Biggest novice ship building mistakes!

For me n
The biggest (and saddest) mistake I see beginners do is starting with a kit they are not ready for thinking "How hard can it be? I'm a (insert professional title here) and I can build this toy."... They end up getting frustrated with it and drop out of the hobby never to be seen again.
Sooo true.
As a beginner i never got to finish my first wooden model ship and jumped right in to my second build that i got form someone that thought probably "How hard can it be" ,because i thought "How hard cab it be"....

now it's near completion :) :cool:
 
For me n

Sooo true.
As a beginner i never got to finish my first wooden model ship and jumped right in to my second build that i got form someone that thought probably "How hard can it be" ,because i thought "How hard cab it be"....

now it's near completion :) :cool:
Just as many beginners, if not more, say "I could never do that".
 
I have managed to recover 6 out of the 7 small parts which have fallen through the deck hatch into the hull. That's a better than average score. Yes, it's frustrating enough to keep count. However, the brown carpet claims 15% of all the blocks and belaying pins dropped onto it. Carpet wins.


First Place Metal
Early on in my build I dropped a small chunk of wood into the hull & can not recover it. I now cover the hatches with blue painters tape. Lesson learned.
 
As a biginner my biggest mistake would have to be not being totally satisfied with the way I applied wood finish to the deck. I practiced on scrap wood & thought I had it down pat but it still did not turn out the way I wanted it. It looks OK but I know it could be a lot better.
 
In my opinion the worst mistake a beginner can make is to throw himself into a project of an era or part of the world he doesn't know anything about.
I did the rigging of a Chinese junk and after I finished it, an expert told me that the sails should be totally different. I used fake bamboo for a bat-shaped sail, not realizing that they never could be folded, unless the material used was fabric. I had to do it again, although I like the looks of the first ones better.
And thanks god for weathering. Everybody thinks I give my ships an old, dirty and battered look, but in reality it's just my clumsiness that makes them look that way. Please don't tell anybody... :cool:

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I have managed to recover 6 out of the 7 small parts which have fallen through the deck hatch into the hull. That's a better than average score. Yes, it's frustrating enough to keep count. However, the brown carpet claims 15% of all the blocks and belaying pins dropped onto it. Carpet wins. First Place Metal
My model of Mary Rose is ballasted with a 6mm drill bit that I was using, hand held, to clean out a mast hole. It slipped out of my fingers.
And I agree that carpet mites (or nano goblins) regard dropped blocks and deadeyes as a bonus feast. As the area of spare room (shipyard) carpet in front of my bench was getting seriously trashed by my captain's chair I thought to solve two problems at once by covering a patch with some left-over laminate floor boards. Bad idea! It was very noisy and my chair was wont to shoot off in unintended directions. So I added a layer of some textured rubber sheet and all is well. Most dropped blocks, pins etc. show up clearly. Except of course when I drop blackened brass eyebolts.
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In my opinion the worst mistake a beginner can make is to throw himself into a project of an era or part of the world he doesn't know anything about.
I did the rigging of a Chinese junk and after I finished it, an expert told me that the sails should be totally different. I used fake bamboo for a bat-shaped sail, not realizing that they never could be folded, unless the material used was fabric. I had to do it again, although I like the looks of the first ones better.
And thanks god for weathering. Everybody thinks I give my ships an old, dirty and battered look, but in reality it's just my clumsiness that makes them look that way. Please don't tell anybody... :cool:

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I love your weathered look and mine is developing in a similar way.... There's always dirt and dust about and my model always looks "weathered", which is fine by me because I'm trying to create a working warship rather than a museum model.
 
Totally agree with all comments above. I am a practical person and had built plastic models as a kid, but never tried a wooden model. I asked in a model shop what was a good model for what I perceived my ability as beginner/ intermediate. I was recommended Mantua’s HMS President which I found a great model to learn on. Also developed skills and knowledge looking at builds on SOS and asking lots of questions which I still do as members are very forthcoming with advice and support.
 
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