Santa Maria by Gusar - FINISHED - 1/100 - built as a nao

[Gusar]

Hi everyone, I started scratch build of a Columbus Santa Maria according to an Anatomy of the ship book by Xavier Pastor. It seamed to me it would not be a too difficult job since I have a book and just need to follow it, but there was equally time spent on thinking of how to build something or deciding in what way to build since plans have decent amount of inaccuracies and lack of details.

[Gusar]

[Chuck Seiler]

Gusar,

 

    Please define 'inaccuracies'.  Since there is no record of the details of the Santa Maria, there is alot of leeway in the building process. 

 

    The build looks good so far.  What other builds have you done?

[Gusar]

Hi Chuck,

I will list some of inaccuracies or mistakes I found.

When you compare body plan with sheer and half-breadth plan and measure everything this what you get. This is in milimeters. I took that sheer and half-breadth plan are more accurate.

 

One ladder not two.

 

 

Had to add the this for main yard hoisting.

 

Cleats are on wrong places, found out later when started putting the shrouds

 

 

 

 

Absolutely no cleats for fastening all the ropes, also lack of better explanation of how forecastle is constructed.

 

Two different fore stay versions

 

Spritsail is too large, spritsail on the previous picture is better

 

This framing is not in an alignment with other plans, so much correction is need if you want to make admiralty model or just to match visible frames with other plans.

There are some other mistakes I can't remember now, for example anchor is too big for the scale so adjustments are needed. Much care is to be taken studying plans before starting the build. I don't have so much experience so i didn't see all of this in advance. 

[Gusar]

On 10/5/2023 at 7:21 PM, Chuck Seiler said:

Gusar,

 

    Please define 'inaccuracies'.  Since there is no record of the details of the Santa Maria, there is alot of leeway in the building process. 

 

    The build looks good so far.  What other builds have you done?

I did two Adriatic Trabaccolo, and one fishing boat.

[Gusar]

In the end main mast consists of 70+ parts

 

[Gusar]

Good balance , keel is 2,8mm wide

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Gusar

[Knocklouder]

That's  some very nice work, I only wish.

    

[Chuck Seiler]

6 hours ago, Gusar said:

Much care is to be taken studying plans before starting the build. I don't have so much experience so i didn't see all of this in advance. 

I see, the inaccuracies are within the plan itself.

 

Very true.  It is very frustrating when you have what appears to be a good set of plans, but AFTER you start working on it you find the various parts of the plan are not reconciled with each other.  I guess learning that, and learning what things you need to verify early on are part of the 'gaining experience' process.

 

Looking good so far.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Chuck Seiler
mis spelling

[Louie da fly]

Very impressive work. I've tried a couple of models built on a plug and always found difficulty in getting the two halves exactly the same. You seem to have succeeded admirably. And you've done a superb job on the (difficult) rounded stern. Very precise work.

 

Steven

[Ferrus Manus]

You're making real headway on this! I haven't seen many scratch nao's, so i will be following your build very closely. 

[Gusar]

10 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

Very impressive work. I've tried a couple of models built on a plug and always found difficulty in getting the two halves exactly the same. You seem to have succeeded admirably. And you've done a superb job on the (difficult) rounded stern. Very precise work.

 

Steven

Two halves were nothing comparing to rounded stern it could have been better, but next time it will be.

Thank you all for kind words here is continuation of the work.

 

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Gusar

[Roger Pellett]

I’ve never had much interest in the Columbus ships; probably a result of having seen too many really bad replicas and models.  You, however, have produced a stunning model that in my opinion nicely captures the essence of what a late Fifteenth Century Nao might have looked like.

 

Your hull construction technique is unique and innovative

 

Well done!

 

Roger

[Chuck Seiler]

Very nice.  What wood are you using for planking and doors, etc?

[Gusar]

16 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

I’ve never had much interest in the Columbus ships; probably a result of having seen too many really bad replicas and models.  You, however, have produced a stunning model that in my opinion nicely captures the essence of what a late Fifteenth Century Nao might have looked like.

 

Your hull construction technique is unique and innovative

 

Well done!

 

Roger

Hi Roger,

I was really thinking a lot about how to capture this essence as you said. Looking at many contemporary pictures to try decide which colour to go for. The wood I use is pear stained with two colours dark walnut and redish walnut. First I would put redish one and then quickly applied dark one so wood can soak bit of both. That is why colour is not uniform you will see more on later pictures. 

Hull construction method I took from russian master Michael Bezverhny.

 

 

[Roger Pellett]

I make all of my models as two half models.  Alignment is guaranteed by drilling alignment pin holes before the haves are shaped.

 

Roger

[Gusar]

Forecastle I did I think two or three times. Since there was no pictures in the plans of how this was made I did it by the eye.

 

f

This middle horizontal beam is placed to get the convex shape of the clinker planking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Gusar

[Ferrus Manus]

Today is Columbus day, so ironically, it's a great time to work on your Santa Maria model. I assume you are using the Mataro Nave as a reference? It looks like you took a significant amount of features and replicated them on your model, which is probably a good decision. 

[Gusar]

Hi Ferrus, I didn't now about Colombus day:) I am using anatomy of the ship book by Xavier Pastor and there are indeed references to Mataro model.

 

[Gusar]

Not completely satisfied with windows 😏

 

This is more true color.

These are some of the references for the color.

[Gusar]

Rails

 

 

[Gusar]

Rudder

 

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Gusar

[Gusar]

Anchor size given in the book is to large so I shorten it so it can fit the distance between the bit and end of forecastle properly.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Gusar

[allanyed]

Gusar

Just tuned in and I admire your model a lot.   Did the Spanish use belaying pins in the 15th century?  They are shown in your fifth row of photos in post #20.  The British did not use them until well into the 18th century so I am curious about this  as I am studying a 17th century Spanish vessel at this time and cannot find information based on contemporary sources that indicate they were used,   

Thanks

Allan

Edited November 2, 2023 by allanyed

[Gusar]

On 11/2/2023 at 1:12 AM, allanyed said:

Gusar

Just tuned in and I admire your model a lot.   Did the Spanish use belaying pins in the 15th century?  They are shown in your fifth row of photos in post #20.  The British did not use them until well into the 18th century so I am curious about this  as I am studying a 17th century Spanish vessel at this time and cannot find information based on contemporary sources that indicate they were used,   

Thanks

Allan

Hi Allan,

 

I am not sure if Spanish used belaying pins in the 15.ct. In the book there are no pins drawn in Santa Maria plans only in Pinta plans. Also I saw on the SM replica in Palos de frontera there are belaying pins so I put them. I also tried to find out about this question long while ago, I think I found somewhere that the use of pins started in Mediterranean first. Need to check again. 

I have books about Spanish galleons in the 17.century if you need some help with your study I can check them. 

[Gusar]

I tried to make as much details I could. Those smaller rings were to much to ask. Maybe on some other model.  the ones I made are 0.5-0,6 mm diameter made of 0.1 mm wire. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Gusar

[Gusar]

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Gusar

[Louie da fly]

Magnificent work, Gusar!

 

Steven

[Gusar]

[Louie da fly]

Beautiful work, Gusar!

 

Steven