Mayflower by Rkapuaala - Billing Boats No. 801 - with modifications

[Rkapuaala]

This is the first Ship model I built. It was an Artensian Latina 1805 Swift. It is one of 3 ships I bought from our local hobby store when it was going out of business in 2003. It was also the simplest build and I finished it in less than a year which prompted me to lunge into the Mayflower kit,,, blindly. 

The mistake I made was assuming that this kit would be a fair representation of the actual Mayflower. I soon learned that it isn't even close. Unfortunately by the time I came to that conclusion I had already assembled the framing, so I had to modify an existing frame in the most brutal way possible. I won't blame you if you cringe at the next image [ Viewer beware]
 

After purchasing "The Frigate Constitution And Other Historic Ships" I became disenchanted with the Billings Kit. It was already - by my inexperienced standards - not as good as the Artesania Latina Swift kit. The instructions were minimal and the plans were hard to cross reference. So I did a couple of months of research and decided that I would try to model the Mayflower II which was supposedly a reproduction of the actual Mayflower although if I am to believe the "TFCAOHS" it is not. According to Thomas Miller (quoted in TFCAOHS) the real Mayflower wouldn't have had a spritsail, topsail or mizzen. So with that shocking revelation I decided to stick to a ship that was already built, the Mayflower II. After obtaining some rough images of the plans for that vessel online, I began hacking away at the kit. I used some white cedar I had in my shop and some sugar pine for the timbers. I completely rebuilt the quarter deck, forecastle and poop deck so that they were closer to the dimensions I gleaned from the images of the plans. The modifications used up all the planking material that was included with the kit, so I used stirring sticks. Then I cast away the plastic bowsprit beak assembly and built my own from scraps from my shop.

It's as close as I could get from the sketchy plans I had and the plentiful images shared on the internet.
 

I added ballast and some paint prior to blanking the upper decks because I concluded it would be impossible to add after everything was covered. I like to paint as I go, it keeps accidents from happening. I chose to weather the paint job to approximate the wear and tear that was present on most of the images I had collected. 
I also 3D printed a lot of the details, like the capstans. 

I am currently rigging the vessel, using images as reference along with the book "Rigging Period Ship Models" by Lennarth Petersson. It is well illustrated and a huge help. With any luck I should finish this by the beginning of next year. I intend to work on this model in tandem with the Artesania Latina Constellation Frigate model - which also will require a lot of mods. I know there are a lot of mistakes I made on this Mayflower model; I learn from my mistakes, so when I start building the frame for the Constellation it will be after I've made the necessary modifications to the transom and bow and after .

[James G]

Nice recovery! One of the things I love about the hobby is you never stop learning and have to be resourceful. Looks like you’re going to end up with a fine model. I’ll be starting the Model Shipways Mayflower soon and am sure there will be lots of bumps along the way. Part of the fun, right?

[Rkapuaala]

Thanks Jim. I agree it is all about learning and I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'll be looking forward to seeing your build log. I looked up the product and found a 1:60 scale and a 1:72 scale, I'm assuming you're going for the 1:60 scale. From the member gallery on HobbyLinc it looks like a very close match for the Mayflower II. They even have a better jolly boat than what came with the Billings kit. Of course, those details could have been added by the members, so I can't wait to see how you're doing.
I'm already making plans to build a 1:48 scale Mayflower II from scratch. I don't like how this one is turning out and I'd like to be at least a little closer to the prototype than on this build.

[Rkapuaala]

OH! I almost forgot what I was doing in here!

I finished all the lower shroud stays. This model is like a record of my progress at acquiring skills and developing a process. Calculating the length of each stay was difficult at first, and it was hit or miss, but by the time I got to the forecastle I had my process down. The beading needle really helped threading the dead eyes and by the time I was half way done with the main shroud stays, I realized I needed to make a little jig out of wire. 
Now, my biggest fear are the rat lines! I've tried to use the proper knots with every line and cable but it is extremely hard at 1:60th scale. The rat line call for a clove hitch, which should be simple enough but since I need to tack the lines in place, to conform to a template I'm making, I'm not sure it will be that simple. 
I'm still learning and part of that is getting the courage to move ahead.