Blacksea Taka / Karadeniz Takası by Turkic

[Turkic]

Hello everyone!

 

I’ve just joined your community and also just started wooden ship modeling. Right now, I’m attending a wooden ship modeling course at a state-run “Public Education Center.” It’s only been four days since I began. I live in Sinop, one of the most beautiful cities on the Black Sea coast of Türkiye (in my opinion, the most beautiful one 🙂).

 

In Türkiye, beginners in this hobby usually start with the “Karadeniz Takası,” since it’s considered easier to build. In the Mediterranean region, I’ve read that people often begin with the “Fethiye Fishing Boat.” The photos I’ve shared for this project were taken in the workshop at the training center. I haven’t had the chance to set up a workspace at home yet, but honestly, I don’t feel the need for it right now. We get about 4–5 hours a day to work in the workshop, and for the moment, that feels more than enough for me.

 

 

The taka is one of the traditional boat types unique to the Black Sea. These takas are also referred to as ‘çektirme.' It has been used in fishing and generally for cargo transportation, and in Sinop, until recent times, it was also used for carrying pebbles. With a rounded bow, a beak-shaped stem, and a flat stern, the takas were originally sailed only by wind, but from the first half of the 20th century onward they were powered by both sail and engine. Typically featuring a bent mast and a lateen rig, they are sturdy vessels built with chestnut and oak wood, notable for their distinctive form as authentic Black Sea boats. The last taka of our seas has been placed under protection through the cooperation of Sinop Municipality, the Sinop Fisheries Cooperative, and the Sinop Black Sea Sailing Specialty Club (SKY)

Additionally, the old Hasköy Shipyard on the Golden Horn, which is today the Rahmi Koç Museum, houses one of the last çektirmes. This shipyard was established in 1861 by Şirket-i Hayriye for the maintenance and repair of their own vessels. Today, a vessel named Tekel 15, one of the last of its kind, is exhibited at the museum.

 

 

On the first day, we had a brief introduction and discussed in general what we would be doing. The image below is from the second day of the course, which was the first day of actual building.

 

By the end of the next two days, it reached the form shown below. I will continue with the taka and planking tomorrow. In the construction, we are using 2×5mm linden wood strips. They are easy to work with and can be shaped quickly. However, I still found it really challenging when making the stern of the ship. I even broke a few strips while bending them.

When bending the strips downward, a few of them end up sticking out or sitting inward. I thought this was related to the keel we made, but our instructor told us that this is normal when planking downward. He also said that the mistakes would be corrected with additional pieces and sanding.

 

I really think I chose a great hobby. I was already doing oil painting and making small sculptures and figures with a plastic 3D pen. But this has turned out to be something very different and much more enjoyable.

 

It seems like this project won’t take too long to complete. After this, I honestly would like to build a Burchio. I sincerely look forward to hearing your thoughts and advice. Thank you!

[ccoyle]

Welcome aboard and good luck on your project!

[Keith Black]

 Turkic, welcome to MSW. Your Taka is coming along nicely. Glad to have you aboard. 

[Turkic]

Thank you all. I couldn’t visit the workshop for a few days because of my full-time job. For the past two days, I’ve been working on the deck planks. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this challenging. I haven’t glued the deck planks onto the frame yet, because I still feel there are things I need to do first. I worked on nail decorations for detail, but since I used a craft knife, they don’t look very nice. I’ll see how I can fix that tomorrow. I’ll also open up the hatch spaces and do the planking on them as well. So far, it’s going well.