The Great Republic 1:48

[Roger Pellett]

A weakness of all wooden structures that were required to move, like ships, was the need to fasten pieces together to form the whole. Until WW II there was really no glue that was available for use in a marine environment. The famous British Mosquito Bombers were one of the first examples where waterproof glue was used to build a truely monoquique(sp) structure. Shipbuilders in the Clipper Ship era had to resort to mechanical fasteners to join together the thousands of pieces of lumber to build a ship.

The primary stresses in a ship’s hull are longitudinal from flexing of a hull in a seaway; the stresses that cause hogging and sagging. Despite common belief, the vessel’s frames do nothing to resist the loads that cause these stresses. They maintain the hull’s shape, stiffen planking from collisions with docks, and provide a strong member for the mechanical fasteners securing the planking. The caulking between planks can help to resist these longitudinal bending loads. Wooden treenails were surprisingly efficient mechanical fasteners if used correctly. The idea was to make them swell in the hole to make a tight joint.

Once in service, a ship moving through waves would experience cyclical hogging and sagging stresses. These would cause at first microscopic sliding movements between different strakes of planking. Think of sitting on a stack of planks supported by a pair of sawhorses. As the ship aged these movements increased as these stresses damaged caulking and treenails Since these vessels had less buoyancy at the bow and stern, the hull hogged.

The triangle is a shape that is key to resisting this sliding effect between adjacent strakes of planking. That’s why bridge trusses are triangular. That’s also why the triangular pattern of the cris-crossed iron bracing was used to reduce hogging in long hulls.

Your model is not going to be subject to these cyclical bending loads. You also have available effective adhesives to permanently glue strength members together. Your model will, therefore, be more lightly loaded and better able to withstand those loads that do exist than the real ship.

Roger

 

[ClipperFan]

A weakness of all wooden structures that were required to move, like ships, was the need to fasten pieces together to form the whole. Until WW II there was really no glue that was available for use in a marine environment. The famous British Mosquito Bombers were one of the first examples where waterproof glue was used to build a truely monoquique (sp) structure.Shipbuilders in the Clipper Ship era had to resort to mechanical fasteners to join together the thousands of pieces of lumber to build a ship.

The primary stresses in a ship’s hull are longitudinal from flexing of a hull in a seaway; the stresses that cause hogging and sagging. Despite common belief, the vessel’s frames do nothing to resist the loads that cause these stresses. They maintain the hull’s shape, stiffen planking seem collisions with docks, and provide a strong member for the mechanical fasteners securing the planking. The caulking between planks can help to resist these longitudinal bending loads.

Roger,
Thank you for your intellectual treatises on ship hydrology. Although Donald McKay had no lattice work of iron bar reinforcement as illustrated on the 1853 clipper barque Great Republic he had similar forms of longitudinal reinforcements. In between each frame, there were criss-cross wooden structures, with even a fifth horizontal stringer that bisected each center. Here's two internal scenes of the upper 'tween deck on Glory of the Seas showing these substantial wooden reinforcements. While McKay's final medium clipper did have some hogging late in her life. Her career spanned 52 years even including being solid enough to be converted to a floating factory and refrigerator too.
The WW II British Mosquito was truly a "wooden wonder" and tribute to British intelligent resourcefulness.

 

[Norgale]

Thanks for the comments Rich. Actually I have very little patience with little things that get in the way. I once flattened an airplane model with my bare hands when the parts didn't go together correctly. I put all the broken parts in the box it came in and put it on the top shelf of my closet and left it there for about a year Then I went back to it, glued all the stuff back together and then finished it. A good example of a kit not suited to my few years. Now I work as long as I feel good about what I'm doing. If things go awry I shut down the shop and go for a walk with my dog to cool off. Works every time. As for deep pockets that is only in my dreams. I live on my Social Security only and that requires small purchases each month to keep the ship yard open. That should explain the wait for lumber every month to keep the GR going.
But I do manage to show some progress as the months roll by and it gives me a lot of time to decide what to do next and what details need to be applied now and which ones can wait till later. It's not the scale that is big, it's the ship itself. When I look at my Cutty Sark at 1:78 it is a large model but when I compare it to the GR, which was over a hundred feet longer, the GR is really huge. I usually work on the model for a couple hours in the afternoon and a couple more hours in the evening while I watch the movies on GRIT. All cowboys and Indians for me.
This coming January will be one year working on the Great Republic and the hull is not even half way done. Pete

