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The USS Syren will be my 4th attempt to match the high quality of the models many of you create here on this great website.. I am actually going to build a model of the USS Argus, but since nobody makes this kit, I will make some modifications to the USS Syren to create the USS Argus. The model kit is supposed to be in the mail. I bought it from Model Expo.

Here is the nutshell version of my Bluenose build log to date. I previously had this build log on another forum, which I have now left and want to get it up and running here. Hull, Deck and Rails: The early stages of this build are very quick and easy. It’s not a difficult hull to plank. The deck is not too challenging either. I never know how best to finish the deck. Basswood takes a stain so poorly, so this time I simply used amber shellac which seems to work well enough. I know that many builders have found that the stern section of the rail doesn’t fit property. Mine didn’t quite fit either, so it necessitated making a new stern section. I did the rest of the rail in sections. The buffalo rail at the bow is an easy detail to add. The monkey rail which wraps around the stern and half way down the main rail is a bit tricky. I laminated two thin strips to make the curved portion at the stern. Deadeyes: I had to make a decision about how to approach the deadeyes. On the real Bluenose, they are secured with a bit of hardware that sits between the deadeye and the rail (not sure what it’s called.) The options were to try to recreate it with some brass wire, which I have seen many modelers do, or omit this detail altogether or opt for these cast pieces from BlueJacket. As you can see, I opted for the cast pieces. They capture the look of the real thing and I knew that I could never recreate the effect successfully myself without it looking too big and awkward. Chainplates: According to the plans and as shown in this picture, the chainplates are flush with the hull. The integral chainplates with these deadeyes would have been long enough to use them for the fore mast, but were too short to use for the main mast. On top of that, I knew I would never be able to inlay all twenty of them skillfully enough, so I cut them off at the waist I added strips of black construction paper. When all painted, it’s a compromise that I can easily live with. I used 1/16” masking tape for the white stripe, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to do the yellow stripe. According to the plans, the stripe is actually a groove running the length of the hull and is very narrow. There is almost no space above the scuppers to fit in and I was convinced it had to be very narrow to look right. So again, I made a compromise. I actually used a piece of styrene strip, .01” x .04” I painted it yellow, then glued it on. It's not strictly speaking correct, but if gives the effect and I know I could not have achieved a neater look any other way. Decoration: I practiced painting the decorations on black paper with a template cut out to the size and shape with key reference points marked. From a normal viewing distance of let’s say 50’ 🤗 it won’t look too bad. For the stern lettering I opted for the Masonic emblem rather than the Odd Fellows emblem. It was the Masonic one that it was launched with. I outlined my detective work on this subject in a separate thread: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/24244-bluenose-and-the-masons/?tab=comments#comment-713347 So that catches everybody up. Now on to the deck details. Thanks for looking in! David

Hi All! Well, as promised, I decided to start my next ship after a brief hiatus following the launch of my HMS Sultana. But...I decided to follow other folks who jumped into the USS Syren! It really seemed like the best choice for a number of reasons. - The Sultana gave me a good base for my skill set, but the Syren will expand on it in a step wise manner (Gaff rigged schooner to a more complex Brig) - The Syren and Sultana are built at the same scale, giving me a bit more confidence in applying what I learned building the Sultana - The Syren will be my first plank on bulkhead (POB), and represents a new skillset I have yet to really develop - namely planking - There are a lot fo great completed build logs on the Syren here...so lots of immediate knowledge from other modelers just a click away - The practicum written Chuck Passaro for the USS Syren is priceless! I work a lot, and during my Sultana build the various 'breathers' I took did not slow me down, since the practicum gave me a mental placeholder and seamless way to pick up where I left off without breaking stride. (In other words, the practicum I think really aids those modelers who often need to step away for weeks or months occasionally!) So...it's from here that I will start my new Syren build. Moving on...

