Mayflower #1 (1:76th scale)

After taking a much needed two year sabbatical away from the hobby, I decided to return to my work shop and begin a new ship.  My choice of the historic Mayflower was mostly based on the fact that she is generally not considered to be an extremely high level of difficulty in terms of complex details.  After two years, I figured I would need to begin with a project that would allow me to re-gain my diminished modeling skills.  This turned out to be a very good decision as I did not realize just how "rusty" those skills had gotten.

So my friend Chuck Passaro was kind enough to share PDF files of the plan sheets from his Model Shipways kit, which I had printed locally.... turned on the lights in my shop, dug out all my tools from storage, and started making some sawdust.

Great to be back in the shop again....

Did not keep any log of the first several weeks so this is where I took the first photos and decided to share my progress with fellow modelers online through Model Ship World.

The primary reason for taking these pics was the celebration of completing the planking of her hull.

The hull is walnut....no finish has been applied at this point.

I will eventually apply a wipe on poly finish....several coats.

Yes, it is Miller time!

This is my favorite paint pattern from all the different representations I have found.

Rail stanchions being added.

Rails have been added.

Beginning to trim out the deck fixtures.

One water pump added, will come back and add a second one on the opposite side.

Not sure, but I think the covered box with the open front is an entrance to the tiller's station.

Ready for her masts. 

Didn't have a bell, and preferred it to be brass.... so I managed to create this tiny bell from a brass phillips-head wood screw from my bone yard of assorted screws.

Nothing in my shop is ever safe from becoming a ship part.

The tops were fun....the planking of the sides was a little tricky.

The chain links are simply a matter of shaping wire into individual links....same roll of steel wire I've been using for over six years, and I just noticed I will soon need to buy a new roll.

Created this handy little jig for seizing shrouds.  Never made more perfect seizing.

Two wire stubs secure the dead eye, pull both ends of the shroud nice and tight across to the second post and secure it out of the way.

Start wrapping.

Counted twelve turns, tied off with a clove hitch and snip the loose ends flush.

So now we have shrouds rigged and ready for my most dreaded task of all.... rat lines.

Clove hitch, clove hitch, clove hitch....etc.

Channels installed and dead eyes secured into position....used a carefully measured white line secured to the top of the outer dead eyes to give me a visual reference for the alignment of the dead eyes.

For me, this works a little better than any other method I have ever used.

You guessed it.... more rat lines.

Fast forward a week....

Masts and bow sprit installed and rigged with shrouds and rat lines and standing rigging.

Bow sprit rigging.



 Birds eye view.

Note:

At this point, I decided to build this model on a larger 1:60th scale in order to achieve greater detail.

You will find the finished photos of both models by going to the postings for Mayflower #2.

Return to Dave's Model Ships Home Page