need help: aircraft carrier designing

[Spey_Phantom]

ive just started on a crazy project that might take me months to build 
ive just about halfway designing the tower for a new 1/144 scale Aircraft Carrier, and NO its not gonna be a converted 1/350 or 400 scale one, this one's gonna be completly scratchbuild.
the plan is to build a small escort carrier (Foch class) about 1 or 1.2 meters long. i kinda figured out how to build the tower and top deck, but my biggest problem is on how to build the hull 

im still choosing between building one myself, buy a secondhand RC boathull or just scrap the whole project.
does anyone have any advice on how to build one, any tips as i never scratchbuild a carrier before?

[Gary]

Try doing a waterline with that high density insulating foam. Here, the stuff is pink. You should be able to use a band saw to get the shape, sand it to fininsh and coat it with something that won't melt it that you can sand to a better finish.

Other than that, build the ribs on a central keel using a hull pattern that you can get online and skin it like a traditional ship.

[Hobbes]

A secondhand RC boat hull is possible, but you'd have to find one with the correct shape.
To get you started, you'd need a set of plans. These will give you the correct hull shape, and can be used as a template to make the ribs.
If you already have a carrier, you can use that as a template instead.

[tinlail]

Are you including a hanger in what you are building?

I would take this as a woodworking project myself, something of that size will need a fair amount of strength. If you want to detail I would epoxy plastic sheet to it and add doodads on top of that as a more normal modeling project.

[jcf]

You have several choices, here are four basic methods:
1) carved from a solid block band-sawed to the plan and sheer (side-view) profiles and station templates (generated from cross sections) used to check form.

2) plank-on-frame, in the case of your carrier actually planking over permanent station moulds (again generated from cross sections).

3) stacked horizontal lifts or 'bread and butter' construction in which slabs or boards are cutout to the various waterlines (yes, there is more than one) and glued together, the stack is then carved to shape again using templates to check form.

4) vertical blocks placed between station moulds and the whole carved to shape.

5) A simple box that defines the basic length, breadth and depth that is then built out with block and sheet materials and PSRed til the cows come home.

All five have strengths and weaknesses.

Here is a link to a model built using method Number 4:
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Builds/Puffer/Part_1.htm

Method Number 5 has advantages as you could quickly build a basic hull form using your own design or a simple plan and sheer drawing of an actual ship, you are then free to do whatever you want as far as the cross-sectional profile is concerned.

I'll look through my Model Ship Builder and Ships in Scale magazines on CD and see if their are some basic building articles that can be of use and I will send them on to you.

Have fun.

Jon

[Hobbes]

I've done #2 once, with balsa or plywood for the ribs/frames, and thin balsa planks for the skin. Works well, and since the shape is defined by the frames, you don't need lots of PSR to get the shape right. Should be doable with styrene sheet as well.

[B777LR]

You should be able to get a vacform RC hull for very cheap

You could also try plywood.