How similar is building a model to a real boat?

[Bare_Koala]

Pretty much the above...! Would love one day to build my own real thing

[HIPEXEC]

Most scratch built ships are very close to how the real boat was built.

[toms10]

In my engineering eyes, building a static model is entirely different ball game than building a working boat.  Models don't take into account loads and stresses, actual full scale fastening techniques and the list goes on.

Tom

[druxey]

Lot less cost in materials!

[Thistle17]

Bare Koala if you have the notion to go full scale someday take the time to visit this web site Acorn to Arabella and follow the saga of building a 38 foot ketch. While many of the structural components in model building are no different when you go full scale the "horsepower and ingenuity" needed is a different story.

Joe

[lehmann]

On 8/19/2018 at 3:15 PM, druxey said:

Lot less cost in materials!

Just for interest, on a scaled basis:  $0.20 fitting at 1:96 scale  ->  1:1 price would be $0.20 x 96 x 96 x 96 = $177,000.  

[grsjax]

It is actually easier working on large timbers if you have the right tools.  But as was said above you can't just glue your planks on.

[geoffs]

 Materials and construction are not that different, big difference is tools. For example, you probably won't use an adze much on your average model  ship - unless there's a tutorial here I've missed!

[I spend a couple of days a week restoring/maintaining wooden boats]

[Bob Cleek]

Been there, done that, got the tee shirt. I'd say working on full size wooden boats versus models is a lot like working with large and small lathes. If you are familiar with traditional full size wooden boat construction, you can build a model pretty easily. On the other hand, if you are an experienced model builder, you'd probably have a lot of learning to do along the way in building full size. As mentioned, it mainly has to do with the engineering aspects of assembly. That and the fact that once one reaches "a certain age," they've still got some models left in them, but building full size is an athletic exercise that we grow out of.