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I let my Admiral choose my new kit !

Capt. Quint

Capt. Quint

Joined
Sep 24, 2025
Messages
7
Points
3

Location
Wylie, Texas
Greetings Folks,

My Admiral was my grade school & high school sweetheart. She used to help me build plastic model kits when we were kids. She knew back then that a scale wooden ship was on my bucket list.

I have been doing extensive research for about 6 months & have watched countless YouTube build logs & read hundreds of posts & build logs on SOS.

This will be my first wooden model ship build.
Here is my resume:

- Advanced wood worker with a specialty in scroll sawing & fretwork
- 35 yrs residential construction, drafting, blueprint reading & take-off experience
- Built over 150 new homes, including one that was $1 Million
- College degree with a minor in mathematics
- I measure 3 times & cut once
- Extremely Patient & strong attention to detail

With my resume, I "think" I would put my starting skill level as intermediate? My thought was that if I can build a $1M house, surely I can build a $500 ship model.
(I might change my tune once I start) !
My confidence level is extremely high except for the planking & rigging. I'm ready for a 3+ year build. I plan on messing up & having to purchase replacement materials. PLUS... the knowledge & willingness to help new builders on this site is my "Ace in the hole". This forum is amazing.

I picked an Occre kit, due to the 1:1 plans, build videos & recommendations from SOS. Last week, I informed my Admiral that I was ready to purchase & I wanted her to pick out the ship. She was extremely excited to pick the one to display in our home.

I gave her 4 choices from Occre. She watched every presentation video of each ship several times & every picture of each ship on their website. She was definitely "On Board".
Here were my choices:
- Endeavour
- Diana
- San Felipe
- Belle Poule

She really liked the rugged war ship San Felipe & thought the Belle Poule was very classy. For some reason she wasn't fond of the Endeavour. So, the choice was quickly narrowed down to 3.
Out of curiosity, She then spent parts of 2 days looking at ALL the choices from Occre & loved the Santisima Trinidad, Montanes & the new limited HMS Victory. I politely told her "I like them as well, but, NO", (a word she doesn't like to hear) and that those kits were not a first time build & the fact that the Victory was $1800 & already sold out, so... maybe one of those for my next build. She agreed.

3 days later... the Admiral informed me that the kit was purchased from Amazon, but wouldn't tell me which one ! I had to promise her that I would not get on our Amazon account & see the order status. Hmm... I don't care, as I love all 3. I am like a kid waiting for Christmas !

Kit should arrive in a few days. Stay tuned. I'll report back & then start a build log.
Which one did she choose ?:
- Diana
- San Felipe
- Belle Poule

Mike
 
Hi Mike !
I like your profile picture. :) Great album !
Welcome to the forums !
Even with your experience from your "resume", you have bitten off a very large piece to start with. Building a model ship is nothing like building a house other than you realize that some things have to be done prior to doing others.
You will find things that you will have questions about. Don't hesitate to ask. We all started at the same point of knowledge. :)
Also, I will strongly recommend that you do a build log on these forums. It will give you a place to ask questions as well as giving you a sense of commitment to the group to keep going on the build.

I look forward to watching your build !
 
Hey Corsair,

I was fortunate enough to see Pink Floyd in concert 3 times. An incredible experience each time. On their farewell tour, they played Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Totally amazing.

I agree that I might have bitten off more than I can chew. I’ve been that way my whole life. Even though my confidence is high, I am humble enough to “ Cry Uncle & Eat Crow” when the time comes. Never the less, “I’m going in”. I am not in a hurry & have a backup plan to purchase a learning kit to hone my skills if needed.

Maybe there are other home builders here that can pipe in ? My feelings won’t be hurt. I thrive on constructive criticism, which is far more enjoyable than dealing with sub contractors. The $1M home that I built, I also designed every inch of it, drafted the blueprints, did a full materials take off. But, as you pointed out, I could be way outside of reality. If this build stops being fun & enjoyable, I will stop & regroup.
 
I had a summer job doing farm construction work for a tough boss, My father. I built gates from rough cut oak, did roofing, and worked along side him to restore an 1880’s vintage post and beam construction barn. In our “spare time” we built two sailboats. Back in those days it was mostly hand tools. My life became noticeably easier when he finally bought an electric drill capable of drilling bolt holes in those oak gate timbers. Today, I realize that like you I was blessed to have had that experience. Since then I have been scratch building ship models.

