JacquesCousteau

Undoubtedly a hard decision, but one that will pay off in the end! I definitely had to fair the bow and stern quite a lot on mine, it's a tricky hull. It's good practice, though--after having done a lot of sanding and shimming on the Half-Hull, I felt confident in dealing with similar issues on my Lancha Chilota scratch-build.

Thanks, Keith! I realized that I forgot to mention that I did end up just placing a black board across the bottom of the hatch interior, to keep the keel assembly out of sight. From a couple angles, if the light is just right, you can see the edge off on the sides--it had to be a bit short to fit into the hatch--but it's practically unnoticeable otherwise. My goal is to suggest that, while there is an interior, it's too shadowy to see any details, adding interest to the build compared with battened-down hatches. I've also begun painting the hull. Usually you want to start with lighter colors, but in this case the transition will be covered by the as-yet unmade rub rail, and I won't be painting the topsides until I've built the bulwarks. So, black it is for the lower hull. At the moment it looks terrible and uneven, which I've come to understand is what you want in a first coat. Many, many subsequent coats will follow. The final coat(s) will be with a slightly less intense shade of black, but for the base coats, the tint straight from the bottle works fine. Finally, I've begun looking at some other furnishings. Comparing the plan drawings with photos, some parts--like the bowsprit support--look a little undersized in the plans. I'm less certain about other parts. Does anyone know what a typical rudder thickness for a seagoing, ~30-foot-long boat would be?

Following up: A lot of photos showing decks crowded with cargo show lanchas in port, and you would expect them to usually store things below while sailing. But, there are at least some photos, such as the one below, showing cargo (in this case lumber/firewood) being carried on deck while under sail. I would assume that this was usually only done for short voyages. Source: https://losbarcosdejuanvasquez.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/la-lancha-velera-que-transportaba-lena-y-maderas/ Incidentally, the photo also shows the lancha towing a couple of tenders. I've been considering whether I want to try making one, but work is about to pick up a lot and I may just focus on the lancha itself.

Good question! A lot of lanchas were involved in the lumber trade. Many also carried farm produce to sell at markets. A few sources also reference carrying livestock, although I have no idea how you'd get any large animals in and out of the hold (sheep may be doable, though). The chief problem with showing a cargo in the hold is that the bulkhead limits the cargo to only the rear of the hold. Looking at it from many angles, it's very clear that the cargo arbitrarily stops at the bulkhead, making it look odd--lumber would undoubtedly extend a lot further forward, for instance. That said, I still plan on portraying cargo, it will just be on deck instead of in the hold. Plenty of photos show lanchas with fairly crowded decks, so a bundle of lumber or a few sacks of produce wouldn't look out of place. I've been working on painting the deck. I think it's nearly there, I may just scuff it up a bit in high-traffic areas around the hatch.

Looks great! Very nicely done on a challenging build, I love how graceful the hull is and the planking really brings out the elegance of the lines.

Thanks, Keith! I'm considering options for how to handle the hatches. For the fore hatch, I'm fine leaving the interior empty. In actual lanchas, the space ahead of the mast was used for a heating stove and as shelter for the crew, with very minimal furnishings. The hatch opening is small, and with the hatch propped open as below, it's covered enough that it doesn't bring attention to the lack of detail below deck. I should note that the prop is just a bit of notched scrap, and it will be replaced. It also fell in the hatch twice. The main hatch is trickier. If it's open just a crack, the interior looks empty, unless there's direct light, in which case the central spine is very visible, as seen below: I rolled up some tape to test options to cover the spine. First, a barrel from the Syren barrel kit, which I made a while ago for the canoa but didn't end up using. I don't think this looks particularly convincing. I also chopped up a very rough coffee stir stick to try to simulate a shipment of lumber. Unfortunately, it looks a bit odd to only have it in the middle of the hold, and it's pretty visible how it just ends when it reaches the bulkhead, spoiling the illusion of a cargo load. So, I'm considering either closing the main hatch, or just adding a flat piece of wood painted black extending from the spine top out to the sides, so that it will just look uniformly black inside. I also started drilling holes in the keel for the mounting. I'm still leaning toward displaying the model upright, and would need to prep this now before anything is glued to the topsides, but the holes will not be very noticeable if I end up displaying the model resting on its bilge. Drilling was done very carefully, slowly ramping up in size, and regularly checking that everything was perpto the keel. Despite this, it ended up slightly off from perfect, but I don't think it's anything that's beyond the normal slight give of brass piping. Finally, I applied a sealer to the hull below the wales, in preparation for painting.