Since I started this build back mid October the first post will be rather long as I try to bring you up to date... This will be my second build following MS Bluenose I which I really enjoyed putting together and finished last year. When the box arrived and I got around to opening it a couple of weeks later I was surprised to find the bulkheads and the bulkhead former were extremely warped. An email was dispatched to MS and a short time later new material arrived. This seems to be a rather prevalent problem with this kit. Sad really when you think about all the work that went into it's creation and how popular it has been. That aside I am really looking forward to slightly bashing the kit with the use of swiss pear for the decking and some other elements. Plus I will be replacing the badly cast kit cannon's and carronades, ships wheel and a few other features including the cast decorations which to me look unusable. Here are the MS cast cannons and carronades against the plans, I will be using brass cannons from Caldercraft part# 85180A and part# 85818A for the carronades. The little mermaid is actually not to bad cleaned up! The galley castings P&S are different sizes, I am going to attempt to make my own. The transom decor is probably pretty hard to cast at this size so I will attempt to make my own. This will be my first time carving so your guess is as good as mine... we will see! t So lets begin with a bit of Syren History btw it appears the mermaid figurehead was added by the British USS Syren (1803) Courtesy Wikipedia, Published under creative commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ History: United States Name: USS Syren Builder: Nathaniel Hutton Cost: $32,522 Laid down: 1803 Launched: 6 August 1803 Commissioned: 1 September 1803 Renamed: Siren, 1809 Fate: Captured at sea, 12 July 1814 RN EnsignUnited Kingdom Name: Siren Acquired: 12 July 1814 by capture Commissioned: Not commissioned Fate: Not listed after 1815 General characteristics Type: Brig Displacement: 240 long tons (244 t) Tons burthen: 298 (bm) Length: 94 ft 3 1⁄2 in (28.7 m) (overall); c,75 ft 0 in (22.9 m) Beam: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m) Depth of hold: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) Propulsion: Sail Complement: 120 officers and enlisted Armament: 16 × 24-pounder carronades USS Syren (later Siren) was a brig of the United States Navy built at Philadelphia in 1803. She served during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812 until the Royal Navy captured her in 1814. The British never commissioned her but apparently used her for a year or so as a lazaretto, or a prison vessel. She then disappears from records. Description Syren was designed by Benjamin Hutton, Jr. of Philadelphia and built for the Navy in 1803 at Philadelphia by shipwright Nathaniel Hutton and launched on 6 August 1803. She was commissioned in September and Lieutenant Charles Stewart was appointed in command. She was sharper, but smaller than USS Argus (1803), yet carried the same armament. Both vessels were built the same year for the First Barbary War. Service history in US Navy: First Barbary War Syren departed Philadelphia on 27 August 1803 and reached Gibraltar on 1 October. A fortnight later she sailed via Livorno to Algiers carrying presents and money to the Dey of Algiers. She then sailed to Syracuse, Sicily, where she arrived early in January 1804. The first action Syren was involved in was an attack aimed at destroying USS Philadelphia, a frigate that had run aground the previous autumn and that Tripolitan gunboats had then captured. To prevent Philadelphia from opposing his planned operations against Tripoli, the commander of the American squadron in the Mediterranean, Commodore Edward Preble, decided to destroy her. To achieve this, Syren and ketch Intrepid sailed from Syracuse on 3 February 1804 and proceeded to Tripoli, which they reached on 7 February. However, before the American ships could launch their attack, they were driven off by a violent gale and did not get back off Tripoli until 16 February. Before the attack Syren tied up alongside Intrepid to transfer some of her crew for the assault on Philadelphia. Aboard Intrepid, under the command of Stephen Decatur, sailors from both Intrepid and Syren succeeded in burning Philadelphia. Also present during the assault was Thomas Macdonough of Syren. Bombardment of Tripoli, 1804 Syren returned to Syracuse on the morning of 19 February. On 9 March, she and Nautilus sailed for Tripoli. Soon after their arrival, on 21 March 1804, she captured the armed brig Transfer belonging to the Pasha. Stewart took Transfer into US service and renamed her USS Scourge.[5] She then served in the American squadron. The very next day Syren captured a polacca named Madona Catapolcana and sent her to Malta. Operations in the Mediterranean during the spring and summer of 1804 and participated in the attacks on Tripoli in August and September 1804. The ship continued to support the squadron's operation against Tripoli which forced the Pasha to accede to American demands. After a peace treaty with Tripoli was signed on 10 June 1805, the brig remained in the Mediterranean commanded by Master Commandant John Smith for almost a year helping to establish and maintain satisfactory relations with other Barbary states. The ship returned to America in May 1806 and reached the Washington Navy Yard in August. She was laid up in ordinary there until recommissioned in 1807 and subsequently carried dispatches to France in 1809. In 1809, her sailing master at the Norfolk Navy Yard was Captain John "Mad Jack" Percival. The following year, her name was changed to Siren. War of 1812 Little record has been found of the brig's service during the War of 1812, however small news items appeared in the Salem Gazette and the Boston Gazette. In May 1813 it was reported that within the space of two days a merchant vessel, Pilgrim, was boarded, first by HMS Herald which was searching for Syren, and then by Syren, which was searching for Herald. Syren was now commanded by Lieutenant Joseph Bainbridge. The following month Syren left Belize and proceeded to Cuba where after three weeks searching for a Royal Navy sloop, probably Herald, she sailed for the coast of Florida putting in at New Orleans before departing on 9 May 1813. No prizes were taken during this voyage and the ship needed repairs. By January 1814 Syren was in Massachusetts and was now commanded by Lieutenant Parker, In February she sailed along with a privateer, Grand Turk. Not long after sailing Parker died and command transferred to Lieutenant N.J. Nicholson. Syren captured at least three merchant ships off the coast of Africa. On 28 May she captured and burnt Barton, Hassler, master, which had been sailing from Africa to Liverpool. Then on 1 June Syren captured Adventure, which too was from Africa to Liverpool. She took-off their cargoes of ivory and sank them. Lastly, at some point Syren captured Catherine. On 12 July 1814 Syren while cruising off the West African coast encountered the British ship HMS Medway a 74-gun third rate ship of the line under the command of Captain Augustus Brine. Heavily outgunned, Syren attempted to run. After an 11-hour chase Medway captured her despite Syren having lightened her load by throwing overboard her guns, anchors and boats. During her last voyage she had captured or sunk several British merchantmen. Among the prisoners was Samuel Leech, who later wrote an account of his experiences. According to Samuel Leech, after being captured the crew of Syren were taken to the Cape of Good Hope, and after landing at Simonstown, marched to a jail in Cape Town. Here they were held until transferred to England when the war was over. On arriving at Simonstown, other American prisoners were seen to be leaving the jail and being shipped off to Dartmoor. The Syren crew met these again in England while waiting for transfer to the United States. Some had been present at 'The Massacre'. British service history: After the capture by Royal Navy she had a figurehead of mermaid installed. The Royal Navy used her as a lazaretto. She is no longer listed after 1815. So lets start things rolling, Below: gluing what will become the rabbet strip between the keel and the bearding line. After cutting and sanding the bearding line into the bulkhead former the stem knee is sanded (tapered) in order to facilitate the mermaid figure head. Then the stem knee is glued into position on the rabbet strip. Next the keel is glued on. The slight step where the stem knee meets the keel is where the false keel will go running to the stern. Seems to be a little controversy as to weather the false keel is copper plated or left natural wood. As it is designed to come off if the ship should run aground I plan on the un-coppered look which is what it calls for in chucks instructions. Now I test fitted the bulkheads onto the BF (Bulkhead Former) after sanding out the char. Followed this by ruffing out the bulkhead bevels. Nice to now get a first look at the form of the ship One area in the instructions that made me cringe (sorry Chuck) is in Chapter 12. for setting the masts. They want you to take a electric drill and drill out the mast holes down through your deck and into the plywood. By this point the ship is half done including the copper plating etc. The main mast has quite a rake to it and the fore mast is almost perpendicular. This step has given people nightmares lol. So I wondered why they didn't just notch out the plywood with the laser like on the bluenose. I searched for a reason and couldn't find one so I went ahead and did it myself. It is so easy to do. Using Sheet#1 of the plans, lay out your BF with the stem knee and keel glued on but nothing else Line it up on the sheet and you can draw the mast lines and angles right onto the BF. Now you just cut out your notch and glue two sandwich boards one each side to make a mortise. When it comes time to set the masts all I've got to do is file two side of the mast base to form a tenon that will fit right in and have my mast all set at the approximate degree required. Doing it this way I should be able to get away with not gluing the masts in also. In the instructions they glue the masts in. Here's hoping anyway! Pick showing what I did: Now with the mast notches cut. I cut plywood to make the sandwich. Before gluing any of this together I faired up the bulkheads a bit better using a guide plank and glued them in using a square to keep everything in line. A few pics below: Next, I've blocked in the BH's and BF to stiffen every thing. Don't laugh at my blocking I had it nice and neat then realized I had no room for sanding and filing in the later work along the bulwarks. So I grabbed the axe and knocked it all back Then came the exciting part as I got to use some pear to fill in the platform (decking) that will be just visible through the galley door. I pulled out and used the least nicest pear ends for this since it will barely be visible. Followed with a coat of Lee Valley tung oil. I also painted the background black to mask it. Then I installed the bow filler and began checking the inner fairing on the bulwarks. A few pics... Thats all for tonight folks, will add more sooon, be safe out there! Regards, Robin aka Nova ~~~

