Home >> Hobbies >> Other Hobbies

How to Make a Model Keelboat

Keelboats were flat-bottomed boats once used to transfer industrial loads along larger rivers in the early days of America's expansion westward. Existing before steamboats, keelboats and other flatboats were propelled by wind power or manpower and often took a very long time to navigate a relatively short journey. This inadequacy led to the development of the steamboat as a replacement. Building a model of one of these crafts is an ideal way to celebrate the bygone era of those early industrial pioneers.

Things You'll Need

Thick wooden board
Wooden dowel
Coping saw
Pen
Measuring tape
Electric sander
Scalpel
Wood glue
Primer
Paints
Brushes
Fine brush
Tissue paper

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a straight line on the top of the wooden board. This should be as wide as you want your boat to be. Find the midpoint of this line and -- from here -- draw a perpendicular line stretching the full length you want the boat to be. At each end of the straight line, draw another perpendicular line, three-quarters of the length of the midpoint line. Connect the ends of these new lines to the midpoint line with two diagonal lines.
- 2
  Cut out the shape from the wooden board. This is the lower segment of the keelboat model. Use an electric sander to smooth the sides of the boat's hull and round off the corners to make them less angular. On the wooden board, draw a square with sides 1/4 inch less than the width of the ship's hull. This shape will be the cabin of the keelboat. Use the coping saw to cut it out and position it at the back of the ship's hull -- about 1/4 inch from the rear edge and from each side -- and attach it with wood glue.
- 3
  Now that the basic shape of the hull and cabin is complete, use the scalpel to carve in the more minute details. Carve small squares and rectangles on the cabin to represent doors and windows. Drag the scalpel blade in horizontal lines across the side of the hull to give the impression of planks. Drill a shallow hole along the midpoint line, one-third of the way down from the front of the boat. This hole should be the same diameter as the wooden dowel.
- 4
  Cut the wooden dowel to the length you want the mast to be and then cut another length of wooden dowel to the length you want the mast's crossbar to be. Use small tacks to pin the crossbar to the mast at about two-thirds of the way up the length of the mast. Apply wood glue to the bottom of the mast and insert it into the hole on deck. Spray the whole model with a coat of primer.
- 5
  Paint the model with the color you want it to be, then clean the brush and dip it into the black paint. Wipe the brush clean and then use it to paint over the last coat of paint. This technique is called dry-brushing and will give the model an aged look. Use a fine brush to pick out the detail.

Other Hobbies