J H Crawford by LJP (Lawrence Paplham) - Scale 1:64 - an 1894 to 1898 Wisconsin sternwheeler

[LJP]

JacquesCousteau said Great work on the pilothouse!

Thanks much! I think the unusual octagonal pilothouse helps make JHC interesting. 

 

Keith Black said Very nice detail work on the pilothouse, LJP. 

As noted, not my first attempt on this one and I had done several on the Thistle.  I have learned a lot in the process but also from all of you. 

 

John said Nice work on a difficult shape!

 Thanks much.  I really like the design.  I did talk to myself  during this process and expect many more before I am done.

 

Cathead said That's a really fiddly shape to work with and I can see why you've made a few tries. This one certainly looks like it's on the right path.

Thanks.  Getting the correct angles was one of the many challenges.  It could always be better but I have tried my best.

 

wefalck said Was there a particular reason, why she had an octogonal pilothouse? It looks rather cramped.

The pilothouse was cramped. See below. The captain/pilot was really stuffed along side the wheel. I do have photos where he was actually outside the pilothouse on the port side.  It was a small pilothouse: the wheel was "a bout six feet across" and I based my scale on that.  Eastern riverboats and Great Lakes boats sometimes had this octagonal arrangement.  The builders, Ryan brothers, had built ships and boats in both places. 

 

 

Thanks to all, LJP

 

 

[Cathead]

I wonder if the octagonal arrangement improved visibility by providing a straight-out view at eight different angles? The more "normal" square pilot houses found on typical riverboats would certainly have some more obscured perspectives as you looked through the glass at various angles. This could have been beneficial on lake boats where there could be traffic or obstacles in any direction, unlike riverboats with their more linear paths.

[LJP]

Cathead said "I wonder if the octagonal arrangement improved visibility by providing a straight-out view at eight different angles? The more "normal" square pilot houses found on typical riverboats would certainly have some more obscured perspectives as you looked through the glass at various angles. This could have been beneficial on lake boats where there could be traffic or obstacles in any direction, unlike riverboats with their more linear paths."

 

Hi Cathead!

 

I have no idea as to why an eight-sided pilothouse, but I think your reasoning is right on.  JHC was designed for the Wolf River, which is both narrow and with lots of bends.  Navigation on the Wolf was often described as very challenging and nearly impossible on a longer boat.  Likewise, a "locomotive type lamp" was included on the boat so it could see around the bends.  Good insight!

 

LJP

[LJP]

The lower part of the pilothouse has been completed.  All of the windows are in and the interior finished.  

For the inside of the pilothouse, I used Bates and some photos of Moyie’s pilothouse.  One of the photos of Moyie's pilothouse is below. Note the pea green interior which was prevalent in that locale. 

The box behind the wheel is a compass (and donation box).  A radiator was in front of the wheel on the right-hand side, the lazy bench on the left.  JHC probably had some type of a bench, but since it was not an overnight boat, the bench did not have to double as a bed.  Again, I used a radiator as I never saw a chimney for a pilothouse stove.  Radiators were appropriate for that time period.  

A few shots of the finished product are below.  

I used dry transfer lettering for the nameplate. A shorter boat name other than J H Crawford would have been easier on the nameplate. 

The next step is the challenging roof.  I can assure you that beast will take some time and multiple versions will be made before the final product is created. 

 

[Jim Lad]

The wheelhouse looks great. I'm looking forward to your solutions for the roof structure!

 

John

[Cathead]

That is really well done. 

[Keith Black]

 Very very nice, LJP. The wheelhouse interior is a treat and will be really special to look into once the Crawford is completed. 

[LJP]

John said The wheelhouse looks great. I'm looking forward to your solutions for the roof structure!

 

Unfortunately, John, so am I.  I have tried to "improve" it over the Thistles, and I have had a few dumpster fires.  Back to the drawing board. This will take more time.

 

Cathead said That is really well done. 

 

Thanks Cathead, I really appreciate your praise. I have always respected your modeling abilities.

 

Keith Black said Very very nice, LJP. The wheelhouse interior is a treat and will be really special to look into once the Crawford is completed. 

 

Thanks Keith.  I always enjoy your builds but I will stick to a larger scale.  Still a ways off until completion but headed in the right direction.

 

Thanks all, 

LJP

[LJP]

I thought that I would give more of an update on the roof instead of just recounting my tribulations. The roof has been a challenge even though I had built one for Thistle. 

This is an excellent photo the underside of the Golden Eagle pilothouse from Steamboat Museum Dave Thomson Collection [Steamboats.com/museum]. (No idea who the pilot is.) This is a square pilothouse but shows the construction detail for the roof.  

I added the supports for JFCs pilothouse roof. Originally, I used 1/32 plywood like I did for Thistle – but I did not like the results.  So I went with 1/32 stock.  I tried to think how the real boat would have done it.  Instead of a single curved piece of plywood, I used two pieces of stock and curved the bottom. This is a real rough attempt after a few failures.

 

The loose roof frame was added to the pilothouse for an idea what it will look like.

I used birch veneer for the roof panels. I had issues. For the first attempt, I had lined and urethaned the underside and painted the top.  But the panels were too stiff to bend for the bottom curve.  So for the next try, I just lined and used water and heat to bend the bottom curve.  Seemed to work better, but I will need to urethane and paint in situ. Here is what the first three panels look like.

Now I need to finish the panels, paint and urethane, affix to the pilothouse itself., etc.
The next step will be something else on the hurricane deck, probably ventilators and the water tank.
 

[Keith Black]

 I like it, a lot. 👍

[Jim Lad]

So do I!

 

John

[LJP]

Keith and John,

 

MANY thanks for your kind input!

 

The pilothouse is done.

 

The rest of the pilothouse panels went quickly after I figured out what I needed to do. A couple of shots of the finished product. The roof brackets have been added, the stairs to the pilot house, and the painted roof.  I did not know what colour to pain the roof so I used the same grey as the hurricane deck.  “Colourized” picture postcards were not really helpful. They portrayed anything from a bright red to a possible silver and gold metallic.  I could tell from the JHC photo that it was dark and shiny, but no idea what it could have been. 

 

Another shot with the pilothouse placed but not affixed to the hurricane deck.

 

The next step will be something easy on the hurricane deck, probably ventilators and water tank. There are lots of items to put on the hurricane deck including stacks, a bell, lights, and numerous odds and ends.  But it is much simpler than Thistle was. Once that is complete, I need to do the bow attachments, rubbing strakes, &c. 

 

[Keith Black]

Oh wow, LJP. The pilothouse is absolutely fantastic, very very nice. 👍