Day 254.

The fore deck has a bunch of machinery and equipment right up near the bow.  Most of this equipment is connected, so the first piece I install is going to dictate the placement of all the future pieces.

So, I decided to start with the samson post and bowsprit bits.  This is a small structure that supports the bowsprit.  It is the most forward structure on the ship.  This piece is made from one laser cut piece provided by the kit (for the platform), and the rest is made from strip wood.

Two 1/8″ square strips form the bowsprit bitts at the front, basically two legs.  At the rear of the structure, the single samson post is made from 3/16″ square strip.

The pieces of the bowsprit bitts and samson post.

The laser cut platform provided with the Model Shipways Bluenose kit butts right up against the samson post.  I decided that to help hold this in place while the glue dried, I would cut a shallow slot that the platform would fit in.

There is also a platform support block, made from 3/16″ square stock, that will be located right below the platform.  Above the platform is a support block for the windlass brake beam, made from 1/8″ square stock.

Finally, the samson post has a hole near the base to accept the heel of the bowsprit.  The plans indicate a square hole, but I lack the tools to cut a square hole like that properly.  I will probably just drill a shallow round hole and leave it at that.

The samson post is given a slot to hold the platform.  The location of the hole for the bowsprit heel is marked.

Once the details on the samson post were worked out, all that was left was assembly.  The two bowsprit bitts were glued into the slots in the front of the laser cut piece.  The rear o the platform was glued into the slot made on the samson post.  The supporting blocks were glued in.

Finally, the tops of the three posts were given a slight bevel.

The assembled samson post and bowsprit bitts.

Once all the glue set, everything was given a final sanding.  As I’ve done with other pieces, I drilled holes in the bottom of each of the three posts and glued in some brass rod.  These pins were used to secure the piece to the deck.

The piece was primered, then airbrushed white.

The last step was to install the piece on the deck.  The location was taken from the plans, and verified with a few different measurements.  It is important to get this one placed right, since all the other machinery on the fore deck will be positioned off this.

With the right location marked, holes were drilled for each of the three pins (one per post), and the piece was glued in.

The completed piece installed on the deck.

View from the bow.