Santa Lucia by Fernando E - FINISHED - Panart - Scale 1:30

[Fernando E]

After a very long delay I'm finally starting my build log for the S Lucia. I say finally as I had originally started this project back in January but due to other commitments (my youngest daughter's wedding and my eldest daughter giving us our first grandchild )   I have not had a chance to progress on the build nor the time to download the photos I took earlier in the year. 

By way of background my brother bought this kit nearly thirty years ago, started it, then realised that he did not have the patience to work on it! He thought that one day he would get back to it but eventually realised that this was not going to happen. Long story short he gave me his part completed model just after Christmas last year and asked if I could finish it for him.

The obligatory photos of the the box together with parts and some very basic and at times hard to decipher plans and a booklet are shown below. One of the annoying things was that my brother had originally pulled out  all the laser cut pieces which meant I spent a few hours making sure that none had been lost over the years....luckily they all appear to still be there  

 

More to follow

[Fernando E]

Here are some more pics of the plans which I eventually was able to decipher...some of the scaling was 1:1 whilst other drawings were not...very confusing

I had to take the first layer of planking as these were not aligned and were spaced apart for some unknown reason Fortunately I had counted sufficient planks for the first layer of planking (assuming I don't make too many errors myself!).

Here is what I ended up with and as you can see it needs a lot of work on it before I can put the first layer of planking.

I will need to do a bit of sanding and fairing before the first layer of planking so this will be a long build for a relative newbie like me. Thanks to AntonyK build of this model last year I can refer back to what he has done for any issues or problems I will no doubt encounter. Like his build , my brother would like the model not to be painted but to make it look like it has been in service for a few years! Hopefully I can meet his requirements!!!

Edited May 10, 2018 by Fernando E

[AntonyUK]

Hi Fernando.

Yea I got my front seat booked and it's smack in the middle.

Wishing you a smooth build.

Congratulations on your newest family members. Yes im'e a grandad ant it feels great.

 

Regards Antony.

[Fernando E]

Many thanks for the likes and looking in guys. Welcome aboard Antony. 

 

I've just spent a few hours sanding and and sorting out the bulkhead frames! As soon as I started fairing the wood started to split or just snapped off....either the wood is just too old or the quality is not brilliant (I think it's probably a bit of both ) After a bit of thinking about how I could proceed without throwing the lot away I was able to add additional wood struts to strengthen the frames as well as slapped on a pile of glue. I guess that once the second layer of planking is on no one will be seeing any of the handy work beneath it all. . After allowing it to dry overnight I started the fairing process and was glad that the wood didn't fall apart on me. I have also started the first layer of planking and hopefully will be finished by the end of this weekend 

 

Will send some more pics when I have finished the first layer of planking.

 

Cheers..........Fernando  

 

 

Edited May 13, 2018 by Fernando E

[Fernando E]

Another update after a very frustrating few days!

I thought the first layer of planking would be difficult but didn't realise how difficult it would be. Antony, you were right to warn me that the planking was difficult due to the shape of the hull....it was just a hard slog.....and I thought I would have it finished by last weekend!

 

Anyway after some time I did finally finish it (with some extra wood filler) and here are some photos of the finished product. The first photo looks like there is dent in the hull but it's not...just a bit of shadowing.

A couple of more pics to follow.

 

Cheers.....Fernando   

[Fernando E]

Whilst attempting the second layer of planking I decided to work on the tiller...something I'd never done before. After a couple of hours of cutting, sanding and more cutting I ended up with something that looks like a tiller. I'll need to do some more minor tweaking on it but am happy with the result so far.

 

That's it for the time being as I'm away for a couple of weeks and have to therefore down tools.

 

Cheers............Fernando 

Antony, I realised when looking at your build log from last year that you became a first time granddad (congratulations!) whilst doing this build. I started on this build and became a first time granddad  (a grandson, Lucas)...is there a trend here ie:  to become a granddad and start building the S Lucia !

[usedtosail]

Nice job on the planking and rudder. I have this kit in my stash for the future so will be following along. My daughter is not married yet, so I hope that trend doesn't continue, unless she happens to get married before I start. 

[AntonyUK]

Hi Fernando.

Grats on becoming a grandad. It's wonderful is it not.

Very nice progress on the Lucia. Will you be painting your hull.??

If you are going to paint  the hull then the second planking is not required. Just spend more time on the smoothing on the lines.

Or just plank down to the deck level. And fill and smooth the rest.

Will be starting on a much enlarged version of this ship when the Junk is finished.

 

Wishing you well grandad.

