deck planking shift

[Kurt Johnson]

I have a question, with regards to deck planking shift patterns. The pattern of the planks wouldn't continue between hatches if the distance was around the length of a normal plank or less, correct? The pattern would resume or begin for the planks beyond the width of the hatch, right? Or does it make things look too busy on a model not carrying the pattern throughout? When planking, would they lay the planks from bow to stern or start at a hatch coaming or structure and plank forwards or aft from it? I hope that makes some kind of sense the way I worded it.

 

Kurt

[Chuck]

You are correct....best not to show seams between hatches or fittings.  They werent needed as one length would do teh trick and be much stronger.

[jbshan]

Kurt, once you have the plank between the hatches, etc. in, then you have to work out to the waterway and forward and aft to the hood ends of the plank.  I don't think there's much advantage to one direction or the other.  I have found you need to come in from the waterways and aft from the bows, sort of together, as one blends into the other.  Eventually you'll have a gap sort of in the middle of the deck somewhere and you can adjust the widths of the last remaining planks to fit without making it too obvious how you got there.  The old boys had the complication that some strakes of plank were thicker and let down into the deck beams to keep the top surface even.  Just keep in mind that you need to have your joints on the beams, not simply cut off to match some artificial requirement of length.  If a plank needs to be 18" shorter or longer, just go ahead and make that one different.  It makes things less even and more realistic.