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. I have to admit that I feel a bit conflicted sometimes between striving to get things as best as I can make them (at least in parts that will be visible on the finished model) and wanting to leave things realistically imperfect, the latter of which can be a bit tricky to get to scale. After considering your comments and thinking about my goal to represent a working boat, I decided against trying to repair the ding in the keel, and to just sand a little more at the bow to minimize the low spots. I also finished planking the main hatch, and applied a base wash to the top of the fore hatch. The next steps will involve making some decisions about how to display the model.

Nice work! I found it tricky to figure out how to add the stealer.

Undoubtedly! Every written account I've seen mentions the crew (who were often all family) huddling below around the stove for warmth against the cold wind. A bit more progress on the main hatch. First, I applied a gray wash to the basic framework, so that I won't have to deal with so many glue stains inhibiting the wash later on. Second, I thought the hatch cover looked a little long (although I think it should be longer than the opening, given that it's open on both sides you'd want some overhang) and the middle beam was a little off-center, so I trimmed the over-long side and reattached the crossbeam. I then added the false crossbeam ends, making them from tiny bits of the same material which I pre-colored with a wash. They were extremely tiny, and I lost a couple when they popped out of my tweezers (thankfully I made extra). Hats off to those of you who work in tiny scales. I glued them to the sides of the hatch cover framework and faired the tops once the glue fully cured overnight, sanding very cautiously. Once the hatch cover is planked, it should trick viewers into thinking that all those crossbeams are there, unless they look closely. I then began planking, again using pre-wash-colored planks. The exterior will receive further coloration later. Finally, two questions: 1) I've been finalizing the sanding of the hull. Unfortunately, there are still a couple low points at the bow (see below). If I add a bit of filler here, will it still leave the individual planks visible once I paint the hull, or am I better off just sanding more? 2) Unfortunately, I dropped the hull on the hard floor while sanding, and it dented the aft end of the keel (see below). I suppose the best way to deal with this would be to cut out a larger squared-off chunk around this, replace it, and use sanding and filler to get rid of the cut marks?

Looks like a fun kit!

