New Bedford Whaleboat Baleniera (AM1440) Scale: 1:16 Length: 55cm

Traditional clinker-built whaleboat launch, used in New Bedford up to 1860. Sturdy and light, with similar bow and stern, the whaleboat launch carried a crew of six and a wide range of accessories for hunting and navigation. A whaleboat launch could be dragged by a harpooned whale for many miles before the whale tired, and sometimes it would take days to sail back to the mothership, so the launch was always well-stocked with drinking water, food and tobacco, along with mast, sails and compass.

A whaler is a type of open boat that was used to catch whales or a similarly designed vessel that retained its name when used for a different purpose. Some whalers were used by whaling ships. Other whalers would operate from the shore. Later whalers could usually operate by sail or oar – American whaling crews in particular achieved better results by making their first approach to a sailing whale, then quickly unhooking the mast and using oars afterwards. Most whaling ships have double-ended hulls, constructed of lightweight construction clinker. The hulls were narrow and with sharp ends to achieve the best possible speed for the length of the waterline. The length was between 27 and 31 feet. The radius was just over a fifth of the length. They were typically powered by five oars when rowing and stepping with a single removable mast when under sail. A rudder was used when sailing and a steering oar when the boat was rowed. The latter provided the necessary maneuverability when closing with a harpoon. Outside of whaling, whalers were well thought out for their seaworthiness and as a useful compromise between optimization for sail or oar. They were then used as a type of ship craft and for other utility purposes. Many of these derivative types varied to some extent from whaling types – for example the whaling ship Montagu was a somewhat

The New Bedford Whaleboat Baleniera kit has been carefully engineered to give hours of modelling enjoyment. It includes pre-cut keel and frames; internal planking in hardwood strips; pre-cut external planking; all accessories in wood, metal and resin, mast; instructions and construction plans.