Peerless 1893 by Cathead - 1:87 - sternwheel Missouri River steamboat

[John Ruy]

Excellent Eric… Stunning.   
 

John

[JacquesCousteau]

Very well done, congratulations on finishing an excellent and highly original model! I've greatly enjoyed following along on this build, and look forward to whatever you build next--for whatever it's worth, my vote is for that tiny ferryboat with its bargeload of wagons.

[Keith Black]

 Congratulations, Eric. An extremely well done model of an unpretentious working boat. I only hope my future efforts will be half as well done. 

[mbp521]

Congratulations Eric. Another fine build that truly shows your love of the old Missouri River vessels, as well as your expert craftsmanship.

 

It’s about time that I light a fire under my backside and sit back down at the bench and get to work on my build, and your completion of Peerless is just the motivation that I need.

As always, I look forward with great excitement to the next project to hit your bench, no matter how long you keep us waiting. 😁
 

-Brian

[Paul Le Wol]

Eric,congratulations on completing Peerless. Such a fine result. I’m going to miss your updates on this very interesting time and subject. I like the johnboat leaning on its side. More work but hey. Maybe if Peerless is mounted in a diorama the johnboat will be put to work.

[LJP]

Very nice! The details you added really make the model pop. I await your next one.

 

LJP

[wefalck]

Joining in into the chorus! Any crew or passengers foreseen? There should HO-scale figures suitable for conversion, if needed.

[Cathead]

Thank you all so far for the kind comments and likes. Don't forget to chime in on the johnboat question if you want. 

 

As for figures, as I briefly noted earlier, I'm not pursuing that for now but probably will in the final display context since I'll need other figures across that landscape anyway. 

[mbp521]

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

Don't forget to chime in on the johnboat question if you want. 

I totally forgot to throw my opinion on this one. I’m thinking it looks best on the aft, turned upside down. It’s readily accessible and keeps the rainwater out.  

 

-Brian

[KeithAug]

Well young Eric that turned out rather well. I think the deck cargo really adds to the realism and the weathering just lifts the whole boat to another level. I particularly liked the coal impregnated deck boards. I had assumed that the normal practice for river boats of this era would have been to fuel them with wood, but that clearly shows my lack of knowledge. I probably watched too much "Casey Jones" (Cannonball Express) as a child. Probably before your time🙂. Casey always seemed to burn wood.

Really looking forward to your next project - assuming you do a build log?????

[Cathead]

Keith, wood was standard during the peak steamboat era in the mid-1800s, but just like railroads, coal took over in the late 1800s as it became more widely available as it's a more energy-dense and reliable fuel. And since Missouri had (and has) extensive coal deposits, it especially wasn't difficult to shift to coal around here. Peerless was built in 1893, so is much later than the "classic" wood-burning steamboat one tends to think of from the 1840s-1870s or so, meaning I've assumed she was a coal-burner. If you look at my mid-century boats like Arabia or Bertrand, they have stacks of wood on their decks.

 

EDIT: as to your other question, I haven't decided on an off-topic build log. Part of me enjoys the community and the push to keep working, part of me wants to be free of the commitment.

Edited July 20 by Cathead

[mtaylor]

Wow....  your final bits and pieces really bring that boat to life.    Congratulations on your build and looking forward to your display.

[FriedClams]

Excellent job coloring the sacks, crates and other accessories, Eric - they look great.  I particularly like the coal bin and the fact that it's the real thing from your property is an added plus.  Your model has a nice organic rustic feel to it - very realistic.  It suggests the rough service these working boats performed without over doing it.  Looking forward to the final display.  

 

Gary

[Canute]

Another beauty, Eric. I vote for an overturned boat, due to not wanting to have to empty it when it rains. 😄

 

More of an aside: I spent last weekend in Collinsville, IL, outside St Louis at their annual prototype modeling meet. 3D printing is taking over the model RR hobby. The folks doing it are the more modern modelers, but the products cover a longer time frame. They even do people in the usual model RR scales. One fellow will even laser scan you and make prints of you.

[Cathead]

All the kind comments are much appreciated. I haven't done anything with the johnboat yet, due to some serious time commitments lately (more on that in a moment). But I did transfer Peerless to her temporary home in my display case, next to Bertrand; since both are 1:87 scale it's a nice size comparison from a fairly "normal" Missouri River boat and the little Peerless. Arabia, on the shelf above, is actually about the size of Bertrand but is 1:64 so looks larger.

 

The aforesaid time commitments relate to the Missouri River; we spent last week on the road with the Missouri River 340 race, an annual 340-mile cross-state paddle race on the river from Kansas City to St. Charles (near St. Louis). It's billed as the longest non-stop human-powered boat race in the world and takes incredible endurance to complete. Over 400 boats entered this year and a bit over 300 finished.

