Which Plywood

[ChinkoaParticipant @chinkoa]

I am thinking of building a 132 scale model of a Cargo ship I once sailed on. She will be about 34″ long. is there a preferred type of Plywood for the Ribs and what thickness would you recommend?

[ChinkoaParticipant @chinkoa]

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi Colin,

 

Is it a working model? And hat type of construction are you proposing to use?

 

The best typeof plywood for model boating is probably birch ply but it is usually used in combination with other materials such as balsa for hull construction.

 

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 01/08/2011 20:47:41

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

watch the different comments come in and then make up youe own mind, but i would use 6mm birch faced ply for the keel and frames and then 1.5mm for the planking.

with a layer of grp resin and matt on the inside for watertight bonding.

 

neil.

[ChinkoaParticipant @chinkoa]

Hi Colin,

 

Thanks Colin and Neil for your replies.

 

Yes I intend for it to be a working model. Birch Ply, get it from wherever? or do I need to get a better quality product from a more specialist supplier? I do not want to put too deep a keel into the model as I would like to detail the holds with upper and lower tween decks. This will probably mean putting keelsons into the build to give a bit more bottom strength. I am wanting to plank then plate with 100 gram card with simulated rivets. At the moment am just doing my home work as the drawings have not yet arrived from the Swan Hunter Archives.

 

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Colin,

What ship is it? You will need to build it quite light as a working model at that size. I am currently working on model of the liner Almeda of 1926 which is 42 inches long and have just finished plating the hull with cartridge paper using Deluxe materials EzeCote water based resin. Hull construction is a composite of planking and sheet construction using balsa and covered with gumstrip paper sealed with shellac (very traditional!)

 

It is to 1:150 scale so I am only representing the hull plating and certainly won’t be attempting rivets!

 

You need modelling quality birch ply not the stuff you get in your local DiY store. I use 1/8th, 1/16th 1/32nd and 1/64th in old money depening on what I’m using it for.

 

Colin

 

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 02/08/2011 16:16:09

[ChinkoaParticipant @chinkoa]

Colin,

 

The ship is a British India “C” class one of 13 built and is the Chakdina, 4 of the early ones were twin screw but all the later ones were single. Most were built by Barclay Curle the rest including Chakdina were built be Swan Hunter. Because they were Cargo boats they did not carry a lot of top hamper. I hope weight will not be a problem as I hope to need to ballast her to get her to her fully loaded water line. They never looked good high out of the water. She will be just over 42″ long with a 5.7″ beam and a draught of 2.8″. Who supplies the modelling quality Birch ply?

 

Colin

 

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=40878

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

There are a number of suppliers.

 

Try http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/birch_plywood.html who are reliable.

 

Always build the upperworks as light as possible as stability can be a problem with smaller models. Balsa sheet or framing faced with 1/64th ply is a good option. Plasticard is heavier than you think for the same strength.

 

Nice looking classic cargo liner. Will certainly make an interesting project.

 

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 02/08/2011 19:02:22

[Laurent Gontier-VersaillesParticipant @laurentgontier-versailles47241]

Hi Colin,

 

may I ask you where you did found your plans? Or are you using the James Pottinger waterline plan?

 

I’ve been in search for years for a plan of those twin propellers “C” freighter…

 

To give an answer to your original question, I’d use 5 to 6mm ply for the frames/keel assembly and 3 mm ply for the planking, no fibreglassing at all, just an impregnation with a PU resin. As a side note, I always use cheap “crap” ply for my models. as they are coated with the already mentioned resin, it becomes very tough. 

 

About the plating, if I do good remember, the “C” vessels had a joggled plating, very difficult to do on a model.

 

Regards,

 

Laurent

Edited By Laurent Gontier-Versailles on 03/08/2011 13:28:37

Edited By Laurent Gontier-Versailles on 03/08/2011 13:30:32

[ChinkoaParticipant @chinkoa]

Hi Laurent,

 

The W.L. Plans I have is the James Pottinger one.There was 4 vessels originally built by Barclay Curle during wartime and all were twin screw 4 cylinder Doxfords. Two of them were BIs Canara and Cheybasa and the other two Socotra and Behar found there way into the P&O fleet. All other “Cs” were single screw 6 cylinder Doxfords.

I have tried the Barclay Curle Archives in Glasgow for Drawings but they have no newer plans than 1882! 4 off the “Cs” were built by Swan Hunter and I am getting two sheets of general arrangement drawings from them. From the WL. drawings and the GA. drawing I am sure I can get some passable hull lines put togethether. If you are wanting to go further with the Canara or Cheybasa you could go down the same route that I am. The “Cs” were all very much alike. only inches on beam seperated them and the accomodation and deck layouts etc were identical. I have a Photo coming today or tomorrow of the Canara in Dry Dock showing her twin Screw arrangement I have several other Photos of the Canara. I sailed on Caneras last Voyage. I have also sailed on various later “Cs”. Super ships.

 

cOLIN

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Robert Wilson on here has a large collection of ship plans, many obtained from journals such as The Shipbuilder. He has made a number of post war cargo ship models so it might be worth asking him.

 

I only had waterline plans for the Almeda from The Shipbuilder illustrations so had to draw up my own underwater body lines. I wasn’t happy with the first hull but the current one looks OK. My reference was the model of Arandora Star in the London Science Museum.

 

As far as plating is concerned, I suppose it depends on the scale and just how much detail you want to incorporate. Rivets might be over egging the pudding! Of course for a really accurate plating representation you need a shell expansion plan and this in turn demands precise accuracy on the hull to ensure that the plates fit! In my case I just tried to ensure that the main plating strakes were about right and correctly followed the sheer of the hull which I think is enough at 1:150th scale. Sometimes less is more!

 

Colin (B)

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 03/08/2011 17:09:34

[Laurent Gontier-VersaillesParticipant @laurentgontier-versailles47241]

I should look in my stash, I drew hull lines for Canara/Chyebassa about 8 years ago, from the Pottinger WL plan. I have no idea of course if they are that accurate…

 

Stay tuned

 

Laurent

[Laurent Gontier-VersaillesParticipant @laurentgontier-versailles47241]

here it is:

Regards

 

Laurent

Edited By Laurent Gontier-Versailles on 03/08/2011 17:35:57

[ChinkoaParticipant @chinkoa]

Thanks for the Chantala lines. They look OK. Does this answer your question re Canara lines.

 

Colin

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