San Juan Nepomuceno's Boat by DispleasedOwl - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - by Hugo Bosque

[DispleasedOwl]

Hi everyone!

 

Been a few months since i posted anything. Landed an internship while finishing my career, so its been quite busy. Anyway, i managed to spend any spare time i had left on this model boat i got in a second hand website. Its the San Juan Nepomuceno's Captain's Boat. I've looked around and it seems that this one is going to be one of the first completed build logs of this particular model, so i am quite honored. 

 

So, i got this kit after i finished my Bon Retour. I read about the original Man' O War, named after the Saint, patron of the spanish Marine Corps, its captain and its heroic stand at the battle of Trafalgar, being one of the last remaining ships to wave the white flag, and its captain Cosme Damián Churruca, who died at said battle, when a british canonball took his leg. During the battle he faced, alone, 6 british ships, and died still shouting to his men to keep on firing. The british, admiring his courage, had the ship in Gibraltar exposed to visitors, with the name of Churruca in gold letters written on his cabin. He was appointed Admiral posthumously, and in his memory his nephew received the title of Count of Churruca. Sadly, the ship served then under british colors, until it was sold and scrapped for materials in 1818. I really recommend giving this topic a good read, it is really interesting. One day i hope i will build the actual San Juan Nepomuceno, not just the little boat.

 

Anyways, lets get on to the build log!

 

 

Here is the box it came in. Its an old kit, the original owner seemed to have had it for a long time. That means the wood is not quite as strong, as well as (being an Artesania Latina model), the wood is not of the highest quality. I had to fill with wood potty some holes in the frames, and actually broke some parts, but i managed to glue them back together like nothing happened. The first thing i have to comment, aside from the really low quality wood from the kit, its actually its instructions. I suppose, since this is a beginners kit, they put a little bit more effort in making the instructions, and it shows. So, pros: good and somewhat clear instructions; cons: wood quality.

 

First step was to assemble the frame. One thing that stood out was that the "deck" (Not the planks you stand on, but the little wood frame that goes arround touching all the frames) is not actually well cut. Some frames touched it just perfect, some others had a small gap. So i wet them, and fastened them with clothes peg, and it ended up bending just enough to fit perfectly.

 

 

Since this is a second hand kit, some pieces were missing. I talked to the seller, a really nice guy, and he discounted from the prize the cost of a plank i could make the missing parts of. Real friendly guy. Also some of the parts that were not missing did not fit perfectly into the model, so i made my own from that same plank. More work, but better results, just like in every other thing in life

 

 

 

Hugo Bosque Arenas

 

Beginner Modeller

20/12/2020

[Estoy_Listo]

Looks like fun. As a beginner myself, I'll follow along w/ interest.  

[DispleasedOwl]

21 hours ago, Estoy_Listo said:

I'll follow along w/ interest.  

I will make sure then to be as clear as i can be! And if you want to ask me something in particular, go ahead, i will try my best to give you the most useful answer

 

So, next step in the build was to make the boarding. Every plank had only a few points in which i could glue it to the frames, so i had to be extra carefull not to knock any while they where settling. After that was done, i cut the thwarts to size, and glued them to the frame. I paced the boarding planks a little bit more close to each other, because i think it looked way better, still leaving a tiny gap in between planks and this was the final result

 

 

See that V shaped piece glued at the bow of the ship? It didnt quite match the frames when i started planking, so i made one myself that fitted perfectly. At this point, the model was extremely fragile, and that caused some frames and the false deck to break, so be careful.

 

Hugo Bosque Arenas

 

Beginner Modeller

20/12/2020

[DispleasedOwl]

The next step was planking. Unlike in the Bon Retour, my previous and first build, the planks were not pre-cut to adjust to the curved shape of the hull. That actually was what i wanted, so i could practice for future and more complex builds. Since the hull is coated again in a thin layer of (i presume) sapelly wood strips, it didnt had to have the best finish. Still, i did my best, to gain some experience, and it didnt end up bad. In fact, i am quite proud! I then added a layer of wood putty and  sanded until i didnt feel any imperfections

 

 

You can see my progress here. I am getting quite used to the method i use for bending the planks. I did some testing, and i now (more or less) know how to bend them perfectly so they fit without having to apply any force. Yes, it takes a lot more time, but the results speak for themselves

 

 

Hugo Bosque Arenas

 

Beginner Modeller

20/12/2020

[DispleasedOwl]

Then came the next layer of sappelli strips. This were much harder to bend that the regular framing planks, and i had to really take my time to glue them in place and make sure there was no gap between the strip and the hull. I wanted the finished hull to have a smooth surface, with no bumps or half loose strips. And when every single one was in place, i sanded them, then varnished, then glazed them. The final result is incredible. Its so smooth to the touch i knew i had done a good work. Not bad for my second hull!

 

Here you can see a close up of my work. I am really proud of how it turned out!

 

 

Hugo Bosque Arenas

 

Beginner Modeller

21/12/2020

Edited December 21, 2020 by DispleasedOwl

[DispleasedOwl]

So, finals came and i did not have much time. Still i managed to finish the boat! I had to freestyle most of the rigging, since this kit does not include plans, and one of the sails did not have the same dimensions as in the box photo. Still, i think it turned out great. This kit does not include a base either, so i had to fancy some from some scrap wood i had lay ing around.  

 

Here are some pictures of the process:

 

 

So, my thoughts on this kit? I had my challenges, and there were missing wood planks that i had to get from the remains of other kits. It may not be the best one for a first try, but it was indeed fun to build. The main problem, in my opinion, could be the lack of plans and how AL expects you to make up some of the steps not showed in their instructions. Well, onto the next one!

 

Hugo Bosque Arenas

 

Beginner Modeller

29/01/2021

[Stickman]

Hi!   Nice Job.   Did you have any problems with the first hull planking?  In particular,  did the planks meet all the forming ribs near the bow of the boat?  I read another review where the builder had lots of problems with the fit of the planks to the formers and that there were areas where the planks did not touch the ribs near the front.  The curve did not match the ribs if you know what I mean.

[Ras Ambrioso]

Nice job Hugo. Looking forward to your next build.