Albatros by Barry1 - FINISHED - OcCre - Scale 1:100 - first wooden ship build

[Barry1]

I unboxed and started on the Albatros this weekend, actually started a little early on Friday. Managed to get the bulkheads on and set at 90 angle.  I also planked several pieces for future use. I received the kit as a present in 2011 and have now taken the leap to get at it. I had not noticed until fully unpacking the kit that there were no written instructions just a 7/8 picture guide. I know they say a picture is worth a thousand words but a little more specifics would be helpful. Does anyone know if OcCre has produced anything in recent years? I don’t see anything on there website that would indicate if they exist. Thanks for any ideas. 

[Fernando E]

Hi Barry, you may have already seen some of the YouTube videos of the build which may be of assistance to you. If not already done my best bet would be to get in touch with Occre and see if they have any more detailed plans, though it appears that what you have is all there is.

Good luck with your build and welcome aboard the shipyard. 

Cheers..... Fernando.🍻

[Barry1]

Thanks Fernando. 

[Barry1]

I made some good progress this week working on deck structures and first planking. My first time planking a ship and it was a good learning experience. Lots of mistakes but with some sanding and wood filler the second planking should go on without much issue. I did reach out to OcCre regarding detailed rigging instructions which were not part of the kit and they came right back to me the next day with full rigging plans via email. That’s good service response time. 

[Barry1]

I worked on the ship last weekend and several days this week and made good progress. The second planking is now done, the superstructure items are all glued on, the rudder is attached and all items have been polyed. I did make a change from the plans using 28 gauge wire to serve as the chain plates instead of using thread as directions indicated. I think it looks better with the wire. This weekend I will finish the anchors and maybe start on the masts. I have found that two natural skills that are really helpful in model shipbuilding are being ambidextrous and having great eyesight. Unfortunately, I am not ambidextrous and have ok eyesight. Oh well. 😩

[Barry1]

During the past weekend and some of the weekdays I completed the anchors, bowsprit,foremast and mainmast as well as the yards gaffs and boom. Also added the tackle and foot ropes. 

A busy week.

During the weekend I will set the masts onto the ship and begin the rigging.

So far working with the OcCre Albatros kit has been straightforward. OcCre provided me with detailed rigging instructions which did not come with the kit. Without them I would have made a mess of things. 

Any comments on what you have seen so far are appreciated. As this is my first wooden ship build I am learning much. 

[Barry1]

During the weekend I set the two masts in place and rigged the shrouds and did my first ratlines. They didn’t come out great but as my first effort tackling them I am overall pleased. I must say ratlines have been my least favorite project on ge build so far. The rest looks challenging but also fun. 

[Barry1]

Had some time over the past two days and made some progress on rigging. I decided to add the sails that came with the kit for practice with sails. 

[Barry1]

I finished the Albatros this week. Basically, I added the sails after booking them in tea to give them an aged looked, as suggested in the instructions. I wanted to add the sails to get experience with working with them. While they add some clear definition to the masts and rigging their scale is off and it’s pretty easy to see that. Something for me to learn about going forward. After the sails I just added the canons and small boat to the ship to complete. 

One thing I did during the rigging was to secure all the working rigging to the belaying pins and rings before attaching them to the sails and their appropriate place on the masts or sails. 

I found this easier to reach into the small areas on the deck to tie off the lines. I did this first on foremast then attached sails and secured then did the same for you the main mast. You need to be careful to allow enough line length but it worked for me. 

I was going to add rope coils but for this first build I decided not to. 

I will put that on the list for the next one. 

[Nazir]

Barry

You mentioned that Occre sent you detailed "rigging" instructions that helped a lot and were not included with kit; where can I get them? Can you post a pdf file?

 

Nazir

[Old Fart]

Barry, just ordered the OcCre Albatross today, wondering if when you had a sec, you could go over anything you would do differently, or something that wasn’t in the instructions.Thanks

[Rach10199]

On 4/24/2020 at 6:54 AM, Nazir said:

Barry

You mentioned that Occre sent you detailed "rigging" instructions that helped a lot and were not included with kit; where can I get them? Can you post a pdf file?

 

Nazir

Hi Nazir,

Just wondering if you ever got that pdf file on the rigging for the Albatros? If so, I would love to see it!

[AndrewHenwood]

Hi Barry,  Thanks for posting your experience with Albatross.  I noted particularly your remark about the sail sizes being not quite right.  They do look a bit baggy in one of your photos.   I'll check that out when I get the masts and spars in place.   So thanks for the tip, because  I  recently began on my own Occre Albatros kit. 

On the Modelers central website it says the scale is 1:100.  I find that a bit puzzling: that would make the bulwarks five feet high, and mean that the cannons would be 24 or 32 pounders.  Pretty heavy ordinance to have on the top deck.   But a ship of this nature couldn't be much less than 100 feet long could it?  And it only has one deck. No matter: I am delighted with the kit and the clear instructions and colour photos for every little detail.  Just what a beginner like me needs.  I contacted Occre, asking if this ship was copied from an original vessel.  They responded promptly and warmly. There was no such vessel. The design was all theirs.

All the best.  Andrew

Edited March 26, 2023 by AndrewHenwood