Around the World 

"I have had the good fortune to build a 65’ Swan in Finland, launch it in 2003, and sail it around the world. We have logged some 65,000 miles and sailing this wonderful boat is still my favorite activity.

I had always thought that having a scale model built would be a desirable thing to do and had contacted other model builders with no success. They were always too busy and didn’t want to take on new projects. In the summer of 2004, after the NYYC Annual Cruise to Camden, I met Rob Eddy. I was told by a friend that he was the best model builder available but that I probably couldn’t afford him. After visiting his shop and seeing the amazing quality of his work, going to anyone else was out of the question. I found out that he only works on one or two projects over a two-year period and I was fortunate to be there at the right time.

Rob Eddy definitely has to be the best model maker in the world. His attention to detail is amazing. He has the skills of a boat builder and a jeweler and has infinite patience. On my 7/16th to the inch model every plank on the deck is an exact replica of those on the boat. Every detail of blocks, winches, cleats, even the hinges on the hatches is cast out of white gold. The hull is carved out of basswood to the exact shape of the boat and the paint is the same as that used on the actual hull. He took hundreds of photographs of the boat, incorporated the builder’s line drawings, and used sophisticated three dimensional cad/cam programs to get the exact shape of elements such as the steering pedestals. There is even a compass rose detail and simulated display on the chart plotter done with graphic arts – if your eyes are good enough to see them.

We now have the incredibly beautiful Kalevala in our library and almost every day I discover a new detail that I had not noticed before. My Rob Eddy model is a prized possession that we will enjoy long after I am finished sailing. It is one of the most satisfying investments I have ever made."

  ~ James S. Tyler