Useful Tips on How to Build a Model Whaleboat

From the early 18 th Century through the middle of the 20 th Century, the American maritime industry utilized almost 60,000 whaleboats for various purposes. The US Navy used these vessels as light attack craft and as dinghies for their large vessels. The US Coast Guard utilized these vessels as lifeboats along the coast and coastal patrol vessels to stop the illegal importation of alcohol during Prohibition. Unfortunately surprisingly few of these vessels remain as exhibits in museums around the country. For the historical maritime hobbyist, making a model of these vessels offers a way to preserve our country’s maritime history.

There are a few tips that can help a hobbyist when it comes time to build a model of one of these historical boats. By following these tips, you will be able to create a historically accurate representation of the iconic American whaleboat. Then you will have a piece of maritime history that will not only be a conversation piece, but will also be a piece that you can be proud of as a model building enthusiast.

The first tip that can help you to build an accurate representation of a whaleboat is to examine photographs of these historic vessels. A good way to do this is to watch a number of old World War 2 movies about the Navy. The small boats that you see them taking people from ship to ship in are most likely whaleboats. Another good set of sources for photographs are maritime historical societies and yacht clubs. Many whaleboats were converted to yachts after the Second World War and many yacht clubs and maritime historical societies have pictures of the conversion processes that were used. In addition to this, many whaleboats were used in the private maritime industry as fishing vessels and for other commercial purposes. The historical societies have preserved a number of photographs of old fishing and commercial vessels and you can benefit from studying these when you build your model whaleboat.

The next tip is to go to the local small craft harbors if you live in an area near a lake or the coasts. Many times I have seen old whaleboats docked in small craft harbors around the country. If you speak to some of the harbormasters or sailors that you may see on the boats, you might find someone who will let you take an up-close look at an actual whaleboat. You may even experience a sailor who will let you take pictures of his old whaleboat, like I did. I can speak from experience as a maritime historian that nothing beats the awesomeness of getting to examine a piece of history in person. I was able to use pictures from a trip aboard an actual Chesapeake Sharpie that I took in Cedar Key, Florida to help me with building a model of that historical boat.

A final tip that can be helpful in building a whaleboat is to talk with sailors at yacht clubs and other places in the maritime community. Many yachtsmen and commercial sailors are knowledgeable amateur historians and they can offer a wealth of knowledge on what actual whaleboats looked like. I have personally spoken to a number of sailors and found out little details of historical boats that I have built models of that I would not have known otherwise.

By using these tips and applying the knowledge you gain to building your whaleboat, you will be able to build a vessel that will be a masterpiece. You will find that the experience you gain from going through this process may not only help you as a modeler, but it may also help you to find a few new friends. I know that I met people whom I never would have met, when I built my historical boat models, if I had not followed these tips.

Sources
Personal Experience
“New Bedford Whaleboat,” Historic Ships
Brian McQuillan, “Competition Winning Whaleboat II,” Model Ship Builder

Tim Rizzuto, “The USS Slater’s 26 foot Motor Whaleboat,” Historic Naval Ship’s Association


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