From the many emails Julian receives we know that there are quite a few of his readers who are also model makers. As well as his great sea tales, they appreciate his meticulous attention to detail!

But how many authors have the great privilege of seeing the ships in their books portrayed virtually across the whole spectrum of model making? There have been representations of the Teazer ships as physical models ranging from 1:1200 to 1:64 in scale, half models, and now there’s a virtual Artemis, a computer-generated image!

The model above, of Seaflower, built by Robert Squarebriggs, has been featured in an extensive article in the prestigious magazine Ships in Scale.

If you are working on a Teazer ship model yourself, or would like to chat with someone about making one, do get in touch! Julian@JulianStockwin.com

WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? Making ship models goes back many centuries, to around 2000 BC, or even earlier, but it is only from the middle of the seventeenth century that ship models began to develop the form recognised today.

Before a fighting ship was built the Navy required that a very detailed model of her be constructed. The practice was formalised by an official Admiralty order in 1715, although later, under pressure of the French wars, it was not always adhered to. Model making evolved into a highly skilled craft and their value at the time they were made is illustrated by the story of Samuel Pepys during the Fire of London in 1666 making sure he collected his important papers - and also his ship models - from the Navy Office. [This model to the right, HMS Bellona, is being built by Mark Tindall and will be 79" long!]

Some royal dockyards had special workshops where model makers trained. A commercial yard like Buckler's Hard in Hampshire, where a number of large ships were built for the Navy, also undertook such work, and there were a number of private firms of model makers. These builder's models, constructed entirely in boxwood, are exquisite examples of the craft. A particularly fine collection can be seen at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Nobody knows when ships in bottles were first made; one of the earliest dated pieces (1794) is in a museum in Germany. Many began showing up along the shores of Europe about that time in bars and brothels as payment by penurious sailors! The art form almost died out during the early decades of last century, but has seen a resurgence in popularity recently.

There was a big revival in interest in ships and ship models in general after the Second World War and the past 25 years have seen considerable changes in the ship modelling scene, one of which has been an upsurge in radio controlled models. Also after the war, ship modellers became less isolated, and started getting together to form clubs and societies. Now, of course, the internet has opened up global connections, and made the data and plans of thousands of ships easily accessible. Ship modelling knows no barriers of sex or nationality - many of the world's top modellers are in fact women.

Often sailors who have “swallowed the anchor” find that models keep them connected to ships and the sea.

GETTING STARTED There are two basic categories of wooden ship model building - kits and scratch building. About 98% of model builders use kits. Experienced model builders suggest beginners start with a fairly simple kit because if it is too complex it is easy to get frustrated. With kit building all the equipment you need is white glue, a saw to cut out the parts, a sharp knife, sandpaper of various grades and paint.

BUILDING FROM SCRATCH The first step in building from scratch (the most challenging, but also the most satisfying method, according to aficionados) is to select a ship and then find plans for her. Good sources for plans are maritime museums and books on naval architecture. Once you have your plans the next step is to draw the plan in the scale you want to build the ship in.

Having secured your plans, you then have to decide what hull construction method to use - solid hull (the hull is carved from a single block of wood), the bread and butter or lamination method, or plank on frames/bulkheads. Then comes planking, building the keel and bow and rudder and stern detail. The remainder of the vessel involves building up the bulkheads, rails, planking, and all the tiny details such as channels for the shrouds and deck fixtures. Once the deck hardware is complete, there's the rigging and then the last major item - display board and case.

Typically a ship model built in spare time can take anywhere from one year to three years to complete. One modeller started work and then had to set it aside for a number of years; it took him almost 50 years before he'd finished that one model!

WHERE TO LEARN MORE

Specialist magazines

Model Shipwright an excellent quarterly journal, was published by Conway Maritime Press, UK.
The magazine is now published as an Annual called "Shipwright"

Ships in Scale by Seaways Publishing is also very useful. It is published in the States.

Books

Some excellent ones:

INTERNET SITES