Chaperon by Tom in NC – FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1/48 scale – Renamed “Jezebel” and given a new (reimagined) history

[Tom in NC]

KIT OVERVIEW

 

Manufacturer: Model Shipways, U.S.

 

Model: MS2190 Chaperon, Sternwheel Steam Packet, 1884

 

Dimensions: Length 34-1/2”, Beam 7-1/2”, Height 12”

Scale: 1:48

Purchased: 2019

Price:  $269.99

 

Design, plans, instructions & prototype model by Bob Crane

The model you’ll build from Model Shipways'  kit will be a historically accurate (if you want it to be) and perfectly scaled replica almost three feet long. An amazing number of laser-cut basswood and limewood parts make up the hull, superstructure, paddlewheel, gangplank and railings. A photo-etched brass sheet provides incredible ornamental detail. Other brass parts include bell, eyebolts, cleats and nails. Ready-to-use Britannia metal lifeboat, lanterns, capstan and whistle, hardwood blocks and three diameters of rigging line add life-like authenticity. Six sheets of plans and clear assembly instructions pave the way to a magnificent model.

 

Comments from Tom in NC re the kit:  Laser cut parts (and all others) seem to be top of the line as noted above.  Very nice.  The instruction booklet is also pretty good, but leaves several things hanging out there for you to puzzle out yourself.  No biggie.

 

As noted in the title, I’ve reimagined the Chaperon’s history and my revision will affect my build in several ways.  I hope the designer and original builder of this kit, Bob Crane, will forgive the liberties I'm about to take.  

 

The real Chaperon burned and sank in 1922. It was near the end of its useful life and it was hauling freight up and down the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi. I thought that was a rather sad ending for a memorable boat, so I made up a story that said the boat was still afloat after 1922, and that it was given a new and unusual second life. The 1920’s were a significant and unique era in U.S. history, and I just made things up accordingly.

 

Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. It started in 1920 and lasted until 1933.   Many people thought prohibition was a grand idea – but many more did not.  As a result, criminal gangs were able to gain control of the beer and liquor supply in many cities.  The inland waterways in this country provided a handy way to smuggle whiskey and beer to our major cities in the Eastern U.S. – Chicago in particular, where Al Capone and other criminals ruled the roost.  There was a general lowering of inhibitions during that time and some pretty rampant lawlessness ensued. Coincidentally, this period was also known as “The Roaring Twenties.”  Ahhh, yes.

 

Several small cities well south of Chicago, like Hot Springs, AK and Newport, KY, became mob controlled “playgrounds”.  Municipal corruption, open flouting of  liquor laws and other pursuits like gambling and prostitution thrived.  My imagined story has a young Kentucky lad (with questionable ethics and some bad habits) inheriting significant funds from his father, then eyeing this societal situation and coming up with what he thought could be a real money-maker.  He bought a clapped-out old sternwheeler (Chaperon) and spent a good bit of money converting it into a “pleasure” boat.  As you’ll see, it features a nice saloon and casino area, and on the upper deck refurbished and expanded bedrooms.  Did I mention that in addition to plenty of illegal beverages the boat also had a small contingent of rather desirable ladies on board?  Its new name – JEZEBEL – seems appropriate to me. Other luxurious touches, like mahogany decks, would be added, and as we go along with the build I’ll try to point out more of them.

 

 

KEEL & HULL CONSTRUCTION

 

The Chaperon’s single planked hull is rather straightforward.  Its laser-cut components are excellent, and I didn’t encounter any problems getting a well-formed hull structure assembled.

 

The single planking of the hull was also pretty easy (compared to the double-planked hull of the Cutty Sark, my last project).

 

 The instructions suggested that each plank be “clamped” as the glue dried, but I didn’t understand what sort of clamp would do that easily, so I used the same technique I’d learned from the Cutty Sark build (small nails) to hold the planks in place as I worked.  Made the whole process a lot speedier – and the nail holes are easy to fill and hide when you finish the hull.

