Hello Jock.. I have a list of hobby sites I go to for my builds. Not sure I can attach them here. PM me if you like. I am in Victoria. And on your dream project. Buy yourself a good container of Famowood. Best ever wood putty to shape hulls etc. It does not shrink Crack or run. You can stain, resin or paint it. Sands like wood acts like wood. see my photo.

Hi Ron. Yes I am in Langley. The only other models in my attempts is the original Esso Deutschland from back in 1964 which never was completed in its details and the Billings Blue Nose which needs some of the rigging and sails.

Interesting read of your dream project. You are in Langley, B.C. correct? Do you have other models in your collection you would share with is?
Ron 🇨🇦

Hi Jock,
"Compressed air sounds complicated for a model unless you find a 12V compressor ..."
You'd need a pretty big sub/ship to fit a compressor in!
As far as I know folks who use compressed air only use the compressor to charge an on-board pressure vessel. Meaning of course a limited number of 'Surface, blow all tanks'.
Er was that the 5th or 6th dive?😮😭

Having investigated various methods for diving/surfacing I opted for the piston tank, which'll work until the batteries are flat!
So that's what I've bought for my Akula II sub, ca 1m, which I hope to finally get operational this winter.
Guess I'll have to build a vertical version of Martin's 'Big Blue' tank to test it 😉
A slower version using pumps should be adequate for a 'Heavy Lifter ship'.
Seen various docus about them and they don't seem to react too fast.
Especially when coming up with several thousand tons of load aboard.
My post was only 'tongue in cheek' anyway - unnecessarily complex just for removing ballast.
Would be fun though watching the ship rise.
Don't let the Coastguard see you though - they might think you are illegally flushing tanks at sea😁 Good luck with your dream👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

I see space every night Rick, WHEN it's not overcast 😁
😎

Where we boldly go. Shatner 90 years old sees space. How good is that
Rick

Just a standard fish tank air valve. As you are in Canada the suppliers in the UK would not be useful, but I'm sure you have suppliers in Canada. Try Googling "Air Line Control Valve Aquarium Fish Tank". You could use several on a larger model.

Wondering what kind of air valve you used? Is there the kind where a small float will seal the valve preventing water form exiting on top? Would be ideal as pitch could push water out fore or aft.

If its a choice between lead and water the logic is perhaps understandable. Large model hulls displace a great volume of water to carry essentially an open space full of air.
A fellow modeller had built the large Puffer I had and used exactly the same tank with a sealable air vent. My first attempt was to use a sealed container using a pump - bad idea the puffer listed badly when I used the rudder and would not self right.
I suppose you could emulate the real size and pump water into different tanks but using an open tank removes this problem and with two watertight compartments running fore and aft on port and starboard stability is not a problem.
Doug, the comments re the Starship Enterprise are classic and brought a smile. If we had their technology I doubt if slots in hulls would be required.
I'm off to "Boldly go"
Dave

Couldn't open video files. I got myself a new MacBook and having had only MS Laptops before not quite familiar with all download functions.
Compressed air sounds complicated for a model unless you find a 12V compressor with enough power to blow out the ballast tanks but 1 or 2 12V pumps should do the job.

Ref The MV Derbyshire,
Jock; look out for the TV series 'Disasters at Sea', called 'In Seenot' where I watch it here in Germany, sister series to MAYDAY Alarm in Cockpit which investigates aviation accidents.
https://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Disasters_at_Sea:_Series_1#Trapped_in_Typhoon_Alley
Cheers, Doug 😎

"I just have a big slot in the bottom ..."
Ooh naasty!😮 (As Sub Lt Phillips would say).
You know, funny (peculiar) when you think about it!
Here are most of us doing our best to seal our boats and ships inside and out to prevent ingress of the wet stuff at all costs and efforts.
And here are these guys deliberately poking 'oles in their models and doin' their best to sink 'em! Takes all sorts I s'pose 😉

