Scale model ship first project

[ScottBrownthefree]

Hello all I am new to this site and brand new to model ship building. It is my plan to take up model ship building because it seems like a fun hobby but also because I want to learn the basics of the anatomy of a traditional style wooden boat and tall ships on account of I want to build a functional full size sailboat some day when I get the time and money to do so. I am looking to get a scale model of a ship as close to the real thing as possible since like I said I am looking to learn how an actual boat goes together. I recently purchased what I believed to be a scale model boat from Hobbylinc that looked quite realistic on the site, but upon opening the box I realized the keel wasn’t a real keel and that it was just basically designed to look like a ship on the outside like a decoration. And while this may be okay for some model ship builders I want to learn how to build a boat inside and out. So If someone could perhaps give me some links to where I may be able to buy a scale model ship kit like that It would be greatly appreciated. And the boat I was looking to start with would probably be a Schooner type boat. I like the look of a gaff ketch rig for the sails, mainly I just want to make sure I get a real scale model that is designed like the boat it is supposed to be a model of because my plan is to copy each individual part and then put that together instead of the actual kit and just use the kit as a template. After that I’ll scale it up one full size and put that together. I don’t know if anyone has done this before or how difficult it may be but I want to try It before I say I can’t do it haha. Also it may be a while before I can get much of it done since I am an OTR truck driver and can only do it on my home time which isn’t a lot currently But I’ll post updates as I make progress. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help and I look forward to hearing from you.

[ccoyle]

First of all, hi and welcome to our forum. The bringing of your search to a successful conclusion depends in large measure on what kind of boat you wish to build and, probably more specifically, what construction method you intend to use. The term "schooner type boat" is kind of vague in this regard, since it could mean anything from a traditional schooner built plank-on-frame, down to a more contemporary vessel built from plywood using a stitch-and-glue method. Regardless of which method you intend to use, model kits tend to be exercises in compromise between actual practice and what satisfies the needs of model builders.

One exception to this general tendency are the kits produced by Chesapeake Light Craft (click the sponsor banner on our home page). They produce several kit versions of their full-size boats that are built in exactly the same manner as the real thing.

 

Kind regards,

 

[druxey]

Model Expo is coming out with a series of 'real' boat kits. Each is a progressive skill-building kit. The first one is an East Coast dory.

[TOM G]

To do what you want to do, you have to be a shipwright.   A model is one thing, a full size vessel is another.

Edited December 18, 2019 by TOM G
updated

[Gregory]

Shipwrights have to start somewhere..  😃

 

I'm reminded of some wisdom from the late, great George Carlin, who observed:

 

  " There was a time when no one knew how to play the piano.  They were all practicing. "

[TOM G]

18 minutes ago, Gregory said:

Shipwrights have to start somewhere..  😃

 

I'm reminded of some wisdom from the late, great George Carlin, who observed:

 

  " There was a time when no one knew how to play the piano.  They were all practicing. "

In practicing, you make mistakes........ make mistakes on a full size vessel and you will sink.

[Gregory]

I'm reminded of another saying:  " We learn from our mistakes, but it's better to learn from someone else's mistakes."

 

Hopefully, Scott Brown will draw upon the expertise here and have smooth sailing..

[Bob Cleek]

Instead of looking for a certainly very rare model kit that exactly mirrors full-scale construction and may well be designed for advanced modelers, why don't you simply pick a simple full-size design and scale it down and build a model of it. "How to build it" plans for full-sized boats are all over the place. WoodenBoat Magazine's WoodenBoat Store has many highly detailed plans available (Their website: https://www.woodenboatstore.com/ ) 

 

It is almost a certainty that even model kits that claim to exactly replicate full-scale construction details will be "customized" for modeling purposes and contain parts which have been prefabricated or omitted. Obviously, if construction corners haven't been cut and assembly simplified, what's the point of a "kit?" Anybody can obtain plans and buy wood and string. (And any small fittings one might desire are readily available from any number of sources.) I'm not knocking kits, which are a great way to get started in modeling, but building a kit to build a model really bears very little resemblance to building a full-size boat. There'd be no point to a kit if it did.

 

If you want to learn how real boats are built, you should read books on real boatbuilding, not books on ship modeling. It's a whole lot easier for a knowledgeable boatbuilder to build a model of a boat than for modeler to build a full-sized boat. The skills aren't equally complementary in both directions.  

 

In terms of your long-range plans, you might also spend some time following the posts in the WoodenBoat Forum (http://forum.woodenboat.com/) You can learn a tremendous amount from the professional and amateur boatbuilders who discuss their boatbuilding projects there. Beyond small rowing and sailboats, building your own boat of any size is a lot like building your own car. It can be done, but it's a very labor and expense intensive enterprise that requires a lot of knowledge and experience in many different trade crafts.  