Thanks, all! I've never used sanding sealer under an acrylic wash before, so I decided to test how it looks with some scrap decks. I also was curious as to whether I could achieve an acceptable color with solely acrylics instead of alternating layers of stain and acrylic washes. On both scrap decks, the left half was left untreated before painting, while the right half received a coat of sanding sealer followed by a light fine-grit sanding. The top scrap deck was colored with alternating acrylic washes using colors directly out of the paint jar. For the bottom, I mixed specific colors and made washes out of them. For the top scrap deck, the four combos are, from left to right: 1a) black and dark brown washes on untreated wood, 2a) the same but with an added caramel-brown wash, 3a) the same colors as 2a but on wood treated with sanding sealer, and 4a) black and dark brown washes on sanding sealer. For the bottom scrap deck, the four combos are, from left to right: 1b) mostly a dark gray wash with a bit of dark brown wash on untreated wood, 2b) more dark brown wash on untreated wood, 3b) the same as 2b but on sanding sealer, and 4b) the same as 1b but on sanding sealer. Overall, while I quite liked the gray color, I think the top scrap deck looks closest to the brown decks that appear in photos, and 2a looks pretty similar to my favorite result from earlier tests with stains (which is just above the scrap deck in the photo). As a result, I think that I may not need to use stains after all. As for the sanding sealer, I had thought that it would even out the grain. While it did that for the first few layers, I feel like the unsealed wood ended up pretty consistent. I've also made progress on the hatch covers. For the fore hatch, I found several possible construction methods. One, seen below, just uses a few crossbeams to hold the hatch planks together. Source: https://www.memoriasdelsigloxx.cl/601/w3-article-86081.html However, I decided to go with the slightly more complex construction shown below, where a boxlike frame fits around the coaming. The frame will make it easier to prop open the hatch with a stick, as in the photo. Source: https://www.carlosvairo.com/galeria-puerto-montt-lanchas-chilotas I began by making the frame out of 1/16‐inch square basswood strip, building it around the coaming. I then planked it. Photos show that the fore hatch was planked side-to-side. I think it looks slightly bulky in the closed position, but when I hold it open, the size looks better. Finally, the exterior will be colored to match the deck. But I suspect the interior would be a bit less weathered, so I only applied a bit of wash there. The main hatch is a bit more complicated. As seen below, it's open at front and back, and there are lightly cambered crossbeams notched into tall side walls. Source: https://www.carlosvairo.com/galeria-puerto-montt-lanchas-chilotas There should be around 8 or so crossbeams. These posed a challenge: how could I make so many and all consistent? I also didn't want to make them by bending wood, as if they naturally opened a bit, the hatch sides would be pulled out at an angle. Moreover, that's a lot of notches to carve, and the notches are very fragile. My first attempt at the sides had to be discarded when the wood split around the notches. After some thought, I decided that modeling is in part about tricking viewers by taking advantage of what will be hidden on the finished build--like the underside of the hatch. I then carved just three crossbeams--enough to provide a decent gluing surface for the covering--and will glue on the exposed ends of the rest afterward. From the outside, it will look like a proper hatch, but on the inside, it will be greatly simplified. I then glued together the framework. Next up I'll need to fair the top slightly before adding the covering.

Nice job on the frame! You asked about fairing. Looking at the edges of the frames, I think you need to fair substantially more, especially near the bow and stern. Fairing does two things: first, it allows the planking to take a smooth curve without any lumps or low poinrs, and second, it angles the edge of the frame to match the shape of the planking there, so that the plank isn't just barely glued to a corner but can be properly glued with more surface area. Generally when fairing, you'll leave very little of the laser char on the edge of the frames (although you usually want to leave a little, as otherwise you may deviate from the frame shape). The best way to see if you've faired properly is with a batten--a long, thin, flexible strip of wood. Place the batten along the frames and check if it contacts all the frames, if any are too high and need to be sanded more, and if any are too low and need to be built up. Then repeat at different distances from the keel, covering the whole hull. I think that fairing more at the bow would give you more surface area to affix your plank, too. Also, you mentioned that you're planning on planking first one side, then the other. I'd recommend instead placing a plank on each side in turn. Otherwise, if it's not balanced, the pressure of the planking can warp the underlying structure and twist the hull, which cannot be fixed later. You're off to a good start, and this site has lots of resources and information, some a bit buried in other build logs. Looking forward to following along with your build!

Very cool, the parts look great! Another option might be, if you haven't already checked, to see if a public library near you has a makerspace. I was able to use one during my most recent visit to the US to laser-cut parts for an upcoming build. They taught me how to use the software, the only cost was for the materials. They also had a CNC router and a 3D printer, although I didn't use them, and my wife had fun learning how to use their Cricut machine. Depending on what's available near you, it could be another good option, although it sounds like Print A Thing was very fast and reasonably priced.

Looks like a tricky hull to plank!

I have yet to visit the Caribbean, although I hope to someday. It's interesting what gets taken up and what doesn't. About a month ago, I visited the small river town of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. In the 19th century, it was a relatively important port, where goods from Oaxaca were brought by trajinera barges (which interestingly have very little in common with the trajineras of Mexico City) to be transferred to ocean-going ships, but river trade declined after the construction of a railroad across the isthmus of Tehuantepec. Today fishing for local markets is a common activity, and fishermen have totally adopted locally-made fiberglass boats. Interestingly, they favor smaller, narrower vessels than the pangas I've seen elsewhere, while fishermen in the nearby seaport of Alvarado use both types. Below, the smaller vessels are in the foreground, while the tour boat at back left is the type of panga I've seen elsewhere. Boatbuilding in Tlacotalpan: Back to the lancha: while finishing planking the deck, I sanded down the already-complete starboard side. As can be seen below in comparison with the unsanded port side, sanding really made a difference and got rid of most of the unevenness. Continuing on the port side, I finally was down to the last plank, which turned out to be slightly smaller than its starboard counterpart. Rather than the trial-and-error method I had previously used, I decided to follow my hull planking method and use tape to mark out the plank. This helped in getting the rough shape, but there was still a lot of trial-and-error testing, sanding, and testing again. Finally, it was on. I was then able to remove the hatch coamings and mast partners and sand the deck. I still need to use a finer grit of sandpaper on everything. Next, I need to build the hatch covers, which with the coamings will be stained and painted the same as the deck.

