Cathead

Mark, I'm not sure what you mean, can you clarify? Roger, that's logical, though as the guards were still used for carrying heavy cargo I'd think that the planking would provide at least some additional stiffness, given that there's not much structure underneath (unlike deck planking on a hull), even accounting for the additional support from the boiler deck above. Of course, even if that's true, in this case the joint in question is maybe 10 feet from the paddle housing, so there isn't much scope for heavy flexing on that joint (unlike, say, halfway forward from the wheel housing). Maybe I'm just hesitant because it would "look" wrong to have a straight line of butt joints given that almost all nautical planking tends to stagger joints. I suppose I could always partially cover it up with a bit of cargo.

Carl, are you saying make all the butt joints in the same line? The problem here is that the original builders seem to have complicated things! Steve, that's a very interesting idea I hadn't considered. But if there's no transition there, why would they have angled the planks in the first place, creating lots more angled plank ends? At that point, they could have just started them perpendicular to the paddle boxes and had essentially the same angled joints closer to the stern when the planking started taking the curve. Not saying you're wrong, I just wonder why they would have done it that way.

So I have a deck-planking question. The builders of Arabia seem to have adopted a somewhat complicated planking style at the stern. The planking over the hull itself is straight, as one would expect, but that over the guards seems to curve inward toward the stern, with the boundary between the two following the line of the hull. See the image below from the excavation (I'll explain the red highlight in a moment): I started playing around with how to lay this out, and ran into a dilemma that the missing planking makes harder to answer. There's a big block of planking at a single angle, maybe 20° away from the keel, then a few shorter blocks at more severe angles right at the stern. What stumps me is how that bigger block transitions to straight planking once the guards straighten out. The joint has to fall where I've circled in red (right where some preserved planking would be really useful), but I can't tell how it was done. If the plank ends are staggered, there would be some fairly complex joinery. If they aren't, everything would be butted together along one guard beam, which isn't how most planking is done. So what do I do in this transition area? Below is roughly the same view on the model, with a few loose planks laid out to match the rough angles in the photo above: So, again, how do I make that rightmost (foremost) joint? The other joins seem more straightforward, but I can't decide how to proceed with the area circled in the first photo. Neither quite makes sense; I can't see the builders doing that much fancy joinery in a quick-built riverboat, but it seems unnecessarily weak to place all the butt joints in a single line. I've been browsing archival images and haven't been able to find any clear images of how deck planking was laid out in such areas. Thoughts?

Some simple clamps will hold a fairing strip in place while you handle the model and check it, no need to use two hands. I like using modified binder clips, which also work well for holding the actual planking in place while it's shaped or glued. Although these are common, the first reference that humbly comes to mind is a post I wrote up while working on the MS Bounty Launch, showing different sizes of clips and how to set up the proper style planking clamp from them: You put the main part of the clamp over the bulkhead or frame, then the "eye" or "wings" naturally clamp the perpendicular plank/strip in place. I find that having a fairing strip clamped in place near where I'm working can sometimes help me visualize the proper shape; the strip can easily be moved as the work progresses so it stays out of the way.

Gerhard, thank you for the update and best wishes for getting through this stretch of time.

Nice detail, looking forward to using this as a reference if I ever get to try this kit.

