robdurant

Just a brief update... progress is gradually being made.  Thank you to all those who are looking in   It's a true encouragement.

The first shaped planks are on. I put four strakes on each side without shaping - one more than Vanguard suggest - but it seems to be turning out okay at the moment. Ultimately it's only the first planking, so if it isn't entirely neat, it'll all get covered up anyway. I figure it's good to try and do a nice job, because then I'm getting the practice. I'm sure i could do without stealers at the stern, but this feels like it will make the runs more simple. Time will tell.

1 hour ago, O-Nurse said:

Hi all, first time poster here.

Really taken all this advice in, its great source of information, and been looking at all the kits listed vs there rankings in the other page where member voted in the different categories. (yes i am very deep in the rabbit hole!! haha). I think I'm closing in on something from Caldercraft, possibly one of there models around the 100 mark so I'm not over investing in something if I don't get one with it etc.

My background is in multi skilled construction work and being on boats since i was very young, this includes working and maintaining them. I'm not a traditional trained shipwright by any means, but i have lots of knowledge of various boats and the rigging, construction etc. I have also built a fair few plastic model kits and some of the nasty push together wood types so I'm not completely new to model making just new to wooden ship building.

After all that waffle (and likely poor grammar I know I'm sorry), my question would be do you think I'm on the right lines with my selection looking in the "some experience" section and possibly something from Caldercraft? I guess my main thinking was towards quality of materials and clarity of instructions. Don't mind paying a bit more if its high quality proper well sourced timber, not cheap and nasty full of knots splits etc etc.

Thanks everyone and sorry again for waffling on!

For a first kit from Caldercraft, you might want to consider HM Schooner Pickle... it's the model I started with, and as one of their later decelopments, meaning, it has more detailed instructions and goes together nicely. The older kits (Caldercraft's Sherbourne for example, which I have also built) require a lot more reading between the lines and prior experience is helpful

Just my tuppence. Whichever way you decide to go, welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of help here... I know I have 

A very brief update.... three strakes on one side, and four on the other... from this point on I'll need to taper the planking, but it's making for a good solid base for the second planking. The large number of bulkheads make the planking a pleasure to do, and being able to edge bend the planks with the rib-bending iron mean very little pressure is every required.

Thanks for looking in.

Time for an update. The sub-deck has been put in place. It clips in nicely, and once glued provides a good solid structure,

Once in place, the doublers at the stern can be glued in, and I added some slightly watered down carpenter's glue to give these areas some strength before continuing with some fairing to get ready for the bulwarks. This area is quite vulnerable, but with a little care and attention it hasn't caused me any problems.

After getting the fairing near to where I felt it should be, the keel parts are glued into place (thus saving them being sanded away unintentionally... 

I like this way of doing things. It gives you the double benefits of good access to sand, and a neat finish. Kudos, Chris!

Now the bulwarks can be fitted... They aren't glued above the sub-deck, but can be clamped... Again, it all seemed to go very smoothly.

Having waited again for things to dry overnight, the sub-counter was soaked, clamped in place, and allowed to dry overnight - again - and then glued in place... 

Then - having allowed it all to dry again - it was time to start the planking... 

And that's where I've got to so far...  Thanks for looking in. I'm really pleased with how things are going

Rob

A little more progress today, putting the framework together.

Lots of this goes together dry, and then diluted PVA is added later to fix the whole together. Even without the glue, it's very solid. The only potential gotcha I'd point out is step 17, where a doubling part is glued in place, but you'll want to make sure it's lined up well, because in step 19, you'll insert a positioning tab (32?) that will rely on that glued piece being in the right spot. Having built another Vanguard fishing boat I spotted that coming, and so, although I took a break between these steps, it didn't catch me out. Anyway - we're spoiled by the quality of these instructions! And if you're setting out to get started, you could do much worse than just reading through the whole instruction booklet a few times and getting familiar with the sequence before you start out. It'll help you see these things coming, and prepare you for the kits you may move onto, where your hand will not be held in the same way

Thanks for looking in, and happy building

Rob

A promising start this morning. As with the Lady Isabella, this kit is exquisite. The parts fit is immaculate, the parts clearly labelled, and easy to find, and the instructions very clear and simple.

