Planking the Occre Albatross

[rtropp]

Occre's Albatros a schooner dating back to 1920, when the vessel was built at the state shipyard in Amsterdam. At 1:100 it is 22 inches when finished.

The instructions as well as pictures online show the albatross first and second planking with mostly full-length planks i.e., 20-22 inches long.   

I was wondering if the planking on the actual boat would have been made up of shorter planks and, if so, what  length would they have been.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[allanyed]

Hi Richard

Strakes on a ship usually consisted of planks about 25 feet to 30 feet long so about 3 1/2" long at your scale.  It may be easier to install full length planks and cut butts with a scalpel so it appears they are individual pieces of planking making up a strake. Does the kit show  planking where all strakes end at the rabbet (unless a drop strake is needed)?  If any amount of realism is of interest, the planking methods in the four part videos by Chuck Passaro are of great help if you are using precut strips.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCWooJ1o3cM    You might get some ideas if you take a look at a planking expansion drawing such as ZAZ3918 of the Sphinx on the RMG Collections site for an idea of how the planking was done outboard and inboard.  It gives the lengths of the planks on each strake and shapes and tapering as well.

Allan

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by allanyed

[rtropp]

Hi Allan,

The instructions show that the planks as one piece that run the full length of the boat with the second planking running right up to the edge of the bow, stern and false keel.  Then a preformed keel is attached.  No rabbet that I can see.

I have pasted images from the manual. I figured that the plank length was probably off but didn't think about a rabbet.  I thought that somewhat realistic hull planks would look better than one long plank. 

I also cut up the deck planks.  The instructions suggested marks at every 100 mm to simulate deck planks.  I went ahead and just cut the planks and used a simple staggard pattern in some semblance of realism.  I thought that I should do the same for the hull but wasn't sure what length to use. 

I have been using common staggering patterns seen on this site but fudging here and there for width. 

 

[allanyed]

 

2 hours ago, rtropp said:

The instructions show that the planks as one piece that run the full length of the boat with the second planking running right up to the edge of the bow, stern and false keel. 

 

The planking does not look like each strake runs up to the bow, but it is hard to see in the photo.   The photos below show how the planking ran in reality and how some kit planking is instructed.  It does not matter how the first planks run as they will be covered by the second layer but it is great practice to do the first layer the way the second layer should lay if only to learn how to do it. 

 

It seems like the planks in your photo look like they are running as in the pic on the left below rather than the way they were done in actuality as in the photo of a contemporary model on the right.

 

It is probably just a matter of terminology, but there does appear to be a false keel in the photos you posted.  See the second pic below of a contemporary plan.   

 

In the end do what makes you happy, it is your shipyard after all 😀

 

Allan