Esmeralda by MariusMi - OcCre - 1:58

[MariusMi]

Welcome to those passing by on my build log of the Esmeralda.

 

I will consider this my first build of a wooden ship kit. I acquired the kit end of last year but started it only a few days ago. I hope it will be interesting for others. It will certainly be interesting for me to look at it later to see progression when I tackle new projects.

 

As a disclaimer, my nautical vocabulary is not that extended. I do my research but I am sure I will use some wrong words. Corrections will bewelcome and highly appreciated.

 

I didn't find much information on the ship itself on the web. So here are some facts from the manufacturer:

"The topsail schooner "Esmeralda" was built in Majorca between 1916 and 1919. With an American style in terms of her figure and a most elegant line of sail. This schooner was one of the largest and most beautiful to be rigged in Majorca."

 

I certainly agree with the words above. I find the ship very elegant and this is what made me select the kit. Below is a photo of the finished kit I took from the manufacturer's website.

 

[MariusMi]

The instructions are quite nice with detailed photos. I didn't follow them to the letter because I faced some questions from the beginning. The frames have a lot of play once fitted on the false keel. With at least 1-2mm of translation in every axis, rotation is quite big and I was not sure about them falling in the correct position. So I didn't glue them all on the keel as instructed but I tried to use the front deck to align and hold these ribs in position while gluing them one by one on the false keel. I am thinking that there could be en error here because the deck is curved and I placed the frames perpendicular to the deck. So I probably have a slight angle for the frames against the vertical.

 

In the photo we see the technique I used to align the frames. The idea in my head was that multiple parts would constrain the assembly and bring the frames in a good position.

[hof00]

Hi Chap,

As you stated looks like a very elegant ship!!🙂

 

Cheers....HOF.

[MariusMi]

Most of the frames are glued followed the technique above. This is how they look:

 

The keel has a bend but I'm hoping the deck will straighten everything once in place. I will have to check afterwards if it really did or if corrections are needed. I dont think this comes from my way of attaching the frames, they are roughly perpendicular. It is probably the initial stress in the material.

 

I noticed that my technique was not that reliable on the last frame which has a huge angle. When dry fitting the deck, I see that it can be brought into position (plywood is quite thin and flexible) but I worry that the rotation will deform the false keel and bring trouble later. Now I'm thinking about my options for next steps: 1) brake the bond and replace, with the unavoidable damage; 2) correct by adding material on one side and cutting on the other; 3) not yet found

 

[MariusMi]

The hull build needs some thought, so I am looking to build a stand for the ship.

I am also working on some parts for the superstructure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the photo on the right you can see that there are two beams that I couldn't center. I glued the beam below (lighter color) first without measuring. I then centered the top beam on the structure and it seems the previous one wasn't positioned correctly. This will no longer be visible once the next parts are added above. However, if someone is building the same kit and reading this, I would recommend starting with the top beam, which can be easily positioned based on the surrounding volumes. Then the bottom beam can be added from below and centered on the existing top beam.

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, MariusMi said:

1) brake the bond and replace

 

You may be able to loosen the bond with water if you used wood glue.

[MariusMi]

On 6/1/2023 at 10:16 PM, ccoyle said:

 

You may be able to loosen the bond with water if you used wood glue.

Thanks Chris for the tip. This worked well to disassemble.

[MariusMi]

First deck element is glued. I used some colourful pins to bring the deck into shape. It worked quite well there are some areas where this fixation was not strong enough to shape the material: I have a few gaps between deck and frames of max 1mm. Nevertheless, the frames are not cut that precise and when fitted to the false keel, they go 1-2 mm lower and are not flush to the false keel. So, I suppose that the lower position of the frames is compensating these gaps I created during joining.

 

 

Next step is to glue the remaining frames and the last deck element. I see now that the front frames are not that accurately positioned using my placement method. For the remaining frames,  I am thinking to to do some markings on the false keel based on the ship's drawing and guide the frames into position. I will try this approach and hopefully have a good positioning, despite the dimensional issues of the precuts.

[Bill Saindon]

Following your build. Purchased the Esmeralda last night. This will be my second build.  Really appreciate your info as to where you had some problems.  Thank you. 

[SiriusVoyager]

Looking forward to seeing more of how this build goes.  I have the kit as well, but am holding off on starting it until I feel more confident.