Half-Hull Wall-Hanging Wood "Iron Ship Yoxford" Builders' Model. Carved and painted wooden model attached to a plank, with the words written above and dated 1881 bottom right. The Yoxford was built by the Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Company in Willington Quay, first launched in 1880. She was wrecked on Alacranes Reef on a voyage to Vera Cruz in 1896. 

Size: 47 x 9 x 3 in. 

#42 #8956 . 

From the late 18th to the early 20th Century small ship models appeared as indispensable aids in the design and eventual construction of the full sized vessels. The most common form was the builder’s half-model: a half hull frequently made at least 1:24 scale. These half-models were made in three ways: block half-hulls, “hawk’s nest” models, and “lift” half models. The block half-hull was the simplest, where the shape of one side of the hull was carved from a solid piece of wood. Locations of frames at convenient intervals called “stations” were marked on the hull, and wooden shims were carefully shaped to fit closely at each station made from thin sheets of wood, referred to as “templates.” The templates could then be traced on paper and marked with a grid for measuring dimensions at regular intervals. The paper grid was redrawn on a mold loft floor to the full size of the vessel, and measurements were made where the grid lines intersected the traced curves. Wooden patterns called “molds” were then made from the measurements and used as patterns for full-size frames. The “hawk’s nest” model consisted of solid “frames” (actual pre-made molds) mounted on a backboard and fitted with a keel, stem, stern post, and thin strips of wood outlining the run of the hull planking. The “lift” half model was the most commonly used, becoming the method of choice from the 1890s onward. Carefully planed boards of uniform thickness were screwed together and carved to the shape of the envisioned half-hull. After the desired hull form was established, the surface was carefully smoothed and “faired,” aided by flexible battens and sighting the curved surfaces. The model was then disassembled and each lift traced, taking care that the lifts were accurately superimposed on the tracing sheet. The hull profile was also traced, usually in alignment with the lift tracings. The locations of frames (or sometimes only every second or fourth frame) were carefully drawn on the tracings and then measured and tabulated. When the half-breadths were converted to full size dimensions, they became “offsets” used to lay down the molds for the frames. Sometimes, the offsets were written on station lines inscribed on the top surface of each lift, making the model its own table of offsets. Original builders’ half models are now highly sought by collectors, and today their importance to modern nautical history is documented in maritime museums around the world.