 

We spent the week chasing the race across the state, acting as ground crew for a participating friend, and volunteering at various boat ramps where racers receive necessary support. We were also filming for a future video for our YouTube channel, a spectator's guide to following and watching the race. I spent a lot of time in the water helping boats land and launch, and offering encouragement to tired racers. If interested, you can read more about the race here. Since you're wondering, we've not done the race ourselves, though we have paddled stretches of the river on our own, but I'm working toward tackling it soon. This isn't strictly model-related but I get the most value out of projects that have a sense of history and place, and being involved with the modern Missouri River gives these steamboat models so much more context and value. So here's a few shots from the race week.

 

A mass of paddlers shortly after race launch, coming along the Kansas City riverfront. This is a small fraction of total race participation. A major steamboat landing for the nascent city was maybe 1/2 mile upriver from here.

A busy ramp servicing hundreds of boats in a few hours (replenishing food/water, answering questions, etc.) I'm in the mix somewhere in one of the bright safety vests. 

A nice sunset along the river, where we biked out to a more remote setting to watch and cheer on racers as dusk fell. Note the lone paddler near Mrs. Cathead; by this point in central Missouri the racing pack has spread out over many tens of miles, so paddlers are often alone for long stretches and appreciate a random cheer from the bank.

Just another way to share the special place that is the Missouri River with you all. 

 

Upcoming weather is not conducive to outdoor photography (heat index well over 100ºF every day) so proper photo shoots will have to wait. Thanks for your patience! 

[Ian_Grant]

Nice model collection!

[mbp521]

59 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Just another way to share the special place that is the Missouri River with you all. 

Thank you Eric. The sunset picture says it all. What a beautiful display of river life. One of the things I truly miss about south Louisiana and living on the Mississippi. 
 

-Brian

[Keith Black]

 Eric, the Peerless fits perfectly into her new home, treasures all. The 340 looks like a blast if one is physically capable, good on ya for helping out. 

[KeithAug]

You are making me jealous again. Lovely river adventure.

[GrandpaPhil]

Eric,

  Amazing work!

[mtaylor]

Wow.... I didn't know there was river race until now, Eric.  Some days I miss living in the St. Louis area.

[Cathead]

Mark, this year was the 19th iteration of the race, so it depends on when you left as to whether you ever had a chance to see it!

 

Thanks for all the comments and such. I'll have a final johnboat to share with you all soon.

[Keith Black]

6 minutes ago, Cathead said:

I'll have a final johnboat to share with you all soon.

  That's a bittersweet statement if I ever heard one, Eric. 

[Cathead]

Keith, are you channeling Tennyson's Across the Bar?

 

So I finally recognized something that was bugging me about my johnboat; it's too tall. It looks like a bathtub. So I cut it down by one whole strake and it looks a lot better. I also added interior ribs and muddied-up the exterior; there's no way any boat that's been in the Missouri River stays white. Here's the new outcome.

 

And here are the three display options, each of which has a historical record:

I'm leaning toward one of the two at the stern; upside down seems a little more practical for keeping water out but on its side shows more detail.

Edited August 5 by Cathead

[mbp521]

On its side, at the stern gets my vote. It shows off the work you put into the interior. 
 

-Brian

[Keith Black]

 Eric, upside down the casual viewer might not realize it's a johnboat, tipped on edge as in the fifth photo leaves no doubt. 

 

 

8 hours ago, Cathead said:

Keith, are you channeling Tennyson's Across the Bar?

 No, just thinking about your comment regarding your future modeling activities. I've throughly enjoyed looking over your shoulders as you built the various paddlewheel craft, I'll miss that. 

Edited August 5 by Keith Black

[Cathead]

47 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

No, just thinking about you comment regarding your future modeling activities. I've throughly enjoyed looking over your shoulders as you built the various paddlewheel craft, I'll miss that. 

LOL, I thought you were getting all maudlin on me, as in "we're all approaching our final johnboat someday".

 

Even if I wasn't shifting to railroading for a bit, I'd be taking a break from riverboats. I've built enough of them that finishing Peerless felt like a bit of a grind. My personality needs a really new challenge every now and then.

[John Ruy]

7 hours ago, Cathead said:

I'm leaning toward one of the two at the stern; upside down seems a little more practical for keeping water out but on its side shows more detail.

I agree Eric, I think you should go with showing more detail. It looks great. 👍 

[KeithAug]

On 8/5/2024 at 3:25 PM, Cathead said:

but on its side shows more detail.

It gets my vote.