Bill,
It's really not that hard...obviously, the hardest part is the hull...because of the compound curves...so (for the first time on FSM) here's my *ahem* secret method of doing FOOLPROOF hulls.
Build your frames the same way you would another ship...with a keel strip and ribs. Once you have that done, go out and buy some 3M blue masking tape, the wide stuff and the normal width. Now, start planking your hull with tape...yes...with tape.
Once it's all done, and you have a rib & tape hull, start filling the segments with resin...it's better to pour a little into each frame than it is to try and fill each frame separately. Once you've filled the entire hull up to the top and it's set up (at least 48 hours), peel off the tape and start sanding. When the plastic frames styart to show though, you've got the proper shape on the hull.
Once that's done, flat sand as best you can the deck, and laminate some model railroad plastic siding to the deck to simulate the planking. You can go back later and scribe individual lengths of planking to offset the common joints and give it the more unique look.
Fill and sand the lamination and side of the hull, and you're ready for the superstructure.
The largest resin hull I've ever poured in this method is a 1/350 Saratoga. If you use a slow curing resin, it won't warp the plastic frames and hog the hull.
To save resin, I would usually cut small peices of foam from packing crates, the hard crumbly stuff, and once a layer was set up, drop those into the center of the sections and pour the resin around them. This obviously reduces the amount of resin you need, and it also reduces the overall weight. Just be sure to leave at least 3/4 of an inch on each sidewall if you do this, because you don't want to compromise the integrity of the hull.
Jeff