steamschooner

Just so you all know I do work on my model from time to time. Like most I have many spring and summer things to do and do not get to spend much time in the shipyard. I have managed to cast some deck cleats( twice ) The first ones I ended up not liking, in photo on the left. The second ones are more correct with the wood block base as I have seen examples locally. For my stays and shrouds I used some telephone wire That had four coated strands and each strand has 7 small copper strands. After cleaning the coating from the wires I separated them and twisted up 3 strands for my davits and stack stays also aft mast shrouds. For my main mast shrouds I twisted up 7 strands. I used a single strand as whipping to tie off eyes. the copper wire will take L.O.S. nicely.Now on to the shroud bars/ladder.

John, I have made a study of West coast wood steam schooners for the last 20 years. Much of the steam gear that was on steel ships were not much different. So if I can be of help let me know. Via here or by PM.
Steve

John, I have made a study of West coast wood steam schooners for the last 20 years. Much of the steam gear that was on steel ships were not much different. So if I can be of help let me know. Via here or by PM.
Steve

John, I have made a study of West coast wood steam schooners for the last 20 years. Much of the steam gear that was on steel ships were not much different. So if I can be of help let me know. Via here or by PM.
Steve

Placed the sails, the hoggie is finished. It's an ugly boat, but I find it nice.
 
Javier

A quick update as planking progresses:

I've developed a steady and efficient approach to this tedious task. Every so often I pre-paint a bunch of planking strips so they're available in bulk, doing this lightly enough so the paint doesn't soak through to the bottom where it would look wrong on the underside of the guards. I've been working from the inside out, one side at a time. In a given work session, I do the following:
Measure and cut a full hull's length of individual planks along one side. Dip these in my dissolved steel wool & vinegar solution, wipe excess liquid free to avoid spotting, then set aside to dry. This darkens the paint and stains the underside a weathered brown. Take the strips I previously cut & soaked for the other side (in the last session), sand smooth any rough spots on edges or ends, rub on varying amounts of dark pastel (sometimes none) to vary the coloration and texture, then glue in place. This makes for a consistent rhythm and a manageable set of tasks whenever I can sit down at the desk. For example, in the photo above, the top (port) planking line has just been laid in place, while off-screen the pre-cut planking for the bottom (starboard) line is drying after the vinegar soak. It'll start going a bit faster once I each the guards, as half of the hull's length is already done from then on.
 
Progress will slow down for a few weeks as I'll be out of town visiting family in western NY, and may even get to attend part of this neat event hosted by the Model Shipwright Guild of Western NY.

Eric, I think you nailed it on the deck planking, looks great!
Steve

Eric, I think you nailed it on the deck planking, looks great!
Steve

Eric, I think you nailed it on the deck planking, looks great!
Steve

Eric, I think you nailed it on the deck planking, looks great!
Steve

Eric, I think you nailed it on the deck planking, looks great!
Steve

I've finished the stern guard planking and am quite pleased with it. I think it captures the feel of how this area was done nicely. You'll also see that I've started planking in front of the paddle boxes as well.

Here's another view that focuses on the area of earlier discussion at the same angle, with the original photo below it for comparison:


And here's a view forward from the stern, again with a comparable excavation photo below.
 


Things will get easier for a little while here, as I simply progress slowly with filling in the nice, straight hull planking. If you're wondering what happens at the bow, well, there are no photos or records to my knowledge of the Arabia's bow, but other boats I have more evidence for (like Chaperon or Bertrand ) didn't do this sort of angled planking at the bow; everything just ran straight. So that's what I'm going to do. I'll give another update when significant progress has been made.
 
Thanks again for all the input to that lively discussion of how to get the stern right. I hope you're reasonably pleased with the result. EDIT: I meant to thank Steve (steamschooner) specifically for reminding me of that last shot's existence. I had used it in my design thread but forgot that it gave a useful perspective on the stern decking.
 

Some more work with making missing parts, the dark metal bases of some of the vent stacks, and more new screw mounts.
 

 
New bases from bronze patina on brass, one on left is original.
 
new bases slipped under the glued up boat deck.
 
