Model Shipways Willie Bennett, Chesapeake Bay Skipjack 1:32 Scale by Model Expo Plank-on-Bulkhead Kit The skipjack was the last type of sailing vessel developed on Chesapeake Bay for commercial operation. Evolved during the 1880 s from various local types of flat and V-bottom skiffs and boats, the skipjack is still used today to harvest the Bay oyster. Bennett was built in 1899 at Inverness, Maryland. Her lines were recorded at Cambridge, Maryland by naval historian Howard Chapelle in 1942. Her whereabouts were unknown from 1942 until 1954, when she was discovered sunken in Harris Creek, Tilghman Island off Maryland s Eastern Shore. After she was raised and surveyed, it was determined that the damage was too expensive to repair. Model Expo Willie L. Bennett kit is based on the craft discovered in 1954. You’ll build your model the way the real Willie L. Bennett was built, following the plank-on-bulkhead techniques used on life-sized skip-jacks. To make building easy, we’ve supplied laser cut wooden molds, keelson and transom. Basswood is used throughout. Deadeyes and blocks are wood, and there’s plenty of brass for eyes, hoops, rings and chain. Sail cloth and rigging line complete your model. The 56 page instruction book by Ben Lankford gives you a wealth of detail with lots of photographs and drawings. Model Expo provides three sheets of plans that are so accurate that you could almost build a real skipjack using them! Display base and pedestals not included. Model Expo Kit No. MS2032 Length 24″ / Height 16″ / Scale 3/8 = 1 ft (1:32) Previous modeling experience helpful. This kit is probably the easiest to build for a novice. We are ModelExpo, hobby specialists who have been serving modelers worldwide since 1976. We manufacture our Model Shipways products – along with our other brands – in Miami, FL. Model Shipways has manufactured kits since 1946 and is world-renown for its supreme accurate depictions of historic vessels from the golden age of sail and more, ranging in skill level from beginner to expert. Our kits have been designed by leading naval architects and historical authorities to a fanatical level of detail, enabling the builder to achieve museum-quality replicas. Fully illustrated instruction manuals and actual size plan sheets will assure you a smooth and successful build. And you can always reach us for advice. Our master modelers will be glad to help. We’ve got you covered! Lost or damaged parts? We will replace it with no cost and no questions asked, whenever you need!