Hello world!

Hello and welcome to the Woody Works, a blog for now, maybe a website later.

I have been around wooden boats for most of my life and have been making models since I was 8 years old. I always hated building kits, so I have always made models from scratch.

I always try to measure the real thing and then draw it up myself.

I use fine woods to represent mahogany in scale and deck fittings are made from solid brass and plated.

I have made model boats which do not represent wooden ones, too. Albatross and Delta aluminium speedboats, amongst others.

But my passion has always been for wooden speedboats and racers of the “Golden Era”.

My favourite scales are 1/12th and 1/8th. And most boats can be modelled very completely at these sizes, with 1/6th scale being reserved for models of very small boats.

This is one of the Riva Aquaramas I made for a client in 1/12th scale. It had working steering from the wheel via tiny universal joints and a worm and wheel gearbox under the dash.

Riva Aquarama Special...1/12th scale

The tiny cocktail cabinet in the seat back hinges and holds glasses hand blown in Venice.

The floor and sun deck coverings were hand painted with the correct multi colour fleck pattern on miniaturists’ fine canvas. There were over 150 pieces of brass made up into the many plated items, from half round beading to complex vents. Photo-etching was used to make the name plates.

In the engine compartment, two Big Block Chevies were made from my own patterns so they were identical and the exhaust systems fabricated from brass tube. Behind the engines a steamed wood storage shelf was made to hold a Riva bucket and tool set all in 1/12th scale.