The next boat doesn't have to be bigger than the old one. On the contrary. It can also be smaller. Much smaller, in fact. We're talking about a miniature format of your own yacht - as an ornament for your desk, display case or living room wall. Whether in the form of a full-scale model that can be marvelled at and touched from all sides. Or as a classic half-model with a certain museum-like touch. In the dark winter months at the latest, the model keeps the longing for sailing alive. It may also inspire modifications to the original. And it will be preserved when the real ship has to be handed in one day - a beautiful and prestigious memento.
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But who makes such a faithful and unique piece of jewellery these days? The modelling profession is dying out. Only a few are still practising this once respected craft. And so you have to search a little to find one of the remaining modellers. As luck would have it, two of them are based just outside Bremen, only a stone's throw away from each other.
Model ships in the traditional way
One of them is Jürgen Oltmann. He has been building model ships for a living for three decades now. In the workshop of his old farmhouse in Schwanewede, the 73-year-old also restores old tall ships on which "stowaways", i.e. woodworms, have taken up residence or whose rigging has been damaged by dust, moisture or sunlight.
The graduate economist produces full models in all sizes, both for private clients and for museums such as the Ozeaneum in Stralsund or shipping companies such as Bremer Lloyd. His speciality, however, are the classic half models. He still produces them using the same technique that was used a hundred years ago: The lines of a yacht are carved out of a block of wood glued in layers using frame templates. Everything is done by hand and in countless steps. Oltmann only removes the first rough pieces with a jigsaw. Then, on a historic oak workbench, planes, files, chisels and sandpaper are used until a flawless hull with a good strake is created.
You won't find any modern tools in his workshop. Nor would they fit into the cosy Oltmann workshop ambience, which is almost reminiscent of a maritime museum - not least because of the old figurehead that has found a home here.
Models from the printer
But how different things are for his colleague Gunnar Behncke! Just eight kilometres away as the crow flies, the native of Schwerin has set up shop in the industrial area of Ritterhude. The white-painted premises look almost sterile compared to the workshop in the yard. In contrast to the old master Oltmann, Behncke largely relies on digital technologies to create highly precise and detailed full models.
Most of the components are preferably produced in the CNC milling machine or in his two 3D printers. However, this requires so-called CAD files of the boats. As hardly any private owners have such data from their own boats, Behncke first has to create them himself on the computer. This is extremely time-consuming. However, the result is more repeatable and precise than traditional manual work.
The rule is: the better the digital data, the more detailed the printed product. "But 3D printers can't do magic either," admits Behncke. "The finished printouts are initially just grey plastic parts." Nevertheless, the printing process is quite exciting: the boat model is divided by software into wafer-thin layers, each of which is exposed by the printer for three seconds like a photo. In this way, layer after layer is applied and hardened. The result is a three-dimensional component, such as the keel or the rudder blade. Segments that are too large for the printer are modelled by Behncke on a three-axis CNC milling machine.
The classic modelling work then begins: sanding, painting and polishing. Behncke also has to build many details from different materials, apply deck coverings or cover teak areas with wood veneer. Behncke has small stainless steel parts laser-cut and does his own goldsmith work.
Following in big footsteps
Back to Schwanewede. Jürgen Oltmann prefers to work with African abachi wood. It is easy to work with and relatively light. However, he can also imitate the colours of a GRP ship on request. Thanks to the aforementioned layering system, this can be achieved using different types of wood. For example, it uses maple wood to imitate a light-coloured topside ship. Wenge is suitable for the black waterline, and a red underwater hull is finished in mahogany. However, if a customer wants the colour of the model to be true to the original, Oltmann sometimes reaches for a brush and varnish.
The history of model boat building goes back a long way. As early as 1525, master shipbuilders in Venice presented true-to-scale half-models of their designs, and from 1670 these were even required by decree in Denmark. The block models were particularly helpful for new ship designs in order to determine the outer hull shape. If the customer and shipyard agreed, they had a template. In order to obtain the frame shape, the model was then simply sawn through at the appropriate points and the cross-section transferred to paper. The model was then enlarged to 1:1 scale on the lacing floor.
"Then we went into the forest to look for suitable wood. Fortunately, I don't have to do that with my models," smiles Oltmann, looking out through the workshop window into the snow-covered garden.