 

   

I had some nice African Sapele wood left over from my furniture building days and with it I’ll be able to make several nice bases for the models that I hope to build.  In this case there’s a slot for the keel to rest in, and the final attachment is made with drywall screws that come up from the bottom and go directly into the keel.

 

Per the instructions, I attached the base to the finished hull and then taped it all up so it wouldn’t get marred by anything during the assembly process.

    

Poker table, blackjack table and craps table.  Note the obligatory nude painting that will go on the back bar.  You can find ANYTHING on the Internet.  Once I got the main deck in place it was time to consider how to lay out the saloon and casino area I’d imagined.  I also had to figure out how to successfully change the boat’s name.  The wall pieces that were provided had the Chaperon name already stamped in.  What you see above is PowerPoint creations that will wind up as casino table tops, and new name banners for the exterior.  I made some changes later on, and will let you know when we come to them.  

 

Even though the deck pieces were pre-scribed to indicate individual deck boards, I decide to re-plank them (partly because I like the look better, but also because I wanted them to look like mahogany decks when I was done).  Can’t have old oak deck boards on a “pleasure” boat can you?

I applied mahogany stain to the deck boards, and covered the floor in the future saloon/casino area with a book cloth that simulates plush wall-to-wall carpeting.  Note that the back bar element is in place here.  The white decking is just to jazz up the area around the boiler and the boarding ramp.

Here’s my tentative placement of the bar and casino elements. Better chairs are on their way from a supplier in England.

I ultimately solved my renaming problems by flipping all of the exterior walls and then covering them with matte-finish photo paper.  This wall had the “Jezebel” name and suggestive artwork on it.

On the opposite walls I cut out “viewing windows” so that people looking at the model after it's finished will be able to get a peek at the interior modifications.

The front boarding stairs were a little tricky, mainly because there are quite a few small parts and a too-tight squeeze here or there during assembly can easily break them.  Don’t ask me how I know that.  Note the completed boiler on the deck just behind the stairs – and the inexpensive turntable that is quite helpful during ship construction.

While waiting for the furniture I ordered, I started preparing the second deck – which is referred to as the “boiler” deck even though the boiler is on the deck below.  In the picture above you can see the four sections glued together and the beginnings of my deck planking like I did on the lower deck.  An added benefit is that my planking covers up that egregious joint between the four sections.

The walls for the bedroom area on the “boiler” deck proved to be something I couldn’t do well.  Perhaps it was the material, or just that I’m not as skilled as the guy who built this thing originally.

 

The side and back walls all have curved ends, and according to the directions you are to bend the material using the forms that are at the upper part of this picture. Theoretically, you can simply slide the ends of the wall into the form and then gently bend them to shape.  You might want to apply some heat, but wetting them is a no-no.  If they still don’t bend readily, you’re encouraged to use an Exacto knife to cut the pre-scribed lines a bit deeper. 

 

Uh-huh.  You can see how well that all worked out for me.

            

Plan B. I applied carpet tape to the place where the bends were to start, then cut clean boards the same size as the boards I ruined, and stuck them to the tape one at a time.  Not particularly elegant, but it worked.  

                   

Here’s some fun.  It seems that the outer boards on the bedroom walls were all installed vertically, and this resulted in the need to install vertical battens to keep them all joined.  I didn’t count how many of these danged things had to be glued on, but it was more than several.  Despite the tedium, when I painted the panels and put on the doors & windows, the batten effect looked pretty darn nice to me.

 

And it got me to thinking about the plain walls I’d created on the lower deck.    Sooo…

      

 

Today I loaded a pretty good supply of “hootch” where the bartender could get at it without too much trouble.  Whiskey barrels also make nice bar stools.

 

That’s it for now.  I’ll move briskly ahead when my 1/48 scale furniture arrives.

 

I’m not sure how I’m going to provide viewing opportunities for the expanded and more luxurious bedrooms, but hopefully I’ll think of something besides a “lift-off” top panel.

