Ship Shape

Thought I would add a photo of the vessel..............

Got the kit delivered by UPS, wow, this is a cool piece of some of the heavest plastic I have ever seen used for making a ships hull.  Almost like fiberglass.  Here is a photo of the 76.2 cm/30 inch long hull.

Cody, so very sorry for not answering back, I have been away for awhile.........for your info, you will see this project start up again very soon.
I went thru a move and it has been packed away, but is now out and waiting for me to decide how I want to power this baby up.  I will say this, alot of people have asked me my thoughts on this kit as a RC model, I believe with the right set up, power and drive system, you could have a show stopper @ the local pond.  Just my 2 cents worth.  By the way, Cody are you working on anything RC Boat related.
Rick

OK

As has been requested, I will build this in two threads, this thread will center on the application of the RC hardware and mods made to bring up to todays standards for RC, I will also post a thread in the Build logs of the scale aspect of this boat.
Rick

OK, I did not know if that would be cool since it is a RC, but as you see, it is a impressive to say the least scale boat of what I think is one of the most beautiful produced American vessels to ply the coastal waters of America.  I will build her as a vessel from the early 60's.
Rick

Got the kit delivered by UPS, wow, this is a cool piece of some of the heavest plastic I have ever seen used for making a ships hull.  Almost like fiberglass.  Here is a photo of the 76.2 cm/30 inch long hull.

Thought I would add a photo of the vessel..............

Outstanding craftsmanship and attention to detail.  I am very impressed by your types of material you are subbing in this build.  I am @ this time building a HMV USS Ticonderoga, though mine is pretty much stock as comes in book.  Much to be learned from watching your build and I look forward to more.
Rick

Hello Sjors, I could not say howdy to Anja and not you too.  Looking good there matey.
Rick

I have been building in card for some years and have a vast collection of kits.  Shipyard and HMV are my fav's  not counting GMP.  I have also ordered numerous times from GMP and have never had a issue one with them.  Sometimes it seems like 2 wks and you have and then again it might take 4 weeks,  You just have to be patient when ordering.  I try to make mine pretty large when ordering to keep the shipping down per month.
I like the paint that comes w/Shipyard kits, it is a water base gauche paint.  This translates into a medium that one can layer to get many variations of the color and effects.  However, it is not a easy paint to use and takes a bit of practice to get down.  Looks to me, you have mastered it well.  One of the down sides is this is a water base paint and water and card are not friendly.  Here is a tip I learned from modelers from Poland, clear base then paint.  I use good ole model airplane dope for this.  Another way is Future Floor Polish.  Once all is dry and ready, you will find you are not plagued with raised or swelled card.
Hope this has helped.  I also seal all my paint w/sealer from Hobby Lobby.  The stuff that protects your paint job from UV that artistes' use to protect the paintings from sunlight.  Look forward to more of your build.  You fired me up to get out a project I started some time ago..........Santa Maria, Shipyard, all laser cut kit.   

I believe period construction for these wood deck vessels mandated that the deck would later be scraped resulting in cleaner lines.  But I might be wrong.  Like how your turned out.  The Lego trick is a cool idea many here have copied.

Just so you know, I use different glues for assembly........ea. one has its purpose.  The glue in the green tube Klej Butapren is some of the best glue I have ever used.  This glue and another tube came in the 1st laser kit I bought.  The Santa Maria did not have this in it when I purchased this kit.  The Ansercoll Pu-Falco is very much like the Duco as is the UHU.  The Blue Bottle Uni-Flex is a card use CA and I love this stuff.  Now does one need all this to build card, no, but after many years of building card models, I have acquired these and learned how to use for the different types of assembly/dry times.

Howdy all, has been a few months and I have been busy and not much model time.  I am starting back to work on the Santa Maria.
Right now I am double checking that all the ribs are ready to glue to the keel.  Though it is laser cut, you still have to remove the little nibs left from the cut process that holds the part to the sheet.  One area I have ran aground is @ the stern.  Instructions get abit vague here as to the correct orientation of part IVX.  But careful study of the instruction booklet w/photos helps figure this little detail out.  For those building, if you follow the process of all the numerals showing in the same location f/all the ribs this is correct except for the above listed part.  This one must be turned around and the doors align.  After that is figured out you take it all apart and after cleaning the nibs, you are ready to reassemble and glue.  Here is a tip I learned from another card modeler.  When putting a frame together made of card, we want to apply a bead of glue on rib and insert into slot of keel.  Then we go back and lay a bead of glue down the four corners of the slot.  Now yes, this is a solid way to glue, but remember, we are working w/card or paper.  Glues is a moist medium applied to card and as it dries, it can and does warp/twist.  That is why when you assemble a card frame and it is dead straight/level and after drying out for a week, you begin to notice little twist working their way down the keel.  Now alot of this has to do with the type glue, and how much.
So I sand, prep ea. rib, slide onto keel, keep it @ 90 degrees and then just spot glue down the joint.  I do this on all sides.  I like Duco Cement for this operation as it dries fast with little shirkage.  After all the ribs are in place, sand and fare the whole assembly to prep for covering.  Just one of those things one learns over time when working w/card.  PS: this holds true of wood as well.

As you can see, I have already removed the laser cut frame work f/hull from sheets.  This kit did not come with the glue the 1st did, however I still have 2 tubes of the glue left that came with the Lugger and I also have discovered what I believe to be one of the best CA glues I have ever used in card modeling from GPM.com......uni-flex klej cyjanoakrylowy.......short f/CA!  This stuff is just outstanding, does not soak thru the card and when dry, is even flexible with no after effects, ie: white powder from the CA curing out.  I love this stuff and use it in all my modeling now, that a CA is called for or needed.  The other glue is a type of contact and stinks to boot, funny, it is used to re-sole boots.....made a funny  .
So there it is, I have seen this kit done up and it builds into a very detailed rep of the Santa Maria, however, I will build just a tad different than comes in the kit.  We will get into that shortly about the research side of the project.  So for now, happy modeling, don't glue your fingers to the table and watch the pointy end of the knife.
Rick

A few photos to wet the appetite..........

