Mike Dowling

You are getting picky in your old age !! I look at your build and think to myself - if only I were that good - I can but try !

I,ll start with a couple of pics i forgot to post the last time , the 4 ladders to lower deck 
 

 

 
simple enough to make and i think the brass handrails blend in ok . I,m not fond of the rope handrails as i find them clumsy looking if not done correctly so will try to avoid !!
I then moved on to the steps up to the quarterdeck (i think that,s what it,s called )and as usual i used the supplied ply parts to assist the scratch building of the new ones 

 

 

 

 
What i finished with , but again the rope handrails didn,t please me even when i drilled the posts to avoid oversized knots and i thought the wooden handrail looked oversized as well . I know i,m beginning to sound a bit loopy ,maybe i am but too many times i have looked back and said i could or should have fixed that at the time ,but it,s to late ?
 
So with my new found skills on the lathe ,lol, i made 2 more posts and replaced the rope with wood . Happy days ,im satisfied this time  . I,ll be building this Vic for 10 years at this rate ?
 

 

 
Moving on i have discovered another mistake i made . When planking i assumed that the all the slots in the upper hull were for external fittings and so carefully cut them out as i went along and then planked the inside covering them up ,BUT  it turns out that the 3 upper most were for the belaying pin rails and the small vertial one is to attach a post which i must assume will be under pressure from rigging as it needs to be so well secured . So i had to cut the slots through from the inside and will now have to patch the holes on the outside  . Maybe if i had paid more attention to the plans this botch could have been avoided !!!?
 

 
While i am in redo /repair mode i still don,t like the brass posts and rails on the main staircase and think i should replace them with wooden ones , more practice on the lathe ,Don,t know why they annoy me cause i like the brass in other places .Can,t wait to start the rigging ,possibly next year       
 

 
 

Very nice planking job, I can't wait to see how the build goes.
 
 
Mike

Well folks, after a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish the hull doesn't look too bad. I have now attached it to the lower deck, started to do some of the first deck woodwork and put the finishing strip around the edge. That took a fair bit of soaking and bending but it's on !!!
 
I wish the ply sections were laser cut but they are not. They have to be cut our from a marked sheet which is really tricky and then sand everything down - takes ages !!
 
 

I finally got the hull covered. What a saga ! I thought this was going to be fairly easy but how wrong could I be. It has taken ages and, for all you sadists out there I had to cheat at the stern. I simply couldn't get the 2x5mm wood to bend round it so I had to resort to balsa packing and yes, ashamed as I am to admit it, filler !! I just could not see another way round it.
 
So here are some pictures for you to laugh at !! I still have to trim and sand it all down before the second veneer planking which I sincerely hope will be easier than the first lot !
 
Whilst waiting for planks etc to dry I did at least get the first deck planked !
 
 
 

Progress report !
 
Frames fixed nice and square on false keel.
 
Hull bottom pieces are on.
 
The bow and stern re-enforcements are on and
 
the whole hull has been sanded and faired. Seemed strange to have to fair such a shallow hull but it had to be done.
 
Next stage is the first planking on the hull sides.
 
 
 
 

Well folks, after a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish the hull doesn't look too bad. I have now attached it to the lower deck, started to do some of the first deck woodwork and put the finishing strip around the edge. That took a fair bit of soaking and bending but it's on !!!
 
I wish the ply sections were laser cut but they are not. They have to be cut our from a marked sheet which is really tricky and then sand everything down - takes ages !!
 
 

Well fancy seeing you back !! Where have you been ?
 
With regard to planking - I hoped I was getting better at it but this thing has been an absolute monster which I don't understand because it is basically flat ! But that stern !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well folks, after a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish the hull doesn't look too bad. I have now attached it to the lower deck, started to do some of the first deck woodwork and put the finishing strip around the edge. That took a fair bit of soaking and bending but it's on !!!
 
I wish the ply sections were laser cut but they are not. They have to be cut our from a marked sheet which is really tricky and then sand everything down - takes ages !!
 
 

Well the second planking proved to be every bit as difficult as the first go. The stern on this beastie have been really hard to do, more so I think than an orthodox boat. I am still not sure why except that the stern is more bendy than it looks and the wood didn't want to play. At least I got it covered. It has been sanded and sealed with lacquer but I am hoping that a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish will make it look better.
 
I am not very happy with it but my consolation has to be that the hull on a paddle steamer doesn't show very much.
 