 

By the way, I grew up just 30 miles from Cincinnati and the Ohio River, so riverboats have always been an interesting subject for me.

 

If there’s a God Of Boat Models, maybe someday someone will come up with a great model of the Delta Queen – arguably the most famous sternwheeler our great inland waterways ever saw.  Believe it or not, after serving many years as a floating hotel in Chattanooga, TN the old girl is being refurbished to go back into service.  Hot damn.  

 

In my younger days Newport, KY was still a pretty corrupt place, but I think it has since seen a much-needed renaissance and is a fine city to live in now.  I imagine the same can be said about Hot Springs, AK.   Not sure how the rich Kentucky kid’s Jezebel story will end, but I hope you are enjoying the concept.

 

 

 

[Bob Cleek]

1 hour ago, Tom in NC said:

If there’s a God Of Boat Models, maybe someday someone will come up with a great model of the Delta Queen – arguably the most famous sternwheeler our great inland waterways ever saw.  Believe it or not, after serving many years as a floating hotel in Chattanooga, TN the old girl is being refurbished to go back into service.  Hot damn.  

 

Don't forget that the sister ships Delta Queen and Delta King were California Delta riverboats in packet service between San Francisco and Sacramento, CA. They were built in Scotland up to the second deck, brought to California, and finished from the second deck up. They were taken over by the government for the war effort and later returned to service. Delta King went up to British Colombia where she was used as housing for lumberjacks or salmon cannery workers, I forget which. It was only after WW II that Delta Queen was towed down and around through the Panama Canal to run in the tourist trade on the Mississippi. Delta King was brought back to in the San Francisco Bay and Delta, by a series of investors planning to put her in the tourist trade like her sister, but she languished for a long time and deteriorated, sinking at her dock. She was eventually purchased by a colleague of mine, Charlie Coyne, who had the resources to restore her for use as a floating hotel in "Old Town," in Sacramento, CA, where she has been a big success now for close to forty years. She is not operational under her own power (IIRC, her engine has been removed.) Charlie used to have a very nice, large, professionally-built cased model of her in his office. I haven't in his office in years, but I expect the model is still there. He still owns Delta King, as far as I know.

 

 

 

Photo credit: By J.smith - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5008173 c 

[Tom in NC]

Bob:

 

That's a wonderful bit of history.  I had never heard of the Delta King before.  When I was a lad in the late 40's the Delta Queen had arrived on the Ohio River and I believe she was actually based in Cincinnati.  She may have been the largest sternwheeler on the rivers at that time and every visit to Cincinnati was widely covered in Cincinnati papers.  Eventually she became involved in an annual race with the Belle of Louisville, (from Louisville to Cincinnati, I think) which had people crowding the shores to watch.  Very popular event and obviously great PR.

 

More info on each boat can be found on Wikipedia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_King   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Queen

 

Now, did you have any opinions re the crazy way I'm building the Chaperon/Jezebel?

 

Tom Hoxie

 

[Cathead]

Tom,

 

You're pretty deep in already, but Kurt Van Dahm sells an excellent extended tutorial on building this kit that I highly recommend. It would have answered some of the questions you've already passed by and will almost certainly answer more down the road.

 

Is part of your narrative is that the boat is moored somewhere for good, as the gambling tables have taken over the engine room?

[Tom in NC]

Eric:

 

I thought I answered your post this afternoon, but I don't see my reply here so I guess I still haven't figured out all the puzzles re build log posting, etc.    This whole site can be rather opaque, or maybe I'm just sliding into dementia faster than I realize.

 

I'll look at what Kurt Van Dahm has to offer.  As far as the engine room being given over to the casino on Jezebel you have a great point. 

 

I'll try to come up with a plausible explanation.  Plausibility ain't truth, but what the heck.   Here's a stab at this quandary ...

 

Some of the most inventive people in the world are hotrodders.  They've managed to devise some very unusual methods of locomotion far beyond what's standard.  For instance, in 1960 Mickey Thompson showed up at the Bonneville Salt Flats intending to break the Land Speed Record with his Challenger l streamliner -- which was powered by powered by four supercharged Pontiac V8 engines, .  He almost succeeded.   

