I think I must be very stupid

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

My wife bought me some plans as a Christmas pressie, really excited until I started to read them. Can I ask what sounds like (and probably is) do they really mean that a piece of wood must be 3/4" thick when constructing the hull?

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Pat. Hello and welcome to the forum.

What sort of boat is it? A bit of wood 3/4" thick sounds ok to me, but it is the sort of thing I might use. More conservative forum members would like to know the boat and plan designer/publisher to advise on this dimension.

Please see below a boat constructed using a plank 3/4" thick as the base, and something unmentionable for the sides.

Ashley

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Pat
I suggest you measure the drawing if possible. Typos are not unknown but it depends on the context. 3/4" balsa would be fine whereas 3/4" ply or hardwood would probably not be.

Ashley
H^rdb**rd??

Dave M

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Pat

Which plan is it?

Paul

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

It is a Hobbies plan, Old Time Shop Model Mayflower, easy to build Plan 241, 13" long x 15" high. On Piece F it says cut two 3/4". I assumed it was made out of ply. I really enjoy making things and have made several rc boats but due to ill health was unable to sail these so my wife thought it would be good for me to build static ones and keep me quiet (forlorn hope there).

Thanks for any help.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

What is 'piece F'? Is it the keel of the vessel?

Colin

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

Posted by Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 29/12/2013 12:26:38:

What is 'piece F'? Is it the keel of the vessel?

Colin

Yes it is

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Hi Pat

3/4" is around 19 – 20 mm. That seems very thick even for a keel. If memory serves, without going back through hundreds of pages, for Paul's Ellie prototype is was nowhere that thick. 6mm I seem to recall.

What do the other more experienced builders think?

Regards

Andy

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

It sounds as though the model is a bread and butter construction

Bob

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Could be Bob. That would account for the greater thicknesses.

Andy

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I would have thought that at 13" long as Bob suggests it may be bread and butter, and so the thickness of this part may be ok, if so of course it WOOD have to be solid wood and not ply also as suggested.

DM, yes the hb word.

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Pat

Are you able to post a photo of the plans? then we will be able to answer all of the questions.

Paul

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

I have this morning spoken to Hobbies and they tell me that the plans were drawn up circa 1960 and they have no knowledge of how to build them. I think I have two options

a) find a new plan of an old sailing ship – any recommendations

b) try it and see what happens

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

As Paul says, can you take a digital photo of the plans and post it on here so we have a better idea of that the problem is. If you would prefer to send the photo directly to me I will PM you with my Email address.

Colin

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

Posted by Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 30/12/2013 11:01:17:

As Paul says, can you take a digital photo of the plans and post it on here so we have a better idea of that the problem is. If you would prefer to send the photo directly to me I will PM you with my Email address.

Colin

Thank you very much. Not terrific with technology and am unsure what size photos this site will accept so could I photograph them and send them to your email address please.

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

Have placed the rest in the photo album file

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for posting the images, all is clear now! The hull of the ship is essentially intended to be solid, made up of 'slices' of wood stuck together with glue (bread & butter construction) and then carved to shape on the outside by removing the 'steps' between the slices as shown by the shaded shape on one of the pieces.

The 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch notes indicate the thickness of the respective slices.

Unfortunately this is incredibly wasteful in terms of the amount of wood used and probably reflects the fact that back in 1960 it was still possible to get hold of suitable pieces of yellow pine cheaply.

You could make the model out of balsa but the thicknesses will be quite expensive and your best bet would be to make up the 3/4 inch slices with two slices of 3/8 inch balsa and perhaps the 1/2 inch slice with two 1/4 inch slices.

You can purchase the wood from SLEC **LINK** or Cornwall Model Boats **LINK** and other suppliers.

The sheet normally comes in widths of 3 inches or 4 inches so if your model is less than 6 inches wide use the 3 inch width, if less than 8 inches wide use the 4 inch width.

I seem to recall that the model length is 13 inches so you will get two slices out of one length of sheet.

It is best to get medium hard grade balsa for this sort of project – see the SLEC site. Ordinary white woodwork glue will be fine for sticking it together.

While you are checking out the wood suppliers, keep an eye open for the wood you will need for the other bits of the ship. For example, a quick look would suggest that the sides above deck level should be of 1/16 inch plywood. If building from balsa then you will need to seal the hull for painting. This could be done with dope (smelly) or a water based resin such as Eze Cote which is more pleasant to use but that is a little way down the line yet.

Hope this helps,

Colin

 

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 30/12/2013 17:20:41

[Pat Cooke 2Participant @patcooke2]

Thank you so much for all your help, that will really get me started, unfortunately I think I may be back with some other queries so I apologise in advance. We are going past the place where Cornwall Model Boats are in April when we go to St. Ives for a break.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Pat. I have a feeling that Cornwall model boats operates as a warehouse only, no shop, but I may be wrong.

There is a lot of carving in a bread and butter model!

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Pat

A cheaper alternative would be layers of hardboard laminated together with PVA, as a material it is easy to work with and it will produce a smooth paintable surface.

Paul

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

Hello Pat ,

A picture paints a thousend words ,

Colin as given a good lead in as for wood i would use mdf, it a static model so no water problems …

local wood yard will help or a friendly builders skip, OR LOCAL DIY STORE ..

To shape use templates for profile lines pva wood glue , a couple panal pins and a nice big weight

to hold till glue sets tools small plane , saw , rasp file loads of sand paper,

if you based in Bristol area , you are welcome to my work shop …….cheers Larry….

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Larry,

Personally I would not use MDF as a lot of sanding is involved and the dust is toxic. With such a relatively small model, using balsa won't break the bank.

Colin

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

Hello Colin,

Happy new year ,……..a good point about mdf with a mask , and vented area no problem…

cheers Larry..

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

See if your local timber merchants have any offcuts of jelutong. Before the introduction of special high-density foam composites it was much favoured by engineering and GRP pattern-makers for its fine grain and having no knots. It carves and sands beautifully. MDF? OK for boat stands……..
DM

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