pine and walnut, or mahogany, to make sharp con- 

 trasts in the change of lines exhibited in the half- 

 model. Most of the half-models in the VVatercraft 

 Collection are of white pine, but white cedar and 

 other easily worked woods were sometimes used; in 

 the South yellow pine models were employed, but 

 models of juniper and cypress were perhaps more 

 common. 



As a rule the "working" half-model is made without 

 a backboard and without any decoration; after the 

 model has been "taken off" and the lines "laid down" 

 in the mould loft the model might be mounted and 

 decorated to represent the appearance of the finished 

 vessel or boat. Such models were often hung in the 

 shipyard office and some yards had rather large col- 

 lections. A model might be used by a number of 

 yards in succession and the models in possession of a 

 yard might therefore include some not made in that 

 yard, or by its employees. 



The half-model was usually made to the "moulded 

 dimensions" of the vessel or boat; in other words, the 



model represented the shape of the hull at inside of 

 plank or at the outside of the frames and to the under- 

 side of the decking and rail cap. Very few models 

 were made to represent the hull at outside of plank; 

 such models were usually made from a lines drawing 

 and arc decorative rather than working models. Ex- 

 hibition models, highly decorated and well finished, 

 were sometimes made to outside of plank, though a 

 model was not employed in the actual design of a 

 vessel or boat; such models are sometimes seen in 

 yacht designers' offices. 



The spacing of the lifts is usually at some single 

 fixed measurement throughout the depth of the model; 

 usually the lifts are of such a thickness that the distance 

 between the seams separating them are of some even 

 measurement at the scale of the model — say 6, 12, 18, 

 or 24 inches. The larger the vessel represented by 

 the model the greater the lift spacing, as a rule, but 

 skilled designers commonly employed closely spaced 

 lift seams, or lines, so as to obtain great precision in 

 taking off for lofting. The upper, or sheer, lift was 



Se,\iidecor.\tive Lift Model (Top) and Mirror-Mounted H.\Lr-MuDLL itioinjM;. .Nhnkl.s cxhibilcd in 

 shipyard offices commonly received the simple decorative treatment illustrated by the top model (USNM 

 315852; .see p. 88). The stem, keel, post and rudder were usually secured to the back board, and masts and 

 bowsprit stubs were sometimes attached. Occasionally a model was mounted on a mirror to give the illusion 

 of a complete deck arrangement, as illustrated (bottom) by the half-model (USXM 76072; see p. 57) of the 

 clipper ship Comet. {Smithsonian photos — top, 4^6oy-d; bottom, 4^608.) 



