to the hull feel unstable, apply a 2mm-high piece of scrap wood over the deck clamps in the same way as the deck hook. However, since this area will be visible between the frames after completion, it should be assembled exactly to the length between the beams to avoid any gaps.

* Assemble between UB-01 and UB-02. Each individual task is one of the tasks up to this point, so follow the instructions and repeat the process. The same applies between UB-02 and UB-03. From UB-02 on, the square frame can also be used as a positioning standard, find the relative position from the assembly drawing.

* Next, we will go between UB-03 and UB-04, where we need to do some new work. It is notch processing for corner carling for UB-04. Make a notch according to the newly added PitFrame drawing. The same process will be applied later to the UB-06 and trimmer beam UC-08.

* Assemble between UB-04 and UB-06 together. This is the area where the large octagonal frame that fits the mortar pit in the center is constructed. The entire pit is designed to be detachable so that the retaining structure can be seen beneath the pit, so special attention should be paid to dimensional formation to ensure that the framing members can be moved smoothly and assembled accurately without rattling. The design dimensions are 52 mm square.

* Process and shape the corner carling AC according to the PitFrame drawing. 

* Make a notch to UB-06 and UC-08 (2 pieces) for corner carling like UB-04.

* Assemble the between UB-04 and UB-06 using the individual steps so far.

* Assemble the machined AC to the four corners of the center frame. Depending on the gap between the upper deck and pit deck, the AC may interfere with the pit deck when attaching or detaching the pit deck. In such a case, the front or rear AC should remain just fitted only without gluing. Since the mortar pit will be assembled later, the AC is not glued here.

* [Fig. 7-22] shows the state after all this has been done.

* Assemble the structure between UB-06 and UB-07. The beam arm BA is placed here, so the two beams are positioned first, and then the beam arm is assembled by fitting it into the beam.

* The beam arms are longer than the ledges and have more camber, so they should be pre-cambered. The finished thickness is 3 mm. Refer to assembling the rider for shaping the scarf section that joins the beam.

* Partner chocks PC1 and PC2 used here are missing cuts as the parts, so process them from excess material based on the drawing added to the FillingChock drawing. After the partner section is completed, glue the filling chock FC1.

* This completes the first half of the upper deck. The final state is shown in [Fig. 7-23].

Second half of deck

Up to this point, you should have a clever idea of how to assemble the deck. The second half of the upper deck can be assembled in the same way as the first half, except that assembly begins with the beam at the rear end. Refer to the appropriate first half of each to assemble.

* Adjust length and position beam UB-13. The position is difficult to measure, even though it is 327 mm from the reference point at the front end of the hull, but it can be easily determined because the trailing edge of the beam is 2 mm behind the trailing edge of square frame A20. Accurate assembly with a jig is also useful in such cases.

* Combine and shape UB-13 and ULK-13, notch the knee and glue in place. For assembly between UB-12, refer to UB-01 to 02, UB-06 to 07, etc.

* The same applies between UB-12 and UB-11, but do not forget to machine a notch for AC on UB-11.

* UB-11 and UB-09 is the same as between UB-04 and UB-06.

* Between UB-09 and UB-08, refer to UB-06 to UB-07.

* Finally, the upper deck is completed by assembling between UB-07U and B-08. The rear mortar pit and the entire upper deck are shown in [Fig. 7-24] and [Fig. 7-25], respectively. If necessary, install a waterway like we did for the cabin decking. Here we used a 1.5x3mm strip.

There is never just one way to assemble these multiple components. According to your environment, you can assemble the beam and lodging knee as a sub-assembly, or you can do a partial assembly on the desk and then assemble it to the hull. Assembling them while thinking about them in your own way is one of the most exciting parts of scratch building. In addition, assembly errors are inevitable in the assembly of such many components. Instead of being happy or sad about them, you should always work while thinking about where you can absorb the error. Then try to concentrate on accurate crafting in areas where you really want to ensure accuracy.

Forecastle deck

Prepare the following materials and parts.

* Mark the position of the upper edge of the deck clamps and assemble the deck clamps. The rear end should be up to the rear edge of the eighth cant frame F25 [Fig. 7-26].

* Remove the burn marks on the forecastle deck hook FDH and add the camber. The amount of camber is shown in the DeckHook drawing, and the height difference between the center and the edge is approximately 0.5 to 0.6 mm. The top surface has lines that indicate the position of the carling notches, which may be obscured by sanding. So, extend the line to the side of the surface and make a notch after shaping.

* The first beam FB-01 is a half beam, so the second beam FB-02 is positioned and glued first. Remember to notch for carling in advance.

* Assemble carling FC-01 between deck hook FDH and second beam FB-02. Since the bowsprit step will later be inserted between the carling, the notches of the deck hook should be shaped and then glued so that the spacing of the carling is 8 mm and that carlings are attached parallel to the hull axis. The carling should be notched in advance for the first beam assembly.

* Glue the first beams FB-01p and FB-01s to the notch of the carling.

* Machining notches for carling on beams FB-03 and FB-04 and assembling them in place.

* Assemble the carling FC-02.

* The completed forecastle deck is shown in [Fig. 7-27]. If necessary, install a waterway like you did on the cabin deck.

Quarter deck

Prepare the following materials and parts. 

* Mark the position of the upper edge of the deck clamps and assemble the deck clamps. The front end should be 0.5 mm forward from the rear edge of frame A21 [Fig. 7-28]. Make sure that the height of the rear end is 2 mm below the lower edge of the quarter deck transom QDT.

* As this deck is assembled from the rear, beam QB-11 is assembled 1.5 mm forward from the reference position at the aft end of the hull. Notch processing for carling should be done in advance.

* Assemble the Lodging Knee QLK-01 between the two. If the deck clamp height is correct, the top edge of the knee will match the lower edge of the quarter deck transom rabbet. Adjust it so that it does so.

* Cut a notch in the quarter deck transom to match the QB-11 carling notch and assemble the carling QC-01.

* Assemble the QB-01 from beam QB-10 in sequence. Glue them together while checking their mutual parallelism and perpendicularity to the hull axis. QB-02 and QB-03 require notch processing for carling in advance. It is also recommended that QB-01 and QB-02 be pre-joined and assembled as one unit.

* Assemble the carling QC-02 (unnamed in the drawing).

* The completed quarterdeck is shown in [Fig. 7-29]. If necessary, install a waterway like you did on the cabin deck.

* The main part of the assembly, the outer shell of the hull, is now complete [Fig. 7-30]. The precision of the parts and the effectiveness of the jigs were a marked improvement over the structural model kits I have built in the past, allowing me to assemble the main square frames as well as the angled parts such as cant frames and sterns very efficiently and in a noticeably brief time.