Al Stein

Who out there is designing or trying to design your own ship?

It looks like a couple of us are moving that way. "Talking" with people doing it now might be helpful if anybody wants to share.

Anyone doin' the design thaing?

Umi_Ryuzuki

Do you mean designing a ship that never existed, or
do you mean scratchbuilding?
Designing your own model of a ship where the kit does not exist?

Al Stein

G'Day all... and good question.

I (mostly) meant designing your own model of an actual ship where a kit doesn't exist. In the last couple weeks, I've focused in on one class of ships from which I'll probably select my first combat project (the Atlanta Class light cruisers), so comparing notes with folks who've been designing scale ship models might be an eye opener for someone like me who's concentrated on airplanes for the last however-many years. In fact the only runnable boat models I ever designed were one-offs or never-builts for fun, so I'm looking to widen my horizons.

My definition of scratch building (which I only mention to make myself clear because I know people differ) anyway, to me producing a scratch-built model boat or plane is like producing a scratch-baked cake. The producer selects ingredients, materials, tools, and techniques; they create the components and assemble and finish them. Whether the resulting product is purely their own discovery/invention or to what extent it resembles another product in the same class is largely beside the point for me... when somebody builds one of my aiplanes from my plans, I feel they deserve credit for THEIR scratch built plane. So in looking for designers, in my mind I'm looking for folks who go one step beyond what I think of as scratch building. Anyway, that mey not be a good definition, but it may help to show what I was looking for.

I'm feeling like there have got to be more people who design their own models -- and more people building, too -- than one would guess by what I've seen on the web so far.

Umi_Ryuzuki

I have worked out the plans for four of our clubs ships.
The Benham class
The Z 1-5 class
The Minikaze class
The T103 LST class
I also built the Capitani Romani, but did not produce a plan set for the ship.
Currently working on a 1/36 scale fire boat for which the hull frames needed to be designed.

Here is how I typically build hulls.

http://groups.msn.com/ModelersAndHob...struction.msnw
[link=http://groups.msn.com/ModelsandMiniatures/bluenoseschooner.msnw]A little more about the Schooner on this page[/link]

Here was last year's project.
Plywood to water in three weeks

[link=http://groups.msn.com/ModelersAndHobbyForum/japaneset103lstbuildup.msnw]http://groups.msn.com/ModelersAndHob...stbuildup.msnw[/link]
Where this project got sunk,
[link=http://groups.msn.com/ModelersAndHobbyForum/2003nationals.msnw]2003 Nationals[/link]

You will find the plans you need for the Atlanta Class here at [link=http://www.floatingdrydock.com/]Floating Drydock[/link]
http://www.floatingdrydock.com/TFW1.htm#TFW
And the hull lines for frames on this page
http://www.floatingdrydock.com/HULL.htm

You can just scale the plans to 1/144
I have bought one of skunkworks plan sets before, and was not satisfied.
If you find a British ship you like, our club archive may have plans.
The club started out as an all British faction of a 1/144 combat group, hence
The Queen's Own moniker

Aimee

Al Stein

Good pointers... thanks yet again!

Meanwhile, I've received the interlibrary loan book I requested... U.S. Cruisers, An Illustrated History. It lays out a lot of the world politics and the goings-on within the Navy Department that controlled cruise design in the 1930s and 1940s. It shows a lot of ship studies and class prototypes in profile and overhead drawings -- and it has a fair number of useful photos -- but when they said it included plans, I was hoping for hull cross-sections, which it does not include.

It looks like Floating Drydock does have the very sections I want... but now that I've started on a crusade I'm going to try and make time to see what's available at the Washington Navy Yard next time I'm in town (which should be in a couple of weeks). Although I may just get hull lines from Floating Drydock and start the hull before then.

It's been interesting seeing what is and is not easily available... I really thought hull lines for a very well known class of ships that's been out of service for decades would be easy info to come by... attractive design, nice size, well known, no security classification issues... should be easy to get my fingers on it.

