Please read all steps before proceding
You can click on the smaller pictures to see the larger images
Materials you may need include:
Ship Plans
Ship Hull
Flat Surface
Fine Tip Markers (several color help, and perminate)
Masking tape (the wider the better)
Compass
Ruler (flexable if you can find one)
Hobby Knife
A friend to check your markings BEFORE you cut is a must.
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Step 1 The Bare Hull
Start with your bare hull. Place Masking Tape along the hull where you are going to mark. It is a good idea to use wide masking tape so to avoid as few seams as possiable.
Pictured left
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| Step 2 Marking Waterline
Measure your plans and find the height of the waterline from the bottom. This is usually measured from the middle of the ship. Next you can simply stack "stuff" until your marker (I suggest fine perminate markers)point is the desired height of the boot (waterline). I is a good suggestion to use a different color for the boot because you will have to refer to this mark several times. Make sure you have a flat and level surface to do this on and simply move the stack of "stuff" along the length of the boat (marking a straight line as you do so). Once you have marked both sides you can use the same trick to mark the bottom of the window (which is 1 inch below the boot) and the top of the window (which is usually (but not always) 1/2 inch). A simple trick to easly measure the to of the window is to cut a thin piece of flexable plastic (I used a cover for a binder) into a rectangle which was 1/2" high. Then I guided the top along the top of the ship and marked from the bottom of this plastic piece (which gave me a perfect line 1/2 inch from the top of the ship).
If your ship has an armor plate you can draw the armor stringer the same way.
Pictured right
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Step 3 Marking the ribs
The first part of this step is to determine what spacing you wish to use between the ribs. Each spacing scheme will change the thickness of the ribs. As a rule, for every inch you space the ribs aprart the ribs may be and extra 1/8 inch thick up to 3/8 inch.
1 Inch of spacing gets 1/8 thick ribs
2 Inch of spacing gets 1/4 thick ribs
3+ Inch of spacing gets 3/8 thick ribs
Once you have decided which scheme you wish to use. find the center of the boat and mark the boot, top of the window and bottom of the window. Next take a compass and spread it to the desired spacing you wish to use for the ribs (i.e. 1", 2", 3"...). Place the point of the compass on the mark you made on the boot and draw a small arc where the marker joins the boot. Do the same along the lines for the top and bottom of the window. These points you have just drawn are the center of the ribs. You always measure from the center of the ribs (not from end to end). Now draw the center of the next set of ribs by moving the compass point down to the points you just drawn and repeating until you have completely marked both sides of your boat.
Next simply measure out the thickness of the ribs using these points as a center mark (example: if you use 1" spacing you take a ruler (I suggest a flexable one) and make another mark 1/16" on each side. Do this for the line along the top of the window, bottom of the window and the boot. Once you have done this all you have to do is connect the dots and draw a line down each side.
Pictured left
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You will end up with a ship that looks much like this
If your boat narrows to a point where you can not place a blast shield and stay within the rules then you should not cut a window there. Just keep in mind that non-penetrable areas can not exceed 15% of the total length of the ship's hull (not counting the ribs).
Here I used 3" spacing which gave me 3/8" ribs
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Step 4 Cut out the Masking tape
Next you will want to cut out and remove the tape between the ribs. This will help in two ways. First, if you cut through the tape it is likely that you will "gum" up your cutting wheel. Second, with so much fiberglass dust flying around it will just be easier to see.
Now when you are cutting out the area between ribs make sure you you keep the armor stringer in place if your ship is allowed and armor stringer. Now you are ready to complete the "Right of Passage" that every fiberglass captain must complete. The dreaded cutting of the windows... Good luck...
Pictured right
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Now you have the cut ribs Congradulations!!!
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Special Note
If a window on you ship will cut into the bottom or the curve of the ship moves in a way that will make it impossiable to place balsa on it then some people will make a 45 degree line at the point that the problem area begins. Always keep in mind that this is done so your ship will have the maximum amount of penetrable area while not giving it an unfair "Achilles' heel".
It should NOT to be used to give extra non-penetrable area.
The example to the left shows this. The hull of the King George V dips back at a sharp angle which would make placing of the thick balsa impossiable. This extra are gives just enough of a "landing zone" to hold the balsa. Ironically, without this extra "landing zone" the window would come so close to the bottom of the ship to give it another "Achilles' heel".
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