Sounds like a good plan to me. This build is coming along well!

Thanks, I'll definitely add that Doran article to my reading list! I have access to the 1981 edition of Pyle's book. Given that the more recent edition has fewer pages, I'm not sure if they shrunk the images or what. Pyle's lines plans were taken from existing boats, and tend to be relatively simple--deck plans, if included, are very rudimentary. The book also includes a lot of photos. For the smaller, open boats, Pyle's plans plus the photos would probably be sufficient for building over a mold and adding frames later. The larger sloops and schooners would require a lot more reconstruction work for the deck and rigging details. Here's a typical example of the plan drawings for a larger vessel. Actually, it has slightly more detail than usual, showing the deck house in the side view. Plans for some of the smaller boats are shown here and at some of the links in the article text: https://indigenousboats.blogspot.com/2010/11/?m=1

The decline of artisan crafts is definitely sad to see. In Mexico, the tourist trade has played a major role in keeping craft traditions alive, at the same time that it has in some cases significantly changed the products themselves. Downtown Mexico City still has a few specialist artisans--I recently wandered across a very interesting old-fashioned leather worker shop, for instance. Interestingly, I’ve come across another useful source on the lancha chilota, something I should have encountered earlier. Finding it was a bit circuitous. While skimming Clean Sweet Wind: Sailing Craft of the Lesser Antilles by Douglas C. Pyle (Preston: Easy Reach Press, 1981), which is itself a fascinating book with many lines plans, I came across a reference to The Tortola Boat: Characteristics, Origin, Demise by Edwin Doran, Jr. (Supplement to The Mariner’s Mirror, Vol. 56 No. 1 [1970]). After checking it out online, and finding it to be a very detailed work—a modeler could use this to make a very accurate build—I realized that I hadn’t fully checked out The Mariner’s Mirror before. It doesn't have all that many articles on vernacular workboats of Latin America (although there are a few), after a bit of searching, I came across “Commercial Sail and Small Fishing Craft of Western South America” by Clinton R. Edwards (The Mariner’s Mirror, Vol. 53 No. 4 [Nov., 1967], pp. 357-370). Although it doesn’t include any plans, it’s a highly useful source on small craft on the Pacific Coast at midcentury, from an author I was familiar with from his Aboriginal Watercraft on the Pacific Coast of South America (Ibero-Americana 47, 1965), which focuses on indigenous designs (e.g., dugouts, reed boats, etc). The Mariner's Mirror article barely discusses the lancha chilota, though, noting that it had already been discussed in a previous article: “The Lancha Velera of Chiloé,” also by Clinton R. Edwards (The American Neptune, Vol. 26 No. 1 [January 1966], pp. 33-36). This whole process made me realize that I hadn’t been making full use of The Mariner’s Mirror and The American Neptune. While The Mariner’s Mirror does have a search function to find articles and keywords, I can’t seem to find anything like that for The American Neptune, probably because it’s no longer published. Does anyone know if there’s an index of some sort for the entire journal? In any case, the Edwards article from The American Neptune is useful, though brief, and much of what it says is similar to information in the Vairo article mentioned several months ago—although Edwards did his research in 1958 and Vairo in the early 1980s—and confirms what I’ve gleaned from photos. A few points are worth noting. First, Edwards does not really comment on the lancha’s origins, although he mentions that larger schooner-rigged vessels were built in the region for the coastal trade before the introduction of motor vessels (suggesting a design affinity if not necessarily a line of development), and his Mariner’s Mirror article includes some general references to the Euro-American origins of many small craft designs from South America’s pacific coast. On the lancha’s form and sailing abilities, Edwards describes is as “a shallow draft, potbellied little sloop, designed more for strength and cargo capacity than for speed. The hull, with its long, straight keel and ample midsection, is well adapted for beaching, but sailing qualities, especially windward capability, are sacrificed in this design. The rounded and rather hard bilges, together with a wide beam, make for stability, a necessary feature for the sometimes stormy waters of the gulf” (33). Taken together with