Croatian bracera

[krivukov]

Being a new member n'all, I suppose it's only fair I share some of my work with all of you.
With that in mind, here is my first project - a Croatian bracera - which I built in 2010.

First, let's start with some info:

the bracera was first mentioned in the Adriatic as early as 17th century. It was a single masted vessel of a full-form hull, which had a characteristic rounded bow. Her length was usually between 12 and 15 meters and her displacement was between 50-70 t. In Istria the term bracera also denoted a double masted vessel with similar features as the Dalmatian bracera. The bracera was used for coastal trading with wines, olive oil, other agricultural products and cattle, trading with timber, salt and sand, as well as for transportation.

As I said, this was my first real project, but there's also a twist - I started building it with a special purpose in mind - it was to serve in place of a wedding ring cushion at my wedding

[krivukov]

In this thread I will outline the whole building process, but let's start with the blueprints first - I managed to procure them a few years back, when I had ideas about building wooden ships (which never happened in the end). I printed them on sheets of regular A4 printer paper, and then copied them on cardboard using carbon paper.
For the keel I was using 3mm thick cardboard, and 1.5mm for the frames.

I thought I would be using this deck, cut from 1mm cardboard, but later I decided on a different approach.

[krivukov]

Next is hull boarding.
The method is probably not the best ever invented, but this was my first model.

For each side of the hull, I cut one 10mm wide strip of 1mm thick cardboard, plus another 13 which are 3mm wide. I glued the 10mm strip next to the keel. The 13mm wide strips were glued only to the middle frame, and then I glued them one by one to the next frame, narrowing and trimming the strip as necessary.

The end result was a mess. I had to fill a few gaps with CA glue, but I intended to cover it with paint later.
I also used CA glue to harden the entire hull on the inside.

[krivukov]

Now we come to the problem of wedding rings placement.
I decided to place them on the deck, in the cargo area.

But first I had to make a cushion for them - and why not use the one from the original box?
The original cushion was made from a plush material glued on a card frame, and filled with two small pieces of sponge. It was a bit too long, so I had to shorten it. A few cuts, a drop of glue, and it was done.

Then I made the cargo area (basically, a box), but I still had to enlarge it slightly in regards to the blueprints, to fit the cushion in.
All good so far.

Then, a problem - the cargo box was 15mm high, so if I glued it directly on the deck, it would protrude too much. That meant I had to put it deeper in the hull, which meant I had to cut into the keel and two of the frames - this is what happens when you don't plan ahead.
It wasn't easy, but I managed it.

[krivukov]

Next is the deck, but I have no more time today so I will continue this thread tomorrow.

[Harold H. Duncan]

Very nicely done. Really like your choice of subject, and to use this as your wedding ring pillow, simply brilliant.
Look forward to more of your build
Well done
kiwi

[Spankbucket]

Hi there

What a brilliant idea for a wedding ring artefact.

IIt has started me off thinking about 'themed' christenings, weddings and funerals and building boats to be used in them.

How about a paddler coffin??!!

Great model and congratulations!!

Cheers...Bernie

[krivukov]

Yes, I think a paddler coffin would be a big hit

As I promised, we continue with the deck.
I decided it would be easier to make it in two parts, instead of just one. I cut it from a box of Italian pasta I had lying around.
I also added the main mast - as you may have guessed, the mast was made of wood.

But if I left it like that, it wouldn't look good - I needed it to look more realistic, so i cut a bunch of card strips measuring 2x65mm (this time from a package of nylon stockings ) and using tweezers I glued them one by one to the deck, to form a deck planking pattern.

Tedious work, but the end result was pleasing to my eyes.

[krivukov]

Since the hull was pretty much done, it was time to put some paint on.
But before doing that, I sanded it a bit, so it would be smoother.

While I was waiting for the first coat of paint to dry (more coats were necessary to cover the CA glue on the hull), I made the rudder and the anchor.

The rudder handle was made from several pieces of card glued together and then sanded.
For the anchor I used wire from plastic bag braces.

All in all, I put three coats of paint on the hull.

[Harold H. Duncan]

That's real nice.
Watching for more
cheers
kiwi

[krivukov]

I'm glad you like it

Meanwhile, my fiancee and I decided to use the bracera also as a wedding cake decoration - you know, instead of the usual topper
The only problem was, she said the deck color wouldn't match properly with the cake. It was necessary to recolor the deck white.

It was difficult to cover the rather dark sand color of the deck, so it ended up looking sort of "dirty" white.
I thought it looked good, kind of worn out, but the main thing was my fiancee liked it

Plus, I put some more detail on the anchor.

[krivukov]

Now came the time to start working on the rigging... oh, the torment of rigging...

Masts and yards were made from wooden sticks, sanded, and then painted with very, very thinned brown acrylic color.
I also did some work on the deck, added the characteristic "eyes" on the bow, made holes for the anchor rope, and glued wire rims on them.
I had some trouble with the port side hole, but nothing a little paint wouldn't fix

[krivukov]

Next, I finished the rudder - first I made some parts for the hinges (all card) and I used wire from a paper clip.
Then I painted the whole thing, and finally attached it to the hull.

Now my bracera started to look like a real ship

[krivukov]

I also needed to make a simple stand - nothing fancy, just something to hold the bracera.
First I drew it in SketchUp, and then started building. It occurred to me that it would be a good idea to make the stand heavier than the ship, so it would have some stability. For this purpose I used a few small coins and sealed them with glue.

[krivukov]

Then, an accident - the mast broke at its weakest point - I knew this was going to happen...

I was naive enough to think a drop of glue would hold it... but of course it didn't.
Then I decided to use more drastic measures - I drilled a 5mm deep hole in each section and glued them together with some wire support.
I'm happy to say it still holds firmly, after 3 years