by Fritz » Wed Oct 26, 2011 12:03 pm
Thanks Owen and Dean.
As far as there never being a "true" nautilus model, I'm not sure. The Wilhelmshaven paper model gets the shape pretty much spot on, although the deck details are a little lacking. Even my model may not be 100% accurate, as I have conflicting evidence of where the safety track is lead around the aft rescue hatch, and no hard photos. I have mine looping around the hatch reinforcing plate and inboard of the stern winch, and I've seen some sources suggesting that it terminates outboard of the winch. Aside from that I think I've got her pretty much correct.
Where I find most kits have gone wrong is the improper positioning of the stations that were originally available at the archives (but have since been reclassified post 9/11). In the body plan there are 25 stations; 10 forward and 15 aft. What gives many people a hard time, is the secret that these stations don't describe the whole boat. The first ten are over 78.5 ft and the last 25 are over the last 124ft 10 in. In between the hull is just a cylinder. I find most models wind up trying to spread the fwd stations over loo long a length creating pointy bows.
The second thing I've noticed is that many get confused with the turtle-back/superstructure shape between the fore and aft sections. Between station 40 (i.e the tenth station) and station 44 (the 11th station) the hull is cylindrical, but the vertical angle on the turtle-back sides changes. The transition is one that was detailed in a separate bu-ships drawing that no-one has really been able to locate. The end result is that many seem to try to connect these points with a fair curve, or fudge the forward intersection line to a point higher up on the outer-hull. If you look at the launching photos it's clear that the intersection swoops up from the bow leveling off at station forty, and then near the sail, decidedly transitions up a second time. Compare the fifth picture I posted with the launching photos and you can see it.
As I said, I couldn't find plans that detail this area, so I had to go to option t#2, which was to survey the actual Nautilus. Luckily I live only an hour and forty-five from Groton. Armed with a clipboard, tape measure and an electronic level, I made the trip, hung over the side of the boat, measured the length from deck edge to the intersection, and measure the plate angle to vertical on both sides (take average, since she had a 2.5 degree list). Fore and aft measurements were measured from conveniently placed brass plaques with frame labels that are welded to the deck edges.
The hard Part? Convincing the Middie stationed at the top of the companionway , whose sole purpose was apparently to keep crazy people with tape-measures, clipboards, and electronic levels from hanging over the side of the boat, to...well.... let me jump the restricted access gate, head aft, and hang over the side of the boat..
Thanks Owen and Dean.
As far as there never being a "true" nautilus model, I'm not sure. The Wilhelmshaven paper model gets the shape pretty much spot on, although the deck details are a little lacking. Even my model may not be 100% accurate, as I have conflicting evidence of where the safety track is lead around the aft rescue hatch, and no hard photos. I have mine looping around the hatch reinforcing plate and inboard of the stern winch, and I've seen some sources suggesting that it terminates outboard of the winch. Aside from that I think I've got her pretty much correct.
Where I find most kits have gone wrong is the improper positioning of the stations that were originally available at the archives (but have since been reclassified post 9/11). In the body plan there are 25 stations; 10 forward and 15 aft. What gives many people a hard time, is the secret that these stations don't describe the whole boat. The first ten are over 78.5 ft and the last 25 are over the last 124ft 10 in. In between the hull is just a cylinder. I find most models wind up trying to spread the fwd stations over loo long a length creating pointy bows.
The second thing I've noticed is that many get confused with the turtle-back/superstructure shape between the fore and aft sections. Between station 40 (i.e the tenth station) and station 44 (the 11th station) the hull is cylindrical, but the vertical angle on the turtle-back sides changes. The transition is one that was detailed in a separate bu-ships drawing that no-one has really been able to locate. The end result is that many seem to try to connect these points with a fair curve, or fudge the forward intersection line to a point higher up on the outer-hull. If you look at the launching photos it's clear that the intersection swoops up from the bow leveling off at station forty, and then near the sail, decidedly transitions up a second time. Compare the fifth picture I posted with the launching photos and you can see it.
As I said, I couldn't find plans that detail this area, so I had to go to option t#2, which was to survey the actual Nautilus. Luckily I live only an hour and forty-five from Groton. Armed with a clipboard, tape measure and an electronic level, I made the trip, hung over the side of the boat, measured the length from deck edge to the intersection, and measure the plate angle to vertical on both sides (take average, since she had a 2.5 degree list). Fore and aft measurements were measured from conveniently placed brass plaques with frame labels that are welded to the deck edges.
The hard Part? Convincing the Middie stationed at the top of the companionway , whose sole purpose was apparently to keep crazy people with tape-measures, clipboards, and electronic levels from hanging over the side of the boat, to...well.... let me jump the restricted access gate, head aft, and hang over the side of the boat..