Model of my Grandaddy's boat

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by Gator67Girl, Apr 29, 2022.

  1. Gator67Girl
    Joined: Apr 2022
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    Gator67Girl Junior Member

    Hello...I want to try to build a model of the last boat my Grandaddy built & I have the plans he drew up.
    He and his brother had a fishing business & they would take folks out into the gulf on party boats.
    I have no experience in this...although I did build the Titanic (it was a plastic model ).
    Any help will be much appreciated.
     
  2. jehardiman
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    jehardiman Senior Member

  3. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    Share some pics when you can.
     
  4. Gator67Girl
    Joined: Apr 2022
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    Gator67Girl Junior Member

    I know these might be hard to see & I do apologize.
    The first one is of my Grandaddy's boat; the second one is the "supports" (I don't remember what they're called); and the last one is of the top & side.
    As I mentioned, this was the last boat he built and he passed away in 1969.
    I appreciate any help y'all can give me.
    20220429_221835.jpg 20220429_221822.jpg 20220429_221811.jpg
     
  5. bajansailor
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    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    That is a very fine vessel that your Grandad built.
    Is there a scale mentioned anywhere on either of the two drawings you posted?
    If there is no scale mentioned, do you know approximately how long the vessel was?
    And how long do you want your model to be?
    If I try to scale off the photo very roughly, I am estimating about 65' long (?).
    This is using approx 6' of headroom in the pilothouse for reference.
    The second photo shows the plan view and the side elevation, while the first photo shows the sections.
    There are 6 sections shown, starting with number 1 going aft from the bow, along with the transom.
    The transom section is shown in the far top left section on the sections drawing.
    This is a relatively simple hull shape, with a single chine, which should make it fairly easy to build a model using these sections and the side profile / plan view drawing for reference.
    You could build it using the 'egg crate' method, as described in the link below -
    Egg Crate Method for Making Model Ship Hulls https://www.building-model-boats.com/egg-crate-method.html

    You can get the shape of the centreline backbone from the side profile drawing, and start off with this backbone, and then mount your frame sections on it in the positions shown.
    Once you have all your frames set up on the backbone, then you can start on the 'planking'.
    You could do this in similar fashion to building a single chine dinghy, except that you would probably use thin sheets of balsa wood for the 'planking' rather than plywood.
    And you could cut out the frames from slightly thicker sheets of balsa.
    If the frame sections were curved, rather than having straight lines, then the planking would be much more difficult - you would have to use thin strips of balsa, in similar fashion to if you were building a traditional type of wooden boat with planks.

    I hope that the above explanation of sorts helps a bit.
    This forum is a mine of information - feel free to ask any question that you have, and you will be guaranteed a good response.
     
  6. Gator67Girl
    Joined: Apr 2022
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    Gator67Girl Junior Member

    Thank you so much for your reply!!
    Those are his original drawings, sketches for the boat (those brown spots are from where he cut his hand & it dripped everywhere).
    I was two when he died but from pictures, I'd say he was close to 6' tall.
    I've worked with balsa & basswood...I know they're easy to work with as far as cutting & shaping.
    I'll definitely post more questions whenever I get started trying to build this model.
     
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  7. bajansailor
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    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    That is very impressive, re how your Grandad built this fine vessel from these very basic plans.
    Please do keep us updated with news of the progress of your model build.
     
  8. jehardiman
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    jehardiman Senior Member

    There is actually a lot of detail in those drawings. Notice the bulwark drawn on Station #3, and the floors, chine stringers, and reinforcements in the section plan. In the profile plan you can see the built up forefoot knee, bearding line, shaft log, and deadwood build up. Any competent boat builder could rebuild this vessel from these two sheets of plans.
    Just so we all understand the first photo and the profile plan...she appears to be drawn and built as gaff schooner with a house behind the mainmast?
     
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  9. Will Gilmore
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    Will Gilmore Senior Member

    I agree with the 65' estimate, maybe as short as 62'.

    That wouldn't happen to be the I98 bridge near Yankeetown, on the Withlacoochee River, would it? We tied up to an old hull about that size while visiting there. We were 56' and the derelict was possibly ten feet longer. My brother and I had to tie loops in a dock line to descend into the hull to explore it. This would have been about 1974, when I was eleven. I grew up in Clearwater. My father was also a party boat captain.

    What use are you planning to put the model to? If you are just setting it on a mantle or shelf, you can carve the hull from a solid block of basswood. Just measure out the lines at each section, project them to the edges of the block of wood and relief cut the sections with a crosscut saw. Be careful not to cut too close. Then, fair it close and work it with a belt sander until your calipers tell you it's right.

    If you want to show a construction cutout or match the scale with weight for floating or model sailing, then that egg crate method looks easy enough, just meticulous.
     
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  10. Gator67Girl
    Joined: Apr 2022
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    Gator67Girl Junior Member


    Daddy said is was a schooner & most all of Grandaddy's boats had a wheelhouse.
     
  11. Gator67Girl
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    Gator67Girl Junior Member

    That's the bridge in Newport...98, in Florida. My Daddy said it was taken just as he'd left the shipyard.
    I'm still in the planning phase but I know I'm not gonna try to carve it out. Once I get it built, it'll probably sit on a shelf with the plans.
     
  12. Will Gilmore
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    Will Gilmore Senior Member

    What year was she launched? Not many schooners built in the Florida Panhandle or Big Bend in the forties or fifties.
     
  13. Will Gilmore
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    Will Gilmore Senior Member

    Was she built at the Newport Marine Industies Shipyard?
     
  14. jehardiman
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    jehardiman Senior Member

    That makes a lot more sense. Given her shape, draft, low bulwarks, large freeing ports, and house she looks to be an oyster dredge circa late 1930's to early 1950's. If she follows Carolina down east style, she'd be a bald-headed schooner with a centerboard. Could be used as a net boat or party boat when out of season. You can look through historical photos to see typical details.
    https://www.floridamemory.com/find?keywords=oyster boat

    Edit: 1950's not Edward the Confessor's time...bad engineer, no cookie.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2022

  15. Gator67Girl
    Joined: Apr 2022
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    Gator67Girl Junior Member

    This was the last boat he built & he passed away in 1969.
     
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