The Ships Boat…
The Mayflower carried a small boat. It would be a good idea to
build it before you start the masting and rigging. Rather than
supply a Britannia casting for the boat, seven lifts are laser cut for
a bread-and-butter hull. You will need to do some shaping and
carving and this can be challenging on a hull this small (about 2
½”). How thin can you carve the hull without breaking it? The
model’s appearance will be much improved by adding it.
However, depending on your skill level, you may decide not to
include one at all. In most cases the boat would have been towed
behind the ship. It was only stored on deck during long journeys.
One such as the noted trip across the atlantic for which the
Mayflower is best known.
You will see that each lift has two tabs on each end to ensure
proper alignment. Align these tabs as shown in the first photo
above. Be sure to mark the stern and bow ends to ensure each lift
faces the proper direction (you can see these marked as “B” for
the bow and “S” for the stern). Glue all of the lifts together using
a thin even coat of glue. Carve the outside of the hull first. Use
sand paper or carving chisels. Sand the corners of each lift down
to the intersection of the next lift. When the hull is smooth you
should have the correct shape. Next, cut off the tabs and draw
the correct profile for the boat. The second photo shows a pencil
line running from bow to stern. It follows the correct profile as
detailed on the plans. The sides of the boat curve downward
towards the center. The bow is slightly higher than the stern.
Shape the top of the boat to match this profile.
The third photo shows the hull after the inside was sanded. This
is the most difficult part of the operation. Try and make the hull
as thin as possible. One option would be to not glue lift #1 to the
hull until after the inside has been thinned down. It makes the
interior more accessible with your tools. There are many tech-
niques for creating a bread-and-butter hull. Another diagram is
also presented on the previous page to help you. Try to establish
a consistent thickness for the hull.
You can add many details to this little boat. The decision is ulti-
mately yours. In the fourth photo the keel and frames have been
glued to the boat’s interior. 1/32” x 1/32” strips were used. The
keel was run down the center first and the frames added after-
wards. Soaking these thin strips in some warm water will make
them very pliable. They should bend easily to the shapes needed.
Be sure to stain or paint the interior of the boat as you proceed.
It will be difficult to do so when the entire boat is finiahed. On
the prototype, t he entire boat was left natural and stained to
match the rest of the model. Photo #5 shows some interior
details of the boat. You can see the five floor boards placed on
the bottom of the boat. These strips were 1/16” x 1/32”. Then the
risers are glued into position. The riser is the strip of wood shown
glued across the frames. The thwarts (seats) will rest on top of
these risers. Basswood strips 1/32” x 1/16” are used for the risers.
Add the thwarts (seats) as shown in the same photo. The thwarts
are made from 1/32” x 1/8” strips.
Photo #6 shows some details added to the outside of the hull. If
you examine the plans you will notice that the top four planks on
1.
Lifts are glued together, align tabs.
2.
Shape the exterior and establish the
correct profile
3.
Shape the inside of the hull...
The hull should be as thin as possible.
30
Summary of Contents for Mayflower 1620
Page 2: ......