 

[ClipperFan]

Thanks for the comments Rich. Actually I have very little patience with little things that get in the way. I once flattened an airplane model with my bare hands when the parts didn't go together correctly. I put all the broken parts in the box it came in and put it on the top shelf of my closet and left it there for about a year Then I went back to it, glued all the stuff back together and then finished it. A good example of a kit not suited to my few years. Now I work as long as I feel good about what I'm doing. If things go awry I shut down the shop and go for a walk with my dog to cool off. Works every time. As for deep pockets that is only in my dreams. I live on my Social Security only and that requires small purchases each month to keep the ship yard open. That should explain the wait for lumber every month to keep the GR going.
But I do manage to show some progress as the months roll by and it gives me a lot of time to decide what to do next and what details need to be applied now and which ones can wait till later. It's not the scale that is big, it's the ship itself. When I look at my Cutty Sark at 1:78 it is a large model but when I compare it to the GR, which was over a hundred feet longer, the GR is really huge. I usually work on the model for a couple hours in the afternoon and a couple more hours in the evening while I watch the movies on GRIT. All cowboys and Indians for me.
This coming January will be one year working on the Great Republic and the hull is not even half way done. Pete

Norgale, Pete I can relate to being frustrated when something doesn't work right. Although I have to admit that I never quite "Hulked out" on a model like you described! I just simply pack it up and shelve it ... For decades. Maybe your emotionally explosive venting aporoach works better. By the way, I would love to view your finished 1:78th scale Scottish tea clipper Cutty Sark.

 

[Norgale]

Hi Rich. There's a build of the Cutty Sark on here some place. Look up "Norgale" and I think you'll find it. I haven't posted anything on it for this year since I started the GR. I'd post a link to it but I don't know how to do that. I got into the rigging a bit but wanted to make my own ropes for it. So I decided to srop where I was and go to the GR instead because I had to make lots of ropes for it and thought I'd do both at the same time. The need for a good education "by doing"the rope walk thing will be another whole part of the GR and the CS. I can find the CS and bring it to the top of the forum list. Maybe that will help. Your interest is very much appreciated. Pete

Ok Rich. I found it. It's under the heading of "Ship kits- wood" and the title is "Cutty Sark by Sergal." Let me know what you think. Pete

 

[ClipperFan]

Norgale,
I will see if I can find your clipper Cutty Sark build. Meanwhile, I thought you might appreciate seeing this picture of the Plymouth Cordage Company Ropewalk Building, Mystic Seaport, CT. It was apparently disassembled and entirely reconstructed at the Seaport in the 1950s. The sheer length of this structure is amazing.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Diagonal braces- Readers may remember the debate regarding similar diagonal braces during Constitution’s last major repair. Apparently there was some evidence that she was originally built with them but they were removed at some point during her long life. As a result she now has them to protect. Her from hogging.

Roger

 

[Norgale]

A rope walk has to be about as long as a long rope and you have to walk back and forth to be sure the rope twist is correct. That's why they called it a rope WALK. Ha!
Interesting about the diagonal braces on the Constitution. Maybe a lot of ships had them ,especially the longer ones.

 

[ClipperFan]

Diagonal braces- Readers may remember the debate regarding similar diagonal braces during Constitution’s last major repair. Apparently there was some evidence that she was originally built with them but they were removed at some point during her long life. As a result she now has them to protect. Her from hogging.

Roger

Roger,
I have a funny true adventure to share with you about my determined self-guided tour of the venerable frigate USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides'. Shortly after her 5-year long restoration, when those massive diagonal riders were reinstalled, my son and I had an opportunity to tour her. Like a homing beacon. I was singularly focused on seeing those amazing structures for myself. After touring the second gun deck, below the main deck, in the aft section, I found another set of stairs to below. Attached above the steep steps was a handwritten note on cardboard secured with masking tape: "Duck down. Watch your head." Following those instructions, my son and I pursued our journey to the very bowels of the ship where we ultimately ended up on the bottom of the ship, the Orlop deck. There, it finally opened up and we were able to stand up straight, instead of being hunched over as in previous decks. There I took several pictures of those massive diagonal riders, which were painted mint green below matching the base of the ship and white above matching her inner bulwarks. By the time we arrived, I had a small group of fellow tourists who had joined my quest. That was a complete surprise, as I had no clue that they had been following me as I pointed out significant details to my son on our travels down the innards of the mighty frigate. Then, while I was pointing out the significance of those newly installed riders, a Navy female ensign appeared from her port bow and accosted us angrily. She literally said, "What the hell are all you idiots doing down here!" I calmly replied "We were just admiring these newly installed diagonal riders installed to reinforce the hull against hogging. they're really impressive." She was unimpressed "This area is off limits to anybody but military personnel!" I answered "Why weren't there any signs posted to say that? We had no idea." She calmed down and explained that only the gun deck is open to the public. The rest is off-limits to the general public. So, unintentionally I managed to tour the entire innards of 'Old Ironsides' and took pictures of those incredible diagonal riders.