Regards Antony.

[Fernando E]

Thanks for looking in gents and your very kind comments...much appreciated and welcome aboard Tom. It will be a slow build as I'm still only semi retired but will hopefully be putting in regular updates after I get back in a couple of weeks.

 

Being a granddad is a great feeling Antony and a lot of fun!

 

I'm not using any paint on this model as my brother gave me strict instructions to have it all in wood finishes....which means a second layer of planking and wood stain where needed. I need to also make it look like it has been a working ship for some time and hence will need to have it looking a bit old and possibly tattered

 

I will be starting on the second layer of planking using the wood supplied but will need to stain it ...am thinking old baltic pine but will need to do some testing before I decide what looks the best.

 

Cheers.........Fernando  

 

 

 

 

[Fernando E]

I'm back from my two week break and started on the second layer of planking. This layer was easier to put on and luckily hid all the faults of the first layer. I am pretty happy with the finished look particularly after sanding it all back.

 

The colouring of the second layer  in the photograph is due to some old planking which I had and was able to use on this model. I realised that after starting the planking some of the wood had gone missing  (after 30 years in storage etc. it should not have surprised me!). I was able to sand the stain off and will be trialling some wood stain to see which colour looks the best. 

 

More to follow. 

 

[Fernando E]

Apologies if the photographs are out of sequence....I don't know what happened there! 

[AntonyUK]

Hi Fernando.

Nice job of the planking.

 

Regards Antony.

[Fernando E]

After seeking guidance from my brother (who is going to get this boat when finally finished he wanted the "old baltic pine" stain put on the hull. Although it currently looks like a gloss finish I have put a coat of clear satin finish which now looks ok.

 

More pictures to follow 

 

[Fernando E]

I have also started on some of the deck furniture whilst giving myself a break from the hull. The kit has supplied some very good quality laser cut pieces and they were easy to assemble with some very minor sanding. As mentioned earlier I will not be painting this model but will keep as much as possible with a wood finish. I had some leftover teak strips from my Norfolk build and have used it for some of the deck furnishing. 

 

Next is the deck itself!

 

Cheers............Fernando 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2018 by Fernando E

[Fernando E]

A long overdue update on the build. I have been putting in some hours over the past couple of weeks and so far am happy with the progress.

Firstly, I started to put the decking on but after a couple of planks had been placed on it became very obvious that I needed some strengthening of the base and a false decking had to be put in. I found some very thin ply that was lying around under the house and cut it into a near enough shape of the decking. I didn't need it perfect as I just wanted the planks to lay evenly across the bulkhead frames.  Before placing the false deck I had to cut off the top part of all the frames which , although fiddly was not too difficult. (apologies for the photos being out of order ....still sorting out what went wrong!)

 

Whilst waiting for the glue to dry I started on more of the decking furniture including the wheelhouse and cooking box (this item will be one of the only painted wooden pieces on the boat).

 

After the glue dried on the false deck I completed the deck and although not happy with the layout...most will be covered by the amount of deck furniture on the model....in fact so much that I will probably not use all of what has been provided by the kit. The below photograph shows the planking completed with some of the deck furniture dry fitted.

I'm not sure what the bit at the end of the bowsprit and the top of the main mast is called but I have made them out of a solid block of wood which did take a little time but am happy with the way they turned out. The plans say that they should be painted white but I will be staining the wood with a colour yet to be decided.

 

More pics to follow.

 

[Fernando E]

More pics....

I have cut out the wash holes and have also put the gunwales on both sides.  AT this stage I decided not to put the cap rails on as there is still a bit of fiddly bits to complete on the deck and I did not want these damaged.

 

Loading hatches were glued into place and the locking bars were made up of brass strips cut to shape. Again, all a bit fiddly but at least they look the part!

 

The bowsprit has now been completed and has been placed on the deck and held in with the bowsprit support. I've also completed the lateen yard and the main mast and is ready to be fitted which will be done towards the end of the build.

 

The cap rails have now also been added. The wood provided was somewhat inferior but was able to use some leftover wood from previous builds. I shaped the curves by first soaking the wood then bending them and placing them in a jig which I made with a block of wood and some nails. The wood will be stained walnut which will be a nice contrast to the rest of the wood shades on the boat.

 

Will follow up with more pictures in the coming days as the build is fast approaching the finish line and  I can give a finished product to my brother which I hope he will like!

 

Cheers............Fernando 

 

 

[John Allen]

Fernando,

 

First class, the planking on the hull is perfect, deck furniture is spot on A1. This one is for you.

