- Joined
- Nov 13, 2025
- Messages
- 28
- Points
- 58
Hello, all! A couple years ago, after visiting the maritime museum in Barcelona, I was inspired to pick back up an interest in maritime history that I had set aside for over a decade. As my first model, I built the Model Shipways dory. Since then, I've done several other models, kits and scratch-builds alike.
I'm particularly interested in working boats, especially vernacular working vessels from Latin America. (I currently live mostly in Mexico). My two most rewarding scratch-builds so far have been a Canoa de Rancho flat-bottomed fishing boat from Lake Chapala, Mexico, c.1900, and a Lancha Chilota coastal sloop from southern Chile, c.1950. These builds and others have been described on other forums. I'm particularly drawn to the research aspects of modeling, and to using models of small craft to help understand how people worked, lived, and experienced periods of profound change.
I'll try to get a build log or two going sometime soon. At the moment, I'm working on a few modeling projects. One is a scratch-built Bateau de Lanvéoc built from Ancre plans, and made of alder. It's currently undergoing fairing, and I'm looking forward to removing the haphazard scaffolding around the top. I'm also working on a heavily kitbashed Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack, which I rescaled to 1:32 and am planking lapstrake-style. Hopefully I will be able to make another Latin American workboat before too long. Thank you for having me here at this site, I hope to learn from the many wonderful builds and conversations here.
A few photos:
Above: Canoa de Rancho (left), the Nautical Research Guild's 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull (mounted in frame), and a cross-section of the small Spanish fishing boat Juana y José (right).
Above: Lancha Chilota.
Above: Bateau de Lanvéoc and Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (in progress).
I'm particularly interested in working boats, especially vernacular working vessels from Latin America. (I currently live mostly in Mexico). My two most rewarding scratch-builds so far have been a Canoa de Rancho flat-bottomed fishing boat from Lake Chapala, Mexico, c.1900, and a Lancha Chilota coastal sloop from southern Chile, c.1950. These builds and others have been described on other forums. I'm particularly drawn to the research aspects of modeling, and to using models of small craft to help understand how people worked, lived, and experienced periods of profound change.
I'll try to get a build log or two going sometime soon. At the moment, I'm working on a few modeling projects. One is a scratch-built Bateau de Lanvéoc built from Ancre plans, and made of alder. It's currently undergoing fairing, and I'm looking forward to removing the haphazard scaffolding around the top. I'm also working on a heavily kitbashed Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack, which I rescaled to 1:32 and am planking lapstrake-style. Hopefully I will be able to make another Latin American workboat before too long. Thank you for having me here at this site, I hope to learn from the many wonderful builds and conversations here.
A few photos:
Above: Canoa de Rancho (left), the Nautical Research Guild's 18th-Century Merchantman Half-Hull (mounted in frame), and a cross-section of the small Spanish fishing boat Juana y José (right).
Above: Lancha Chilota.
Above: Bateau de Lanvéoc and Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (in progress).
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