Newbie being a bit ambitious….

[SapphireParticipant @sapphire]

I am currently building my first ever boat which is an Artesania Latina Swift 1805 kit. Although I am used to model work having built a couple of dolls houses in 1/12th scale this is my first attempt at a model boat. It is looking okay but I am well aware that I have made many mistakses and have had to modify some bits…..

The thing is my partner has just got me HMS Bounty by the same manufacturer and it is a very spectacular ship, with a cut through side so that you can see the internal of the ship and a lot of fancy bits.. I was hoping that someone could possibly give my some advice or tips on the best way to proceed so that I don't make any cockups on this one

thanks

[SapphireParticipant @sapphire]

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Sapphire

The best advice might sound a little cliched but I would recommend that you read the instructions thoroughly and identify every part of the kit……………and then do it again ……and again.

It is important to fully understand how the model is assembled before you start glueing bits together so I would advise you to 'dry fit' as many parts as you can just to get the feel of how the model is constructed.

Now is the time to carefully begin sticking the bits together but don't go mad by putting lots of parts together to quickly as slow and steady is the best way.

Paul

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

For building period ships, might it be worthwhile buying one of the books by Keith Julier to supplement the instructions. Keith wrote many items on model period ships. One of his books (The Period Ship Handbook Vol 3) has a feature on HMS Bounty but it is the Amati kit.

**LINK**

**LINK**

**LINK**

Found this in the Build Features section of this site covering the build of a period ship – HMS Sherbourne –

**LINK**

1:12 scale dolls houses are lovely models to build, here are a couple of photographs of the last one I built, the Artesania Latina "Linda".

[SapphireParticipant @sapphire]

hi Tony

love your dolls house, I currently have 2 that I built myself both in 1/12th.

I have ordered a book which should be arriving soon, and have been reading up on the different ways to bend the planks, on my first boat I just stuck and nailed them whilst straight……this didn't end well 'cos as soon as I went around the curve the straight bit pinged off! resulting in more glue wood splitting … sticky fingers frustration and a trip to the shop for wood filler usually in that order I don't wish to repeat that procedure so need to try out different ways of bending them to see what works for me.

I am very much confused with AL instructions as they seem to get to a point then you are left to your own devices eakk! will probably need a book on rigging before I attempt it on the Bounty.

thanks again for your response

[SapphireParticipant @sapphire]

Hi Paul

reading the instructions doesn't always make sense to me….maybe I'm being a bit daft but they do seem a bit alien maybe once I am a bit more experienced I wont feel like I am reading a different language.

the slow and steady makes sense, as with my first I think I was to keen and wanted to do as much as I could to see what it looked like.

Hopefully I will be more patient with the Bounty and enjoy each stage rather than rushing to see the end result. I am also planning on blogging my progress while I do it so I can look back over how it went.

thanks for your response.

Edited By Sapphire on 07/09/2016 12:26:06

[Francis MacnaughtonParticipant @francismacnaughton39461]

You might also want to look at this site which specialises in building these sort of kits

**LINK**

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

If you are having problems with planking your hulls, there are some good articles available on the above-mentioned Model Ship World sit, **LINK**, not least these two: http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/plankingprojectbeginners.pdf and **LINK**

These explain things in much more detai, but essentialy it all boils down to not trying to make the planks lay as you want them to by bending or forcing them, but let each one take as natural a path as possible, if necessary spiling them to a shape that will fit and/or using stealers and drop strakes.

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 07/09/2016 14:04:49

[SapphireParticipant @sapphire]

hi Banjoman,

thanks for the link, however see there is that foreign language again what are stealers and drop strakes?

i feel sometimes that I am listening in to a teenagers conversation and have no idea what the lingo is!

i was trying to get the planks to go in the direction I wanted but soon realised that it didnt work! and started changing the way I did it but my skill still needs a lot of work.

thanks again

sharron

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Sharron

Your not alone I'm an engineer and I've been building model boats for over 40 years and I have never heard of stealers or drop strakes.

Paul

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Stealers are individually shaped short planks which are used to fill in gaps where the regular planks following the curvature of the hull result in a gap.

Stealers and Drop Strakes are explained here:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1d5u3Ee1_VwC&pg=PA61&lpg=PA61&dq=drop+strake&source=bl&ots=V89AgqBLoC&sig=-0pWOPCb8doWy9h3voiBWYeARS4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsjoui9f3OAhXHL8AKHbT5AN8Q6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=drop%20strake&f=false

When you are planking a model an important thing is to ensure that the lines of planking match up when viewed from bow and stern, particularly the bow. A different pattern on each side is a bit of a no no.

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 07/09/2016 19:50:07

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Hello again Sharron,

In addition to Colin's helpful reply, here's a quote from one of the documents I linked to in my previous post:

A drop strake is where two strakes of planking reduce to one, or three to two. A steeler (also spelled stealer) is the opposite principle: here one strake is worked to become two, or two strakes widen to three.

See pp. 1–2 of this article (**LINK**) for the same text with some further explanations and some sketches to illustrate and make clear what's meant; there's also quite a lot of information on stealers and drop strakes on pp. 21 ff of the other article I already linked to (**LINK**).

Good luck and lots of fun with your builds!

Mattias

 

Edited By Banjoman on 07/09/2016 21:37:43

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