Mike Dowling

Oops! If you cut some of that frame off won't you be able to rduce some of that angle. I reckon you might be able to do that with a fine saw without taking anything off ? Just a suggestion.

I think that's a lovely job Gregory especially for this 'round' boat. I hope mine turns out half as well.

Hey Eric, great to have you along for the ride. As you know I need all the help I can get with planking especially on this small bendy beast. I have started from the garboard up and am indeed tapering the planks. The supplied wood is complete rubbish but I am trying to use it. I received some lovely lime strip today which I can use now before my language gets too bad !! The second planking is walnut strip which I have never tried before. I have always had sapele before. Any tips in advance before I get to it ? (I did get some new walnut in case!!)

Very observant of you !!!! Especially as it was only on one side.

Just what I thought Brian !! Can't say I did Popeye and , to be quite honest I still can't see it !

Thanks Popeye and Hubert, the pictures are really helpful, thank you.

So what was the answer Popeye ?

Just another question - should I taper the garboard at the bow and continue the taper with subsequent strakes until they meet?

Thanks for that Popeye. I thought that's what might be best. I understand the 'stealer' and such but my idea was that if I got the first planking right it would make the second so much easier. I think most of my difficulty, apart from being a rubbish planker, is that it is a very small boat for such a bendy bow ! Re the PM's. I don't understand - I have received nothing from you ??

Please can someone tell me where I went wrong. I have had trouble before because I didn't taper strakes enough so I tried to make sire I did enough early enough. I am however left with a very unpleasant hole to fill in and some clinkering at the bow. The remaining spaces with my current tapering seen to be about right but I am going to have a big hole from about bulkheads 1 - 4. So, not only what did I do wrong but what should I do next ? I don't think I can strip anything off because, as I usually do I glued stuff on too well.

The first planking is taking forever and I think the bottom part is going to be a bit 'patchwork'! It may well be that I over tapered some of the bow strakes to early. Anyway, I will get it covered and adjust my technique for the second go. Whilst waiting for soaking wood to dry I have been making the top rails. This involves laminating 4 pieces of 2mm x 1mm walnut together whilst bending them in jig. Not an easy task! On the outside a further 2 pieces, one of walnut and one boxwood 1x1mm have to go on the outside. There is less than 1 inch of excess wood !!! I have surmised that Mamoli kits are not for the fainthearted and definitely not for the beginner.

Pencil along the edge has always worked well for me for caulking. Use a nice soft pencil and I always hold a bunch of pre-cut lengths together and do the sides like that.

Whoever said that Mamoli were mean with their wood were quite right ! Not only mean but some timber missing altogether. Thank goodness I have a lot of leftovers having been very careful in the past.

This is the best google translate could manage so thank you Hubert. Very helpful. The only comment I would make is that I NEVER use contact adhesive. It is horrible and totally unforgiving. I always use white wood glue or occasionally a very small amount of CA. Hi Mike, here an article from me in German for my forum on planking. It is an absolute MUST that the straightening of the ribs with a strake-line (as it seems to me, for some a disagreeable, but by no means exceedingly important work) is carried out with painstaking precision. Also, a Auffütern on the ribs can sometimes be necessary to ensure the lines. What is ground too closely here, must later be compensated with spatula and regrind and multiple labor input. , For the Unterbeplankung I cut myself with a large circular saw with guide rail of 5mm pine board bars with ~ 2.5mm thickness. There are then quite a few tenths mm tolerance in it. The bending of the strips at the bow is done by slight buckling in 5 to 10mm intervals, depending on the desired curve of the strips. This allows me to bend the bar practically as I want it and need it. With the bending pliers in about the same kinking effect is generated. To the rear of the bar must then be partially twisted in order to sit well and over the entire surface of the frame. This works perfectly with the spruce strips. It is glued with express wood glue and the strips are fixed with model needles to dry. Glued is not only on the bulkhead, but also (important !!) the whole length of the strips with each other. This results in a very compact, solid hull at the end. Due to the thickness of the strips, I have enough "meat" when grinding to produce a nearly perfect outer skin. Due to the tolerance when sawing the strips, it may happen that in places minimal fillings with wooden spatula are necessary. The shape of the plucking is absolutely nothing nachzuspachteln! A perfect Unterbeplankung I need it because the 2nd planking is done only with veneer (0.6 to 0.9mm). With this thickness, I could hide absolutely no more mistakes. The veneer is applied with contact adhesive. For the hull with liquid veneer with gel. Gel is cleaner to work, you do not smear everything completely and it does not pull strings. First apply the bar exactly with little pressure then a slight gap can still be pushed. Only with perfect fit press the bar. With a small metal ruler, the bar is then finally pressed. In doing so, I drive with the front of the ruler over the entire length with great pressure. The quality of the strength of the contact adhesive is achieved by the force of Andruck`s, even if it takes only a short time. The high pressure can in turn be exercised only if the Erstbeplankung has the appropriate strength. The first plank has to be laid as planned! As far as mine, for me very good working method, Greeting Hubert

Thank you very much for your long reply. I will try to get it translated so that I can understand it.

I just use a paintbrush for PVA, various sizes for various places. By the way, I always water mine down a bit a put it in an old cream container.

Hi Brian - great to have you along ! You know I am rubbish at planking. Stick your oar in as often as you like. I can't for the life of me remember but did you know that someone has bought Mamoli and is producing a lot of their kits again. Someone on here will know who it is. The false keel and bulkheads are incredibly pale - perhaps they have been unwell - but they are definitely not plastic.

Thank you for that. I thought you had some crafty method of getting the taper right and you progress down the hull. My method with the pins is OK for the top planks but I think I will just have to guess the lower and back ones. Lots of folk have tried to explain the 'fan' method and tick strips but I just can't get my head around them at all.

Your scheme sounds intriguing ! Can you post a couple of pics on here of your pine board technique ? The frame tops against the bulwarks get cut off this model once the planking is done so I know I will have a lot to remove and carefully at that but I hope it will work.

Here's my attempt at a solution to my very curvy deck. Planking is not my best subject so I am deliberately starting very high(thanks Popeye) and working down. I am pre-soaking and bending the wood in a jig allowing it to dry over night before gluing it on. Let's see how I get on.

I'll join the cue and watch as well if you don't mind. I love the paddle steamers as well.

It's interesting actually. The main deck on that other log is MUCH flatter than mine and would be much more forgiving !

Thanks for that. Yes I have had a look and see what you meant about the almost straight top. I had decided following your suggestion to do something similar. I know I will have a lot of wood to remove later to get the shape right but I think it might work. The supplied wood is supposed to be lime but it is a very strange colour. Very yellow ! I had soaked it for ages but it just wants to fall apart and split along the grain, it's not a problem I have had before. I have found lime to be quite obliging in the past. This is due to be double planked so I am just going to aim to get the hull covered for starters!

The only problem I have so far is that the wood I have must be very old. It is incredibly brittle and doesn't like being tapered at all. I have had to order some new wood, otherwise this vessel is going nowhere! Which log is it ? I can only find an old one.

Thanks Popeye, that makes sense to me. No ply panels for the bulwarks - in fact both they and the toprails are pretty complicated.