Hello every one,
My first build log for a wooden ship....
I have been modelmaking for many years, mainly architecture and space craft structural models. For those of us ancient enough to remember them, I started off in the late '40's on Micromodels, a Roman period ship.....something must have stuck and thank goodness for having a keen modelmaker in an elder brother who taught me so many skills.
I did start a plank on frame model of the Endeavour some forty years + ago but my then five year old daughter sat on the keel... why had I left it on the sofa ? I was also then gathering and researching material for the Beagle but such material was scarce. Even the National Maritime Museum could help but little, with one sheer plan of a Cadmus class brig sloop. But then, in 1997, came Karl Heinz Marquardt's extraordinary book. ( I already had his Endeavour and Nepean Longridge's Victory ). With further much later published discoveries regarding Darwin's cabin, deck layout and now Darwin Online and a full size Beagle projected + splendid recent books it seems logical to have crack at the Beagle.
Have decided on a sectional / partially decked model with some framing showing in part admiralty style so no masting or rigging. I also intend to finish her in a 'well travelled' condition.
But .....I am a great project starter but appalling project finisher.......fingers crossed.
The majority of the work will be / is in lime, easy to work and have used it in the past.
No doubt I will have questions for all you experts out there as the build progresses. Finding this web site was a revelation....such wonderful work within its pages.....
So have made a start .The pics below are, I hope, self explanatory.