Hello from New Hampshire

[Michael_A]

Hello all,

 

I am so excited to have found this wonderful forum!

My name is Michael and I grew up on Long Island Sound in New York. My bookshelf in middle school was full of works by Chapelle, Skene, and others. I built my first boat model – Model Shipways "Gjoa" – with a saw, xacto knife, and sandpaper. During seventh grade I connected with Robert Pittaway in the small craft department at Mystic Seaport. I learned how to draft and Rob encouraged my designs and inspired me to build my first boat. Here's the "Cygnet" which must have weight 200 lbs. 

 

 

 

Here's a drawing back from 1979 when I was 16: 

 

 

Decades passed and after many unfulfilling corporate jobs I got a job building architectural models. My five years at F.W. Dixon in Woburn, MA were the most fun of my entire career. In addition to learning from a crew of skilled modelmakers, we also had a pattern shop where I saw another  world of craftsmanship. This was at a time when laser cutting was just beginning and I got really good at creating building facades from architectural drawings. Here's a photo of a model I helped create in the early '90s:

 

 

Later on I moved up to VT, built a birchbark canoe, and realized that while the problem-solving aspect of boatbuilding was extremely compelling, it was not the basis of a career for me.

 

 

But I still enjoyed building models. Here's a 1:4 kayak I made by eye ....

 

 

And now, the present: I am still working but looking ahead to retirement. With more free time during the pandemic, the urge to work with my hands bubbled up. I cleaned up my old tools, cleared a workspace, and bought some of the books I had given away decades ago. Just before finding this forum, I started on a 50" Marblehead sailing yacht from some 1940s lines. Perhaps I will set it up for RC or maybe just free sailing. I can't wait to start a "real" ship model & build log but want to finish this one first!

 

 

For the moderators ... if I start a build log, what category would this go into?  

 

Thanks all for reading this far, and I look forward to spending more time getting to know everyone here on the forum! 

[ccoyle]

Welcome! It sounds like we are the same age. Sadly, no retirement anytime soon for me -- I will probably need to work until I drop dead, but oh well. Your Marblehead schooner should go in the scratch category, 1901-present, with the tag RADIO added to the title as per the instructions. Your other models and 1:1 boats all turned out nice -- looking forward to your progress on this one.

[Keith Black]

Michael, welcome aboard to MSW. I look forward to following your build log once you get up and running. 

[Michael_A]

Thanks Chris,

 

Well, "looking ahead" to retirement and actually doing it are two different things! I guess the main thing is I can devote a few hours every week to having fun doing this kind of thing & am not willing to put that off anymore. 

 

I have been following your Sassafras build and that's exactly the kind of boat/project I love! Thanks for the advice.

 

Michael

[JeffT]

Hi Michael. Welcome to MSW 

[mtaylor]

Welcome to MSW, Michael.   I'm not sure what you mean by "real models".... what your current project is fills that category very well.

[Louie da fly]

Hi Michael, and welcome.

 

There's no reason you can't put up a build log for the model you're working on at the moment. I'm sure a lot of people would like to see it.

 

By the way, I love your architectural models. 

 

Steven

Edited April 26, 2021 by Louie da fly

[Michael_A]

12 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Welcome to MSW, Michael.   I'm not sure what you mean by "real models".... what your current project is fills that category very well.

Mark,

 

What I meant to say is that these Marblehead yachts are not "models" of full size yachts; but are actual sailboats with a set length of 50". So I wasn't certain if this build was appropriate for the forum. I will start up a build log soon and my next build will be a scale model of a full size boat. Still in the dreaming stage about that one ....

 

Michael

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, Michael_A said:

I wasn't certain if this build was appropriate for the forum

 Michael, we're an equal opportunity forum   We share many building projects. We have a member with a build log featuring a pirate ship bed he's building for his son. We have car models, plane models, shop renovations, work shed builds, on and on. The MSW home page is easy to navigate with many categories of interest. In fact, so many varied and interesting topics that I find myself puttering about more in MSW than working on my projects. And that's Ok because I learn a great many things.  

 

 I hope you enjoy your stay......Keith