hi everyone
i am thinking about doing a ship any advise as what ship to do and tools needed would be great

thanks MWG ive just had a look at the ships on here and the one that caught my eye the most was the cutty sark. do you think they would be equaly difficult or one considerably harder than the other?

Have a look at the San Francisco II, It isn't a partwork but is an ideal first build. You will find a few build diaries on this forum to help you along. Tools can be bought as you go along, but a basic set will be required before attempting any sort of wooden model. Decide what kit you would like, but keep it simple, no wooden ship kit is CHEAP!
Decide what you want and then ask the question what "do I need now" plenty of advise will be forthcoming.
Steve..

Hi Ben!

Whatever ship you decide to do I would recommend you start a build diary on this forum in the Other Ship Builds section, your shipmates will keep an eye on your work, the input you will get is a great help. Pointing out any problems you might be heading towards and giving advice on how to avoid them.

All valid points, and all worth considering, I offer my opinion as an experienced novice on the subject.
I made a recommendation to start with, the San Francisco II, having had time to analyze that recommendation I would now suggest that the Arab Dow be considered as an entry model.
I have not attempted this build, but when costs are considered and time involved, a kit with a good chance of attaining an acceptable end result is probably paramount!
If you look at the photos presented in "the our ships" section of this site you can see that the model is quite simple, I took a plunge when opting for the San Fransisco II, as I had never before attempted a wooden kit before and would probably never finished it if I had not had some guidance along the way.
The Dow has simple rigging and a relatively simple hull construction, don't be put of by rigging, it is no where like as fierce as it first appears. But be warned this is a severely addictive hobby/addiction and once you start, stopping is no longer an option!
Look at Magpies build diary for the SFII and consider what is involved, if it looks a bit beyond you then consider a simpler model, whatever you eventualy decide on, there are lots of willing exponents of the hobby here to guide you in the right direction, I for one, as are most of the members of the forum willing to answer queries via the PM facility available to this forum.
First rule though is DON'T be mean with tools!
Steve..

you not jocking the bow of the bounty is a different kettle of fish as the saying goes

Hi Ben,

A Swan morton scalpel (modelling Knife)
Blades round and straight edge
Razor saw
A3 cutting mat (green)
A set of small files
Pin push (puts pins in when planking)
mini pliers
Small sand paper block
Aluminum mitre block
Tweezers
Ladies curling tongs
Aliphatic adhesive
Mini clamps, maybe some long bars

Ok guys your turn next

hi wereberg,the curling tongs!!!ahhh would you believe,you can curl your hair whilst planking seriously though,you can use them for setting bends in wood planks,bit difficult on floor board and 2x 2s.but for planking your boat,they are quite useful,you need to dampen the wood first,I soak mine overnight.

Personally I would not bother with the plank bender. I bought one and it is not very good. i reverted to a soldering iron and that was much better!!