 

How about if our young Kentucky lad came up with a plan to power Jezebel with four Ford Model T engines?  I can imagine getting rid of the huge steam engine, and hollowing out some hull space below the casino floor for that purpose.  It would occupy a lot less space, and save a lot of weight.  If he could pull that kind of modification off he could eliminate the need for the huge boiler, perhaps disguising it and packing it with  elicit whisky storage.  It would also allow space previously devoted to coal or lumber fuels to be used for something else.  The Jezebel didn't have to be "just" a pleasure boat.  Smuggling was a pretty profitable enterprise in those days.  That explanation strains credulity, but my story about Jezebel was already doing that. 

 

Thanks for making me think things through.  This is fun.

 

TOM

 

Now let's see if clicking "submit reply" works this time.

 

[druxey]

You really should consider writing the book as well, Tom! it's a great yarn you are spinning.

[Tom in NC]

druxey:

 

I'm glad you're enjoying it.  Writing a book would probably be fun -- I did a lot of writing during my career -- but boat building has captured my interest right now, and at the age of 76 I'd really hate trying to start a new career that involved deadlines.  With guys like Cathead watching me make mistakes and forcing me to invent some sort of excuse is about as fun as this gets.

 

Loving it all...

[Cathead]

I think your fella converts the boiler, not just into storage, but into a giant liquor tank. Different spirit for each boiler tube and taps running to the bar, maybe converting the steam lines for this purpose.

[Tom in NC]

Sheer genius.  I'll build that idea into the story.  I'm still working on the engine problem.  While trying to ascertain what type of engine and HP the Chaperon boasted I ran across your exceptional thread about steamboats. I'm pretty sure that my off-the-cuff idea about four Model T engines would provide way too little power.  Four of them could only reach about 80-100 HP @ 1600 RPM, and if you multiply their torque (83 ft-lbs @ 900 RPM) by 4 you're still not getting a lot of ooomph.  Knowing you're watching me, and what your level of expertise is, I'll need to be careful not to too carried away with my fantasies.  The steam engine is irrevocably gone on this boat, so maybe Jezebel will wind up being a wharf queen after all.  By the way, I'm a cat lover too so go easy on me. 

[Bob Cleek]

13 hours ago, Tom in NC said:

Sheer genius.  I'll build that idea into the story.  I'm still working on the engine problem.  While trying to ascertain what type of engine and HP the Chaperon boasted I ran across your exceptional thread about steamboats. I'm pretty sure that my off-the-cuff idea about four Model T engines would provide way too little power.  Four of them could only reach about 80-100 HP @ 1600 RPM, and if you multiply their torque (83 ft-lbs @ 900 RPM) by 4 you're still not getting a lot of ooomph.  Knowing you're watching me, and what your level of expertise is, I'll need to be careful not to too carried away with my fantasies.  The steam engine is irrevocably gone on this boat, so maybe Jezebel will wind up being a wharf queen after all.  By the way, I'm a cat lover too so go easy on me. 

 

It's a good yarn, but, like Patrick O'Brien writing his Aubrey and Maturin yarns, you have to do a lot of research to make sure you get it right. The credibility of the fictional yarn depends on that. I'd suggest that you study steam engineering before going further with your re-powering theories. Steam (external combustion) horsepower does not equate with internal combustion horsepower. Steam is all about tremendous torque generated by the compression energy of live steam expanding in a pressure vessel (i.e. a boiler.) Steam power generates torque. Internal combustion, on the other hand, generates speed, but not so much torque. A paddle wheel demands large torque forces to turn it, as does a steam "wheel" (propeller. There is a lot of difference between a steam wheel and an internal combustion engine propeller.) The paddle wheel doesn't have to turn fast because of this. The internal combustion engine makes up for its inherent lack of torque with speed. It's propeller takes a smaller "bite" of the water, but spins much faster. Gearing down high speed internal combustion engines to produce sufficient torque to turn a paddle wheel on a vessel that size would be a very inefficient use of power.