Vairo’s comments about lanchas being slow to turn, it’s pretty clear that these were far from speedy, but why would they be? Unlike, say, a fishing boat that needed to be fast and weatherly to quickly get a fresh catch to market, the lancha was designed for wholly different purposes. The article includes a few details that, taken with photo evidence, may impact the final appearance of my build. On painting, Edwards describes the lancha as generally black on the exterior, occasionally with white bulwarks, and with the deck, hatches, and coamings left unpainted (33-34). The different-colored bulwarks that I’ve seen in some color photos may have been a later development. On the rigging, Edwards notes that steel wire has practically totally replaced rope in the standing rigging. “The rigging is set up with rope lanyards rove through rigging eyes and chain plates. Manufactured fittings such as turnbuckles and rigging shackles are rare. Many of the metal fittings are fashioned from miscellaneous scraps of iron which are bent crudely and adapted to use as marine hardware. Often, lengths of wire or iron chain are made up in rather ragtag assemblies to repair broken shrouds or stays” (34). This helps explain the reasoning behind the often bedraggled-looking stays that I’ve noted in photos. One interesting tidbit is that caulking was usually made out of the inner bark of the larch tree, rather than cotton, which seems to me to be a continuation of similar techniques used for making sewn-plank dalcas prior to the development of the lancha. Indeed, Edwards notes that the use of traditional techniques “such as hand-hewn lock joints, socketed frames, and use of treenails, which have all but disappeared in modern boatbuilding, are preserved in the trade here” (35). On lancha construction, Edwards notes that lancha building was concentrated in Chonchi and Quellón on Chiloé island itself, and in the mainland port of Calbuco, with Chonchi having a reputation for especially durable boats. Notably, Edwards states that boatbuilding itself was done by professionals, as specialization was required given the complex nature of the work, but “one or two boatwrights capable of making extensive repairs may be found in almost any town among the islands, and the farmers themselves are generally adept at maintenance and minor repairs” (35). As he makes it clear, lanchas were typically owned by farmers and used for carrying produce and other small cargos, such as lumber. One further question that I have, then, has to do with how farmers ended up purchasing their lanchas. Was it a cash transaction, or was there an element of barter or even of the communal mutual work obligations that Daughters noted as continuing into the 20th century? How expensive was a lancha, and what proportion of farmers actually had one? How did this compare with the dalcas used previously? And how did all of this change over time? Answering these questions, which would likely require work in notarial records, would help to better piece together the relationship between the rise of the lancha chilota and the spread of the market economy on Chiloé, an issue I pointed to in an early post here. Another interesting point raised by Edwards, echoing other sources I’ve referenced, is that most lancha bows were “usually plumb or only slightly overhanging” (33). This is definitely not the case for this model, but though it may be a bit unusual it’s not necessarily inaccurate. See, for instance, this vessel, the Marisol del Carmen. Source: https://www.latercera.com/paula/aprendices-de-chilote/ (As a side note, the Marisol del Carmen was unfortunately wrecked by a storm in 2018, thankfully without loss of life.) Source: https://www.soychile.cl/Puerto-Montt/Sociedad/2018/06/01/536776/Lancha-chilota-naufrago-en-la-costanera-de-Puerto-Montt.aspx As for the build itself, I’ve been busy this week so I’m still making very slow progress on planking the deck. The most interesting other thing that I’ve done has been to paint the interior of the fore hatch and the parts of the main hatch that would be visible with the cover cracked open. These are hardly great paint jobs, but are intended just to leave the interior dark and shadowy. I’ve decided that the fore hatch will definitely be left open, but the main hatch will depend on whether I can convincingly hide the central spine of the model, which otherwise is very visible even with a coat of black paint. Options include just adding a black panel to cover it, or adding some cargo—either a representation of a load of lumber, or a sack or two to represent produce, like those I added to the cargo canoa build.

