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

[Cathead]

Yeah, I feel like I'm going to be really happy with that approach.

 

She's definitely a much smaller vessel; as a reminder Peerless was 21'x97' (hull) as compared to Arabia (31'x181') or Bertrand (33'x161'), so 30% narrower and 40% shorter than the latter. Here's a photo of the hull next to Bertrand (same scale). In model terms, you're right, she's a lot closer to that tiny Cairo than the other steamboats, though at least the scale is bigger so the details are easier to work with. Sure doubles down on having more workspace in the new workshop!

[FriedClams]

Excellent - another river boat and a great start, Eric.  A terrific new workspace too!  Will be following along with interest.

 

Gary

[Cathead]

A little progress made on the holiday. I was going to start planking the hull when I realized I needed to add the support posts for the rudders at the stern. I have no imagery showing these, so am just copying Bertrand and giving her four. These will be barely visible but I'd feel wrong leaving them out.

 

I cut four very small pieces and hand carved/sanded them to match the slight inward curve of the stern:

One benefit of a waterline model is that it sits nice and flat on a workbench, making it easier to get details squared away! I like this feature...

And here are the completed rudder posts:

Next I planked in the stern, leaving some overlap from the final planking run:

Then trimmed/sanded the planking flush with the bottom and sides of the hull:

Next step is to add a stempost and then start planking. Unless I think of anything else I should do first. Happy July 4th to my American (and British!) readers, and thanks for following along.

 

 

[Cathead]

Planking has begun. It took me a little while to figure out how to clamp planks to this solid hull. I'm more used to bulkhead construction where clamping is easy. I finally figured out that some large binder clips would engulf the entire hull, pressing down on the planks in the middle.

I'm doing both sides simultaneously. It's sporadic; cut/glue/clamp a couple planks, let them dry a while, come back and do a few more. As photos tend to do, this one below is bringing out a few minors faults, like a bit of gap at the most extreme curve in the bow, and the somewhat angular transition from flat center deck to the rise of the bow, despite my attempts to sand that to a smoother curve. I don't find these as obvious in person and they'll be partly hidden anyway by a combination of paint and the overhanging guards. Overall this is going smoothly.

Got a busy day today but will probably be able to get a few more on between other tasks. Thanks for reading! 

[Cathead]

Planking is finished. Took many small bits of time, a few planks here and there in the evening, letting the glue set and coming back to do another. Once I had them all on I sanded things reasonably smooth, including knocking back the filler pieces to match the edge of the planking. The hardest bits were the parts where the planks dip past the waterline at the bow and stern. For these, I just glued full planks past the bottom of the hull, then carefully shaved them down flush once the glue dried. 

Next I gave a first coat of white paint. I plan to sand this down again and reapply another coat. Paint tends to bring out small imperfections in the planking, but on the other hand, this was a rough-built boat and these may actually give it that feel. A too-perfect hull would look awfully...naval. And again, most of this will be in the shadow of the overhanging guards.

I also painted the bottom black, to help create a shadow effect underneath when viewed from the side, hiding any slight unevenness of the hull bottom or sides. This photo has a messed-up color balance because of the white/black contrast but you get the idea.

Next step is a light sanding, another coat of thin paint, and another sanding. When I'm happy with it, I'll start adding the guard/deck beams.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

[JacquesCousteau]

Thanks for the build log, it looks great! Having attempted to scratch-build a model of a Missouri River sternwheeler for a school presentation in middle school--it did not turn out very well--it's really fascinating to see the process of how someone who actually knows what they're doing and has woodworking skills goes about building one of these.

[mbp521]

9 hours ago, Cathead said:

A too-perfect hull would look awfully...naval.

When doing the research on my Cairo, I studied every picture of the City Class boats I could get my hands on as well as a few other boats that would assist me in getting certain details right. One thing in particular that I noticed is that the Brown Water Navy didn’t adhere to many of the more stricter regulations that the Blue Water Navy had in place at the time as far as appearances went. In fact, in some of the photos that I found, the boats were a bit “rough” for Navy standards. My guess would be that since they were on constant patrol and making repairs when they could, this contributed to that “rough” look.
 

With the civilian boats, many were put together on a river bank where there was an abundance of trees for construction, but very little modern construction facilities. They were built on a shoestring budget, operated under the “time is money” category and also had little downtime to keep them looking pristine. One of the draws that fascinates me with the river boats is their “well used, gritty” appearance in just about every photo you can find on them. Especially with the work boats. Personally I think adding this look to a model brings them to a whole different level. 
 

-Brian

[Roger Pellett]

Having lived in an Ohio River town for nearly 20 years, I was impressed with the “can do” attitude of the people who lived there.  I would assume that this would be typical of people living along the banks of the great Western Rivers and away from major population centers.  I have a book in my library describing the machinery, where known, used to propel Confederate Ironclad Gunboats.  In almost every case this machinery was adapted from other uses; steamboats, of course but also sawmills and other industrial applications.  Hull shapes were simple enough to eliminate the need for elaborate drawings and lofting.

 

Roger

[Cathead]

Yep, that's why I'm not worried too much about minor flaws in artisanship. I want this vessel to look cobbled together, well-used, and very local.

