Boat Modelling (part I)
- Written by Malcolm. Blackman
Have you ever considered sailing your own boat but balked at the sometimes-prohibitive expense that this entails? Or are you looking for a new rewarding pastime? Well, maybe building and sailing your own model masterpiece is the answer for you.
The model boat can take on many forms from a basic fun toy, right up to a superbly detailed exact scale replica of an original 100-gun ship of the line. Either in a static glass case, or as a sailing, fully radio controlled battleship or even submarine. The possibilities are endless.
You can choose to either buy a kit, semi-kit, or start from scratch, and each of these methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. If you go the kit
route then normally all of the components are included in the kit, or, as in the semi-kit, you can purchase a separate ´fittings kit´ in order to have all the parts to complete the model to the specification as shown on the box. There is also a Plan, and normally a construction guide. Also the parts are marked out on the wood or plastic that you are going to build your model from, or even in some cases, already cut out for you. This method is fine if you can find a kit of the type and size of boat that you wish to build, and be warned, some kits can be expensive. The scratch build is something else, and is almost as variable as there are boats on the sea. With the scratch build you will have to either make everything from scratch or source any fittings etc. yourself. With a little ingenuity you will soon be looking for things that can be modified to be part of your finished model. For example, a 1:24 lifebelt can be made with some P38 car body filler moulded into the plastic cap that covers the outlet on a new butane gas bottle and then turned on a small lathe, or with care, even an electric drill. This gun is made from brass tube and rod, sheet plastic and the end of a ballpoint pen. In this series of articles I will be taking the scratch build option and hopefully, guiding you through the build of a 1:24 (1/2” = 1´) scale Second World War 70´ Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat.
The basis for this build is a good quality fibreglass hull that can be purchased on the Internet. Also, there is a ready supply of fittings available for any items that you cannot make yourself. But a word of caution on the subject of G.R.P. hulls: Some manufacturers are not as good as others. The hull on the right above is not the one that I will use for the Vosper. However, I have built a very nice boat with this hull after cleaning it up, as can be seen by the R.A.F. Pinnace on the left.
Along with your fibreglass hull you will usually get a set of drawings of the boat you are going to model. These are not normally a set of plans for modelling purposes, and therefore have no model construction details. It is in this area that I hope to give you some guidance over this series of articles.
You will need a few basic tools to get started and these need not be expensive. A craft knife is of course the first item, and to go with this, a cutting mat. The cutting mat will last for many years and comes in various sizes. It will protect the surface you are using to build on, and also keep the knife blades sharp for longer. A rule and squares are needed and I would advise the use of metal for these, as a knife blade will cut into a plastic or wooden edge very easily. A small hand held drill is also needed, as precision drilling of very small holes will be required of you. A razor saw produces a very thin cut and will prove its worth many time over. The last item of essential equipment is a rubber sanding block. You will find that there are other items that will come along as you progress with your new hobby, but I will mention these later.
A brief word on adhesives that we use would be in order at this stage, and again like the tools, this is fairly straightforward. For wood-to-wood joints white PVA is the one to choose
as this is readily available and is quick and easy to use. For plastic sheet work, liquid poly applied with a small paintbrush is the preferred medium. This is closely followed for all plastic work by precision poly cement. Whatever you do, avoid the tubes of plastic cement like the plague; they are not very controllable and can be very messy. If by some misfortune you spill liquid poly onto any plastic, let it dry naturally for 24 hours, as this will cause much less damage than trying to mop it up. Two-part epoxies are also used in their various forms from quick cure to 24 hour, but it is worth remembering the longer the curing time the stronger the joint. And last but not least good old cyanoacrylate is invaluable for holding fittings in place.
When choosing the model boat you are going to build it is also worth bearing in mind that you will have to transport your model to the lake or pond where you wish to sail it, and therefore it will have to fit into your car. To give you some idea of this, these two boats are of the same 1:24 (1/2” = 1´) scale. The R.A.F. pinnace is a 60´ boat and the model therefore is 30” long. The ‘B’ type Fairmile Motor Launch is a 112´ boat and the model is 56” long. In general the scales that are worked to are 1:12, 1:24, 1:32, 1:48, 1:72, and 1:96, depending on the type of boat to be modeled. However there are other scales and it is worth bearing in mind, that the smaller the scale, the more fiddly the parts are to make.
The first job before starting on the build is to construct a stand for your hull, which will protect it and hold it steady whilst you work. There are many ways of making stands for a model, but I prefer to use 12mm copper pipe and fittings. I joined the R.A.F. as a boy at the tender age of 16, and after spending 18 months training at R.A.F. Cosford; I got to appreciate the shine that could be achieved on the copper piping in Air Force loos. This type of stand is easy to construct and with foam lagging round the parts that the boat sits on, the hull is well protected during the build and after.
The next job is to study the drawings, then study them a lot more. Don’t be in a rush. When you get your drawings they will probably be folded, it is a good idea to iron the creases out of them, roll them up, and take these precious items to a good photocopier business and have two copies of each made. It is handy to be able to lightly draw lines on them during construction in order to work out angles for propeller shafts and engine mountings etc. and also keep a set in pristine condition. Whilst on the
subject of ships drawings, John Lambert who has done detailed drawings of many Royal Navy vessels and is the author of quite a few books on the subject is an excellent source. He is a very helpful chap and you can see just what he has available at his web site on the Internet.
Before going any further, I would point out that what is to follow is how I build a model and therefore it is not written on tablets of stone. Every modeller has his own way of doing things and I have no doubt that you will find ways that suit you better as experience is gained. However, the first step should always be to construct a stand and the next is to stiffen the hull, for, as you will find, a G.R.P. hull is only about a 1/16” thick and fairly flimsy.
The hull on it’s stand ready to start construction.
Before we move on to the build proper this is a good a place to stop. If anyone has any queries so far please do not hesitate to E-mail me at: malcolm.blackman@clix.pt
I hope to have the build well under way and be back with you in a month with part 2.
