Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways 1:24) [COMPLETED BUILD]

donfarr said:
HI TRY CONTACTING BLUEBEARD ON THIS SITE HE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP, HOPE THIS HELPS, THE REASON YOU DID NOT GET A REPLY FROM M/S WAS YOU DID NOT PURCHASE IT FROM THEM SO THEY HAVE NO RECORD TRY ALSO TO JOHN GARCIA AT MS, HOPE THIS HELPS. GOD BLESS STAY SAFE YOU AND YOURS DON
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Thanks, Don. It was actually John that I "communicated" with.
 
Duncan said:
What is meant by a "Group Build"? Is a group working on the same model or is everyone in the group working on their own model at the same time?
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It is a group of members working on their own model of the same kit. They are helping each other, sharing ideas, and much more. BTW, there is absolutely no competition between the members of the 'Group Build' :cool:

P.S. There is no any kind of competition between the SOS members, not just members in the 'Group builds' ;)
 
JohnR said:
20210906

Ship is completed! Took almost 8 hours to complete the rigging but the finished product looks nice (patting myself on the back there). Besides the wrong size rigging lines that were supplied a couple of minor issues developed along the way to the finish line.

  • After attaching all of the blocks (nothing in the directions or on the plans stating, explicitly, where they go; the few photos in the directions and the photo of the finished ship were all that were available for help – the location of most made logical sense), while I was lacing the mainsail to the boom I noticed that the block just above where the gaff joins the mast was missing. After a moment of panic, I moved everything (storage boxes, tool holders, etc.) out of the way, swept the floor and got down on my hands and knees to check under furniture too heavy to move. No joy…and no spare available. Had to manufacture a substitute out of a scrap piece of basswood stock. It came out OK but the basswood takes the stain (liquid brown shoe polish) different then the supplied blocks did. Still, hard to tell the difference without a close inspection.
  • The eye of the metal turnbuckle installed on the top of the bowsprit end snapped off while threading the rigging through it. Not a major catastrophe; drilled a replacement hole in the body of the turnbuckle and kept on rigging.
I to try doing things that fall under ‘optional’ in the directions; sometimes they are simple details and other times they are a bit of a challenge. The metal hanks on the jib are in the first category; just ook some patience to get them through the holes drilled in the jib and then closed around the forestay (managed to drop one on the floor but the kit had a spare so no issue finishing). The parral trucks on the lines holding the gaff and boom to the mast were in the later category – with the challenge being finding something that didn’t look grossly out of scale. I managed to find some 1 mm metal crimp beads in an arts & crafts store that seemed to be what was needed. I painted them black, threaded them on and think are working out just fine.

Towards the end the directions said to belay the jib sheet line to a cleat on the mast that already had a line belayed to it. Not wanting to belay one line on top of another, I belayed the jib sheet to the Samson post. I should have read ahead one step as the directions said to belay the topping lift (the last line installed) to the Samson post. Dug around in the spares box to see if there was a cleat hanging out; again, no joy…but aha! There was a 90° bent pin left over from an earlier model that looked promising. I drilled the forward bottom of the mast, glued in the pin and belayed off the topping lift.

The extra rope coils are a bit so-so. I installed them as I made them so the latter ones are a lot neater than the first ones.

I’ve not completed all 3 of David Antscherl’s model – the dory, the Norwegian pram and this one. Model Expo does not have the next one mentioned at the end of the Lobster Smack’s instructions (a longboat) but figuring the 18th century longboat model Model Expo will test my mettle, I purchased it (a few months ago when I bought the Lobster Smack). I’ll start the longboat in a couple of weeks when I return from some work travel.
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Lovely little boat- I really enjoy your name sign.
 
Thanks for the build log. I'm just getting started and was already having issues with the thin wood but your log was helpful when I reconstructed the broken pieces. I'll be following your log throughout my build.
Congratulations on the finish.
 
JohnR said:
20210906

Ship is completed! Took almost 8 hours to complete the rigging but the finished product looks nice (patting myself on the back there). Besides the wrong size rigging lines that were supplied a couple of minor issues developed along the way to the finish line.