1992-1996 Boston: In 1992, Constitution began a major restoration addressing fundamental structural issues with the hull. Research discovered that a set of diagonal riders, interior framing originally designed by Joshua Humphreys, had been removed in the 1870s, likely contributing to the ship’s decommissioning in 1881. A new set of diagonal riders along with associated knees, stanchions, and planking were installed. Extensive model testing and computer simulations had shown that the framing would significantly strengthen the hull and nearly eliminate the hogging. The restoration opened the possibility of the ship sailing under its own power again on the bicentennial of its launch in 1997. The restoration cost about $12 million.

June 1997 National Geographic has a beautiful in-depth article on the 1992-1996 major restoration, including photos of the massive diagonal riders being lowered into the hull by crane. Here's the 1996 USS Constitution plans, revised in 2011 from the museum itself.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Roger,
I have a funny true adventure to share with you about my determined self-guided tour of the venerable frigate USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides'. Shortly after her 5-year long restoration, when those massive diagonal riders were reinstalled, my son and I had an opportunity to tour her. Like a homing beacon. I was singularly focused on seeing those amazing structures for myself. After touring the second gun deck, below the main deck, in the aft section, I found another set of stairs to below. Attached above the steep steps was a handwritten note on cardboard secured with masking tape: "Duck down. Watch your head." Following those instructions, my son and I pursued our journey to the very bowels of the ship where we ultimately ended up on the bottom of the ship, the Orlop deck. There, it finally opened up and we were able to stand up straight, instead of being hunched over as in previous decks. There I took several pictures of those massive diagonal riders, which were painted mint green below matching the base of the ship and white above matching her inner bulwarks. By the time we arrived, I had a small group of fellow tourists who had joined my quest. That was a complete surprise, as I had no clue that they had been following me as I pointed out significant details to my son on our travels down the innards of the mighty frigate. Then, while I was pointing out the significance of those newly installed riders, a Navy female ensign appeared from her port bow and accosted us angrily. She literally said, "What the hell are all you idiots doing down here!" I calmly replied "We were just admiring these newly installed diagonal riders installed to reinforce the hull against hogging. they're really impressive." She was unimpressed "This area is off limits to anybody but military personnel!" I answered "Why weren't there any signs posted to say that? We had no idea." She calmed down and explained that only the gun deck is open to the public. The rest is off-limits to the general public. So, unintentionally I managed to tour the entire innards of 'Old Ironsides' and took pictures of those incredible diagonal riders.

1992-1996 Boston: In 1992, Constitution began a major restoration addressing fundamental structural issues with the hull. Research discovered that a set of diagonal riders, interior framing originally designed by Joshua Humphreys, had been removed in the 1870s, likely contributing to the ship’s decommissioning in 1881. A new set of diagonal riders along with associated knees, stanchions, and planking were installed. Extensive model testing and computer simulations had shown that the framing would significantly strengthen the hull and nearly eliminate the hogging. The restoration opened the possibility of the ship sailing under its own power again on the bicentennial of its launch in 1997. The restoration cost about $12 million.

June 1997 National Geographic has a beautiful in-depth article on the 1992-1996 major restoration, including photos of the massive diagonal riders being lowered into the hull by crane. Here's the 1996 USS Constitution plans, revised in 2011 from the museum itself.