Unpacking the box and the process of building the model of the pinky schooner GLAD TIDINGS (1937) by the American kit manufacturer Model Shipways. Here I share my personal impressions of the kit and results.

The project was started just after Christmas with becoming familiar with all of the included wood and support pieces. The laser cut planking is excellent and actually feels a little more hard than the strip cut wood. Also, it seems to hold a better egde. The BOM states "Basswood or Limewood(European Basswood)" so I'm wondering if that explains the difference. One of the laser cut parts, the profile mold, did not match the plan around all of the the perimeter ( sheet 1A) but was satisfactory in the critical areas. (Edit:) Also, the horse support notches as well as the hull mold notches are not to be trusted. For me, all alignment was referenced from the waterlines, especially WL#4. i.e. Mold alignment from WL4 and plank alignment from WL1 to WL4. The supplied manual/guide is a treasure of information and the plans (save for above) are very well done i.e. thin lines and they all tie back to each other(so far). I'll try to keep up with the web resources I have gratefully used: Senior Old Salt John Flemming Lester Palifka Raymond Diaz 3 ply lamination making up the stern rabbet and keel skarf. It held the curve nicely. All the hull molds and profile mold were square and straight at this point except #1hull mold. It was rocked a little down to the left at this point. Here it's de-glued and straightened up with a little post. All the battens so far are attached use a medium CA glue by wicking it into the joints. I'm trying to avoid cleaning up the excess glue later on. Retro note here from 2/12/17: To make things a little easier later while positioning the thwart #4, note that the aft of the centerboard slot will determine the position of the aft of the centerboard case. The aft of the #4 thwart should line up (see plans) with the aft of the centerboard case. That all being done should place the ends of the thwart between two frame timbers, avoiding extra carving of the thwart. I’ll copy this edit into the appropriate frame layout post. Four flat planks are attached. Planks #5 & #6 need to be curved around the molds. A nice piece of cove molding is supplied with the kit.

I hope there is room for yet another Syren build log. I don't own any power tools apart from a dremel and a drill, so I'm curious to see how I progress on this build. I also hope I can keep up with the great builds I have seen on this forum. This is my second kit and first build log. First was an Artesania Latina's Virginia 1819 which I completed a few months ago. I'm sure everyone here has seen it but here are some photos of the Syren kit (please let me know if have not selected the right resolution, I took these on my phone and uploaded them here without any size modifications): I started organizing the parts by checking the parts list and labeling everything: I already have a few questions before starting the build 😅: 1) I got wood belaying pins instead of brass due to shipment issues from China. What's the general consensus on which is the better material? 2) Are the number of parts in the part list more than what is required in the build? The reason I ask is because I am missing a few 3/32” Single Blocks out of the 310 total which is mentioned on the list.

