Wawona59

Plans for the C.A. Thayer and Wawona are readily available as part of the HAAMS project at the Smithsonian. Please offer a Thayer/Wawona kit in 1/8" or 3/16" scale. We would be most grateful.

I 100% agree with Chris' suggestion of the C.A. Thayer, the last of the many lumber schooners/cod fishers that plied the pacific northwest waters. With the same kit you could also offer the Wawona, a sister ship of the C.A. Thayer. There are not too many kits of vessels from the Pacific Northwest. I would drop every project I'm working on to build a Wawona. I met her as a wee lad in the mid 60's on the Seattle waterfront. Unfortunately, we lost her in 2009 and she's now an ugly wooden sculpture. Guess what my favorite ship is.

What a fantastic build log jdbondy! I've learned a lot from your log and the different approach you took building the hull. These have been filed away and archived for future reference when I finally have the skills to build my dream project; the Lumber Schooner Wawona in 1/8 or 3/16 scale. Beautiful Work!

I think the plumb bob is a simple way to go. It would work on the same principle as a navigational quadrant. The rake of the mast would be determined by the distance from the base of the mast aft along the centerline of the deck. The mast is vertical when the plumb bob lines up with the centerline of the deck at the desired rake angle. Another option would be to make small wooden blocks from some scrap at the desired rake angle. Then use the angle of the blocks to set the rake angle of the mast. The wooden block method is very similar to Banyan's method.

In my opinion, ship models that use the natural wood color in lieu of paint can be beautiful in their own right. Given that you have planked the topsides already, I would plank the lower hull with a contrasting wood and use an oil finish such as tung oil or boiled linseed. Best wishes on your project.

Thank you for your kind words George. You are right, the only person we have to please is ourselves. I'm going to forget about the Golden Hiinde (probably give it to someone else who has an interest in this era) and concentrate on subjects that interest me; clippers, schooners like the Wawona and subjects with a connection the Pacific Northwest where I live. Now, I need to get back on the mend so I can get on deck again. Thank you for checking in.

Thank you Rick310 and Roger for your kind and encouraging words. I'll be back on deck soon.

Welcome to MSW! I'm sure you'll find answers to your questions among the members of this group. Your pond yacht project looks interesting. Removing the old paint reveals some of the details of its construction. Looks like you've got lots of sanding ahead. As Chris suggested, start a build log in the scratch build section to post pictures of your progress. MSW has a fine group of modelers who should be able to help you on your journey.

Hi all, I realize that I've fallen off the planet with regards to my "Fish" build log. I have not been well for a long while to the point that I have trouble walking without assistance. As a result, I no longer drive. My hands and eyes are still okay to build models though. Good! I've decided to put my "Fish" project on hold until I improve my skills. I'll be starting some new, less challenging projects before I return to the "Fish". My "Admiral", who we all know is always right, has strongly suggested that I finish the incomplete models in my collection before starting a new project. I'm thinking of finishing the Mamoli Golden Hinde that I inherited before starting anything new. I'm not really that interested in the subject or time period but it should give me an opportunity to improve my skills. I'll probably just end up giving it away to someone. What say You, my ship modeling online friends? I'm sorry for letting you all down on my "Fish" build but I sincerely hope to redeem myself in the future.

Hi Richie, a very warm welcome to the Model Ship World forum. Since I finished my last simple project as a gift, (Chesapeake Bay Flattie) as a gift I'm trying to decide what me next project will be. I'm leaning towards my Pavel Nikitin Dakkar "Oseberg" kit. Decisions, decisions. Welcome Aboard!

Welcome to MSW Andrew. This is an outstanding modeling community. Everyone is very friendly, supportive and knowledgeable. There are several MSW members who have freely shared their research with me. I really love this forum. What references are you using? I highly recommend John McKay's Anatomy of the Ship series for the 100 gun ship Victory. Of course, you should get the classic "The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships" by Nepean Longridge. While Longridge's book is somewhat pricey, it will pay you back in spades if you are building a Victory model. I also suffer from severe bouts of depression. Modeling, especially ships and aircraft in wood has been my therapy for years. Modeling helps me focus on something other than my condition. I make gifts of many of my creations to the surprise of the recipients. I wish you all the best. Feel free to PM (private message) me anytime. If you click on my avatar of the Wawona you can find my personal email address.

I just ordered this Pavel Nikitin kit but haven't received it yet. Can't wait, this looks like a fantastic kit.

Very Sad News. My sincere condolences to Jim's wife Donna and the family. Although I never had the pleasure to meet Jim personally, I know he was one of the stalwarts in our ship modeling community. He will be missed but not forgotten.

HiFortressHarris, Congratulations on finishing your Dory project. I would keep your Grand Banks Dory just as it is. It would be an interesting exercise to compare this Dory with your next projects. I suspect that you will see marked improvement as your skill set grows. Instead of concentrating on the mistakes that you see, don't overlook the positive things you did on this model. Some of the positive things that I noticed on your build is that you were able to install the planks so that the port and starboard sides were symmetrical, you made adjustments as needed along the way and most importantly you FINISHED it. Think of this as your first semester freshman project. Now, onto the second semester. I wish you the best on project #2.