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[Norgale]

Watching the returns and things are going pretty slow. But it's early yet. In between the ranting of the bobbing heads on TV I finally placed the last few planks on the lower deck and have the holes drilled for the two water tanks and the masts. The tanks will have to be paper towel tubes since I don't know of any pipe that is an inch and three quarters diameter. Not a standard size for pipe. Have to get the panel weld pattern onto the tubes and paint them black so they look like water tanks. Rivets too. Anybody have any ideas on how to do that? Doesn't seem to be anything on 1853 water tanks on Google so far.
Next comes the last two decks to bring the hull up to the planksheer so I'll be starting that this week. Sure am burning up the planks for this thing. Took 90 1/8thX1/4X24" sticks for just the lower deck. Thinking about putting a bunch of cannon on this lower deck. Are they expensive and can you buy them in bulk anywhere? I'd appreciate some info on the cannon too if you have any.
Pictures will follow in a bit. Have to load them first. Norgale.
One other thing for Rob and Rich; Do either of you have any info on stairs for going from deck to deck on the GR? Do you think there are any ladders in each hatch? Pete

 

[ClipperFan]

Watching the returns and things are going pretty slow. But it's early yet. In between the ranting of the bobbing heads on TV I finally placed the last few planks on the lower deck and have the holes drilled for the two water tanks and the masts. The tanks will have to be paper towel tubes since I don't know of any pipe that is an inch and three quarters diameter. Not a standard size for pipe. Have to get the panel weld pattern onto the tubes and paint them black so they look like water tanks. Rivets too. Anybody have any ideas on how to do that? Doesn't seem to be anything on 1853 water tanks on Google so far.
Next comes the last two decks to bring the hull up to the planksheer so I'll be starting that this week. Sure am burning up the planks for this thing. Took 90 1/8thX1/4X24" sticks for just the lower deck. Thinking about putting a bunch of cannon on this lower deck. Are they expensive and can you buy them in bulk anywhere? I'd appreciate some info on the cannon too if you have any.
Pictures will follow in a bit. Have to load them first. Norgale.
One other thing for Rob and Rich; Do either of you have any info on stairs for going from deck to deck on the GR? Do you think there are any ladders in each hatch? Pete
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Norgale,
I confirm that Great Republic had 2 staircases. First was in the fore of the 40' × 12' house abaft the mainmast which led to quarters of petty officers and boys below. Second was in the next house further aft which was 17' x 11 & 1/2' contained lockers, etc. and protected a staircase which led to a vestibule of both cabins below.
As for putting any cannon on the lower deck, there's no description of them in lower decks that I could find, nor were there gun ports provided for such. There were several cargo ports listed but nothing for any weaponry.

 

[rwiederrich]

You might need to help me. If you are not going to see within your build and you are going to plank her..why spend the time and lumber finishing her innerds?

Or am I totally missing something?

Rob

 

[ClipperFan]

You might need to help me. If you are not going to see within your build and you are going to plank her..why spend the time and lumber finishing her innerds?

Or am I totally missing something?

Rob

Rob,
That's a very good question. If he really plans on covering up all this work, it doesn't make sense. I can say that, according to the builder's pamphlet, there were at least 6 cargo port openings, 3 per side. It's confusing but there might even be another 6 on deck 3. Either that or McLean repeated himself. There were bitts alongside these cargo ports to allow the ship to be warped alongside docks. Maybe Norgale is planning on having these modelled open to allow internal viewing? Either that or perhaps he's planning on leaving certain areas open, similar to Admiralty models? It would be interesting to know.

 

[Norgale]

