Gluing the hull sides to the frames was a bit of a challenge, as the bottom has to curve up at the ends, and the hull sides have to curve inward, so that the ends meet. It would have been nice if this kit had been designed with some sort of building jig, rather than relying on tape to hold things into place while the glue dries.

However, I did find that taping, plus the heavy use of small spring clamps did the trick. Be sure you have plenty of these on hand before you start gluing the hull sides onto the frames. This step is so important that I thought I’d post this image again of the gluing process, showing all the tape and clamps I needed to use.

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I added the remainder of the frames to the model, which didn’t take all that long to do. Overall, this early part of construction is pretty easy. However, the next step, the adding of the hull planks, looks to be the hardest part of the whole build.

The next step involves preparing the hull plank pieces, of which there are only two. These pieces need to be shaped to fit the curved frames. The easiest way to do this is with an electric plank bender, as described in the kit instructions.

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Construction of the Gondola model has begun. As expected, this is looking like it will be a pretty quick build. But, it’s definitely something that requires attention to detail and careful reading of the instructions. Builders who rush forward, may be prone to some simple, but critical mistakes. This is probably why Amati does not considered this to be a beginner’s kit.

By the way, anyone who is interested in following this build log with their own build, you can buy this kit for $129.00 plus tax and shipping at Ages of Sail here. As you are building, follow along and email any questions or note any problems you have about the build to us at blogger@agesofsail.com. We’ll make sure you get personal attention on this project. Send us photos and we’ll post them as we go as well.

Last time, we mentioned that what makes the Venetian gondolas particularly unique is the asymmetrical hull shape. You can see from the photo of the hull bottom that there is a noticeable curve in the hull.

The kit calls on the builder to begin by cutting out the main hull pieces and to identify (and become familiar with) which is the bow end. That’s the end that’s at the bottom of the above photo. It also suggest using fine sandpaper to clean up the surface of the parts from the char that comes from the laser-cutting process.

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Gondola, the Jewel of Venice is the newest Amati wooden model kit, realeased earlier this year. It is a 1:22-scale wooden model kit that measures about 19-1/2″ long when complete.

This is not the first time that Amati has produced a gondola kit. Amati had produced a different kit of a Venetian gondola. That one was a 1:20 scale model, very similar is size to this one. I don’t have much information about the old kit other than the scale and that it was a model of a gondola of 1882, which had a little cabin for the passengers.

This new kit has the appearance of the modern gondola as it appears on the canals of Venice today. So, let’s take a look at what’s included in the box. Continue reading →