And today I removed the temporary building jig.
 

 
And a memory lane shot for encouragement to keep going.
 

 
I can feel the end of the tunnel coming.
 
Michael

Thank you all very much for your kind words! The ship has been standing on her cradle for a while now, and I have kind of lost interest in her because of new projects.
However now I have got back the lacking interest in her and have tried  her in the bathtub to see if she will keep on surface, and in which position. She proved to be too light, so more weight must be added. Because of this I decided to install at least two loudspeakers with a sound unit and amplifier inside her, and have it programmed with sounds of engine, original steam whistle and telegraf bell.
So hopefully there will still be a maiden voyage with a video in the future.

Eric, even with the plank length consideration, I still think that B is the best option, given the skill needed to plank one of these boats in the first place a few angled cuts wouldn't be that much of an issue in my view.
 
Michael

Thanks to everyone for continuing to chime in; I had no idea this would generate so much discussion. I've prepared a schematic to work through this once and for all.

(A) is what I initially thought needed to happen, but I didn't like its look or structural integrity, though Roger makes a good argument that this may not matter.
(B) is what Michael and Kurt (edit: and Steve, originally) are suggesting, which has the benefit of a clean, strong pattern overall, though I wonder why they would have chosen to make so many angled cuts, when
(C) could also have been the approach, keeping the planking straight for as long as possible and only angling it right at the stern. They could even have kept the planking straight in that middle portion without too much fuss.
 
Obviously (C) isn't how they did it given the visual evidence, but I'd like to understand why they chose (A) or (B) instead. I'm inclined to choose (B) over (A) because it seems more structurally and visually appealing to me. I suppose it has the additional benefit of reducing the number of angled butt joints against other planks.
 
Edit: Keep in mind that I didn't show plank length in this schematic, in all cases any given line would have multiple planks butted up against each other. A downside to B is that those joints would have to fall on a guard timber at an angle, making it harder to attach the ends properly, thoug even in (A) this would be true over most of the area. Another reason I wonder why they did so much angling.
 
Last thoughts?

Eric, I was thinking the area in blue looks like it has been pushed in somewhat. More so on the right near the paddle box. Planking would still be at a angle on the guard timbers. You are right that it seems to be a unusual way to plank.
 

Eric,  It also looks like the hull is pushed inward at the paddle box making it look like the decking would need to change direction. But if paddle box was pushed back out the remaining decking would line up fairly well. From what I can see in the wreck photo the planking at the stern looks like they used wider planking with narrowed ends with a fan shape.
steve

Eric, I was thinking the area in blue looks like it has been pushed in somewhat. More so on the right near the paddle box. Planking would still be at a angle on the guard timbers. You are right that it seems to be a unusual way to plank.
 

Eric, I was thinking the area in blue looks like it has been pushed in somewhat. More so on the right near the paddle box. Planking would still be at a angle on the guard timbers. You are right that it seems to be a unusual way to plank.
 

Eric, I was thinking the area in blue looks like it has been pushed in somewhat. More so on the right near the paddle box. Planking would still be at a angle on the guard timbers. You are right that it seems to be a unusual way to plank.
 

Eric,  It also looks like the hull is pushed inward at the paddle box making it look like the decking would need to change direction. But if paddle box was pushed back out the remaining decking would line up fairly well. From what I can see in the wreck photo the planking at the stern looks like they used wider planking with narrowed ends with a fan shape.
steve

Eric,  It also looks like the hull is pushed inward at the paddle box making it look like the decking would need to change direction. But if paddle box was pushed back out the remaining decking would line up fairly well. From what I can see in the wreck photo the planking at the stern looks like they used wider planking with narrowed ends with a fan shape.
steve

Eric, Did the missing deck planks straighten out or did they continue at that same angle? Its looks like a short run to the paddle box so keeping the planks angled should not have been much of a deal for the builders.(Just my 2 cents worth)
Steve

Eric, Did the missing deck planks straighten out or did they continue at that same angle? Its looks like a short run to the paddle box so keeping the planks angled should not have been much of a deal for the builders.(Just my 2 cents worth)
Steve