Introduces useful tools and techniques, discusses kits, plans, and work areas, and covers painting, glues, hull construction, decks, masts, rigging, fittings, sails, and metal parts.

The United States and Europe. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, and whether you have hours to spend on a project or years, you'll find money- and time-saving ideas on every page. Book jacket.

Covers the basics of building ships from kits. This skill-building how-to book offers you step-by-step photo instructions covering basic assembly of hulls, superstructures, guns, railings, anchors, and more. Also includes information on detailing and painting.

A highly detailed, superbly illustrated manual introducing serious model builders to hand-crafting ship models from the bottom up. Not for beginners. 133 illustrations.

The 'plank-on-frame' method is the pre-eminent ship modelling technique, which nearly all model shipwrights aspire to: this practical manual is the foremost guide to its intricacies. Taking as his example the two-masted sloop Cruiser of 1752, the author leads the reader through every stage of building a model of the vessel, from preliminary research and taking off lines to the actual construction of the hull and fittings, and its masting and rigging. Each clear, step-by-step stage is described in the text and illustrated with explanatory line drawings and photographs. Though a single ship is employed as an example, the techniques can equally well be applied to any wooden sailing ship. Since original publication in 1994 this volume has established itself as the standard work of reference for model hull construction and is indispensable for modelmakers who pride themselves on an accurate, elegant scratch-built technique.

Easy-to-learn techniques, arranged in order of difficulty, range from relatively simple models to complicated square-riggers. Starting with the construction of a half-hull ship model, the book advances to a whole-hull model and replicas of twelve vessels, with separate chapters on rigging, gear and furniture, and tools and materials.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. A Modeler's reference for planking wooden ships, both kit and scratch models.

A fascinating account of the building of an historic ship, as well as a vivid and often surprising account of life and labour in the eighteenth century. In an age before industrialisation, the warship was the most complex object built by man and employed the most advanced technology of its time. Naval vessels of the period were, not surprisingly, so expensive to construct that meticulous records were kept, from the purchasing of timbers to the last details of their furnishings and armament, including even the individual names of some of the shipwrights and craftsmen. By carefully studying these records, the authors of Building the Wooden Fighting Ship have reconstructed, in extraordinary detail, the building of HMS Thunderer—a two-decked, 74-gun ship-of-the-line. In words and specially drawn illustrations, contemporary prints and paintings, the authors show every stage of the building of this ship, from the purchase and cutting of timbers right through to the launch in 1760. There are descriptions of Woolwich dockyard where she was built and details of all the skills and trades involved in her construction. First published in 1984, this book is a beautiful and highly informative work on a significant aspect of the Royal Navy and will appeal to enthusiasts, modellers, historians, and anyone with an interest in traditional crafts. Praise for Building the Wooden Fighting Ship “This book will appeal to model builders who focus on the Age of Sail and anyone interested in how these incredible pieces of art and engineering were constructed.” —Nautical Research Journal “Dodds is both a shipwright and an artist, whose black and white drawings provide readers with a clear understanding of each facet along the way. Moore sails yachts and writes books about ships. Their expertise shines through, turning what might be a ho-hum dry treatise on shipbuilding into a fascinating and easy-to-understand narrative. Originally published in 1984, this new edition is beautifully rendered and well worth the price. There are so many details presented that even those familiar with ship construction will discover new tidbits of information, while those with little understanding of the industry will come away with a deeper appreciation of what it took to build one wooden fighting ship out of more than 3,400 oak trees.” —Pirates and Privateers