Once upon a time there was this very nice ship model at a very nice museum somewhere "up north." Years and years went by and nobody ever paid much attention to the model until one day a model builder happened by and noticed that the rigging of the model was very much in disrepair. Cotton threads had rotted and fallen and sails and yards were hanging askew and the whole thing was looking pretty awful.
So the model builder suggested to the museum curator that he, the builder, take the model and restore it to it's original beauty and the builder would do this for free just to get the model looking good again. The curator agreed and off went the model to the builders home for repair. After removing all the fallen and rotten lines and spars the builder noticed one hatch cover a bit out of place. He pried it up and removed it and looked down into the deck below. Plainly visible were several crates and other pats that were clearly cargo inside the model. He also noticed that there were other hatches below the first one and more yet further down the length of the ship. Being of human scale the builder could not see much inside the hull so he contacted the curator and told him of the find. So the curator arrived a few hours later with a borescope and the two men proceeded to scan the inside of the ship through all the now opened hatch covers. What was awaiting there discovery was a complete interior on all three decks showing staircases with hand carved railings , details of the hull construction along with all manner of cargo and even the kitchen stove and hammocks for the sailors to sleep in. They were amazed at the quality of the craftsmanship and the smallest details that were present.
The curator thanked the builder for finding all this and said he would do a diligent search on the history of the model and see if he could name the person who had built it. Meantime would the builder please, continue with the restoration and he agreed.
Come to find out the model was a bit over a hundred years old and had been built by a long deceased sailor on a long cruise with not too much to do and somehow the model had ended up at the museum. Apparently nobody knew the interior was there so the model had never gained any popularity among those who had seen it. The curator decided to make a special video of the entire interior and a special display of the model where people could view the video of the inside and look at the ship while doing so.
This is a true story as I remember it and I did see the pictures of the inside. I've always thought that was a really great thing the sailor did and so it occurred to me that maybe I could replicate the deed in my own model. So no, you won't see anything inside the GR unless you use a borescope to see it. The borescope is a common tool used by museums now to search out details that can otherwise not be seen including inside engines as well as models. So maybe someday somebody may take a closer look at the GR and see what all is below decks. That's the method to my madness. As far as the extra hatches in the hull go, they were there to facilitate the loading and unloading of lumber which was what the GR was supposedly carrying when she caught fire at the New York pier. The lumber had to be loaded and unloaded one piece at a time since there was no way to move large bunks of boards below deck. These were small hatches that were used to shove boards through to the inside or the outside where they would be stacked on wagons or in the hold. Pretty neat huh?
The cannon I mentioned are for cargo since some unscrupulous knave in New York sold a bunch of armament to another unscrupulous knave in England to be further sold to anybody who could muster up the cash for the purchase. Spain was always looking for more guns to buy and so was Italy. Besides, guns paid a lot more than Tea at the time.
Ok so the last part is ficticious and just something I'd like to do. However the story of the ship model is true and if anybody knows where this story and pictures can be found, please let me know. I'm sure I'm not the only one to ever see it. Norgale.

 

[Norgale]

Having said all that in the post above I have had another idea. If anyone has a few cannon left over in the junk box, how would you like to have your cannon along with your name and address displayed on the lower deck of the GR with the hopes that some inquisitive soul will find it a hundred years from now and try to look you up? Just send it along with whatever you have to ship on the GR, to Norman McGill, 11401 Bonita Beach Road SE, box 76, Bonita Springs, Fl. 34135 "O" scale is the best but anything will do as long as it could be cargo in 1883 and later. This would be very interesting I think. Part of the GR freight manifest. Norgale.

 

[ClipperFan]

Once upon a time there was this very nice ship model at a very nice museum somewhere "up north." Years and years went by and nobody ever paid much attention to the model until one day a model builder happened by and noticed that the rigging of the model was very much in disrepair. Cotton threads had rotted and fallen and sails and yards were hanging askew and the whole thing was looking pretty awful.
So the model builder suggested to the museum curator that he, the builder, take the model and restore it to it's original beauty and the builder would do this for free just to get the model looking good again. The curator agreed and off went the model to the builders home for repair. After removing all the fallen and rotten lines and spars the builder noticed one hatch cover a bit out of place. He pried it up and removed it and looked down into the deck below. Plainly visible were several crates and other pats that were clearly cargo inside the model. He also noticed that there were other hatches below the first one and more yet further down the length of the ship. Being of human scale the builder could not see much inside the hull so he contacted the curator and told him of the find. So the curator arrived a few hours later with a borescope and the two men proceeded to scan the inside of the ship through all the now opened hatch covers. What was awaiting there discovery was a complete interior on all three decks showing staircases with hand carved railings , details of the hull construction along with all manner of cargo and even the kitchen stove and hammocks for the sailors to sleep in. They were amazed at the quality of the craftsmanship and the smallest details that were present.
The curator thanked the builder for finding all this and said he would do a diligent search on the history of the model and see if he could name the person who had built it. Meantime would the builder please, continue with the restoration and he agreed.
Come to find out the model was a bit over a hundred years old and had been built by a long deceased sailor on a long cruise with not too much to do and somehow the model had ended up at the museum. Apparently nobody knew the interior was there so the model had never gained any popularity among those who had seen it. The curator decided to make a special video of the entire interior and a special display of the model where people could view the video of the inside and look at the ship while doing so.
This is a true story as I remember it and I did see the pictures of the inside. I've always thought that was a really great thing the sailor did and so it occurred to me that maybe I could replicate the deed in my own model. So no, you won't see anything inside the GR unless you use a borescope to see it. The borescope is a common tool used by museums now to search out details that can otherwise not be seen including inside engines as well as models. So maybe someday somebody may take a closer look at the GR and see what all is below decks. That's the method to my madness. As far as the extra hatches in the hull go, they were there to facilitate the loading and unloading of lumber which was what the GR was supposedly carrying when she caught fire at the New York pier. The lumber had to be loaded and unloaded one piece at a time since there was no way to move large bunks of boards below deck. These were small hatches that were used to shove boards through to the inside or the outside where they would be stacked on wagons or in the hold. Pretty neat huh?
The cannon I mentioned are for cargo since some unscrupulous knave in New York sold a bunch of armament to another unscrupulous knave in England to be further sold to anybody who could muster up the cash for the purchase. Spain was always looking for more guns to buy and so was Italy. Besides, guns paid a lot more than Tea at the time.
Ok so the last part is ficticious and just something I'd like to do. However the story of the ship model is true and if anybody knows where this story and pictures can be found, please let me know. I'm sure I'm not the only one to ever see it. Norgale.

