I like the fiberglass hulls, much easier for me, but I build the superstructures from balsa and sheet them with thin plastic. That gives it the appearance of sheet metal and there is no wood grain to hide. A little Plasti-kote on the seams and a little touch of sandpaper will give it a smooth finish, and a little paint is all that it takes to cover the plastic. My destroyer is a two stacker with a rounded wheel house. My current "slow backs" have been created by my lack of a torpedo launcher (The Quartermaster is supposed working on one in 1:48 scale, keeping my fingers crossed), a solution to my radar mast, and the time to finsih putting it all together. Having seen all this nice pics is stimulating me to get back into the late night build mode. I also have a hull for a 1:96 scale freighter I found on E-bay a couple of years ago. AS well as a Sterling Scout I purchased several years ago from a fella in Ohio. Scale ships are truly awesome. I mostly fly planes and build scale jets, but the ships are probably my favorite. I live on a huge river/lake system, which sits about 50 feet from my back door. No rel excuse for not doing more "boating".
BTW, while in Toledo I saw a great little model of a Schnell Boat (German torpedo boat) in 1:32 scale. The hull and plans sell for about $179 USD. It would be a great little first scale project for someone.
Tommy