SS James Adger

[yankee]

I have decided to use the line drawings of the SS James Adger (see attached illustration) to build my hull.  The drawings are available from The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic CT.  Her hull was 215 ft. long and 32 ft. wide.  It is basically a clipper ship type hull.  The James Adger was launched in 1851 and was designed by William H. Webb.  He designed a number of mail ships that were used to carry mail destined to California.  The mail would be sent by ship down to Panama where it would be transported across the Imus of Paname and loaded onto another mail ship on the west coast for the trip to San Francisco.

I chose this design Because of where I will sail her.  The lake closest to my home is about a mile and a half long.  I sail from the downwind shore so that if something should fail the wind will blow my model back to me.  At times it can get quite choppy and, in scale, the waves resemble heavy seas.  For this reason I chose a scale of 1:60.  That would give me a model 43 inches long, close to the width of my car's luggage compartment.

My intent is to scan the line drawings into my computer, adjust the scale, and print out the cross sections (technical term?).  I will use these as templates to cut bulkheads out of plywood.  I plan to assemble these on the keel and sheet or plank the hull.  It will then be covered with fiberglass cloth and resin.

Beyond the hull I may depart from modeling, enlarge the paddle wheels, and eliminate the sails.  Under steam she only had a speed of 11 knots.  (As a mail ship the main function of the engines was to keep on schedule.) During the Civil War she was used to blockade the Confederacy.  Since yous guys (American slang) were building faster blockade runners, being a Yankee, I can't let that happen.

I will keep you updated on my progress via this forum thread.

[Eddy Matthews]

An interesting looking paddler Yankee - I'll certainly look forward to hearing more about it as you build her...

Regards
Eddy

[yankee]

I am posting these comments because I have never built from scratch before and want to feel like I am not alone.  So feel free to chime in if something I am doing has a fatal flaw.

I received the line drawings for the hull of the James Adger yesterday.  They are in the same scale as my model so I can transfer dimensions and shapes directly from the drawings.  I purchased a white shelf board with a smooth laminate surface that I intend to use as my dry dock.  I can draw the center line and rib lines on the board and use a square to make sure the ribs/bulkheads are square to the keel and vertical.  At least, that's my plan.

I plan to use plywood for both the keel and the ribs.  At the bow and stern the keel board will extend up to the deck line with the ribs glued onto it, forming a cell-like structure.  In the center, where the cross section is rectangular the bulkheads will have their centers removed to provide an open area.

[Eddy Matthews]

It all sounds okay so far - What is the "shelf" made from though? They are often cheap chipboard with a laminate covering, and can warp and twist badly.

I'd suggest some good quality thick plywood or MDF as a buildingboard - DO NOT use MDF in the actual hull though!! It absorbs water and swells alarmingly, and is almost impossible to seal.... Stick with good quality plywood for the keel and bulkheads as you suggested.

Regards
Eddy

[Red_Hamish]

Hello Yankke,do you intend to build with the bulkheads down or the keel down ? I'd do it with the bulkheads  down and with the top side, with additional material (inverted) attached to the blocks of the building board. This I feel enables you to keeep an eye (the most precise of measuring insruments) on the fairness of the hull form.

cheers

Jim

[steamboatmodel]

..........
My intent is to scan the line drawings into my computer, adjust the scale, and print out the cross sections (technical term?).  I will use these as templates to cut bulkheads out of plywood.  I plan to assemble these on the keel and sheet or plank the hull.  It will then be covered with fiberglass cloth and resin.

When doing the Bulkhead lines remember to allow for the thickness of the planking, fiberglass etc. if you don't the beam will increase.
Regards,
Gerald

[Dinosaursoupman]

Hello Yankee,

It would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the plans you have before proceeding. As Gerald said, you may need to allow for the thickness of the planking when cutting out your bulkheads. I was surprised to find out that this isn't always the case though. While reviewing the plans available on-line (and for free!!!) through Marine Nationale (the French military's website) I noticed that all the old sailing vessels had 2 sets of "cross sections" or riblines. Not being able to read French (and Google Translate won't work with the plans), I could not figure out why 2 sets. But after looking closely at the more complete set, I noticed that there was a rabbet in the keel where the ribline met the keel. Not being a shipwright I couldn't say authoritatively, but it seems this rabbet may be there to accommodate the planking and that these drawings actually show the outside edge of the rib (or bulkhead) of the vessel and not the outside of the planking itself. Then after comparing this set of lines with the second set, I noticed that the second set had slight differences, i.e the keel didn't extend as far below the vessel in the second set, and the measurements were slightly different. Then it hit me, the first set does indeed show the outside edge of the ribs/bulkheads whereas the second set shows the outside of the vessel after planking. So make sure you know which lines your plans are showing. Generally, plans drawn for model making will show the extreme outside of the vessel so you will have to allow for your planking method, while original builders plans may be different.

When you do plank your vessel don't get lured into the idea of using wide planks as I did. My Charles W. Wetmore has large areas of straight flat surfaces, so I felt I could use large flat pieces of planking in those areas. But the unfortunate thing about most ships is, they don't stay straight or flat. Trying to attach a piece of planking that needs to twist and turn as it progresses down the length of the ship but only has a small surface area for the end of the plank to glue to quickly leads to frustration.

As far as planking is concerned, my opinion is that a ratio of 1 to 1 width to thickness would be perfect. The plank flexes in either direction equally so would be best for following the twists and curves of the hull. The downside is; It'll take a lot of planks to cover the hull. If you use pre-cut wood, it can get expensive and if you make your own, it's time consuming and wastes a lot of material. A more practical ratio may be 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 width to thickness. Less number of planks but a little more work to fit. Since it will all be covered with fiberglass, it won't have to look pretty or be totally watertight. Allow room to sand the surface of the planks in order to blend all the irregularities in the planked surface.

