Chuck Seiler

Although I was lucky with frame 22, that was not the case with the remaining ones. After using the individual frames for glueing them together, they wouldn't really fit into the bow or stern. I ended up disassembling all of them, and then inserting only the small connecting piece into its corresponding slot of the keel frame, but only after sanding them down into the right shape to make sure the bow and stern pieces of the upper half fit nicely on top. Then, after the parts of the upper half of the keel where fixed in place, I added the rest of the frames right onto the completed keel assembly. This still needed a lot of correcting and sanding of these nasty frame parts, but it made sure that everything is aligned correctly. Me too, I used thick gap filling super glue for the final steps.
 
Frank

Holly is not difficult to come by.  But really good Holly is impossible to find.  You know the stuff.  
 
Its the stuff you remember being able to buy oh so many years ago.  Even the bad stuff around now is super expensive.
 
We have located and secured a decent sized batch of Holly billets of various size from an old supply.  Like finding a barn find of an old Mustang Bullet.
 
They are super white and beautifully clear.   Only a few tiny knots spaced far apart on a few billets.  No blue or green streaks.  We have these available for strips and such immediately.  Please email me or PM me for a quote on what you need.  You wont be disappointed.  While supplies last.
 
Joe
 

 
 

You have selected a great model.  Don't worry about making mistakes.  That is how you learn.  Rubbing alcohol is your friend.  I have used it many times to unglue a mistake and make it right. 

I’m still not moving forward. I’m in a bit of despair. I still cannot fit the bow and stern can’t frames to fit. I just joined jup with the South Bay Model Shipwrights. I’ll take the kit with me to the next meeting on the 13th. Hope to get back on track. I haven’t given up yet, but I’m disappointed with the way things,are going at the moment. 

Also check out Chris' article about starting out.
 
 
    If you want to get as much as you can out of this hobby, you will be doing alot of research and questioning.  You found an excellent website for that.  After you settle on the model you want, you will want to know which tools to get.  That topic also exists. 
 
    Happy modeling...and remember, you can never have too many clamps.
 

Also check out Chris' article about starting out.
 
 
    If you want to get as much as you can out of this hobby, you will be doing alot of research and questioning.  You found an excellent website for that.  After you settle on the model you want, you will want to know which tools to get.  That topic also exists. 
 
    Happy modeling...and remember, you can never have too many clamps.
 

Also check out Chris' article about starting out.
 
 
    If you want to get as much as you can out of this hobby, you will be doing alot of research and questioning.  You found an excellent website for that.  After you settle on the model you want, you will want to know which tools to get.  That topic also exists. 
 
    Happy modeling...and remember, you can never have too many clamps.
 

Nigel,
    When you printed the transom on clear plastic, did you print that from your computer or did you have it done professionally?

As everyone else has said there is no "best" beginner model. As someone who is in the middle of their first model, I would suggest paying particular attention to items 1 and 2 on Chris' list. You will make a lot of mistakes and so this means that:
You don't want to have problems with the kit itself adding to your already steep learning curve You are unlikely to produce the model of your dreams with your first attempt You may aspire to build a three decker some day, but I would recommend picking something smaller to make all the inevitable mistakes on. Then once you have the experience of completing a model you can move on to the subject you have always dreamed of doing and maybe actually do it justice.
 
I can recommend the one I am working on (Alert by Vanguard Models), but there are many other suitable alternatives.

If I were just starting I would do the 3 kits, in order, offered by model shipways. I would also do the half hull planking kit offered by the Nautical Research Guild. 

There is no 'best' model that will suit the needs of every builder, but here's what makes a good beginner's kit. It is first of all:
One that has quality materials and instructions. One that a beginner can reasonably be expected to finish. One that is a subject that appeals to you. Keep those three things in mind and you'll find something to fit the bill.

Try Amazon.  I have purchased individual AK paints from there.

Looking good! 
 
"Pointy end"  "Other pointy end"

Try Amazon.  I have purchased individual AK paints from there.

What will the final size be for that?  By my calculation, it appears to be a little over a foot at the deck.  Is that right?

Try Amazon.  I have purchased individual AK paints from there.

I built Oseberg a few years ago

Hull alone is around 335mm long.
 
With masts and spars around 560mm long and 520 high overall (including drop keels)
 
Kit will come with mirrored base.
 
For the drop keel winch drums, I originally did these in laser cut wood, but was not happy with this solution, so I designed the drum in 3-d with a hole big enough for the 1mm brass rod to slide through plus another smaller offset hole to take the 'rope' that was attached to the drop keel, to lift it up and down. These are 3-d printed, so the holes will always be there on every one. I think this was the better solution. Each keel has an engraved line, so you know exactly how far to drop the keels.

The Trial Class Cutter (1788) was a vessel with three sliding keels' Agreeable to a plan suggested by Captain Schank, She was just over 65 feet along the main deck and 121 tons. She was initially armed with 8 x 3 pounder cannon, but in 1793, 4 x 12 pounder carronades were added, bringing he armament up to 12 guns.
She was launched in 1790, and hulked in 1810. She became a depot ship at Waterford; by the 1840's to Callao in Peru as a coal depot, being finally sold in 1848, after well over half a century in service. (Sailing Navy List - David Lyon)
 
I wanted to develop a smaller cutter. I even thought about doing a much improved Sherbourne. However, I have little stomach for treading old ground when there are still so many wonderful subjects that have not been tackled. One such subject was the Trial Cutter (quite a bit larger than Sherbourne), and I thought it would be more of a challenge and more unusual, due to the three drop keels. For the designs, I have utilised both the original plans and the contemporary model. I wanted to develop not a simple beginners kit, but a nicely detailed smaller kit, with etched planking and treenail detail on the inner and outer hull, just to see how that kind of detail would work out.
 
So, I started designs way back at the end of February. I had three stabs at the hull design before I settled on the forth. The original designs were to have the drop keels fitted very early in the build, and they dropped down to a pre determined level. That was pretty cool, but it would have meant adding the rope to the tops of the keels and keeping them free of glue and paint and whatever else throughout the hull build. I ditched that idea and came up with a simpler solution, where the keels are added only after most of the hull is complete.
 
So here is where I am up to. I cannot do much more until I have my photo etched samples arrive, but I did manage to cannibalise some parts from scrap sheets, like eyebolts, winch handles, belaying pins etc.
 
Here are some pics!

Looking good! 
 
"Pointy end"  "Other pointy end"

Looking good! 
 
"Pointy end"  "Other pointy end"

Looking good! 
 
"Pointy end"  "Other pointy end"

Looking good! 
 
"Pointy end"  "Other pointy end"

Yesterday I got to plank eight on both sides. And yes I have a few more coins in the super D cup. Don't you just hate it when you sand ,carve, shape a plank get it all ready to glue in and bang it breaks lol. One more coin for the cup lol. So far I have broken 6 planks, but will be ble to use them soon as the planks are getting  shorter .
After I cleaned it up,  I took a wet rag and wiped it down to see what it might look like. The grain of the  wood shows up so nice. I really like this kit, the wood is right on..
 So I will post again when I put four more planks on each side.
 Later my friend's.    

We have these questions about similar models come up from time to time, Chris is well versed in the topic. While appreciate what you’re trying to do for your friend, as Chris notes there is really no secondary market for models of this quality. Only the best quality models can fetch any price worthwhile and even then it’s a small market or built on commission. Try posting them on eBay, maybe that will generate a few dollars. I suggest making the topic description there more about donating to the charity than about the models. 
 
I feel for you and the loss of your friend. Thank you both for your service.