Zeno

I thought I would share what I have for the Constitution, my Dad had the picture since the 70's when he worked on her, not sure the origin--I had it matted and framed after my Dad passed, the piece of the ship was from the restoration from '73-76--I had the shadow box custom made for it recently.  

Eventually I hope to have a high quality model I built on display with those other 2 pieces.

Thank you for the welcome guys, I appreciate it.  I've started to read one of the build logs for the Longboat and there is a lot to consider once I get started.

Hello everyone.  Kerry here from Illinois, brand new to this hobby.  I've wanted to try to learn to build one of those nice beautiful wooden ships for a while but looking at the various kits out there left me pretty intimidated.  I plan to start out slow, I purchased my first kit--a Model Shipways 18th Century Longboat, eventually I'd love to build one of those gorgeous USS Constitution kits--but that will be years away (I retire in less than 8 so that might be a good time) but until then I will try to hone my skills on other kits.

The Constitution has a special place for me as my father worked on the retrofit in the 70's and I've visited her often as a child--and most recently in 2017 (when she was undergoing another drydock).   My father passed in 2018 and I got a portrait of the ship as well as a sizeable piece of oak from her hull.  I'd love to add a nice model that I took the time to build to proudly add to the display I already have.

Does anyone know if they make a kit for the Beaver?  That is the replica ship they have in Boston Harbor as part of the Tea Party museum (my father worked on that too).

A couple of questions...is the 18th Century Longboat I bought a good starter kit?   Any other good kits to learn on?  What types of tools should I invest in? 

I look forward to all your help and advice as I advance in the hobby.

Thanks!