Billy 1938 by Keith Black - 1:120 Scale - Homemade Sternwheeler

[tmj]

32 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

Thanks for joining in, Keith. I think Billy is the epitome of bizarre but I continue to search just in case. 

You'll find something else 'bizarre', I have no doubts! 

FWIW, speaking of bizarre... when I lived on Treasure Island, in Florida, there was a 'Tops' grocery store that had boat docks on the intercoastal waterway. While hanging out on 'my' dock, about a mile away from the store, I often saw this 'teeny-tiny' little homemade boat go by, heading for the grocery store. I honestly don't think it was even as long as a 'bathtub'! Barely enough room for the driver and a couple bags of groceries, LOL! 

[sheepsail]

You are making me do weird online searches like "1930s era obscure Mississippi sternwheel homemade houseboat barge made from tractor parts named billy"  Google keeps asking my location and if I am a robot.

 

Then there are all the permutations of 'A' Names

Arthur

Adolf

Alexander

Albert

Andrew

Anatole

Anthony

 

 

and then

Oliver

Oscar

Orenthal

OompaLumpa

OrangeJuce

OngoBoingo

and so forth.

 

I did learn there is something called a shantyboat.

 

It is driving me nuts that there are no starboard views of Billy.  Guess that is what make this build interesting.

 

 

 

 

[Keith Black]

7 hours ago, tmj said:

You'll find something else 'bizarre', I have no doubts! 

FWIW, speaking of bizarre... when I lived on Treasure Island, in Florida, there was a 'Tops' grocery store that had boat docks on the intercoastal waterway. While hanging out on 'my' dock, about a mile away from the store, I often saw this 'teeny-tiny' little homemade boat go by, heading for the grocery store. I honestly don't think it was even as long as a 'bathtub'! Barely enough room for the driver and a couple bags of groceries, LOL! 

 I love personal stories like, Tom. Maybe ole Engel made it south, moved to Florida and started a boatyard?

 

3 hours ago, sheepsail said:

You are making me do weird online searches like "1930s era obscure Mississippi sternwheel homemade houseboat barge made from tractor parts named billy"  Google keeps asking my location and if I am a robot.

 Julie, those kinda Google searches gets you tagged by the NSA. 

 

4 hours ago, sheepsail said:

I did learn there is something called a shantyboat.

 New grist for the mill!

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to everyone for the likes and support. And a very special thank you for all the comments. I know words aren't necessarily as exciting as sawdust but your comments helped me immensely. If I'm unsure about a thing when I go to build it I usually make a dog's lunch of it. Being confident that the center stairway was the correct approach (which I wouldn't have been if not for the discussion on the subject) gave me the freedom to put my heart into making the hull.  

 

 

 Speaking of the hull, it's done and ready for me to start the deck structures. 

 

 Size perspective. 

 

 The raised portions represent the floor joist band boards. 

 

 

 

 

 Thank you so much for your willingness to share in the journey.

 

   Keith

[Jim Lad]

That's a very complicated hull, Keith! 🙂

 

John

[vvvjames]

Very fine deck! I very much enjoy seeing all the work/research going into each step of this. 

[Paul Le Wol]

Great start to the deck structures Keith and what a wonderful photo in Post 123

[Cathead]

Anyone interested in shantyboats should find a copy of Harlan Hubbard's classic book "Shantyboat", which recounts how he and his wife built a shantyboat and spent years working their way down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Full of humor, close observation of river life, and just plain good writing. More than a little Engel/Billy in that book, in terms of the creative/iconoclastic thinking both employed.

 

8 hours ago, Keith Black said:

I know words aren't necessarily as exciting as sawdust

As a professional editor, I feel attacked!

 

Great looking hull, and as always a startling perspective on your tiny work size. I guess we now know why this one is called "billy". I hope you didn't have too much trouble with all the plank bending, that's usually what trips people up on hulls.

 

[Keith Black]

On 11/22/2025 at 12:14 AM, Jim Lad said:

That's a very complicated hull, Keith!

 John, it's only complication is trying to add all the components required in a 1.8 x 3.5 inch space. 

 

On 11/22/2025 at 1:14 AM, vvvjames said:

Very fine deck! I very much enjoy seeing all the work/research going into each step of this. 

 Thank you, James. For me, research is the necessary bane of scratch building subjects never modeled before.  I'd much rather just start building a thing with an eye to the finish. 

 

On 11/22/2025 at 8:16 AM, Paul Le Wol said:

Great start to the deck structures Keith and what a wonderful photo in Post 123

 Thank you, Paul. A man, wife, mother- in-law, and six kids living in a 14 x 19 foot space, looking happy and in seemingly in good health.  What every happened to a simple existence and the happiness derived from it?  

