Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack by Stubby - Model Shipways - 1:24 Scale

[Stubby]

This is going to be one of those “too long didn’t read” (TLDR) posts, so feel free to skip it – It won’t be necessary to the upcoming build.

 

I have a long, though not extensive history with model ship building. I first built the New York Pilot Boat “Phantom” from Model Shipways in 1998. It was the first and, until recently, the ONLY project that I ever finished. After that I bought and began the “Benjamin Latham”, also from Model Shipways, and got about half-way through until my own frustration and life got in the way.

 

Setting that project aside, I started some smaller projects with the hope of developing my skills (and patience) to move forward with the hobby – I have two such projects on this board that though not abandoned, remain incomplete. Twenty-six years after my initial build I decided that I really need to start at the beginning, so I found the Model Shipways Shipwright 3 Kit Combo Series, which offered a progressive difficulty and complexity. After about a year (life is still happening) I managed to complete all three. It was a great learning experience and, though I made several mistakes throughout, I worked through them and picked up some valuable skills in the process.

 

Honestly, I forgot about this blog until I was almost finished with the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack. That was unfortunate because I’m sure that the collaboration would have been very helpful. I did go back and look at other builds for some tips while completing my own and was both enlightened and encouraged by the work of others. Now that I have COMPLETED these three projects, my new goal is to COMPLETE a project while documenting my progress on this board – hopefully with the help, collaboration, and criticism of other builders, and possibly to their advantage as well. 

 

To achieve this goal, I’m going to build another Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack that I received for Christmas in 2024. It is a nice, fairly straight forward build that uses a myriad of skills. It will also be a good way to see the progression of my skill,  give me the opportunity to correct some of the mistakes I made on the first build, and maybe try some new things with a better understanding of the desired result, since I have already done it once.

 

In any event, here goes nothing.
 

[Stubby]

So as noted in my largely unnecessary TLDR post, I received a Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack by Model Shipways for Christmas in 2024. Although I have recently completed the very same model, I’m going to undertake a “do over” to explore the progression of my skill level with something to compare to.

 

I began by inventorying the contents of the kit and reading through the instruction manual, noting which piece of the kit goes with which step of the build. As previously noted by others who have built this kit, there are some issues. Laser cut sheets 7 and 8 are mixed up in the description and in the instructions. It’s good to note this now so that you aren’t racking your brain later. By some oversight the slide guides for the cabin door are not included in the kit, but this is an easy thing to construct from scratch. There are some other issues as well, but we will address them later in the build.  

[Stubby]

Model build started Sunday, 4 January 2026.

Steps 1 through 4 – The central spine, centerboard, and reinforcing pieces

 

The spine is constructed from five separate pieces to accommodated a functional swing keel (centerboard). The outer pieces, “spine starboard side”  and “spine port side” are incredibly thin and should be handled with care. I also note that the laser etched markings on the piece are on what would be the inside of the spine; if constructed as labeled, those markings will be covered and of no help. The photos in the instruction book don’t show any markings, and in my last build I did as the directions dictated, but I later regretted it. This time I will reverse port and starboard so that the guide markings remain visible for future steps. In doing this I will also have to mirror how the centerboard is mounted to use the proper cutouts. 

 

The last time I did this build, I botched the handle for the centerboard and ended up breaking the centerboard where the handle is attached. In that case I just left the handle off but installed the pin anyway; the centerboard still swings up or down, but it’s physically moved - not by using a lever. This time went more smoothly. I annealed the brass rod, and it bent (relatively) easily. As was the case with my last build however, there is an issue with the kit. The laser cut parts are slightly off (or not large enough) from where the handle needs to slide. This requires enlarging the slot on both outer spines. This wasn’t difficult, but again, the pieces are very delicate – especially where the laser cut markings are. I did end up breaking one small piece, but it was easily repaired.

 

I decided to paint my centerboard before installation to ensure no unpainted area showed on the completed model. This worked well before, though it probably isn’t entirely necessary. I also used a piece of painter’s tape to hold the swing pin in place. It will be covered by planking later and this way I don’t have to worry about the pin falling out. The lever looks like it’s installed properly… we’ll see. The operation still seems wonky to me.

 

I used weights when glueing the pieces together. Some people have used clamps, and it seems to work well for them. I thought that weights might be better at preventing a twist in the spine. I did have a couple of places along the edge where the glue didn’t grab, so I went back, reglued, and clamped them just to target the connection.

 

NOTE: As you see in the pictures, I wrote the name of the piece on the wood as I removed them from the sheets. An astute Sailor will note that it says “spine port side” on what appears to be the starboard side. This is because of the previously mentioned mix up with etched markings. Yeah, it bothers me too, but it will be covered by the planking.

[Stubby]

Next comes the reinforcing pieces. This is where the laser engraved markings help. I was able to line up the reinforcing pieces on my last build without the markings, but it took a little guess work and some extra shaping.

 

While installing reinforcing piece B, I found that it blocked the lever for the centerboard from moving freely, so I cut out a piece of B to allow for it. While doing this, I broke off the free-floating piece astern of where the lever sits. This was not an easy fix. I’m finding that this dynamic swing keel centerboard is a lot of work.

Upon consideration, I think part of my problem is that I misunderstood how the lever is supposed to work. Thought it slid back and forth across the deck enabling a mechanical pivot to raise and lower the centerboard. Upon reflection, I think it is a three-position lever as shown below. Is this the way others interpreted it? The photos in the directions never show the lever up.

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Nice work on the 3-model series! Given that you built one already, do you think you'll be kitbashing this build? 

[Kenchington]

29 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I think it is a three-position lever as shown below. Is this the way others interpreted it?

I have had very little experience with lever-controlled centreboards on full-size boats, so I can only guess from fiddling with the model. Seems to me that there is a simple push-down, pull-up action, with the option of folding the lever flat and (somewhat) out of the way when the board is up. Maybe the folding locked the board in the up position but it's not a positive locking on my model.

 

I doubt that working fishermen did a lot of adjustment of the board, the way that racing sailors do. It will have been fully down when sailing, up when at anchor, moored, alongside or hauled ashore -- and, occasionally, when working in very shallow water or rowing home in a flat calm. Very rarely set anywhere but full down or full up. So the control lever would usually have been down when the fisherman and his boat were working but up (and annoying) when on board but not under way. That's when the folding would have been useful.

 

That's my interpretation, anyway!

 

Trevor

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, JacquesCousteau said:

Given that you built one already, do you think you'll be kitbashing this build?

I'm toying with some ideas, but I haven't committed to anything yet beyond color scheme. I did briefly look at your kitbash build and it is intriguing. I'll have to look closer when I have some more time. 

[Stubby]

3 hours ago, Kenchington said:

Seems to me that there is a simple push-down, pull-up action, with the option of folding the lever flat and (somewhat) out of the way when the board is up.

I think on the full size boat the retracting centerboard simply enables a shallower draft for pulling pots in shallow water or docking at the pier. I imagine the real centerboard is gravity driven, which is why I suspected a lock would be necessary. It "locks" on my model in as much as it's a snug fit, but it's in the early stages - we'll see how the deck changes things.

[Kenchington]

What little has been published about the Muscongus Bay boats calls them centerboarders, with no suggestion that they had metal centreplates. Those would have needed lifting tackle, not a simple lever. And a wooden board won't go down through gravity.

 

If the boat was mine, I would raise the board whenever the sails were down, if only to protect it from damage. 

 

Trevor