USCGDave

As you get started, you should check out this guy’s Occre Endurance diorama work on Instagram. I tried searching to see if he was a member here or had a build log here, but didn’t see anything. His handle on Instagram is plus47s_ageofsail I could stare at his model for days and still find amazing little details. It is still a work in progress and he posts regular updates.

Nice job, I’ll be referring back to your log when I get ready to tackle my kit, which should arrive any day know. Of course, tomorrow’s nor’easter snow storm May delay it a bit.

Nice job on the paint. Looks smooth from the photos. Are you going to paint the seats or stain?

Phil, Thanks for the long list and reminder to pick up a jargon dictionary. I have #10 and #11 from your list. I definitely love poking through my copy of Historic Ship Models. Comparing your list and Jaager’s, I may have to search for an original copy of #1 Chapelle’s The Baltimore Clipper. All I have to do now is select my first non-plastic build and get to fun.

Thanks for the tips, Jaager. I know you said there were no rules, but many get drawn to specialize. You are right. I will probably find myself mostly drawn to the hybrids of the transition period. There are so many interesting dichotomies in vessels around that time. For me personally, while building is fun, I enjoy the historical dives of research. There’s something I find enjoyable about digging into the past to uncover long forgotten documents, plans and stories.

I actually like all eras. I’m totally interested in ships of the Revenue Cutter Service and early Coast Guard. I’d love to try and tackle a scratch-built Coast Guard Cutter Northland, pre-1936. They removed the sails and trimmed the masts after ‘36. Until I have those skills, I’ll settle with starting the NRG half hull and a model shipways solid hull Phantom pilot boat kit I have on the shelf.

Sorry to have asked too broad a question. As someone new to the hobby, I have no specialty. I didn’t even know we were supposed to specialize. I like to read, I like to build and I was just excited to share my find and see what other people considered favorite resources, not bait anyone. I will try to be more tightly focused in the future.

Found two nice vintage Howard I. Chapelle books at our local secondhand book shop to add to my growing resource library. Excited to browse through these. First, we have “The History of American Sailing Ships” from 1935, which covers sailing vessels and rigs from the earliest colonial ships up to modern racing and cruising yachts. As an old Coast Guardsman, I really got it mostly for the chapter on Revenue Cutters. Plenty of line drawings, photos and plates. Then, we have “The Search for Speed Under Sail 1700-1855” from 1967, which has roughly 132 plans that can be used for scale modeling, though most are hull plans only. Still, I’m happy. The books were in good shape and plenty cheap. What are some of your favorite resource books?

Now a member of the guild and awaiting the half-hull planking project. Looking forward to starting a build log once I settle on my first project.

Chuck, I wish that Constitution keel had been glued with simple wood glue. It was more than likely done with foaming gorilla glue, which expanded the joints and caused huge gaps. But, those gaps made it easy to slip a blade in without hitting wood. Then I took a sharp chisel and carefully pared away the remaining foamed glue. But you’re definitely right about it not being the first build. I’ll be going way more modest than that and then working up to it. thanks all for the welcome. Been spending a whole lot of time reading all the articles in the library.

Thanks all, it is definitely a deep hole, but coming at it with a bit of woodworking experience both at home and in a commercial shop, I’ll hopefully be able to take those processes and tackle them in miniature. The shipwright series of kits is on the Christmas list so we’ll se where I end up starting. The good thing is that working at a commercial mill gave me a good background in reading plans/schematics and then developing the jigs and process for creating parts.

Hi all, New to the forum and to the ship modeling world. I retired in 2018 after 27 years on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. I then spent a few years as a lead mechanic in a Maine woodturning mill before fully retiring this year, though I still do a lot of backcountry search and rescue work on our county’s technical rope rescue team. I live on an 11.5 acre property near the 45th parallel in the western Maine mountains. Fortunately, there was a great workshop space on the property. I’ve been slowly renovating that space (a 30x13 single car garage that is now a full time hobby workshop.) All I have left to do is to build some insulated carriage doors and add climate control. In the meantime, I am making a small temporary shipyard in the house to start down this cool rabbit hole of ship modeling. I haven’t yet selected a first model, but am leaning toward the Model Shipways three kit skill builder set. I also have a MS Phantom NY Pilot boat solid hull kit and for some years down the road a used MS USS Constitution kit which surprisingly still had a complete inventory. Of course the previous owner had started and failed at the center keel step. I managed to carefully separate the three center keel pieces and it looks like I can salvage that and the two broken and patched bulkheads. But, that’s a kit for another time. Anyway, just saying hi and hoping to learn everything I can from all of you. Here’s a photo of the Constitution kit I scored. Even came with a tote full of balsa and basswood scrap. After inventory, I found all the parts were there, but three were damaged or poorly done. Though I’m not starting with the Constitution, I did want to see if that center keel would be salvageable. Careful cutting with an exacto blade separated the three keel pieces. Some file work and it appears as though I can salvage this kit just fine.