Orca by FlyingFish – FINISHED - Scale 1:20 - from the movie Jaws.

[FlyingFish]

This is my first build log on MSW , and second scratch built boat, both lockdown projects.

 

Why Orca? It’s arguably the most iconic movie boat of all time, with all the associated romance of being a star in a huge film. It’s also a huge challenge, and a good test of the many modelling skills I have to learn to enable me to move on to more complex builds.

 

Talking of romance, January 1^st 1976 was the first date I had with my wife of 38 years – we went to the cinema – guess what we watched? So that’s why it has a special memories for me!

 

The research for Orca has not been easy, despite there being a number of previous models built, with some excellent reference material available, and a fanatical fan base posting pictures. Her secrets are well hidden. As far as I can see there are no available plans of the original boat, Warlock, a Novi lobster boat typical of the Maine and Nova Scotia coasts, and only three photographs of her. Orca herself was sadly allowed to rot away, with only fragments remaining in the collection of fans, and in the memory of Joe Alves, the master production designer who transformed Warlock into Orca.

 

The plans I’ve seen online for Orca are for an RC model, and whilst they are representative of Orca, they are not of  the type of keel or hull nor accurate in the detail of the pilot house or foredeck when measured against stills of Orca from the film. I can find no images of Warlock or Orca’s keel, or shape below the waterline. The film images of Orca listing or sinking are of Orca II, a GRP copy, which had no keel, but a metal frame and barrels used to change the ballast as part of the effects. There are some differences between Orca I and II which can confuse, not least that Orca II’s mast is off-centre.

 

So there is some detective work and guesssork involved. I have studied the plans of other lobster boats available, and there are some You Tube clips and galleries online of lobster boat construction.

 

Orca has distinctive stem, straight to the waterline, unlike many lobster boats which have a continuously curved stem. These images of Warlock show what I mean:

The first decision therefore is whether the hull is built-down or skeg-built. The latter is found in traditional wooden lobster boats, creating a shallower flatter hull section. However this usually required the engine to be higher necessitating a box or step up platform in the pilot house. Warlock had (surprisingly) a 4-cylinder petrol (gas) engine, but no box – the pilot house floor was the same level as the aft deck, suggesting a built down hull…

 

As lobster boats moved from sail to power the hull design changed from a true displacement to a longer wider semi-displacement shape. They had a flatter aft but retained the keel and skeg to protect the prop and rudder and allow them to come right up on a ledge at slow speed, for example:

 

It’s unlikely that Warlock had the horsepower to get the hull beyond displacement speed, and certainly she did not have a flared bow, but a softer chine suggesting she did not cruise that fast, and the flatter after section will have kept her prop deeper in the water, helpful in a following sea.

 

I have chosen therefore to make her as a semi displacement hull, with a skeg built after section. The engine is assumed to be small enough to be enclosed below the pilot house decking.

 

I will attempt to use the same method of build as the real boat, that is to assemble the stem, keel, keelson, prop shaft and hook, then attach temporary frames and ribbands before fitting steam bent ribs, then carvel planking up from the keel before removing the frames and ribbands. The whole process being illustrated beautifully here:

https://wlb3.smugmug.com/Maine/JBBC  

I will credit and draw on the large volume of research already available though other model builders logs.

 

Of course much of this work will be hidden in the finished model, but authenticity is clearly important. I may well stand corrected, but I think If I manage this , it will be the first model of Orca built in this way. I would be very pleased to hear from makers of previous models on this methology.

 

After the hull is planked, and deck fitted, the challenge is to reproduce the film prop complete with all the artifacts and weathering. Don’t expect to see much at first, I still have lots to research before I start.

 

I hope this build will help others contemplating this build, and I encourage criticism from the many experts on this forum whose work is so inspiring!

I have a small Delta band saw, scroll saw and hand power drills. Other than that this will be done by hand tools. All materials will be from wood and other stuff I have in my store, most of which is recyled. Finally no sharks will be harmed in the making of this Orca.

Edited October 28 by FlyingFish

[KeithAug]

A very nice introduction for a handsome little boat. I wish you luck in your build.

[mtaylor]

Have you seen this scratch build log?  His first post mentions buy the plans but I have no idea how accurate they are.

