Sounds like there is a plan. I will go forward with an abs shell around the damage prone vertical surfaces and nonstructural superstructure. Beyond that for the main deck I will have to see what makes sense at the cannon mounts (both robustness and stiffness to mount the cannons without them deflecting when loaded (either on bench or on the pond). It may be that a properly stiffened ABS deck will work better than a straight up flat plywood deck, I will have to see. I have some docs on plywood modulus and Abs modulus is known so I can figure out what it takes to get equivalent stiffness, adjusted for elevated temperature (say 130°F to cover a hot day with no shade)
exposed surfaces ABS. structural components plywood. that is what I mean by a shell. anywhere rounds can impact, they impact ABS, but the abs is not a structural component. I will post pictures once the design is further along for review prior to prototype. One of the places I have seen damage that I was not expecting was along the deck edge, and I find I am now putting a layer of E6000 along the edge to provide impact absorption at that location. Skipping rounds plywood tolerates fine, it is impact on corners and edges where problems show up.
Kearsarge is about the same dimesions only a little shorter. I think that the Kearsarge is about 375 and that is about 414. Or there about. Everything else is within tolerances.
Or the libertie? All 3 are kits that already exist and you'd have to throw away less material if theyre a close enough match.
StrikeModels is selling @rcengr's 144 scale kits. Scroll to near the bottom http://www.strikemodels.com/products/ships/
Skimming numbers on my phone... I think potemkin would be a near perfect match for dimensions. Not sure about hull shape. I dont recall kearsage being legal in ircwcc though, building a showboat or for a different format?
Something for my son to play with. Going to make it the Crane ship variation since he likes cranes. Thinking that it might be easier to modify a laser cut wood hulled kit for that purpose.
For those who have not yet realized. This kit is being built by both me and nick. Nick is working super right now and I am doing hull structural layout