Norgale,
Thanks for that fascinating tale of discovery. I'm a hige fan of miniatures. As a young 'teen, I had an opportunity to see amazing futuristic miniatures at the GM and Ford Pavilions at the 65 NY World's Fair. The following year, my family went to Amsterdam and we toured Madurodam which is an incredible scale replica of some of the most intricate structures ever seen.
While your constructing your miniature masterpiece, it would be cool if you could maybe make some cell phone videos so that we won't have to wait a century to see them! ;-)

 

[Norgale]

That's a great idea Rich. Don't know why I didn't think of doing that. I'll see what I can do with my el cheapo camera. Thanks.

 

[ClipperFan]

That's a great idea Rich. Don't know why I didn't think of doing that. I'll see what I can do with my el cheapo camera. Thanks.

Norgale,
You're welcome!

 

[Norgale]

So here it is Sunday again and time for a short report on the Great Republic. This week was an eventful one so progress on the GR was slowed a bit. My fiend Joyce was using my truck and went up to Ft. Myers and the battery went dead on her. Fortunately she was only a few yards from Advance Auto who I deal with all the time but at a different store. She went there and a guy came back to the truck with her to see what was wrong. Sure enough the battery was a goner and was only five years old. So they went back to the store and got a new battery which Joyce paid for (I reimbursed her) and headed back carrying the new battery and some tools. The guy checked out the whole truck with a computer thingamajig to see if anything else was wrong and there was nothing else to be fixed. Joyce took the guy back to the store with the old battery and all his tools and off she went. The Advance guy had looked up my name in his store computer and found me and saw that I was a regular customer and took good care of the situation. I want everyone to know that Advance Auto parts is a great store, they warranty everything they sell and will do anything to help somebody out. They even put windshield wipers ON THE TRUCK for me one time last winter. I want to thank those people very much for taking good care of Joyce as well as my truck in my absence. Great job guys and thank you very much.
Now naturally these little set backs usually come in threes so the next day my hot water heater bit the dust. Called for service to two different places and was told it would cost between $1000 and $1500 depending on the job. I said "thank you" and hung up. That just wasn't going to happen. Went and got the specs for my heater and off to Home Depot which is right up the street from me and after carefully examining about fifty hot water heaters from $400 to $2000 I bought the $400 one and took it home. It took me two more days to figure out just what to do and what parts I needed because the new heater didn't match right up with the plumbing from the old one. Got it all figured out and got all the needed pipes and fittings and it took me just three hours to do the job and I'd never done that before. Total cost was $475. Saved some big ones on that job. The third thing hasn't happened yet but mark my words, it will.
So the GR got some attention this past week and I almost finished framing for the second deck. All the cross beams are in and most of the stanchions and knees. I should be able to finish all the deck framing and get started on the hatch covers before laying the decking next week. Once you do one deck the rest is very repetitious and way not exciting. However the next deck#3 will have all the offices and staterooms on it along with other rooms so that will be more interesting I hope.
Took a few pics but it's mostly stuff you've seen before except the next deck is framed up.
Hope you all have a super Thanksgiving this week. I can taste the turkey and gravy now. Yummmmm!

#1 cut the knees out on the band saw.
#2 sand them with the oscillating sanding drum to shape.
#3 Top from the stern.
#4 Looking down the deck from the stern. The cardboard tubes will be the water tanks.
#5 Stbd. bow quarter view.
#6 Port side exterior view
#7 "You gonna give me that cookie or what?"