Doug Unsold of Waterford holds the scale model of the USS Bentley, a Civil War era gunboat, that he made from scratch. Unsold, a Civil War reenactor, does presentations combining his hobby and history. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

WATERFORD — When Doug Unsold’s boat comes in, he builds it himself.

The 67-year-old retired Waterford resident builds scale models of boats, many from the plans and patterns for early 20th century vessels and Civil War era boats.

“I’ve been boat building since I was 14,” Unsold said.

Unsold started making model boats and ships with his father. The first was a 3-foot model of the Cutty Sark, a clipper ship launched in 1869.

The Cutty Sark, which took a year to make, was followed by two other similar-scaled models, the third being the CSS Alabama, a Confederate Civil War boat.

Doug Unsold is currently scaling the plans for the Calcite to build a model of the vessel. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

Unsold soon found boats of that size also required a large amount of space to store and display.

“My sister called them dust collectors because they were so hard to clean,” Unsold said.

Naval history has always been an interest, particularly warships from the Civil War, Unsold, a Civil War reenactor for 30 years, said. It’s fascinating how the industrial age affected naval power, he said.

“I was always fascinated with the Industrial Revolution and how things went from wood to metal,” Unsold said.

Unsold has made numerous presentations, combining the history of the vessel with the history of the Civil War in his discussions.

The scale model of the USS Bentley and the scaled figurines on a model made by Doug Unsold of Waterford. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

He has made models of tug boats that were fitted with canons and used to patrol rivers and lakes. Among those are the USS Bombshell, which he saw in an issue of “Civil War Naval History,” a magazine.

“I saw this in the magazine and said ‘I want to build this thing,'” he said.

Unsold is currently scaling the plans for the Calcite, an ore carrier built in the early 1900s for work on the Great Lakes. Another of his models is a 1931 Chris Craft, made from mahogany and teak and mounted on driftwood from the Great Lakes.

Among the reasons he builds the models is it exercises his mind by having to do the math to scale the models, he said.

“It helps my mind to use numbers and keeps me sharp,” Unsold said.

Driftwood expresses the artistic side of Doug Unsold on the model of the 1931 Chris Craft. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

It also allows him to express his artistic side. For example, the Christ Craft is mounted on driftwood, Unsold said.

Model building is tedious and time consuming, Unsold, who was involved with the diorama at the Mountwood Park Museum and the model of Dr. Stiles’ house, said.

“It’s not unlike building a dollhouse,” he said.

Unsold’s work has not gone unnoticed. He was commissioned to build the Fish Hawk, a late 19th and early 20th century research vessel, for a biology teacher at Grove City (Pa.) College. The Fish Hawk researched fish populations and was the first vessel for fish netting and hatchery, he said.

With the aid of the school’s history, biology and library departments, the model will be on display for a convention in 2027 in Pittsburgh, Unsold said.

“I’m going to build them a 20-inch model of the Fish Hawk,” he said. “I’m still waiting on the plans.”

Unsold retired from the government after 21 years in economic development. He then became an assistant librarian at Washington State College Of Ohio where he retired in May 2024.

The Steubenville, Ohio, native has lived in Waterford for 31 years. His work is for sale.

“Yes, they are for sale. Some that I have built and others that I could build,” Unsold said.

He doesn’t plan to quit making models anytime soon.

“Probably the day I stop will be the day I won’t be around anymore,” he said.