A model yacht can make a hull shape easier to study, but the display case also changes our sense of size. Before describing it as a small boat, find the scale on its label.
Turn one model measurement into a question
In a hypothetical 1:20 model, a ten-centimetre feature represents two metres at full size. Multiply the model dimension by twenty, keeping the units consistent. That calculation describes the stated scale; it does not establish how faithfully every fitting was reproduced.
Notice whether the label calls the object a builder’s model, a later reconstruction or a decorative miniature. Record the wording instead of giving all three the same purpose.
Look for what the maker left out
Tiny ropes, people and surface textures may be simplified or absent. Photograph the overall object and its label where photography is permitted, then note one visible detail you want to compare with a drawing of the actual vessel.
Your notebook might say, “The model shows the arrangement of the deck clearly; the label does not specify how the rigging was reconstructed.” That is a useful observation without asking a miniature to answer every question about life aboard.