Midwest Model Products’
Apprentice Level 1 Model Ship Kit
The Chesapeake Bay Flattie
Is a great first ship model kit!
Because of their shallow draft, flat-bottomed work boats called “flatties,” were popular around the turn of the century along the Chesapeake Bay from Virginia to North Carolina.
The simple lines of these boats that made them ideal for locals to build from locally-available lumber also make this an ideal ship model kit or a person with no prior wood ship model building experience. The kit comes with die-cut and pre-cut parts, as well as fittings, rigging line, sail material, and a well-done set of instructions and building plans.
While Midwest Products has discontinued its model kits, these kits are often available at a fair price on eBay and Amazon. Model Ship Kit manufacturer Corel also has a nice model of a Flattie and other similar small watercraft that can often be picked up inexpensively on eBay and Amazon.
Follow along as we document the step-by-step ship model kit construction with plenty of photos on our Midwest Flattie Kit Build pages.
Click on the links below to visit each stage of construction:
Chapter 1: Assembling the Keel and Bulkheads
Chapter 2: The Deck
Chapter 3: The Mast Step and Bow Stiffeners
Chapter 4: Keel and Chine Strips
Chapter 5: Installing the Cabin
Chapter 6: Planking the Hull
Books Available From The Model Shipwright
Souvenirs de Marine by
François-Edmond Pâris