who has dipped their foot in the world of wood ships?

D

domer94

Active Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2022
Messages
71
ive always been intrigued by the world of wood ship modelling.. been working with plastic most of my years and have recently been drawn to the challenge of doing planking and such. ive set up an adjacent bench and am planning to start my first wood build on the side.. how many of you ship guys have delved in that world? i know the plane guys have probably done a balsa framed aircraft at some point. i found a whole new world of subject matter.. going to try my hand at a planked freighter, and solid hull liberty ship. been reading and watching vids for a while now...
 
domer94 said:
ive always been intrigued by the world of wood ship modelling.. been working with plastic most of my years and have recently been drawn to the challenge of doing planking and such. ive set up an adjacent bench and am planning to start my first wood build on the side.. how many of you ship guys have delved in that world? i know the plane guys have probably done a balsa framed aircraft at some point. i found a whole new world of subject matter.. going to try my hand at a planked freighter, and solid hull liberty ship. been reading and watching vids for a while now...
Click to expand...
Not recently, but as a teenager I built the Bluenose II fishing schooner. It was a Billings Boats model.
Planked hull, teeny nails, sails, brass fittings, rope rigging, block and tackle, varnished masts... the whole shebang.
I sprung for the brass accessories, totally worth it. Dunno if that is how they still market it. I still have some of the rigging string leftover from the kit.
I remember nailing, shaping and sanding the hull, sewing the sails on my mum's sewing machine, tying a jilllion knots for the rigging!
I really enjoyed it... that was about 50 years ago!
It got damaged in a move some years later... so, long gone.
Lately, I've been thinking about doing a wooden ship again.

Those Liberty ships were quite something, I wonder if the kit build is modular as well!
Hope you post your build once decided and started, I'll be watching, for sure!:D
 
I tried one when I was young, largely because when visiting a distant relative, he had some wooden ship models so I asked my parents to buy me one too. It's still not finished :) I much prefer working with plastic to wood.
 
HI Guys well ive sratchbuilt 4 big warships out of wood over the last 30 odd yrs an throughly enjoyed doin it an they are firstly the 1/64 SCALE models of 2 type 42 desroyers HMS YORK D98 an HMS EDINBUGH D97 For R/C sailin on NORWICH POND an then the big USS NIMITZ CVN 68 in I/144 SCALE as it was nr 9 ft long AN LASTLY i built HMS TIGER C20 in 1/72 SCALE an yes they were an are all big models an some pics of them if you like an the wife standin near an holdin my NIMITZ hull still under consrustrukion carrier-build48.jpgIMG_8252.JPGIMG_9042.JPG763b5588f771-Copy-2.jpg
 
I found two old kits at an antique store a few years ago factory sealed. Gave $25 for each. Opened one when I got home, closed it back up and subsequently gave them away. Very nice kits, lots of beautiful wood, but just estimating several thousand parts. Would have made excellent models but I knew I would never finish either of them.
 
AN Sorry Guys i have the edingburgh an york pics on my other laptop so cannot show them but hopes you all enjoy the pics
chrisb
 
HI Papa2 thats a pity as the kits go an build a lot easyier than my ships which were just built from plans an i had to buy the wood well all i can say is you missed out on an excellent hobby by givin them wood kit away oh dear as this is the reason i got called BOATMAN LOL
chrisb
 
I started on Artesania Latina's Swift 1805 several years ago, my first balsa ship, learned as I went along. Found it at a thrift shop for cheap. Someone had barely started it but the keel was broken in two. Scratch-built a new one and went from there. I petered out when I got to the masts...someday hopefully I'll get back to it. My mother-in-law even sewed me some sails! I really enjoyed building it. And it looks so cool!

thumbnail (13).jpg
 
papaof2 said:
two old kits at an antique store
Click to expand...
I wonder how old wood kits compare to old styrene... after years of temperature and humidity fluctuations... would that be a factor to consider, especially if it's your first?
 
I built a functional (as in "it was raced") Miss Atlas Van Lines from a Dumas kit in my 20s. Followed that with stick-built Miss Bud (same basic configuration) and a horrible version of the 1950's Miss Pepsi. I never got close to the two engines looking good.

Eventually, a future project will be stick-building a model of my full-size boat, a 1963 Century Resorter 17 (see pic). If I don't make a mess of that, I'll give Miss Pepsi another go.

Boat 1 - Copy.jpg

Miss Pepsi.jpg
 
BOATMAN said:
HI Guys well ive sratchbuilt 4 big warships out of wood over the last 30 odd yrs an throughly enjoyed doin it an they are firstly the 1/64 SCALE models of 2 type 42 desroyers HMS YORK D98 an HMS EDINBUGH D97 For R/C sailin on NORWICH POND an then the big USS NIMITZ CVN 68 in I/144 SCALE as it was nr 9 ft long AN LASTLY i built HMS TIGER C20 in 1/72 SCALE an yes they were an are all big models an some pics of them if you like an the wife standin near an holdin my NIMITZ hull still under consrustrukion View attachment 144277View attachment 144278View attachment 144279View attachment 144276
Click to expand...
wow is all i can say. i think i saw your nimitz in a book about warship modelling
 
Domer94 Qoute
wow is all i can say. i think i saw your nimitz in a book about warship modelling

HI Domer94 yes i should think it was the model boats magazine as a chap called Dave wolley see my big NIMITZ up at a show in scotland as my freind asked me if he could take it up to a big warship model exabishion there an Dave wolley see it an done a 4 page spread on the NIMITZ AN IVE STILL GOT THE MAGAZINE WITH IT IN AN SHE WON BEST VISITING MODEL SO I GOT A NICE FAIR SIZED TROPHY an i was very pleased
Chrisb

Like Reply
Report
 


Write your reply...

Latest posts

Back
Top