My New Nautilus

My New 3-D Nautilus

lthough I still like the overall design and believe there is strong evidence that a cylinder with tapered ends was Jules Verne’s intended shape for the Nautilus, some details of my original approach now bother me:

the wheelhouse is not retractable

the side-mounted dinghy is aesthetically unpleasing

As the discussions linked at the bottom of the main Nautilus page show, I have worked out solutions for the problems that led me to the original approach. Rather than revise the first design, I decided on a completely new version that would also test the concept of a spindle shaped hull.

Unlike my first effort, which I built from the outside, adding interior details later, this Nautilus is coming together from the inside out and affords the possibility of a tour as the design proceeds aft from the bow. Little of the 3-D model is done but all the major parts are positioned. Since each room takes weeks of effort to complete, it will be a long time before you can see the finished product, but the unfinished shells provide an impression of the layout.

My thanks to Sylvain St-Pierre whose own work inspired this tour concept.

*Click the graphic above to tour the Nautilus.*
With the interior layout nearly finalized it's time to take a quick look at the new, incomplete exterior here.