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Hi, Herb from Southern Maine

H

Herbs Ships

Joined
Feb 19, 2026
Messages
9
Points
3

Location
Kennebunkport, Maine
Hi, newbie to ship building and to the forum! Soon to start building my first wooden ship (dory…lol) with hopefully many others to follow. I am starting with several novice builds so that I can develop good results and habits. Any and all help is appreciated…and I have thick skin, you won’t hurt my feelings!

Regards, Herb
 
Welcome from Colorado.

The forum is very helpful, so if you have specific questions don't hesitate to ask for advice/input.

Building the dory is a great way to start. You'll discover what tools you need and develop skills and techniques that will help as you advance to bigger ships.

Enjoy!
 
BradNSW said:
Welcome from Colorado.

The forum is very helpful, so if you have specific questions don't hesitate to ask for advice/input.

Building the dory is a great way to start. You'll discover what tools you need and develop skills and techniques that will help as you advance to bigger ships.

Enjoy!
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Thank you! My son lives near down town Denver…great state!
 
Herbs Ships said:
Hi, newbie to ship building and to the forum! Soon to start building my first wooden ship (dory…lol) with hopefully many others to follow. I am starting with several novice builds so that I can develop good results and habits. Any and all help is appreciated…and I have thick skin, you won’t hurt my feelings!

Regards, Herb
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Welcome to the forums !
Don't laugh at the Dory. Its a great model to start with! :)
We all had very limited skills when we started. Many of us are glad to help if you have questions.
 
Welcome to SoS. Great choice to start with the Dory. Love your part of the country, spent many days in Sanford with family back in the day.
Allan
 
Welcome to SoS! My second wooden build was the Sea Bright Dory and it was a great learning experience. Like you, I'm interested in learning all the basic skills (planking, fairing, rigging, presentation) before I plunk down UD $1,000 on a classic tall ship like the HMS Victory, Sovereign of the Seas, or Santa Ana. You can learn much here as long as you know where to look.

20260215_193224.jpg
 
Thank you for the welcome. I look at the build logs. I take screenshots of ships that I have kits for. Multiple build logs as each log is different but I figure if I get enough of them I will have it covered. Is there another place I should look?
 
Herbs Ships said:
Thank you for the welcome. I look at the build logs. I take screenshots of ships that I have kits for. Multiple build logs as each log is different but I figure if I get enough of them I will have it covered. Is there another place I should look?
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I would start with two of the most popular forums "Beginners Corner: How to Get Started" and "General Topics / Help with Models." If I have a question, I can usually find the answer in either of these forums. You have to scroll down to find topics that interest you. Also, I always use the Search button at the top right corner to look up discussions on particular topics. If you want to find what people have to say about shrouds, mizzenmasts, the Golden Hind, paper models, and much much more, just type in a search and you will get more if not most of the information you need. Smooth sailing!
 
Ignatius27 said:
I would start with two of the most popular forums "Beginners Corner: How to Get Started" and "General Topics / Help with Models." If I have a question, I can usually find the answer in either of these forums. You have to scroll down to find topics that interest you. Also, I always use the Search button at the top right corner to look up discussions on particular topics. If you want to find what people have to say about shrouds, mizzenmasts, the Golden Hind, paper models, and much much more, just type in a search and you will get more if not most of the information you need. Smooth sailing!
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Good tips, thank you!
 
Herbs Ships said:
Good tips, thank you!
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Herb -- Forgot to mention, if you are willing to do a deep dive down the rabbit hole that is Scale Ship Modeling, I would highly recommend the section of this site that contains several years of the "Model Ship Builders Journal & Archive." There are issues going back from 2007 to 2023 with several years of gaps. Each issue has stories, tips, progress pictures, and ephemera dealing with the building model vessels. It reflects that many issues of interest to new hobbyists have been dealt with in years past, so one does not have to reinvent the wheel. It would benefit from an index of topics covered in all of the issues. Here is the link:


Here is an article called "What Scale Should I Use?" from the July 2007 issue of the Model Ship Builders Journal & Archive that answered alot of beginner questions for me.
 

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Ignatius27 said:
Herb -- Forgot to mention, if you are willing to do a deep dive down the rabbit hole that is Scale Ship Modeling, I would highly recommend the section of this site that contains several years of the "Model Ship Builders Journal & Archive." There are issues going back from 2007 to 2023 with several years of gaps. Each issue has stories, tips, progress pictures, and ephemera dealing with the building model vessels. It reflects that many issues of interest to new hobbyists have been dealt with in years past, so one does not have to reinvent the wheel. It would benefit from an index of topics covered in all of the issues. Here is the link:


Here is an article called "What Scale Should I Use?" from the July 2007 issue of the Model Ship Builders Journal & Archive that answered alot of beginner questions for me.
Click to expand...
Awesome….thank you!
 
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