 
 
 

I finally got the hull covered. What a saga ! I thought this was going to be fairly easy but how wrong could I be. It has taken ages and, for all you sadists out there I had to cheat at the stern. I simply couldn't get the 2x5mm wood to bend round it so I had to resort to balsa packing and yes, ashamed as I am to admit it, filler !! I just could not see another way round it.
 
So here are some pictures for you to laugh at !! I still have to trim and sand it all down before the second veneer planking which I sincerely hope will be easier than the first lot !
 
Whilst waiting for planks etc to dry I did at least get the first deck planked !
 
 
 

Progress report !
 
Frames fixed nice and square on false keel.
 
Hull bottom pieces are on.
 
The bow and stern re-enforcements are on and
 
the whole hull has been sanded and faired. Seemed strange to have to fair such a shallow hull but it had to be done.
 
Next stage is the first planking on the hull sides.
 
 
 
 

Hi there Shihawk and thanks for the post. I have been watching your build and I think your planking looks brilliant despite your 'shades'. I can't believe on a real ship of that age would be the same shade throughout so whilst you might be cheesed off with it (and I do understand your point).  I actually and quite deliberately did exactly the opposite from you as I wanted my planking to be random. The wood is 'Mukali' whatever that is !
 
The second planking on the hull was just 0.5ml sapele so more forgiving than the first go !
 
You are absolutely right about the weather !!!!

Well folks, after a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish the hull doesn't look too bad. I have now attached it to the lower deck, started to do some of the first deck woodwork and put the finishing strip around the edge. That took a fair bit of soaking and bending but it's on !!!
 
I wish the ply sections were laser cut but they are not. They have to be cut our from a marked sheet which is really tricky and then sand everything down - takes ages !!
 
 

Well folks, after a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish the hull doesn't look too bad. I have now attached it to the lower deck, started to do some of the first deck woodwork and put the finishing strip around the edge. That took a fair bit of soaking and bending but it's on !!!
 
I wish the ply sections were laser cut but they are not. They have to be cut our from a marked sheet which is really tricky and then sand everything down - takes ages !!
 
 

I finally got the hull covered. What a saga ! I thought this was going to be fairly easy but how wrong could I be. It has taken ages and, for all you sadists out there I had to cheat at the stern. I simply couldn't get the 2x5mm wood to bend round it so I had to resort to balsa packing and yes, ashamed as I am to admit it, filler !! I just could not see another way round it.
 
So here are some pictures for you to laugh at !! I still have to trim and sand it all down before the second veneer planking which I sincerely hope will be easier than the first lot !
 
Whilst waiting for planks etc to dry I did at least get the first deck planked !
 
 
 

The second layer of planks is to cover all the mistakes you'll make on the first layer. On my second build....I took my time with the first layer and did not need the veneer. Good luck!

Many  builders want a POB look with individual planks visible, but most double planked kits have too big a span between bulkheads to be easily single planked. Double planking also offers those that prefer a "second chance" to rectify errors on the first planking. 

Based on my personal experience, it may be because kit makers provide absolutely no instructions on planking ... meaning complete newbs will end up with a first planking run which roughly resembles a dog's breakfast.
 
The second planking, usually with veneer strips (or copper plates), will look a lot better.

Well the second planking proved to be every bit as difficult as the first go. The stern on this beastie have been really hard to do, more so I think than an orthodox boat. I am still not sure why except that the stern is more bendy than it looks and the wood didn't want to play. At least I got it covered. It has been sanded and sealed with lacquer but I am hoping that a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish will make it look better.
 
I am not very happy with it but my consolation has to be that the hull on a paddle steamer doesn't show very much.
 
 
 
 

It looks very good. If you aren't happy with the final result, you can always paint the hull. If I were building it I would most likely paint it anyway. I was unaware that Constructo made a Robert E Lee paddle wheeler kit. I'm glad to see it. Thanks.
 
 
Mike

Not sure what Jan.B's problem is ! Language is an interesting topic regardless of it's origins. Are we all expected to get so PC that we can't even have a sensible discussion anymore ? The world is going completely mad !!

Well thank you all for the input.  I think its better to know how such a distasteful word came into being than just slough it off and not be able to discuss it.  We're all in agreement I guess that while we find the word distasteful and wouldn't use it ourselves, discussing its origins does not make the discussion itself distasteful and contemptuous.

Mike you are right, an explanation which I found on the internet was "Because they look so good with a rope around them.", that turned me off a bit

Not sure what Jan.B's problem is ! Language is an interesting topic regardless of it's origins. Are we all expected to get so PC that we can't even have a sensible discussion anymore ? The world is going completely mad !!