Hello all, I am looking to build my first boat sometime this year. I am looking for a smaller boat, perhaps a light cruiser, but I would like to build a boat based more on the history rather than the combat ability. I would like to hear any stories you guys may have about awe inspiring heroics from any nation regarding a boat that would be a semi-rookie build. I would prefer to build using a premade fiberglass hull, but if not, I can do a scratchbuild. Any tips would be great. Cheers, Garrett
The Armored Cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau would be good choices from both the historical and ease for a novice fronts. Plus, Battlers Connection sells them in fibreglass.
There's no reason you can't combine combat effectiveness with a good history. Check out the history of the destroyer Z-25. This ship was orginally part of the Narvik Flotilla, and went on to participate in some of the most famous battles of WWII. During those conflicts she sank a cruiser and a transport. Most impressively, unlike most of her destroyer fellows, Z-25 survived the war and continued serving until 1958. For these remarkable achievements, I chose to model my torpedo-boat after the Z-25. My model has lived up to its namesake's reputation quite well. You can also choose a name with its own historical significance. For instance, the Capitani-Romani class cruiser Scipione Africanus was named after a Roman general who was such a kick*** awesome general that the Roman senate voted to give him ALL of africa (after he conquered it) rather than allow him to return to Rome. Bellerophon was the greatest fully-human hero of Greek legend. The Tiger is a ferocious and fearless beast in combat. Lion overcame his cowardly Allied nature to help Dorothy slay the wicked witch. Thunderchild sank two Martian tripods before it was lost defending the evacuation of London. Wisconsin drove off an invasion by Wallace and Grommet, safeguarding the US strategic cheese reserve and earning himself a huge land grant from George Washington. Captain Prise got himself knighted for a string of daring ambushes and sneak attacks along the French coast during the Napoleonic wars. Well, I'm not sure about that last one, but the point is that if you look around, there are tons of ships with great histories to choose from. You can build one of the more famous ones, or you can dig a little deeper to find something more unique. Whatever you do, have fun with it.
Wait for it! Garret, are you looking to do Big Gun or Fast Gun. If you aren't sure, what part of the country are you in?
I am looking to build a fast gun boat for MWC rules. Thank you for all the help thusfar. Cheers, Garrett
I asked because only one of the boats Kotori listed is MWC (or IRCWCC) legal, and it would be very difficult to make weight for fast gun in a Z-boat on your first build.
Keep it simple for your first boat or you will never get on the water and have a great time. We all want to be "that guy" who is awesome his first time out, but reality will kick in and you will be "that guy" who never gets on the water due to issues.
It's why I recommended the ACR Scharnhorst/Gneisenau. Can be made quite simply, but with tweaks seems to be dazzlingly effective.
Thank you all for the excellent information. I am still undecided on a boat, but I have plenty of time to think on it. I probably won't be on the water until next year . Anyway, any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your help fellas. Until next time, Cheers
I love SMS Scharnhorst. Battlers Connection sells the hull. Very roomy for an armoured cruiser (CAE), and a decent weight allowance. Alternatives would be HMS Warrior (also a CAE, but allied; Strike Models sells those), or a battlecruiser. A heavy cruiser is also possible. Learn the tricks of the trade on a smaller ship, and use that knowledge to build an awe-insipring boat later For a first boat, I love HMS Invincible, or SMS Von der Tann. Further down the list but not bad are SMS Derfflinger and Moltke. HMS Lion behind them.
Though Strike's Warrior needs major surgery to make it legal for MWC. The hull is the preceding Duke of Edinburgh class CAE that has rear casemates for 6" guns which the Warrior lacks. Given Strikes fantastically sturdy fiberglass hulls it takes a bit of cutting to make it right and then some reinforcement for the rib that falls in the gap where the casemate used to be. Not that I would know or anything.
Wait, wait, I forgot my most important advice on awe-inspiring ships... If you want to have a truly awe-inspiring boat when you arrive lakeside: Show up with a boat that works and is reliable. THAT will awe people, because you hardly ever see a new battler with his first boat, and have it reliable. That includes me about 50 times over But take your time on the build, get help from someone local if you can, and make your boat reliable. That'll awe people.
I like the idea of the SMS Gneisenau. It seems to have a relatively roomy hull from the photo's I've seen. Is it relatively forgiving as far as building mistakes go? How is it to cut out the windows in those wicked case mates? Thanks again fellas. I'm loving all the new insights! Cheers
The reason I give for loving lil Scharnie (my SMS Scharnhorst) is the same reason that I loved my first sports bike: 'Most forgiving of foolish mistakes'.
What do you think about the Mississippi class of Pre Dreadnoughts? About the same? Thanks for all your help. Cheers
Lets not for get the USS Omaha Class scout cruisers and the most famous of them all USS Marblehead !! Buddy
I do not like the Omahas nor most predreads for a first boat due to weight and space constraints. Down the line, lots of possibilities. I know two experienced shipbuilders who have Omahas on the shelf because they had trouble making weight. Admittedly, they are battleship guys who haven't done a lot of small ships, but they are good shipbuilders by any standard. Predreads are fun but tight on space and to a lesser extent, weight. Basically, as many guns as a battlecruiser in about 1/3 the volume and half the weight.
I like to pick a boat that meets my needs first, such as ease of construction, transportation, or certain combat characteristics. After that, I find other reasons that boat is cool. For example, Kotori and I picked up the Z-boat used, and started refitting it. Later, we looked into the history and chose to name it after a hard-charging boat that also survived the war and kicked butt, as Kotori mentioned earlier. We then took the cool-factor up a notch by refitting it with a simple to make cannon system that is more compact and suited for small boats, yet operates extremely reliably. Another example, Kotori and I selected a small, unarmed transport due to it's small size and the fact that we could build four of these instead of two transports of another class with the scrap wood we already had laying around. They didn't have much history going for them, but we made it so they could have everything except motor and shaft removed and replaced in less than two minutes. That's pump, radio, and servo all swapped out in less than two minutes.