[kurtvd19]

Eric:

I don't know how I missed your new project - I guess I have been busier that I thought.  Great subject.  I will be following along.

Kurt

[Cathead]

Kurt, no worries, you haven't missed much! Happy to have your insights as I proceed.

[Cathead]

I've started test-fitting the beams that support the guards. I'd initially planned to use single beams run all the way across the hull, set into the slots I laid out. But I got to thinking, does it need to be that way? It'd save a lot of wood to leave the center of each slot open and use a shorter piece on each side. The photo below shows both options:

 

I'm thinking the right-hand option makes perfect sense. The deck planking will be plenty well supported; is there any need to actually fill all that middle space?

 

Here's one side of the guard beams (mostly) test-fit this way. Notice the spacer block I'm using to get the ends parallel. What do you all think?

 

[mbp521]

10 hours ago, Cathead said:

I'm thinking the right-hand option makes perfect sense. The deck planking will be plenty well supported; is there any need to actually fill all that middle space?

I’m thinking you’re on the right path. You’ll have more cuts to make, but in the end you’ll also save a lot of wood. Since you are also milling your own wood, it’s more time saved.  Plus, the gaps will never be seen. 
 

-Brian

Edited July 23, 2023 by mbp521

[leclaire]

Looks good, Eric. I would agree with using the shorter pieces rather than the full beam approach. No one will see it after laying down the deck anyway. Good idea.

 

Bob

[Keith Black]

 "mind the gap" 

[Cathead]

The only downside I thought of overnight, is that I'll be mounting various small vertical posts along the deck and was planning on using small pins to help anchor them. Where those happen to go through one of those slots, there won't be much support. I guess I could just use long enough pins to ensure they go down into the hull proper.

 

Also, technically I'm still using wood from my scrap box for these beams. Once I start on the superstructure I'll be making my own wood again. 

[mtaylor]

I think you're one the right path with the "split" beams.  The longer pins should work since they also have to through the deck planks and that will be the new reference for what ever needs to be on deck.

[Cathead]

OK, wisdom of the crowd wins. I went ahead and cut/glued most of the guard beams as short segments, doing all those that form a straight edge. To fore and aft, their length will change to support curves at bow and stern, so I'll do those once these dry so they form a solid base for forming the curve. If this doesn't end up being the right decision, it's now all your fault! 

You might notice that, at the bow, I kept the line straight beyond where the hull starts to bend inward. That's because the shape of the deck should form a rounder curve into the bow, not a sharp point as in the hull. This creates an especially broad overhang on either forward quarter, which you can see especially well in the photo below.

I also finally got around to printing out some of my favorite reference photos and pinning them to the tack boards above my new workspace. So here's the current hull with its inspiration.

Another evening this week, I should be able to finish the rest of these beams. Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting!

[gsdpic]

Looking good!  I think you need to source a bunch of small figures of ladies with long skirts and big fancy hats to put on your deck like in that photo.  Should be relatively easy to find HO scale figures.

 

[mbp521]

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

If this doesn't end up being the right decision, it's now all your fault! 

Another casualty of giving into peer pressure. 😁

Truth be told, I think it was the right decision. Blame or no blame. But if it turns out we were right, you have to invite us all over for smoked salmon. 😁
 

-Brian

[Cathead]

Anyone who's in the area is welcome to visit!

[Cathead]

9 hours ago, gsdpic said:

Looking good!  I think you need to source a bunch of small figures of ladies with long skirts and big fancy hats to put on your deck like in that photo.  Should be relatively easy to find HO scale figures.

Ask and ye shall receive:

[Cathead]

And the guard beams are finished! To form the curve at the bow, I soaked and clamped a flexible piece of wood into the approximate curve I wanted, and used it as a guide.

 

As you can see, it didn't bend evenly, so I focused on the port side (right in the view above) as the curve there was smoother. Above, all the beams are just being test-fit. I installed the guides the way I wanted on the port side, then used calipers to transfer the same measurement for the length of the starboard side.

 

Once the glue was dry, I did more test-fitting with the wooden strip and did some sanding and shaping of the beams to ensure they'd hold the curve I wanted. I used the same procedure at the stern, which was much easier. So here are the completed bow, stern, and full hull.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Nice work, Eric.

 

People who have never lived near one of these great rivers probably don’t realize how far apart bridges are.  In days when road travel happened at maybe 6-8 mph getting across the river involved a major trip, possibly requiring several days.  These small river boats were were essential transportation for many people, probably more so than their more glamorous big sisters.

 

Roger

 

 

[Cathead]

I agree, Roger, it's something that's always drawn me more to these working boats than the big showy ones. A fun twist on this for Peerless is that she was built the same year the MK&T railroad began building its line down the Missouri River. Until then transportation for communities on the northern side of the river was still river-based, as roads were few and the terrain was pretty rugged. It's possible that she helped carry supplies for the railroad crews upriver, contributing to the very project that would eventually undermine her economic viability.