Seriously though folks 😁 sounds to me like they need something akin to a submarine diving tank, piston tank perhaps or compressed air driven? (Soda syphon CO2 cartridges? Bicycle pump?)
Such ideas have been rattling round in my nut for some months for a (stand-off) model of a 'Heavy Lifter' ship (such as used to transport oil rigs and similar) for use as a rescue ship for stranded models. A sort of motorised floating dock.
Just a thunk,
G'night all, stay safe.🤞
😎

"I wondered with the gravity drain ..."
Lt Cmdr Data -
'Captain, decks 9 through 17 are reporting injuries due to weakening of the gravity field.'
Captain Picard-
'Transfer auxiliary power to gravity plates.
Mr Worf; evacuate decks 7 through 19,
Doctor Crusher; prepare to receive casualties.'
Captain to Engineering; 'Mr La Forge; what's going on?'
Lt Cmdr La Forge-
'Captain, there's an unknown power drain on the warp generator, the field coils are overloading😮, STAND BY'.
☀️☀️☀️
😁😂
😎

I just have a big slot in the bottom so the water flows in and out freely with the air vent open. You can put baffles inside the container if necessary. For display purposes you can make a false bottom to fit in and disguise the slot.
The Derbyshire and her sister ships were believed to have suffered from a broken back due to their length over multiple waves when fully loaded in rough weather.
Dave

I wondered with the gravity drain I would need a whole series of exit holes to speed up the process to make a significant impact. This would ruin the aesthetic appearance albeit at the bottom. I would also need shut off valves or it has to be balanced perfectly with static weights (battery etc)
I wasn't familiar with the Derbyshire fate but it makes the water tightness of the deck cover that much more important.

The battery on the Puffer is a 12v 7Ahr SLA. The tank is basically a box with no base fibre glassed to the hull bottom which has slots open to the water. The lid is a well sealed piece of fibre glassed Ply screwed to the box. I use fish tank air fittings for the valve but you could use brass to make a more substantial job.
I did use a water pump at one time but it took ages and just removing weight and lifting the hull was a lot quicker and as the water ballast is free to exit the hull with the air vent open you are only lifting the hull weight.
If you do go down the fibreglass route you will have a very strong and stable hull for your large model which could like the real vessels be subject to some strong forces in any sort of blow. You may remember the MV Derbyshire that suffered this fate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Derbyshire

Looking forward to the start of the build.👍
Dave

Thank you for your comments. Fiber glassing hull also inside may be an extra option not to get the wood waterlogged in case it is getting wet. Also building tanks from fibreglassed plywood is a lot cheaper than from acrylic sheets but I like the transparency. Neat idea with your drainage operation but how big/heavy is your battery.
I was thinking having to install water pumps to drain. I may be looking for a source of air valves but this will come up once the the hull is nearing completion.

I figured it will take about 30kgs of ballast, so this will be a lot of tankage and my require optimum space utilization and wondering if the bladder option may achievement this. I will cross that point once I got the hull built but thanks for your suggestion.

Hi JockScott
I built a 9' 1:96 scale model of the Olympic with my friend Bill, who built the Titanic in 2011/2. We had plans so the formers were easily cut from ply. We also used bread and butter balsa for stem and stern. We made two hulls built upside down joined in the middle for ease of transport but they were built as one hull on two large solid build boards. A centre line was marked on the boards and the formers screw attached at each point to the board. The keel was marine ply as were the formers. We planked with balsa and fibre glassed the inside and outside after sanding to shape. Make sure you use something strong at the fore and aft - we used silver soldered brass at the stern but balsa is very vulnerable on a long model at the prow so I would use a strip of some nice strong wood.

Ballast was achieved with 56kg of lead in numbered packages fitted between the formers. This works but I used a water tank on my 4' puffer and this is much more manageable as I use an air valve to seal the tank when the model sinks to the waterline with the battery installed. I basically have a slot on the bottom of the hull to allow the water in and out. Take the battery out and open the valve and the water runs out. I used wood sealed with fibreglass for the tank. I have the hull to make the Mauretania at 1:96 and intend to use a similar system.