Roughing out the superstructure got me interested in moving forward on that aspect, so I decided to proceed on the main deck. On the stern half of the vessel, the superstructure follows the curve of the hull where it meets the guards (see photos in last post), whereas roughly forward of the engines there is no proper superstructure on the main deck, just open posts supporting the boiler deck. In reality, the main deck was almost certainly laid before any structure was built onto it. I decided to alter this slightly and lay a thin baseline of wood where I wanted the walls to be, then plank around these. This way I could be sure to align the superstructure with the lines of the hull, which would otherwise be obscured below the planked deck. I used square strips just a hair thicker than the deck planking so they'll be almost invisible when finished. Here's a look at this near the stern: The darker brown strips are the lines of the superstructure. I think the natural color of the wood is too bright, so I "stained" these by dunking them in a solution prepared by dissolving an old piece of steel wool in vinegar. It only takes a momentary immersion, then the wood darkens to this rich, weathered color/texture over the next 10 minutes or so. I love the look of it and will probably use this approach for most of the exposed wood where I don't use white paint. It's a bit subtle in the photo but I think you can pick it out. I also started some deck planking. I used a long metal rule to lay out a perfectly straight line from bow to stern, then laid the first center plank along this line to ensure that I'm starting from a straight orientation. After that it's just the usual slow cut-and-fit method of deck planking, nothing exciting or innovative. If you notice that the planking seems to curve a little from the internal longitudinal bulkhead, it's the latter that has a curve in it rather than the former. That's why I used the ruler; the slight twist in the hull will be invisible as long as the planking is straight. As for color, red was a common deck color and I like the look, but pure red looks too bright and false to me whether or not it's realistic. I like my models to have a patina of weathering that dulls the inherently false look of pure colors. So after I pre-painted long strips red, I cut each plank to length and weathered it using the dust from a black pastel stick, rubbing with my finger to get a smooth but variable coverage. Doing this for each plank ensures a subtle variance between plank that looks far more realistic than rubbing a whole finished deck at once (I paint the strips separately for the same reason). Below is an example of this planking butting up against my stained superstructure guides, followed by a closeup of a pre- and post-weathered planking strip. You may also note that I darkened the edges of each plank to emphasize the seams slightly. Finally, here's an overview of the hull: Doing this will occupy me for some time. While that's going on, I'll be mulling over the engine question. I have to admit, I'm considering starting over on them. It'll take another post to explain why, but the short version is that the out-of-scale aspect that I thought wouldn't be very noticeable becomes a real problem when the assembly is installed on the hull due to tight clearances. They look fine on their own, but basically don't fit where they ought. More on that when I have the heart to photograph and explain it clearly. For now, decking is a salve to my grief.

Phil, I think there's a basic different in perspective operating here. I think you're focusing on what's "best" for the model, i.e. what produces the most perfect results regardless of effort or fuss. To me, and possibly Chuck (though I don't want to speak for him), what's more important in a beginner's build is what's "best" for the modeler even if it means a slight lowering of the model's standards. Most beginners aren't going to care about a very slight flex in the bulkheads as they fair and won't notice any difference in the finished model if it's not museum-quality straight. They are more likely to care about how easy and enjoyable the process is while they're deciding whether or not they like this hobby; if they do, they'll have plenty of time to learn to make things fussily perfect. Thus, a few minutes gluing strips along the top gets the beginner 95% of the way there with far less fuss and is good enough for 95% of beginners. With all respect, I think you're trying to make a perfect model here when that's not really the priority of most beginners, and that may be why you're getting some dissent/feedback on some of the more intricate or fussy methodological choices. I don't think you'd be getting any pushback from commenters if this was simply your own build and you were doing your darndest to make it perfect. But in this case, I wonder whether sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the inspiring.

Shean, Welcome! I grew up in Wayne County (along Lake Ontario between Rochester and Syracuse) and my stepfather is a woodworker/cabinet-maker there. I'm a serious riverboat afficionado and you'll find several folks on here with extensive knowledge, particularly regarding the Chaperon. I'm so glad you chose that as your build, it's the most accurate riverboat kit out there (especially compared to some of the fanciful European versions). There are several very good build logs of Chaperon that you could peruse as a reference, and a few years ago I started a general riverboat thread that has accumulated a variety of interesting subjects. Here are just a few links; using the search function will turn up several more: Riverboat thread Chaperon by Blighty Chaperon by Mike Dowling User Kurt Van Dahm is an expert on the Chaperon and pretty much anything else riverboat-related; if he doesn't find your build, go to his profile and send him a direct message. I hope you start a build log so we can all follow your progress. Welcome to MSW!

It looks good overall. You've got a few places where the plank's going to be almost gone by the time the hull is smooth. I believe the hull is still open at the top; you might want to consider spreading a bit of wood filler on the inside in such places to thicken and strengthen the planking before you accidentally sand or break through an especially thin spot. For example, those few planks right at the bow and stern that are especially offset along the edges. I love the process of sanding down a hull, it's amazing how good it starts to look as a smooth hull emerges from the rough initial form.

Phil, did there seem to be any risk of the alcohol seeping farther down than intended and loosening the glue holding the bulkheads to the keel? How did you assess the right amount to avoid that potential problem?

