CHAPTER III
HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE BOATS, WITH AND WITHOUT POWER DRIVE
THIS Chapter will be devoted to the construction of very simple types of boats. The boats described will be constructed largely with blocks of wood cut into various shapes and sizes. The results obtainable by this method of construction are surprising, and there are few types of boats that cannot be modeled by following the method. After the model-builder has constructed a few boats along this principle he will be able to duplicate the general appearance of almost any craft he sees by carefully planning and cutting the blocks he uses.
The first boat described is a submarine. This is shown in [Fig. 20]. Four blocks of wood form the basis of its construction, and these are cut from 1-inch stock, as shown in the drawing. Such a submarine can be made practically any size up to 12 inches in length. Beyond this size they begin to look out of proportion and they are more difficult to propel. After nailing the blocks together as shown in the drawing, a small piece of sheet brass is bent at right angles and tacked to the stern piece. This is to act as a bearing for the propeller.
The propeller-shaft is bent into a hook over which rubber bands are placed. The opposite end of the rubber bands are fastened to a screw-eye driven into the under side of the bow. A heavy piece of copper wire is fastened to the stern of the boat by staples, and bent as shown. A rudder is then cut from thin sheet brass, and the end of it is bent around a piece of wire larger in diameter than the wire used for the rudder-post. It is then taken from this wire and slipped over the wire on the boat. It should be pinched in place by a pair of pliers, so that it will stay in any position in which it is put. The end of the wire is bent over so that the rudder will not slip off. The boat can be steered in a circle or it can be made to go straight, depending upon the position of the propeller.
The horizontal rudders are mounted forward, as shown. They are made from thin sheet brass bent as indicated in the little insertion. A hole is drilled in them as shown, and a screw is placed through these to hold the rudders to the side of the craft. The screws should be tightened so that the rudders will stay at any angle at which they are put. If the boat is to be submerged the rudders are pointed as shown. If the boat is to travel on the surface of the water the rudders are brought up into a horizontal position or parallel with the deck. A little gray paint placed on this model will greatly improve its appearance.
Another submarine, more complicated than the one just described, is shown in [Fig. 21] . The body of this submarine is formed by a part of a broomstick or shovel-handle. This submarine is truer to type and can be made with very little trouble. The piece of broomstick or shovel-handle is cut 22 inches in length. It is pointed at each end, and part of it is planed off to form the upper deck. When this is done, a small flat piece is cut as shown, and nailed or screwed to the flat portion. The conning-tower and periscope are placed on the upper deck, as shown. The rudder on this craft is not made adjustable, so that it always travels in a perfectly straight line. The horizontal rudders however, are made adjustable, and the boat is therefore able to travel upon the surface or submerge, depending upon the position of the rudder.
The power plant of this boat is made up of rubber bands. The power transmission to the propeller is a little different than the one previously described. A gear and a pinion are salvaged from the works of an old alarm-clock, and mounted on a piece of brass, as shown. A little soldering will be necessary here to make a good job. By using the gear meshing with the pinion a considerable increase in the speed of the propeller is obtained, and therefore the speed of the boat is considerably increased. The method of holding the power plant to the bottom of the boat is made very clear. In order to bring the boat down to the proper level in the water, a strip of sheet lead can be tacked to the bottom. The builder should take care to get a piece of lead just the correct weight to leave the surface of the deck awash. A coat of gray paint will also greatly improve the appearance of this craft.
Attention is directed to the construction of boats of different types made without power plants. Many interesting little crafts can be produced in this way, and the energetic model-builder can produce a whole model harbor or dock-yard by constructing a number of boats of different types according to the following instructions.
The first boat described will be the tug Mary Ann shown in [Fig. 22] and [Fig. 23]. The blocks necessary to construct this boat are shown in [Fig. 24]. The hull of the boat is produced by three pieces of wood sawed out to the same shape with a keyhole saw and glued together. After the glue is dry the blocks are placed in a vise and the top one or deck block is planed down as shown. It will be seen that the deck inclines slightly toward the stern of the boat. When this is done the hull is turned upside down and the bottom of the stern planed off as illustrated. The outside of the hull can be finished up with a sharp knife and a jack-plane.
The little bow piece can also then be tacked in place. After this the pieces that form the hull can be nailed together from the bottom and from the top. This is quite necessary, for glue will not hold them in place after the boat has become thoroughly soaked with water.
The cabin and engine-room are shown very clearly in the illustration and little need be said about erecting this part of the craft. The two doors and window on the side of the cabin are made by cutting out small pieces of cigar-box wood and gluing them to the cabin and engine-room. A good substitute for the wood can be found in tin, but of course this would have to be tacked on. The little skylight on the back of the tug is made by a single block covered by two pieces of cigar-box wood.
