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Sovereign of the Seas Mantua 1:78 Greatly Enhanced - Vince P. [COMPLETED BUILD]

The mainmast lower shrouds and futtock shrouds are rigged and rattled. (832 clove hitches). Yes I counted them. This completes the main mast rigging except for the upper mast back stays. I have attached them to the masts but did not complete them at the other end. Since they terminate at deadeyes in the mizzen channels, they will get in the way when working on the complex rigging of the mizzen mast. I will finish these after the mizzen is in place and fully rigged.

Next up is construction the of the mizzen mast.

Vince P. Ship-1

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The mizzen mast with the lower crossjack installed and rigged. This yard will not have a sail and is used primarily to secure the lower end of the mizzen topsail, and that will be the next step.

Vince P. Ship-1

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As I get closer to the end of this project, (I am about 85% done) I have realized several things. This is without a doubt the most difficult and ambitious build I have ever undertaken. I have learned so much from the hands on experience, the huge amount of reading and research I have done, and the help from fellow modelers on this site. I have made some mistakes, some of which I was able to correct, and others not. Thankfully most of the mistakes are not readily noticeable, but I know they are there. A sharp person with knowledge of ships and modeling who could examine her up close and personal would be able to spot most of them. However, I am pleased at how she is turning out overall, and will proudly display her when she is completed. My next project will be as complicated as this because not only is the ship difficult to build, but I plan to go into even more detail.

The real problem I now have is where to put them all. I am out of room here at home to display them. Anyone got ideas on this?

Thanks,

Vince P. Ship-1
 
@Vpirozzi I am not sure what are those mistakes are (if any), but this is a project to be proud of, Vince!! Well executed! Ok Thank you for sharing your log with us. Besides you've learned a lot, we have learned as well. I keep saying that personally, I would never consider such project for myself. I always envy (in a good way) people who engage in multi-year\s projects. How many hours behind this build?
 
Jimsky said:
@Vpirozzi I am not sure what are those mistakes are (if any), but this is a project to be proud of, Vince!! Well executed! Ok Thank you for sharing your log with us. Besides you've learned a lot, we have learned as well. I keep saying that personally, I would never consider such project for myself. I always envy (in a good way) people who engage in multi-year\s projects. How many hours behind this build?
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Hi Jim, thanks for the complement. I did not keep track of the actual hours, but it took about 4 years to complete. I probably averaged 10-12 hours per week, so that would be about 2000 + hours.
Vince.
 
The mizen topgallant sail rigged. Only the lateen sail is left to do on the mizzen mast. I am not sure if I will rig it full or furl it. I will hang the sail on the yard and then place it on the mast to see which way looks best.

Vince P. Ship-1

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The mizzen has been stepped into the ship. Next comes the complicated rigging of this mast. She is really getting to look like a ship now.
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Vince P. Ship-1

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janos said:
Great work, Vince!
I am also building SoS and did not work out yet which way to move it around (not in the house, but ie. to an exhibition). Because of the size it is very difficult. Did you think of this?
Janos
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Hi Janos,
I have never had to move my ships out of the house. I did have to move one of the large display cases. I used a van and tied the case down and wrapped it in movers blankets.
Vince
 
I have started the rigging of the mizzen mast now that it is on the ship. I have completed the lower forestays, the ties and halliards for the lower crossjack yard, all of the jeers and lifts for the square yards, and the tacks for the lateen sail.

This may seem like a patchwork of addressing the rigging, but there is method here.

This explanation is intended for the beginner, and especially those who have not attempted rigging, or are afraid of doing so.

When real ships were rigged, they generally built the masts from the bottom up, one section at a time, and attached the standing rigging for each section to keep it upright and secure. Once all of the masts were in place and built up, the yards were attached and the running rigging was completed to secure the yards and make them functional. Many kit instructions tell you to do it exactly this way, and that would be fine except for one thing. Once all of the standing rigging is in place, access to the decks becomes very limited and completing the running rigging and belaying all of the lines can become very difficult. This is especially true if you are rigging with full sails.

I am sure that some expert builders can tackle it this way and have little trouble. I do not consider myself an expert by a long shot and had to develop a method to suit my limitations. I complete the rigging from the inside out and from the bottom up. It does not matter whether it is standing or running rigging. As you work from the middle out and up, the rigging is completed one step at a time, and it mixes up the standing and running rigging by where on the ship is happens to be. By that I mean that sometimes part of the running rigging may be completed long before the standing rigging on the same mast. That is one reason why I complete the lower shrouds at the very last. Once they are rigged, it really limits access to the decks. On a ship as complex as the SOS when she is full rigged ( not the abbreviated version as the kit provides), and adding a full set of sails as well, this is the only method that has worked for me.

Again, this is just my way of doing things, but it sure has worked for me on this ship.

Vince P. Ship-1

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Since I am rigging her as authentic as possible, the mizzen topmast and topgallant forestays will be some of the most complex rigging of the whole ship. There are 4 stays and each has 4 sections. The trick is to get all of the blocks even and the whole thing as tight as possible. Assembling the stays on the mast would be very hard, so I decided to build them on a jig first. It was not too difficult this way, and they are coming out pretty uniform.

Vince P. Ship-1

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