I started this boat last Fall before I was a member here so I’m actually somewhere in the neighborhood of 80% finished. It's my first nautical build so what might appear to be lightning fast construction is really just a lot of catching up on already completed steps. When I get to the stuff I’m doing now you’ll notice a rather dramatic slow-down! My photos of the early stages of the build are hit and miss and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. It's casual documentation at best. Fortunately, lots of good logs for this boat are already available on this forum so all the nitty-gritty of actual construction techniques have been covered quite thoroughly by far more accomplished builders than I. While this build log certainly isn’t necessary in terms of critical new information, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get familiar with actively using the forum and share some of the things I did differently on my build. My next build log (1:32 Amati Fifie) will be a much more professional endeavor with photos from my “real” camera rather than a phone…I promise! Thoughts on the kit: If you plan to build this kit entirely from what’s in the box, you should be able to get reasonably good results. My kit was missing a few items but nothing I couldn’t make myself so I didn’t pursue replacements. Other than the planks and building jig, I didn’t use much of the die-cut material provided in the kit. Given that I was looking for a little more “texture” out of my weathered boat than the smooth basswood the kit provided, I turned to my bottomless supply of scraps from various projects I’ve done over the years. I wasn’t overly excited about the look of the rope that came with the kit given what an important part of the overall visual impact it has on a boat of this scale (or any scale really) so I opted for the excellent stuff available from Syren Ship Models instead. It’s a dramatic improvement for such a small investment. This kit comes with 6 sheets of what I consider clear/excellent plans and Ronnberg’s book “To Build a Whaleboat” which is half instruction manual and half a history of the whaleboat in general. For me, these items alone are worth the cost of the kit. I was a little surprised that Model Shipways used such a crudely built version of the boat on the box cover. It doesn't come close to accurately representing the quality of the kit and really would have made me think twice about my purchase if I had seen it in person. Your results will most definitely be far better than what you see on the box! 6 sheets of wonderfully detailed plans. Ronnberg's excellent instruction book. The building jig: If I had any advice to offer on this build as a boat/ship modeling novice, it would be to take your time on this particular step. It’s tempting to hurry through setting up your building jig and getting on to the fun part but everything that follows depends on accuracy here. My kit had quite a few small and not-so-small discrepancies between the plans and the laser cut parts so be sure to compare the two and proceed accordingly. Trust the plans rather than the die-cuts. If I had assembled the building jig “as-is” it clearly would have caused issues during planking. This is probably a no-brainer for people with a few builds under their belt but I was a little perplexed as to why the die-cuts wouldn’t be dead-on. I know better now. I would also recommend strengthening the building jig if the slotted joints feel sloppy/loose like they did with my kit. I added small blocks to strengthen and align the joints overall and I think it was worth the minimal effort invested. I may have just gotten a little unlucky with my particular kit but I suspect this is a common issue. The final thing worth noting as it pertains to the jig is investing in a good quality piece of flat material for your building board that’s not likely to deform with changes in humidity. Dead flat and staying that way is a must if you want the bow and stern horses to sit properly and receive the frames without modifications. The frame after it had been removed from the horses. Note the use of small blocks to square up and stabilize things. The planking process puts a lot of stress on this thing so sturdy is good.

Hello Model Ship World! I am starting my build log for the Model Shipways Niagara. Although not new to model ship building, this will be my 2nd foray into wood. I recently finished the 18th Century Long Boat and learned so much, that I feel confident in moving to a larger ship. I am very slow and methodical when it comes to building. I'll let stuff dry for a week before touching it! I'm including the shots of the box and contents as it will probably be the last time it looks so neat and organized I cant thank other folks from the "Niagara Club" such as 6ohiocav and Mikiek (among others) for their build logs, your logs have been a wealth of information. Time to start counting sticks and get a keel laid down! Updates to follow! Tom E

