• Ships of Scale has incorportated an extra level of security when you log In. Please follow on-screen prompts to acknowledge that you are not a robot via a "Check Box" or a "Pictorial Check Box Puzzle". This is needed due to higher level of AI Activity Security.
  • SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE July/August 2026
  • Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.

Looking for a Ship Builder - USS Constitution

Der Alte Rentner said:
Frank,
I'm going to hazard a guess. That looks like the model shipways kit.

Brian,
your dad did a very nice job on the Constitution, especially the galleries and scroll work at the bow. The copper plating looks well executed as well. To finish the model to include spars and rigging will take a dedicated builder about a year (more at the pace I'm at with mine.) Unless you find a very generous modeler in your neighborhood, this will cost a pretty penny. For someone to take it to the state of Roger's clipper ship above would be much easier and not take too much time.

I agree with Roger, in that displaying a nicely finished hull would honor your father (without breaking the bank)..

Good luck with the local organizations.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Much appreciated. I will keep you all updated as I find out more.
 
I am very interested but I need to know which kit he was building? Plastic or wood? Plank on bulkhead or solid hull? Scale? etc. These details are important to know.

Bill
 
One of the pictures posted by Brian shows a partial image of what appears to be a Model Shipways plan. I am 99% sure that Brian's model is the Model Shipways kit, which is wood and plank on bulkhead. Scale is 1:76.
 
WilliamM said:
Thank you. While I am interested in this ship, that is not the kit I'm looking for.
Click to expand...
Hi Bill, Der Alte Rentner is correct, it is a Model Shipways plan, wood and scale is 1:76. I am looking to have someone finish just the mast (without riggings) so I can display it in a case to honor my dad. He was almost finished with it (if you consider that almost finished??) but in any case, I want to honor him and his ship building legacy and at least get it to a point where I can show it in a case, even if it is not 100% completed. I am reaching out to a few local clubs here in the bay area (CA) to see what can be done.
 
The Bay Area????? I am from the Bay Area, having grown up in Alameda and Vallejo before the Navy sent me to the East Coast. I miss it. Anyway, good luck with your search. Your Dad is a lucky man!

Bill
 
WilliamM said:
The Bay Area????? I am from the Bay Area, having grown up in Alameda and Vallejo before the Navy sent me to the East Coast. I miss it. Anyway, good luck with your search. Your Dad is a lucky man!

Bill
Click to expand...
I'm in Brentwood, CA. Moved here 9 years ago from Los Angeles. Best move ever. Now I am leaving again in 4 years as California has become....well....you know.
 
AllanKP69 said:
Your best bet may be to find a ship modeler's club in your area.
I Googled clubs near you and FWIW AI spit out the following.
1. Sacramento Model Shipwrights
  • Where: Elk Grove Regional Park, Elk Grove, CA
  • Distance from Brentwood: About 70 miles north (approx. 1 hour 10 minutes drive).
  • What they do: An active radio-control (R/C) club. Members build military and civilian ships powered by electric motors, steam, or sail. They meet regularly to sail and share techniques.
  • More info: Follow them on the Sacramento Model Shipwrights Facebook Group.

2. South Bay Model Shipwrights
  • Where: Game Kastle, 1350 Coleman Ave, Santa Clara, CA
  • Distance from Brentwood: About 65 miles southwest (approx. 1 hour 15 minutes drive).
  • What they do: A highly collaborative club for anyone building ships from kits or scratch-built materials. They focus on sharing building techniques and socializing.
  • More info: Visit the South Bay Model Shipwrights website.

3. Hyde Street Pier Model Shipwrights
  • Where: San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, San Francisco, CA
  • Distance from Brentwood: About 65 miles west (approx. 1 hour 15 minutes drive).
  • What they do: A group of history-minded ship modelers. They hold annual gatherings, and many still do their individual building work while waiting to re-establish their full workshop at the park.
  • More info: Check updates on the Hyde Street Pier Model Shipwrights website.

4. Mare Island Ship Modelers
  • Where: Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin Street, Vallejo, CA
  • Distance from Brentwood: About 55 miles northwest (approx. 1 hour drive).
  • What they do: A smaller, dedicated regional group focused mainly on wooden sailing ships, as well as paper and plastic boats. They meet quarterly for inspiration and to solve building challenges.
Click to expand...
I used to be stationed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. It was one of the most enjoyable times of my 24 year naval career. Oh, well. The shipyard closed. I miss it!
 
WilliamM said:
The Bay Area????? I am from the Bay Area, having grown up in Alameda and Vallejo before the Navy sent me to the East Coast. I miss it. Anyway, good luck with your search. Your Dad is a lucky man!

Bill
Click to expand...
I also grew up in Alameda before the Navy sent my father back to the East Coast! But, that was back in the '60s, a great time for a teenager in the San Francisco area! Where are you now?
 
If I had the choice between living in the San Francisco area or the Groton CT area, I’d choose Groton in a heartbeat! Way back in1966 I spent a month there at Electric Boat courtesy of the US Navy. Admiral Rickover’s training program for junior officers assigned to his Naval Reactors Command included a month at either EB or Newport News. I was sent to EB and loved being there.

I’ve been back to the area many times. After leaving the Navy to take care of a QC problem for some piping that we supplied to the Millstone nuclear plant. Now that my Daughter lives in New York City my wife and I include a visit to your area whenever we go see her. The Sub Force Museum and Mystic Seaport are always essential places to go back to. Unfortunately increasing age each year makes the area seem farther away from Northeast Minnesota.

You’re a lucky man!

Roger
 
Roger,

Please don't get me wrong. While I love it here, I do miss the West Coast as well. I spent many years growing up in the Alameda Naval Air Station. Then, we moved back East, where I met my wife in High School. We've been married for 51 years now. Our children were born in the Bremerton Naval Hospital. I was stationed onboard the first submarine stationed at the Bangor Naval Submarine Base, returning on the second Trident Submarine. I was stationed at Submarine Development Group One Detachment Mare Island and at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. I was also stationed several times at the Naval Undersea Medical School Groton, CT, two Submarines at Groton, as well as one in King's Bay, Georgia. My wife, children and I retired from the Navy here because this is where my children made their lives. It is now where my Grandchildren live. But I miss the West Coast. It feels like home in many ways.

Besides, I saw The Beatles in Candlestick Park in August, 1966. That would be hard to beat!

And, yes. I do feel like I'm a lucky man!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top