I bought a 4.25 inch lifeboat on model shipways for $11.99, to replace a potted metal ships boat, that had completely disintegrated over 35 years.
Here is the build log/critique of the kit:
1. The soft basswood in the kit is too soft and flimsy. This makes it impossible to mold around the supplied frame contours. I Cut some very this strips of pear wood and created a "laminated frame" around the provided contours. Thumbnail below shows the three "attempts on the right, with material in the kit. The darker one on the left, is the laminated pear substitute.
2. The first bow frame profile was WAY too big to ever fair into the hull in the slot provided on the keel. There are four of these slots to place the four different frame profiles. I added 3 more slots on the keel, one between each of the existing slots. I moved the first bow frame back to the new slot created between the kits 1st two slots and this made an acceptable bow profile.
3. The material supplied to plank the model, was again very soft basswood in square strips! This would have been impossible to ever plank such a small boat with. Had a beginner bought this boat, I cringe to think of the problems they would encounter. Again, to make adequate planks, I cut small pear strips on a Preac micro saw to use for planking. No beginner would have a $400 micro saw?? Below thumbnail shows the planking almost complete.
4. I added 3 additional frames, to even out the frame spacing and make the model a little more solid. Then added an interior stringer for the seats to rest on, as well as some floorboards. Neither the seat stringer or the floorboards were included in the kit. Thumbnail below shows these, which a made, again from spare pear wood. .
5. I added seats, again from pear, as the basswood was warped, very fuzzy and didn't accept wood oil well. The basswood seats were just supposed to be glued to the exterior planking, with no support...except a glob of glue I assume?? At this point, the only kit parts are the basswood, slotted keel and the bow/stern bulkheads. See below thumbnail.
6. I copied the supplied basswood parts and made the gunwales, bow compartment cover and helsman seat in pear.
7. I fashioned a rudder and tiller of pear. Again, the basswood was impossible to sand or file into an adequate looking tiller or rudder.
8. Bottom line:
1) Kit was under $13. Awesome!!
2) It would have been hard/impossible to do using the soft basswood supplied in the kit.
3) Photos and the instruction are terrible and show no details. A beginner would be completely lost.
4. Frame #1 (closest to the bow) IMO was way too wide to even attempt to fair in.
5. Not recommended for beginners. They would need extensive tools and problem solving skills.
6. I would have been better served researching and finding some lines for a ships boat, then scratch building. However, it ended up being a fun challenge. It now hangs off the stern of a 35-year-old Artesanias Latina kit of the USS Constellation.
Here is the build log/critique of the kit:
1. The soft basswood in the kit is too soft and flimsy. This makes it impossible to mold around the supplied frame contours. I Cut some very this strips of pear wood and created a "laminated frame" around the provided contours. Thumbnail below shows the three "attempts on the right, with material in the kit. The darker one on the left, is the laminated pear substitute.
2. The first bow frame profile was WAY too big to ever fair into the hull in the slot provided on the keel. There are four of these slots to place the four different frame profiles. I added 3 more slots on the keel, one between each of the existing slots. I moved the first bow frame back to the new slot created between the kits 1st two slots and this made an acceptable bow profile.
3. The material supplied to plank the model, was again very soft basswood in square strips! This would have been impossible to ever plank such a small boat with. Had a beginner bought this boat, I cringe to think of the problems they would encounter. Again, to make adequate planks, I cut small pear strips on a Preac micro saw to use for planking. No beginner would have a $400 micro saw?? Below thumbnail shows the planking almost complete.
4. I added 3 additional frames, to even out the frame spacing and make the model a little more solid. Then added an interior stringer for the seats to rest on, as well as some floorboards. Neither the seat stringer or the floorboards were included in the kit. Thumbnail below shows these, which a made, again from spare pear wood. .
5. I added seats, again from pear, as the basswood was warped, very fuzzy and didn't accept wood oil well. The basswood seats were just supposed to be glued to the exterior planking, with no support...except a glob of glue I assume?? At this point, the only kit parts are the basswood, slotted keel and the bow/stern bulkheads. See below thumbnail.
6. I copied the supplied basswood parts and made the gunwales, bow compartment cover and helsman seat in pear.
7. I fashioned a rudder and tiller of pear. Again, the basswood was impossible to sand or file into an adequate looking tiller or rudder.
8. Bottom line:
1) Kit was under $13. Awesome!!
2) It would have been hard/impossible to do using the soft basswood supplied in the kit.
3) Photos and the instruction are terrible and show no details. A beginner would be completely lost.
4. Frame #1 (closest to the bow) IMO was way too wide to even attempt to fair in.
5. Not recommended for beginners. They would need extensive tools and problem solving skills.
6. I would have been better served researching and finding some lines for a ships boat, then scratch building. However, it ended up being a fun challenge. It now hangs off the stern of a 35-year-old Artesanias Latina kit of the USS Constellation.