It's time to start the log Sometimes I need some rough stuff to do, with all my 3 other builds I'm in a stage of more fiddeling detailed things ... so I decided to start a fourth build ... I need sawdust ... haha ... girlfriend is not amused Intro: "On January 23, 1777, Congress "Resolved, That two frigates, one of 36, and the other of 28 guns, be immediately undertaken in the state of Connecticut." The "Confederacy" and her little sister the "Alliance". For more historical informations I suggest reading the introduction of Chuck's (as always) great instructions. Check here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/1395-downloadable-instructions-for-the-model-shipways-confederacy-kit/ I bought the kit a while ago via ebay auction because I'm a bit lazy to go full scratch. I always regret that, haha. I guess 90% will be replaced so I call this build a semi scratch (which is actually totally irrelevant, I mean how to call it ) The wood will be mostly pear, hornbeam, maybe holly and some ebony, not sure about that yet. The crappy ME casted guns are replaced by Chuck's brass guns and I were lucky about the figurehead as Chuck found one last one somewhere in his shop No words about the ME figurehead ... Daniel Dusek is my man to mill a lot of parts for me :-) Daniel is kind, helpful, fast and I really love his work (and wood). One of the good guys LIVING his job by heart (as Chuck do too)! Parts milled and/or lasered by Daniel: My dedicated Confederacy sources are: * Chucks plans & instructions * THE CONTINENTAL FRIGATE "CONFEDERACY" by Douglas H. Robinson * NMM Plans of the renamed Confederate * Chapelle "The History of the American Sailing Navy" * Harold M. Hahns "Ships of the american revolution" and his plans * Model Shipwright article by Justin Camarata ================================================================== When I got the kit the first inspection was disappointing. I knew about the bad casts but a lot of sheets seemed to be burned with a overheated laser and the plywood was warped as s**t ... and just to thick. Even I prefer to get good stuff at the first I'm happy about ME's replacement philosophy. Some weeks later I could pick the stuff up at the customs and PAY TAX again for the parts (I allready paid tax for ... yeah!)... I hate this. The boxwood sheets where ok now, the 2nd plywood was even crapier then the first one. Quality control for the win! At this time the decision grew up to redo most of the parts in pear. Still the damn sheep plywood. 2nd replacement of the plywood: To make the story short I get in direct contact with Marc Mosko the CEO of ME and after a while and some very kind conversation he sent me another replacement with a super great plywood. Yes it looks more expensive (sure it is though ...) but I really really hope ME changes his mentality about that and will use the better plywood in future! It's lightweight, stable, correct in thickness, laserchar is easier to remove, kinda no splinter when sanding, it's eye pleasing ... and so on ... love it! New plywood: Comparison of 2nd and 3rd replacement: Anyway, while waiting for the 3rd replacement (and honestly - sorry Marc - not 100% confidental if I will get one ... hehe ...) I tried to do the best with what I had. Now I have a testbuild too My testbuild While working on my testbuild I discovered a major problem with the stem. As you can see on the plan the stem is shown in single parts (which the lasered parts are made from) and as a whole. But, these parts are NOT equal: Both stems overlayed (green is the stem as a whole and the correct one), you can see the problem: This might work out with basswood as you can bend it a bit to fit to the bulkhead former but no way with pear, the whole assemble ist too "high": A way to kinda fix it is to shorten parts S2 & S3: Fixed steam V1: cheers, Dirk

This marks the start of my build of the Model Shipways Mayflower kit, designed by Chuck Passaro. This is the last kit in my possession to build. I've been following the Medway Longboat (1742) project with interest, but I will need to hold off on that project for future. Mayflower will be my third project and first actual ship build. Kit supplied wood will be used for the first layer of planking. I will be using cherry for any wood that will be left unpainted. Deck planking will be maple or cherry. I have yet to decide. Below the whales will be panted tallow. Modifications to the color scheme will be addressed as we are further along. Those of you who have followed my other projects know that I work slowly. I anticipate this project will take much longer than the previous ones. My goal is to attain a quality representation of the Mayflower. I received the Syren Serv-o-Matic serving machine at the end of my Pinnace project and have been sanding the char from the parts. I will be treating the wood with several coats of Wipe-on-Poly before assembling all parts. I will include photos in my next post. Included in this post are photos of Chuck's prototype of the Mayflower. Steve

I have recently started to work on the US Brig Syren from Model Shipways. I just say these instructions by Chuck Passaro are too notch. I am currently working on the rabbit as seen in the photos.

Hi everyone. Long time modeler but first time wooden ship builder here. I have waited patiently to finish two projects - IJN Yamato and USS New Jersey, both in 1/350 scale - before starting this kit. Now they are done it is time to start on Syren. I can't hope to match the beautiful renditions of Syren created by others here, but I do hope to learn from them. By way of background, I have been making plastic models from kits for the past 10-12 years. I started with 1/35 scale armor, dabbled in 1/48 scale aircraft, and then gravitated to 1/350 scale ships. Along the way I acquired a huge assortment of tools and paints, and developed an almost masochistic degree of patience. IJN Yamato and USS New Jersey both took me two years or more to complete - and I suspect Syren will take longer - so patience will be a requirement. I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Oh no, another first time builder who has bitten off more than he can chew." Possibly - we'll see - but there zero chance I will walk away from this build or the hobby in general. True to form, I will work slowly, watch carefully what better builders have done, and ask a lot of questions. At the end of the day, I'm not afraid to screw this up and that relieves any sense of pressure. There WILL be a ship that comes of out all my efforts ... the only question is whether it resembles the real thing. 😝 As true "negatives," I have no experience working with wood, and I wouldn't consider myself handy in a real world sense. I'm not the guy who whips together a treehouse for the kids in a weekend. And scratch building is something I have avoided in the past. Finally, I suspect I will be diverted initially gathering tools and supplies ... things like rubber bands, binder clips, clamps, balsa wood blocks, etc. that I haven't needed in the past. At any rate, here I go. Since I don't have much to share at this point, I added some pictures below of my workspace, my first steps, and my previous projects.

Hi all. This is my second ship build and also new to the forum. I’m almost done with my first, a Blue Jacket Ship Crafters Red Baron. I am down to painting which is a process so I decided to start on the Syren. At first I was not going to post my ship build because I am a newbie to this hobby. After reading all the supportive comments and suggestions in other builds I decided I was being an idiot. With that said I have started and here are my initial pictures. I look forward to comments and suggestions.

