The Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack is the third kit in Model Shipways’ Shipwright Learning Series. The Shipwright Learning Series offers model ship kits from level 1 to level 3 to help you learn the skills needed to build museum quality models. The kits are designed by master modeler David Antscherl to guide the beginner through progressively more complex models, each building on the skills learned on the previous kit.
Check out all the kits on our Model Shipways Shipwright Learning Series Page
With sweeping curves, accurate laser-cut parts, and true plank-on-frame construction, this kit offers detailed pictorial instructions making it ideal for someone who has completed some simpler ship model kits, but results in a highly detailed scale model so it would also be a fun small project for an experienced ship modeler.
The Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack kit is in 1 to 24 scale – that is one inch on the model is equal to 24 inches on the actual boat. The kit produces a 14 1/2-inch-long model perfect for bookshelf or table display.
The Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack was developed in the late 1800s and were, as the name suggests, prevalent in Muscongus Bay, Maine, north-east of Portland.
The sleek lines made these fast sailing vessels, and they were equipped with two wet tanks to hold their catch.
Unlike the Norwegian Sailing Pram, which is lapstrake built (that means the planks overlap) the Lobster Smack planks meet edge to edge.
This will be a little more challenging to fit, but once you learn how to do it, it’s a skill that well be useful down the road on other ship models.
The lobster smack features a pivoting center board that serves the same purpose as the dagger board on the pram: it reduces leeway – moving sideways – when the wind is blowing at the beam of the boat.
These boats are also known as “friendship sloops, or simply “Maine Lobster Sloops.”
The added complexity of this kit over the Lowell Grand Banks Dory and the Norwegian Sailing Pram is immediately obvious looking in the box. Like the other kits in the series,The Lobster Smack comes with an illustrated instruction manual. It also includes a full-size plan sheet for the spars and sails.
The Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack parts list includes two sizes of basswood strips and dowel, and sixteen laser cut sheets containing 124 parts.
In addition it includes brass strip, rod, nails, eyebolts, and split rings, two sizes of copper wire, and 12 Britannia metal detail castings. It has eight wood blocks, two sizes of rigging thread and sail cloth as well.
We are really excited that Model Shipways has asked us to take a look at the kits, and we’ve done in-depth reviews of each kit on our YouTube channel, and we’ve also posted links to the review pages on this page here.
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