The yacht that gave the America's Cup its name

Most famous yachts are remembered for winning a race.

America managed to get the race renamed.

In 1851, the New York schooner crossed the Atlantic and entered the Royal Yacht Squadron's race around the Isle of Wight against a fleet of Britain's finest yachts.

She won.

The trophy she carried home was eventually renamed the America's Cup. First awarded in 1851, it is recognized as the oldest trophy in international sport.

That is an excellent story.

It is also only half the reason to build her.

The other half becomes obvious when you look at the ship: the long black hull, sharply raked masts, low schooner rig, open cockpit, gold trailboards, and enormous spread of canvas. America looked fast before anyone had invented wind tunnels, computer modeling, or men in matching team shirts explaining aerodynamics on television.

At 1:64 scale, the finished model measures 25 inches long and 20-1/2 inches high - large enough for the details to read clearly, but civilized enough to fit in a display case without requiring structural alterations to the house.

Not the old solid-hull kit

Model Shipways first introduced its Yacht America kit in 1967 as a traditional solid-hull model.

This is the completely revised plank-on-bulkhead edition.

You build the hull around a laser-cut keel and bulkhead framework, fair the frames, shape and fit the basswood planks, lay the deck one strip at a time, construct the bulwarks and cockpit, add the deck furniture, shape the masts and spars, and complete the standing and running rigging.

In other words, you do not merely decorate a pre-shaped hull.

You build the yacht.

That makes America an unusually satisfying introduction to the traditional skills of wooden ship modeling - and an elegant project for an experienced builder who wants a historically important subject without committing to a three-decker with several thousand repetitive obligations.

A hull worth building

The laser-cut basswood keel, bulkheads, false decks, transom components, rudder, cockpit parts, and other structural pieces establish the shape of the model and keep the framework properly aligned.

The hull is then planked with full-length basswood strips. Forming the curves at the bow, tapering the planks toward the ends, fitting them into the rabbet, and fairing the completed surface provide the kind of real hands-on modeling that makes the finished hull feel earned.

The deck is not a printed sheet pretending to be wood. It is laid with individual basswood deck planks, allowing you to simulate plank seams and caulking before sanding and finishing the surface.

Details that reward a closer look

America's clean racing lines do not mean an empty model.

The deck includes a carefully developed circular cockpit with grating and upholstered seating, companionway, skylight, capstan, windlass, galley stack, anchors, ship's boat and davits, hawse fittings, cleats, bitts, stanchions, and other working details.

Lead-free Britannia metal castings reproduce many of the parts that would otherwise need to be fabricated from scratch, including the:

Ship's boat

Anchor and anchor davit

Portable boat davit

Windlass and rocker arm

Capstan

Round skylight

Cockpit grating and seat cushions

Masthead fittings and spider band

Hawse pipe lips

Galley stack

Decorated bow trailboards

Stern eagle

Brass, hardwood, stripwood, blocks, deadeyes, and rigging line complete the mixed-media building experience.

Rig her with sails - or without them

The schooner's two raked masts, long booms, gaffs, bowsprit, standing rigging, and extensive running rigging give the finished model its unmistakable profile.

The plans include the complete sail arrangement, and the manual explains the options for displaying the model with full sails, furled sails, or no sails. The no-sail configuration is not a shortcut: halliards, sheets, blocks, and other working lines remain in place, leaving the rig visually complete while exposing the masts, spars, and deck details.

Plans based on a serious reconstruction

The model is based on plans prepared by respected naval architect George Campbell, whose reconstruction study sought to reproduce America as she appeared during the 1851 race at Cowes.

The original drawings have been retained, while the instructions were extensively revised for the new plank-on-bulkhead construction. Full-size plans, diagrams, photographs, and a detailed step-by-step manual guide the builder through the hull, deck, fittings, masts, spars, and rigging.

The instructions do not pretend that planking a wooden hull is the same as snapping together six pieces of plastic. They explain the actual techniques: cutting the rabbet, fairing the bulkheads, tapering and bending planks, laying the deck, finishing metal castings, shaping spars, stropping blocks, seizing lines, and belaying the rigging.

You finish with more than a handsome model. You finish as a better builder.

Two display approaches

The completed America can be mounted on traditional pedestals or displayed on launching ways. Basswood strip material for constructing the launching-way arrangement is supplied with the kit; a decorative baseboard or pedestal mounting hardware may be added separately.

Either way, the long black hull, copper-red underbody, warm planked deck, white spars, and restrained gold ornament make this one of those models people examine before asking the usual question:

"How long did that take?"

Long enough to be proud of the answer.

Why Builders Choose the Model Shipways Yacht America

Revised plank-on-bulkhead construction: A true structural wooden hull replaces the solid hull used in the earlier edition.

Laser-cut wooden framework: Precisely cut keel, bulkheads, decks, and structural components establish an accurate foundation.

Individually planked hull and deck: Build and finish the model using traditional ship-modeling techniques rather than simulated surface detail.

Full-length basswood hull planks: The supplied 24-inch strips eliminate unnecessary end joints across the hull.

Detailed cockpit and deck furniture: The open circular cockpit, skylight, companionway, windlass, capstan, boat, and deck fittings create interest from every viewing angle.

Mixed-media fittings: Lead-free Britannia metal, brass, hardwood, basswood, blocks, deadeyes, and rigging line provide realistic texture and detail.

Complete schooner rig: Shape the masts and spars and install both standing and running rigging.

Flexible final appearance: Display America with full sails, furled sails, or as a fully rigged model without sails.

Historically researched plans: Based on naval architect George Campbell's reconstruction of the yacht in her 1851 racing configuration.

Illustrated building guidance: Full-size plans and a detailed manual use photographs, drawings, and step-by-step instruction throughout the build.

Made in the USA: Manufactured by Model Shipways in Miami, Florida.

Recommended Skill Level

Intermediate

America is also a strong choice for an ambitious first-time wooden ship builder who is patient, comfortable working with hand tools, and ready to learn hull planking and rigging. Laser-cut structural parts and detailed instructions make the techniques approachable, but this is a genuine plank-on-bulkhead ship model rather than a simplified beginner craft kit.

Model Specifications

Kit number: MS2029

Scale: 3/16 inch = 1 foot (1:64)

Overall length: 25 inches

Hull length: 18-1/2 inches

Overall height: 20-1/2 inches

Hull beam: 4-1/4 inches

Hull construction: Plank-on-bulkhead

Primary wood: Basswood

Fittings: Lead-free Britannia metal, brass, and hardwood

Rig: Gaff-rigged schooner

Manufacturer: Model Shipways

Manufactured in: Miami, Florida, USA

Important Kit Notes

Paints, stains, adhesives, and tools are sold separately.

Decorative display base and pedestal hardware are not included.

Instructions provide options for building the model with or without sails.

Model Shipways kits are backed by our Lifetime Guarantee. If you lose or break a kit part during construction, we will replace it free of charge.

Instructions - English