For anyone setting out into building model boats for the first time, I'd recommend going gently with the sanding of the MDF bulkhead parts... you'll probably end up needing to take them back further than you think, but slowly and carefully is the way forward. Vanguard provide lines to show where they need to be sanded back to, and plenty of great full colour pictures at ever stage to guide you through the process. (And no, I'm not being paid by Chris at Vanguard to write these things - I'm just enjoying this kit)...

Anyway - here's progress so far.

Bulkheads cut out and the initial bevelling done (with a combination of scalpel and sandpaper stuck to a board...

And assembly - all dry-fit at this point. The reinforcing parts on each side at the bow will be stuck in and then tabs placed through, ensuring that they're in precisely the right position.

Assembly was achieved with a good tight fit of all parts straight out of the box. Gently supporting the parts and tapping them into place worked wonderfully.

Right... that'll do for today  Thanks for looking in, and for all the likes and encouragement.

Rob

2 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

Good luck with both your project and your long-term recovery!

Thank you, Chris

Okay - so having had my immune system attack my brain (explained here... An enforced and hopefully not permanent hiatus), I'm currently unable to think at the kind of level required to make any progress on the projects I had going before (Barque Stefano, HMS Bristol (1775), and Nordkap). To be honest, I can't quite believe I ever even attempted them at all! I'm now having to learn a whole bunch of stuff all over again (new neural pathways, apparently!), and this build is part of my exploring what I'm able to do now  Progress is encouraging! Over the past month, I've gone from managing one step of a lego model per day, to being able to use a scalpel again without terrifying everyone within arm's length, to building and painting the brand new 1:48 Airfix tiger moth kit (picture below). I can recommend that kit, btw... it's a fun build! (And no, I didn't attempt the wires between the wings... )

Now, I'm excited to be taking on this beautiful kit as the next step. Having built a model of Lady Isabella before (below), I knew the instructions, kit design and support from this forum, and the simplicity of the build as a whole would be the best shot I have at getting back into this wonderful hobby! So thank you, Chris of Vanguard Models for such an excellent kit!

It will be interesting to see how close I can get to this in this new build... I'm hoping to invest in the more detailed sails for Erycina (a rough set are included with the kit, but I can confirm that they aren't a patch on the sails that I purchased alongside Lady Isabella, which I presume are of the same quality as Erycina's separately sold sail set). That Vanguard sells them separately also means I can get them as a separate purchase and spread the cost . Hooray!

There are already lots of excellent build logs of this kit, so I'm not expecting to exhaustively cover every step, but I will share my thoughts on it, and if I digress from the kit (not the plan!), I'll note what I've done and why, and you are very welcome to follow along and comment if you'd like to.  
 

Anyway - Erycina arrived today, and I shall get stuck in tomorrow. Thanks for reading this far. I'm sure progress will be slow! But slow and steady is just fine More sleep, first! Updates to follow.

Rob

5 hours ago, ccoyle said:

Both of these were far more aggravating to build than their final appearance suggests.

Their final appearance suggests that they were put together by the people on the factory floor who'd spent all day doing it and knew exactly what they were doing... I can't pick up any sign of a struggle... really beautiful work!

As an aside, my nan was one of those people on the factory floors... she was building Lancaster bombers, though.

Thanks, Jason.

Progress is slow but encouraging. Hopefully I'll get back to a place where I can continue this model, but it's well beyond me at the moment until then, I walk past it every day and marvel that not so long ago, I did that! 😆

Great to see you making headway on your stunning Artois class.

Rob

She certainly is a handsome subject. I wish you all the best as you set out to build her.

Hi all. 

Apologies that this build has stalled from my perspective. The post here will explain

Blessings on you all.

Rob

Hi all. 

