• Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.
  • PRE-ORDER SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR FIRST ISSUE WILL BE JAN/FEB 2026

MARIA HF31 fishing Ewer Build Log NCC (Navy-Curtis Craft) 1:72 [COMPLETED BUILD]

Lots of tedious little work now, putting together the odds and sods for the deck.

Building instructions are very vague, and while I found a building blog from Germany, it looks as if they’ve enhanced the build by adding several components that they built themselves.

I’ll wait to finish up the hull when I come back from my short trip. I’ve got to get some thin painters tape to mask off the white in the front and drill a couple of holes for the anchor slot.

I am enjoying this build, and I look forward to its completion.

BMT

IMG_4104.jpeg

IMG_4103.jpeg

IMG_4102.jpeg
 
I have found Tamiya tape to be far superior to painters tape for masking. Just a reminder that several thin paint coats sanded between makes a beautiful finish.
Love the way the planking appears under the flat black. When looking at pictures taken of her in the museum your planking closely resembles. Well done.
 
Looking at the deck planking, I do not understand why the manufacturer made these butt joints of the planks in such a ..... way
- these are laser marks I guess, so why? Dusek is working often very correct
Or has the original museum ship the same planking ? Maybe somebody knows about this
 
Yes. I noticed that too. Several anomalous features, like the small rectangular patch of two beside four planks making up a very purposeful looking specific rectangular pattern, a couple of plank widths just to the right and a little aft of the main mast, along with some other curiously irregular, but purposeful looking, not random, patterns. Maybe they appeared in the plans, or deck pattern if it was printed, without explanation which wouldn't surprise me, adding to the mysteries left unanswered in various kits. Or perhaps they reflect repairs and patches made to the actual boat from which the model was designed?
Can you shed any light? Just curious.

Thanks in advance, Pete
 
Last edited:
Watching the YouTube video, although in German which I don't speak, on a large screen there are several views of the deck. The deck appears to have been constructed in the generally accepted method. (i.e. 3 plank or 4 plank system) I did see areas which have butt joints on adjacent planks. These area may be repairs since its history includes several wrecks along with normal wear.
 
Beneath all those decades of dust and gray patina I reckon a long and convoluted history, full of mysteries, exists.

Pete
Model's coming along well! On the actual boat in the museum the joints between the strakes are very pronounced. Your model preserves that antique feature very nicely. Adds to the aesthetic. I like it.
 
Last edited:
The decking is one piece, and it fits right into the top of the hall. I noticed that it was pretty close to the museum boat. Hopefully, I'll give her some justice when I'm done.
 
This is one heck of a lot more complex build than one might imagine. OK, so it's a simple, prosaic fishing boat compared to a 17th or 18th c. warship with all the glamor, complex rig, gold leaf and fabulous carving. But what a demanding build with complex detail down to the granular level. Full of detail, demanding high technical skill as well as subtle aesthetic considerations. This is a very challenging model of a very common, but essential craft finely wrought to achieve a very specific end. And robustly and durably built so as to withstand anything the wind and sea can throw at it. What could be of grander nobility or more worthy of attention than that?
Kudos to the modelers (and kit designers) who are doing justice to this vessel! Thumbs-Up
Pete

Question: Why the flat bottom below a very convex curve into the turn of the bilge? That hull was developed with a very well thought out purpose in mind. To aid in beaching? To rest on its' bottom at low tide? To aid in riding over shoals?
 
Last edited:
This was the first build for me that was this intricate. I think the attention to detail so far it’s been pretty good. I’m thinking now that I should’ve used the motorized build cause I think I like the intricate building (not that I’m any good at it).

So both building and sailboating have been interesting to me since I read the CS Fosters Hornblower series. So the statements and questions about the hull are interesting.

I found this Wikipedia page https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_(Schiff,_1881). Wikipedia translation was easy enough to use, but I didn’t see anything about hull construction.

BMT
 
I commend Peters commit as I built several Scottish sailing trawlers with what I thought would be a break from a 1803 warship, boy was I wrong! The detail on these fishing vessels is amazing as they evolved for years until the final version. The rigging, winches and all the other parts of a fishing vessel was truly a difficult task to properly recreate the original. Not a break from the warship but an amazing journey to learn about Scottish fishing in the 19th century.
 
Thanks for the thoughtful replies, and I read the Wikipedia article. I sure would like to know more about the thinking behind that hull design. It reminds me of the 17thc. northern European design being discussed and documented in such detail on this forum. A version of it, too, has a flat bottom.
The Boyer by Ake Ralamb1691, Shaping Dutch hulls.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BMT
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top