Chuck, on the rigging, I wasn't talking about the horse and tiller (although that debate came up in my thread and it's interesting) so much as the actual standing rigging and sheets. As the cont. model is rigged, it's literally impossible to raise and lower some of the sails, as I diagrammed in the thread I started on the subject. If you look at that rigging plan as an actual sailor would, it simply can't work. It's simpler than a functional rigging plan and looks fine if you don't think about it, but there's no way the sails as-rigged in the model could be used to actually work the boat. I agree with you that any given builder can care more or less about such details, but given the care taken in designing many other obscure parts of such kits, it makes sense to me to at least consider the functionality of a design. For example, if a cont. model showed a cannon placed directly behind a set of shrouds, there's no way we'd want to include that in a new model whether or not it matched the original model because it simply couldn't work. I agree with Mark and Al overall, it seems to me that function is more important than fidelity, though you make a fine and eloquent point about contemporary models as art rather than strictly accurate models. I guess I'd rather see a model that taught the builder more about how things actually work in the original rather than how an unknown modeller/artist represented them once. And a possibly necessary disclaimer, none of this is personal criticism. You do something few of us are capable of, and I highly respect that. But when you ask for input on model development, that's what you get!

Steve, not necessarily. If you're trying out a hobby for the first time and bought the longboat for $50, you're adding 40% of the model's cost to buy a $20 rotary tool that you'll only use briefly on this model and that you won't necessarily use again if the hobby doesn't suit you. Not everyone has comfortable retiree money and even basic tools add up fast. Phil's absolutely right to be keeping tools to a minimum given his stated goal of introducing this model to beginners. I've used a rotary tool exactly twice in all the models listed in my signature, and I only have that one because it happened to come in a box of tools I bought for a few bucks at an auction. A real scrounger could likely find a cheap deal, too, but again the point is to not demonstrate methods that require such things.

Richard, Phil's trying to do this with a minimum of purchased tools, a goal I highly support as expense is a real barrier for many people. Thus using a Dremel would violate that since many people don't have one and shouldn't have to in order to build a beginner model.

Sail-making is a very interesting group project idea. I would be interested in that specifically, but would not be interested in making another longboat, especially a large one (though I'm sure it's a great model). Would it be possible to join in just for the sail-making part? I'd also be interested in a further discussion of the rigging for that craft, as I just don't think the provided design could work in real life even though I know Chuck based it on a contemporary model (see this thread in which I worked out a new rigging plan for the longboat).

I agree with Chuck, using strips over the top worked perfectly for me. There may have been a minuscule amount of movement toward the lower parts of the bulkheads but it made absolutely no different in the quality of the result or the fragility of the model. It certainly didn't matter for a beginner-level result. If someone insisted on using the blocking method, at the least they should avoid gluing them in and just let the natural pressure of the bulkheads hold them in place. Maybe some masking tape (or strips) over the top for extra solidity. As for removing them, your floss idea is certainly worth a try. Otherwise Don's idea sounds best (carve it out with a Dremel), whether or not it violates the rules of the build.

Fantastic! I should have been more clear, I meant that I hadn't found any commercially available plans (my past web searches hadn't turned up that NRJ article). So good to know that those resources exist. Even if this doesn't turn into an NRG project, I'll be tempted to try this on my own (the version shown above is pretty rough).

Kurt, I don't, I haven't been there. The idea of a stern with great cabin, etc. is a great one too. I love the interior of ships and far too few models really explore that aspect.

For any novices that may find the build board daunting (as I do), there are a couple simple approaches that will get you almost all the same accuracy for a fraction of the fuss. Using metal T-squares and clamps will let you install each bulkhead at 90 degrees to the keel while keeping your total workspace smaller (good for people like me working in their living room). You can also glue a thicker block onto the top of the bulkheads (along with basic stiffeners) and use that to set the model upside down in a rotating work stand. This worked great for me and meant that I could approach the hull at any angle I pleased rather than only at 90-degree angles set by a board; this was also more ergonomic. See this post from my log for photos of what this basic approach looks like. This approach will allow the model to flex a bit more than the very solid build board shown above, but in my experience the difference and potential error was quite minor and well below the threshold that most beginners are likely to care about. I've used a rotating stand like the one in the link above for every one of my models and find that its flexibility and ergonomics far outweigh any loss in rigidity, at least if (like me) you're not going for museum-quality perfection.

