Buy a copy of the following book
"How to Build Plastic Ship Models"
I've used this book as a basic guide to building and enhancing several fully-rigged plastic model ships, and it is excellent. Besides having outstanding closeup photographs of built-up ships, basic modeling techniques are illustrated in step-by-step fashion, culminating in a complete chapter covering the construction of a 1/96 scale model of the USS President (modified from the USS Constitution). I especially found useful the special tips on hull strengthening and rigging, which are quite different with plastic models
Also try this one.
Building steel ships also by Kalmback