RLindsey

Such beautiful work Ilia! I only hope I can do half as well on my first build. I am very much enjoying your build log. Rich

Rank beginner here, not yet started my first model, but I thank you for posting this build. I am sure the time will come when I am faced with some of the same issues and I will be coming back here for inspiration. Looking good so far! How do you like the foam cradle for supporting the model while you work? Is it a worthwhile purchase?

Very nice so far. Looking forward to the rest of your build. Dry fitting the deck to keep the bulwarks straight (fair?) was an excellent idea. I'll have to remember that.

Wow, that is beautiful! I'd like to see more pictures of it as your build progresses. Guess I'll have to go find your log...

Thanks for all the welcomes, I already feel comfortable here. Randy, I am glad to hear about the Atlanta area model shipwrights group. Unfortunately I am pretty much housebound so I won't be able to make it to any of the meetings but perhaps I could become a member anyway and call upon the group's expertise and wisdom from time to time. Tools and kits have started arriving from ebay and Amazon but not the one I plan to start with yet. Hoping for early next week. I suppose I should go ahead and learn to use the camera function on my phone so I will be ready to begin my first log. Rich

I am enjoying your log Flying Submarine and learning a lot. My Dory should arrive by next week and I hope to get started on my own build soon. I hope I am half as good at recovering from my mistakes as you are! Good job so far.

Wow, thanks everyone for the great welcome! I am really looking forward to my ship building learning journey with help from all of you. It's going to be a slow process due to health issues (mainly essential tremors and sensitivity to things like CA, epoxy and some paints) but I am committed to this endeavor.

Hello all! I am brand new to ship modelling although it is something I have been interested in my whole life. Over fifty years ago I bought my first ship model, I believe it was a Billing Boats schooner of some sort although I don't remember which one. I opened it up, read the instructions, realized how difficult it would be and set it aside. Somewhere along the way, after 15 or so moves, it disappeared. About 20 years ago I picked up the Midwest Peterboro Canoe kit at a local hobby shop, saw that it called for using CA glue which I am sensitive to and set it aside. Since then I gave it away. So I have not yet actually built anything! Along the way I have assembled a small library of books on sailing ships and model ship building which I enjoyed reading but still did not build anything. So now I am an old man with nothing but time on my hands and have finally decided to take the plunge into wooden model ship building. After perusing this site and others for a week or so I went online to search for my first kit. Having read the advice about starting simple I decided to try and find a Midwest Level 1 kit. I sorta went crazy and ended up buying four level 1 kits, the Skiff, the Flattie, the Crabbing Skiff and the Grand Banks Dory (all from eBay). I also bought the Lobster Smack, the Sharpie Schooner and the Dinghy, all level 2 kits. In addition I ordered a bunch of tools and building supplies from Amazon. Then to compound my craziness, today I ordered the Model Shipways Shipwright 3 Ship Combo from Model Expo (it was on sale, how could I resist?). Everything should be delivered within the next week. I have been researching build logs for each kit here on MSW but still have not decided which one to start with. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorta leaning toward the Model Shipways Dory simply because of the detailed instructions. I don't expect to produce a masterpiece like so many I see here on this site but am looking forward to starting a log anyway. I will have to learn how to take and post pictures. Although my career was in the computer field I am somewhat of a Luddite when it comes to smartphones. Ah well, just another challenge to overcome! Thanks for reading this wall of text and I look forward to meeting all of you here online! Rich L