The Ship Model Forum

EJ the vacuum formed hulls look beautiful. Great thing the hull plugs were left undamaged following the vacuum forming. You never know they might come handy in the future. Now you have quite a fleet of barges to superdetail, the fun is about to start! :cool_2:

Thanks! The transom cutting was not really part of the plan but seemed like a good idea after forming; the hull length is exactly what it needed to be and the plug's transom made a very nice cutting plane. Now onwards to adding planks to the dinghy's. Parting skimming dish hull #2, ruined the first one :smallsmile:

Nice resutls. Yes, sharp corners, such as those between the hull and transom cannot be achieved with vacuum forming. Making the plug a tad longer than needed, inserting the transom at the right position and then trimming the hull back is certainly the best strategy :thumbs_up_1:

Done!

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/16ftDinghy_06.jpg[/img]

The last series of plugs were fixed to the vacuum former using double-sided tape, positioned with the stem and stern directly over a suction hole. They needed to survive at least three attempts (made four sets). After forming which takes no time at all comes the trimming. The flat transoms remain difficult, so now I simply cut them off and replaced them by 0.2mm sheet sheet. A cutting outline was glued to the raw hulls starting at the transom, followed by longitudinal strips fixed with a tiny drop of glue in the center only. After drying the strip ends are first bent and glued to the transom strip and then at the bows with another spacer strip setting the height; the 35ft barges fortunately have a fully flat sheer line that is simpler to add. The hull were carefully parted; don’t need the plugs anymore but don’t want them damaged either. The resulting cut was not as clean as I’d hoped requiring some careful sanding to get a nice fluid sheer line.

EJ it's great to see such a production of fine hull-plugs! perfectly shaped from assembled strips in 4 days only. I am amazed once more. I am glad you have somehow standardized the technique. Looking forward to see the vacuum-formed boats soon! :thumbs_up_1:

it is not but I cannot rule out it is one day done :big_grin:

Once again ...
I marvel at your tenacity and perseverance in the above posts back to April to allow nothing to impede your quest for perfection

I am still mightily impressed--but sometimes ... I query if completion of the whole project is an objective...? :big_grin: :big_grin:
JIM B :wave_1:

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/16ftDinghy_03.jpg[/img]

The skimming dish is very well covered. I have a general arrangement, excellent lines, there is a real one aboard HMS Belfast which I photographed and there is one in boathouse #4 in Portsmouth. This museum I have inconceivably not visited <em>once</em>, where probably all the information needed for my boat work is present. This small craft is a hard-chine boat but like the 25ft and 30ft fast motor boats it has a clinker (like) hull, at least on the sides. I made a 3d hull based on the lines ([url=https://ontheslipway.com/16-ft-fast-motor-boat/]this page[/url]). I traced the top outline and knuckle line in both top and side views using a spline of only four control points (the simpler the better), massaging their location to match the drawing which went well. These curves-extended-into-surfaces intersect to get the 3D framework, and a simple straight transom line between them and the keel outline was run through Rhino’s rail command to get the hull. The picture shows intersections at waterlines, frames and transverse (vertical) intersections in orange indicating all is quite well, more an indication of the draftsmanship of the original plan than anything else of course. The actual lines show that the sides are not really flat, but for a vacuum forming plug that may be sanded into submission this is ok. It went so efficiently that I drew the hulls of the 25ft and 35ft barges immediately afterwards within an hour and decided to make these as well to get more hulls out of a single vacuum forming session.

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/16ftDinghy_04.jpg[/img]

For the hull plugs I updated my recipe again; the flanks of the hull are nearly vertical and eyeballing the strips into a centre position for the skimming dish proved tricky, so I used a centre strip with equal demistrips to each side. Twice the parts and starting a T takes a bit more time but should improve symmetry and defines the centre line better. Plus, with a centre plate the stack has no risk of buckling when squeezing them flush with the calipers. The spreadsheet for the parts was updated that uses (per section), the local width, side angle and cumulative strip thickness (0.4mm first, then 0.2mm in the lowest stack of 1 mm). A height above base table was used to used automatically hide values the table to get the rising of the knuckle line (side view) and to outline when two 0.2mm strips could be replaced by a single 0.4mm strip. These hulls do not have(per so) a single widest main frame that the rounded hulls have, so each strip is the max width between contiguous frames.  Fortunately, a double-section center appeared where variations were within 0.05mm, small enough to ignore. Quite a bit of work to get the plug ‘digitized’  and spreadsheet debugged. The strips were cut from Evergreens 0.4mm plate, rather than using from their strips collection---not because they were otherwise engaged---as these show some variation in thickness between widths and if you stack 10 of them you'll note the difference. With the calipers you can cut accurate and repeatable strips just as well, though they need more cleanup afterwards.

