Hello everyone! I would like to begin by thanking the administrators of this amazing site for accepting my request to join. I am completely new to what I hope will be a long time hobby (starting at age 53 so I hate to say lifetime, lol). I have built many RC cars, boats and planes as well as garden railroading, but have always been in awe of wooden ship models but I have always been too intimidated to actually tackle one until now... Life is passing by too quickly to have regrets. I have been researching and doing lots of reading to try and better understand what I am about to get into. I do plan to start with what I hope is an advanced beginner kit, Bluejacket's Friendship Sloop in either 1" or 1/2" scale). I know there are more inexpensive kits out there but I guess what keeps drawing me back to Bluejacket is that they are based in the US and hopefully east to contact for support along the way. I am currently in the process of converting my train building area into an organized and well equipped shipyard. I am open to other suggestions as far as a first kit is concerned. There does not seem to be a general consensus as to weather solid hull construction or plank on bulkhead construction is best to start with. I like the idea of doing a plank on bulkhead and have been studying the Simple Hull Planking for Beginners and the Primer on Planking posted on this site. I would also like to know what books you would recommend that I acquire for good resources as well. My two biggest fears are that I take on more than I can handle and the fact that I have NO ship terminology knowledge, I feel intimidated when I read some of the tutorials and I do not know what they are referencing... Bearding line, Rabbet line, Fairing the hull, Garboard plank, etc.
Please let me know if I am heading in the right direction with the Friendship Sloop and my thinking that a larger scale model with simple rigging will be easier to manage than a small scale model, my dexterity and eyesight is not what it used to be. I will end this long winded post by saying how utterly impressed I have been reading through the forum as to how nice and accommodating everyone is with new modelers on this site, I assure you that is the exception and not the norm for some of the other sites I have been associated with in the large scale railroading community.