 

On 11/22/2025 at 8:39 AM, Cathead said:

Anyone interested in shantyboats should find a copy of Harlan Hubbard's classic book "Shantyboat", which recounts how he and his wife built a shantyboat and spent years working their way down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Full of humor, close observation of river life, and just plain good writing. More than a little Engel/Billy in that book, in terms of the creative/iconoclastic thinking both employed.

 I'm about to order a copy once I finish complete this post. Thank you for the tip, Eric. 

 

On 11/22/2025 at 8:39 AM, Cathead said:

As a professional editor, I feel attacked!

You know what I mean. 

 

On 11/22/2025 at 8:39 AM, Cathead said:

Great looking hull, and as always a startling perspective on your tiny work size. I guess we now know why this one is called "billy". I hope you didn't have too much trouble with all the plank bending, that's usually what trips people up on hulls.

 Thank you, Eric. There's no plank bending or rigging on Billy with the exception of the wheels and arches, it's all straight lines. That's why these workboats are perfect subjects for a hack like myself. 

Edited Monday at 02:13 PM by Keith Black

[Cathead]

Yeah, that plank bending line was meant as tongue-in-cheek. As was the editor comment.

[Keith Black]

51 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Yeah, that plank bending line was meant as tongue-in-cheek. As was the editor comment.

 I know. 

[KeithAug]

Sawdust - getting exciting! 👍

[Keith Black]

3 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Sawdust - getting exciting! 👍

 It is, Keith. Not sure where I want to start, every side is a challenge.

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to everyone for the comments and likes. 

 

 The port side wall is built and painted.

 

 

 

 I bashed a six pane window to make the two over one window, added glazing and a shade per Billy's photo. I guessed at the colors the best I could by studying the press photo Weathering will do wonders but I'll wait till Billy is completed.  

 

 Billy is going to be colorful.

 

 Thank you for your support and for following along. 

 

    Keith

[Knocklouder]

Coming together nicely  Keith,  I am taking notes, saving some of your idea for future use.  😀 

Bob  M.

[Jim Lad]

Very nice, Keith.

 

John

[KeithAug]

Clearly she was inspired by a house brick.

 

And that reminds me of our local river as a child, in a very industrialised area. The river ran black, decorated by cream coloured suds of some unknown chemical. On windy days the suds would be whipped off the surface to be blow across the town to the shrieks of the local women as they rescued their husband's shirts off the neat rows of communal washing lines. On summer's days we would go down to the river for what we optimistically called the "River Don Brick Floating Contest". I understand the river now has fish in it. A benefit of deindustrialisation.

Edited 8 hours ago by KeithAug

[Coyote_6]

So nice!  Great coloring.  A lot of character in this model!

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Coyote_6

[wefalck]

I think I said something like that before, but I love those 'shanty-boats' (as in shanty-towns), these improvised thingies of a kind, one would have rarely seen anymore in regulated early 20th century Europe.

It also shows a kind of live that has largely disappeared since the 1950s, where whole families were living on workboats and where husband and wife (and possibly children) shared the work.

 

[Cathead]

Wefalck, you would especially love the book I mentioned earlier, then.

 

Great job, Keith, you nailed the look of that side wall.

[Keith Black]

17 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Coming together nicely  Keith,  I am taking notes, saving some of your idea for future use

 Thank you, Bob. What have you got up your sleeve now? 

 

17 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

Very nice, Keith.

 Thank you, John. 

 

14 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Clearly she was inspired by a house brick.

 

And that reminds me of our local river as a child, in a very industrialised area. The river ran black, decorated by cream coloured suds of some unknown chemical. On windy days the suds would be whipped off the surface to be blow across the town to the shrieks of the local women as they rescued their husband's shirts off the neat rows of communal washing lines. On summer's days we would go down to the river for what we optimistically called the "River Don Brick Floating Contest". I understand the river now has fish in it. A benefit of deindustrialisation.

 I'm still trying to decide if Billy's was by design or accident, Keith.

 

10 hours ago, Coyote_6 said:

So nice!  Great coloring.  A lot of character in this model!

 Thank you very much, Steve. 

 

10 hours ago, wefalck said:

I think I said something like that before, but I love those 'shanty-boats' (as in shanty-towns), these improvised thingies of a kind, one would have rarely seen anymore in regulated early 20th century Europe.

It also shows a kind of live that has largely disappeared since the 1950s, where whole families were living on workboats and where husband and wife (and possibly children) shared the work.

 I agree, Eberhard. 

 

10 hours ago, Cathead said:

Great job, Keith, you nailed the look of that side wall.

 Thank you kindly, Eric. 

[Keith Black]

 Thank you for the lies and comments.

 

 

 I repainted the door, it was much too dark. I also raised the shade a tad so the muntin would show up better. 

 

 Before

 

 After

 

 Thank you for following along.

 

  Keith

[GrandpaPhil]

Keith,

  Your workboats are incredible!

[Keith Black]

2 minutes ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Your workboats are incredible!

 Thank you very much, Phil. 

[Paul Le Wol]

Much nicer Keith, especially the shade!