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/16ftDinghy_05.jpg[/img]

The bottom of the plug is the knuckle line that has a mild sheer that needed to be sanded into shape and tested for being level by eyeballing a rod rolling over the plug. Because why not I used my milling machine to first carve a 0.2mm slot to place a keel insert. As the hull has no flat sides to clamp them I first added this slot to a strip, glued that to the hull giving it a handle and hoped for the position to transfer nicely. It did not (mild shift during gluing?) and then in a lapse of attention I even carved a channel in the dinghy! It was easily repaired though. Afterwards the stern was milled too by 0.2mm; I actually forgot about the transom thickness but in the end decided this step is probably for the best; you get a nice flat transom and you cut off the edges rounded by sanding.  The keel strip was added and the planing hull finalized using magic sculpt added in two sessions (thin layers are quite difficult to add and needed some repair).  I find it quite amusing that after ten plugs I'm still finding ways to refine building process but I am glad all small boat plugs are now done. It took a four days to build these three plugs, so I put on Brautigam's 15-SACD Beethoven recital on his piano forte, interrupted by the occasional cat attack. Surely, the recipe is now perfect?

Continued over-the-top scratchbuilding and research. It's a pleasure to follow your WIP's, EJ :cool_2:

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/4254ft_20.jpg[/img]

For the aft seating section I though I could make a small insert floor, press into a blob of magic sculpt and all would settle nicely, but that didn't work at all with the insert being too thin and flexible. Attempt one was tossed and the hull cleaned for attempt two. Adding a large keel as a reference as for the forward section is more difficult due to the sloping stern region. So, started with a small strip against the aft of the bulkhead 1.4mm below its top (check with depth probe of the calipers) as a baseline across the section, added a curved keel strip with the right height and at a good angle (check by dryfitting a strip that should be vertical) and topped off with a small plate. Engine location left between some 0.4mm spacer strips, gaps filled off with magic sculpt to form the floor. Strips and more mesh following the same recipe standing by with another bottom plate. The floor for the second section was again made using strips and magic sculpt and finished off with a small floor part; it melted a bit was repaired with putty. The method for the 45ft barge of working downwards from the (solid) seating added first and the floor insert later was easier than working bottom up.

Meanwhile, while the magic sculpt was drying I started with the next boat.

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/16ftDinghy_01.jpg[/img]

HMS Hood carried two small 16ft dinghy's, according to the AOTS until 1939 when one was replaced by a motorized version---nicknamed the skimming dish---but all three remain visible until late 1941. The sailing dinghy's were stored against either side of the superstructure between the funnels and the skimming dish on the far starboard deck just behind the forward UP launcher. The 16ft dinghy is not as well represented as its smaller 14ft cousin used extensively by the navy for training, see [url=https://www.bmpt.org.uk/pnbpt_historic_boats/Admiralty-Pattern-14-Ft-Sailing-Dinghy/index.htm"]this page at the BMPT[/url], and of which a drawing by John Lambert was available (L/S/201 while none his work on smaller boats has been reproduced yet I fortunately had a copy). I found a drawing of the 16ft dinghy in the Anatomy of the Ship The Flower Corvette Agassiz,this unsung hero in the series; though no lines were given.  Now, the two photographs of the dinghy that I collected, Hood (bottom left) and Nelson, agree well with each other but not so much with the drawing, but it's enough to use these bits of information for new general arrangement. As this is clinker-built the outside might be as time consuming as the inside, but it's only 14 mm long. So how much work could it be.

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/16ftDinghy_02.jpg[/img]

The top view in the first image of the 16ft dinghy shows a slightly different outline compared to the 14ft version, so I simply scaled the lines first to the full beam and then moved the hull lines lengthwise to meet that top view outline (a Lackenby or frame shift). I think the lines of this drawing weren't too well faired; a few waterlines were given but they the bow region was really ill defined. I did some minor refining throwing out the most forward frame and using to top view tangent for all new waterlines and the transom frame was taken from the AOTS drawing. Then an hour or so of “why does Rhino refuse to make a surface” frantic trial and error clicking; this is embarrassing as at work we developed our own hull fairing plugin and we have several CAD engineers specializing in drawing and fairing hulls (far beyond the quality you need for our hobby), I even developed my own spline toolbox to mesh propeller models, but I never got around to acquainting myself with using these tools to get a decent hull. Although it looks ok(ish), the overall quality of the 3D surface is pretty terrible and the inner offset hull has artifacts, but I am not going to print them and it's enough to start the vacuum forming plug. But there still is a lot to learn here if I'm ever going to start building a new large hull. So, the lines in the end look good enough, measurements transferred to open office and a plug made from strips using the default recipe.

