Scale Model Battleship Cruises Lakes In Style

2003 - Volume #27, Issue #2, Page #22

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William Terra spent four years building a "model" boat that's unlike anything you've ever seen on water.
    It's a 1/20-scale replica of a WW II Battleship. Terra was working on a 1/100 radio-controlled model of the ship when he got the idea of making a larger one that he could actually ride in. So he started working on his 30-ft. long, 700-lb. replica. "If I had had more room in my basement, I'd have made it larger," he says.
    The boat has a beam (width at midships) of 52 in. and is nearly exact in every detail from front and rear gun turrets to lifeboats.
    The boat is powered by a 15 hp Evinrude 2-cycle outboard that he attached under the rear gun turret. The boat has room for two passengers and speeds along at about 15 mph.
    Terra installed a state-of-the-art music system with loudspeakers and global positioning system. A Richard Wagner fan, he says one of his favorite things is cruising the lake near his home while listening to "The Ride of the Valkyries."
    Terra used 1/4-in. thick basswood strips to shape the canoe-like hull. He fluted and grooved each strip to make them fit together to make the sides smooth. Then he covered it with fiberglass cloth and resin to strengthen it. "I put a a steel keel on it, so when I run up on rocks, it won't do any damage," he says.
    Terra is a retired New York City fire fighter. "The winters are long in Maine, and I needed something to do," he says. He's still adding railings, stairs, gang planks, secondary battery anti-aircraft guns, more lifeboats, ammunition boxes, and several other items to make it more authentic. He's also looking for 3-in. dolls he can use for sailors on the decks. And he needs several feet of 0.018-in. braided stainless steel wire cable.
    Even though the ship isn't finished, Terra has been taking it out on lakes around his home. He says it always draws a crowd, and some people have even recognized the famous German ship it's patterned after - the Admiral Graf Spee.
    Terra's model is featured on several Internet sites, including www.bismarck-class.dk/shipmodels.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, William Terra, 385 Brann Road, Levant, Maine 04456 (ph 207 884-7190; E-mail: williamterra@aol.com).

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Scale Model Battleship Cruises Lakes In Style AG WORLD 27-2-22 William Terra spent four years building a "model" boat that's unlike anything you've ever seen on water. It's a 1/20-scale replica of a WW II Battleship. Terra was working on a 1/100 radio-controlled model of the ship when he got the idea of making a larger one that he could actually ride in. So he started working on his 30-ft. long, 700-lb. replica. "If I had had more room in my basement, I'd have made it larger," he says. The boat has a beam (width at midships) of 52 in. and is nearly exact in every detail from front and rear gun turrets to lifeboats. The boat is powered by a 15 hp Evinrude 2-cycle outboard that he attached under the rear gun turret. The boat has room for two passengers and speeds along at about 15 mph. Terra installed a state-of-the-art music system with loudspeakers and global positioning system. A Richard Wagner fan, he says one of his favorite things is cruising the lake near his home while listening to "The Ride of the Valkyries." Terra used 1/4-in. thick basswood strips to shape the canoe-like hull. He fluted and grooved each strip to make them fit together to make the sides smooth. Then he covered it with fiberglass cloth and resin to strengthen it. "I put a a steel keel on it, so when I run up on rocks, it won't do any damage," he says. Terra is a retired New York City fire fighter. "The winters are long in Maine, and I needed something to do," he says. He's still adding railings, stairs, gang planks, secondary battery anti-aircraft guns, more lifeboats, ammunition boxes, and several other items to make it more authentic. He's also looking for 3-in. dolls he can use for sailors on the decks. And he needs several feet of 0.018-in. braided stainless steel wire cable. Even though the ship isn't finished, Terra has been taking it out on lakes around his home. He says it always draws a crowd, and some people have even recognized the famous German ship it's patterned after - the Admiral Graf Spee. Terra's model is featured on several Internet sites, including www.bismarck-class.dk/shipmodels. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, William Terra, 385 Brann Road, Levant, Maine 04456 (ph 207 884-7190; E-mail: williamterra@aol.com).

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