Ratlines! I was actually dreading these, but once I got the hang of it, they really weren't too bad, and it goes quick. Used the clove hitch technique for the majority of the lines. It's important here to ensure the shrouds don't take on the "hourglass" shape when tying the lines up. Attached the foretopContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #12"

Got all the shrouds attached, they are framing the ship quite well. I managed to attach the forestays for each mast as well. Given this kit only had the single heart block (which I ended up tying somewhat incorrectly) for the mainstay, I pulled some extra single and double blocks to make up the forestayContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #11"

Having completed the masts, it was time to attach them to the ship, and start the rigging. When building the Polaris, I had a fairly simple time with the rigging, but the Golden Hind is a different animal altogether. The masts look great though. My third goal for this build was to approach the riggingContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #10"

Secured the ships boat, along with the bottoms of the shrouds. Aside from the guns, and some other minor details, the Golden Hind is ready for masts. The bowsprit, foremast and mainmast are nearly ready to mount, but some extra detail work is needed on the mizzen before I can attach everything.

I added the deck furniture items, including the pilot house and deck grating. I should have stained the deck grating beforehand, because there are spots in between the grates where the stain didn't quite make it. Also added the catheads. I couldn't decide whether to cut the rails, or the catheads themselves to fit ontoContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #8"

Finished up the vertical strakes across the hull, and ribs along the inside of the bulwarks. They were very tedious, but turned out very good. Gave the entire surface a good sanding with 320 grit in preparation for stain. I used the Dark Walnut Danish Oil for the hull and superstructure elements. Also added theContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #7"

I added all the rubbing strakes, and some of the vertical strakes to "frame" where the remaining strakes would be placed. I used some digital calipers to measure out each space to properly center the vertical strakes. Bending the African Walnut was not easy, and it kept wanting to pop out of place. Eventually theContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #6"

With the planking finished, I was now ready to move onto the superstructure. First I build up the guardrails/handrails, glued the gallery, then attached the rails. I also added some trim pieces along where the bulwarks meet the deck. The African Walnut wood provided with the kit really shines in building up these pieces, butContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #5"

Keeping the lessons from the 1st layer of planking in mind, I approached the 2nd layer with a different mindset. With the shape of the bow, I had a feeling I was going to have a hard time if I attempted to plank "correctly" with the thin walnut strips. I instead decided on an approachContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #4"

Planking. I did quite a bit of homework before starting this step. There are several guides across forum sites, and I felt adequately prepared before beginning. I purchased an electric plank bender, and build a jig using the Chuck Passaro method. The planking started OK, but I quickly ran into problems due to the bluffContinue reading "Golden Hind: Build Log #3"