   

[FlyingFish]

Thanks Keith and Mark for your interest. Yes the plans he refers to are for an RC build, and as he mentions they are good, but he has had to adapt a fair bit. He has done some stunning detail work and weathering on his model!

I also have plans by Pat Tritle again for an RC model. Because these need to have a working prop and motor the keel and hull shape are not accurate to portray the 'real' thing, and several other dimensions are incorrect.

 

I'm currently drafting a set of plans based on photographic evidence, and for the keel, using plans from Novi lobster boats which are as close to Warlock as I can find. I'll post some images of the keel shape and early test parts soon - be interested in any thoughts from you.

 

[jlt13th]

On 12/15/2020 at 2:40 AM, FlyingFish said:

Thanks Keith and Mark for your interest. Yes the plans he refers to are for an RC build, and as he mentions they are good, but he has had to adapt a fair bit. He has done some stunning detail work and weathering on his model!

I also have plans by Pat Tritle again for an RC model. Because these need to have a working prop and motor the keel and hull shape are not accurate to portray the 'real' thing, and several other dimensions are incorrect.

 

I'm currently drafting a set of plans based on photographic evidence, and for the keel, using plans from Novi lobster boats which are as close to Warlock as I can find. I'll post some images of the keel shape and early test parts soon - be interested in any thoughts from you.

 

I have pics of the Orca keel,that were given to me by a friend of mine,of whom owned the Orca 1 after the movie shoot wrapped up.It was just a standard lobster boat keel.So just stick to a traditional design and youll be good.Heres a photo for you.This was taken in late 74',while the Orca was on her way to Long Beach marina,a few months after the film shoot wrapped up.

[James H]

I think I was 7yrs old when I saw this film. Scared the cr@p out of me.

 

Looking forward to watching this.

[FlyingFish]

Hey jlt13th that's a great picture, and confirms what I had thought, but it's great to have the confirmation. It also shows the shape of the bow planking at the turn of the stem. Thanks so much!

[FlyingFish]

James, yes it was a great picture to take your date too - lots of opportunities for a reassuring arm on the shoulder!

[James H]

6 minutes ago, FlyingFish said:

James, yes it was a great picture to take your date too - lots of opportunities for a reassuring arm on the shoulder!

Robert Shaw came from a town a couple miles from me too. (Westhoughton). There's a pub named after him. Quite ironic when you consider his predilection for booze!

[FlyingFish]

I had seen this which must have been taken at the same time

 

[FlyingFish]

1 hour ago, James H said:

There's a pub named after him

He was a great actor indeed, and I'm sure would have been chuffed to have a pub named after him!

[FlyingFish]

The plans are taking shape...

and the keel is ready for assembly. 

 

[FlyingFish]

The transom is assembled in parts, which will be planked later:

and glued...

 

[neilm]

Fantastic. Will be following your build as my build so far is so very modest and amateur in comparison. 

[FlyingFish]

Following your build too, and you have made a great start neilm! Its taking me a long time to decide on the hull shape as there are so many conflicting photographs and builds out there; so I'm not sure it lives up to your generous comments so far! 

I'm trying to build it in the same way as lobster boats are done, but trial bending of the ribs for some of the tight radius bends near the transum are proving difficult. Hope to be posting more next week, as I get a set of frames put up.

[neilm]

Look forward to you build.. 

[FlyingFish]

So lockdown again in the UK, and every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining - lots of time to try and understand the process I have to learn to get on with this project.
 

I have cut out  a set of frames from the plan and elevation drawings made from measurements and observations of the available plans and photographs. First I created six stations, adapted from the plans for the RC model, and with a deal of reshaping. I cut these out in ply and tacked them onto the keel with hot melt glue to take a look at the lines. Tempting though it was to use them, I could see that this was simply not enough to fair the shape of the hull, not to provide a secure enough frame for the ribbands needed to hold the ribs.

I also realised that I was taking shortcuts that will lead to mistakes later, so these have been ditched.

I have been on a very steep learning curve to try and get my head around the lofting process, and drawing up of a set of offsets from scratch.

I decided this was important (if not absolutely necessary in building this model) if I am to really understand the process at least to the level that I can understand the methodology properly. If I want to copy the real process of construction of a lobster boat then many move stations will be needed, and they must be more accurate.