Apologies that this build has stalled from my perspective. The post here will explain

Blessing on you all.

Rob

Hi all. 

Apologies that this build has stalled from my perspective. The post here will explain

Blessing on you all.

Rob

15 hours ago, Halsey said:

Hi Rob,

 

Sorry to have slightly hijacked your topic - hopefully you will be able to catch your build in time to resolve this issue relatively easily.

 

I'm not sure the ballast placement is critical so long as it's forward of the cabin and as low in the hull as possible - apart from the new hatch my only other issue might be to move the battery.

 

Have fun.............

 

J

Thanks 😊 

I've been following along with interest but have not been well recently. Lots to give thanks for, though, so I shall just wait patiently until it's time to pick up these threads again. The boats are patient, thankfully.

Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing.

12 hours ago, dunnock said:

Rob Durant @robdurant produced a programme called Picture Resizer

You can find it here... hope it's helpful. Any questions, just ask.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/26538-free-picture-resizer-application-i-programmed-to-solve-those-image-rotation-woes-microsoft-windows-10-and-11-only/

Hi Kevin,

This is a lovely, welcoming and helpful community. I could not have done half the builds I've done without the support I've found here. Good to have you here.

Do consider starting a build log and showing people where you're up to. You'll get more input that way and it will provide a place to ask any questions you might have and get those answers

Rob

Congratulations on your retirement. It's great to see progress on this model being made, and I hope you find great joy as you adjust to this new season of life.

Having built a vanguard model, and having almost finished MarisStella's largest model to date, I can say that the instructions are like night and day. 

Vanguard hold your hand throughout, making even the most complex of their models something that can be achieved with perseverance and patience. MarisStella provide many plans, but drawing them together and planning a build sequence or working out what tool to use for what task is left in many ways to the builder. Both fun to build (if you're happy to invest all the time required for the choice you make), and neither approach is wrong, but I would definitely expect a far steeper learning curve with MarisStella if it's similar to Barque Stefano.

10 minutes ago, Hostez said:

It looks amazing!

Thank you

Finished the waterlines, and here are the buttock lines. Only very minor changes, and they look pretty smooth, so I think I'm happy to start sketching out the square frames...

On 12/30/2023 at 4:04 PM, AnobiumPunctatum said:

Don't forget to check the buttock lines. If the waterlines are looking al right the buttock lines can make some problems.

Thanks - That's the next task after I finish these waterlines... The first attempt without the interpolation looked fine, but I've moved things since then, so I'll go over it again.

Here's a snapshot of progress to date... I'm looking forward to the bit where I can say I'm happy with these lines, and I think I'm edging closer.

A brief update to say that I haven't stopped all progress on this project, but there hasn't been much to show. I've been fine-tuning the CAD plans, interpolating between the waterlines, before I begin to loft the frames.

It currently looks like this...  I'm beginning to have confidence that these lines will make a good-looking hull. I still have to add interpolated lines above where the tumblehome begins... that's the next step.

I've also redrawn all of the square frames, so that they are one of three "sides" (depths of wood front to back) - I hope this will make the final construction much more efficient. Once I'm happy with the lines, I'll add the canted frames, too.

Thanks for looking in, and for all of the fascinating discussion. My efforts must appear very stone-age, but I'm having fun, and enjoying the pace I'm working at, so I figure that's a win! Stefano's beginning to reach the final stages (just running rigging to do) so I'll have more time soon - and hopefully some space on my build desk again!

Rob

A very quick update, and an opportunity to say a big Happy Christmas to everyone  Immanuel - God is with us.

I've completed the task of fitting out the yards, and bending the sails to them. And now, I've begun to add the running rigging, starting at the mizzen mast, and moving forward. Now that I'm well into it, I'm beginning to understand the plans. It's necessary to reference various different plans to see all of the runs and belaying points. This means the task is best down with a big table spare... The kitchen table works for me, but it does mean that it's not very easy to proceed when family are around for Christmas - a nice problem to have ! Here are some pictures of progress so far...