Dear fellow modelers, this is my buiding log from other forum. I was asked to put it also here. I started buiding this ship in the beginning of January 2020. As I already did some work on it I will put date on top of all posts that you know from when it was. Hope you will enjoy. 17.12.2019 Hi fellow modelers. I finally decided to buy this wooden model. Thanks for all the tips, knowledge and experience you shared with me. I bought it from USA amazon and there appears to be some issue with verification of amazon request in my Slovak bank. Anybody have any experience with this? Hopefully I will resolve this issue today. It is funny, because the same model shipped from USA is 60 Euro cheaper then bought in EU. Either way I started yesterday after work with preparation. I built ship holder. I inspired myself with many holders I have seen here on SOS. I also bought some clamps which I did not have. 8 small and 6 bigger- it was really cheap only 10 Euro. Here are some pictures of process.

Hi everyone - this will be my build of the Vanguard by Model Shipways. This kit was made by Model Shipways for a short time under license from Amati. Included in the kit are 20 plan sheets,27 laser cut wood sheets of various woods,11 sheets of etched brass,along with all the usual fittings,plus a lot of cast metal items. All the rigging line is on Mantua spools & looks to be of decent quality,although I may replace some of it with Syren rope depending on the application. The rigging blocks look to be above average quality,but I will still probably use Syren blocks. Copper tape is provided for coppering the hull rather than individual copper plates. Also,all the guns are cast metal instead of turned brass. As I understand,the Amati version has the gun carriages made of metal but my kit provides wood carriages. There is a LOT of strip wood plus a large handful of walnut dowels. This appears to be a high quality kit & should be fun to build! A few pics of the contents....... Mark P.S. - please let me know if the link below works........took me about 6 tries

Good day Gents. After a long absence from ship modeling, I am back in the game. I am new to the log business so my apologies in advance to the moderators if there is something amiss in the log but here goes. The Model shipways kit is so far been very nice to work with. I have finished the framing so we will start with the false deck. The center bulkead and all the frames went in without a hitch. I encountered a problem with the 2 quarters of the false deck. I read in another log and I think it was the same problem but figured it out with a little coffee and thought. The laser cut center line is about 1/8" off to the right. The hatch layout is correct. The formast hole and forward scuttle is centered on the laser cut which makes them wrong. Here is my fix. No harm no foul. I hope from this point on I can stay up to date. Thanks to all who who have posted their build logs on this ship. They have been a great help.

I ordered the kit from Model Expo, got a great deal with the Father's Day sale. Unfortunately she's back-ordered for a few weeks, but I hope to be unpacking soon! I'll be using the Syren Model Company blocks and rope, so it should be a good upgrade from my last build where I used cheap square blocks, but that'll be a ways down the road.

14 Gun Brig “Fair American”, Circa 1780 The 14 Gun Brig Fair American, circa 1780 is based on Model No. 60 of the Henry Huddleston Rodgers ship model collection at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, Maryland. Due to the number of vessels named Fair American that participated in the American Revolution and the amount of conflicting data pertaining to these names, it has not been possible to identify the specific vessel the model represents. However, the model is representative of many of the small ships used as privateers during the American War of Independence. The brig Fair American had a length of 68’ 0”, beam of 24’ 0”, depth of 8’ 0”, and tonnage of 130 tons. The model is based on the Model Shipways Fair American kit developed by Erik A. Ronnberg, Jr. and updated by Ben Lankford. Additional research was conducted using Steel’s Elements of Mastmaking, Sailmaking, and Rigging (1794) and by examining the original Fair American model at the U.S. Naval Academy. The model is plank on bulkhead construction at 1/4” to the foot scale (1:48) with single planking and scratch built details/fittings. Paint colors are based on examination of the original Model No. 60 and contemporary practice. Planned enhancements to the Model Shipways kit include: (a) main deck planking will incorporate hooked scarphs outboard; ( quarter deck planking will utilize curved/tapered planks; © cannons/carriages will be from Kingshouse Cannons and the Lumberyard; (d) the stern lantern will be from Caldercraft Scale Ship Models; (e) proportional linen rigging line will be from Bluejacket Ship Crafters and Warner Woods West; and, (f) rigging blocks will be from Warner Woods West. In order to more fully evaluate these changes, cannon port clearances, bulwark, and hull straking; a Bulwark and Deck at Side mockup was constructed from frame 2 to frame 4.8 starboard. Pete Jaquith Shipbuilder

This kit wasn’t planned. I was struggling to find a suitable ship’s boat for my Royal Caroline when I came across Blue Ensign’s excellent Pegasus build log. B.E. based his boat on Model Shipway’s Pinnace, scaling down the plans to his smaller scale. I decided to do the same. I was pleased with the result, and am looking forward to completing the kit as intended. I debated whether or not to start a log – there are already several very good Pinnace logs on the forum and I wasn’t sure I would be able to add anything useful. However I decided that logs aren’t just about showcasing advanced skills, they’re also about those of us with more modest abilities learning as we go, and especially learning from our mistakes and sharing those experiences. I scratch built the small version from boxwood, but for this model I plan to use the supplied timber for the frames, keel, stem and stern post then mill my own planks and internal fittings. The other decision I've made in advance is to leave out the rather strange extension piece at the stern. As the original model and plans were by Chuck Passaro I'm sure this extension is historically accurate, however I just find it odd. I'm sure a practically-minded captain would have drawn the line at such a fragile and seemingly useless piece of decoration! I left it out on the Caroline build and I liked the result so I'll do the same here. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a comparatively short project and my first build log.

