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Purchased shortly ago / sthg new in your workshop -> present it here

The date is about right for the bui9lding of the ship, but I would be amazed if there are contemporary plans on which these drawings are based.
Allan
Alan - My guess is that they were copied from an old kit. That's why they're giving them away for free! It did come with a good parts list, which I thought would come in handy if I ever decided to build her from scratch.
 
Scratchbuilding? That is far beyond my capabilities :cool:
Ronald61 - I've only been plastic modeling for about the last 5 years and wooden ship modeling for the last 2. Three of my last 4 builds were scratch built and in many ways it gives you alot of freedom, within the parameters of the build. It's also cheaper for folx on a budget like many of us old-timers! You will find plenty of resources on SoS to follow your passions! I know I did.
 
Thanks! Well, who knows what the future brings. Maybe in retirement in hopefully 3,5 years ;)
 
Scratch building? Coming soon to School For Ship Model Building on this forum: an easy but sophisticated build of a well known American boat type. Stay tuned!

Roger
 
Scratch building? Coming soon to School For Ship Model Building on this forum: an easy but sophisticated build of a well known American boat type. Stay tuned!

Roger
Roger - Keep me posted! I'm doing the NRG Rigging & Masting Practicum right now and I love these joint projects and learning from each other. Great opportunity for learning the basic skills we all need.
 
Not sure where the drawings were sourced from. They are dated 1571 and I downloaded them from shipmodell.com.
There are carvings. Elaborate carvings. For a hull La Reale 17thC. is simple - it is actually a very big boat. Everything above the waterline is a nightmare of detail.

For something this demanding - maybe a decade of work - I would want to start with plans that were as authentic as time and circumstance allows.

The inhabitants of the Med had been building galleys for thousands of years and the hull form was not all that different over the time span. It is unlikely that there ever were original plans of a form that we would recognize or could use.

This monograph is probably the practical choice - 40EU is nothing in comparison to the project.
https://boutique.aamm.fr/monographi...que.aamm.fr/monographies/plan-reale-de-france

SOUVENIRS DE MARINE VOL.1-6 1890 PARIS,AMIRAL is probably the original source for everything La Galeasse La Royle.
No. 65 - No.71 are devoted to it.

There have been 3 "recent" reprints: 1975 18"x12" ***** 1999 ?x? **** and this one from ANCRE - which is the most useful because the plans are loose sheets - for a project like this even 440EU is a minor investment balanced against the time this will take.
https://ancre.fr/en/reprint/136-sou...ouvenirs-de-marine-francois-edmond-paris.html

Here are some pix:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:La_Réale_(ship,_1694)

Before 1995 here is what is in journals starting in 1970:
THE FRENCH GALLEY LA REALE PART 1-6
HERIZ-SMITH,P
MODEL SHIPWRIGHT
1975 - 1976
11 -16
240-249
17TH NA

LA REALE
VALAT,CLAUDE R.
MODEL SHIPWRIGHT
1995
94
26-35
17TH WATERLINE MINIATURE OAR CARVING

All of the relevant journals are available a digital - except Model Shipwright. Pen & Sword must have to recruit from a special school to fill their ranks of Suits.
 
I recently visited family in the US and took advantage of the trip to get a lot of modeling and woodworking stuff. Shipping things to Mexico can be very expensive and uncertain, so this was a better option, although packing everything into suitcases was a bit tricky.

First up, I got David Antscherl's Hayling Hoy monograph. Although the full, framed model is a bit beyond my current skills and display space, I think a cross-section would be an interesting build and informative about British construction techniques. The monograph looks great. Compared with the Ancre monographs I've seen, it gives a lot of detail on modeling tips and techniques, with a lot of photos.
20260627_104609.jpg

I also got a Model Shipways Ropewalk. Given the difficulty of getting nice scale rope in Mexico, I'm interested in learning how to make my own. I haven't heard great things about the sturdiness of the Model Shipways Ropewalk, but I think it will at least allow me to figure out the basic techniques, and for the small workboats I usually model, I won't need a ton of rope anyway.
20260627_104331.jpg

That said, I'm not quite ready to make my own rope just yet--I still have some Ropes of Scale and Syren rope for my current projects. I placed an order with Ropes of Scale to complete the rigging for my Bateau de Lanvéoc. I also got some Model Shipways "Beautiful Blocks" to finish rigging the Muscongus Bay Sloop. At this point, I think I have enough blocks to last me a while, and I will probably try making my own for some future builds.

I also bought several tools. While working on the NRG Capstan, I realized that a tiny chisel would be really helpful, so I bought a 1/16-inch one. I like the Zona Saw I've been using, but it has a tiny cutting depth (just 1/4-inch for its miter box), so I upgraded to a larger saw and miter box, which will be useful for both modeling and dovetails/other woodworking projects. I also got a Ryoba saw, which in theory I can use to rip small stock. Given the difficulty of finding dimensioned small stock here, I'll need to figure out how to prepare my own.
20260627_103922.jpg

Also a used block plane, useful for general woodworking. I also have some small boards of a local wood, Manzanillo, that I'd like to use for a future modeling project, and this should be helpful in smoothing them a bit (yes it's not technically a smoothing plane, but should work fine for the small boards I have). I also picked up, for non-modeling purposes, an old moulding plane and a very banged up Stanley 48 Tongue-and-Groove plane that I think I can restore into a useable plow plane.
20260627_104150.jpg

Besides tools, also a lot of wood. Probably too much, actually: I'm not going to buy more until I make a serious dent in my existing supply/run out of a size I really need and can't readily get by thickness planing. I placed an order at Ocooch Hardwoods for some nicer woods for modeling and box-making. Below, Cherry and Maple in 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16-inch thicknesses.
20260627_104836.jpg

I also ordered a bit of Gonçalo Alves (which I've found to be excellent to work with) and some 1/16-inch Yellowheart. I have a planned cross-section build using yellowish Manzanillo, but I don't have any boards thin enough to use for planking, so I thought I'd experiment with the Yellowheart. However, the board they sent me has a ton of pink streaks! So, it will not really be useable for planking. On the other hand, it's pretty cool looking and I think will make a nice box liner.
20260627_105107.jpg

Although I also wanted to pick up some basswood in thicknesses of 1/32-in (planking) and 1/8-in (small box bottoms and POB frameworks), I made a mistake in not ordering this ahead of time. Previously, there were at least four places to buy basswood in my family's town--Joanne Fabrics, local hobby shop, Hobby Lobby, and Ace Hardware. The Joanne and local hobby shop both went out of business, Ace had no basswood and no plans to reorder anytime soon, and Hobby Lobby had almost nothing in stock and the workers thought they were going to no longer carry it. I bought the only stuff they had--1/4-in boards--but I'm wondering if there are shortages of basswood or something?
20260627_105243.jpg

Looking for alternatives, I did find poplar in 1/4-in and 3/16-in thicknesses, which should work for some woodworking projects and POB frameworks, if not for planking. I'm curious to see how it is working with it.
20260627_105420.jpg
20260627_105602.jpg

Finally, I found that a local second-hand store sells random hardwood offcuts for a very reasonable price. Most of what they had was walnut, but also a bit of wenge, maple, cherry, and some kind of rosewood or something which I want to make a plow plane with. This material (only a portion of which is below) will mostly be for woodworking, not modeling.
20260627_105918.jpg

So, I bought way too much, but I think I should be good on purchases for a long while. Looking forward to using all this stuff!
 
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