Project description
This project calls for a skilled woodcarver and model shipwright to build a museum-grade wooden tall ship replica from the keel up, finished with complete standing and running rigging. The client will choose a specific historical vessel style — a clipper, a frigate, or a classic sailing schooner — and the builder is expected to research accurate proportions, hull lines, and sail plan before cutting the first plank.
Work begins with the hull: laying a solid or plank-on-frame keel, shaping bulkheads or ribs, and applying double or triple hull planking in a light hardwood such as basswood, walnut, or boxwood, sanded and sealed to a smooth museum finish. Decking, hatches, small ports if applicable, railings, and deck fittings are carved or turned by hand and fitted individually rather than cast from a mold.
Masts, yards, and bowsprit are turned from straight-grained wood, tapered correctly along their length, and fitted with hand-made blocks, deadeyes, and cleats. The rigging stage is the most demanding part of the commission: dozens of meters of fine thread are used to reproduce standing rigging (shrouds, stays) and running rigging (halyards, sheets, braces) in correct scale proportion and knotting technique, with sails optionally added in cloth or left bare to show the spars.
The finished model should sit on a custom wooden display stand or in a glass case if requested, with a small nameplate. Deliverables include progress photos at each major stage (hull, masts, rigging), a final set of high-resolution photos from multiple angles, and safe packaging for shipping. Applicants should share prior ship-model work, note the wood species and scale they typically work at, and give a realistic timeline given the rigging complexity involved.
Work begins with the hull: laying a solid or plank-on-frame keel, shaping bulkheads or ribs, and applying double or triple hull planking in a light hardwood such as basswood, walnut, or boxwood, sanded and sealed to a smooth museum finish. Decking, hatches, small ports if applicable, railings, and deck fittings are carved or turned by hand and fitted individually rather than cast from a mold.
Masts, yards, and bowsprit are turned from straight-grained wood, tapered correctly along their length, and fitted with hand-made blocks, deadeyes, and cleats. The rigging stage is the most demanding part of the commission: dozens of meters of fine thread are used to reproduce standing rigging (shrouds, stays) and running rigging (halyards, sheets, braces) in correct scale proportion and knotting technique, with sails optionally added in cloth or left bare to show the spars.
The finished model should sit on a custom wooden display stand or in a glass case if requested, with a small nameplate. Deliverables include progress photos at each major stage (hull, masts, rigging), a final set of high-resolution photos from multiple angles, and safe packaging for shipping. Applicants should share prior ship-model work, note the wood species and scale they typically work at, and give a realistic timeline given the rigging complexity involved.
Other / Miscellaneous Cash, Bank transfer