I hope I'm not making this sound too complicated, it's not really, just my experiences in building and trying to prevent someone from making the same mistakes I did.

Randy

[yankee]

Thanks for your comments.  I'll post here again when I can show it under construction.  I do not have a schedule.  Timing depends on my everchanging priority list.  The more I studied the hull lines the more I liked the vessel.  Its length is more than six times its width and there is as much hull under the waterline as there is above it.  The James Adger had a displacement of 1,400 tons.

[yankee]

I copied the hull line drawings, cut out the shapes, transferred them to plywood, and cut the plywood with a band saw.  When assembled they actually look like a clipper ship. (attached photo)

Because the patterns went through two transfers, and because I am no expert when it comes to running a band saw, more adjustments will be required during the planking stage than if I were dealing with die-cut pieces from a kit.  However, all the hull surfaces are within 1/16 inch of where they should be and if I proceed carefully I should be OK.

Once the outer hull is finished I may need to remove some of the internal structure to get back to my targeted hull weight of 2 pounds.  I am estimating total hull and superstructure weight of 3 lbs., the motors and drive mechanism will add 3 lbs.,batteries (NiCD) 2 lbs., and electronics 1 lb.  That should give me some leeway because I estimate a displacement of 10-12 lbs.

I intend to start the planking at the water line, do the area below the waterline first and then, after I have a little experience, tackle the more complicated transitional shapes at the bow and stern above the water line.  Any reason I should take a different approach?  When completed the hull surface will be covered with epoxy resin and one layer of fiberglass cloth.  After sanding and finishing the final layer will be black epoxy paint.

Stay tuned for further developments.

[Red_Hamish]

Looking good Yankee, I really liked the way that you've cut up the bulkheads beautifully. The weight limiting action of drilling them too has got to be a bonus. I've never done a plank on frame build before but I'd suggest the way to progress is from the keel upward always.

cheers

Jim

[Eddy Matthews]

As the hull will be covered - I don't suppose it makes a great difference where you start the planking. Just remember to attach the hull securely to a good strong building board, and plank both sides of the hull at the same time - ie a plank on one side of the hull follwed by a plank on the other, and so on.... That keeps the stresses even. Otherwise you'll end up with a hull that is badly twisted.

On all the planked hulls I've done, I've always started planking from deck level and worked my way down to the keel. The only reason for that is that the first plank is fitted to match the sheer of the deck and each successive plank is butted up to that - Then all the fiddly bits where planks need a lot of cutting/shaping is done at the bottom of the boat which is below the waterline and generally hidden from view..... That's just my preference.

Regards
Eddy

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's.....& a good framing job Yankee... ...as both Jim & Eddy note......it is of the upmost importance to invert & secure the hull frames to a substantial building board

Looking at your .jpg.......approx the frame @ the [upside down] .....   30" mark..........the 17" mark [temporaty cross brace needed] & the 7" mark....attach [screw & bolt] timber 3" x 1" supports & bolt these back to your building board

There are fixed planking rules as previously explained.......but  the hull of your vessel was planked....& some would say there is nothing more beautiful than a planked hull visible to the eye....[I am biased]

You could consider planking down to below the waterline....then black tar paint below....this can also help with angular plank transitions

The frame variance you mention is not acceptable.......a length of that 3" x 1" offcut with sand paper attached will tru all the frames [ensure 3 frames are in contact with the sand paper]
Prior to commencing the planking....think carefully....a labour of love or a love of labour........but you will enjoy the finished product ..... Derek

[andy]

I would plank the hull and then use it for a positive model for a glassfibre negative form. With this I would make a glass fibre plastic hull- if it should be a swimming RC model.

Andreas

[yankee]

The technical side of me, the larger part, suggested digitizing the line drawings and turning the hull shape into a three dimensional matrix.  I could then mill the shape out of a solid block using an NC milling machine.  This form could be used to create the hull via fiberglass layup or vacuum forming.

Then I remembered the old ship lofts where the drawings would be reproduced full scale on the floor and the components fitted to the pattern.  This is what I was doing, but I did not have to scale up.  I realized that these curves were initially drawn using French Curves and not mathematical equations.  I was getting dangerously close to that smaller part of my brain, the artistic side.  This point was made more obvious when I discovered that I could see the shapes better if I closed my eyes and ran my finger over a rib's contour.  Any flaw would stick out like a sour note.

So I'll stay traditional for a little longer but don't be surprised if I start talking about aluminum and carbon fiber composites for the drive shafts and paddle wheels.  I'm also considering limit switches on the rudder mechanism where 30 degrees would be rudder only, 45 degrees rudder would stop one paddle wheel, and 60 degrees rudder would reverse it, but that's my winter project.

Sorry, I tend to babble.

Thanks for your input and stay tuned.

[mjt60a]

The model's looking very good to me, I haven't tried making a hull this way yet, will be good to see how it turns out

...I'm also considering limit switches on the rudder mechanism where 30 degrees would be rudder only, 45 degrees rudder would stop one paddle wheel...

I've tried something similar on this paddle tug, the rudder moves through 45 degrees when the control stick is moved though about 25. further movement of the stick causes the servo to operate one of two microswitches and stop one of the motors (the other speeds up for some reason...) springs on the rudder control rod take up the extra movement (there are stops on the rudder at the stern so it moves no further) which also enables it to withstand minor colisions with the sloping sides of the pond!
Considering the whole thing is made from scrap, it works really quite well...