Our first Springtime meeting of 2026 took place on a rainy day at the workshop of new member Dave Monley. Dave was kind enough to offer to host us at his backyard boatyard, which is located only a short distance from our usual meeting location at the Game Kastle in Santa Clara.
The rain kept a couple of us paper modelers from attending, but those who were there had a great gathering and had a chance to see Dave’s 1:1 scale boats.
Diehards Jim Rhetta, Walt Hlavecek, Vince Lapore, Chris Gounarides, and Dave Monley were in attendance, a small but avid group. The special treat was seeing Dave Monley’s small boat workshop and his projects: A beautifully handmade skill and canoe.
But, of course, ship model meetings are about ship modeling, and the members present didn’t disappoint, with Walt Hlavecek bringing his gun station, a very nicely built rendition of Mantua’s kit.
A Dutch yacht that was built by Dave Monley…
Vince Lepore showed the great progress he’s made on his admiralty-style HMS Victory, which is from a now out-of-production, limited edition kit that OcCre produced. The speed of his progress has been just about as amazing his model’s appearance…
If you’re in the area and not at these meetings, this is just a sample of the great stuff you’re missing. Join us, won’t you?
