That thing might look like a "plate" over the keel, but it is not a "keel plate".
I don't know what "keel plate" references in your instance.
I did find a reference to the "keel plate" in the confidential construction specifications (US Navy).
Keel plate full-length shall be of brass 3/32 by 6 inches veed over planking, and fastened with monel wood screws.
The model thing looks more like a trapdoor or covering over a hole, which would be preposterous,
since that would require cutting a section out of the strong wooden keel, thus severely weakening the boat.
And think about it, how does that one little spot have anything to do with where the torpedo tubes are mounted?
They sit on top of the wooden deck, over the outer edges of the hull.
There are metal frames installed into the deck itself to help support the torpedo tubes.
I still have not seen this trapdoor in photos or diagrams of the Elco 80ft, or any Elco for that matter.
Photos below show elco boat under construction, completed hull just before turning and painting.
I'm going to keep looking, it has me intrigued, and I will post if I prove myself wrong.
But I think this is some weird model designer's brain malfunction.
The Elco is a marvel of wooden boat construction. It's stronger than any boat on the water.
All wood, with a special fabric interlaced layered wood construction for the outer hull.
Tough exotic woods for the keel and bulkheads.
My apologies for side tracking the main subject of this thread.
