I have a drawing for a scratch build....now what?

[Brewerpaul]

Come June, it'll be my wife's and my 20th anniversary. Our reception was held on the Dutch Apple cruise ship from Albany NY.

As a gift, I'd like to build a model of the ship and naturally there is no kit remotely similar.

The nice people at Dutch Apple have sent me a drawing of the ship to work from , plus some photos of the ship out of water to show the hull design.

I've never done a scratch build and have no idea how to proceed.

I'm thinking that a solid hull would be  easiest, maybe balsa for ease of working,otherwise basswood. Probably a foot long or so.

I'm concerned mainly about getting the hull pretty close. I can pretty easily enlarge the drawing to size, paste the side view of the hull onto my block, and bandsaw that profile. It's the  fore and aft contours I'm not sure how to translate.I am NOT looking to produce a museum quality reproduction, just something that looks pretty much like the Dutch Apple. I'm thinking that the parts of the ship above the main deck ought to be fairly straight forward to build from sheet stock.

Any and all suggestions welcomed.

[Kevin]

 you might not  have enough info in the photo to plan a build

 

i can point you in the right place to see how it is done though

 

Build logs for SCRATCH projects - by era - launch date - Model Ship World™

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Kevin

[vaddoc]

Reasonably big job Paul.

You ll need to loft the hull somehow, either by hand or CAD. The plans you have are not enough but as this is a simple multichine hull, it might be doable. There is a very recent thread on this.

Then to build it, balsa I think is not a good choice and I personally would avoid basswood.

But do explore the dark side, scratch building is lots of fun. Have a look on MSW and go for it.

[Jaager]

I do not do steel or anything after 1860, but given how lacking in detail is the plan that you have on view, I would shoot for a hull length of 12-18".

Something that does not cry out for detail that you do not have.

I would do carved hull in lamination using Pine or Yellow Poplar.

Would just use sand n' sealer and paint on the wood and not try styrene or metal plates over the wood - again because both the small size and the lack of detail do not need that level.

Considering what you have and where you want to go - a waterline model with simulated water in a case this may be the ticket.

[Smile-n-Nod]

Clayton Feldman's "Modeling an Armed Virginia Sloop of 1768" is a good place to start. It goes into a lot of detail about drafting and building a plank-on-bulkhead model. (Computer drafting today is faster and easier, but the principles still apply.)

[barkeater]

It  is tough to tell from the picture if you have enough info. I do see sheer lines which should make constructing the hull possible using bulkheads and this would be another option other than a solid hull. First decide your scale. If you are not going to use the scale given which I believe is 1/96 by my math then figure out the correction needed (say 200% enlargement if you go 1/48). Have the plans enlarged and copied which can be done at an office supply store. Now start making copies on your home printer. Cut out each individual sheer line remembering to subtract for the thickness of the plank(s) you are going to use as sheer lines are from the outside of the hull. Since sheer lines are half hull you will need to make these into full hull by matching two 1/2 copies and the make a full width copy with your printer. Glue these to plywood and cut out your bulkheads.  Their positions on the keel I believe are given but it is tough to see in the picture. From the looks of it you are going to have to add additional bulkheads in between to allow a smooth flow of your planks. To do this make additional bulkheads using the broader of the two where they are going to sit in between. These will be oversized. Now fare all bulkheads down so you get a smooth run for your planks and you should be able to start planking.

Richard

[allanyed]

Regardless of the wood species, as there are lines of what looks to be a body plan, you can make the hull from segments based on these lines.   

 

Alternatively you can go with a solid block as you mention and make card stock pieces from the body plan lines to check your fairing of the hull from stem to transom.  Basswood may be OK as it is good for carving, but I find it prone to denting and scratching as it is soft compared to other readily available species, including poplar or maple which you can get at any local lumber supplier.  

 

Do you have a CAD program?    

 

Allan

[Roger Pellett]

Your drawing shows three views: plan view, longitudinal profile, and body plan- sufficient to define the shape of the hull.

 

Hard chine hull forms lend themselves to the POB style of construction described by Richard above.  In this case, it would appear that the hull was built with “developable” shapes to allow the use of large panels of flat steel plate.  You can imitate this same form of construction with thin model-makers plywood that is readily available.

 

If you decide to carve the hull from a solid, I would use common lumberyard pine.  It’s harder than basswood so will better hold crisp edges.  Lumberyard lumber is usually designated SPF: spruce, pine, fir.  You want pine.  Spruce is the lightest of the three and has a distinctive and to me objectionable smell.  Pine has a finer grain than either spruce or fir.  You may also find a higher grade pine intended for trim work. Here in the Midwest, at least one store is stocking Monterey Pine imported from New Zealand.  I don’t understand the logistics but it’s nice stuff.  Balsa is much too soft, and basswood marginal.  Finding the right piece of wood is part of the fun of scratch building; like a scavenger hunt!

 

You can make life easier by carving two half models to be joined once shaped.  I drill matching holes for dowel alignment pins before shaping the hull while the two half hull sections are still square.  If you have access to a bandsaw, start by cutting the longitudinal profile with the half hull block laying flat on what will be the finished model’s centerline.  Next,  fasten each half hull section to something so that the finished model’s centerline is vertical.  A piece of aluminum angle works well for this.  Now back to the bandsaw to cut the plan view shape.  

 

You now should have two wood blocks with the plan view and longitudinal profile view shaped.  Now using the longitudinal profile and body plan views, plot the points defining the chine along the hull block.  Bend a very thin strip of wood connecting these points and mark out the chine.  Using regular woodworking tools, carve the deadrise- the angle that the bottom makes with the sides.  Use templates traced from the body plan to guide you.  The Mark 1 eyeball is also an excellent tool for finding humps and flat spots in the carved hull.  Do as much work as possible before gluing the two half hulls together.

 

Have fun!

 

Roger