Great start!

Thank you, all, for your input. I hadn't really been thinking of displaying the model resting on the guarda playa, but I may need to reconsider. Going for a full diorama could be interesting, but I think I'll stick with a simple wooden base this time around, as I've been looking forward to using the cherry board and I think the wood tones will contrast nicely with the black painted hull. Wefalck, it's interesting how starting modeling has changed how I look at materials encountered in everyday life. Suddenly, so many items seem full of possibility. Just the other day I was walking past a hat shop and noticed that they sell some kind of long, straight, narrow straw material. It would have been extremely useful for the thatching on the Canoa de Rancho build, and would likely be ideal if I ever decide to model a reed boat. Anyway, I've finished planking the starboard side. Fitting the last plank was quite the challenge. I should note that I've seen no evidence of the planks being nibbed into the covering board. I also didn't end up following a set butt shift pattern, instead just trying to avoid placing any too close together. I've also been making a little more progress on the port side. I've discovered that the model isn't perfectly symmetrical, so I'll be carefully measuring at every step to ensure a relatively even planking job. This first plank alongside the main hatch, for instance, needs to be slightly narrower on the port side than on the starboard side. I think slight differences in plank width will be less noticeable than having a different number of planks per side. I think that sanding the decking will smooth out some of the dark lines between planks.

Thanks Paul! I have considered it, I think it could be a very interesting option. It would definitely be unique and also true to life. That said, I think it would also somewhat obscure the curves of the hull, and it would also preclude displaying set sails. I'm still deciding whether I want the sails set or furled.

No worries! I do when I'm in the US, but I'm usually limited to what I can pack in a carry-on and I generally buy sheets rather than strips as they're more useful for my hull planking method. In the future I may try to get more strips though. Unfortunately, so far all I've found in Mexico City is 1/16‐inch basswood sheets, and a wide variety of balsa wood (which is not very useful for modeling). On another topic, I'm trying to figure out the base for this model, so that I can do any required drilling on the bottom before anything fragile has been permanently added to the topside. I liked the sort of "scaffolding" I did for the Canoa de Rancho, but I want to do something different on this build. On my last trip to the US, I placed an order with Joe at Modeler's Sawmill for, among other things, a 4x16x3/16-inch cherry sheet. (I'm quite pleased with the order, and highly recommend the shop.) The wood will make a nice base. 3/16 is a bit on the thin side for a base, but I'm planning on thickening it a little with a cheaper wood on the bottom, and then adding a thicker trim around the edges, either in cherry or in a contrasting lighter wood. I plan on finishing it with linseed oil, as I did with the basswood of the NRG Half-Hull. Aa can be seen, it's a bit oversized, so I can get some extra usable material by trimming it down to an appropriate size. I'm thinking of two options for how to mount the model. One would be to make a simple wooden cradle, based on a pair of bulkhead shapes from the plans. This option would require the least amount of work on the bottom of the hull--at most, just a small hole in the keel for a pin. That said, I'm not crazy about how cradles can interrupt the smooth lines of a hull. So, the second option would be to support the model on two lengths of brass tubing running into holes in the keel. It would have an effect kind of like what I did on the Juana y José cross-section, below (although there the posts are wood, and they actually fit around the keel, which is very thin). This option would much better show off the hull. The challenge is with drilling into the keel. The keel is 3/16-inch thick basswood, so I don't want to choose tubing that's too thick. Moreover, ideally I'd like to drill the mounting hole into the false keel, as well, which would make for a much stronger mounting, but the false keel is only 1/8-inch thick and thus would require even thinner tubing to create a reasonably secure mount--I think 1/16-inch tubing is about the thickest I can reasonably use, although I'm not sure if that's so thin that it will bend too easily. My best bet may be to position the holes where the bulkheads are located, so that there's a bit more wood to support everything. However, this brings me to the other challenge: the difficulty of drilling straight and perfectly centered, especially as the sheer makes it impossible to position the boat upside down such that the waterline is perfectly flat and even. Thankfully, at least there's no drag on this hull, and the waterline is parallel to the keel. To deal with this challenge, I think my best bet would be to make a drilling jig with scrap 3/16‐inch basswood. By measuring carefully and drilling a pilot hole from both sides, I can theoretically get centered perpendicular holes the proper distance apart, and I can place the jig on the keel to hold the pin vise properly squared and centered to drill into the keel and false keel. It would be a relatively simple matter to mark the depth on the drill bit with a bit of tape or something so that it sits evenly on the base. At least, that's the plan. If it doesn't work, I can always go with the cradle option.