The legendary US designer Nathanael Herreshoff (1848-1938) still relied on half-models in yacht building at a time when design drawings had long since become the standard. The "Wizard of Bristol" could not do much with drawings in his work. He consistently relied on his own half-models, of which he is said to have made around 500. Among the countless ships that Herreshoff designed were legendary racing yachts such as the "Defender" and "Columbia", which dominated the America's Cup between 1893 and 1920.
Unique items for private customers
To date, Oltmann has made a total of around 1,000 models - that's a lot of wood! Since the launch of his website in 2000 - he can no longer do without digital aids - his customer base has expanded from "the North German Plain to the rest of the world", says the model maker. Some of his unique pieces even adorn offices and living rooms in the United States, Japan or even Tasmania. Competition is rare.
Oltmann's modelling work has even earned him membership of the Künstlersozialkasse, the social insurance scheme for freelancers, which has strict membership requirements. However, he first had to fight for this in the social court. His advantage: the judge was so enthusiastic about the half-model that he paved the way for him to join the social insurance fund. This unsaleable model still hangs in Oltmann's small showroom today, along with dozens of other unique pieces.
For the wood artist, too, construction drawings are the most important prerequisite for his work. He finds them in old books, YACHT editions or on the Internet. He archives copies and printouts in file folders and on rolls of paper. If no plans for a yacht can be found, then similar models and photos have to be used to create deck layout plans, side views and frame plans.
The prices for the collector's items are a matter of negotiation, as they are always unique. Interested parties can use a guideline as a guide: "You can expect to pay ten euros per centimetre of model length up to the upper edge of the deck," reveals the master craftsman. "If the deck layout is also designed, with elements such as the cabin, coaming, mast stub or windows, then the price per centimetre increases to around 15 euros." The price range is accordingly between 250 and 1,500 euros.
Specialisation in the superyacht market
Behncke puts 200 to 300 hours of work into a model for private customers. The trained chef also offers superyachts. This can easily add up to 600 hours. Of this, 100 hours are spent on CAD programming, milling and printing, followed by a further 300 hours of intricate manual work. It all costs money.
Behncke charges around 100 euros per centimetre of model length for his miniature yachts. That is ten times what his colleague Oltmann charges for his half models. No wonder the 51-year-old digital specialist is now focussing on the superyacht market. He primarily serves construction and design offices as well as shipyards that advertise with the mini mega yachts.
There is indeed competition from abroad in this sector. A large Italian company has specialised in luxury and mega yachts, for example. Behncke is not bothered by this. His advantage: the proximity to the well-known shipyards in northern Germany such as Lürssen or Abeking & Rasmussen.
For example, he regularly has to maintain or repair their models when they come back dirty or damaged after trade fairs. Behncke reports that there have been occasions when trade fair visitors have fallen into a model. They are also affected by improper storage. "When models are presented to interested sheiks in Dubai, for example, desert sand sometimes gets in. On the Côte d'Azur, on the other hand, where the sun beats down on the glass display cases during the day and it cools down at night, condensation forms. This can lead to corrosion on individual components."
Private customers, on the other hand, are rare for Behncke, as the price deters many interested parties. "The family once pooled the money for an owner who had to give up his beloved boat due to his age," the model maker reports. "However, there wasn't enough money, so the recipient added almost half of it himself." This way, the man was at least able to have a say in the design of the model. That's what you call customer-orientation.
Jürgen Oltmann and Gunnar Behncke hold their own in their niche with great passion and meticulousness. Both know and appreciate each other and their analogue and digital approaches to model making. In the end, every customer has to decide for themselves which type of miniature inspires them more.
Ship modellers in Germany (selection)
Jürgen Oltmann, Bremen
- Half models, full models, restoration
- maritime-art-objects.com
Gunnar Behncke, Bremen
- Full models, restoration
- yachtmodellwerft.de
Michael Hiltmann, Zorneding
- Half models
- halfmodel.com
Ralf Birgel, Kamen
- Full models, half models
- yachtmodell-ralfbirgel.com
Hanseatische Modellbaumanufaktur, Hamburg
- Classic yachts
- hanseatische-modellbaumanufaktur-werft.com
Ihlenfeldt & Berkefeld GmbH, Hamburg
- Luxury and mega yachts
- ib-models.com
