I.R.H Model

During the long weekend i have been working on a model of the IRH. I really didn't want to get into as much detail as say Roger Fletcher would. What i needed to know was whether or not panels cut from the design would in fact stitch together.

I started the project by making a base out of cardboard.

On this base i marked the scale 1' lines as well as the center line. After this i cut out the stations upside down and with a extension, you'll see in the pictures.

In the above pic you can see the station going onto the base. I attached all the stations than braced them in between. At this point i tried to pull panels off of the model. This was not easy so i glued thread along all of the chines and along the gunwales so i could see the lines better when copying them off the model.

With the threads in place i was really able to get in and create blank panels.

I then traced the paper panels onto cardboard and cut them out. Using duck tape i made up the model.

 It is not perfect. However it does tell me that the design should go together with real plywood. Next i need to estimate how many sheets of ply i will need for the hull. Then create full size panel drawings. This may be as far as i get for a while. Tomorrow its back to school. Id does look as though the IRH is one step closer to becoming a reality.