Edited June 25, 2018 by John Allen
spelling

[Fernando E]

Many thanks John for looking in and your very kind comments.

I'm now into the home straight....

More work on some of the deck furniture as well as the main mast and  lateen yard, which has turned out ok (including placing pulleys inside the blocks at end of each). The tiller has now been completed and fitted, again no problem there.

 

Next came the small capstan which is the only other painted piece on the model. I was in two minds on this as I was trying to have as much of the model in wood as much as possible (natural or stained). In the end I decided to paint it black in keeping with what the instructions had said.

 

At this point it was time to look at the barrels and where to place them on the deck. The number of barrels provided was 10, which when I placed them on the deck really made the whole thing look overcrowded and messy. In the end I chose to only use 6 which was sufficient to show off some of the detail. I stained the barrels as well as painted the staves black then tied them on to the bulwark stays.

Next came the anchor , which was kit supplied and easy to asemble.

 

After I was happy with the decking furniture I glued all the pieces into place and waited a day before starting on the rigging. The instructions in the kit says to "place the rigging as per the diagram" which would be fine except that it was not at all clear. After an hour or so of looking at the plans as well as looking at AntonyUK's build log (thank you Antony!) I was able to work out what went where. 

 

Next comes the sails. This is where my sowing skills are, shall I say, non existent. Thankfully a very good friend of mine and neighbour agreed to make the sails for me. They are still on the sewing machine so are not part of the photos. 

 

The model is, subject to the sails being made and put on is now finished...... I'll post photos with the sails on as soon as they are completed

 

A couple of points to make on the build and the kit. Firstly the kit itself was probably close to 30 years old so the following may not be the case for the newer models

 

The plans and instructions provided were not at all easy to read or understand. I really relied on AntonyUK and his photos when I was stuck on what the plans were telling me what to do....very frustrating.

 

Some of the wood supplied was of poor quality but that just may be a function of the age of the kit. I was able to use some wood from previous builds. Saying that, the dowels for the mast etc were dead straight and thankfully no need for me to visit the local hardware store.

 

The rope supplied was poor and I did not use the kit supplied but some that I had from a previous model.

 

Deck furniture was of good quality with only minor sanding or filing to be done on the parts.

 

Overall I probably will stay clear of Panart kits unless someone convinces me otherwise.

 

 

Cheers............Fernando 

 

PS. Not sure why the photos were showing in reverse order....my use of computers is as bad as my sewing!!!

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by Fernando E

[John Allen]

Fernando,

 

You have a good eye, the different woods or staining of provides a great contrast  on a scale of 1 to10 a 12 and makes your build POP, Kudos

[Fernando E]

Many thanks for your kind comments John.

 

Cheers.........Fernando 

[usedtosail]

Really nice job, Fernando. Can't wait to see it with the sails.

[Fernando E]

Many thanks Tom....sails are still on the sewing machine! I will be away till the end of July so no new pictures until early August (hopefully)!

 

Cheers........Fernando  

[AntonyUK]

Hello Fernando.

 Stunning work on the Lucia.

Love the colour scheme you are using. Really sets the boat off.

 

Regards Antony.

[Fernando E]

Many thanks for your kind comments Antony......very much appreciated. 

I'm taking a couple of weeks off and heading your way to visit my sister in Polperro. On the way from London will be spending a few days in Portsmouth to see the Victory as well as the Mary Rose. Will be back in the shipyard on my latest project in August.

Cheers........ Fernando 

[Fernando E]

I can now officially close off this build log as I've handed over the Santa Lucia to my brother! The sails were added and he is delighted with the finished product ( I haven't shown him all of my mistakes and hopefully he won't look too closely at the model).

 

Many thanks for looking in as well as your kind comments. I will be starting another build log in the not too distant future. I have a couple of kits sitting on the shelf and it's a matter of deciding what next.

 

Cheers....................Fernando    

[ccoyle]

He is right to be delighted -- it's a very eye-pleasing finished product!

[Fernando E]

Hi Chris

 

Many thanks for your very kind comments.

 

Cheers....................Fernando    

[usedtosail]

Fernando, the ship looks great. Nice job!

[Fernando E]

Hi Tom....many thanks for your kind comments.

 

Cheers............Fernando  

[AntonyUK]

Hi Fernando.

First class build. Yes it's not a easy kit and the materials are not that good. 

But you have done wonders with the kit and produced a masterpiece to be proud off.

What's Next ?.

My next one will be a  Mayflower built as a longitudinal section.

BTW how was your visit to the UK ? Did you get to see the victory etc? 

 

Regards Antony.