The next model off the production line will be a Vintage Gentleman's Cruiser based upon an existing boat called Sea Dog which is a Stephens Bros 55 ft Bridge Deck Motor Yacht built in 1932.

I intend to build at 1:12 scale and will be taking a few liberties with the original shapes and timber sections as I change them to suit metric sizes.

For this project and as a change to the usual format I will post the design process as well as the build and explain the whys & wherefores of how I work.

Following the course of action established by my mentor Captain Bob I intend to follow a 'warts and all' procedure and promise to include all of the pitfalls and cockups that tend to happen to all of my builds.

At this juncture I have to say that Jane has just commented on this and pointed out that I am not as brave as Bob and so some of the more disastrous errors might not make it onto the thread. So she has promised/threatened to make her own comments if I don't follow the rules

There will be the jovial banter between the usual suspects but I hope that everybody who follows this thread will enjoy it and add their own comments as we progress.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 22/05/2014 16:28:03

A few more images to wet the appetite.

Edited By Paul T on 22/05/2014 19:36:01

Starting the design.

I am often asked how do I start a design.

In this case it is fairly simple as I take some photos of the subject (as square on as possible) and using an aspect ratio button on the CAD adjust the size of the images until the subject in each image is roughly the same size.

Then using the freehand facility on the CAD I trace them!

Its very unscientific but it does give me the rough sizes and shapes necessary to begin the drawings.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 23/05/2014 14:40:19

Hi Mike

If I cant get photos or actual measurements of the lower hull

Then it becomes a mixture of experience, reference books and research on the tinternet where I look for images of similar craft. Luckily this type of boat is fairly standard below the waterline so there is a little scope for 'making the bits fit'

Another design trick that I will be using on this project is not to make an exact scale copy of the Sea Dog as this will just bog me down in getting critical details correct. I will be making a generic style of the type that will look similar in many ways but will allow me to 'fudge' some of the more difficult details and make the model easier to build.

The generic design will roughly follow these concept drawings, as you can see there is a strong similarity to the Sea Dog but this design being squarer, boxier and lacking some of the longer curves will be far easier to build.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 23/05/2014 16:50:05

Don't worry Martin, we will strike the correct balance between style and ease of build.

But before we start with the detailed drawings there is an important decision to make:

Should the 5ft hull be designed as a single unit or split into two sections.

There are many pros and cons to each choice and the decision will directly influence how the ultimate design is drawn.

Edited By Paul T on 23/05/2014 18:00:02