As regards sealing at deck level I would have thought a "U" channel round the deck with a plug on the deck would make a very watertight fitting. I have tried your method using plasticard on my destroyer,whose deck is removeable, at the rear but whilst it worked it soon cracked and wasn't that watertight.

I look forward to following your build.
Dave

Hi Jock, have you thought about using a bladder system like hospital use, also I have a 2 litre one in my trekking backpack which are available in Go Outdoors shops.
Hope that is helpful.
Cheers Colin.

I have spend most of my time since last posting with planning and sourcing suitable material. Also I was able to enlarge some of my old detail drawings to the larger 1:150 scale.
As I planned the built combining the bread and butter method for stem and stern sections and framing in midsection, I was looking for a 5ftx1ft length of 10mm basswood plank as a keel plate.
On my original Model in the '60s this worked very well as basswood was easy to shape and stable. Unable to find suitable lumber I now have to go with birch plywood as a centre plate with rabbeted edging of basswood.
I intend to shape stem B+B for 5-10cm and stern staggered same way to allow for optimal frame construction up to deck level.
What concerns me is the true overall dims with all that rabbeting and joining once its all done. I guess I will be doing a lot of double checking. They may be some other inherent difficulties in this process but maybe somebody can speak from experience.
My other issues is the watertightness of the main deck to be removable over entire length. I hope to have 1mm edge of deck coaming, sturdy to withstand deck edge with some form of insulation pressing against it for optimal sealing. I thought of using an L shape plastic moulding, as the top side flush on top of the frame stringer and epoxied over on the outside.
Last item of concern are the water tanks to be able to load model to draft level when in the water. Unable to find something suitable, wondering if I have to go and built them from acrylic sheets.
If any one has any ideas or suggestions don't hold back.

Thanks for the tip. Well aware that will work too. Thank you
Erich

Thank you for your response.
Well aware of the Esso Tanker site. The first of the launching right were I was standing as she came down the slip. The second is actually from the 2. Esso Deutschland built in the 70's
Erich

Thanks for the good wishes Erich

Thanks for the tips.
Erich

Thanks for your encouragement. Fully aware of length. My first model was 130cm but found many details very hard to replicate unless I find a cheap photo etch shop.
My next trip to Germany, maybe next year, will require me to do a trip to the Deutsche Museum in Muenchen. They have a professional done model 1:100 which I kept visiting as a teenager at the storefront window from Hamburger Abendblatt. This is the only model I know of in existence in the original version when she was delivered by HWH in 1963. Later bulbous bow, removal of crowsnest and different paint scheme were the alterations shown in some of the Auke Visser gallery I have been visiting often.
Erich

Hi Jock,
Welcome aboard 😀
Nice subject. At that scale you're gonna end up with a 174cm model😮
Hope you've got a BIG wagon!
I limit my ships to under 150cm.

Here you can find a few more piccies-
http://www.aukevisser.nl/german/id53.htm
(Includes one of Bill's)
and
http://www.aukevisser.nl/german/id327.htm

Looking forward to your Build Blog.
Have fun wiv all dem toobs!!😉
Cheers, Doug 😎

Welcome to retirement JockScott and fellow Canadian. Look to follow your build. You will find members helpful don't be shy on asking questions. You may also look at N-scale (160) for parts.
Rick

Hi Jockscott,
Welcome to the site and happy retirement.
Looking forward to your log.
Good luck with the build.

Martin555.

You could use 144 fittings not that much difference

Welcome Jockscott.
Happy retirement,a great feeling as most of us know.
Your project sounds a good project and I look forward to seeing and assisting in anyway possible along with other members on our site.
Perhaps when you can,post some pictures of your plans and ideas and start a build blog (see the blog section,it’s easy to access).Pictures of the actual boat would be great,but I attach a couple of pictures which I think relate to her.
Regards Bill.