 

 

[FlyingFish]

....So the next step has been back to the drawing board, starting with a check of the positions of waterlines and stations, and the drafting of a new set of sections at each station:

I don't have any knowledge of CAD or suchlike, but I have created a table of offsets from these sections as a means of getting my head around the process.

This really was a good exercise, and cleared the fog a little. As I am building using metric measurements I also converted the table into feet inches and fractions as means of double checking dimensions from others plans. I found a very handy online scale ruler calculator here: https://www.ginifab.com/feeds/cm_to_inch/architect_imperial_scale_ruler.html which can be printed out to scale. This was helpful for me as 1:20 scale is not generally used in the imperial world, and is not found on imperial scale rulers.

 

I have also considered inputting the waterline data into Delftship via a .txt file so that I could print out a line plan, but currently stuggling to get my head around the terminology required. Delftship refers to the 'origin' when measuring offsets, without making is clear if this is the base of the keel or some other index. Still working on that....!

[FlyingFish]

On the more practical side, still looking for a steam-bendable timber for making the ribs, which will have to follow quite a sharp curve at the after end of the boat. Toyed with simply cutting these bends with the scroll saw, but hey that would be cheating! Maybe a greener timber?

So went up to my log pile and selected a 4-month seasoned length of field maple:

 

The easy bit...

 

 

The hard bit....

 

 

The cardiovascular bit...

 

 

and finally the satisfying bit...

 

 

No, I don't have the machinery to do this easier - my shop is 16 ft by 8ft, (I consider myself very lucky to have a dedicated space to work in) and so I manage with hand tools mostly.

Also the spirit of 'Bruce' the shark got me and drew blood in the form of a Stanley knife to the finger last week... something I haven't done since childhood. Some DIY patching up saved a visit to the ER. Hope this build is not haunted!

Next posts hopefully will feature a lines plan from Delfship (maybe...), and I will  set out the frames and test the maple for steam bending.

[neilm]

Wow !  Very impressive.

[FlyingFish]

For those interested in following the design and planning of this build, I am currently trying to use Delftship to import offsets and create a line drawing with faired frames here: 

 

 

[Rail and Tie]

This is going to be great. I have been slowly (snail pace-2) working towards a 1:87 waterline version of this boat for a while. I will be watching with great anticipation.

 

I don't know if you have seen Magnus Andersson's 3D model that he did of this or not. Might be of some help for reference. I am not sure how accurate the hull is, but he has captured a lot of the details.

ArtStation - Orca 3D model, Magnus Andersson

 

Cheers!

Edited January 19, 2021 by Rail and Tie

[FlyingFish]

Thanks Darryl, good luck with your 1:87 model - any pics?

And thanks for all the thumbs ups guys.

It is amazing how many different creations have flowed from the interest in Jaws - here is a similar design from the same site https://www.artstation.com/artwork/8kZ3O  

The 'variations of interpretation' make creating an accurate depiction painstaking work - some models have a hard chine, some soft; some like Magnus's have obvious errors like the steps into the pilot house, or the mast positioned away from the wheelhouse etc.

One of the challenges is to get to know the original well enough to be able to pick out the accurate depictions. I imagine many of us can become a bit obsessive about detail, but for me the detective work to chase down of the facts and true dimensions makes it more rewarding. I have spent many many hours trawling through the photographs, facebook sites of other builders restorers of lookalikes etc. What else is lockdown for?🙂

As a newcomer to this forum I've already had so much help and advice; if only I'd had this help years ago I am sure I would have been a better maker. Youngsters don't know how lucky they are!

 

[neilm]

Fantastic reference pictures. Gets a bit obsessive as you say about detail.  Got to try and find a happy medium or our builds will never happen. 

Enjoying your blog. 

[FlyingFish]

Well it's been some time since the last post. Domestic tasks (ripping out and installing a bathroom and adding insulation to my loft space) plus numbingly cold temperatures in the workshop have delayed the work, but also I have had to rethink the plans a little - more of that later.

 

Firstly a day or two exploring steam bending ribs for Orca.

The method I aim replicate is to put up temporary frames and ribbands, as shown in the drawing.

 

The ribs are steamed and jammed into the pocket sockets on the keel or hook and then ‘walked up’ (literally) into place and clamped.

