H.M.Y Britannia (MV44) by Mamoli [COMPLETED BUILD]

Daniel20 said:
I know what you mean about walnut stain. I used it on some basswood and the results were way less than what I was expecting. I've found that lighter stains like pecan or golden oak look much better. I'm sure it has to do with basswoods density and grain structure. You do have a very beautiful ship there Charlie.

Daniel
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Thanks Daniel. I think I'm going with golden oak from now on. The kit had basswood and walnut pieces to be used in the deckhouse construction. Thought it would look strange with a light stain and to contrasty. Will substitute wood next time so all the components are the same type.
 
Good luck with a laborious exercise Charlie! The result is sure to please!
 
Without ratlines I can only imagine what a chore it would of been to rope climb all the way up for any kind repairs or replacements. I agree the rat lines would look better than not having them.
 
Daniel20 said:
Without ratlines I can only imagine what a chore it would of been to rope climb all the way up for any kind repairs or replacements. I agree the rat lines would look better than not having them.
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Well I finished the port side and set up for the starboard. It looks pretty good so far. Took a couple of days to complete. The arms get sore holding them up tying those knots so had lots of rest breaks. I assume without ratlines they would have used a boatswain chair for those mast top repairs.HMY Britannia 056.jpg
 
Most of the standing rigging is complete. Really having trouble reading/interpreting the plans. In the previous photo you can see I did ratlines on all four shrouds. Wrong! Had to cut out the fourth one and redo it. It was supposed to go to the ends of the spreader then to the top of the mast. You can see the corrected shroud on a couple of the photos below.

HMY Britannia 057.jpgHMY Britannia 058.jpgHMY Britannia 059.jpgHMY Britannia 060.jpgHMY Britannia 061.jpg
 
Hi Charlie,
I was just noticing how tall the main mast looks in relation to the length of the hull. It's impressive!
 
It was time to start working on the sails but it will be a chore as I'm not very proficient on the sewing machine. As a backup plan I gave a set to a seamstress for her to try. She never has done sails but at least she knows how to run a Singer. While I wait for her I worked on the stand supplied in the plans. I liked the way it came out but not how the model sits on it. I still need to sand down the top planks to conform to the hull shape and that will effect how it sits, but I think it's way to forward and not pleasing to the eye.

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The lines are drawn on the top planks to show where the sanding should be done. It's also visible on the plan sheet in the background.
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As well as too far forward, it's also not level on the stand. After shaping it to the hull I hope it will at least sit straight and level.
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It took several tries but finally got one acceptable sail. Sewing machines are not my forte. First I made a template and taped it to the table.
HMY Britannia 066.jpg

Then I taped the sail cloth on top of the template and with a fabric marker traced the lines to be sown.
HMY Britannia 067.jpg

After sewing it looked good so ran it under water and the marks disappeared. (Different color this time. Last attempt was a mess so started over for the third time.)
HMY Britannia 068.jpg

Jib completed. Will work on the next jib tomorrow. The back side not so pretty but I'll have it facing the wall. ;)
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Finished sewing the sails. I did a different approach to the clew, foot and head attachments. The plans called for a grommet at each corner but I couldn't figure out how to do it with the parts supplied. Still looks pretty good. Next up is attaching the mainsail to the boom and gaff, then mounting to the mast and sewing the mast hoops.HMY Britannia 070.jpgHMY Britannia 071.jpg
 
Finished most of the sail work and now it's time to mount the main sail. If you are planning to build on this model here's a tip. Part #124 a collar, should not be glued to the mast until you're ready to mount the sail. I had to soak it in acetone for 10 minutes to get it free. It was about 1" off from where the plans said to put it. Probably because when making the sail it's almost impossible to have it come out exactly the right size and shape. I also attached the sail to the gaff a little off so now it won't be tight to the mast. will have to try and slid it down a tad. HMY Britannia 072.jpgHMY Britannia 073.jpgI have learned to live with my mistakes.
 
STGCS said:
My wife is a big fan of racing yachts and wanted me to build the Britannia. I couldn't find a build log for her so comments along the way would be appreciated. I'm not a big fan of Mamoli kit instructions. I had the same problem with my cross-section of Constitution. It would be nice if the instructions were in booklet form with separate drawings sheets instead of all mixed together. Also the print is too small for me to read without using magnifiers so I have to scan the english directions into Adobe and enlarge them 200% then print. Works better to have the directions on a separate sheet that I can also use as a checkoff list as each step is completed.
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Hallo Charlie alias @STGCS
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
Enjoy your special day
 
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