Construction Support
You will find some interesting design and construction ideas on these pages. Each page starts with our design ideas and then follows through with construction pictures and notes.
These notes are all sent to us from modellers from all over the world and we have compiled them into these pages. We are always interested in hearing from modellers and are happy to add construction information to improve our designs and also to help other modellers improve their own skills or construction methods.
Thank you for looking!
J-class Lionheart Sailing Yacht
Lionheart is the first modern replica of a classic J-Class yacht. She is based on the Burgess and Stevens designs of Ranger. Using modern CFD modelling, and tank testing, Naval Architect Andre Hoek chose the Ranger designs to construct Lionheart as her lines seemed to show that she would be the fastest J-class as compared to a number of other designs that were studied.
She was the first large J-class yacht to feature the double-cockpit layout and our model reflects that deck design.
Maltese Firilla Fishing Boat
Our most accurate model to date, this model is very detailed and follows closely the analysis documented in a Master’s Thesis on the subject, by a student at the University of Southern Denmark. The project was also followed by the curator of the Maritime Museum, in Valleta, Malta.
If you decide to go ahead with this project, we will supply the builder will all the detailed information we used to create the model.
Schooner America
America is the first winner of her eponymous Cup, and this model is being meticulously built by a fine model-builder from Italy. We designed the frame set to 1/20 scale and we have also laser-cut some single, double, and triple blocks for him.
The workmanship is truly spectacular on this model and many of our first client’s ideas and pictures are here for your enjoyment.
Charles Mower Design #22
Be the first person to build this model! At 1/8 scale, she will be some 42″ when completed. As far as we know, this is the first model with notches for internal stretchers that follow the natural curvature of the hull.
We have also designed a number of parts that will be 3D-printed. Of course, we also have full-length planking available.
Friendship Sloop
A while back, a client called us up and said he had some parts from a kit he had bought through an old magazine. The kit from the magazine came with the metal bits, a couple of dowels, and some plans.
Back in those days, the boat itself was supposed to be built using the “bread-and-butter” method, which is extremely wasteful, and requires a lot of whittling and sanding.
We redesigned all the wooden parts, and created a laser-cut frame set for a typical Friendship Sloop.
With the external ballast, the model sails very well. The sails are available from one of the best model boat sailmakers around.
J-Class Yacht Velsheda
Designed by Charles E. Nicholson, Velsheda had a stellar racing career but never sailed for America’s Cup. She was built in 1933 and incorporated some modern construction techniques and materials. She had winches for sail handling, rod rigging, and a formed, aluminum mast.
She is one of the few original J’s still racing and continues to do well in regattas in the Caribbean as well as the Mediterranean.
New York Tugboat
Our 1/12 scale tug boat kits measures in at 48″. She is loosely based on the W.O. Decker tug boat that is displayed at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City.
Our frame set has a set of canted frames at the stern, just like in the real constructions of these boats with rounded sterns, giving a more realistic construction experience.
The model comes with a variety of 3D-printed parts and a large cradle for display purposes.
Aphrodite Commuter Launch
At 74″, our model of the commuter launch Aphrodite is an ambitious project. The model includes accurate roof beams across the cabin and the bridge area and includes plenty of space inside to insert a motor, batteries, and control equipment.
The cabin structure is designed to fit inside the hull as a separate structure and includes plenty of surfaces to allow for accurate detailing.
Build her….if you dare!
Schooner Malabar VI
Our 1/12 scale model of New York Naval Architect John Alden’s Malabar VI is designed for use with external ballast. As you can see in the picture to the left, this means she is a powerful model and looks quite realistic under sail.
The sails themselves are designed by a US sailmaker and are very well done.
A pleasure to build, and a pleasure to sail.
J-Class Yacht Topaz
Topaz was derived in 2015 from an unused Frank C Paine design. Frank Paine is the well-known designer of Yankee, a boat that had been designed to defend the America’s Cup in 1930 and 1934.
After extensive research, Hoek tweaked the design to make her faster in light air as well as downwind.
Does the model behave as the real boat? Is she really faster than Yankee or Enterprise? It is up to you to find out.
J-Class Yacht Enterprise
Enterprise was the 1930 defender of the America’s Cup raced that year. She was designed by Starling Burgess and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Her skipper was Harold S. Vanderbilt.
Reading the Wikipedia description of Enterprise is like look through a window into a time of excess, perseverance, and innovation. A hull made of exotic materials; a mast of duralumimiun; a completely new boom design; and then dry-dock less than a year later.
J-Class Yacht Rainbow
I have a large number of pictures of this model, starting from the construction of the hull, all the way to water testing and the installation of electronics and rigging.
Rainbow is one of our most popular frame sets.
Note that the model to the left was built to 1/20 scale.
Sailing Yacht Finisterre
At 1/8 scale, our model of the Sparkman and Stephens yacht Finisterre comes out at at just under 58 inches. This makes her a manageable model to build and, thanks to her design that includes external ballast, she is a joy to sail.
The model includes a proper long keel for display purposes but, for sailing, an appropriate external keel can be added.
Suwanee Power Boat
Suwanee was designed and built by L.E. Fry and Co. in 1909 for racing in the A.P.B.A. 32-foot powerboat class. She raced with a 40 hp Kermath motor.
In 1996, she was donated to the Antique Boat Museum, of Clayton, New York, near where she had been built more than a hundred years earlier.
Our 1/8 scale frame set makes a model of about 48 inches.
Purchase the Frame Set
Harbinger Catboat
Our 1/8 scale Catboat uses an external ballast design, making her quite powerful under sail. Sails are by Rod Carr, of California.
The Harbinger was designed by New Jersey Naval Architect C.C. Hanley in the 1880s. This particular design was quite fast, even winning races against cutter rigs, and really helped his reputation as a great boat designer.
The model sails very well with a large mainsail, and no jib, as shown in the picture at the left.