Folded Steel and Aluminium Hulls

[frankmcneilll]

origamiboats at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/origamiboats/ is one of several Yahoo discussion groups I have joined to learn about construction methods that might be adapted for the production of ship models.
The origamiboats forum explores a procedure for building frameless steel sailboats known as "folded steel," or "origami steel" boats. The procedure is also being used to build folded aluminium boats. Go to: http://www.origamimagic.com/  for the origamimagic group that built the yacht shown in the first of several attachments. The group offers a pattern that can be downloaded to build models up to a foot in length. The pattern and a wooden hull with segments used to design the pattern are shown in another attachment. The origami construction method could probably be used for models with planked hulls. A photo of stitched planks has been attached to indicate that the planks would provide a pattern if stitches where the distance from one side to the other is the greatest were retained and all the rest were removed. Perhaps wooden sailing vessels had brass labels to indicate where this distance was the greatest, to show where keel hauling, or trolling for sharks, would be the most effective.

[SSMA Bruce]

Frank, this site is abosolutely amazing!  I downloaded the sample barebones 30 hull and printed the pattern on A4 (letter) sized office paper.  Snip it out, tape it at the lines, and bingo!  

If I start another project, my marriage may be in jeopardy, but I'd love to try this with either sheet metal or styrene.

[frankmcneilll]

Hi Bruce,

Check out the Yahoo group for folks who build origami boats. A lot of the messages are comparisons of injuries sustained by using hand-held power tools. I think the method is better for models than for the sailing yachts the method was intended for. A foot-long hull would be about the right size for a pop-pop boat. They were popular before WW2 when I was a kid, and might be popular again if they looked more like steamboats and were fitted out for radio control. Go to: http://www.nmia.com/~vrbass/pop-pop/ for more about them than you might want to know. I'm trying to find sources for small thermoelectric generators to convert waste heat from burners or wafer candles into direct current for receivers and servos. A new approach to conversion has achieved 70% percent of the Carnot cycle limit for little prototypes smaller than a quarter (US 25-cent piece). I suggested the possibility for combining the new thermoelectric devices with diaphragm boilers of the kind used in pop-pop boats. The company, Power Chips at: http://www.powerchips.gi/index.shtml is currently trying to improve the manufacturing process, but is also on the lookout for potential licensees and development partners for specific applications.
Don't worry about your marriage. Most wives would rather have their  husbands fooling around with boat models at home than with clothing models in some secluded rendezvous.
A bit of Spike Jones music would be appropriate at this juncture.