Modelshipsahoy.com is happy to announce the arrival of our new baby. The CL Brooklyn! Thanks to all of you and so many suggestions on how to build a better warship our new 1/144 scale Brooklyn is state of the art! Designed and constructed to go in harms way. Features: One piece seamless hull Warship Gray Gel Quadruple laminate Transom Shield Triple laminate topsides 1/4” diameter solid glass rod ribs w/ 2” spread Quadruple laminated gunnels Ribs pressed flat in bilge for water flow Prop shaft strut to allow V-drive option Hull #1 is in the molds now. God willing and the creek don’t rise, available for sale tomorrow $100 free shipping
I like the thread title. I have questions. I'm not really a fiberglass guy, and I'm not a font of knowledge for all things nautical and maybe i'm just having a really short-brained kind of Monday, so.. When you say 'topsides' my brain thinks 'above deck' - i don't see any decks or super here. Where are these topsides with the triple laminates? Are you referring to the upper hull edge? To me gunnels are the upper hull edge, this is confusing if you're also saying the 'topsides' are the upper hull edge, esp since you have a different number of layers here. Can you just scribble on a picture of a finished hull or something? huh? a 1/4" diameter glass rod? The pictures look like you've made reinforced ribs, but i'm not exactly sure what you've reinforced them with based on this? These ribs make it look like there's going to be a fair bit of grinding to fit a wooden subdeck to this. vdrive? explain?
Topsides are above the waterline and below the deck the triple laminates actually stretch down below the waterline to the chines (where the sides turn to bottom) Gunnels are the top edge of the topsides in this case there is a 1/2” layer of glass inside the gunnels that secures the glass rod ribs tops in place, tying them all together and spreading the shock of ballistic impact. The ribs are solid strand roving laid in wet. They are strands of glass that go gunnel to gunnel making the skeleton exponentially more rigid than regular glass sides cut into ribs. Essentially a fiberglass snowplow marker rod custom formed and cured in place. Very strong. V-drive is the option to place your drive motor farther aft in the ship with the shaft going forward out of the motor to a gearbox then aft again to the props. Gives more room inside the hull as the motor sits in the dead space aft. Additionally, putting the CG of the motor farther aft helps keep the nose up running home flooded. Just leaving work to go home and pull it from the mold... first part is always a worry about sticking and breaking the mold. Send Prayers.
so single layer except where reinforced for ribs and transom. Hmmm, I would like to handle that. any chance you will make the Sept battle in PA? I have been happy with mat only if I put a layer of 5 ounce cloth inside and out in the lay-up - really adds strength. the rib idea sounds very good.
Triple layer topsides from chine to gunnels. I think that might be overkill since most gets cut out. Thinking thicker ribs and thinner sides to make cutting a breeze. But this whole combat stuff is new to me. I’m learning.
Not on this one yet Nikki. Still working on all the detail parts of the Prinz Eugen. By spring Brooklyn should be detailed.
I might start building this with a laminated sub-deck since Nick was concerned about grinding to install a subdeck.
So I’ve had another request for a ribbed Brooklyn. With some time to think about the feedback from the first one that now resides in Florida. First I had already doubled up the sides on this one... I normally double layer stock boats and add two more layers if requested for combat . will single layer future rib boats.... I might even consider building pre cut boats with only ribs and no skin in the cutout areas, but I digress. A 1/2 wide strip is laminated along the gunwhales to tie all the ribs together and reinforce the top impenetrable area. This was already cured last night so I propped the hull inside the mold to keep it from releasing while I scored a line around the top of the hull to clearly show me the mold line while I work. Then a quick scuff of the rib landing zones Then 40 ribs installed at 2.51” spacing on centers. I stopped the ribs 3/8” down from the top edge of the hull to simplify the installation of the sub deck. Hoping this will result in happiness. Please let me know if you see any further potential improvements to this setup.
Taped off at 3/8” down and cleaned up the rib tops with vibration saw. Turned out great! Monday Mail to Ohio.
The cuts on the ribs are very clean. What blade do you use in the vibration saw? I can see it is a half moon shape but is it diamond, carbide, other?
Nope. Just regular steel fine toothed blade. I’ve been on that same blade more than a year and it gets used daily. I cut down the outside first then the horizontal cut above my guide tape line for nice clean rib tops.
I saw this hull in person,Im impressed with the quality of work. I think you just got a customer for life