 

On the other hand, while I'm not sure whether your prototype (Chaperon) used a condensing steam plant. Condensing recycles the the steam back into fresh water. Salt water cannot be run through steam plants without causing damage over time. Ocean-going steamships can't carry enough fresh water to supply their boilers for long voyages, so they condense their steam back into freshwater for reuse. Condensing essentially is the same process as distillation. If fermented mash were boiled in the boilers, the alcohol in the mash would boil before the water did, because alcohol vaporizes at a lower temperature than water. Condensing the alcohol vapor in the steam plant's condenser and draining it off would cause the steam plant to operate as a still ! When the alcohol had been distilled from the mash, the water in the mash could then be boiled to produce steam in the ordinary fashion and thereafter condensed and run to the "hot well" (condensed water storage tank) as usual. The only catch would be that the mash would have to be cleaned out of the boiler, which would be a nasty job. It would be easier to use a separate boiler for the mash, not operated at any great pressure, and run the vapor to a separate condenser. These could be disguised as an auxilliary boiler and condenser to fool the "Revenooers."

 

I just don't see the Model T engines being a workable solution. A 5 HP steam engine will push a 25 foot displacement hull at hull speed, while it takes around 25 HP out of a gas or diesel engine to do the same. The torque requirements of the paddle wheel would stall out the gas engines.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Bob Cleek

[Tom in NC]

Bob:

 

You and Eric (and probably many more in this forum) are so knowledgeable on these arcane topics that a knothead like me hasn't got a prayer of sneaking anything by.  As I hinted to Eric, my revised story line will likely see Jezebel living out her last days as a wharf queen.  With her big steam engine removed to provide room for a saloon and casino she will have to stay lashed to the shore, attracting visitors with flashing lights and hints of pleasures not fully described. I plan to moor her on the banks of the Ohio River in Newport, KY. 

 

Bringing in some facts from Wikipedia, and adding some anecdotal memories of my own, here's why that's the best place for her to be ...  Prohibition under the Volstead Act of 1919 resulted in a widespread illegal sale of alcohol. Many gangsters began to smuggle alcohol into the city to supply citizens and businesses.  Speakeasies, bribery  and corruption became the norm in Newport.  Upscale gambling casinos on Monmouth street added to its "sin city" reputation.  Eventually, investigations for racketeering pushed out the casinos, which were replaced by peep shows and adult strip clubs. Many of the old businesses disappeared when parking became difficult on Monmouth Street and the commercial district opened on the hill of south Newport. Newport retained it's shady reputation up until the early 1980's when she seriously started cleaning up her act.  That cleanup has been mostly successful.

 

I doubt Jezebel could get away with converting her boiler to being a still -- too many tell-tale smells to tip off any "honest" cops that might come around. 

 

I hope despite my simplifying the story, and making it a bit more factual in the process, that you and Eric will help to keep me on the straight and narrow if I stray again.

 

All best,

Tom Hoxie

 

[Bob Cleek]

Why remove her engines and steam plant. There's lots of room on her for engines and everything else you've contemplated. The "steamboat casinos" of the Prohibition Era had to have operating engines to travel on the interstate waterways and stay exempt from local gambling regulations. (Alcohol prohibition was federal, of course, so that applied everywhere except "out side the three-mile limit.")

[Cathead]

In fairness, the kit doesn't provide any engines because they're hidden within a closed superstructure (which Tom has opened up), so Tom would have to scratchbuild them, which he may or may not want to do (they're pretty complicated even in simplified form). They would take up enough room that you couldn't easily fit any other gambling space in that area and it's certain that no one seeking any pleasure would want to be anywhere near them while in operation.  Even quiet, they'd be greasy and dirty enough that fancy gamblers probably wouldn't appreciate the chance to rub up against them. The boat as a whole has more than enough space for all intended purposes, especially up on the boiler deck, so in theory Tom could move a lot of that up there, but that's not the route he's taken so far.

