Yacht Mary by catopower - Mamoli Dusek - 1:54 - An Inherited Model

[catopower]

Those following my HMS Wolf card model build may be wondering where I disappeared to. So this is what I've been doing for the past couple months.  A couple years ago, I bought a Mantua/Sergal Sovereign of the Seas kit, unstated, at an estate sale. I guess the sellers were so happy to move the kit that they threw in a partially started Amati Prince (yes, the rare, and huge Amati Prince in the wooden box), and this partially completed Yacht Mary.

 

Having recently completed Woody Joe's Charles Royal Yacht, and having so enjoying modeling a royal yacht, I was interested in working on this new acquisition. But, the model left my possession for another modeler to work on. But, over time, I thought about how the original builder, a Mr. Richard Fletcher who lived up near Placerville, CA, was building this as a wedding present. I didn't know the man or the details of who it was supposed to be fore, but I didn't know that the builder's widow really wanted to know that her late husband's models were being continued.

 

Later on, finding out that the modeler I had passed this onto was turning into some random fantasy ship, I decided to try to rescue it, with the intent of finishing the model and presenting it back to the Mr. Fletcher's widow. So, with my new plans, I managed to get the model back, and start working on it.

 

My intent is not to make a perfect model of the Mary, nor a perfect model of a Dutch yacht. Rather, it's to essentially take Richard Fletcher's work and to continue the model to completion without changing too much. That's not to say I would avoid ANY "corrections" to the build, but mostly to avoid changing the nature of the model more than I need to.

 

While I don't have any photos of the model after it came back into my possession, I did have to clean up some alterations that were done to it, such as the removal of a "poop deck" railing that was installed for the fantasy model, and a couple other minor things that had been broken since I saw it last. Aside from that, I noticed the original builder had some trouble with a few things and left a big gap just between the transom and the gallery windows casting. So, I did a few small modifications to make the model look better. 

 

By the way, I've always been interested in modeling the Yacht Mary, and even have an unstarted, original Mamoli kit, which gave me access to the original, full-sized kit plans, which I found helpful. I think my interest in the model dates back to seeing the late Jean Eckert's build in the old Seaways' Ships in Scale magazine. She, by the way, started and ran the South Bay Model Shipwrights club that I'm a member of still today.

 

I'll post a series of photos later to show the progress to date. I'm hoping to complete the model by June. So, this will not be a long and detailed build log. Mostly just wanted to be able to share about the work.

 

Note: I will be getting back to my HMS Wolf build shortly!

 

 

Edited Sunday at 08:28 PM by catopower

[Gregory]

You made me dig out my digital copy of that Ships in Scale volume to confirm it's a great article.   I have my 2nd Mary kit on the shelf and look forward to getting around to it some day.

 

There is a Mary-like model of a ship called Max Emanuel built by  Theodor Klaas.

 

It has some amazing detail that I would strive to incorporate on my next Mary

 

Max Emanuel

 

One of the detail images.

Edited Sunday at 11:14 PM by Gregory

[druxey]

A little bird tells me that there will be a book out later this year on all the Stuart Royal yachts, from Mary onward!

[Gregory]

Any indication if it will include rigging detail?

[catopower]

Gregory, thanks for that link, some beautiful photos of that model there. I wish I knew more about the small details of Dutch ships. I know there are various resources to draw from, but it seems you really have to dig around and research. A little more involved than I want for finishing this model.

 

I'll hang onto my unstated Yacht Mary kit for now (though I'm trying to thin out my model kit stash), and maybe someday I'll work on my own model from the start and incorporate those details.

[catopower]

46 minutes ago, druxey said:

A little bird tells me that there will be a book out later this year on all the Stuart Royal yachts, from Mary onward!

Oh, those little birds!

[catopower]

Here's some of the first work I did on the model.

 

I decided to add a little more color to the model, so I painted the bulwarks the same shade of red I used on my Charles royal yacht. I'm doing the same with the gun carriages. Part of the reason is that the bulwarks wood was a bit splintery, and there were issues apparently when the builder was cutting the round gun ports.

 

Also, I didn't like the way that Mamoli had the caprails built up from layers of strip wood. It must have made construction easier, but the visible layers of wood seemed distracting, so I went ahead and painted those as well as the moldings around the decorative section of the bulwarks and the channels.

 

I considered using a strip of light colored wood over the moldings and maybe the edge of the caprail, but decided not to, at least not at this time.

 

I rebuilt the chimney that's just behind the windlass, added the decorative hawse pieces at the bow and drilled the hawse holes.

 

The gun ports were a bit of a challenge, as some of them didn't line up correctly. Another reason I chose to paint the bulwarks, so I could hide any corrections. The round ports on one side had only been started, so they were too small. But, a bit of filing opened them up and adjusted their heights and alignment. 

 

Decided that the model was far enough along to safely mount it. I didn't want to use the included stand. Those things are usually too flimsy and don't provide a means to really secure the model to the base. I just used the classic brass pedestals.

 

That little deck structure hasn't been permanently attached yet. I want to add the guns before I permanently fix it to the deck. Oh, and on that and on the stern cabin, I added acetate for the windows, which were left open by the original builder. I think I just used canopy glue to secure them into place.

 

Yes, before you comment on it, that gap between the rudder and stern post is... well, it's too large. After repairing the rudder and the rudder irons, I left it the way it was originally built. If it bothers me too much, I may just clip off the stuff in between, fake the hinges, and pin the rudder to the hull. Just haven't felt the need yet.

 

Lastly, I saw some photos of other Yacht Mary builds and really like the splash of color painted on some of their transoms. So, I went ahead and added some color to this one. I'm not sure if I can handle painting any better detail, but I may try. Just not really ready for it yet. I considered doing more, but I really just wanted it to have a little bit of color. Any more, and I might feel the need to paint too many other details as well.

Again, this is not intended to be an "accurized", and I'm trying not to undo too much of what the original builder did. But, as far as kit-built models go. It is started to look rather nice, and I'm happy about that.

 

 

 

[Gregory]

Great start on your re-boot of that model.

 

Let me know if I'm cluttering up your log too much, but you have really got me thinking about going forward with my Mary II..

 

I found this superb link to a model by Lloyd McCaffery.

 

There are a couple of downloadable PDF's of some of the details and also contemporary reference drawings/painting.   Mamoli did a great job of creating the details of this kit.

[catopower]

Gregory, I don't think you're cluttering up this log at all. I'm mostly just sharing about the model I received and how it's getting finished over time. I'm not demonstrating any special techniques or trying to illustrate anything special, other than to show that I'm actually doing something! 😀

 

Thanks for sharing the link to Lloyd McCaffery's model. Such beautiful work!

 

Edited 10 hours ago by catopower