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Rattlesnake by DocBlake - Mamoli - 1/64 scale - Bob Hunt kit-bash log


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I'm just finishing up the rigging on my Armed Virginia Sloop   For my next project I plan to build  a kit-bashed version of the Mamoli "Rattlesnake" based on the Lauck Street practicum.  I'm starting to do some research and prep work now.  This will be my build log.

 

 

 

 

I plan to show some exposed frames on the starboard side as well as all the other mods Bob has added in his practicum.  I do not anticipate fully rigging the ship, either leaving stub masts, admiralty style, or finish the masts up to the tops.

 

 

 

 

 

I have the Mamoli kit and the Hobby Mill wood package.  Today I had the Hahn plans reduced to 74%.  Two copies cost $35 at Fed Ex/Kinko's.  I hope to begin posting progress soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Dave

 

 

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The Rattlesnake is a fine looking vessel with god lines and hull.  I have seen a few great ones at Manitowoc over the years.  I remember helping a modeler bring his in.  It started out as a Mamoli but he had the lines and thy did not line up with the bulkheads along with other things so he bashed the kit replacing almost everything using the kit He even reworked the fittings.  He told me that he was doing research on the Rattlesnake for may years and decided to build a model of her.  Too bad my camera was acting up. So I was not able to get any pictures.

David B

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I used Bob's practicum on my AVS and it was very helpful.  Obviously it's designed for someone who's not had a ton of experience (me)!  The Practicum for the Rattlesnake is manditory for the kitbashed version I'm planning.You can buy all the various Practica as a package for $200.  This will allow you to use them for multiple vessels, including a scratch built "Hannah".  Here's a link:  http://www.lauckstreetshipyard.com/

 

Here are some shots of the model under construction from the Practicum:

 

 

 

Dave

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It's nice to see another Bob Hunt's Rattlesnake kit basher. I've been working on mine for about 4-5 years now, I'm real slow as this is my first POB. A word of caution. Mr. Hunt is human and like all humans, is prone to make mistakes. There are a just a few in the beginning chapters but more in the later ones. It seems he was building 3 other models at the same time as the Rattler each with deadlines. By the time I reached Chapter 9 he was skipping steps, cutting corners, and reducing details. In some case he only constructed items on one side of the model. In the rigging chapters he only showed examples and walked through the Mamoli instructions as he never actually rigged his model.

 

All that being said, I could not have have built my model without his practicum. Dry fit everything, check dimensions, and read ahead to see how things fit together. All my triumphs and heartbreaks are documented in my build log. But don't forget to read everybody else's build log to see how they coped and build a library of reference material.

 

Good Luck, and Happy Building!

 

Jon

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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Out of curiosity I noticed that the design of your kit box is slightly different than mine. How old is the kit? Also, did you know that Mamoli is out of business due to a fire at their factory?

 

How did you get HobbyMills' wood supplement? It was my understanding that Jeff Hayes and Robert Hunt had a falling out and that he no longer supplies the wood package.

 

Jon

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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Jon:  I bought the kit and the wood package about 1-1/2 years ago.  I purchased all of Bob Hunt's practica for a flat fee and fell in love with the Rattler.  I'm just finishing the Armed Virginia Sloop using a Hunt practicum also.  As for Hobby Mill, Jeff is now retiring, and not accepting new orders.  He used to supply lumber for Bob's kits, but Bob has been out of the kit business for a few years now, although he has started producing a POF Armed Virgia Sloop at 3/8" = 1" scale.  It looks like a winner.

 

  http://www.lauckstreetshipyard.com/avskit.htm

 

Going forward I plan to mill my own lumber with my Byrnes saw and a home-made thickness sander.

 

 

 

Dave

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been studying the practicum and the Hahn plans, and I finally couldn't stand it any more.  I had to cut some wood!  So I built the new stem and cut out the stern post.  The center keel contains the stem, true keel and stern post.  When glued up, these will be removed by cutting along the rabbet line.  The two photos show the rabbet line.  The practicum calls for transferring the bearding line from th Hahn plans to the center keel.  Where is the bearding line on the Hahn plans?  I'm stumped!

 

Dave

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The Bearding Line is the curved dotted line on the hull which curves up the stern in the above scan of the plans (Plate 4).  I had a whole lot of trepidation when I cut the stem off. There was no going back once it was done. It looks like you did a neat job on its replacement. I had a devil of time making the piece fit tight.

 

Jon

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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I lofted the bearding line and the rabbet, cut off the stem, the keel and the stern post.  I then cut the rabbbet.  Next is gluing up the bulkheads.  Every one is loose and will have to be shimmed, and most fall too far into the slot on the center keel and have to be shimmed there also.  The only good news is that the center keel and bulkheads are all plywood, and are uinlikely to break.  Fairing may be an issue, though.

 

Dave

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  • 5 weeks later...

