As you know I am working on a model of the HMS Victory for Andra and Sean.  I was not originally planning to add any of the ship boats for this model.  They are extraneous to the ship itself and at the 1/96 scale extremely difficult.  But I am at a pause in the construction as I await linen lines of the proper scale that I ordered over a month ago from a US site.  You can use normal threads of cotton and polyester but they stretch and do not look right.  When I started the rigging I thought I had enough but the Victory is a hog for lines and I ran out.

So as I await I have finished off the spars and some other details.  Then decided I would make one ships boat, the Captain’s barge (if you are not familiar think of a long rowboat with a dozen rowers) .  Now if you buy a Victory model made in Asia they may have ship boats but they are quickly carved from a single piece of wood.  I decided to make one proper with frames and planks and even little tiny treenails to hold the planks on.  The frames are small and tend to break when you make them.  The pictures show a couple of the frames compared to a frame from the model itself.

I had made a few of these before at this size but used a technique where the planks are formed on a mold and then the frames added as little scraps after.

Actually enjoying the challenge although there are more “damn” statements when a piece breaks and my fat fingers get in the way.  A long way to go but I hope it will be worth it.

Barge Frames 1 Barge Frames 2