Instructions for a Model Keelboat

Keelboats were the riverine equivalent of the horse-drawn wagon.

Keelboats were a common sight on America's rivers in the 1800s. Powered only by oars, these shallow-draft vessels were the principal transports of traders, explorers and trappers who traveled the untamed waterways into the wilderness. There was no factory for keelboats -- they were designed and built to suit the specific needs of the builder. Our keelboat is a very simple flat-hulled vessel with a rectangular deck house. It is a basic waterline structure to which you can add the myriad details -- oars, paddles, barrels, etc -- that will make the boat an authentic replica.

Things You'll Need

• Picture of a keelboat
• Wood, 2 inches by 4 inches by 10 inches long
• Sheet balsa wood, 2 inches wide by 24 inches long
• Saw
• Hobby knife
• Wood glue
• Pencil
• Straight-edged ruler

Instructions

1. Draw the boat's deck plan on the flat side of the 2 by 4 so that the ends of the boat meet the ends of the wood and that the sides of the deck meet the edges of the wood.

2. Cut the boat's hull out of the 2 by 4, following the deck plan on the flat side. The end result will be a flat plank that, when viewed from above, will have the shape of a boat.

3. Make the cabin walls and roof from the sheet balsa. Make the side walls 2 inches tall and 4 inches long. The end walls will be 2 by 2 inches squares. The roof will be 2 inches wide and 4 inches long.

   At the same time, cut the tiller, the curved post that reaches over the back of the boat and into the water, from the balsa sheet. It should be 3 inches in total length and should curve to form a right angle near its center.

4. Glue the top, side and end pieces together to form a rectangular box. This is the boat's cabin.

5. Glue the cabin, open-side down, onto the keelboat's deck 6 inches from the front. Make sure you center it from side to side on the deck: there should be a 2-inch wide walkway down either side.

   Glue the tiller onto the boat so that it hangs down over the back end.

Tips & Warnings

• Use scrap pieces of balsa to add doors to the ends of the cabin and windows to the sides.

• Although these rough riverine boats were most often unpainted, you can paint yours any color you would like. Try staining the wood with a gray stain to make it look old and used.

• Add details like poles, oars, buckets and barrels to bring your model to life.

References

• Lionel Casson; Illustrated History of Ships & Boats; 1964
• Frank Mastini; Ship Modeling Simplified; 1990