When I first started building my Victoria, I thought I would just go totally stock and modify it later. I had read that the instructions for the boat were great and it would be smooth sailing (pun intended) all the way until it was finished. Well, the instructions are, in fact, really good. However, there were some parts that left me scratching my head as to why they did it that way. The measurements for some of the rigging pieces were also a little suspect.
I ended up doing the rigging pretty much stock, though, but then decided to tear it down and modify it a bit. First, I ditched the blue rigging line that came with the kit and went with a combination of 50lb braided (spectra) fishing line and “tiger tail” jewelry wire from the craft store. I also added some fishing snap swivels to make the mast fully removable without cutting any rigging. I re-routed a lot of said rigging to make this happen, and had to use some small screw-eyes from Home Depot. These work well since they are low friction, and go into the plastic deck really easily.
There are a few more minor mods I will make over the next couple days, plus I would like to get a lighter mast and new sails someday. And I need to finish the paint job. But in the meantime, the “Brezza di mare” is pretty much ready to hit the water as is!