Thanks, all! @Keith Black, I agree that they're not the best quality lumber, but Midwest strips aren't available here. @Jim Lad, not all coffee stir sticks are the same, but some are surprisingly decent quality. In the photo below, the ones on the right are pretty atrocious. I only grabbed them for paint mixing, although I'm now thinking they could be cut up to represent a cargo load of rough-milled lumber. The sticks in the center/center-left are the two types that I'm using. Although some are inconsistent and unusable (see the two on the far left), in general they have a relatively even grain and can just be lightly sanded on the edges to even up the sides before use. Widths aren't perfectly consistent, which would be a problem if I were making, say, a ship of the line, but this is acceptable for a small workboat that in real life at times had deck planks of inconsistent width. @Glen McGuire, that could have worked, but then the center plank would have been off-center unless I removed all the planking and started from scratch. I ended up slightly widening the two replacement planks. Although the plank that goes to the edge of the hatch is still wider than its counterpart on the other side, it's less noticeable now. In any case, before I continued on the port side, I needed to frame the fore hatch. This was surprisingly tricky for two reasons. First, due to the deck camber, the pieces needed to be joined at an angle. This took some work to get right, and I had to redo a couple of the parts. Second, there was nothing inside the hatch hole with which to hold the coaming in place. After trying and discarding a friction fit--too much risk of the coaming falling in and being lost forever--I carefully super-glued in a few supports, two in the fore corners and a long thin one along the aft edge. With this, the fore hatch coaming is ready and I can continue planking the port side. I've also made progress on the starboard side.

After some consideration, I decided to remove the two planks from the port side. I can replace them with slightly thicker planks and end up with a more even planking job. They came off pretty easily after being soaked in rubbing alcohol--while there's a lot of surface area glued, the glue joint isn't all that strong as I'm not able to clamp any of these planks. I'll just make sure to secure any cleats that may have a bit of pressure on them not only with glue, but also with a pin. In any case, I've continued planking the starboard side. I'll just need to take care that the port side planking matches.

Thanks! Planking the deck seemed to be going well. However, I then ran into a problem. The coffee stir sticks I'm using for planking are not wholly even. I thought that I was doing a good job of evening them with a bit of sanding, and they seemed close enough. However, as I reached the edge of the main hatch (which is centered), I found that the port plank needs to be a full 1/16-inch wider than its starboard equivalent. The three previous port planks were all slightly narrower than their starboard equivalents. Individually it's not really noticeable, but the cumulative effect of three in a row like that really added up. Below, you can see how the rightmost plsnk is notably wider. So, I'm now trying to figure out how best to deal with this. The simplest option would be to just leave it as it is--as discussed in earlier posts, the real vessels certainly had some irregular-width planks on their decks. I'm concerned that this will look a bit off, though. Below, you can see how that would look, roughly, with further planks loosely held in place with rubber bands. My sense from this is that the wide plank running into the hatch is still quite noticeable. The other option would be to remove one or two of the port side strakes and replace them with slightly wider ones, so that the plank running into the edge of the hatch could be a bit narrower. I could remove all three to fully redo it, but I think I could disguise the irregularity just fine with just one or two new ones. In any case, this is a definite issue with using coffee stir sticks as modeling material. They seem fine overall, but I would recommend checking carefully with a gauge to make sure they're even.