For those that follow my blog, you may recall that after finishing  the Diana, I wanted to do a shorter project.

I have a buddy Harry who is attempting to be a model builder (but he has not yet committed to spending 800 hours a year on the passion).  He bought an expensive kit of the Golden Hind many years ago and finished the basic hull.  Problem is the plans that come with the kit are shite.  They assume you are an experienced model builder to handle the details.  Definitely not a kit for a beginner.

As a result he gave up and over the years when I visited his workshop there was this forlorn hull sitting on his assembly jig.  Harry did not want to go on.

So at Christmas I made him an offer to take the partially finished model and complete it for him.  He agreed

Like most kits the hinges and metal fittings are complete.  The exterior planking (really thin) is there just needing shaping.  Problem is that some of the choices of wood just does not make sense.  Mahogany, while wonderful as furniture does not work well in small pieces.  Same as the walnut used for the planking and frame extensions.  I can just imagine some naive model enthusiast reading that the kit came with Mahogany and Walnut thinking this is great… but any experienced Model Shipwright would know that this is not good material.  Nevertheless I have worked with it as much as I could and substituted good Swiss Pear and Balkan Boxwood and Cherry where needed.  (if you look at the chain rails close up they are Mahogany and just not right)

Check it out.  I think it will be a great model when it is finished (not the detail that I would like) but a good model to sit in a living room for the amusement of the vast majority of people that do not appreciate real models.

I should complete this by next fall… but I have to face the decision of finishing the model with sails.  Personally I think that sails on a model are just dust collectors and hide the details of the hull, but Harry seems interested.  It does double the amount of rigging.  Maybe I will compromise and make the sails furled (pulled up to the spars as they would be in harbour)