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(Original Article by Phil Sensibaugh. Edited by Bill Pickl.)
I have often been asked what I felt was the best way to construct a hull "from scratch." I've seen several methods used with some methods working better than others, yet still I'm not sure if there is one best method. I believe if the hull doesn't warp, isn't overly heavy, and floats somewhat level when empty (no major list) it's a good hull. I suppose I should add in one other criterion as well, it shouldn't leak. This article will cover: Making a Pattern Set, Selecting Construction Material, and Assembly.
The premise for developing patterns sets for a scratch built hull is that the ship will be built on a flat bottom plate with ribs, bow and stern keels being glued in vertically all topped by a caprail. BDE offers several such pattern sets ready for cutting and assembly, but this section will cover the basics of developing your own pattern sets should they not be commercially available. Using the baseplate method of building is recommended otherwise you will have to set the ribs on a keel, which requires jigs and fixtures to achieve good results and the keel will be in the way later anyway. Flat bottom boats are much easier to build, but don't confuse a flat bottom with a shoebox shaped hull. The sides will still be rounded, as will most of the hull below the waterline. Real warships are generally flat on the bottom as can be verified by your ship planes.First, obtain a set of plans for your ship. The greater the detail shown on the plans the better, but don't be surprised if the detail is lacking. Often a set of plans consists of a top and side view of the hull and superstructure and a drawing of the ribs at a few stations along the hull, but this will suffice. A photo of a typical rib station drawing is shown to the right. The plans usually don't provide enough ribs for the required spacing (1, 2, or 3 inches) so you will need to draw additional ribs. Look at the overhead view of the provided rib locations.
Next decide the spacing you will use. Use of ¼" wide ribs on 2" spacing is the most common selection, but for large ships 3/8" wide ribs on 3" spacing is also used. With your spacing selected you will need to draw lines on your overhead view where you need to add ribs. You will often need to add one and sometimes up to three ribs in between those provided by the plane set. What I recommend is making a copy of the original ribs and hand sketching the correct number of ribs in-between the provided rib profiles. Just eyeball even spacing for the number of ribs you are adding. Be sure to reduce the overall rib width by the thickness of the balsa sheeting on the hull, and the overall height by the thickness of the caprail and bottom plate. Do this by drawing a line below (3/8" for plastic ¼" for wood) the top of the rib for your new rib top and a line 1/8" above the bottom of the boat. Also draw reference lines for the water line and a line one inch below the (Continued on page 12)
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