Thanks for the comments! And yes, blue tack, know about, read about, seen it used, simply never got around to ordering any

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/4254ft_19.jpg[/img]

For the next barge I changed tactics. First I did some minor redrawing in Rhino trying to match what precious few photographs I have until
finally accepting there is no more information to be had. The rear seating isn’t very clear, and the main floor I copied from a 36ft pinnace drawing by Underhill, 5 grids of 4 by 5 feet, forward grid narrowed by two planks widths. Now I started from the main floor and will work outwards.

The meshes were cut on a metal surface from the delectable 1:700 WEM Deck Grating once more and glued to a 0.1mm styrene backing plate first with CA; makes it easier to position the parts using normal glue later. A small internal keel was added to the hull with two small end plates; takes forever to shape them to fit the hull. Magic sculpt fills the floor for a solid base. Next a 0.2mm base plate and 4ft by 8in ‘planks’ were prepared using my chopper. After assembly more magic sculpt closed the gaps with plank lines pressed in using knifes and scribers. I’ve only once had one bad experience with magic sculpt with me botching up the mixing ratio, so I always find this part challenging, however this is such a delightful material to work with.

ditto to everything Marijn says-- ! :big_grin: :thumbs_up_1:

but in addition to tape I also use a lot of Blu-tak for holding things in place
cheers
Jim B

Fantastic Work EJ! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

I learned that I should use tape more often while scratchbuilding. The way you use it for holding the keel in place during gluing, tape guide pieces in place, or even fix pieces on your milling vice, is so simple but makes life much easier. Very clever!

Great progress, very inspiring. A lot of take-home techniques :cool_2:

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/4254ft_17.jpg[/img]

The keel strip was bent in boiling water first; the second rubber was added using a few spacer strips taped to the gunwhale. Crutches were made from strip sanded approximately to size, adding the teak lining using two strips later to hide that the fit between the crutch and the hull is not necessarily perfect (because it never is). Small weight saving holes were added before parting the crutch from the strip by drilling &amp; reaming, hopefully in the right location; otherwise make another one. The crutches for most of the larger boats are positioned right above girders of Hood's boat deck that have a 4ft spacing (12 ft between the crutches), so one would assume each crutch was a tailor-made match between the boat and ship that carried it.

[img]https://ontheslipway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/4254ft_18.jpg[/img]

A few tiny tidbits to finalize this model. A cleat was milled using my Proxxon and a 0.2mm milling bit ordered at a Dutch website freesjes.nl. I use a small plastic inset and tape to hold an Evergreen strip down (otherwise the strip would lift during milling) and milling was then very easy to do, though the parts do require cleanup afterwards. Two inserts were scraped into the hull using a 0.3mm Sujibori-do scriber. The first attempt in 0.25mm strip (seen here) was too thin and melted away fully while gluing.... remade them in 0.4mm strip and was glued more sparingly. The characteristic binding posts were next, drilled in 0.4mm strip with a 0.2mm drill (many times before the drilling was done fully straight and up to standards). A 0.2mm rod was inserted, cut to size and sanded using a spacer strip and the strip was decapitated using  a small jig made of 0.2mm strip. While all these details are very small they were also surprisingly easy to make and if a part jettisons itself from your tweezers they can be replaced quickly.

Thanks all! Also glad surgery went great, was not a trivial procedure and definitely an event you'd want to miss :D But I'm fully up & running again and at work including working on these small boats...

Somehow, I totally missed the thread until now. OK, the subject is not my area or era ... glad to hear about your successful surgery, another thing I missed ...

Always a pleasure to watch your works EJ :thumbs_up_1:

EJ your scratchbuilding is simply outstanding and a pleasure to see, as always. I admire your precision and the ability to use the milling machine to such a good effect on different materials/occasions. The concept/design/crafting of the gantry was most brilliant :cool_1:

[quote=Edoardo81 post_id=1098593 time=1774110235 user_id=320196]
I'm impressed by the details you reach in this scale!! :big_eyes:
[/quote]
Agreed - utterly incredible work.