I recently completed the Fair American, which is my second build. It followed my first build– a solid hull Model Shipways Rattlesnake-that I completed 45 years ago. Looking back on the years, I had no prior ship model experience prior to the Rattlesnake. I had seen some ship models in a hobby shop, and I decided to try my hand at the Rattlesnake. IMO, the build turned out good. The 45-year hiatus was due to raising a family and making a career in civil engineering. Then, came retirement and an opportunity to try my hand at ship building again. I’m glad that I did. The experience was so gratifying that I decided to embark on a third build – the US Brig Syren. I ordered the ship from ModelExpo shortly before it temporarily closed its operations due to the Coronavirus outbreak. While awaiting delivery, I studied Chuck Passaro’s fine instructions on-line at the ModelExpo website. As I progressed through the instructions, I compared them to some Syren build logs on the Nautical Research Guild site – it helps to read other build logs and to learn from their experiences. From what I have read, I suspect this build is going to be very challenging. It’s going to test my resolve. Anyway, this is the first post on my Syren build. It starts with the obligatory photo of the ship model box. I checked the parts list against the contents and found everything to be in order. I labeled the size of the various bundled wood strips for quick reference. The numbered and lettered bulkheads (BH) were tested in their proper slots in the bulkhead former (BF). They fit nicely – no sanding necessary. The BHs will be beveled later. I soaked the 3/32” x 1/16” rabbet strip in water for about 20 minutes and then attached it to the BF, held in place with rubber bands and clips as per the instructions. After it dried, I permanently glued it to the BF, taking care to be sure that it is centered. I also glued a rabbet strip to the stern. I let the rabbet dry overnight. While the glue was drying on the rabbet, I began beveling the BHs, both outboard (first) and inboard (second). I decided to complete all the beveling before returning to the rabbet. Returning to the rabbet, I traced the laser cut bearding line and perforated holes to establish the bearding line and then carved the taper from the bearding line towards the rabbet edge. I tapered the bearding line toward the keel with a chisel and sandpaper. I completed one side when I discovered that I used the wrong size rabbet strip – Duh. So, I removed it. I decided to taper the bearding line on the opposite side of the BF before replacing the rabbet with the correct size strip. This worked out well, and it made me wonder why the tapering of the bearding line couldn’t be done before fitting the rabbet strip. For me, it was easier. You just need to taper each side evenly so as to leave a wide even plane on the bottom of the BF to glue the rabbet strip. With the taper from the bearding line to the rabbet complete, I repeated the process of installing the rabbet. I let the rabbet strip dry overnight. I turned my attention to the stem knee. I tapered the stem knee to fit the figurehead. I filed the figure to lessen the amount of taper and for her fit better. I took care not to taper the stem knee beyond the bob stay holes. I laid the BF, the stem knee, and the 3/16” x 3/16” basswood strip for the keel flat on the work bench and checked that the rabbet depth was about the same on both sides of the stem and the keel strip. I had to sand the rabbet one side to deepen the depth of the rabbet. The keel strip was fine. I glued the stem knee, secured it with clamps, and let it dry sufficiently before gluing the keel strip. While waiting for the glue to dry, I tapered the two laser cut bow fillers. I attached the false keel with blue masking tape to protect the keel. At this point, I decided to drill some pilot holes (1/8") in the BF for the masts as some other builders had done. I superimposed the BF onto the plan sheet and marked the angle of the masts on the BF using a straight edge aligned with the center line of the masts. Inserted the BHs into their respective slots, making sure that the scribed sides of each lettered BH face towards the bow and that all sides of each numbered BH face the stern. I faired the BF as per the instructions, checking the fair with a 1/8” x 1/16” planking strip. Rather than glue all the BHs permanently and then cut and glue the filler blocks, I glued each BH and cut and glued the filler blocks as I went along. I started with BHs P, N, and L, jumped to BH 26 and 24, and then completed the process from BH D through BH24. The filler blocks were cut from 1” x 2” pine stock left over from a home improvements project. With BHs and filler blocks in-place permanently, I did more fairing, outboard and inboard. Cut 1/16” x 1/8” basswood strips for the platform between BHs 16 and 20. Ran a pencil across the edge of each plank to simulate the caulking between them, and each one in-place. Opted not to add tree nails since they won’t be visible. The planks will be cleaned up and stained with MinWax Golden Oak later. Moving on to Chapter 3, I taped the framing template to the bulkheads. As can be seen in the photos, the BHs align closely with the template, except for the bow. This did not surprise me because I had read in other build logs that the templates are way off – they don’t align with BHs P and N. To check the squaring of the BHs, I cut out the overhead view template and placed it on the deck. The BHs align closely with the overhead view template. Also, as a check on my mast pilot holes, I superimposed the overhead view template on the plan sheet an marked the locations of the masts – the pilot holes are spot on. As I interpret the template, the bottom of the template represents the bottom of the 3/16” wide gun port frame. The top of the bottom yellow line would be the gun port sill. I pinned a batten at the bottom of the template on the starboard and port side of the hull. I removed the template to find that the batten doesn’t completely align with the bottom reference line etched onto each bulkhead. Considering that they aren’t that far off, and that the instructions say the bulkheads may not be sitting in their respective slots at precisely the same level, I decided to use the batten as a guide. I marked each bulkhead edge with a pencil along the top of the batten and removed the batten. The batten also serves to check the fairing. The fairing looks good as the run is fairly (no pun intended) smooth with no humps or dips. Based on the plans, the gun port sills are 3/16” above the top of the BHs (1/16” for the plank. 1/16” for the waterway, and 1/16” for the swivel bracket). So, rather than use the batten, I opted to use a 3/16” strip as a guide in locating the gun port sills. I placed the 3/16” strip on the top of the BH as a guide to align the top of the gun port frames. I think this approach should pretty much assure that the gun ports will be probably aligned with the carronades – time will tell. While waiting for Amazon to ship my Dremel 8220 cordless rotary tool, I started measuring, cutting, and fitting the gun port sill frames from the ¼” x 3/16” wood strips. I used a mini miter box for cutting the strips. Starting on the port side, I glued the frames in place (from stern and bow), taking care that the top (sill) of the frame was set flush with the 3/16” guide strip. While the glue was drying, I cut and fit the starboard side gun port frames. The ¼” wide strips require a lot of sanding – I had planned to use the Dremel. To alleviate the amount of inboard sanding, I set the frames such that they protrude just beyond the BH. The consequence of this is that it increases the amount of outboard sanding. To lessen the outboard sanding, I trimmed the frames before sanding. I sanded and filed the port side gun port frames inboard and outboard - wish I had my Dremel. Then, I glued the starboard side gun port frames, allowed the glue to dry, trimmed the frames, and sanded and filed them inboard and outboard. For the placement of the gun port lintels, I used a block cut to 15/32” to position the lintels. The process for installing the gun port lintels is the same as the gun port sills. I set the 15/32” block on each gun port sill and the lintel on top of the block and glued the lintel in-place. Whence the glued dried, I sanded and filed the lintels by hand to fair them with the hull. At this point, some the lintels are a little less than 1/8”, so I want to be careful not to over sand them. Next up, the green frames. I set up the template as per the instructions and I marked the locations for each vertical green frame on the gun port sills and lintels. I measured and cut the frames from 3/16” x ¼” stock. I glued the green frames in place using the 15/32” block as a guide. As with the sill and lintel frames, I trimmed the green frames to lessen the sanding. I sanded the outboard frames to match the BH stanchion profile. Using a 1/8” wood strip as a guide, I placed it on the port sills and marked the position of the red (horizontal) frames. I measured and cut the frames from the 3/16” x 1/14” wood strips. The frames were glued in place with the 1/4” side facing outboard – no trimming required here. I held off on sanding the red frames until after the blue frames are installed. I made a 1/8” x 1/8” block to square the sweep ports. Measured, cut, and glued sweep port frames (blue) in place. I did some final outboard sanding. The hull fairing looks good. Only one glitch so far - While sanding the lintels, BH 4 broke off. I glued it back on but didn’t get it perfectly aligned. As a result, in the last photo you’ll notice the port side of the hull has a hump at BH 4. This may not be noticeable after the bulwarks is planked and the cap rail is installed. I’m satisfied with the progress, however. Next up, Chapter 4 – Stern Framing. Stay tuned.

