Meekes

Some time later and i'm extremely happy with the progress i've made! When planking the deck i found out the majority of my planks were bending sideways, some even so much it would've been hell to use. I first looked for all the straight ones and then looked for the ones with partially straight planks or ones with just a very slight bend, these i would use the outer parts of the deck as i didn't need to use the whole length there. Then i started planking the deck using contact glue, first i drew a straight line in the middle so i could nicely place my first plank. And here, i made my first major (and very silly) mistake, i was so focussed on placing it perfectly on the line i didn't pay attention to the length and i reached short at the end! ouch... As the plank was already stuck on i decided to cut a small piece from another plank and glued it on the leftover part. Hoping it won't be too obvious to see in the end. I then drew on the lines and nails with a pencil and put on two layers of satin varnish. Sadly, i noticed afterwards that some of my pencil lines and drawn nails were badly visible or fully gone after the varnish. i tried to fix it up a bit more but not everywhere was as visible as before. oh well, not the end of the world. After that was one of the parts with stressed me a bit, although, afterwards i realized that wasn't necessary at all. I dry fitted the deck on the frame and with a bit more sanding i felt like it would fit quite easily. I put on some wood glue and pushed the deck on, forcing it on with my hands for a good 5 minutes untill i felt like it was stuck enough to let go, adding a drop of super glue at each rib to make sure it would definitely be properly attached to the deck. Overall i'm very happy with how it turned out. After the varnish i also found that the small part i glued on separately wasn't too noticable.

So, two days later and i've finished attaching the ribs to the false keel, this went suprisingly well and using lego blocks to keep it at a perfect 90 degrees went smoother than expected (honestly cutting each piece out and sanding them was the most tedious part and took the most time). The next step is planking the deck, but while preparing some of the planks i noticed some of them bend quite a bit sideways along the width. I haven't seen anyone else post about this so maybe it won't be an issue in the long run? Does anyone have any experience with something similar?

I have indeed read a few build logs before about this kit and i will definitely look at them again before each part! This forum is an ocean of knowledge so it would be silly not to use it.

Some of you may have seen my roam around on the forums for the past few weeks looking for advice, inspiration and information... Well, here it is, my first build! After getting the Polaris by OcCre suggested to me the most i figured it would be stupid for me to not listen, so i went for the starter kit and also bought the paint set for the Polaris. A little about me, i'm a total inexperienced beginner when it's about model building but i'm eager to give it a shot and try my best to learn and adapt. My life is quite busy and filled so my posts and updates might be really slow and far apart from eachother but i will definitely try to respond whenever i receive a question or comment. Oh, and apologies if my vocabulary or grammar isn't the best at times, i'm from Belgium so my English isn't the best. First of to get atleast a little bit familiar with sanding, gluing and clamping in proper 90 degree angles i started with the OcCre workstand. I got this because i felt like i would end up using it quite a bit even if it's not during my first build, and i thought it would also be a fun way to get a tiny taste of woodwork before the actual build. After succesfully having built the workstand i do feel like i can i've learned some stuff that i will take with me on the build. Now onto numbering all the parts of the boat, cutting them from the frames and sanding them to get them ready!

I went ahead and looked for my old soldering iron, whilst it doesn't have the big bending block at the end , it'll still do the job (i hope). As for clamps, i hope i'll be fine with about 30 to start haha

I was thinking of using the good old soaking method and then letting it dry while clamped. I do perhaps have a soldering iron i could modify in the future but that's not for my first build. Yeah i could indeed look for some wood pieces to use instead. As for lego pieces, i don't have any! I might have to ask around to get a few haha

So a little update: I'll be starting my buildlog next week as i'll be ordering the Occre Polaris starter set (+ the paint) and i'll be buying a bunch of tools this week. Here's my current list of tools i'll be getting, i probably have too many listed to start with? Mitre box, some paint brushes, bulldog clips, clamps, exacto knife and a box of #11 blades, putty filler, the Occre work stand, Occre curved sander and the Occre pin pusher. Really looking forward to starting this first build!

I will definitely be doing a buildlog!

True to some extent, but for watchmaking it's still mainly very small screwdrivers.

Hey everyone! I've got the feeling i'll be one of the younger people here as i've only just turned 27. 😅 My name's Yorick and i'm from a small town in the south of West-Flanders, Belgium and an architectural draftsman. I've never worked on any model projects and i'm overall not that handsy of a person so this is all very new territory for me. I'm a massive watch enthousiast (collecting them, reading about them, looking at them because i can't afford them) and always wanted to work on them. Getting into model ships always been something that interested me. Also getting into watchmaking is alot harder (and i think more expensive) than model ships so this seemed like the better hobby to atleast start with. Other than that i game and travel alot. Currently i'm still roaming the forum and the internet for the right starter project, and right now i think i'll be going for the Occre Polaris as this one has been heavily suggested to me on here. (I'm still open for other suggestions for my first or perhaps second project in the far future). Next to that i'm also still working on a list of tools that i'll have to get. I will be making a building log on my first project but as my weekends are almost always packed it'll definitely be a very slow project with often gaps between update posts.

Buying that combo here would be 225 euros, i know you get a 3 ship Combo for that price but i'd rather wait for that after my first build (if i don't end up liking it i'd be stuck with one unfinished ship and 2 i haven't even started). I'll probably go for the Occre Polaris. I've already looked at a few build logs and i'll admit i'm still slightly afraid that this ship will be more than i can chew, i'm an overthinker, it often happens. Meanwhile i'm still doing research and getting a small list of needed starter tools to get an eye on the overall cost to get into the hobby.

Yeah the Sherbourne of one of the fishing boats from Vanguard do look really nice. But for my first build i'll probably look for one that's not 200+ euros as it's mainly to get into it and it'd be a dream to think that i wouldn't make some kind of mistake while learning. It's definitely on my list if i enjoyed the first one though! Plus knowing that i also need to get some tools still i'll be getting up there in costs already. I'll definitely listen to you and look and models with lots of build logs, great tip! I have to admit with all of you being so informative and helpful i'm very much looking forward to getting into this hobby.

Thank you all for the fast and clear responses! I guess i should've known about starting with no masts (eagerness to start high often overpowers logical thinking). I'll have a better look around and start with something alot smaller, i'm in no rush so got lots of research to do.

(Hey! new guy here!) I've been looking around for the perfect kit to start off with and i'm so terrified of buying the wrong one (either me buying a kit i find boring or one that's too difficult for me to start with). I've been looking at Artesania Latina (as i'm from Europe so i'd rather not pay massive import costs) and mainly at their J. S. Elcano kit. Their Drakkar viking boat and indian girl canoe look great aswell but i'm not sure which i should go for first. I was wondering though, are these recommendations still up to date? as this topic is almost 7 years old (crazy huh) or if anyone has any other recommendations for me?