A very warm welcome to Model Ship World Helge. You are definitely in the right place. I don't know much about RC but I think there is a topic on another forum on the MSW site. I have found all of the MSW members I've contacted to be very friendly and willing to help and share on just about any modeling subject that floats. BTW, nice work on the racing sailboat model. Welcome Aboard!

Welcome to Model Ship World Dan! You are definitely in the right place. There many forum members who freely give their advice as well as share research information. Everyone is friendly and encouraging; even when I posted pictures of my hatchet job on a clipper ship model. You will definitely find MSW to be a valuable resource. Make sure you check out the other forums on the MSW site and "how-to" articles. I encourage you to read Chuck Passaro's article on planking as well as his planking videos on YouTube. He makes planking look so simple. Welcome Aboard!

Hi George, My very enthusiastic congratulations on completing your "Fish" project. Your thorough build log could probably serve as a treatise for building a model of the Flying Fish. I recently posted a link to a short YouTube video featuring the Flying Fish. The narrator is a little repetitive but there are some good model photographs. The credits on the video said that the source of the photos is from MSW. I think I may have seen a photo of your Flying Fish on that YouTube video as well. I think I posted the YouTube video link in the Shore Leave section of the MSW forum. GREAT model George. One, I'm sure you will be proud of for many years to come.

Hi Steven, Your Titanic model is coming along nicely. With regard to the issues you have had with warping wood, I wonder if a more stable material would work better. It would not be good if the decks warped AFTER you delivered the finished model to your client. As suggested earlier, styrene sheet would be a good option for this application. It's easy to cut and work with. After scoring the sheet a few times with a No. 11 blade and a ruler it will break cleanly along the scored line when bent by hand. Since styrene and wood are dissimilar materials, they can be glued together using CA. I wish you all the best and success in your project.

Welcome Aboard TJM! You've landed in the right place for ship modelers. There is a wealth of information and experience that MSW members freely share. Please do not worry yourself about the time it takes to build your model. We modelers are not on a schedule, in a race or have a deadline (except perhaps professional modelers with paying clients). Enjoy the modeling process however long it takes. Make sure to post questions along the way. You are bound to get several responses to any question you ask. When you are ready, I'm looking forward to following your build log on the HMS Flirt. Vanguard produces some excellent kits so you made a good choice of manufacturer and subject.

My go to wood filler is a mix of the sawdust from the actual wood I'm using and a 50/50 dilution of Elmer's white PVA glue. I collect the sawdust with a palm sander and a dust collection bag attachment. I keep the sawdust in one of those plastic containers that you can get from the fast-food drive in for holding ketchup, etc. The filler is cheap, non-toxic (depending on wood species) sands well and the filled repair is virtually invisible from the surrounding wood. Staining the repair leaves a little to be desired IMHO but works well under a painted surface. Of course, nothing beats tight fitting joints to begin with. The plethora of warning labels on ladders, lawnmowers, automobile airbags, etc. is the result of the courts increasingly holding manufactures and sellers liable for injuries to consumers and bystanders by requiring manufacturers to provide warnings for known hazards in using their product as intended. They are also required to anticipate product misuse (You, manufacturer should have warned me not to use my table saw without the blade guard attached so I wouldn't have cut my fingers off). One of the justifications for this policy, I believe, is that manufacturers are in the best position to know of the known dangers in using their product. They are also in the best position to absorb any losses through insurance and pass the associated cost onto all of the other consumers of their product. So, part of the cost that we pay for that fancy new bandsaw, drill press or other power tool we purchase includes a small portion of the insurance and liability payouts. I taught college level Business Law for 30 years before I retired. Before that I practiced law for10 years (please don't hold that against me as I've seen the error of my ways).

Your planking redo is much better and I'm sure it was well worth the effort. I'm very glad to see that you took the time to fix what you felt needed to be fixed. Your dory really has some nice lines. It's going to turn out to be a very nice model. Keep up the good work. Thank you for posting your progress.

Hi all, I came across this video on YouTube quite by accident. Given the title of the channel, I probably would not be given it a second look except that I spied a familiar name, Flying Fish. This is a relatively short video that has some very nice model photos. I think some of them may be from MSW. Thought some of the "Fish" modelers on MSW might enjoy this.

Derek, Welcome to Model Ship World! You've got quite a variety of modeling interests; aircraft, rockets, trains and now ships. What kind of ships are you interested in? Bluejacket and Model Shipways have some nice entry level wooden ship models that would be a good choice as a first ship model. As it's been said many times on MSW, start small and work your way up to more complicated models later. Although tempting, I would save the USS Constitution or HMS Victory for later. This is a great forum. Welcome Aboard!

Giorgio, Your model looks great. I really like the hand made character of your model and the figures. It will look great when it gets into a display case.

Hello George, Your Flying Fish is truly impressive. I've been following (i.e. lurking) on your Fish build since I joined MSW. I realize I've fallen by the wayside on my Flying Fish build but I'll be back. I've since received a complete set of bulkheads and keel from Model Shipways even though I purchased my kit way back in 1997 or 1998. They really do stand behind their products with their replacement part guarantee. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I'm very impressed with your build log and have learned quite a lot. I've also been a dutiful student and have taken good notes on yours, Rick310's and Jared's build logs as well as the discussions with Clipperfan and Rob. They will really come in handy when I begin my Flying Fish project anew.