Ship models are built-to-scale replicas or representations of sea-going vessels of all types. A model is a decorative art form that promises to enhance lifestyles throughout generations and to create lasting impressions; ship models are marked by elegance, prestige, and beauty and add luster to the interior of ones home, yacht, or office.

Traditional ship models have been built of wood, though current amateur kits provide models made of plastic. There are also models built of sheet metal.

The ancient Egyptians were the first to make detailed ship models, which were part of funeral practices. Wood models of a ship and crew with accurate details were included in the coffin. These were supposed to transport the soul of the deceased to the next world. Seafaring aspects were delineated to the modern world by these ritual models. Also, one can see models of vessels, crafted from the twelfth century to the fifteenth century, mounted in various churches. During the occasion, the vessels and the crew members were blessed.

In course of time, up to the eighteenth century, shipwrights were apprenticed to vessel-building craft, and the art was handed down from father to son. It is clear that there were no models during the days before actual ship building. Models began to be formally made during eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when celebrated warships were made.

Ship modeling had a slow start in the United States; it became more popular only from 1900, onwards. By 1920, ship model kits were available in cast lead parts. In the 1930s, these became popular when Popular Science magazine published a series of articles and plans of ships. Thus, ship modeling developed into a hobby. Ship models have revolutionized the world of pastimes and hobbies.

Models of ancient and historic ships, sailing ships, cruise ships, warships, small vessels, and tall ships are available for prices ranging from $122.99 to $15,000. Crude primitives to precision-detail models of museum quality are available from dealers.

People associated with ship modeling join together to form guilds, for the veterans to pass on their knowledge to the greenhorns and for members of all levels to exchange new ideas. USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild and Ship Modelers Association of California are examples of these guilds.