To build structures over the decking or plank around them

[Captain Al]

I'm embarking on a do over of a 20 year model of Bluenose II which I purchased at a wooden boat show.  I didn't realize it at the time but the model is less than basic.  I've taken everything off the hull (mast, fittings, bowsprit, rudder and tiller --- like I said, it was pretty basic and took all of 20 minutes to strip the deck clean),  and plan now to start building it back up using pictures I have of Bluenose, scratch building or buying the various pieces I need.

 

My question right off the bat is whether to plank the deck completely and then place items like grates, houses, mast steps, you name it, over the planks -- or is it better to glue down all these things on the plywood deck and then plank around them.  I will put down some bulwarks and waterways before I start planking, but I'm not sure of the other stuff.  On my only other build (Bounty) the deck planks went down first and other things were glued onto them.  Or (for like grates) the planking was cut away.

 

I plan to sand the varnish off the deck before planking it for better glue adhesion.  Here's a pic of the model before I stripped it clean.

[Captain Al]

And here it is now ready for rebuilding.

[RichieG]

I'm interested to hear what the more experienced people have to say, but if it were me, I'd probably plank the whole thing, and then glue stuff on top. That being said, the placement of the deck structures may well affect on how you plank the deck. For example, you may be planning for a certain plank pattern, but if there are two deck structures kind of close together, it seems that the right thing to do is to use whole planks between them (even if that disrupts the plank pattern.) So, if you want to take that detail into consideration, it may well make sense to put down the structures first, and plank around them. (I think that you need to use the scale of the model to figure out how long the longest planks can practically be first, and if the spacing between deck structures is less than that, you should use whole planks between them.)

[jbshan]

Prototype practice would be to install the structures then plank up to them.  It gives a better seating for the framework of the structures, makes the caulking of the deck more efficacious and allows for the replacement of deck planks without disturbing the structures.  Having said that, many build their models the other way around.

[jbshan]

And ... having said all that, what you have seems to be a pond yacht.  Those are sometimes restored with a fine finish rather than as a strictly scale model.  In that case, I would suggest using the current deck surface, mounting the structures on top, to preserve the appearance of the nice piece of wood making up the hull or deck surface.

[druxey]

Seems a pity to 'augment' a nice vintage pond yacht, rather than cleaning and touching up obvious damage. The model was never intended to imitate a true scale yacht.

[wefalck]

Yes, I fully agree. Pond yachts have their own charme ... even though this may be a modern imitation.

[Captain Al]

I apologize to all for not replying to your replies.  I've been hung up with other projects.  So thank you for the valuable insights.  I've never heard of pond yachts.  Maybe I didn't get taken after all.  Given this information I will probably do just as suggested -- make some changes to the little bits of hardware that are needed, refinish the deck and put it back on the shelf.  It always has attracted nice comments from visitors.  Thanks again all for steering me onto the right course.  Not to mention the good points re. my original question.  Yes, there are times and places for different techniques.  No right or wrong ways.