Half Hull Model Course

Building Half Hull Models

 

Half Hull Models are a wonderful way of remembering a boat from the past and a great learning tool helping to demystify all the lines and some of the lofting required in the beginnings of good boat/ship design, it is a very satisfying way of learning by doing and can be completed by almost anyone with a mind to learn a bit and put what they learn into practice

You too can capture a design in three dimensions and have a good quality self made model to take away from the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop.

You don’t need to be an experienced woodworker as we are not looking for perfection just participation.

You will learn some history of the boat you are going to model as well and you are also encouraged to bring along your own boat plans to model if you have them.

The self made model will be a great addition to your office wall or den and will also come with a brass name plate showing the name of the ship and your own name as builder of the half hull model.

Each model will be mounted on an attractive backing board supplied by the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop along with the brass name plate.

Half Hull Models

Many people who are unfamiliar with the early days of boat and ship design & building may wonder, when they see the half hull models of boats on yacht club and museum walls, "Why only half a boat?" and what was it used for if anything.
In fact originally, the vast majority of boat/ship-builders were also the "designers", although you did not design a ship then you just built the ship. In the 18th & 19th centuries, the experienced shipwright was usually a man with little need for plans or drawings it was all done by skill and the eye of the shipwright so drawing a detailed plan would have been no use to him. The Half Hull model was the shipbuilders 3D way of describing the ship that he could build. Once the half hull model was completed it would be taken to the Mould Loft where the lines and dimensions (scaled suitably) to the full size required for all the lofting and thereby the build of the vessel was carried out.

The interesting thing to observe about the art of half hull modelling and the building of boats or ships is that nowadays, it is the CAD (Computer Aided Design) designing the vessel with an after thought given to the completion of nice half hull models, so the owner can hang a nice model of his or her boat/ship on the wall.

This of course is the complete opposite of its original purpose.