Like other hobbies of the pre-electronic age, such as letter writing and coin collecting, model ship building doesn’t have a lot of young adherents these days.
And that’s too bad, according to Mark Coates, president of the Upper Valley Ship Modelers Guild.
“I think it’s tragic because of all the skills that are lost,” he said, “plus the incalculable benefits of a child working with a mentor — whether it be with a parent, sibling, teacher or craftsman — to pass down the techniques of years gone by.”
Coates, a school psychologist who lives in White River Junction, has been building models since he was a boy, but he didn’t get into wooden ship models until he helped his son, Ben, build a Greek trireme for a school project.
The guild currently has 17 members, most of them in their 50s and older. Started by the late Larry O’Toole and his wife, JoAnn, about 15 years ago, the group meets every other month at DHMC to share projects, encouragement and information on tools and techniques. In an email Q&A, Coates discussed a few of the projects members have worked on and how the guild is reaching out to the younger generation.
Question: What kinds of skills are needed in this endeavor?
Answer: You need good hand-eye coordination, a sharp mind to help troubleshoot problems that arise, but above all, patience and the desire to see the project through to the end.
Q: Do people bring their projects to the meetings?
A: Yes, in fact, members are encouraged to bring what they are working on and show their progress and talk about the snags they are encountering along the way. Discussions include not only the problems encountered, but also the history of the ship, its use and its demise.
Q: What sorts of materials do members like to work with — kits? Or homemade components?
A: Our members typically use wooden kits, though we do have some members that do plastic models or build wooden ones from scratch.
Q: What sizes and scale models are popular?
A: This varies greatly with the size of the ship that they are modeling.
Q: How long does it take to build a typical model ship?
A: Again, this varies with the size of the ship they are modeling and can take anywhere from a couple of months (if you are hard at it most every day) to several years.
Q: What are a few of the famous ships your members have built?
A: Famous ships have included the USS Constitution, the Lexington, the Vasa, the HMS Euryalus, PT 109, a Liberty ship and the Greek trireme. Plus, there are a lot of members who restore ships, such as pond sailboats and the like.
Q: Tell us about some ways of displaying finished models. Are any of them included in historical exhibits?
A: Most all our models are mounted on stands, and some are enclosed in glass cases. A number of our members have many models displayed throughout their houses.
We have had professional modelers in the club, such as Paul Anderson, who were commissioned to build ships for private collectors, though I am unsure if any of these have made it into historical exhibits. So you can see the skill level of a number of our members is off the charts.
Plus, every year, DHMC is good enough to display our models in the main entrance lobby for about two months as part of its arts program.
Q: Where do people like to work on their projects? Any unusual places?
A: Most members have a desk in a den or basement they work at where they can leave their work set up and undisturbed. One member, Ivory Twinklass, actually works inside an old piano crate to be more “in tune” with his ship.
I’m kidding with this last one, of course, but actually, unless you are claustrophobic, it’s not such a bad idea.
Q: What is the guild doing to attract new participants to ship modeling?
A: The guild will be offering a two-hour shipbuilding workshop for kids, age 8 to 14, at Lyme Elementary School. For a small amount to cover our costs (say $10), students will be able to choose from half a dozen models, designed by one of our members, to complete with a parent or guardian. guild members will also be present to assist.
This will be followed up with another workshop with more types of ships (tugboat, pirate ship, side wheeler, etc.) and if successful, it will be taken to other schools. The exact date has yet to be determined, but likely to be late fall or mid-winter.
Q: Are there any misconceptions out there about ship models and the people who build them?
A: Oh, sure. It has been said that ship modelers are “loose cannons,” “missing a sail or two” or even a little “dinghy,” but really, we are a fun group of pretty talented people with a serious set of skills who have a passion for model boat building that we’d like to share with others.
Editor’s note: The next meeting of the guild is scheduled for Saturday, at 9 a.m., in Room 5A at DHMC. For more information, email caroletotes@comcast.net.
Correction
This story was updated on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, to correct the spelling of Larry and JoAnn O’Toole’s names and to update the location of the next meeting.