Look at completed ships-then read instructions!!

[Sid Barras]

Gentlemen,
Having progressed on my first build from first hull and deck planking, I installed the bulwarks ‘round the perimeter of deck. (Artesania Latina’s “Harvey/1847” clipper) Italian-translated instructions clearly stated to “install thin Mulaki (?) strips vertically, covering the inside and outside...” and curiously, suggested breaking them off each time and finish by sanding smooth. Well I certainly was not going to break them off and risk splintered edges, so I dutifully snipped each piece before placing its neighbour. This step in construction required several hundred little pieces to be cut and glued. (As did the deck as well) I happily completed this task at the expense of blurry eyes, sleep deprivation and a stultifying of higher brain functions for several days. Then. I happened to call up images of the Harvey completed on the computer. I found ZERO pictures of anyone having installed bulwark planking vertically. Nor did I find images of real ships installed thusly. So I wonder. Do the Italians have opposite days for unsuspecting Americans? The other head scratcher was when I noticed the picture of the Harvey completed on THE BOX the model came in. Bulwark planks installed horizontally. And, deck planks not 70mm pieces as specified in instruction— but continuous stem to stern strips with curious gaps between rows.
Well. Mine looks better. IMHO. Certainly not worse, after such labour pains.

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[Y.T.]

To me what you did looks beautiful. If you also like it that is all what matters.

 

[Uwek]

Let us say it in this way:
It is looking nice and if you like it - It is a question of taste. And the execution is very accurate
Technically we have to state, that it is a wrong construction.
Unfortunately the translations of some manuals and instructions were translated by people, which have no clue about ship modeling or ships.

This is why a forum like ShipsOfScale is so important and helpfull !!
Everybody can look around, to see how others are doing some detail or usually the best is to start a building log from the beginning showing the progress, so friends and members can shout "Stop" when necessary or even ask questions "How should I do this?"

Definitely everybody is making less mistakes with the second model and so on and so on...... important is, that we should not do the same mistake twice

 

[danielsje]

Another way of thinking about how to lay planking is the stress factors on the ship. Planking laid vertically as you did are less capable of resisting the typical bow to stern stress on a ship's hull, as well as the twisting stress that occurs when at sea. The same conundrum would occur if one planked the lower hull vertically rather than horizontally. Then there was a practical matter...longer planks were easier to lay down.