Well I sail regularly with 8 foot heavy cruisers, but at least once a year a 1-72nd Bismark shows up on the pond. Mine and the other destroyer measure about 56 inches. These ships are all built to the same scale.
It's just a matter of cutting the plywood.
(However I just sold my Light cruiser, as I felt 6'-6" was too big and heavy to move around.)

Below are 1-72nd scale,
1. B. Shuldt's Bismark and Mine and Tachikaze's Italian destroyers.
2. On board the Bismark Mid ship
3. On board the Bismark at the bow.
4. A Northhampton Class cruiser the Houstan waits at sea for a German pocket battle ship and Z boat to approach