San Diego Ship Modelers Guild

Established in August of 1971 by local ship model craftsmen Bob Wright and Russ Merrill; the San Diego Ship Modelers Guild originally met aboard the bark STAR OF INDIA.

Who We Are

We are scale model ship crafters who come from all walks of life and range in age from under 18 to over 90. We have members with decades of expertise working alongside those just starting their first build.

We work mostly in wood, but also craft in resin, plastic, and card. We build from kits as well as from scratch as we craft a variety of forms, including full models, half hulls, dioramas, and shadow boxes.

What We Do

We are an active guild, with monthly meetings aboard the steam ferry BERKELEY on San Diego's Embarcadero, where we also operate the Maritime Museum Model Shop. As part of our meetings, we have regular presentations on technique and craftsmanship.

We annually staff a working exhibition booth during the San Diego County Fair, with our members participating in the Design in Wood competition. We also produce 500+ miniature ship model kits each year to give out to kids in order to encourage and inspire the next generation of ship modelers.

Quick Facts

Established: 1971

Location: San Diego, CA

Meetings

Second Tuesday of each month at 6pm aboard the steam ferry BERKELEY on San Diego's Embarcadero

Contact

Website: sdshipmodelersguild.org

Email: guildmaster@sdshipmodelersguild.org

Sponsor

The Maritime Museum of San Diego

An official NRG Chartered Chapter

Since 2020