Picked up the Viribus Unitis hull about a year ago, then life happened and I forgot all about it. After a move I was messing around in the garage and saw this battleship bow poking out at me, I was hooked again.. That’s about when I saw a beautiful USS Florida (B) hull from modelshipsahoy, couldn’t resist. They’re about the same size, both are 4 units. The Florida looks fantastic, beautiful lines and quite wide after its modernization! Tim and Dori do a great job on these, Id give modelshipsahoy a look if you’re in the market for a boat. More pictures on the Florida latter... First up the SMS Viribus Unitis IRCWCC rib calculator Viribus Unitis (14) Here’s the rib spacing on the Viribus Unitis (VU) along with my best interpretation of the casement rules. Did I get it about right? On to the Florida... IRCWCC rib calculator USS Florida B (16) Here’s the rib spacing on the Florida (FL) along with my best interpretation of the casement and bulge rules. Wasn’t sure how to do sponsons? The shaded blue area is a gun mount (solid) the bottom 45⁰ surface is also solid The “middle” gun casement or sponson? Blends into the torpedo bulge. Unsure what to do about the Foreward and Aft 45⁰ surfaces.. I’m thinking I’ll make a hard surface about where the secondary is mounted and the lower half will be cut out and skinned. Working aft we see the aft casement, looks pretty straightforward… and the stringer that will support the bulge… Again, making my *best* interpretation here.. certainly open to feedback! We welcome all feedback! The wife and I are building our first boats together and hope to battle them next year. Though i get the feeling she just wants to sink me... Were really looking forward to giving it all a try, and certainly value the advice of those who battle! I'm starting to see there's little that resembles traditional modeling in this crowd.. lol
Many more to come! I'm finishing up Castles of Steel by Massie, terrific book about WWI naval combat, hard not to love the history!
Don't forget to keep us updated! This is looking to turn out as a great thread. Glad to see work getting done!
Great job. I do not envy you when it comes time to put balsa on that Florida hull, looks like one of the worst hulls to have to sheet. You will develop a close relationship with contact cement and a lot of small pieces of balsa A few tweaks (since you asked), the horizontal stringers can only be 1/8" high, so for the casement decks I would leave the portion you have taped, but cut out sharpie portion at the bottom of the small window above the casement deck. Balsa will do fine with minimal support on the bottom (contact cement will hold the edge). On the VU I would also move the ribs slightly on either end of the casement to line up with where the stringer steps up/down, it will make the transition stronger and sheeting easier. You can also get 3/8" at the deck rim instead of the 1/4"ish that is marked, unless there are two stringers for that window, in which case it is 1/4" Overall great job though, rules are typically loosened a bit for rookies, and as long as there are not large portions of hard area where there shouldn't be you'll be OK.
Take a look at a few of the kick out sections of the florida hull, you only get 1/2" total hard area measured vertically between any rib, and the places with 3 stringers look like they exceed that amount. I could have sworn that there was a 2 limit but couldn't find it in the rules. Also make sure all your vertical ribs are at least 1 inch apart, some of the vertical bits may be closer than that, but it is hard to tell from the picture. Us locals are rather laid back here, but should you want to go to nats ever, tis best to do it right. horizontal stringers and casemate decks can only be 1/8" thick, main decks can be up to 3/8", but the sum total at any location measured vertically can not be more than 1/2".
A few tweaks (since you asked), the horizontal stringers can only be 1/8" high, so for the casement decks I would leave the portion you have taped, but cut out sharpie portion at the bottom of the small window above the casement deck. Balsa will do fine with minimal support on the bottom (contact cement will hold the edge). On the VU I would also move the ribs slightly on either end of the casement to line up with where the stringer steps up/down, it will make the transition stronger and sheeting easier. You can also get 3/8" at the deck rim instead of the 1/4"ish that is marked, unless there are two stringers for that window, in which case it is 1/4" EDIT: Corrected casement deck thickness in accordance with rules & uploaded new images.. Done! Certainly makes sense, dont want to sheet over a knife edge if I dont have to.. I do not envy you when it comes time to put balsa on that Florida hull, looks like one of the worst hulls to have to sheet. You will develop a close relationship with contact cement and a lot of small pieces of balsa Starting to see what you mean.. I'll have to think about that one abit.. Thanks for the feedback, its nice to know the local groups are laid back for beginners. I'll give this more thought before i commit to cutting, do want to get it right
The FL will be interesting, of specific concern is the large casement amidships.. I figure by placing a rib a shown, I can have 1/8" on either surface for sheeting. The real tricks going to be sheeting the bulge where it intersects the casement (drawn in blue sharpie) I'd have to split the difference giving me just 1/16" on each surface, and so near the waterline.. Above on the forward and aft faces of the casement the blue painters tape w/ black dot represents the secondary armament which i intend to make impenetrable. Though id gladly trade them for additional stringer thickness! lol Am I on the right track? Would you do it that way? Looking for any advice to improve an otherwise lousy casement situation..
Got me one of these! The VU should be pretty close to rutting out ribs, FL has aways to go... Measure twice, cut once.. then grind to the layout lines
Yes you are on the right track. Only thing to change is the deck rim (top part that you don't cut out) can be 3/8" if there is only one stringer, which will be true most of the way along the hull. You can vary between 3/8" and 1/4" based on the number of stringers on a rib by rib basis, so if between two ribs there is one stringer, deck rim can be 3/8", but if between the next two ribs there are two stringers, deck rim will be 1/4." The stringer for the bulge on the florida hull, you might want to leave some lip on the vertical portion, since the flat area will be good to hold the top of the curved piece of balsa. The VU hull should be cut as you currently have it marked When cutting the hull remember breathing and eye protection, do it outside if possible. I use a shop vac constantly running to catch dust (so double hearing protection). The casement areas can get tough, sometimes you have to drill holes and grind out the small areas because you wont be able to fit a larger tool in the gaps. You are starting out with some very difficult hulls, so don't be discouraged if there are mistakes or it takes longer than you planned
I’m with Kevin on the drilling. That Florida hull is buku thick on the sides.... A series of nice clean drill holes is going to be just as fast as trying to cut.
Are you running a stringer at the waterline bulge? If you are not you should. Otherwise it looks like it lines up with the rules. It’s not an easy ship to lay out. I remember one year there were 4or5 VDTs at NATS and none were cut out the same and there was no “this is the right way” agreement on them. This was before the casement rules were improved.
The stringer for the bulge on the florida hull, you might want to leave some lip on the vertical portion, since the flat area will be good to hold the top of the curved piece of balsa.I took some measurements (Tim's not kidding, FL hull is thick!) ~ 1/8" or so, its likely the stringer for the bulge will just be the horizontal surface, ill have to "edge glue" the vertical to it. However, with the amidships casement. I'm allowed an 1/8" stringer there, so for 2.5" of hull there is nothing but a 1/16th on the bulge and a 1/16th on the casement face to glue to.. Are you running a stringer at the waterline bulge?Most certainly, in the above pictures its visible forward and aft of the amidships casement. Drawn in black sharpie and labeled 1/8"
Update! I *have* been working on these boats, an hour here an hour there.. I've got them about 90% or so.... its that last 10% tho... Turned out pretty good I think, no "real" mistakes just gotta finish cutting out those small casement sections and measure, grind, read rules & repeat
The allowable error in the length of a model ship shall be +/- 1/2" I'm considering a "nose job" of sorts, it appears I can remove a half inch from the ram bow and still be in compliance...