SS Klondike II by John Ruy - 1/8” = 1’ (1/96 scale) - Sternwheeler Riverboat

[John Ruy]

My first scratch build. 😎

The SS Klondike I was launch in 1929 by British Yukon Navigation Co.  The Klondike II was built 1937 and now a museum ship and National Historical Site located in Whitehorse, Yukon. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Klondike

 

Plans provided by Parks Canada. 🇨🇦 

Many thanks to @Kusawa2000 and @Ian_Grant for bringing these plans to light. 
 

 

 

[John Ruy]

The Hull…

Tracing Hull Lines…

Cutting out paper Templates…

Keel (backbone) formed from laminating two 1/6” birch plywood pieces. 

Two piece 1/8” ply backbone completed. 

 

Now the bulkheads….

Just getting started…

 

Cheers 🍻

 

Edited March 6 by John Ruy

[Knocklouder]

I think I will follow along, your work is always amazing. I will have to dig out my pictures of my trip to the Yukon  and see if I took any in 1978. 

Good luck on your journey.    

[FriedClams]

A great subject and choice, John.  Best of luck on this project - your first scratch build.  Looks like a nice comprehensive set of plans.  I'll follow along.

 

Gary

[Kusawa2000]

Everyone: Glad I was able to help out getting the plans from Parks Canada. And the offer is open for any detail pics as the boat is just a 10 minute walk from my office. Keep the pics coming!~ It will great to see the progress on your scratch built!

 

And I dont know if you know this but the SS Klondike that is down the street is the second version of her. The first one got stuck on a permanently stuck sand bar during her years of operation so instead of trying to save her there removed her engines and hardware and built a new SS Klondike that is now sitting in Whitehorse. As well, we had 3 paddlewheelers sitting in town for the longest time. the SS Kaska and SS Whitehorse but they were lost in the 1970s due to fire. Damn shame as they were beautiful paddlewheelers. 

 

Mike Draper

[John Ruy]

32 minutes ago, FriedClams said:

A great subject and choice, John.  Best of luck on this project - your first scratch build.  Looks like a nice comprehensive set of plans.  I'll follow along.

Yes, nice set of plans and some great history. Welcome aboard, thanks for the well wishes. 

 

John

wanted to share my research…

 

https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/as-the-world-err-as-the-wheel-turns-or-how-why-ss-klondike-a-cargo-carrying

 

https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/as-the-world-err-as-the-wheel-turns-or-how-why-ss-klondike-a-cargo-carrying-0

 

https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/as-the-world-err-as-the-wheel-turns-or-how-why-ss-klondike-a-cargo-carrying-1

 

Cheers 🍻

 

 

 

[gsdpic]

Wow, looks like an ambitious project for your first scratch build.  But based on your past projects I am sure you'll be up to the challenge and produce a beautiful model.  I'll follow along with interest.

 

[Kusawa2000]

Everyone: Here is the model of the paddlewheeler that can be found at the Sternwheeler hotel in Whitehorse. I suspect its 1/4 scale as there was no display label. I apologize for the reflection in the pics. I was using my cell phone to get a few quick pics.

 

Enjoy

 

Mike Draper

[John Ruy]

16 hours ago, Kusawa2000 said:

Everyone: Here is the model of the paddlewheeler that can be found at the Sternwheeler hotel in Whitehorse. I suspect its 1/4 scale as there was no display label. I apologize for the reflection in the pics. I was using my cell phone to get a few quick pics.

 

Enjoy

 

Mike Draper

Thanks Mike… That does look like 1/4” = 1’ or 1/48 Scale. The drawing framed behind it is in my set. I believe it’s at 3/16” = 1’….

 

Thanks

Edited March 7 by John Ruy

[FlyingFish]

Looks an interesting project - good luck with your first scratch build - you seem to be off to a good start.

[yvesvidal]

Great project. Everybody loves these paddle boats.

 

Yves

[Roger Pellett]

Great project, John!  Looking forward to following your progress.

 

It is interesting the way that the highly successful paddle steamer design migrated from the Mississippi River Basin to the West Coast.  American readers may remember the famous Delta Queen that cruised on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers into the 1990’s (?). Living in an Ohio River Town we could hear her steam calliope from our house each time she visited.  Although billed as an “Old South” river boat, she was built for and initially traveled on the US West Coast, in particular, the Sacramento River.  Her design resembles your Klondike rather than any than any Mississippi River Basin Steamer.  I believe that she is laid up somewhere in Tennessee.