In order to stabilize the craft and to bring her down to the proper water-line, a lead keel must be nailed to the bottom. The weight of this keel will have to be adjusted until the boat rests properly in the water. The reader will notice that no dimensions have been given for this boat. This is because most boys will wish to build different sized boats, and therefore it has not been deemed advisable to dimension the boats described in this Chapter. What the author desires to do is to impart the principles of construction, so that every boy may use his own ingenuity in regard to size and proportion of length to beam.
If tugs are constructed according to the design outlined above, the model boat builder will also desire to have something that the tug can haul. A very simple barge for this purpose is outlined in [Figs. 25] and [26]. This is formed of a single slab with the ends cut at an angle as illustrated. A square flat piece is then tacked to the upper deck, which acts as a cover. Four posts are then put in place in the same way as those on the tug. One is placed in each corner. A boat or a scow like this is generally painted red, and the model described can be made to look much more realistic by painting it this color.
These barges are so easy to construct that the model-builder should make three or four of them at a time. If the pieces for several are cut out at the same time, the construction will be just that much easier. If the boat does not sink far enough into the water, a piece of lead should be placed on the bottom to bring it down. This piece of lead should be placed as near the center as it is possible to get it. Otherwise the boat will list or tip at one end or the other. With a little patience and care the weight can be so adjusted on the bottom as to bring the scow to a perfectly level position. The reader will understand that the water-line of a scow or any boat made according to the directions in this book will depend largely upon the nature of the wood. In the first Chapter of the book it was pointed out that the specific gravity of different woods varies, and therefore the buoyancy will vary.
A model freighter is shown in [Fig. 27]. The hull of this boat can be formed by two 11/2-inch planks. These will require a little hard work to cut out; but, on the other hand, the effort will be entirely justified by the pleasing appearance of the little craft that can be produced in this way. A bow and stern block to raise the deck are cut out and nailed in place, as shown. A cabin is also placed on the stern of the craft, and this is formed by a block with a piece of cigar-box wood placed on the top. The cigar-box wood should project a little over the edges to form a canopy. The center of the deck can be raised by a third block; and three independent blocks, two large ones and a small one, form the main cabin. Sandwiched in between these blocks are three pieces of cigar-box wood. The remaining details of the craft are so simple that they may easily be made by following the diagram.
Let us turn our attention to model war-ships. A torpedo-boat destroyer is clearly illustrated in [Figs. 28] and [29]. This is very simple to construct and makes a pleasing craft when finished. The hull is formed by two blocks. One of these forms the raised deck on the bow of the boat. The cabin is built up on this raised deck. It will be seen that the part of the hull that rests in the water is formed by one block. In building boats of this nature the constructor should be careful to keep them long and slender, since torpedo-boat destroyers are always of this type. They are high-speed craft, and their displacement must therefore be as small as possible. Some of these boats carry four stacks and some two. The author prefers four stacks as giving the boat a better appearance than two. The two little cabins near the stern of the boat are placed there merely to take away the plainness of construction. The guns mounted forward and aft are merely round pieces of wood with a piece of wire bent around them and forced into a hole in the deck.
The boat-builder should not be satisfied with one or two of these craft; he should make a whole fleet. This will afford the average boy a great amount of pleasure, since he can add to his fleet from time to time and have official launchings. Each boat can also be given a name and a number. A little gray paint on the hull of these boats and black on the stacks gives them a very presentable appearance.
A battleship is shown in [Fig. 30]. A battleship should be at least twice as long as a torpedo-boat destroyer. A view of the battleship as it will look in the water is shown in [Fig. 31]. By carefully examining this drawing the builder will be able to see just the number and shape of the blocks that enter into the construction of the craft. The battleship is provided with four main batteries mounted in turrets, one forward and three aft. A mast is also built, and strings run from it to the top of the main cabin and to the end of one of the turrets mounted aft. A screw is placed through the centers of the fore and aft turrets, so they can be turned to any position. Battleships should be painted gray. It will be necessary to place rather a heavy keel on the boat just described in order to bring it down to the proper depth in the water. Otherwise it will be topheavy and will capsize very easily. A fleet of battleships and battle-cruisers can easily be made according to the foregoing instructions, and the builder should not be satisfied with producing only one.
A pleasure yacht is illustrated in [Fig. 32]. The hull of this craft is formed by two boards nailed together. The cabins are very simple, being formed by a solid block of wood with a piece of cigar-box wood tacked to the top. The windows and doors are marked in place with a soft lead-pencil, and the stack is mounted midway between the two cabins. A wireless antenna should be placed on the boat, with a few guy-wires from the masts run to various parts of the deck. A lead-in wire also runs down into one of the cabins. The hull of this boat should be painted pure white. The deck can be left its natural color, while the stack should be painted black and the cabins white with green trimmings.
Almost any type of boat can be produced by the use of simple blocks of wood and other miscellaneous pieces easily brought to shape from ordinary materials. This method of construction offers a wonderful opportunity for the boy to exercise his creative faculties.