I offer this to reassure that you will have NO trouble building one of these highly engineered kits. Take things slowly, follow the instructions and when you get frustrated trying to do something it’s time to quit for the day. Unlike building a house there is no demanding customer waiting to move in. Rigging is not as demanding as you may think, and besides you won’t have to do it for quite a while. With your construction experience you clearly understand 3-D spacial relationships and the way that things fit together.

And! It sounds like you have a great wife able and willing to encourage you throughout the process.

Roger
 
Welcome aboard from Connecticut! I guess this is a good time to start gathering tools and supplies. If I may hazard some advice, why not get a simple Dory kit like the model expo Dory. At the very least it will let you experience what building with small wood pieces is all about and you can make all the mistakes you want and not feel too bad. You will also get a grasp for what tools and adhesives will be necessary and how they behave on these mostly soft woods.

www.modelexpo-online.com

Model Shipways Lowell Grand Banks Dory Model Wooden Model Ship Kit 1:2

New Model Shipways Shipwrights Series! This is the first true plank-on-frame basswood kit on our school of progressive model boat building. For the novice, the Dory is the perfect introduction to model ship building. No previous knowledge is necessary.For the more experienced modeler, this ship...
www.modelexpo-online.com www.modelexpo-online.com

I would be very surprised if they do not have a black Friday sale and you can get it for less. You can probably complete it before Christmas! I agree 100% with Corsair starting a build log will really help you.

Rob
 
Congrats on moving to small scales! Knowing how to use tools is a big help, but....... there are huge differences between a model and a house. 51 years ago, I built one house including laying every block of the foundation, floors, framing, drywall, you name it, so I can relate. Both have challenges, but they are nothing alike based on my own experience. Of the models you listed give a lot of consideration to Diana (38) 1794 as there are contemporary drawings and most of the original contract for the Artois class of which she was a part. I am guessing you are meticulous given your background so having these drawings and scantlings from the contract you would have the proper sizes of virtually every part of the ship. There are a lot of mistakes in OcCre kits but most can be fixed if you have the contemporary information and if it matters to YOU.

In case these would be interesting to you..............

Original contract- https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-459306

Drawings are available in high resolution on the Wiki Commons site. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Ship_plans_of_the_Royal_Museums_Greenwich Scroll to page 4 and the Artois class drawings begin there and continue to the next page.


Allan
 
Thanks Roger & Rob. Points taken. That small kit might might be a good, steep learning curve. I have most of the tools already with several coming from my fly tying setup. Much of the tools & gadgets are the same. I will have to purchase all supplies though. I am needing help on a slip or vise to hold the ship. I want one that is sturdy & can tilt. Will the foam cradle setup that I see out there work just as well as a a fancy tilting jig, Panavise or keel klamper type setup ? All I own is a massive bench vise.
 
Capt Quint, good luck with whichever build you have, we all will follow if you do your build on here.
You have good taste in music, I too have seen them several times but there are good tribute bands that perform exactly the same as the originals, probably better. A good band that does a lot of venues in the USA are Brit Floyd. They definitely are worth going to see.
Have never so far needed a vice or anything that holds it firm, an old towel suffices for support
 
DennisP said:
Capt Quint, good luck with whichever build you have, we all will follow if you do your build on here.
You have good taste in music, I too have seen them several times but there are good tribute bands that perform exactly the same as the originals, probably better. A good band that does a lot of venues in the USA are Brit Floyd. They definitely are worth going to see
Click to expand...
I'll watch for them. :)
 
Agreed 100%. I have seen Brit Floyd 3 times as well. Incredible band & talent. They tour worldwide. Each show is completely different & they get into deep tracks. Corsair, they are in Ft Myers every year. Worth the trip from your place if you are a Floyd fan. I am moving from Cape Coral to a Dallas TX suburb on Dec 4th. So this ship will be in dry dock for 3-4 months. More time to learn !
 
Way back in December 1965 I bought a small bench vise. I remember the date because having just graduated from the University I was about to report to active duty as a naval officer and was organizing a tool kit to take with me. It now resides on the right hand side of my shop’s model making bench. I have used it continuously for the past 60 years. Like you, I also have a massive machinist vise and a carpenter’s vise flush with my other workbench top. Both are useful from time to time. I have never found a “Keel clamper” type vise to be necessary, but I have also never built a POB kit.

There are lots of small 2-1/2inch -4inch bench vices offered today. I would buy one that attaches to your workbench top with screws or preferably bolts. I also have a cheap swivel base vise but almost never use it.

