new guy and some thoughts

fooman2008 · 31-10-2008

new guy Hey all
I go by the handle of Fooman and I am 45 years old I have been modeling since I was 10 years old. I am a Navy vet and have plenty of experience with large size craft (A spruance class tin can), and even a helm watch on an aircraft carrier (90,000+ tons).
I have been thinking of building a sit down model ship and am looking for a little input.
My current thought is to use a canoe for flotation and basic hull structure which means that its maximum length couldn't be much over 25 feet. The current thought about propulsion is to use a pair of trolling motors utilizing foot controls and leaving my hands free for operating other details of the craft. I am also thinking of using PVC pipe for flotation/trim on the model.
I live in an intensely patriotic area of the United States and I would probably be inclined to make this a USN craft since it would be displayed on local parades. Also I would like to float this craft in the local Fork (branch) of the Snake River in Idaho Falls, Idaho and it would require the craft to be able to achieve a speed of at least ten knots without looking like the Iowa doing 75 knots.
I am looking for input/information about all these things and in addition I am looking for plans/three view drawings without having to be so detail. oriented about the ship it almost impossible to have any fun with.

**GEEDUBBYA** · 31-10-2008

Howdy Fooman,

I wanted to welcome you to the forum even though I am probably not gonna be able to help ya with ship building. However, there are plenty of other guys in here who do build ships, ( I am an aircraft person myself), but like i said, I just wanted to welcome you to the forum and let ya know we are glad you joined.

Have a good day,

Greg aka GEEDUBBYA (GW)

fooman2008 · 03-11-2008

hey all:
Since I live in eastern Idaho I have decided that I will try the USS Idaho (BB-42) of the New Mexico class. She was not at Pearl Harbor but served extensively throughout the Pacific campaign. My current problem is finding good pics and scale plans for her circa 1943-45 (i.e. how the topsides were changed in her first overhaul in 1942) I am currently planning to paint her in dazzle camouflage (just for fun's sake). I am looking in model dockyard for a set of plans but Idaho is not a very common ship amongst her sisters (New Mexico, Colorado, Mississippi) and I have not had any success in finding plans for her specifically since I do not know what differences she might have had from the others in her class.

**Bunkerbarge** · 03-11-2008

Hi fooman 2008 and welcome to the forum. You are certainly taking on quite a project there so I'm sure we would all appreciate seeing it's progress and you develop and build it.

For something of that size I think you are going to be looking at quite a bank of 12v batteries which will provide good ballast as well but you are then going to need big, slow high torque motors. 12v would tend to make me think of vehicle motors but you are going to need bigger than the windscreen wiper motors that are used quite a bit in smaller model boats. Perhaps something like an Air conditioning motor from a large vehicle such as a bus or lorry might do the job so I would start by having a good look around a local vehicle scrap yard.

fooman2008 · 03-11-2008

My current thought is 12 volt trolling motors since I can cut down the down tubes and while the underwater/drive section would not be true to scale it would give me a proven power train and thrust potential.

fooman2008 · 03-11-2008

I have found some plans for Idaho (thanx for the advise guys) as soon as I can come up with the where withall I plan to see what it will take to make an Idaho some 16 feet long powered by a pair of trolling motors.

fooman2008 · 04-11-2008

having done some checking of the size of the Idaho I have discovered her to have beenLength: 624 feet Beam: 97.4 feetwhich scales out at perfect 1/35th to be
Length: 17feet 9 inches
Beam: 2 foot 8 inches (sure doesn't seem seem very beamy does it?)
that is figured the old fashioned way (divide figure by 35) to make it fit onto a small boat trailer and possibly make use a canoe for flotation/structural member underneath.

**Bluewavestudios** · 05-11-2008

Hi Fooman and welcome to the site,

As a little pointer for motors for you - at the suggested length you have mentioned above, you may get away with using car cooling fan motors as your main power source.

These will be small but powerful enough to provide the urge for your ship and should be reasonably light on the batteries too. I am basing my facts on a guy who around here who has 2 large ships both are 12ft long, One is a Container ship and the other is the old HMS Victorious Aircraft Carrier. Both are powered by Volvo fan cooling motors and sail superbly on these. Best bit is they can be sourced very cheaply from any breakers yard.

And yes, Roy, (the guy who built and owns them) has a special trailer which has a slide out slipway incorporated specially for launching them. It also has a winch for pulling them back up onto the trailer.

Here's the link to Roy's ships: http://www.scale-models.co.uk/ship-b...ictorious.html (HMS Victorious)

Since I posted that thread up - Roy has now returned to sailing at this pond as the swans are a bit more human friendly now.

Hope this helps.

Regards.........Mark.

fooman2008 · 05-11-2008

I found a set of really good pics of Idaho showing her final anti-aircraft fit with 5-38's that will be my build I believe. As for my thoughts about her not being beamy enough I am thinking of a mod to use the torpedo blister for trim and ballast. I have not ordered a set of plans yet so I do not know if the blisters are detailed on them, or I am going to have guesstimate about their size and depth. One pic has a good view from overhead portside showing several crewmen working on the top of the bulge.
Also my current puzzle is to find a decent set of three view of a single 5-38 single mount since she will need ten of them. I am currently looking for 20mm mounts and 40mm mounts since there were multiples of those also.
None of these 'problems' is insolvable, just that i am not working very many hours rights now but that is construction in Idaho during the winter, got our first good snow storm this morning, hopefully it won't stay

tag · 06-11-2008

Hi mate try here see if there's anything of use

Modern Royal Navy Warship & Merchant Ship Plans & Drawings for the Scale Model Maker ¦ www.JecobinPlans.com
good luck with the project there's a couple of very large model builds around one is a model liner that cruises on the French canals a few warships around as well
worth a search on the net and you tube