 

Roger

 

[LJP]

Really looking forward to your first scratch build.  It is great that you were able to get a set of detailed plans.   I was able to see the outside of the boat when I was in Whitehorse in the mid-1990s but the boat was already closed for the day and we left too early the next morning.  

 

LJP

[jerome]

Great subject John.

Rare to see models of northern paddle wheelers.

happy building!

[John Ruy]

The Hull continued…

 

 Completed cutting out 26 Bulkheads for the hull framing. 

Bow bulkheads will need some serious faring prior to hull planking. 

Before planking I will need to install two cantilevered Beams through the transom. These will support the Paddel Wheel. 

Just getting started… 

 

Cheers 🍻 
 

[Knocklouder]

Looking really good there John Ruy, she will  be floating down the river in no time. 

[FriedClams]

Nice progress on the station bulkheads, John.  During these first hull building steps, one really starts to get a feel for the size and eventual presence of the model.  This is going to be larger than I first imagined.

 

Gary

[Jcredding]

Looking great and excited to watch this come together - there’s something about a paddle wheeler.

[John Ruy]

Planking the Hull…
 

I used CA glue to attach to the bulk heads, with PVA in the seams. 

Bow plank bends…

Stern plank bends…

Pretty happy with my first scratch built Hull. 
 

Cheers 🍻 

 

 

Edited June 18 by John Ruy

[Rick310]

Looks great!!

Rick

[KeithAug]

On 6/18/2024 at 9:49 PM, John Ruy said:

Pretty happy with my first scratch built Hull. 

Yes it looks pretty good. Were all your planks a constant width or did you have to taper some of them to get them to fit? The stern shot of the real ship might suggest some tapering but in reality it's quite difficult to see. In any event your planking has turned out well.

[John Ruy]

1 hour ago, KeithAug said:

Yes it looks pretty good. Were all your planks a constant width or did you have to taper some of them to get them to fit? The stern shot of the real ship might suggest some tapering but in reality it's quite difficult to see. In any event your planking has turned out well.

Thanks for your comment… I used 1/8” x 1/16” planks and only tapered when got to the Keel. Had to fill some gaps at the keel, but thought those wouldn’t be seen. I intend to keep the look of a planked hull by using minimum filler. 
 

John

[Baker]

Great work.

We visited this ship in 2005 (a long way from home )

 

 

[John Ruy]

9 minutes ago, Baker said:

Great work.

We visited this ship in 2005 (a long way from home )

 

 

Thanks for the photos. These are great!

[KeithAug]

The sips wheel is very interesting - does anyone know what the secondary small wheel did? The small chain hanging from the sprocket on its shaft doesn't seem connected? Possibly the two wheels separately control the rudders pre and post the paddle wheel????

[Baker]

15 hours ago, John Ruy said:

Thanks for the photos. These are great!

Thanks. 

I have more from the interior an cabins. 

If you want i can post them 

[John Ruy]

1 hour ago, Baker said:

Thanks. 

I have more from the interior an cabins. 

If you want i can post them 

Yes… Anything you have would be a great help. I appreciate your sharing. 
 

[John Ruy]

3 hours ago, KeithAug said:

The sips wheel is very interesting - does anyone know what the secondary small wheel did? The small chain hanging from the sprocket on its shaft doesn't seem connected? Possibly the two wheels separately control the rudders pre and post the paddle wheel????

Yes, I agree it is very interesting 🧐 we will have to see what we can find out about that. I noticed the paddle wheel is totally different from my photos. 

Perhaps Mike Draper @Kusawa2000 our Yukon local can help us out?

 

@Baker When were your photos taken?

 

[Baker]

Some adjustments appear to have been made (arrows)
And I can't photoshop.   

 

interior pictures

 

[John Ruy]

5 minutes ago, Baker said:

Some adjustments appear to have been made (arrows)
And I can't photoshop.   

 

Thanks… I hadn’t picked out those details yet. Obviously the Klondike has been under restoration for years and photos I find are at various stages of that restoration. Your arrows are very helpful. More research as I continue. 
 

I love the interior picture as a matter of historical perspective. Not that I will build the interior. Thanks again for sharing. 
 

John