Hello - Seeking some advice - Artesania Swift Kit

Welcome to the Forum.  There are a number of folks on the Forum that have done some beautiful ships, and can probably answer your questions about this one.  Is this a sailing ship?  I've done a few ships, but not the kinds with sails.

Hi, Thank you for the welcome.  Yes, it is a (two-mast) sailing ship - double hulled I believe.  Anticipate that the hull will be tricky - getting the 'planks' to line-up along the curve of the ship (if you know what I mean!ha).  Figure that I'll be needing some pretty good instructions to accomplish that aspect.  In building your ships, do you reckon that a Dremel tool would have been useful?  Or am I going down the line of gadgetry overkill??  Thanks again for responding.  Have a great day.  

Oh, this sounds like a wooden ship model!!  That's waaaay out of my league!  I noticed you placed thread in the "Ships" forum, which is probably where they'll know a lot.  I've seen some wooden models over there.

Nice to have you aboard here, though!  I'd like to see photos of your progress.

Fair winds and following seas!

Thank you very much for your hospitality :)

Hello deckhand! Welcome to the forums.

I'm almost done building the Swift as my first wooden ship kit. Here's what it looks like now:

Let's say this kit has some serious problems, but can be built looking nice. The hull needs a lot of work, but isn't actually really hard. I'd say you don't really need motor tools here, a good sanding block would be a much better choice here. It worked for me to put the planks of the first layer in water for some time and then heat them over a candle and bend them while hot. Using a combination oc CA and white glue was also a good choice, where the CA glue was used instead of nails, so to say - to hold a plank in place quickly and firmly.

The problems with this kit are mainly serious errors in the plans - like the people that were drawing them didn't care for the real thing at all. Although there isn't really something like the real thing here - it's not a recreation of a specific vessel but rather a "what if" based on some historical drawings - some fittings like the chainplates and their channels show complete disregard for how they should look like or function. The rigging plan I got was also worthless. What I did was to take the Model Shipways Katy instructions - essentially same ship but much more correct - and build according to them. I also made my own sails at this stage.

If you have any more questions, I'd be glad to help. Good luck with your projects and have a nice day

Paweł

Hi Pawel,

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my query - really appreciated.

I've had a quick look at the Model Shipways site and they clearly emphasize the quality of not only their materials but also their plans/instructions - I believe one even has it's own internet site to help guide builders through the experience.  Clearly a great company.  

I think that I spend a little more time looking at the models that they have to offer...as well as the Bluejacket kits (that Bushman32, kindly recommended)...  I'd really like for my first project to be an inspiration learning one as opposed to one that is a frustrating failure! :)

In regard to your Swift 1805, you clearly have great talent, it looks absolutely FANTASTIC!!

Welcome to the Forums Deckhand!! Glad to have you aboard! I build whatever strikes my fancy at the time. My Avatar is "The Scottish Maid" by Artesania Latina. I've built a few plank on bulkhead ships. If you read through each step a few times, you should not have any trouble building the 'Swift 1805". If you run into any problems, just go to the ship Forum and ask for help. Many guys build wood ship models and they are always glad to help. Just don't rush. Take it slow and easy. After you have 1 or 2 under your belt, they will get a lot easier to build. Take photos of you build and if you post them on the Forum with your question, it will make it easier for the members to help you with your problem. Hope that I've helped a little. Good Luck.

Jim 

Jim, what would you say about the anchors of this one? What size should they be? Do they need some extra hardware (like a cathead) to pull them out of water? Thanks in advance, have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel, I,ve never looked into researching the "Swift 1805" so I can't say what's correct or not. I know that my kit of the "Scottish Maid" needed lots of new parts as a lot of them were not in good shape. The first piece I replaced was the anchor. It was white metal and had so much flash on it that you couldn't tell the flash from the anchor. I didn't build it to "scale". I just built it mainly out of the box but I replaced anything that didn't look right. I had to replace some of the wood that was cracked and I replaced about 1/2 to 3/4 of the fittings.

If you've built anything at all out of wood, you're one step ahead of the game. If you want to research the ship and make it scale, do the research and take you're time in building it. It looks like deckhand did a very good job on the "Swift 1805". Look the kit up on the internet (and also study the pics deckhand posted). They should give you a good idea to work with.

I didn't need any dremel tools in building mine. I just built it slowly and it took me two years to complete. For me, the hardest part was the rigging, but I took my "slow but sure" advice and it came out OK. If you build it and need any help, just ask. Lots of great guys here to help you. Good luck and be sure to show pics during the process.

Jim