designing questions????

[J0e]

i was wondering if anybody had any techniches on taking a picture of a real boat and dimensions then shrinking it down to paper and designing ribs to make a scale model out of it. hoping someone had some advice on this or some software thet you use????????

thenks,
joe

[CG Bob]

If the boat is still in service, try contacting the owner to see if they have the plans, you may be able to make a copy. The yard that built the boat is another source to try and get a copy of the plans. Trying to get the needed measurements off the hull is a big chore, requiring a pad of paper, tape measure, level, and some way to mark reference points on or near the hull. There are several books available about taking the lines of a boat, you might want to try the Wooden Boat Store, or look in Wooden Boat Magazine for some other help. The basic idea is to mark off a grid on the ground under the boat for buttock line and frame stations. Buttock lines run parallel to the keel, frame stations are perpendicular to the keel. Depending on the width of the hull, buttock lines could be as close as 1 foot apart. Frame stations could be as close as 2 feet apart. Hopefully the ground is flat, so you can take measurememts at the grid intersections.

[J0e]

thanks bob, appreciate it