 

For tight curves, the ribs are split for the top half to reduce stress. The difference in radius of the two halves shows in this picture of the rib being clamped at the sheer. A short video of this can be found here;

 

The ribs for this boat, the ‘Never Better’ are 1 ½” x 2 ½” white oak and seem quite small when you look at the size of the boat, but the 1 ½ “thick carvel white cedar planking outside makes a sturdy hull.

I suppose I could plank over temporary frames, then add the ribs, as one might do with a lapstrake dingy, but wanted to try the ‘proper’ way.

For the test I tried 3mm x 5mm first then 2mm x 3.5mm ribs in part-seasoned field maple (sycamore), seasoned white oak; seasoned tulip (I think this is American poplar) and green Ash all available from my timber stock (well my firewood pile in fact).  I tried to get the most straight grained sections, which was made easier by splitting some of the billets before dimensioning. This 40 year old Dewalt 100 16” bandsaw can prepare stock with a freshly sharpened 6 tpi blade with remarkable accuracy.

I have a little Delta bandsaw with a sharp 24tpi blade and a ‘floating fence’ as I call it rips hardwood into fine strips when needed.  I hand plane the stock after each cut so that at least one side of the plank is smooth, but the other only needs a light 240 grit sanding after that. I keep reading about the wonderful little US table saws lots of you own, but hell’s bells - the shipping and tax puts them out of reach for me.

 

 

I cut the strips to size in width and depth but overlong and let them boil in water for a few minutes. Her indoors was not too pleased that I used a frying pan for this, but I think I got away with it.

I made a very simple test jig deep enough for 2 ribs at a time with a slightly tighter radius to allow for spring back. I prepared enough ribs to allow for some breakages and fiddled with the best method for bending them into place to relieve the stress, using a shaped former, as shown.

 

Of the four woods I tried the maple won hands down. The oak and the ash are too coarse grained for this small size, but I was very pleased with the maple, which not only bent well, but when dried was strong. The tulip as a close runner up.

Whether the ribs can be ‘finger-walked’ into place on the model without a former is yet to be seen! The ribbands are removed sequentially as carvel planking progresses from the keel up, and the frames removed after that.

One concern I had for such small strips was how to hold them in place on the ribbands, as drilling and pinning would weaken them too much. I’m working on some custom mini clamps to hold them in place. The carvel planking which will be edge set and glued and pinned to the ribs will eventually create a very strong hull, I hope.

[FlyingFish]

So back to the plans, and here is where I'd like your advice friends.

I had planned to cut the rabbet and rib pockets next, and if you look at the plans in post #12 you'll see that I was to cut the rabbet straight from aft to stern - skeg built I think it is called. However, the more I research Orca, I think she was planked built down to 2/3rd of the way aft then skeg built to the transom.

Here's a half model (not mine) to illustrate what I mean:

 

So I need a different rabbet line to achieve this, more like this one: 

 

 

...and looking forward...

 

If we have a look again at the great photo that jlt13th send me (see post #5) I think there is evidence that this is how Orca's hull was planked. If so I have some adjustments to make. 

Be interested in the thoughts of any of you more familiar with this type of boat.

 

[Credits to Walt Burrows Photography from whose wonderful website this images of John's Bay Boat Co. came.]

[FlyingFish]

Getting on towards the framing now.

 

 

Rough cut outs with deadrise to be faired after fitting.

 

Couldn't resist seeing what a loose fit looked like. Need to make a simple framing rig to square them up yet.

 

Next steps will be to finalise the rabbet line at the deadrise amidships, then cut rib pockets before fitting and fairing the frames properly.

[FlyingFish]

 

Need some tiny chisels to cut out the rib pockets. Found some 2 1/2" masonry nails and fashioned a mini set; 3.5mm 2.5mm and 2mm. Will make

handles from an old drum stick. 

 

Need to cook a pizza so I can harden the steel again.

 

[neilm]

Cool !. Very detailed. Love it..

 

[FlyingFish]

Made a start on a building jig. . Not sure how this will work, but will adapt as I go along. Looks a bit of a mess at this stage.

 

 

 

The deadrise area of the frames is not yet cut to shape - a great deal of work to do on fairing the frames!

The design will allow me to whip out a frame fairly easily when needed, and trying to allow space to get my hands in and around the work.