Zeus-cat

Thanks guys! That is enough to get me started.

Thanks for looking. Hopefully someone else has answers to my questions.

If I posted this in the wrong section please move it to the correct forum. I am looking for a little help. I built the Artesania Latina Dallas and gave it to a friend over 35 years ago. On my last visit to see my friend he gave the model back to me for repair. It clearly was hit by something as the bowsprit was shattered and there is some other damage. Thankfully the masts and hull appear to be fine. In addition to the bowsprit some of the rigging and a few spars will need to be replaced. Somehow after all these years I still have two pages of the drawings. I read on another post about this kit that there are three pages of drawings, so one has disappeared. Fortunately, I have the one that shows the rigging which should be the one I need the most. I don’t think I have any other documentation, but I will look again in my hobby room. My brother just told me he may visit me in June and I am thinking he could take the repaired model back to my friend on his way back to Denver. I live in Ohio and my friend is in St Louis, so my brother should be passing close if he takes I-70 home. That means I have a deadline! I started to cut away the damaged rigging trying to preserve what I can. To continue my repairs I could use the answer to a few questions. Question #1 What diameter is the rigging? Question #2 I need information on the parts that make up the bowsprit (parts #166 and 117). What are the length and diameter of these pieces? Many thanks for any help. Carter (aka Zeus-cat)

I hate to ask a dumb question, but my Billings Boat instructions show the deck made from long strips. The width of each plank is about the same as yours; but the length is much longer. The instructions show one strip goes just over halfway and then a second one goes to the other end. Personally, I think your deck looks fantastic and I am considering doing the same thing (although I can't believe it will look as good as yours). What made you decide to do the deck like this?

John E. I am new to this forum, but I agree with the others here; you are being too hard on yourself. There are two critical lessons one must learn when doing something artistic. First, nothing will be perfect and second, when it is time to stop and move on to the next part of the project. Most people pick up on the first one quickly, but the second one is a lot tougher to learn. Over the years I have done model and high power rocketry, oil painting, watercolor, scale modeling, wooden ship models, photography, stained glass, woodworking and even some writing. I am a mathematician/engineer by profession so I can be a little obsessed with getting stuff right, but most of my hobbies have taught me to learn to put the paint brush, pen or glue down at a certain point and declare a project is done. The same thing applies to individual steps in a project. I could keep pouring time and effort into a particular part, but I really won't improve it significantly for the time spent. I have learned to accept that it won't be perfect, but it will be good enough. I have a stained glass project that amazes everyone who sees it. Most of the mistakes I made in that project I have long since forgotten, but some I notice every time I look at it. I don't let it bother me; I appreciate it for what it is. Even if you decide your ship isn't great I urge you to keep it around. We all learn from our mistakes and keeping your bireme around will help you remember things that didn't go quite as you planned and maybe try something different the next time. And it will give you a great reference point when you complete your next project. You can look at your bireme and see how much you have improved.

My name comes from a cat we had years ago; he acted more like a dog than a cat. It sounds like I have the original Billings kit #518. My kit has plastic shields and plastic scroll work. And all the wood for the hull has a red hue, sort of like cedar or redwood. It is also rather fragile and several pieces have broken will I was cutting them. They are also badly warped. I was thinking of steaming and clamping them to get them flat (or at least flatter).

Thanks for all of the great photos. I have the Billings Oseberg kit from years ago and none of the planks are laser cut. I got half a dozen sheets of thin plywood with printing on them. It will be hours of bandsaw work and sanding to get these things ready. What did you use for your shield centers? I was thinking of making new shields similar to yours.