Rattlesnake by MS

Bowsprit stays and bobstay. For the hearts I'm using laser cut hearts from Syren Model Ship Company. And I've been painting the figurehead for the past three days, little paint...dry...more paint....dry....touch up....dry....some more paint....you get the idea. The casting is not the best but it doesn't look terrible.

vxghxcb.jpgjhhjvthdgf.jpgcnbxfv.jpg
 
How do you like the Mayflower model from MS? I've always wanted to do that one.
 
Actually I purchased the Artesial kit from a customer ( I work at HobbyTown) who wanted to return it because he could not build it. It is not very accurate so I purchased the MS plans (same scale) and modified the kit to the MS Mayflower. I have been on the replica in Plymouth, MA and have reference photos. The MS kit is much better and I am a big fan of MS having many of their kits. I would recommend any of their kits.
 
May be a minor point but isnt your stack backwards, I think of it to which way the wind is blowing

Hmmm....I pointed it aft like my Syren but yes it looks like the Rattlesnake plans has it pointed forwards. I'll think on it.
 

Syren had handles attached to the stack so the direction of the outlet could be pointed in any direction. At anchor the wind could be coming from any quarter. Since I'm intending on putting sails on in some form I think I'm gonna have to point it forwards. Easy done I think.
 
many stove stacks were designed to be faced towards down wind to help draw smoke up and away from stove, not blow wind down into it.
 
Aft gallows bitts, main grating and inboard elements of anchor rope installed.

I pre-drilled some holes in the deck planking with a [gasp] power drill after knocking out some of the slats in the main grating. Boy did I go slow with this stuff! Hard to come back from knocking big holes in your teak deck planks. The rope is 1.57mm light brown from Chuck Passaro and I think it makes a pretty good anchor rope, much better at least than the nylon stuff provided with this kit.
xdvc.jpgxcvxdfv.jpgsdvzffdz.jpg
 
Aft end of the forecastle railing installed and galley stack turned around to face downwind.

I had to think long and hard about how to position the ladder(s) from the main deck to the forecastle. Because I didn't install the full gangway (I thought it would hide too much of the deck cannon detail), and because of the need for the fore mast to go through the forecastle deck into the main deck, the geometry of where and how to position the ladders was difficult. There are no plans for two ladders with a Rattlesnake without the gangway only some pics here and there. I finally settled on an asymmetrical railing and a single ladder going up to the forecastle. The plans call for the galley stack to be offset, which I followed, and would have allowed for two ladders with a central rail. That central rail would have been much shorter and would have removed too many belaying points and as you all know I think this model has too few. So this was my solution.

cbvgvdc.jpg
 
Cat's heads and bumpkin fashioned and installed. The cleats are laser cut wooden cleats from Passaro. Rather than glue I installed two eyebolts per side and belayed .012 black thread to secure the bumpkin, per the plans.
cgxg.jpgsdzdc.jpgxxbcvc.jpgxzcbxv.jpg
 
Back
Top