I have been building in card for some years and have a vast collection of kits.  Shipyard and HMV are my fav's  not counting GMP.  I have also ordered numerous times from GMP and have never had a issue one with them.  Sometimes it seems like 2 wks and you have and then again it might take 4 weeks,  You just have to be patient when ordering.  I try to make mine pretty large when ordering to keep the shipping down per month.
I like the paint that comes w/Shipyard kits, it is a water base gauche paint.  This translates into a medium that one can layer to get many variations of the color and effects.  However, it is not a easy paint to use and takes a bit of practice to get down.  Looks to me, you have mastered it well.  One of the down sides is this is a water base paint and water and card are not friendly.  Here is a tip I learned from modelers from Poland, clear base then paint.  I use good ole model airplane dope for this.  Another way is Future Floor Polish.  Once all is dry and ready, you will find you are not plagued with raised or swelled card.
Hope this has helped.  I also seal all my paint w/sealer from Hobby Lobby.  The stuff that protects your paint job from UV that artistes' use to protect the paintings from sunlight.  Look forward to more of your build.  You fired me up to get out a project I started some time ago..........Santa Maria, Shipyard, all laser cut kit.   

I have been building in card for some years and have a vast collection of kits.  Shipyard and HMV are my fav's  not counting GMP.  I have also ordered numerous times from GMP and have never had a issue one with them.  Sometimes it seems like 2 wks and you have and then again it might take 4 weeks,  You just have to be patient when ordering.  I try to make mine pretty large when ordering to keep the shipping down per month.
I like the paint that comes w/Shipyard kits, it is a water base gauche paint.  This translates into a medium that one can layer to get many variations of the color and effects.  However, it is not a easy paint to use and takes a bit of practice to get down.  Looks to me, you have mastered it well.  One of the down sides is this is a water base paint and water and card are not friendly.  Here is a tip I learned from modelers from Poland, clear base then paint.  I use good ole model airplane dope for this.  Another way is Future Floor Polish.  Once all is dry and ready, you will find you are not plagued with raised or swelled card.
Hope this has helped.  I also seal all my paint w/sealer from Hobby Lobby.  The stuff that protects your paint job from UV that artistes' use to protect the paintings from sunlight.  Look forward to more of your build.  You fired me up to get out a project I started some time ago..........Santa Maria, Shipyard, all laser cut kit.   

Bill, have you thought about a ship model............I have seen some that rival museum repilcas made from card.........there is also a lady from across the Big Pond, her name is Doris, you should see what this artist does in card along with a few other fellas from the same neck of woods.  Her Victory, a real piece of art and all hand made from card!
Rick

Here are some photos of the completed cockpit area and the thwart that supports the mast.  Some changes to the cockpit were based on photos of contemporary models.  Apparently, it was quite common for these craft to have additional bracing on the interior side of the transom.  Here is one such model.

If you look closely, you can see a metal plate in the notch that would have supported the anchor davit.  This makes sense since the davit probably exerted considerable stress on the transom while working with the ship's anchor.  Here's my interpretation of that photo:


No modifications to the thwart were made, other than the fact that I substituted boxwood belaying pins for those supplied with the kit.



Some of the thwarts have not been glued in place yet.  I placed them in position for these photos.  I think the additional room will help with the installation of the windlass, which is next.
BobF

Looking forward to your build of this most wonderful vessel.  I am also interested in how you approach and build a Billing Boats Kit.  I have a kit from 1984 of the Santa Maria w/o fittings kit, but that is no big deal, I can make and use after market items for what I do not have.
Will watch w/interest.
Rick

Background.
 
I was "asked" to build something pretty to put on display in our lounge room.  The usual models (i.e. warships, Nelson's Navy, and that era) were deemed unsuitable.
 
After eliminating most of the wooden kit types available, we settled on "modern" yachts.  The next criterion was size - had to be around 800-1000mm length.  And it had to be pretty!
 
Didn't leave many available to choose from.
 
Final choice was 'Olin Stephen's yacht Dorade', measuring 856mm long, and 1028mm high.  This is the link to Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorade_%28yacht%29
 
Again, options were limited for buying the model, but I had good response from Cornwall Model Boats, so ordered from them.  Delivery was very fast - ordered on 6th Jan, received on the 13th - and that's from the UK to Australia!
 
Box contents looked like this:
 
 

 
 
There are instructions, diagrams, and full size plans.  The instructions are translated into English, but some notations on the plans are not:
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
It's a simplified model, with a pre-formed ABS hull, so the packing list is quite short.  The parts all look smart:
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
And on to assembly, and the usual complications.  More soon.
 
Cheers,
 
Brett

I agree, it did help to see her finished after what the beast cost.  I did @ a latter date aquire another Victory but this time a Corel Kit.  A retirement project down the road.  But in the mean time, I shall enjoy yours.
Cheers Rick
A Scott Cousin in the US

Just so you know, I use different glues for assembly........ea. one has its purpose.  The glue in the green tube Klej Butapren is some of the best glue I have ever used.  This glue and another tube came in the 1st laser kit I bought.  The Santa Maria did not have this in it when I purchased this kit.  The Ansercoll Pu-Falco is very much like the Duco as is the UHU.  The Blue Bottle Uni-Flex is a card use CA and I love this stuff.  Now does one need all this to build card, no, but after many years of building card models, I have acquired these and learned how to use for the different types of assembly/dry times.

A few photos to wet the appetite..........