Santa Lucia - Panart, Sicilian cargo boat 1/30 scale [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Sulaire]

This will be my next build. I know that many of you boys out there like to scratch build, but I like kits - there's such a joy when that distinctive oblong box arrives and you open it up and see the wood and shiny things. I always get a thrill looking at the picture of the boat on the box lid, and thinking that I'm going to turn the flat contents into that. Maybe that's just me.
Anyway I was going to get the Armed Pinnace that Graham built so beautifully - following his build would be incredibly helpful - but I saw this and liked it more. It was a choice between cannons and barrels of wine and the alcohol won.
It's a panart/mantua and forewarned is forearmed or something. So I know that the instructions will be wrong/limited/in the wrong order, etc and that the quality of the plywood will be suspect but, I intend painting it as shown because I like the black and white (I may change the green to blue) and I can replace the plywood cleats, etc with solid wood ones.
And actually, the Panart instructions are a lot more detailed and clearer than Mantua ones. We shall see.
So this will a build log when I start, which will be soon because I've already dry-fitted the frames.

 

[Norway]

Good luck with your build / log, building sets certainly does not create as much dust and you do not need a lot of machinery
and you don't need that much space either.
Many people living in an apartment, for example, prefer this way of building.
Your result is the most important thing and you are happy with your model.
At least I'll be watching.
Greeting-

 

[Jimsky]

There always a joy when building small boats, whether it is a lobster or fishing. I specifically like small (in size , not in scale) ships. I will watch you project with big interest.

 

[Sulaire]

aye, I'm very pleased with the size of it. It's advertised as 700mm long but I didn't know how much of that was bowsprit (I'm no good at judging that sort of scale thing). The keel is 500mm so big enough to minimise the swearing at fiddly things. And big blocks, joy!

 

[Sulaire]

Dry fitting the keel and frames - a few loose bits but fits together well. The false deck holds everything together nicely.


glueing everything together and shaping and sanding



starting to plank - the hull is double planked, first with 1.5mm and then with 1mm. The tops of the frames are then cut away and the inside planked down to the deck which will also be planked. Of course I immediately snapped off one of the smallest frame tops and had to glue it back on so that I can remove it later ...
I've never done one of these before so my theory for the top half is to fix the first plank at the cut off line and work up and down - it seems to be working.

 

[Hedley]

I am also looking forward to your build.
I liked this boat so much that I actually bought the kit many years ago, but after two or three house moves it just went missing.
Now all I can find are the plans from the kit!

 

[Sulaire]

Now that's annoying!

 

[Hedley]

Yes it is a bit, but I could try and build something from the plans myself if I was too upset.
It''s funny but I find myself more interested in these simple work/fishing/harbor type boats than some of the floating "Christmas cake" 100 gun etc. type ships.
Anyway, am still looking forward to this build.(no pressure)

 

[Sulaire]

Aye, same for me. I live on the Isle of Mull in Scotland - islands are all along the west coast so 'puffers', ferries, fishing and working boats are all part of being here, plus visiting yachts, schooners, coastguard vessels, etc. So I also prefer to build these.

 

[Sulaire]

planking a bit rough and ready, but after sanding, the outer layer should look a lot better.



Starting the other side



In one of those weird synchronicity things I found out that a neighbour has exactly the same boat kit which he bought years ago and made by Mamoli - is that the version you had Hedley?. My neighbour hasn't made his yet and there are significant differences in build detail, but it's definitely the same cargo boat with wine barrels.

 

[Hedley]

Not sure, as I said it was a few years ago now.
Have just had a quick look at the plans and instructions, they look the same as your pictures and are marked as 1994, but I guess that doesn't mean much.
At a guess it may have been around early 2000's.
.

 

[Uwek]

planking a bit rough and ready, but after sanding, the outer layer should look a lot better.

View attachment 121858View attachment 121857View attachment 121856

Starting the other side

View attachment 121855

In one of those weird synchronicity things I found out that a neighbour has exactly the same boat kit which he bought years ago and made by Mamoli - is that the version you had Hedley?. My neighbour hasn't made his yet and there are significant differences in build detail, but it's definitely the same cargo boat with wine barrels.

In the past Panart and Mamoli cooperated - somehow - or copied - I do not know exactly - But several ship models were offered somehow similar from both manufacturer...... also by Mantua -> for example the HMS Victory was one example (with or without coopered hull)
The S Lucia advertisement photos are showing definitely the same built model

Panart


and Mamoli

 

[Sulaire]

Aye, definitely the same. The version my neighbour has is 'Il Leudo', which I see is available on Amazon.com but at a smaller scale/size. Curiouser and curiouser. I shall make him get the keel out of the box and measure it

 

[Uwek]

Aye, definitely the same. The version my neighbour has is 'Il Leudo', which I see is available on Amazon.com but at a smaller scale/size. Curiouser and curiouser. I shall make him get the keel out of the box and measure it

It could be, that Mamoli used parts of this model also for the leudo / Leut, which was an adriatic merchant boat
But it should be a different vessel:

Nevertheless the photos of the Mamoli advertisement are showing a lot of simmialrities - I am looking forward what the research with your neighbour will bring

This here is a scratch built of a croatian Leut a friend of mine built some years ago

 

[Sulaire]

Planking progressing - double layer going on. These are 6x1mm so pretty much shape themselves.
Not much else to say except it's not one of my strengths and there will be filling and sanding


It's not in the instructions but I've put a keel strip on. It makes it easier for me to tidy up the bow and stern and covers over the ply ends.
Serious sanding done, final tidying up to be done later.



Now I'm cutting out the tops of the frames in order to plank the internal sides and the deck with my trusty little flexible saw.
Looks a bit rough in there, but all will be well eventually.

 

[Sulaire]

second layer of planking going on the inside, beginning to plank the deck



planking finished, filled and sanded

This is where the typical Panart/Mantua instructions fall short, and it's always wise to read ahead. According to them I mark out the scuppers but file them out near the end when a lot of the deck fittings are in place. Plus I should put the hand rails in now. I choose to do the scuppers now and the hand rails a lot later when all the fiddly stuff underneath them is done

Next, cutting out my lovely planking to take the cabin and holds - once again the measurements on each plan view differ slightly. Rough holes which will be pen-sanded to fit

 

[Sulaire]

I've now started painting the hull - nice Mediterranean colours. And black.

It's a black hull even though that last photo looks brown.

Started some of the 'shaping of fiddly things' in preparation for masts, tiller, etc. The sizes are correct, the plans are drawn bigger.

 

[Sulaire]

More progression - I was putting off bending the top rails, but finally did it (some details in a plank bending post on this forum). And fixing them in place.


Capstan and framework for small hold, Sail store frame, ladder and hatch cover

More fittings, sail store completed.

 

[Sulaire]

I decided to do the bowsprit next

and next the cargo hold hatches - strips of planking painted and drying. I decided to plank the outside of the holds although it wasn't part of the instructions

and this is where I had a brain aberration - there were 3 brass rods for the locking brackets so I assumed I must cut the longest in half. Of course I didn't measure anything beforehand and ended up with two short lengths that were indeed too short - turns out there was a length of rod missing. Anyway luckily I had some welding rods that I could use instead.

Rudder/tiller fitted.

For some reason I've been ignoring the cabin so that will be next ...

 

[Jimsky]

Interesting bowsprit construction and great metall work! Cannot wait to see the cabin....