A little background before I start this log. I played around with models of all kinds when I was young, but this was my first effort at a "quality" model as a result. (The term "quality" is up for debate )I am in the middle of this build. I started it back in the late 80's. The hull was shaped, sanded and topsides painted. Plankshseer, rails and decking added and painted.....And there it sat as life went on. Bought a house, raised 2 kids, and late summer of '17 I dusted it off, and started adding rivets to the strip copper for the hull. Little did I know these strips should have been cut into plates. I simply simulated the plates by using the ponce wheel to run vertical rivets every 15mm. After the copper, I started on the deck work. Hatches and companionways, wheel, skylight, galley. Next up was the tryworks.

With summer at an end work has begun on the Benjamin W. Latham kit. With the large 1:48 scale I hope to add a nice bit of super-detailing, and I'm especially intrigued by the seine boat, a whole separate model unto self. Fittings are decent, though I may end up replacing some with scratch-built items. Plans are very nicely done other than the rigging sheet. I haven't done a ton of soldering on past kits, but that will certainly change on this build with all of the ironwork. The keel is a sandwich of two thicknesses of laser cut parts, and mine was just slightly warped. You can see below the eclectic collections of weights that happened to be nearby in my laundry room to help hold it down after wetting and clamping... It came out nice and straight. Rabbet was cut and reference lines were drawn on keel former and bulkhead as per the plans. First dry fitted and then subsequently glued in place. The bevels are on the plans and I did a large amount of pre-beveling with the Dremel and a sanding drum attachment before installation as the plywood bulkhead are very hard. Less prone to damage this way.

I decide to build the Syren after reading Chuck Passaro's instructions and Gahm, dubz and augie's build logs. The work done on these build is truly amazing and I'll be using them to guide me with my build. It has taken me a year to get up the nerve to enter a build log, so here goes please bear with me. 😁 on June 28th I received the kit so as seems to be a convention here's a photo of the box.

It's time to start a new log. I have only spent a few weeks making a start on the Confederacy so there is not a lot to show yet. Others have presented some nice introductions to the history of this ship and of the content of the kit, so I don't feel there is a need to repeat that here. I'll do my best to do justice to this beautiful ship. So without further ado, it's straight to the first few photo's.