Hauksdottir: Thanks for the links. I already checked out the Mary Rose and the Vasa, but those were large ships, too large for my project. My intention is to have a ship that allows a small Poser crew, so maybe three masts is too many. There are two major reasons I won't use any of the meshes or textures of the ship from the store. First, it would be theft. Second, they're not good enough. I've done some research myself, too, and there are already marked differences. For istance, the foremast of my model is tilted forward (based on images I found on the Net), whereas Pauli's ship has a vertical foremast. The mizzen sail I use is triangular, Pauli uses a trapezoid. I just found out the yards of most craweels consists of two pieces lashed together, I'll incorporate that in my model. Also a marked difference. Thanks for the pointer on the pitch, I'll use very dark textures for the bits under the waterline, and light colored wood for the deck planks. As far as I know, copper plating wasn't used in the 15th century, I think they started using that late in the 16th, early 17th century. I'm seriously considering dropping the forecastle, the Nina and the Pinta didn't have one, and the difference between my model and the one in the store will be much more marked. By the way, was the Santa Maria clinker built or carvel built? From what I read, I think it was an older type of ship than the Nina an the Pinta, more like the Hanze ships of the 14th century. I don't know the English name, the Dutch name is 'kogge'. As far as I know, the Santa Maria didn't have a rudder at the stern, but a steering oar, much like the Viking ships. I'd like to know some first hand information! Thanks again, this is useful info, it'll delay my project, but it'll make it much better. Steven.

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