 

Seems to me the most practical propulsion solution in this case would be to install diesel engines and props, leaving the paddlewheel as a dummy. These could all be fit below decks, leaving them out of sight (except the props, which aren't hard to add). Or maybe Tom's fella got his hands on a towboat that he uses to move his pleasure barge around when he needs to.

 

Tom, you've obviously piqued some interest with this yarn of yours, good for you. It's your model, so whatever you decide works best for you and makes you happy is ultimately the right choice.

[mbp521]

Tom,

 

I'm in the process of building my Chaperon and love the direction you have taken her. Nothing like reading a good yarn.

 

I'll sit back a keep an eye on your build with extreme interest. 

 

-Brian

[Tom in NC]

Thanks Brian.  I hope you have as much fun building this model as I have.  Cathead has advised that Kurt Van Dahm sells an excellent extended tutorial on building this kit .  I looked at it, but given how far I've already gotten I passed up the opportunity to buy it.  I'm kinda stubborn and most of the fun I get out of ship building is running into unsolvable problems and solving them myself.  In my last avocation following formal retirement I got into woodworking, then designing and building Asian-inspired furniture.  No formal education, just Googling for answers and a pretty good imagination.  Did it for 16 years and paid for about $15,000 worth of tools two or three times over.

 

Best of luck...

TOM

[the learner]

Looking forward to this build and the evolving story!

[Tom in NC]

2^nd & Final Build Log Entry – Chaperon aka Jezebel

 

My apologies for taking so long to provide some closure on my Jezebel project.  I had two surgeries to remove a large kidney stone in November, and then had gastric bypass surgery in late December.  I’m just now starting to eat soft foods again and I feel fine.  Have lost 30 lbs so far and hope to lose another 100 lbs by year’s end.

 

But enough of that.  I finished Jezebel back in November but failed to do a very good job photographing my last steps.  I’ll share as much as I can using pictures of the finished model.

 

If you’ve read this build log so far you’ll know that my “imagined” history for Jezebel (AKA Chaperon) has seen some changes as various folks made really good suggestions and comments.  So let me get the story back on track in order to eliminate any confusion (or at least try to). 

 

The enterprising young Kentuckian who conceived of making the old Chaperon a “party” boat during Prohibition finally settled on removing her engines and permanently docking her in Newport, KY, right across the river from Cincinnati.

 

I don’t think they had very good aerial or satellite photography in those days, but if they had, here’s what the overhead scene would have looked like.

 

 

The boat shown here is moored facing upstream.  Jezebel was tied up with her port side toward the dock.

 

Having settled on this arrangement, I set about completing Jezebel with several modifications.  As you’ve already seen, I created a saloon and casino area on the lower deck where the engines used to be.  I also figured out a way to expose one of the enlarged bedrooms on the upper deck.  All these spaces were also lighted so that folks could look inside.  Pictures and details coming up.

 

Also, since people were now boarding from the port side, I eliminated the large front gangplank altogether. 

 

Here’s the final layout of the saloon & casino.  The 1/48 scale furniture came from an English company that produces a wide array of dollhouse furniture in several different scales.  The name of that company is Seaside Miniatures and they can be found on Etsy.  You’ll see as we go long that I used a goodly number of their furniture bits, and a few I built myself, to add to Jezebel’s “party” boat theme.

 

 

As I prepared to install the boiler deck (mis-named because the boiler is located on the main deck) it was crucial to dry fit everything carefully. 

 

When laying the individual deck pieces in place I realized that the holes for the 3/32” stationaries were not going to line up.  I did something wrong when completing the main deck that made it a bit wider than it should have been.

 

To cure this problem, I had to widen the boiler deck by inserting a scrap wood spacer down the centerline before gluing it together.

 

 

I also installed deck planks like I did on the main deck and applied mahogany stain to them before attempting to install the boiler deck. 