Progress so far:  The bulkheads and filler have been glued in place and the hull faired.  Any voids filled with wood filler.  I performed the major surgery on Bulkhead 12, removing it.  the counter has been formed, and the inside of the transom hollowed out.  Next is to place the external transom plywood.  Pictures show the counter ans the hollowed out transom wood.  Jonathan:  Did you do anything to the hollowed out area.  I'd like to panel it, or fit an upholstered bench across the span, as might have been done in the real vessel.

 

Dave

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Greetings Doc...

 

A few years ago, I built the Mamoli Rattlesnake kit right out of the box with a couple of changes  made to improve the model detail. Not really sure why anyone would need a practicum since, in my opinion, the plans are very good. All in all, I think it is a good kit as is.

 

wq3296

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Now is a good time to review my log so you won't commit the same errors I did to the Captain quarters:

 

Transom Modification - Somehow my transom came up shorten length which had repercussions further on in the build

Captain's Bench

 

The short answer is yes you can customize the bench. I didn't follow Bob's directions completely for the bench either due to previous errors and building technique. However, the visibility on the bench will be limited to just a few viewing angles so don't over do it.

 

Jonathan

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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wq3296 - The practicum does two things, first for those people like me who never built one of these model before, it was a great help. Second, Bob Hunt's practicum is a kit bash. He deviates from the basic model to give more detail and panache.

 

Jonathan

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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  • 2 months later...

I put the Rattler on hold as I finished up my "Swift".  Now that she is done, it's back to it.  I installed the first layers of the double-planked wales.  This is basswood and helps define the counter.  It will be covered in ebony.  After the wales were defined, it was obvious I needed to clean up the fairing at the stern, which I did.  I've not installed the transom yet, because I was concerned I'd break it off while planking the wales.  Next up is planking above the wales, and constructing gunports

 

Dave

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I'll be curious as to how you'll handle the ebony. I've never worked with it before and I understand it is tough wood to work with especially bending. In my case I stained some walnut to get the effect.

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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Hi Jonathan!  I haven't used ebony in this way either.  The Wood Database suggests it is amenable to steam bending, which is what I plan to do...using a plain old clothes iron!

 

BTW, my counter has 4-1/3 planks, compared to yours which had 4.  I also had to rework the angle of the stern on the false keel to keep the relationship between it and the planking the way the practicum suggests.  One question:  How did you glue the transom on with only those tiny frame ends supporting it and functioning as a gluing surface?

 

Dave

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The transom gave me problems. Bob ended up with 5 planks because it appears I may have chopped too much off the stern so I ended up with 4 planks. I thought I followed Hunt's instructions to the letter (as well as I understood it). How I messed up I don't know, but my stern was too short. Therefore there were repercussions down the road. I had to squeeze the rudder post into position, make adjustments to the deck were it protruded as well as adjust the "horse" behind the tiller.

 

To be honest, I don't remember exactly what I did to ensure the plywood and framing that made up the transom, adhered solidly to the deck (it was 6 years ago - Have I been working on this for that long?), But looking at my photos, it looks like I was lavish with the glue knowing that this part of the construction would be covered up and that the side planking would eventually provide full strength. I don't think I pinned in place or I would have mentioned that in the log.

 

You can see my initial progress on the transom and the problems I had.

Part 1 Post #10

Part 2 Post #24

Part 3 Post #38

 

All I can say is be very careful here.

 

Jon

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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The transom on this model is jinxed!  Every build log reports trouble at this point.  I thought I was cruising along, having attached the transom and determining that the stern post fit and that there was room for the rudder post to pass through the cabin up to the deck.  I then planked the counter, and when I finished I discovered that the transom was not in one plane perpendicular to the keel.  The starboard side leaned back too far.  There was some give in the transom, so I foolishly thought I could pull it back to square with a rubber band.  The rubber band was too tight and snapped off one of the timbers along with some of the 1/32" plywood.  Of course the part went flying, and it went to that special place where all parts dropped on the floor go to, never to be seen again! (plenty of unmatched socks there too!).  I'm going to have to rebuild the transom.  Oh well....

 

Dave

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Ouch!!!

Current Build: Model Shipways USS Frigate Constitution
 
Past Builds:    Bob Hunt's kitbash of the Mamoli Rattlesnake

                         Model Shipways Typical Ship’s Boat for the Rattlesnake

                         Mini-Mamoli solid hull British Schooner Evergreen
                         Model Airways Albatros D.Va - 1917, The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter

 
​Member: Nautical Research Guild

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Build looking great!

 

I am new here after a 20 year absence from wooden ship building as too busy working, lol. Recently purchased the Rattlesnake but seeing if anyone has advice on how to get started as far as tools goes. Maybe a basic kit worth buying. I am afraid the tools I used to have mostly disappeared over the years. Any advice would be appreciated and I will be following the Rattlesnake builds especially closely.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions regarding getting some tools to get started with. Hope for quality without spending a lot.

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