Planking test run

[RolandR]

Since I am new to the hobby, I dream big and one ship that caught my eye is the Soleil Royal from Artisana Latina.
Every experience wood ship builder gives you the same advise. Start with an entry level ship and work your way up to the big guns. That is a good advise for a modeller in his/her 30s or 40s but I approach my mid 60s and I don't have the time for the little shrimp boats and sloops.
One of the big obstacle is the planking and there are kits out there that are a good teaching models that give you all the challenges you might encounter.
I went another way. With the information on the Artisana Latina website I designed the bow of the Soleil Royal as close as possible. I even added a few more rips to help me.




The first planking went fairly smooth. A few bumps and bruises were unavoidable and I am waiting for Amazon to drop off the wood filler. The whole in the back is the result of planks that were not long enough.

 

[DocTom]

That's a very nice first planking, particularly as it's your first first planking! Some filler and sanding will make it look great. I'm also on my mid 60s, but took the opposite approach. Starting off with the Model Shipways 3 ship beginner series, and working up from there. Currently working on the Lobster Smack. I'm not so concerned about the planking, but about the rigging, which is why I'm starting small. However, that's just my methodical and obsessive nature, So go for it, and have a good time! This is a great hobby.

 

[RolandR]

DocTom,
I am working on the cross section of the Victory and as a next model, the cross section of the Trinidad which includes a little bit of rigging. If i need more practice, I will make another mockup.

 

[Bob Cleek]

I'm not quite clear on what your problem with the planking is. It looks fine to me, as far as it goes. I'm assuming that you plan to paint the hull, so all you need to do is apply finishing putty, sand it smooth as a baby's bottom, and seal and paint her. (Easier said than done for most novices, but basically, that's the procedure.) Planking is usually staggered with a minimum of three strakes between the plank butts on a given frame, but the run of the planking seams and butts are invisible at the scale viewing distance of the scale with which you're working so the depiction of plank seams and butts is irrelevant in this instance. Nice as you have it now, there's no reason to add a second layer of planking on top of what you've done well already.

If, on the other hand, you want to put some clear finished planking on it (a somewhat affected presentation in the estimation of many experienced modelers... it's a matter of style) you should take care to hang your planking as the full-scale prototype vessel would have been planked rather than as many kit manufacturers advise which is how your first layer pictured here was done. If you are going to emphasize the planking (which is actually invisible at scale viewing distance on this model,) there's no point in emphasizing an incorrect planking job!

To hand plank accurately, and, as a matter of fact, more easily and well, you will need to lay out the run of your planking accurately and spile your planks as required to replicate actual planking practice. This will likely require you to obtain planking stock of sufficient width than the usual "strip wood" of uniform dimension provided in most kits. For a good instructional manual on planking, take a look at this primer: https://www.thenrg.org/resources/Documents/articles/APrimerOnPlanking.pdf

I can't comment on the missing "ass end" of your Soleil Royal, but I expect there's a story there somewhere!

 

[RolandR]

Bob,
I was following AL’s instruction but run into problems and had to cheat in the lower part. Since the model is designed with 2 planking,I will try again to achieve the right look in second planking. Since it is a test, I might have to go again. The stern part seems to be too easy that I have to practice that part.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Bob Cleek]

Bob,
I was following AL’s instruction but run into problems and had to cheat in the lower part. Since the model is designed with 2 planking,I will try again to achieve the right look in second planking. Since it is a test, I might have to go again. The stern part seems to be too easy that I have to practice that part.

Thanks for the link.

"I was following AL’s instruction but ran into problems." is the "kit builder's lament." The challenges you are facing are endemic to the "double planking on bulkhead" construction engineering of many ship model kits these days. If you are going to hang a second layer of planking on your model, I strongly recommend that you follow the procedures described in Antscherl's Planking Primer which I linked in my above post. Other's mileage may differ, but I have found that stern is usually more difficult to plank than the bow. If you don't intend to paint the hull, and instead finish it clear, your second layer of planking must be perfect. You will not have the luxury of filling in the gaps created by plank seams that aren't perfectly aligned by troweling on a lot of surfacing putty.

Good luck with it! Let us know how it goes.

 

[Rob444]

" I approach my mid 60s and I don't have the time for the little shrimp boats and sloops."

I started this in my late 60's with a few easy ships. Even now at 74 I still work a few days a week and have plenty of time to do my hobby. What I am saying is relax, it is definitely not a contest!

That being said I think your first planking went well. I love your idea of a test hull! There seem to be as many ways to plank a ship as there are hobbyists. I found this video to be a big help.

It looks like you nailed your planks into place. I am certainly NOT an expert in this area but I think a lot of people are getting away from this and are using clamps. I do and I find it much easier and it makes sanding the hull easier also.




I look forward to seeing your build logs!

Rob

 

[RolandR]

Thanks for the links. Two different approaches and since this is a test run, I will try both and stick at the end with the one that suits me better.

 

[AllanKP69]

One of the big obstacle is the planking

Nothing wrong with starting big, many of us did that. Confirming the posts above, the brand you chose is not a good choice to learn how a ship was really planked. IF, and that is a big if, you want to plank like on an actual ship, the four part video posted above is possibly the best source of information on using the strips they provide for planking.

Mid sixties???? You are still a youngster compared to many/most of us. Be happy about that!

Allan

 

[DocTom]

The stern part seems to be too easy that I have to practice that part.

In my own (very) limited experience, I've found planking the stern more challenging than planking the bow - they tend to have more twists. I heartily second the recommendation of the Chuck Passaro planking videos. The NRG also sells a half-hull planking project kit, designed to teach planking techniques. I plan to attack that after I finish with the Model Shipways three beginner kits, before I tackle a model that requires "real" planking. That being said, your planking looks terrific.

 

[MintGum]

Looks as though you've done a good job.

If you're ever interested in generating tick strips and/or plank templates check out my Hull Planking Calculator.

The included instructions explain how it works and you may find it useful.