Anchor Handling Tug - Bath Tub Boat

This is the anchor handling tug, roughly modeled after an 160 ft anchor handling tug.  This model was developed with play in mind.  These tugs are used in open water to move ship or oil rig moorings as well as general towing.  It has a blend of features, to make it realistic, but not fragile.  Many iterations were created to optimize the weight of the boat as well as the buoyancy of the hull to ensure it is stable in the highest of seas.  The model is split into two parts.  One file for the hull and one for the ship superstructure.  Thee hull has indentations for properly locating the superstructure when it is time to glue them together.

When you import the STL file into the slicer, input it as Imperial Units.  If imported conventionally the hull may show up as being very small and will have to be scaled to 2540 to convert it to inches.

Ultimately the solution to making it seaworthy was to minimize the mass, especially at the top of the ship and adding ballast close to the bottom.  The ballast in the model is sized for common ¼"-20 nuts as the ballast. If you scale the STL, the ballast will no longer fit as designed.  If you do not want to go through the trouble of the ballast, the model will still print perfectly, but will be better suited to play on dry ground.  I have printed with PLA, PLA+, and PETG without issues.  All were printed using 0.4mm nozzles, with 0.20mm layer heights and 3 perimeters for a better chance of being water tight.

In order to optimize the weight, the print settings require a low percentage of infill, which can cause issues with the top decks. In order to get around this, I utilize modifiers in Prusa Slicer to create a “net” of denser rectilinear infill for a few layers under each deck.

A guide to modifiers can be found in the following Prusa Article

https://help.prusa3d.com/article/modifiers_1767#modifier-meshes

Alternatively, I have attached the presliced G code set up for a pause at the height for the ballast, as well as an additional pause for a color change of the hull.  This file was created for PLA+ and was printed with 3D Fuel Pro filament.

At a minimum, if you want the ballast weight, there will be one required color change as shown below at layer height 6.40mm.  This pause will allow you to place the 13 nuts as ballast. It is a good idea to put a small drip of superglue on each nut to prevent any future rattling.

The following print setting suggestions have worked well for me.

These pictures from the printing process will give you a good idea of the deck net as well as the ballast placement.

Enjoy and happy sailing!