 

Not to mention, road bridges were especially rare over a river as big as the Missouri. The MK&T bridge at nearby Boonville was one of the first built over the lower Missouri, and a road bridge didn't come along until much later. Without ferries or other steamers, the opposite side of the river might as well have been the moon. Even today you have to drive a long way between road bridges over the Missouri.

 

And like the Ohio River, much of the terrain along the lower Missouri was/is quite rugged, making river travel essential. Railroads were very late to penetrate the especially rugged Ozark terrain south of the Missouri, making steamers like Peerless last in service much longer than in more accessible areas.

[Jim Lad]

For some reason I've only just caught up with your latest build, Eric.  I agree that the humble work boats - large or small - have a special charm that their more glamorous sisters can never emulate.

 

John

[Roger Pellett]

We moved to Marietta Ohio in 1970 to start my career after leaving the Navy.  That was only a couple of years after the collapse of the Silver Bridge downstream at Galipolis Ohio (Moth Man etc).  There was a bridge upstream at Newport, Ohio of identical construction that was immediately closed and demolished.  This was temporarily replaced by a small ferry consisting of a flat top barge and very small tow boat.  The tow boat was attached to the side of the barge by a pivot.  When the ferry approached the opposite shore, the pilot had the skill to kick the tow boat around the pivot so to be pointing in the right direction for the return trip. 

 

Roger

Edited July 29, 2023 by Roger Pellett

[Cathead]

The next step was to wrap these guard beams with an outer strip of wood; I have no idea (or have forgotten) what this was called in practice (anyone know?). It's functionally like the wales on a regular sailing ship, though it's not part of the hull.

 

For these, I transitioned back to my own homegrown wood. I carefully milled some thin strips of maple whose width roughly matched the average thickness of the guard beams. One of these I soaked for a while, then carefully bent it around the entire bow, clamping it in place and using an electric plank bender to apply heat to the curve. Having not used this tool in a while, I carelessly applied heat to a finger as well, requiring another local plant-material harvest, this time a piece of aloe. Once I was happy with the curve, I applied beads of glue to the end of each beam, then thoroughly clamped the bow curve in place.

Once this had hardened, doing the two sides was quite easy, just more beads of glue and more clamps. It was entirely a fortuitous coincidence that the width of the guards was just about the same as the depth on these clamps, though I ended up placing another thin strip outboard of the glued strip just to ensure that the clamps fully held the "wales" onto their beams without the clamps nudging up against the hull and leaving a slight gap. It would have been really smart to think about that and make the guards slightly longer! I didn't photograph this step, but here's the finished result:

I'm really pleased with this. The maple is obviously harder and smoother than soft basswood, and takes a curve with no flaking or cracking. It's starting to look like something. 

 

For fun, I held the hull at this stage up to two reference photos, so you can judge for yourself how it recreates the lines of the original.

The next step is complicated. My plan is to lay the decking, which will rest on the "wales" and be sanded smooth to match that curve. I'll then lay a second layer of "wales" around the outside of that, wide enough to cover the lower layer and the planking, essentially sealing it all in.

 

But I have two ways to proceed in the long run. One is to lay the decking first, then lay out the superstructure and just built it on top of the decking. The other is to lay out the superstructure now, and build some guides or markers into the decking before doing the planking.

 

I dabbled in this second way when building my Arabia, as shown in the photo below, where you can see how I laid strips a bit thicker than the decking to guide later placement of the aft superstructure and wheelhouses:

Here's another view with the deck completed:

My recollection is that I found these guides pretty useful, and am leaning toward doing this again. It also has the benefit that I can mark up the current sub-deck surface with pencil all I want, rather than trying not to mark up the nice maple deck I plan to lay.

 

I'm also leaning toward doing something I didn't do on Arabia, which is to lay out where all the forward support posts go as well, and potentially planking around them so they sit in a slight recess into the decking rather than sitting on top. This would be a lot fussier but I think would look better and be a bit stronger. It would also help solve the problem I noted earlier, in which not fully filling the guard beam slots means that some deck posts might be left hanging over an empty slot. Laying them out first would mean I can fill a slot with scrap wood if needed, to support a given post.

 

Thoughts/input welcome. Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting!

 

[kurtvd19]

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

I carelessly applied heat to a finger as well, requiring another local plant-material harvest, this time a piece of aloe.

I miss having an Aloe plant in the house.  My Mother had a bunch in a built in planter that was a sort of room divider between the living room and den.  When we bought the house Mary had me get rid of the aloe plants because she is allergic to aloe.  It was always handy to just cut off a bit to apply to burns.  Quite common for  me or Dad to get small burns from firefighting activities.  Back then we didn't have the protective gear they have now or even what I used in my career that ended 26 years ago now - I Love Retirement!

[mbp521]

Nice work Eric. Having the guards the same length as the depth of your clips is a happy accident. Almost as if you planned it that way. 😁
 

I’ve used both methods of decking, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Building the superstructure over the planks is less cutting and give you nice clean lines, but you have to make sure that your planks are laid out evenly so they balance out on each side. Using the guides gives you a chance to have the superstructure wall locations in place before planking so you balance everything out ahead of time, it’s just a little more labor intensive. Personally I think putting the guides down first is the way to go. 
 

-Brian