The only ships I ever built were model kits when I was a kid. Frank, one thing that might work for the for the hull is a large piece of thin gauge metal - I have a piece around one metre by a half metre that I use as a floor in some dio shots, and it's very easy to bend and curve. I got it for a few dollars from a hardware store. As for the deck, maybe foam core board?

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"The future's uncertain and the end is always near." - The Doors "Roadhouse Blues".