Hi all,
I talked some more with my grandparents and turns out, this model was built in the 1920s -- very cool because it's so old, but unfortunately I won't be able to purchase parts for it. That said, I took your advice and took lots of photos of the rigging and detail work so I'll know how to put it back together. In the meantime, I'll keep watching tutorials and reading posts on this site.

Peewit, I measured and it's about 20 inches long. I'm not sure what you mean by blocks; do you mean buying parts in bulk? I guess it's obvious I'm a rookie 😊 Here are some more pictures of it close up, it's night here so please excuse the less-than-perfect quality.

RNinMunich, that picture is great! I will definitely be using it as a reference.

Thank you all, I had no idea I would get so many helpful responses!

Thank you Martin and Rick!
I did do some more digging online and it is definitely a model of one of Christopher Colombus' ships. A lot of the rigging will have to be replaced, do you have any recommendations where I should get replacements?

Hello!
I am completely new to model boats, but I've decided to try to fix a model sailboat I found in my grandparents' garage. As far as we can tell, it belonged to my grand-uncle in the fifties, but I don't know if it was a kit he assembled or an already-built model that he bought. I've been digging around in old boxes to see if I can find more information.
Either way, it's in really bad shape. Two of the masts are broken and the rigging is so brittle it falls apart really easily. I've gone over it with q-tips and water to get as much dirt off as possible, and it looks marginally better. I have a few loose pieces that broke off or were intended to be removable, but I don't really know what they are.
Any help at all would be appreciated! I have no idea where to start, and I haven't found many good ressources about how to fix model sailboats.
- Lea