Lord Nelson

To do a vertical SIB depends on the bottle and the ship.  Generally the ship is longer than it is high, thus the longitudinal way is the most common.  I did 2 verticals and in both cases the ship is as tall as it is long.  You want to fill the bottle.  For example the Cutter in Schouten's book is as tall as it is long so if you have nice globe shaped bottle a vertical display would be nicer.

 

Same for me, summer least, winter most

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Boats-Ships-/152928/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=ship+bottle+kit
 
The link above will show you some of the kits available.  Igor's lovely model is not a kit nor are there kits in that size, most are normal bottle size.  The degree of complexity varies with these kits and to be honest your time line is short.  I would suggest the WoodKrafter ship America along with a Ship in a bottle book that you could get in the library or on line on ebay or amazon.  I recommend the book because the kit is oversimplified and the book would show you how to upgrade the build.  

All kinds of plastic, resin(C3PO), wood (Cutty Sark), paper (RcD2)

I recorded it and watched it .  Great job

While you can't comment or ask questions there are many build logs at the Folk Art in Bottles / workshop site.  I have a lobster boat and a Fantasy build  there and I'm sure the other builds people are members here also so if you have a question you can ask here.

OK this is not a model but I spent a lot of time building it

Yes get a book if you can, I found my first book in the local library.  One great advantage of a book is it will have scale plans to follow as you go..

Nothing but Dremel attachments.  I have carbide tips for gouging, diamond discs for cutting, sand drums for sanding, and drills.  I taper masts and yards by spinning then in the Dremel,   When I first started I used chisels, coping saw, and a pin vise.

The scissors came out of necessitate as the #11 blade on a stick didn't work in some places. I have also taped tweezers to the hemostats to extend there reach.
 
 
 
 
Lextin.

And last but not least, the going away pictures.


 
 
 
 
Lextin.

Great work on the spilt hull.  That was a lot of pieces.  I like the use of tools as well.  I never thought about putting multiple tools together. 

Originally posted Apr: 2 2014
Today I made the fore course, the fore topsail and the main topsail. All that's left is the mizzen topsail, the main topgallant and the fore topgallant then the various stay sails and the jibs.


 
 
 
 
Lextin.

One of my old hobbies - Old Russian wooden architecture

One more of my old models

One of my first models (more 15 years ago)
 


 

Nice work Bob.  
 
I model a few static ships on occasion.  This one is in for a repair.
 

 
I also do a little rubber powered airplanes.
 

 
I have been asked to create some miniature furniture in 1/6 scale.  I am still considering if I will do this or not.

OK this is not a model but I spent a lot of time building it

All kinds of plastic, resin(C3PO), wood (Cutty Sark), paper (RcD2)

OK this is not a model but I spent a lot of time building it

I have the Amati kit Golden Yacht, and a plastic model of the Great Western  that I want to convert to a bottle ship.  My 2 most recent ships were a small Lego kit of the Black Pearl that I put together in a bottle and a plastic model of a game ship that I converted to a ship in a bottle.  That one I did for the Fanasy build on Facebook and is featured in the Bottle Shipwright and on the web  of Folk art in bottles.  I have not worked on the builds for a while because I've been busy painting pictures in acrylic paint.  I seem to go in spurts on different projects.

I've been building SIB's since 1982.  I'm a member of SIBs Association of America and the SIB builders group on Facebook

I would add Jack Needham's "Modelling Ships in Bottles".  His clipper was my second ship and his Long John Silver was my one and only figure in a bottle. My first book and ship was Don Hubbard's.  I did a few from Demarco and Van Schouten, the ship in a light bulb method from Thorne and the "Collier Brig" in Leon Labistour's book "Making Ships in Bottles, Beginners to Advanced " (great for vertical bottling because the hull is short in length).

I'm like you, I don't measure but early on when the hull is shaped and the highest mast is installed, I do a test fit. I guess the easiest way to measure is estimate the height  then place a piece of wood in the bottle and stand it up with a tweezer.