HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne 1763 by palmerit - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - First Build

[palmerit]

First time trying to add shrouds and deadeyes. I can see why next to planking, many characterize this as one of the hardest parts of making models ships. Definitely a slow process to try to get them close to being right. 
 

There needs to be a seizing at the top between the two halves of the line after it loops around the mast. I did it kind of loose to make sure I could adjust the relative lengths of the two ends to try to make them even horizontally. No magic tricks to doing this, just fiddling and patience. 

Edited August 10 by palmerit

[chris watton]

Considering this is your first build, your model looks amazing!

[palmerit]

Finished the shrouds and deadeyes. Definitely a challenge. It’ll take several models before I’m happy with the result. I guess as a small victory, the deadeyes are reasonably in line with one another. 
 

One thing I hadn’t thought about until it was too late was keeping the “residual” length of shroud the same length after it passes around the deadeye. They're also too long. A lesson for the next model. 

Edited August 11 by palmerit

[palmerit]

I’m a bit puzzled how to rig the backstays. 
 

There is a backstay running to both sides (going to the rear, both port and starboard). 
 

Anyone know if there is ONE standing rigging line (labeled B4) with one end going to port and the other and going to starboard (with a block on both ends? If so, it doesn’t look like there’s any seizing at the mast (like there is for the two ends of a shroud). 
 

Maybe the fact that it says “Backstay” (singular) with “(Rig both sides the same)” by itself suggests one line with blocks at both ends. 

Edited August 11 by palmerit

[palmerit]

One recommendation I’d make to others building the Sherbourne is to wait to add the swivel guns until after you do the rigging. It’s just so easy to catch them on a line or hit them with your hand. I thankfully haven’t lost any. 

 

There are also small decorative (functional in some way) pieces by the stairs that are rigging line magnets. Those could also be added at the very end of the build.

 

Adding these parts when directed would be like adding the anchors right before starting the rigging (you're directed to add them at the end). There's no need and the anchors would just get in the way. These other pieces just getting the way.

Edited August 11 by palmerit

[palmerit]

So I think I learned a well-learned lesson learned by others in the past. I had only tightened and glued rigging once all the pieces of rigging associated with the same boom or yard seemed to be in place. I had read that you can get one line of rigging seemingly taught but then when adding the next piece it can make the first piece loose. I don’t know if it was from accidentally knocking some of the rigging from time to time that made some of the rigging loosen a bit or if it was later rigging that caused previous (seemingly taught) rigging to become loose. I had to retighten that rigging. Thankfully the CA glue I previously used to secure the rigging loosened with nail polish remover applied a few times. I now have a lot of the rigging I had previously secured now temporarily lightened with small clamps. I’ll wait to secure again in their final position later in the rigging. Lesson learned. I don’t know if keeping lots of rigging “loose” works on a model with 5-10x the amount of rigging. 

Edited Wednesday at 03:12 PM by palmerit

[palmerit]

Getting close to completion. All the rigging is done except one more line to the bowsprit, the ratlines, and adding and tying off the anchors. 
 

Oh, and I’ll need to tighten all the rigging down. Going to wait to do that after the ratlines are in. 

Edited Thursday at 05:52 PM by palmerit

[palmerit]

Kind of crazy that this is what it looked like last August. 
 

I’ve certainly gotten better over the past year working on this and my parallel modeling projects. (While it’s been over a year, I have worked on several other projects - I don’t think I was as low as the 40-60 hours given in the instructions for this kit, as a beginner at every step it was 2-3x that, including time I spent looking at other build logs and videos.)

[palmerit]

A great video for efficiently tying ratlines.

 

 

Edited Friday at 04:46 AM by palmerit

[palmerit]

First effort at tying ratlines. The Curtis_Wooden_Shipyard method to tying certainly made it a lot easier. Still challenging. I was trying to have the shrouds remain straight, but that’s easier said than done. Hoping the other side might end up a tiny bit better. 

[palmerit]

No way I could do this - at least when starting on the first knot on the left of each row - without one of the quad hands in place. 

Edited Sunday at 01:57 PM by palmerit

[palmerit]

The second effort (on the other side) was a little better - and I was several times quicker. 

[palmerit]

Done with the rigging. Just need to add the anchors and make the stand. 

[Pinenuts]

What an absolute stunner of a build. It looks amazing!

[palmerit]

Well my first model is done. The first model I started, a little over a year ago. My first model, my first planking, my first real rigging. A model filled with more firsts than I can count.

 

Along the way, I did complete five other (simpler) wooden ship models (and one Lego ship model). I did not step away from the Sherbourne over this past year because of any frustration with the model, but because I wanted to get some more practice on the fundamentals and to be able to take some time researching and learning about things like rigging - especially rigging. 

 

So my first model started, seventh completed.

 

When I first decided last year to try out a wooden ship model, I really was at a loss as to what model to build. If I had not found this site, I probably would have equated wooden ship model difficulty with something like Lego model difficulty and bought a wooden ship model far beyond my ability (far beyond my ability now), gotten a few weeks into it, and packed it away in the cellar.  

 

The Vanguard Sherbourne really is a great first model. It's definitely a challenge. And not every step in the detailed instructions and plans are obvious to a complete novice, but the materials are fantastic, the instructions are clear, and there are lots of builds and videos on this particular model. What is especially rewarding about this hobby is that there is so much to learn at every step in building a model. It is really crazy that a complete novice like me can produce such a nice model. That's really testament to @chris watton and Vanguard models.

 

Beyond Chris and Vanguard, there are way too many people to thank for all their comments and for their excellent build logs on the Sherbourne and other models. It would take too long to list them all, and at the risk of leaving out someone who provided really helpful guidance, I'll just send out a broad thanks to the modelshipworld community.

Edited 13 hours ago by palmerit

[Knocklouder]

Congratulations  , looks really good, .  make sure you put her in a display case,  and don't  wait to long to start another log, lol 10 minutes  is long enough. 

 Great job my friend.

Bob  M.

PS.  Put her in our Gallery  !!

Edited yesterday at 01:40 AM by Knocklouder
Guessing typos lol

[Thukydides]

Congrats and great job.

[Desertanimal]

Congrats on completing her. It was a while in the making but she turned out great!

 Chris

[palmerit]

17 minutes ago, Knocklouder said:

PS.  Put her in our Gallery  !!

This weekend, I bought some black fabric and I’m going to try to use my nice camera to take some nicer photos with a black background. It might take a bit of playing around. I’ve been reading the section of photographing models. 

[JacquesCousteau]

Congratulations, it looks great! Very nice work for a first or a seventh model, you clearly built a lot of skills over the course of the build.

[Ronald-V]

Very well done! That's a lovely model you can be proud of!  

[Nick 843]

Terrific model! Congrats on finishing!

Nick

[LoydB]

Great job!