Bay Area Yards offers high quality, 1/600-scale ship models depicting vessels from the early ironclad era (approx. 1860-1880), as well as certain related accessories such as buildings, gun installations and batteries, small boats and rafts.

In the past, Bay Area Yards, (or "BAY" for short), offered individually hand-cast hard resin models. While the majority of our models are still individually hand- cast, nearly all of our newer models are now cast in white metal, a form of pewter. Our kits are nicely detailed, highly durable, and are easy to complete. They can be painted, super-detailed and are suitable for display, wargaming or both. Many of our newer models now include white metal artillery, boats and/or other smaller detail parts in either metal or resin. Photos on our web site will demonstrate how our models may be completed. A number of our customers have used etched brass parts such as railings, to additionally enhance their models.

A few of our most recent models also have masts, usually equipped with furled sails. We are continuing to provide masts now with all our newer kits, where masts are appropriate. The CSS Chattahoochee, coaling schooner, and several other kits have masts included. However for some of our earlier kits, the modeler must create your own masts. Fortunately, masts are extremely easy to make. (Refer to our tutorial on mast making.) In addition, it should be noted that a number of inexpensive ship kits are commercially available from which masts and other parts may be acquired.

Turn-around time for your order is typically quite fast. Shipping is generally done via priority mail, but other methods can be used, if necessary. We hope that you will give our models a try. We aim to satisfy, and we would be more than happy to work with you in putting together an order for a single ship or an entire fleet. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to have a look around our website.

We are constantly in the process of expanding our product line, with the help of a team of volunteer shipbuilders and researchers from across the United States. Got a request? Let us know! We are in this business because we love it. Enthusiasts and novices alike are welcome! As many satisfied customers will also testify, we also are very willing to assist our customers with ideas or concepts how to enhance your modeling efforts.

Thanks for your continued support.

Most recent update (05/02/08)

• USS Forest Rose is now a metal kit! This useful little kit can stand in for 8 -12 other similar tinclads!
• New Kit! USS Reliance now available! Added to Union page

(04/21/08)

• Added Buildings page with 5 new buildings to product area
• New Kit! USS Satellite now available!
• Added Patrick Hreachmack's USS Satellite gallery

• Added Patrick Hreachmack's Rolf Krake to gallery

• Ships' Ventilators added to Accessories page

• New Kit! Added USS Galena to Union page
• New Kit! Added CSS Governer Moore to Confederate page
• General Bragg available again (Union or Confederate page)

• CSS Manassas now available

• New kit! Protected Tug "B" added to Union page
• CSS George Page, CSS Sumter, USS Kalamazoo now available as metal kits

• Added HistoriCon 2006 pictures to this page
• Added "CSS Webb" (metal kit) to Confederate page

• Added "CSS Fanny" (metal kit) to Confederate page and customer gallery
• Added "CSS Teaser" (metal kit) to Confederate page and customer gallery

• Added "Protected Tug-A" (metal kit) to Union page
• Added a newcustomer gallery page with some of Pat Hreachmack's River Defense Fleet
• Added Scott Calzia's USS Varuna to customer gallery.

(8/05/05)

• Added a new customer gallery page
• New set of metal small ship's boats added to Accessories page
• USS Argosy tinclad added to Union page
• USS Marmora Tinclad added to Union page

• Six new sets of guns added to Accessories page

(8/04/04)

• Larry Enoch's Armed Breakout! ACW scenario is available
• Patrick Hreachmack's tutorial for scratchbuilding a master model is available