Hi guys, I am contemplating purchasing a hull from Dreadnought Hull in Australia and if I do, the hull must be cut in half for shipping due to size. A "cut and shut" kit and instructions are included, but I have never had to reattach a hull before. Anyone have any experience with this type of procesdure? Advice or comments? thanks, Steve
I have an I-400 hull from Texas that I believe was built in two parts. I didn't do the joining myself, but it is quite strong. Of course, the I-400 was split down its length, and I'll bet any hulls from Australia will be split down the width, so I cannot say how well my experience will relate to yours. Just out of curiosity, what hull are you looking at?
There is a thread on this forum where someone shows the pictures of the hull before and after and talks about putting it back together. I don't remember much more than that but you could try warship builds.
I will look for the thread and thanks. And Carl, i am looking at the HMS Lion hull. The BB that was laid won but cancelled during WW2 not the battlecruiser. 16 inch guns in triple turrets. Steve
Steve, ask around the club about the HMS Lion. I remember seeing a gorgeous HMS Lion (WWII battleship) wooden hull around a while ago, that had subdeck, ribs, keel, and bow and stern. I do not recall if it had been planked, wrapped, or needed a bottom, but other than that it's a blank slate. Again, I have only seen this hull a few times, and I don't know who owns it or whether it's for sale or not, so you'd have to ask around. At the very least, you may be able to get a club-legal set of plans and cross-sections that don't require re-drawing.
Thanks Carl, I will. And I wanted something different and as that ship stands, it would be comparable to my Roma in speed and armament. Hope all is well at school! Steve
I've done a "cut and shut" on one of my Duke of Edinburgh WWI AC hulls, lengthening it 1" to make a Defence Class AC hull. Ralph Coles cut a few hulls in half to ship to Australia and we used the same method, though I'm not sure what Dreadnoughts Hulls does. We glassed brass tubes lengthwise inside the hull across the point where it would be cut in two: 2 at deck level, 1 at the keel and 2 more where the hull sides met the bottom. The hull and tubes were carefully cut in half. To reassemble, the next smallest tube size was inserted into the bissected tubes, restoring the hull allignment and the areas between the tubes were fiberglassed. Next the tubes were removed using a dremel and those areas were glassed, then a final layer of glass was laid all along the joint. (If desired the brass tubes can be left in place for extra strength.) Bob P.
