Finish of the Waterway

[RossR]

I am currently building the USF Essex.  The bulwarks on the gun deck will be painted yellow and the deck has been stained with honey oak stain.  After the bulwarks are planked I will be adding the waterway. 
 

should the waterway be painted the color of the bulwarks, or should it be stained like the deck?

 

 

[wmherbert]

I've always painted the waterways the color of the bulwarks rather than matching deck finish. I don't know if that is correct but it certainly is easier. 

Bill

[Ronald-V]

If you look at the pictures from the HMS Victory, the seem to be unpainted. If I understand correctly, they're part of the deck, a sort of L-shaped plank that starts on the deck and ends in the bulwarks. That's why I consider them a deck component and leave them bare (varnished, of course). This isn't based on facts, but on my own observations, haha. 😄

 

I hope someone with real knowledge will come along  

 

Edit:

 

I have included an illustration from Mondfeld's "historic ship models" where you can see how the waterway as I see it is part of the deck.

Obviously this isn't a picture of the ship you're working on (not even of the time period), but personally I don't think there would be much difference?

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Ronald-V