For me my little bench vise is an essential model building tool.

Roger
 
It is to be having fun to play the Were I in your place but knowing what I know now game:

Good advice above= the Model Shipways Shipwright dory seems to be having a good track record with beginners,

This is a new world with its own language - a guide book is helpful . This one is tried and true:
Historic Ship Models Paperback – December 31, 1989 by Wolfram zu Mondfeld (Author) used ~$10
Forget hardback paperback is good enough - the info is what is important

A large diameter hollow swimming pool noodle can be cut and serve as a hull holder - go cheap - remaindered from summer if lucky

Rule: (which I am singularly unable to follow) Do not be afraid to go slowly so that there is no stress with following it:
Do NOT buy tools on spec. Wait until you have a definite need for the job it will do before you buy it.
If you live alone and have surplus funds - you can ignore this rule.

If you find the need:

A model size bench vise is also a keel clamp if you place the keel there - a dedicated keel clamp I see as a waste of money= no other use.

I started with an old General swivel vise - a vacuum clamp - totally useless - I drilled holes and bolted it to a one time deal C-clamp no longer sold.
There are various types of a small vise - most have holes for bolts in the base - good. A special C-clamp to bolt to just for it - I would give it a pass.
for example: Panavise.jpg
This is the commonly available Panavise - it may or may not the optimal type.
I want no play or racking in the clamping action. I want metal jaws as well as soft. I use the top plane of the jaws to set a parallel plane when I cut/needle file notches and mortisii in a piece of wood. My metal jaws have scars and abrasions. Plastic would be awful for this.

I would use a 2x6 or 2x8 that is 8" -12" long for a base.

Drill one or two 1/2" holes in the front edge. and use one or two of these Milescraft-Tee track clamps I just found on-line.
I can see that being able to temp attach Tee tracks on a benchtop might be handy - can't see what that would be exactly - but you never know.
Otherwise - there are less expensive long arm C-clamps.
Milescraft-Tee track clamps.jpg

If the vise bolts have wingnuts up top - the base can be used for other tools that need one and are of intermittant short term use.
 
I just had a thought(s):

On the 2x6 or 2x8 base = route channels and have Tee tracks in them - the pecking bird type clamps et al.
Uups, I meant to suggest placing the tracks in the underside surface. One side as a tool base and the other a place for clamping that is of the hold down type.

Tee nuts can be epoxy glued in the top of the base for vise bolts (or machine screws - Home Depot search calls the little guys with threads screws - even though they lack a sharp tip). The doohickey that is a short tube with machine threads inside and coarse bite into the wood outside threads would also work but I think there is a significant difference in cost.
 
Last edited:
Capt. Quint said:
Thanks Roger & Rob. Points taken. That small kit might might be a good, steep learning curve. I have most of the tools already with several coming from my fly tying setup. Much of the tools & gadgets are the same. I will have to purchase all supplies though. I am needing help on a slip or vise to hold the ship. I want one that is sturdy & can tilt. Will the foam cradle setup that I see out there work just as well as a a fancy tilting jig, Panavise or keel klamper type setup ? All I own is a massive bench vise.
Click to expand...
A foam cradle works well. There are softer foams than pool noodles available. I use these foam are supports that are made for the operating room. for me they are just the right softness and support and will not roll around. This one is priced at $20 for the pair (The prices are all over the place so be careful)

www.graylinemedical.com

Medline Prone Positioning Arm Cradles - Foam Armboard Positioner, 3" x 5" x 24" - NON081344

This item may require 1-2 days to ship out from our facility.Product Information: Foam Armboard Positioner, 3" x 5" x 24"Manufacturer Part # NON081344Description Arm cradles for laminectomy procedures or other prone-positioned surgeries Designed to flex to accommodate a variety of angles for...
www.graylinemedical.com www.graylinemedical.com

If you know someone who works in an OR they may be able to get you some that have been used for free.

I have used this vise for general purposes. It has a vacuum base which I rarely use but is heavy enough that it holds what I want without problems and the jaws are covered in rubber to prevent damage. It is decently priced.

Yost Tools Yost V-275 Portable Vacuum Base Vise, Pivots Multi-Angle, 2.75” Jaw Width, (1 Pack), Silver: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Yost Tools Yost V-275 Portable Vacuum Base Vise, Pivots Multi-Angle, 2.75” Jaw Width, (1 Pack), Silver: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement
www.amazon.com

Rob
 
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