San Felipe — Open Hull Cutaway Model, Handcrafted Wood | Admiral Line

The same ship with one side of the hull left open — so you can see how a three-decker actually worked inside.

Open-hull models are built differently from the keel up. The framing has to be finished to display standard on surfaces a normal model hides, decks are laid and fitted individually, and the internal arrangement — gun decks, ladders, bulkheads, hold — has to be right, because all of it is visible.

What you can see

• Exposed frames and internal planking, finished on both faces
• Individually laid gun decks with cannon in place, tier by tier
• Ladders, bulkheads, capstan and internal deck structure
• The hold below the lowest gun deck

Construction

• Plank-on-frame hull in western red cedar, rosewood and mahogany
• Painted and gilded exterior on the closed side
• Three masts and bowsprit with hand-knotted rigging
• Solid wood base and engraved brass nameplate
• Fully assembled

This is the piece to buy if you want a model that explains something rather than only decorating. It holds attention in a way a closed hull does not.