LtDoc

Al,
Another source that may be worth looking into is 'recognition' cards, the siloet/silleuette/?, outlines of vessels used by the navy. If you can find them. Won't be all that accurate, but should give you something to work with. It's a 'long shot', but who knows...
- 'Doc

Al Stein

Well, I'm into anything that could be of help... Thanks Doc!

Starliner

Just back from "short" duty in the Guard. Now I can get back to work on my scale ship project. I have always had a major interest in transatlanic liners and have nearly all available plastic kits from over the years (I'm pushin' 40). I spent four years on an aircraft carrier while in the Navy in the 80's and knew one day I'd get around to doing a large scale ship.

After a cruise onboard the SS Norway, formerly the SS France, I set out on my project from scratch. While on the ship, I wandered around off limits spaces looking for a shipboard fire station - knowing a profile view drawing would be near. I found one in 200th scale but it was behind plexiglass and the passageway was only three feet wide so I couldn't get a good shot with the camera. I took a series of eight close-up shots on a tripod and merged them in photoshop when I got home. I went to Kinkos and enlarged the image to 128th scale on an engineering copier. I used cross section stations taken from my SS France plastic model - knowing where the inaccuracies were in that model, I made the necessary changes to the profiles.

A few months after I began, I found a set of incredibly accurate drawings from a guy in France.

Before I left for duty, I was making pretty quick progress. Go to my web page I have set up documenting the progress if you're interested:

http://www.geocities.com/nclssnorway/ssnorway.html

I may be moving toward the summer so I'm afraid it'll be a while yet, before I can really get back to it.

Best of luck on your ship modeling projects.

Tom Hoffmann

Umi_Ryuzuki

Tom,

That ship of yours may not be finished yet, but let me say,

[8D] "That is absolutely Gorgeous!!" [8D]

Definitley keep us up to date on your build.

Aimee

fordman

WOW That is !! awsome!! Tom I just finished my first scatch design and build a 60" off shore pleasure/race boat. Will post pics as soon as I can! I am now looking at buying a Coast Guard cutter hull from wharehouse hobbies. I want to spend more time on detail than framing, it is an unreleased hull,I will try to send pics. Want to use a honda 4stroke engine for scale sound and performance! Any input would be appreciated! thank you in advance


Matt

aakaak

My Feedback: (3)

THought you guys would like to see a pic of the full scale fast pilot boat that I am building in 1/12 scale from scratch. Here is a link to the company I work for, http://www.kvichak.com/patrol.pilot.htm the boat is the yellow one in the upper left hand corner. THe full scale verson runs twin hamilton jets powered by 1800 hp detroit and is 72 feet long with 18 foot beam. I was going to post a pic but couldn't figure out how.

Al Stein

Looks sharp -- and fast. Do they say what speeds it's capable of?

aakaak

My Feedback: (3)

I beleive its capable of 32 knots and self righting in all weather conditions. After this one I am going to try and do one of the patrol catamarans. I guess I have it easier than most as I get to watch them get built from the ground up and then install alot of the components and limited access to some plans even if its just the frames and 3 views.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

still looking for older,simpler, motor yacht design..not the modern stuff that look like giant ski boats, and not the antique stuff, no masts, no tug boats, no naval, big enough for a weedwhacker motor....thanks, Rog

Umi_Ryuzuki

How about the yacht from the movie "Father Goose", starring Cary Grant, and Leslie Carron.
Pat Tritle does a great job here.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...hreadid=197680

The plans are supposed to appear in an r/c magazine soon.
You should be able to then scale it to any size you want.

BONESLASHER04

I am currently working on some plans that no one has seen before. It's based on an idea i had since i was a kid but never had the time and money to do it. Now Since am older and have a good job to support my hobby. I will be be putting it together at last. I am planning it to be a speed boat and made of scrap wood. I may post photos later on.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

UMI,, thanks, that is closer to what I am looking for, maybe leave off the canopy or reshape it, what magazine is that going to be in....thanks again... Rog

Umi_Ryuzuki

I don't know when, but I believe Pat said "RC boat modeler".

[8D]