Malahini Scale Model by Ron Krueger, Wilmington, North Carolina

20 January 2010

My Malahini scale model. I had the plans reduced to 15% of full size. It turned out to be 29 in. long with a 12 in. beam. It was a fun project and maybe one day I might find someone who would like me to build a full size boat for them.

The frames are Oak with plywood gussets, the transom, keel, stem, chine, sheer and battens are Mahogany. The hull is covered with black poster board with several coats of epoxy inside and out to seal and strengthen the board. The topsides are picture framing cardboard coated with epoxy and overlaid with Mahogany and black poster board cut in strips used as caulking highlights on the decks. The cutwater is bright aluminum duck sealing tape in two pieces. The deck hardware is wood painted silver. The seats are framed in poster board and overlaid with Mahogany. The seat cushions are foam cut to size and covered with green felt. The rub rails are Oak.

16 March 2010 Update

I decided to display the model on a trailer I built instead of a cradle. The trailer is all wood except for the rear guide posts. The boat is now complete with a motor carved from wood and a prop with a wooden hub and sheet metal blades. The steering wheel and controls are also wooden.

The next two photos are steering wheel build setup.

First I turned the front face on my lathe and used a cutoff blade set to the wheel thickness and cut in about 1/2 " leaving the wheel still attached to the wood block.

Next I set up in the drill press/milling attachment and machined the spokes. I set the cutter depth to go beyond the thickness of the finished wheel dimension.

Lastly I cut the wheel off on the band saw and finished up with file and sandpaper.

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