  • After attaching all of the blocks (nothing in the directions or on the plans stating, explicitly, where they go; the few photos in the directions and the photo of the finished ship were all that were available for help – the location of most made logical sense), while I was lacing the mainsail to the boom I noticed that the block just above where the gaff joins the mast was missing. After a moment of panic, I moved everything (storage boxes, tool holders, etc.) out of the way, swept the floor and got down on my hands and knees to check under furniture too heavy to move. No joy…and no spare available. Had to manufacture a substitute out of a scrap piece of basswood stock. It came out OK but the basswood takes the stain (liquid brown shoe polish) different then the supplied blocks did. Still, hard to tell the difference without a close inspection.
  • The eye of the metal turnbuckle installed on the top of the bowsprit end snapped off while threading the rigging through it. Not a major catastrophe; drilled a replacement hole in the body of the turnbuckle and kept on rigging.
I to try doing things that fall under ‘optional’ in the directions; sometimes they are simple details and other times they are a bit of a challenge. The metal hanks on the jib are in the first category; just ook some patience to get them through the holes drilled in the jib and then closed around the forestay (managed to drop one on the floor but the kit had a spare so no issue finishing). The parral trucks on the lines holding the gaff and boom to the mast were in the later category – with the challenge being finding something that didn’t look grossly out of scale. I managed to find some 1 mm metal crimp beads in an arts & crafts store that seemed to be what was needed. I painted them black, threaded them on and think are working out just fine.

Towards the end the directions said to belay the jib sheet line to a cleat on the mast that already had a line belayed to it. Not wanting to belay one line on top of another, I belayed the jib sheet to the Samson post. I should have read ahead one step as the directions said to belay the topping lift (the last line installed) to the Samson post. Dug around in the spares box to see if there was a cleat hanging out; again, no joy…but aha! There was a 90° bent pin left over from an earlier model that looked promising. I drilled the forward bottom of the mast, glued in the pin and belayed off the topping lift.

The extra rope coils are a bit so-so. I installed them as I made them so the latter ones are a lot neater than the first ones.

I’ve not completed all 3 of David Antscherl’s model – the dory, the Norwegian pram and this one. Model Expo does not have the next one mentioned at the end of the Lobster Smack’s instructions (a longboat) but figuring the 18th century longboat model Model Expo will test my mettle, I purchased it (a few months ago when I bought the Lobster Smack). I’ll start the longboat in a couple of weeks when I return from some work travel.
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Thanks for all the great photos and comments. I’m working on this kit now and your posts are a great reference.
 
Thanks so much for the time you put in posting this build. I just got my Lobster smack. Haven’t started yet. Was surprised not to see a “103” video on YouTube like the Dory (“101”) or the Pram (102). Your photos are a great help to me.
 
I also thank you for taking the time to post this. I just started this boat and your build log helps answer some of my questions and concerns. Your lobster smack turned out great.
 
I spent a bit of time struggling to understand the instructions right out of the gate. It seemed to me that the Starboard spine was actually the Port spine and vice versa. The photos in the manual looked backwards too. If I were to do it in the order they have, you would not be able to see the markings on the outside of the spine, as they’d be facing inside to eachother.
Maybe it’s just me. I know, clear as mud. But hoping someone else experienced this dilemma.
 
Larro145 said:
I spent a bit of time struggling to understand the instructions right out of the gate. It seemed to me that the Starboard spine was actually the Port spine and vice versa. The photos in the manual looked backwards too. If I were to do it in the order they have, you would not be able to see the markings on the outside of the spine, as they’d be facing inside to eachother.
Maybe it’s just me. I know, clear as mud. But hoping someone else experienced this dilemma.
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Larro, I discovered the same thing.
I started a build log of my lobster smack if your interested in what I found.

Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack (Model Shipways) 1:24 by Roscoe

I have started my third model in the Model Shipways series, the lobster smack. I am home for the summer so I am unable to dedicate as much time to this hobby as I did over the winter so the posts may have some lapse between them. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot building the first two in...
shipsofscale.com
 
Excellent Build log! First thing I noticed re: the “instructions”, was that they can be confusing, perplexing and frustrating. Being able to refer to your log has been an enormous help to me! I’m still in the early stages of the Lobster smack and your log gives me great confidence. Especially when I have to manufacture remedies out of prior leftover parts. I now realize, it’s OK to do this! It’s part of the build. I’m thinking of my next build already. I’m looking at Occre’s Polaris as the next effort. Onward through the fog!
Thanks friend!
 
Congratulations, nice build, I like the paint scheme. Just curious, what make is the drill press?
 
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