Edited December 18, 2019 by Bob Cleek

[ccoyle]

14 minutes ago, Bob Cleek said:

In terms of your long-range plans, you might also spend some time following the posts in the WoodenBoat Forum

Oooh -- in my experience, that's a bad idea, 'cuz it just makes you want to build real boats instead of model ones! 😄 (BTW, I have long wanted to build a real boat, and since I will soon be moving to within spitting distance of not one but two lakes, I plan to make that dream a reality in the not-too-distant future. And BTW #2, Wooden Boat Forum -- along with their magazine, store, and other resources -- is an excellent site.)

[Jim Lad]

Hello Scott, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

John

[TOM G]

3 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

It is almost a certainty that even model kits that claim to exactly replicate full-scale construction details will be "customized" for modeling purposes and contain parts which have been prefabricated or omitted. Obviously, if construction corners haven't been cut and assembly simplified, what's the point of a "kit?" Anybody can obtain plans and buy wood and string. (And any small fittings one might desire are readily available from any number of sources.) I'm not knocking kits, which are a great way to get started in modeling, but building a kit to build a model really bears very little resemblance to building a full-size boat. There'd be no point to a kit if it did.

AMEN.🙂

[Roger Pellett]

Wooden Boat sells plans for a “Catspaw Dinghy,” a beautiful lapstrake full sized boat that has been successfully built by a number of first time boat builders.  They used to sell a Catspaw Dinghy model kit based on the idea that building the kit was a good introduction to building the real thing.

 

If they still offer the kit or if you can find one on EBay this might work for you.

 

Attempting to scale a model kit up to a full sized prototype is unlikely tp produce a safe well performing vessel.  When it comes time for you to build a full sized boat, invest in a set of plans drawn by a professional.

 

Roger

[Gregory]

Good explanation Frankie, and brings us back on topic.

 

If Scott is still curious about a detailed plank on frame kit, here is a pretty good example.

 

Cutter Alert from Trident Model..   ( Not yet available as far as I know.  No updates from Trident lately )

[ccoyle]

Actually, going back over the OP, it is probably more advisable that Scott find a set of full-size plans for an actual boat that he likes (e.g. one from the Wooden Boat store) and scale those down to the size of model he wishes to build.  Those plans aren't cheap, though. Going back to Scott's expressed desire to scale up a model kit, I'll repeat that the only kits of small craft that I know of that faithfully replicate the construction of their full-sized counterparts are those from Chesapeake Light Craft (see image). But ... before making any hard and fast recommendation, we should probably wait to hear more details from Scott on what kind of full-size boat he wishes to build. "Schooner type" and "gaff ketch rig" describes a lot of boats and says nothing regarding construction methods, size, intended use, skill level of builder, cost, time frame, etc.

[Roger Pellett]

Woodenboat has Catspaw Dinghy kits in stock- $129 and change.

 

Unless you are building a ridiculously simple model like a square box, the idea of scaling up individual model parts to build a full sized boat will not work. Suppose that you have a kit that builds  a 1:64 scale model of the prototype boat.  Further assume that the kit is a faithful reproduction of the real thing (highly unlikely).  If when scaling up the parts, your measurement is off by 1/32 in, about the thickness of three sheets of paper, this variance is magnified to 2in on the full sized part.  This means that the full sized hull will have a lot of lumps, bumps and parts that don’t fit.

 

It is for this reason that boat builders redraw boat plans to full size and then pick the parts off the full sized drawing.  This process is called Lofting, and believe it or not before computers it was done for boats and ships of all sizes from an 8ft Dinghy to a 1000ft aircraft carrier.  Today, in shipyards, ship hulls are drawn on computer screens and part shapes are sent digitally to computer guided plate and structural shape burning machines.

 

Small boatyards and amateur builders without access to computers with CADD software or printers capable of printing large patterns must still loft plans (full size) to obtain accurate patterns.

 

If you are serious about building a full sized boat, I suggest that you purchase a subscription to WoodenBoat magazine.

 

Roger

Edited December 20, 2019 by Roger Pellett

[ScottBrownthefree]

Hello everyone sorry if I took a while I have been busy lately. Thanks for all the information it’s really useful, I didn’t know it would be easier to scale it down then up. Chesapeake light craft is we’re I’ll look if I get a model ship to use as a template. Also Wooden boat magazine/wooden boat store looks like a great resource for accurate full size boat plans that I could scale down. Also I’ll look into building an open rowing boat first since I guess it would be a good idea to learn the planking method first anyways before I go for all the rigging and stuff. Thanks again everyone for answering my questions I know I was a little vague with the description of the boat as I am brand new to model ship building and boats in general but I hope to have fun and learn as much as possible on a small scale as I can before going for a big project. I like the look of schooners and I like the traditional ones like the kind made in the 1700’s and the golden age. They just look really cool to me and I think it would be great if I could actually make one of those even if it’s just a small scale model at first. Also to specify a little more I was wanting to model it after a boat around 30 ft in length and I like the look of schooners and gaff rigs and I want to model it after one that would have been around in the golden age. I was just kind of loosely looking for recommendations on where I might go to find something to get started with to start learning the basics of how they get put together since I am brand new at this so sorry if I sound like a complete newbie because I am 😄I’ll post updates once I refine what I’m looking for a little more.

Edited January 8, 2020 by ScottBrownthefree