Absolute beginner here - new to ship modeling

[AlanR]

Hello! I am a beginner and want to get involved in this hobby. When I was young my brother and I built a couple ships. I am interested in ship kits rated by skill level. I know it's best to start simple and work upwards. BUT, I have my eye on Chris Craft speed boat models. I love the sleek lines and wood finish. But if this is too advanced I'd like recommendations.

 

I am also looking to put together a hobby desk, nothing fancy as I don't have a lot of room. But the point is I am serious about the hobby, need to fill my time with something productive.

 

Good to be here, TIA!

[Baker]

[GrandpaPhil]

Welcome!

[Keith Black]

 Alan, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

 

 Take advantage of MSW's search engine and search "Chris Craft", you should get a fair idea of what's involved to tackle that project and if your current skills would meet with moderate success. A lot of folks start with the Lowell Grand Banks Dory which comes with tools. Most have found that the tools provided are not sufficient but by searching Dory build logs you'll discover what other tools you'll need to purchase.  

[Dan Poirier]

Welcome! I also think the Chris Craft speed boats look amazing. I haven't built any, though.

[gsdpic]

Welcome.   The typical response to a beginner is to point to the three kit beginner set from Model Shipways.  The Dory referenced above is one of them.

 

As for Chris Craft (or other mahogany speed boats), the main kit supplier is Dumas.  They have two lines....one simpler, very small scale line of boats that are about a foot long and are generally less than 100 bucks.  Then they also have the same boats in larger scale, much more complex and much more expensive kits that are intended for RC though can be built as static models.  I built their large triple cockpit barrel back many years ago as a static model.

 

Bluejacket (MSW sponsor) also has a couple of mahogany speed boat kits, as does Mack products/Legend boats, though without the Chris Craft name, though the latter sells some of the Dumas Chris Craft kits also.  Many of the mahogany speed boat kits are intended for RC operation so you might find more info and build logs and such on forums intended for RC boats.

 

For these types of boats, the finishing (stain, paint, varnish) is much more important than for typical ship models, so it would be helpful if you have some experience in that area as well.  At least you don't have to deal with any rigging.

[palmerit]

If you're talking wooden model ships, I highly recommend the Vanguard Models. They're well-built with very clear instructions and lots of build logs here.

 

I just started this hobby myself. The first model I bought was the Vanguard Sherbourne - still working on it. I also bought the Vanguard Duchess of Kingston to start on. But I got cold feet since it was a pretty expensive model and I wasn't sure about my skills. So I bought the Model Shipways Shipwright Series (I've finished the Dory, still have the Pram and Smack to do). To be honest, if I really first started on the Dory, I don't know if I'd still be in the hobby. The engineering of it is a bit fiddly, the basswood is not the greatest, the instructions are not always as clear as they could be (they were clearer after having done one model, and after reading a bunch of build logs). I appreciated it after having started the Sherbourne - and could see that it was giving me a different set of skills, including how to work with a model that doesn't fit together like a Vanguard model does. I've since started the NRG Half Hull because I wanted some more planking experience before starting on the Duchess. I'll work on the Model Shipways Pram and Smack before I start the Duchess.

 

Take their "Novice", "Amateur", etc. ratings seriously. Before taking a lot of time reading the posts here, I probably would have picked a model "in the middle" and have been way over my head. The Sherbourne is a "Novice" model but still really challenging. The Vanguard models are more expensive than others, but you get what you pay for in terms of their engineering, their quality, and their instructions. Unless you're a skilled wood worker, don't underestimate how challenging wooden model ships are and how long they take to build. It's easy to see why lots of people here steer new folks away from trying to take on really challenging builds. There's a lot of different skills involved and even simple models take a long time to put together right. 

 

You'll get a lot of recommendations wrt what you need, what you don't need. I started small but quickly bought way more stuff than I ever thought I'd buy, and certainly more than I really need. I don't have a hobby desk, I just use a large, long fold-up table in my younger son's bedroom (which I'll need to pack up when he comes back for winter break from college). I did buy some Dewalt TSTAK modular toolkit pieces to store things in (I have a bunch for my "real" tools in the cellar). I think an airbrush is worth it, but lots of people paint with brushes only. Buy blades for your knives (hobby, scalpel, x-acto, whatever) in packs of 100 so you can change them often. I bought a cheap set of files to then get frustrated and buy a more expensive set. If you're in your 40s or older, definitely consider something like an Optivisor. I also ended up splurging recently on the https://ultimation.ca package (sander, repeater, slicer); I know it's (expensive) overkill, definitely not something most people need, but the slicer makes beautiful (tiny, precise) cuts and especially if you are not doing the work in a dedicated shop, having a small desktop (non-powered) sander works great, at least for small things. 

[ccoyle]

Welcome aboard!

[SiriusVoyager]

Welcome to MSW!

[kurtvd19]

4 hours ago, palmerit said:

If you're in your 40s or older, definitely consider something like an Optivisor.

I definitely back up this recommendation highly and further suggest you skip the plastic lens versions & get glass lenses - a bit more $ but later when you really need them you will be glad you spent the extra $.  I am at the stage now that I am going to hang them next to my shop door so they are the first thing I grab and the last thing I put away.

Kurt