Note the 3/32” stationaries were all dry-fitted to aid with the final alignment of the deck before gluing it in place. I also used some

blue painter’s tape to line things up.

After applying a liberal amount of wood glue along the top of the lower deck walls I held the boiler deck in place with

two paint cans and let it all dry overnight.  I was greatly relieved to find that it all lined up when it was done.

 

As I installed the boiler deck walls, I devoted a space at the stern end for a large bedroom.  Initially I planned

for viewers to be able to see inside by removing a section of the port wall.  Later on, I decided to remove part

of the “roof” too.

 

Once again, I used appropriate book cloth to represent wall-to-wall carpeting.

 

It was about this time I decided that the saloon, casino and bedroom all had to be lighted.  No way anyone was going

to be able to see inside otherwise.

 

A visit to my local hobby shop revealed that there any number of LED lighting accessories for use in model train layouts.

I selected a battery-powered set with an off-on switch and brought it home to puzzle out how to make it work with Jezebel.

 

There’s a connector for 4 LED lights, an on/off switch and a battery pack.

 

This is a little hard to explain, but I located all the light gear just forward of the bedroom. 

As you’ll see later it will be accessible for battery maintenance via a lift-off panel on the

next deck up.

 

With three of the LED lights in place above the saloon and casino I was happy with the lighting effects.

 

The Hurricane deck house contains the on/off switch for the lights.

 

As mentioned earlier, since Jezebel was to be located with the

starboard side against the dock I eliminated the large gang

plank on the bow. 

 

Here’s the new boarding gate on the starboard side where visitors will

now arrive.  Imagine a set of boarding stairs on the dock.

 

Also note the “lid” on the Hurricane Deck which hides all the lighting

equipment.

 

Here’s a shot with the “lid” removed.  Note that the on/off switch is

located on the Hurricane deck where the wheelhouse will be attached.

 

Here’s the side of Jezebel that river travelers see.   Impressive signage and smokestacks standing tall & proud. 

Probably some honky-tonk music too.

 

Here’s what the bedroom lighting looked like when finished.  Cutting away part of the “roof” as well as the side wall

allows people to get a better view of the furniture arrangement.  It also allowed me to include a lot more detail. 

 

Once again, the 1/48^th furniture bits all come from Seaside Miniatures (find them on Etsy).  Good stuff, nice people.

 

Here’s the casino.  Craps and blackjack tables added later. 

 

Ready to install Hurricane deck details and wheelhouse.  Note that the main deck railing has been cut down

to people-size … horses will no longer be coming aboard … and the uprights and detail grille work has been

added to the boiler/bedroom deck.

 

In this picture the completed wheelhouse has been installed, and the

wheelhouse ladder & railing assembly is just about done.  The square

“patch” on the deck below the ladder is merely a cover hiding the

Unfortunate seams where the decking comes together.

 

I was not looking forward to fabricating the paddle wheel, but it

turned out to be much easier than the double paddlewheels I had

to fabricate on my model of the Portland a year or so ago. Note the

use of a small square to keep the wheel segments aligned while the

glue dried.

 

And now for detail shots of the finished boat …

 

  

Thanks for following along … and for the many comments and good ideas.  This is a fun model to build, and the quality is very good. 

If anything doesn’t look right, it’s my fault.

 

I have no idea what my next project will be, but I’ve had some pretty strange ideas.  How about a 4 ft tall, highly detailed pagoda with

instructions all written in Japanese?  Or maybe a $1,250 model of the Bon Homme Richard?  44” long and complete with all Chinese

language instructions. 

 

Hmmm.  Or maybe something else.

 

See y’all later.

 

Tom Hoxie

Weaverville, NC

[yvesvidal]

Very nice model. I love the theme that you gave it....naughty and spicy, for great evenings and nights!

Are you planning to place some figures, men in elegant suits and ladies in long dresses?

 

Yves

[Tom in NC]

Yves ... thanks for your comments.  No, I don't plan to add any people even though the Statute of Limitations has probably run its course.