Took the Mrs. aboard to have a look while check I out the helm station bulkhead and layout. I added some trim to her. and made an adjustment on the cabin paint. I will figure her helm station layout first before I glue the top half of the cabin to the bottom half. As you can see I will need to putty in below the side windows to make a smooth cabin roof line as it flows back to the cockpit.

Added the cabin top colour. Built bench cushion for rear cockpit and tightened up some trim lines. I just placed the cabin on so you can get an idea of what she will look like.

For those who just can't wait for more updates..... here is the latest. Foredeck cap rails made and varnished, engine cover settes made and varnished (cushions to come), whell house roof beams made and varnished, side cabin walls of wheel house made and varnished, rear bench front made (just sitting for photo), copper paint on bottom (boot stripe later), and on we go. Thanks for following.

Making some progress. ASs you can see I have the cabin made in the style of the Sterling models where the forward windscreen sits on the deck with a couple of keys that protrude to hold it in place. Fits tight.

I redid the transom, the fwd cabin, and side decks.

I was lucky to find that Lee Valley sells mahogany veneer (very thin) So I redid the aft deck and redid the aft cockpit interior walls under the deck and also di the cabin floor.

As you will see I penciled in the lines to simulate planking for the deck. It is subtle, but looks good.

I am just giving her brightwork couple coats a day to build it up.

Just looking at the mahogany interior panels I made to see what is coming.

After having primed the cabins and cut out the windows, I started on working out the flaws, etc. Lots of sand - paint - sand . When I had her very close I cut out window templates with card stock. I then framed the windows with plastic trim the width of the frame itself. I glued them in proud so they stood out half way. I then sanded them smooth to the windows.

I worked on the cabin floor frames and have them in, matching the rake of the rub rails as in the schematics.

I also put the stern Mahogany on with a piece of left over mahogany I had laying around. It was sored for another model fittings and I glued the score and put that facing inboard. It sits a bit proud in that area. I will see how it comes out. If I am not happy I will make my own transom as I have the interior panels as you will see.

To get the windows right and smooth took a lot of meticulous time.

Then back to the hull. As you can see I inserted the porthole frames (the forward two first) then sanded them smooth to the hull. After that I spent hours upon hours trying to get the hull right. By this I really mean the forward bow area. So many curves and bows to it. I want to make it true as possible to the actual bow of this CC.

On the rear transom the upper cap rail actually sits higher in the center. Curves up at the middle. I made that of laminated balsa and sanded it to true.

So now after seeing and fixing so many small flaws, I have the hull where I think it will pass muster. All porthole frames are in. I also put on a small leading edge on the bow.

Hot here, so I am waiting a couple of days to give her another coat of Krylon. Should gloss her up nice. The Krylon can really take up to a month to fully cure. I will paint the antifoul much later as she needs to handled so much still.

I cut out, lined up and installed, shafts, struts and rudder posts.

Primer on cabins..to find flaws, fixed some flaws and waiting to re-primer.

Marked and cut out wheel house windows. (just get one crack at that)

Started on her fwd portholes. Waiting for more to come.

Then made up her framing to support the floor. May open up a couple later for better access to RC etc.

I started on the wheel house. I used the template to cut 1/8 balsa sheet that I laminated to make it wide enough. Then cut out the balsa and used that as my inside roof and frame support. The frames were cut down a bit to lower their profile to accommodate the 1/8 roof.

I then glassed it and the cabin with .75 oz cloth.

Hull received another coat of epoxy and is now ready for a light sanding.

Cabins will get another two coats of epoxy on them before I look at window and porthole templates.

If you notice I kept the larger profile on the bridge so it sits inside the main cabin roof.

Spent yesterday and today working on her fwd cabin. I laid down 1/8 X 3" Balsa strips over her roof frames. Cut out the windows. Braces hold her form until she is glassed. I am (for now) looking at keeping the transition on the sides proud so that there is a definite change. Looks good right now. I think it's a nice accent. Subtle. Not sure you can see it.

Well.... the weather here has been unlike our usual soring weather. Record rains and low temps.

I did not like the placement of the shaft stuffing or the struts. So... as I knew they would always bug me, I cut them all out. I reinforced and patched the botom (you can see in the photos). Redid the stuffing box tubs and ordered a new pair of shaft tubes and a set of props. I have so many props sets..all Dutch, in all sizes, but they are 4MM bore. I need 1/8th.

I also ordered the portholes (Bullauge Ovals) form Marinetik in Germany. They were closed for three years and have just opened again. See photo.

I worked on her bow over and over until I have her at a place that I think is pretty damn close. Then waiting for the weather to improve...I started on the cabin. frames for roof cut and in place. Then for the fwd part I used 1/2 inch balsa and couple of 1/8 balsa cut to shape as per the old Dumas instructions. Worked that for a couple of hours, then said to heck with that and thought it out myself.

As you can see in the photo I had a piece of scrap balsa that was from another project that had the roofline curve that I needed. I made a fwd arc for the roof and glued it into my shaped balsa for the front windscreen. I run a piece if flat balsa along the top to bottom to make sure I have it as a constant straight line, so when I do add the fwd cabin window plates, they will fit smooth.

I also added some enforcements to the "Wings" which splay out behind her. These will need to be pulled in before glassing the cabin, and the reinforcing just give me more confidence they won't just snap. I will add a skin of mahogany to each side wing that will fit in the shape that is there making it a flat mahogany side. The upper frame from the roof line down to the aft deck (Curved) will be the accent moulding if you know what I mean.

As you can see from the cabin roof frames... the last frame has a gap between it and the cabin side. This is where the upper side windows of the wheelhouse will fit in after the cabin is glassed. They will allow me to work on each cabin part separately so that I can give the windows, etc proper attention and access. You will see what I mean as we move forward. (I plane to cut a separate set of the bridge window frames in thin mahogany or balsa so that I can add them much later over the existing frames inside with the window sandwiched between them. At least that is the plan now. Things change as we get to them....lots of thinking.

I glassed the hull with .75 oz clothe and just added another coat of epoxy today. I also epoxied the fwd cabin (front half only). Then I will cut the openings in the balsa laminate bottom, after glassing the cabin. That will give me access to her fwd window installs. That will be tricky.

Cheers all...