I live in central Missouri, and would certainly be willing to help in some R&D given my access to St. Louis museums and the Missouri historical society. I'm just an amateur when it comes to actual model development, but it'd be quite fascinating to be a research assistant for such a project. As far as I know there's no model kit or even plans available for this really interesting and important craft, and it would be a great NRG project to fill that gap. Heck, Chuck, even if you want to make a private kit of this I'd be interested in helping.

This is probably a little too regional/obscure, but personally I think a really unique model would be of the "barge" used by Lewis & Clark as their main vessel on their exploration up the Missouri River. I scratchbuilt a rough version of this when I first started getting into this hobby: It has major historical significance, is similar in size and rough layout to other longboats but is far less redundant, and there is some historical information available on its design and construction. The idea that those guys paddled/dragged/sailed this thing all the way to western Montana from St. Louis still boggles my mind, and it'd be a really neat piece of Americana. Seems no less obscure than some of the regional fishing boats that have been proposed. What do you think?

Thanks for the comments and likes; I certainly agree that I absolutely love the process of turning chaos into order. I'll get back to the machinery (and an explanation of the engine inaccuracies) soon, but this weekend I decided to take a break from that arc of the project and do something quite different. Feeling the need for some motivation/inspiration, I started working out the layout of the main deck superstructure by cutting up an old water-filter cardboard box and using it to make templates for walls and decks. We have no idea what the Arabia really looked like above-decks, as all the superstructure was washed away and there are no drawings or images to my knowledge. The painting at the beginning of this build log is an artists' rendition commissioned by the museum. that is mostly reasonable, so I'm using that as one guide so that my model approximates what people "think" she must have looked like. However, after spending some time browsing the magnificent online collection of steamboat photography hosted by the University of Wisconsin, I've decided to also use the sidewheeler Mary McDonald as another reference. This vessel was built in St. Louis in 1866 and ran primarily on the Missouri River until 1873, long-lived for one of these boats. Although she was built ten years later, she has a very similar hull layout to Arabia and matches the painting pretty closely; everything in her design that I can would be fitting for an 1856 vessel as well. There are four good photographs and a drawing of her, covering many useful angles, making her an excellent reference. You can see all of the available images here; click on each one to get a high-quality zoomable image that really shows good detail. She's also a good match for the preliminary drawings I did of the Arabia's superstructure. So given those resources, below are three shots of how the model looks in mock-up form. On these boats, the deck above the main deck was confusingly called the boiler deck, although the boilers were on the main deck. The oddly named boiler deck tended to be about twice a person's height above the main deck to account for the very large machinery. Above, I've mocked up main deck walls about 13' (4m) high. The flat piece in front is a mockup of the boiler deck, though it's sitting on the main deck level, showing the outline of the main cabin, where the chimneys poke through coming up from the boilers, and the gaps near the front where the staircases will come up from below. If you look closely, you'll see a mockup person for rough scale standing in front of the port engine. Here's a view from above so you can better see the deck layout. The boilers sit right under the main cabin outline, just behind the chimneys. They're actually drawn in pencil on the cardboard, but you can't see that in the photo (the rest is drawn in pen). As noted once before, the wheel axles would not actually cross the hull, I'm just using a single dowel here to help keep things aligned. Here's a stern view that closely matches the angle of this photo of the Mary McDonald. It all looks a little odd right now without the next set of decks and cabins above, but that's as far as I've gotten. It's exciting to envision the full shape and this was a fun, different exercise for the weekend.

Excellent review, thank you. It certainly makes me consider this as a future build, given my Norwegian heritage. I'll look forward to your build.

Fair enough, I was thinking culturally more than politically.

I've just discovered this thanks to your kind comment on my own build. What a lovely project! I have a future dream of building a family-related vessel as well, in this case my wife's grandfather's sailboat from Lake Michigan on which her mother sailed growing up. I think it'd be a neat gift for my MIL. In the meantime, I love the look of this vessel so far. In my office, I have an ink drawing of German merchantmen that I purchased from an art dealer in Switzerland along with a German map of the world from the same period (wife is half-German and I studied it for many years). So it's quite neat to see a build of a German sailing ship. Looking forward to whatever progress you might make!